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Sweet Magnolias is a romantic comedy-drama series created by Sheryl J. Anderson. Based on the novel series of the same name by Sherryl Woods, the Netflix series is set in South California and it follows three women who have been best friends since childhood. They try to support each other through life’s various complexities, including career, family, and love. Sweet Magnolias stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott, Heather Headley, Logan Allen, Anneliese Judge, Carson Rowland, Chris Klein, Jamie Lynn Spears, Dion Johnstone, Brandon Quinn, and Chris Medlin. So, if you loved the small-town vibes, feel-good story, and lovable characters in Sweet Magnolias, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Virgin River (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Virgin River is a romantic comedy-drama series created by Sue Tenney. Based on the novel series of the same name by Robyn Carr,...

Volume Global, in association with Navajo Entertainment, Claxson Media, Fun Republic Pictures, Karma Film, Julijette, Palatin Media and Washington Square Entertainment, presented the highly anticipated adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s Venus Prime to an enthusiastic crowd at Comic-Con International in San Diego.

The panel, titled ‘Jonathan Frakes unveils ‘Arthur C. Clarke’s Venus Prime’ TV series,’ took place on Thursday, July 25th, at the San Diego Convention Center as part of Comic-Con International’s 2024 lineup.

Moderated by Comic-Con mainstay and legend Gary Miereanu, the panel featured special virtual appearances from director and Executive Producer Jonathan Frakes, and Executive Producer Lucas Vivo Garcia Lagos, while the Emmy-nominated Co-Showrunners David Cormican and Dwayne Hill, shared the stage with Miereanu along with fellow Executive Producer and Volume Global’s Michael Hamilton Wright.

Fans of the bestselling book franchise were treated to an in-depth discussion about the upcoming TV series adaptation based on the...

“Star Trek” alum Jonathan Frakes is set to direct sci-fi series “Arthur C. Clarke’s Venus Prime.” He has also joined the producing team.

“Arthur C. Clarke’s Venus Prime” has also upped writers David Cormican (“Tokyo Trial”) and Dwayne Hill (“Northern Rescue”) to exec producers and showrunners. The six-episode series is set to go into production at the end of this year in Canada.

“When the materials for ‘Arthur C. Clarke’s Venus Prime’ were presented to me, I couldn’t help but devour them,” Frakes said. “When asked if I wanted to direct what I read —my answer was a resounding and immediate ‘Hell, yes!’ Working on such a tremendous piece of IP from the mind of another sci-fi legend (who is also a contemporary of the true #1 Gene Roddenberry), will be both an honor and a dream for me.”

Claxson and Navajo acquired the rights to the book series from iBooks,...

Exclusive: Marvin Jones III (Halo), Michael Xavier (Wild Cards) and Dominic Burgess (Palm Royale) have joined the cast of Prime Video‘s graphic novel series, Criminal, in recurring roles. They join the previously announced leads: Charlie Hunnam, Adria Arjona, Richard Jenkins, Kadeem Hardison and Logan Browning.

Criminal is an interlocking universe of crime stories based on the multi-Eisner Award-winning graphic novel series created by Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

Jones III will play Chester, crime boss Sebastian Hyde’s (John Hawkes) fearsome chief enforcer. Much like a seven-foot-tall man becoming a basketball player whether he likes it or not, Chester was drafted into the criminal life for his size and fearsomeness. He’s no sadist, relying on his reputation and intelligence to get his way. He speaks softly most of the time, but the threat of sudden and deadly violence is always there.

Xavier will play Terry, another criminal, a good...

Sweet Magnolias is an underrated Netflix original series that recently released its third season. The show is about a group of women facing life, love, and loss in their small southern town. The heartwarming storyline takes on prominent themes, wrapped around a story about friendship.

Though the drama is unique in its own right, there are other great series like it for fans. Some of these are perfect for viewers that appreciate small-town charm, such as Hart of Dixie and Northern Rescue. Other shows, such as Firefly Lane and Gilmore Girls, tackle the themes of friendship and family in a realistic but also humorous way.

Related: Best Shows To Binge On Netflix

A Million Little Things (2018-2023)

A Million Little Things is about a group of friends in Boston who have bonded through their shared personalities and viewpoints, despite being in very different circumstances in their lives. After the tragic loss of one of them,...

