Investigation Discovery’s four-part documentary series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV delves into the toxic work conditions on some of the late 1990s and early 2000s kids TV shows. The docuseries will air over two nights, beginning on March 17, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT and wrapping up on Monday, March 18th.
Directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz, the docuseries features interviews with Alexa Nikolas, Giovonnie Samuels, Kyle Sullivan, Bryan Hearne, Marc Summers, and Katrina Johnson. Virgil Fabian, Jenny Kilgen, and Christy Stratton also participate in interviews.
Investigation Discovery released this description of the documentary series:
“Quiet on Set pulls back the curtain on an empire, built by creator Dan Schneider, that had an undeniable grip on popular culture. Series such as All That and The Amanda Show, among others, were obsessively consumed by children across the country and defined comedy for a generation. But behind the upbeat onscreen presence on these shows with questionable jokes and over-the-top sketches, Quiet on Set reveals an insidious environment rife with allegations of abuse, sexism, racism, and inappropriate dynamics with its underage stars and crew.”
Poster for ID’s ‘Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV’
Kylie Minogue and Lainey Wilson (Credits: Edward Cooke and Erick Frost / Provided by NBC)
Grammy Award winners Kylie Minogue and Lainey Wilson will take the stage to perform on the 2024 People’s Choice Awards. Minogue and Wilson join four-time Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz as performers, with Kravitz set to be recognized for his “illustrious career and significant contributions to the music industry and the rock genre in particular” with the Music Icon Award.
Kylie Minogue added a second Grammy to her trophy shelf at the 2024 Grammy Awards, taking home the award for Best Pop Dance Recording (“Padam Padam”). Lainey Wilson also scored a Grammy win during this year’s awards show, earning the Best Country Album award for Bell Bottom Country.
Emmy and Grammy-nominated actor, comedian, and producer Adam Sandler was previously announced as the recipient of the 2024 People’s Icon Award.
“Adam Sandler has been a fixture in the industry for decades, entertaining us since he got his start on Saturday Night Live more than 30 years ago,” said Jen Neal, Executive Vice President, Live Events and Specials, NBCUniversal Entertainment. “From Billy Madison to Mr. Deeds, his unforgettable characters have endured the test of time and left their mark on audiences for generations. We’re excited to honor him with this year’s People’s Icon Award.”
The 2024 People’s Choice Awards show will air live on Sunday, February 18, 2024 at 8pm ET/PT (tape-delayed on the West Coast) on NBC, E!, and Peacock. Simu Liu, one of Barbie‘s Kens, will guide the show as host.
Sonya Cassidy and Anthony Michael Hall join ‘Reacher’ (Hall Photo Credit: Riker Bros / Photos Courtesy of Prime Video)
Anthony Michael Hall (Halloween Kills) and Sonya Cassidy (The Man Who Fell to Earth) have joined the cast of Prime Video’s Reacher as series regulars for the upcoming third season. Hall and Cassidy join series stars Alan Ritchson and Maria Sten in the new season which is based on Lee Child’s Persuader, the seventh book of the Jack Reacher series.
Per Prime Video: “Anthony Michael Hall has been cast as Zachary Beck. A formidable and successful businessman, Beck is a widow and single father of a 20-year-old son, Richard. He is the owner of a rug import company that Reacher and his cohorts suspect is a cover for a more nefarious operation.”
Sonya Cassidy’s character, Susan Duffy, is described as “an extremely intelligent and tough DEA agent from Boston with a sharp and sarcastic sense of humor.”
Filming is currently underway in Toronto on season three, which finds Reacher going undercover to rescue an informant held by a haunting foe from his past.
Emmy nominee Nick Santora serves as writer, executive producer, and showrunner. Additional season three executive producers include author Lee Child, Alan Ritchson, Don Granger, Scott Sullivan, Mick Betancourt, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Matt Thunell. The series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios, Skydance Television, and Paramount Television Studios.
Shaun Sipos, Alan Ritchson, Serinda Swan and Maria Sten in ‘Reacher’ season 2 (Photo Credit: Brooke Palmer/Prime Video)
A Look Back on Season 2, Courtesy of Prime Video:
Reacher season two begins when veteran military police investigator Jack Reacher (Ritchson) receives a coded message that the members of his former U.S. Army unit, the 110th MP Special Investigations, are being mysteriously and brutally murdered one by one. Pulled from his drifter lifestyle, Reacher reunites with three of his former teammates turned chosen family to investigate, including Frances Neagley (Maria Sten); Karla Dixon (Swan), a forensic accountant for whom Reacher has long had a soft spot; and fast-talking, switchblade-wielding family man David O’Donnell (Shaun Sipos).
