With Gotham coming to the medium screen in less than a week, Fox has made another DC Comics-inspired commitment with a pilot order of Lucifer, based on the comic book character by the same name. For the uninitiated, the DC version of Lucifer is the fallen-angel-turned-hell-overlord, who, bored and unhappy with his job, resigns from Hell to open a piano bar in Los Angeles named Lux. Lucifer joins an ever-growing slate of DC Comics TV projects in development that includes a Teen Titans-inspired series for TNT and a Supergirl reboot. Lucifer‘s one-hour pilot will be imagined by Tom Kapinos (Californication), with Aggressive Mediocrity and Warner Bros. Television producing.
Comedian Darrell Hammond, who holds the record of the longest cast member tenure on Saturday Night Live with 14 years, will return for season 40 with a new role. NBC shared on Thursday that Hammond will be the new announcer on the long-running sketch show, replacing Don Pardo, who passed away in August at the age of 96. Hammond, best known for his impressions of Bill Clinton and Regis Philbin, will start his new SNL gig during the premiere, hosted by Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy), on Sept. 27. Also, in SNL news, alumn Bill Hader (Skeleton Twins) will return as guest host on Saturday, Oct. 11.
Subscribers to streaming services such as Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime have long bemoaned the requirement by premium networks to have a pay cable subscription in order to access Showtime Anytime and HBO Go. Such may not be the case for Showtime much longer, according to a report in Deadline. Les Moonves, who has been playing his streaming cards close to his (Moon)vest, said that there is a “very strong possibility” that Showtime will be offered directly to consumers over the Internet “and possibly with CBS as well.” Moonves made the remarks at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference on Wednesday, saying that while Showtime might offer an online service, “there are ways of going direct to consumer in different packages.” Showtime’s Certified Fresh programming includes Masters of Sex, Homeland, and Nurse Jackie.
Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) will lend her voice to the internet’s favorite kitty in the upcoming TV movie Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever. Plaza is best known for her apathetic and deadpan character April Ludgate on Parks and Rec, which is returning for its seventh and final season on NBC — likely during the midseason. Grumpy Cat (aka Tarder Sauce) has already inspired a book and a coffee line, and will be joined by a number of other “celebrity” internet memes in her TV movie debut. Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever airs Saturday, Nov. 29 at 8 pm on Lifetime.
It’s been 30 years since the world first met Cliff and Clair and their five children, Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa, and Rudy. Celebrating one of America’s favorite TV families, TV Land will air a special Cosby Show marathon this weekend, starting on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 2:00 pm ET/PT and ending Sunday, Sept. 22 at 10:00 pm ET/PT. Episodes include fan favorite “How Ugly Is He?” in which Cliff (Bill Cosby) and Clair (Phylicia Rashad) meet Denise’s (Lisa Bonet) outspoken boyfriend for the first time; “The Birth Part 1” with Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf) suddenly going into labor in the Huxtables’ kitchen; and the pilot episode in which Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) brings home a bad report card much to Cliff’s chagrin. Other fan favorite episodes include “Theo’s Holiday,” “Say Hello To A Good Buy,” and “Isn’t It Romantic?” The marathon will conclude with the series’ final episode, “And So We Commence Part 2.” Check TVLand.com for local listings.
