This week in TV news, we learn that Eddie Murphy will be on the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. Plus, David Tennant will play a Marvel villain, Anna Gunn will be an FBI agent, Wet Hot American Summer will have a huge cast of hilarious people, and watching all of these things might be bad for your mental health!
Some pretty big names are joining the already impressive cast of Netflix’s Wet Hot American Summer comedy series. According to Deadline, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, and Jason Schwartzman will be in the eight-part limited run reboot with guest star/recurring roles, joining some 20 cast members who were in the eponymous 2001 cult-hit movie. Returning to Summer camp from the original roster are showrunner Michael Showalter, Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Banks, H. Jon Benjamin, Michael Ian Black, Bradley Cooper, Judah Friedlander, Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Christopher Meloni, A.D. Miles, Paul Rudd, Molly Shannon, and Kevin Sussman. In addition to the newly announced cast, the newcomer category includes Michaela Watkins, John Slattery, Josh Charles, Randall Park, Jayma Mays, Lake Bell, Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel, and Richard Schiff. David Wain will direct, and the series will debut on Netflix this summer.
According to a recent study by researchers from the University of Texas, binge-watching True Detective‘s Rust Cohle meditate on the shapes of time might cause even more depression than you originally thought. According to a release by researcher Yoon Hi Sung, who will present the findings of the study “A Bad Habit for Your Health? An Exploration of Psychological Factors for Binge-Watching Behavior” this spring, said, “Physical fatigue and problems such as obesity and other health problems are related to binge-watching and they are a cause for concern. When binge-watching becomes rampant, viewers may start to neglect their work and their relationships with others. Even though people know they should not, they have difficulty resisting the desire to watch episodes continuously.” Sounds like it could be a case of the-chicken-or-the-egg. Where’s Rust Cohle on that one?
AMC alums Anna Gunn and Tyler James Williams have found a new home with CBS’ upcoming Criminal Minds spinoff about an FBI division that helps Americans with trouble abroad. Gunn (Breaking Bad, Gracepoint) will star opposite Gary Sinise, as Ally Lambert, an international linguist and law expert. Sinise will play the head of the division with 20 years experience with such cases. Tyler James Williams, best known as Noah on The Walking Dead, has nabbed a regular role as the squad’s tech analyst who will be based at home while the team often heads abroad. The spinoff is currently set as a pilot that will shoot in mid-February, airing with the flagship series at a later date.
Doctor Who’s David Tennant will play Marvel villain Kilgrave in the upcoming Netflix series AKA Jessica Jones. In the series, Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) finds herself rebuilding her life after a short stint as a superhero. A New York City detective, whose cases involve extraordinary people, Jones runs up against an enigmatic figure from her past: Kilgrave (Marvel fans will remember Zebediah Killgrave: the Purple Man). Jones showrunner Melissa Rosenberg said in a statement, “I’m so honored and excited by the prospect of David inhabiting this multifaceted character. He can deliver the most heart-wrenching moment to the driest of lines, and all points in between. He’ll make Kilgrave a truly original villain.” The 13-episode series will premiere on Netflix in 2015.
Eddie Murphy, who has not been on Saturday Night Live in over 30 years, will return to Studio 8H for the upcoming 40th anniversary special. Murphy, best known for characters such as Buckwheat, Mr. Robinson, and Gumby, spilled the beans during a phone interview with TV One’s Roland S. Martin. “They are having a 40th anniversary, I think, in two weeks,” Murphy said. “I’m going to that. That will be the first time I have been back since I left.” Murphy’s three-decade disappearance from SNL has caused rumors of a rift between him and the show, but he told Robinson that it had just been an issue of “timing.” The three-hour special will air on NBC on Sunday, Feb. 15., from 8 to 11 pm.