Together, they begin to connect the dots in a mystery where the stakes get higher at every turn, and that brings about questions of who has betrayed them – and who will die next. Using his inimitable blend of smarts and size, Reacher will stop at nothing to uncover the truth and protect the members of his unit. If there’s one thing Reacher and his team know for certain, it’s that you do not mess with the Special Investigators.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors has approved the addition of a new Achievement in Casting Academy Award. The new category will take effect beginning with films released in 2025, with the first Achievement in Casting Oscar awarded during the 98th Oscars in 2026.
This is the first new category added since the addition of Best Animated Feature Film way back in 2001.
“Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognize and celebrate,” stated Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang. “We congratulate our Casting Directors Branch members on this exciting milestone and for their commitment and diligence throughout this process.”
Rules relating to the new category are expected to be announced in April 2025. According to the Academy, the Casting Directors Branch (created in July 2013) has almost 160 members.
“On behalf of the members of the Casting Directors Branch, we’d like to thank the Board of Governors, the Awards Committee, and Academy leadership for their support. This award is a deserved acknowledgment of our casting directors’ exceptional talents and a testament to the dedicated efforts of our branch,” said Academy Casting Directors Branch governors Richard Hicks, Kim Taylor-Coleman and Debra Zane.
Chris Hemsworth returns with ‘Limitless with Chris Hemsworth’ season 2 (National Geographic for Disney+/Craig Parry)
National Geographic has renewed both Limitless with Chris Hemsworth and A Real Bug’s Life for second seasons. Season one of Limitless premiered on Disney+ in November 2022 and A Real Bug’s Life, narrated by Awkwafina, debuted in January 2024.
“Working on Limitless was an eye-opening experience that allowed me to reflect on my strengths, vulnerabilities and all the ways in which we as humans can plan toward longevity,” said Hemsworth. “For this next season, we are attempting to raise the bar and go even deeper in this exploration alongside health and wellness experts from around the globe.”
Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel created the series and will return to executive produce the new season. Additional executive producers include Hemsworth, Tom Watt-Smith, Jane Root, Ben Grayson, Brandon Hill, Bengt Anderson, and Simon Raikes.
“Millions of viewers around the world were inspired and wowed by the combination of science, endeavor, and the incredibly committed Chris Hemsworth in the first season, so it’s with huge pride that we announce its return,” said Tom McDonald, executive vice president, Global Factual and Unscripted Content, National Geographic. “This new season will have the scale, the drama and the challenges you’d expect from Limitless, but we’ve also got some big and exciting surprises in store for the audience and for Chris himself.”
Limitless with Chris Hemsworth Synopsis, Courtesy of National Geographic:
In season one, Hemsworth pushed the limits of his body and mind to discover how fasting can unlock the body’s anti-aging power, how to manage stress so it doesn’t kill you, and how exposure to extreme temperatures can trigger our bodies’ own defenses against the killer diseases of old age, all in a quest to live a longer, healthier life. Now, in this next installment, he’s taking on four more epic challenges on a global journey through Nepal, Italy, Australia, and the United Kingdom to help him — and us — understand how to live not just longer, but better.
In season two, Hemsworth will delve into a series of physical and mental obstacles that people across the world face daily: mental agility, pain, burnout, and interpersonal connection. Amazing science and intense challenges are the inspiration for experiences that will push Chris to explore and grow as he’s never done before. To do that, Chris will need to travel to the ends of the Earth to uncover the latest scientific thinking and unlock some of the world’s best-kept secrets to living a better life.
Through Hemsworth’s travels, guided by a number of experts, mentors, and spiritual leaders, audiences can seek the everyday changes, both big and small, that can allow us to see improved versions of ourselves.
Two damselflies rest on a flower in ‘A Real Bug’s Life’ season 2 (National Geographic/Remus Vasile Triplea)
A Real Bug’s Life Synopsis and Episode Guide, Courtesy of National Geographic:
Inspired by the World of Disney and Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, the new season of the genre-busting series will feature an all-new cast of insects including femme fatale firefly, bachelor luna moth, a real-life assassin bug, the botany bay weevil and other incredible tiny heroes living on our planet. The five-episode season of A Real Bug’s Life will continue to tell the tales of love, perseverance and triumphs in their very own microworlds.
Using the latest camera technology, scientific revelation, and an incredible score, audiences will crawl, fly and jump alongside bugs, experiencing new locations. With new microscopic terrains to explore, A Real Bug’s Life will build off the first season, uncovering epic tales, mind-boggling facts, and never-before-seen insect behavior.
Step into the spellbinding world of bugs with the following episodes:
• LOVE IN THE FOREST (Smoky Mountains, Tennessee) – It’s the end of the longest day of summer. A young fawn frolics to exhaustion. While it falls asleep, the forest comes to life – and tonight, love is in the air. At the forest edge, a lonely female firefly is looking for a male, but the Big Dipper fireflies nearby are dancing to a different tune.
