This Isn’t Exactly Asimov’s Foundation but That’s Okay.

“Ordinary Joe” Makes the Alternate History Genre Personal

• Broadcast Renewal Scorecard
• Cable Renewal Scorecard
• Streaming Renewal Scorecard

Pandemic News

• Paramount is delaying the release of Mission Impossible 7 until September 30, 2022 and Top Gun: Maverick previously scheduled for Thanksgiving 2021 has been moved to Memorial Day weekend 2022. “Jackass Forever” has been moved from October 2021 until February 2022. The remainder of this year will have no more Paramount releases. A new “Scream” film will premier January 14.
• Disney has announced that the rest of its 2021 films will be released to theaters before being released to streaming.

Renewals, Coming Soon, and Casting News

• Netflix has picked up “Manifest” previously canceled from NBC for a fourth and final season.
• “Jeopardy!” Executive Producer Mike Richards had been appointed the new permanent host of the show however controversy arose when comments he made only podcast about pregnant women, Haitians, Jews, and little people surfaced. He has stepped down from the position after taping five episodes. He will however continue as executive producer (late update now he’s out as EP of both Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune). Big Bang actress Mayim Bialik was named host of Jeopardy!‘s primetime editions and spinoffs. No replacement for Richards has yet been named. Late update: Bialik will host for at least three weeks. Late update again: Bialik and Ken Jennings will host through the end of 2021.
• Fox has renewed MasterChef for season 12
• Netflix has renewed “Never Have I Ever” for season 3
• Peacock streaming has announced the reboot of “Punky Brewster” has been canceled.
• Rachel Maddow has signed a deal to extend her contract with MSNBC
• Showtime has announced “Your Honor” starring Bryan Cranston will return for season 2 scheduled for 2022
• AMC has announced “Kevin Can F**k Himself” has been renewed for season 2. I really need to do a blog post about this groundbreaking show that is a bizarre mix of a classic sitcom and a very dark drama.
• Netflix has renewed “Cobra Kai” for season 5 before it’s season 4 premier.
• AMC announced that “The Walking Dead” mysterious character Jadis played by Pollyanna McIntosh will be guest starring on “Walking Dead: World Beyond”
• Annie Wersching will play a Borg Queen in season 2 of Star Trek: Picard
• Hulu has announced “Reservation Dogs” has been renewed for season 2.
• Kate Walsh will return as Dr. Addison Montgomery on the upcoming season of Grey’s Anatomy
• Pat Sajak and Vanna White have signed on to continue Wheel of Fortune through 2024
• Star Trek: Picard has been renewed for season 3 ahead of season 2 release sometime in February 2022.
• The HBO Max reboot of “Gossip Girl” has been renewed for season 2
• HBO announced Real-Time with Bill Maher has been renewed through 2024.
• Amateur detectives Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez will be back to solve “Only Murders in the Building” for season 2
• Peacock has renewed “The Amber Ruffin Show” for season 2.
• HBO has canceled “Generation” after just 1 season.
• CW has canceled “The Outpost” after 4 seasons.
• Full Frontal with Samantha Bee has been renewed for season 7 at TBS and will be moving to Thursdays
• Hulu has announced that “The Orville: New Horizons “ is the new name for the third season of the series which will premier March 10, 2022 nearly 3 years after its second season appeared on Fox.
• Netflix has announced “Sex Education” has been renewed for season 4.
• “The Whicher” has been renewed for season 3 and the franchise or expand with another anime film and a family series. Season 2 will premier in December.
• CW announced J. Michael Straczynski is developing a reboot of “Babylon 5”. This will not be a sequel. It is a “from the ground up reboot”.
• FXX has announced “Archer” has been renewed for season 13.
• NBC announced “Law & Order” is returning to NBC 11 years after its original cancellation. This will be season 21.
• Disney+ announced “The Book of Boba Fett” will premier December 29.
• Televangelist Pat Robertson is stepping down as the host of “The 700 Club” after 54 years.
• Damien Lewis is leaving Showtime’s “Billions” after 5 seasons. Season 6 will debut in January. Very shocked. He’s half the show.
• Journalist Natalie Morales has left NBC to be the permanent cohost of “The Talk”

