Six New Series Among Big Upfront Announcements from TBS and TNT
News Also Includes Two New Programming Blocks, Premiere Talent and More Coming to the Networks
TBS & TNT are heading into Turner Upfront 2017 with several major announcements, including a total of six new series, two new programming blocks, as well as a series renewal, the casting of one of Broadway's newest stars and more. Both networks will take center stage later this morning at The Theater at Madison Square Garden as network execs from across the Turner portfolio showcase their leading brands.
Kevin Reilly, president of TBS & TNT and chief creative officer for Turner Entertainment, will talk about the top-to-bottom re-build of both brands, which kicked off their evolutions last year with eight high-quality, distinctive marquee originals that achieved a 100% renewal rate. In 2018 and beyond, the two powerhouse cable brands will build on that extraordinary success.
TBS
TBS has given the greenlight to four new series:
- Miracle Workers, a Heaven-set workplace comedy starring Daniel Radcliffe and Owen Wilson and executive-produced by Lorne Michaels;
- Close Enough, a brand new animated series from Regular Show creator J.G. Quintel;
- An update of of the classic game show The Joker's Wild, hosted by Snoop Dogg;
- A new untitled series from the comedy trio The Dress Up Gang.
TBS has closed a new four-year deal with Conan O'Brien's Team Coco that will keep the hit late-night show CONAN on TBS through 2022 and will extend the brand into digital content, podcasting, gaming, pay TV and live events.
Super Deluxe, which has quickly grown to average more than 40 million unique users every month on social and recently hit the billion views milestone, will have its own 90-minute interactive, alternative late-night block on TBS called Super Deluxe.
TBS has cast Cedric the Entertainer, Taylor Mosby and Dante Hoagland in its new comedy starring Tracy Morgan entitledThe Last O.G.
TNT
TNT has greenlit two non-fiction series:
- Michael Moore Live from the Apocalypse from Oscar® and Emmy® winner Michael Moore
- Who Run the World? from Sarah Jessica Parker, Morgan Spurlock and Refinery29
TNT is working with master storyteller and filmmaker Ridley Scott to develop a night of original science-fiction programming. Initial plans call for the block to serve as a showcase for hour-long series, short-form programs and other formats to be developed in collaboration with Scott.
On the development front, TNT has ordered a pilot for Highland, a scripted drama written by Liz Sarnoff and starring actress-comedian Margaret Cho, and announced Daveed Diggs, who earned a Tony® for the Broadway hit Hamilton, will star in the network's drama pilot Snowpiercer, which will be directed by Doctor Strange helmer Scott Derrickson.