• LIFE’S A BEACH (Borneo, Malaysia) – The beach may look like paradise to us … but it’s a brutal place for bugs to make a home. From the sand all the way out to the reef, the waves and the tides hammer their home 24/7. Time and tide wait for no bug.
• TINY HEROES DOWN UNDER (Australia) – Down Under – a land filled with familiar fluffy faces like kangaroos and koalas, but the bugs here are a lot of people’s worst nightmares. A eucalyptus forest in eastern Australia is full of ’em: funnel web fangs, ant stings … even exploding bombardier beetles! But there’s much more to Australian bugs than horror stories. Some are actually really cute as it goes.
• ONCE A POND A TIME (England) – Water is a cradle of life for all sorts of amazing tiny creatures, but when one is “bug-sized,” its strange shape-shifting properties can have huge consequences. Through the year, the pond undergoes a series of near-magical transformations from ice crystal to water vapor. The tiny creatures that make their home here have found amazing ways to cope with life in this turbulent world.
• THE MAKING OF … A FLY ON THE WALL – Surrounded by hordes of army ants, chasing the fastest-running insect on Earth, crawling through muddy mangroves … this was everyday life for the team of world-renowned scientists, experts and filmmakers who created A Real Bug’s Life. Armed with innovative filming equipment, they stopped at nothing to reveal the untold stories of the planet’s most underappreciated animals – bugs!
In Netflix’s lengthy Avatar: The Last Airbender “Bringing the World to Life” featurette, the cast and showrunner/executive producer Albert Kim discuss the story, the world of the series, and their characters.
The eight-episode first season stars Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Ken Leung, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, and Daniel Dae Kim. The live-action series, inspired by the Nickelodeon animated show, will premiere on February 22, 2024.
Albert Kim, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Gabriel Llanas, Keely MacDonald, Christine Boylan, and Joshua Hale Fialkov served as writers, with Michael Goi, Jabbar Raisani, Roseanne Liang, and Jet Wilkinson directing. Poster for Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’
Netflix’s synopsis:
“Water. Earth. Fire. Air. The four nations once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step taken by the firebenders toward conquering the world. With the current incarnation of the Avatar yet to emerge, the world has lost hope. But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang (Gordon Cormier), a young Air Nomad — and the last of his kind — reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar.
Alongside his newfound friends Sokka (Ian Ousley) and Katara (Kiawentiio), siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang embarks on a fantastical, action-packed quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim). But with a driven Crown Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu) determined to capture them, it won’t be an easy task. They’ll need the help of the many allies and colorful characters they meet along the way.”
Paramount+’s official trailer for the event series Knuckles shows the titular character teaching Wade to be a warrior, turning a home into a gladiator pit, and generally disrupting lives. The series, set after the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and before Sonic the Hedgehog 3, will premiere on April 26, 2024 with the release of all six episodes.
Idris Elba returns to voice Knuckles and Adam Pally’s back as Wade Whipple. Franchise veterans Ben Schwartz, Tika Sumpter, and Colleen O’Shaughnessey also retuns as special guest stars in their roles as Sonic, Maddie, and Tails, respectively.
Additional series guest stars include Stockard Channing (The West Wing), Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones), Scott Mescudi (Don’t Look Up), Ellie Taylor (Ted Lasso), Julian Barratt (Mindhorn), and Rory McCann (Game of Thrones). Cary Elwes (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Paul Scheer (Black Monday), and Rob Huebel (Childrens Hospital) also guest star.
Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) in ‘Knuckles’ episode 1 season 1 (Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.)
“The new live-action event series follows Knuckles (Idris Elba) on a hilarious and action-packed journey of self-discovery as he agrees to train Wade (Adam Pally) as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior,” reads Paramount+’s synopsis.
John Whittington and Toby Ascher created the series, with Ascher serving as showrunner. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 writer Whittington is the head writer and wrote the pilot episode. Brian Schacter and James Madejski are also involved as writers.
The Sonic films’ creative team returns for the series, with the films’ director Jeff Fowler involved as the director of the pilot episode. Fowler also helped to transition the film’s signature cinematic animation style to television. Sonic‘s executive producers Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, John Whittington, and Toru Nakahara serve in the same capacity on the series. Idris Elba also executive produces, with Ged Wright, Brandon Trost, Jorma Taccone, and Carol Banker directing.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 opened in theaters on April 8, 2022 and grossed $725.2 million. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set to open in theaters on December 20, 2024.
Shereé Whitfield, Chris ‘C.T.’ Tamburello, and Dan Gheesling in ‘The Traitors’ season 2 (Photo by: Euan Cherry/PEACOCK)
Peacock’s Emmy-winning The Traitors has been renewed for season three, with Alan Cumming on board to return as the reality competition series’ incredibly fashionable host. The renewal was a no-brainer as the show, and all its cutthroat backstabbing, tops the list of the streaming service’s most watched unscripted series.