Miscellaneous News

• Russell T Davies is returning as showrunner to Doctor Who starting in 2023. He was a showrunner when the show rebooted in 2005.
• ABBA has announced they will release their first studio album in 40 years on November 5.
• Despite the success of titles like Ted Lasso and The Morning Show, Apple TV+ is believed to have no more than 20 million subscribers.
• Bob Odenkirk has returned to the set of “Better Call Saul” after a mild heart attack.
• Scarlett Johansson has settled her lawsuit with Disney over the release of “Black Widow”. She said it’s same day release to streaming hurt the box office and therefore her percentage.
• Rocker David Lee Roth announced he is retiring from show business.

In Memoriam

• Norm McDonald comedian from SNL age 61 cancer
• Jane Powell Golden age Hollywood actress. Age 92
• Charlie Watts drummer for Rolling Stones. Age 80.
• Ed Asner star of Mary Tyler Moore show and Lou Grant. Age 91
• Willard Scott long time weatherman for The Today Show age 87
• Don Everly singer from the Everly Brothers age 84 Barbara Patricia Hitchcock daughter of Alfred Hitchcock who appeared in “Strangers On A Train” and “Psycho” age 93
• Michael K Williams star of “The Wire” and “Lovecraft Country” age 54 accidental overdose
• Willie Garson played Mosie on “White-Collar” and appeared in “Sex and the City”. Age 57. Pancreatic cancer S
• Melvin Van Peebles, legendary black director and father of Mario Van Peebles. Age 89
• Al Harrington who appeared in the original Hawaii Five-O. Age 85.
• Michael Nader who starred in “All My Children” and “Dynasty” age 76
• Mikis Theodorakis, the Greek composer of acclaimed scores for such films as Zorba the Greek, Z and Serpico age 96
• Irma Kalis one of televisions first female TV producers whose writing credits with her husband Norman Leah included Maude, All in the Family, Good Times, My Three Sons, Gardens Island, And I Dream of Jeannie just to name a few. Age 96
• Ruben Klamer who invented Milton Bradley’s “The Game of Life” and was a prop designer for the original Star Trek. Age 99. See the link below.
• Sir Clive Sinclair inventor of the pocket calibrator and the ZX Spectrum personal computers. Age 81.
• Eric Cowie who was a zookeeper in the Netflix series Tiger King. Age 52. Undisclosed cause.
• Michael Constantine who played the father in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” age 94
• Jay Sandrich Emmy-winning director of Mary Tyler Moore show and the Cosby show and lower age 89.
• Tim Donnelly known for playing firefighter Chet Kelly on the NBC 70s series “Emergency!” Age 77.
• Tommy Kirk child actor who appeared in “Old Yeller” and “The Shaggy Dog” Age 79.
• Alan Kalter who was announcer for Late Show with David Letterman for 20 years. Age 78.
• Cynthia Harris who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and is known for playing Paul Reiser’s mother on “Mad about You”. Age 87

Links of Interest

• Superman Almost Appeared in The Suicide Squad Movie
• James Gunn Explains Why Amanda Waller Wanted Rick Flag Gone
• Singer Tony Bennett Officially Retires From 70-Year Career, Cancels Remaining Tour Dates
• ‘Deafness isn’t a monolith’: Deaf communities praise, criticize new Apple TV+ movie ‘CODA’
• Inside Line: Scoop on The Rookie, NCIS, New Amsterdam, Fantasy Island, Titans, The Flash, Magnum, Legends and More
• Inventor of ‘The Game of Life’ and Prop Designer for Star Trek Dies at 99
• Matt’s Inside Line: Scoop on NCIS: LA, New Amsterdam, Grey’s, Stargirl, TAR, Chesapeake Shores, Chi Fire and More
• Matt’s Inside Line: Get Scoop on Grey’s, The Flash, The Good Doctor, Magnum, Roswell, NCIS: Los Angeles and More