The renewal was announced halfway through season two. New episodes stream on Thursdays at 6pm PT/9pm ET, with the season finale set for March 7, 2024.
“The Traitors is a nail-biting psychological adventure in which treachery and deceit are the name of the game. Entertainment’s most competitive reality stars and famous faces play the ultimate murder mystery game. Hosted by award-winning actor Alan Cumming at an ancient castle set deep in the Scottish Highlands, contestants work together on a series of exhilarating missions to build a prize fund worth up to $250,000. Hidden amongst the Faithful are the Traitors, whose goal is to eliminate the Faithful and claim the prize for themselves,” reads Peacock’s synopsis. “Under the cover of darkness, the Traitors murder the Faithful one by one in a treacherous spree, while the Faithful try to uncover the Traitors and banish them from the game. If the Faithful contestants banish all the Traitors, they will share the prize fund, but if a Traitor or Traitors makes it to the end, they will steal all the money.”
Reality stars competing in season two include Big Brother‘s Dan Gheesling and Janelle Pierzina, and Survivor‘s Sandra Diaz-Twine and Parvati Shallow. Love Island‘s Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Carsten “Bergie” Bergersen compete along with The Challenge‘s Chris ‘C.T.’ Tamburello, Trishelle Cannatella, and Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio.
Real Housewives‘ Tamra Judge, Shereé Whitfield, and Larsa Pippen team up to take on Below Deck‘s Kate Chastain, Bling Empire‘s Kevin Kreider, Dancing with the Stars‘ Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Shahs of Sunset‘s Mercedes “MJ” Javid, RuPaul’s Drag Race‘s Peppermint, The Bachelor‘s Peter Weber, and Married to Medicine‘s Phaedra Parks. The season two cast also includes boxer Deontay Wilder, former Speaker of the UK House of Commons John Bercow, and fashion entrepreneur Marcus Jordan.
Season one premiered in January 2023, and season two arrived in January 2024. Given the trend, it’s likely that season three will arrive in January 2025.
Billie Eilish’s “you should see me in a crown” is the perfect backdrop for National Geographic’s Queens trailer. Two-time Oscar nominee Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) narrates the documentary series that focuses on fierce females in the animal world.
The seven-part docuseries, which premieres on March 4, 2024, has a female-led production team that includes showrunner and writer Chloe Sarosh, and directors of photography Sophie Darlington and Justine Evans. Wildstar Films’ Vanessa Berlowitz and National Geographic’s Pamela Caragol serve as executive producers.
Poster for National Geographic’s ‘Queens’
National Geographic released this description of the docuseries:
“Queens is bringing the natural world into focus through the female lens for the very first time. The series features matriarchies and female leaders from around the world to tell stories of sacrifice and resilience but also friendship and love. Each episode showcases matriarchs, from the peace-loving bonobos of the Congo basin to the ruthless jewel bees of Costa Rica to the powerful elephants of the Savanna.
Through watching their struggles, successes, and heartbreaks, we see the importance of intergenerational love and protection, the fierce lengths a mother will go to to have her children succeed, how the thirst for power can rip families apart, and how even in the face of tragedy, a mother must selflessly persevere.
Four years in the making, Queens leverages cutting-edge technology to reveal surprising insights into how females in the natural world rise to power, often relying on cooperation and wisdom over brute strength to get ahead. The intimate production captured many staggering moments within the animal kingdom for the first time, including rarely seen hyena infanticide, the first filming of bonobos in the canopy from tree platforms, color documentation of the Ngorongoro Crater through the night, and a development time-lapse of the Orchid bee brood.
The final episode of the series celebrates the women who have gone to the ends of the Earth and dedicated their lives to documenting and protecting animal queens.”
Surprise! Not only is there an animated Moana sequel in the works, but it will be released later this year in theaters. Disney released the first still from Moana 2 and debuted a super short teaser confirming the November 27, 2024 theatrical release date.
“Moana remains an incredibly popular franchise,” said Walt Disney Company Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger, adding, “and we can’t wait to give you more of Moana and Maui when Moana 2 comes to theaters this November.”
Disney originally planned the animated project to be a Disney+ series. It evolved into a feature film directed by Dave Derrick Jr., with music by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa’i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ release date announcement did not include any cast details. It did, however, include the following synopsis:
“Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical Moana 2 takes audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.”
Moana 2 is separate from the live-action Moana film that was announced in April 2023. The live-action film is targeting a 2025 release.
The original Moana opened in theaters on November 23, 2016 and grossed $643+ million worldwide during its theatrical run. It was nominated for two Academy Awards – Best Animated Feature Film and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) – and two Critics Choice awards. Moana also earned six Annie nominations, winning in the Outstanding Achievement in Animated Effects in an Animated Production and Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production (Cravalho) categories.