Prisoner's Daughter, the upcoming family drama from director Catherine Hardwicke, gives its stars every chance to shine across its short run time. The film follows Max (Brian Cox), a man in and out of prison for presumably his whole life, and his daughter, Maxine (Kate Beckinsale), a single mom taking care of her son Ezra (Christopher Convery). After serving his latest sentence, which was a long twelve years, Max is allowed to return to his home under house arrest to live out his remaining months after a terminal cancer diagnosis.

Of course, plenty of baggage comes with that, as the relationship between Max and Maxine is strained to say the least. She grew up without her father around most of the time, which led to her mother developing an ultimately fatal relationship with alcohol. Without a connection to fall back on, Maxine only agrees to take in her father for one reason: money.

Screen Rant is thrilled to present an exclusive new clip from the upcoming thriller Follow Her. The movie centers around Jess, who builds a following through secretly filming clients from online job listings, but things go wrong after she's hired to finish a screenplay at a remote cabin. Follow Her was written by lead actress Dani Barker, who stars alongside The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina's Luke Cook, Alaska Daily's Mark Moses, and Northern Rescue's Eliana Jones.

Follow Her begins with Jess Peters discovering her ability to attract viewers through secretly filming the encounters she has during freelance jobs. However, when screenwriter Tom hires her to help write the ending of his script, things quickly go awry. Tom presents Jess with a script in which the two of them are the main characters, and things turn dire as the fate of Jess both on the page and in real life hangs in the balance.

Netflix is returning to Virgin River.

The streaming giant used its time in front of Madison Avenue ad buyers at its first-ever upfront presentation Wednesday in New York to announce that the soapy drama starring Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson will return for a sixth season. The renewal comes as season five of Virgin River is slated to premiere at a to-be-determined date in the fall on the streaming giant.

The drama based on the novels of the same name by Robyn Carr has been a standout performer, according to Netflix’s internal measurement. (The streamer, like others, does not release traditional viewership data.)

Patrick Sean Smith serves as showrunner on season five after taking over for Sue Tenney, who helmed the first four seasons of the Hallmark-like drama. Season five has already wrapped production.

Virgin River was last renewed in September 2021, when Netflix picked up the breakout hit for...

Format

Fremantle and Kansai TV have launched new entertainment format “Quiz Pong” following a co-development deal initially revealed at MIPCOM 2022. The format was launched in Japan last month by Kansai TV and Fremantle will handle the production and global distribution.

“Quiz Pong” is a fast-paced gameshow where teams compete against each other in a fun tournament testing their mental, physical, and strategy skills. The teams go head-to-head by throwing balls into moving baskets, on a supersized set and answering general knowledge questions to score points. The harder the basket is to reach the more difficult the question inside the basket will be for their opponent. After battling through two rounds, the winning teams compete in the grand finale for a prize.

Miho Okada, executive managing director at Kansai TV, said: “Thanks to the innovative idea from our producers and creative support from Fremantle, ‘Quiz Pong’ developed into a fun, exciting,...

Las Vegas, with its casinos and boiling 100+ temperatures, has long been an alluring setting for stories about broken people seeking redemption. The ghosts of organized crime past seem to haunt the Nevada desert, still populated by casino rats, showgirls, and washed-up athletes. And so it is an apt setting for “Prisoner’s Daughter.” This family drama from Catherine Hardwicke (“Twilight”) with a screenplay by Mark Bacci (“Northern Rescue”) stars Brian Cox (“Succession”) as Max, a one-time boxer turned enforcer dying of pancreatic cancer who’s been released from prison after 12 years on compassionate release on the sole condition that he stays with his estranged daughter Maxine.

Continue reading ‘Prisoner’s Daughter’ Review: Brian Cox & Kate Beckinsale Can’t Save Catherine Hardwicke’s Frustrating Family Misfire [TIFF] at The Playlist.

The Murphy family added a new member on Saturday when Eddie Murphy's eldest daughter, Bria Murphy, married her fiancé, Michael Xavier. As confirmed by People, the couple tied the knot in front of family and friends in a romantic ceremony in Beverly Hills. The couple's wedding party included Eddie, who walked his daughter down the aisle, and her mother, Nicole Mitchell Murphy.

It's unclear exactly how long Bria and Xavier have been together, but in December, the 32-year-old artist and actor shared her engagement photos on Instagram alongside the caption, "I can't wait to marry you." Xavier shared the same photos on his feed with the caption, "Forever my love."

Bria is Eddie's oldest daughter. The "Coming to America" star has 10 children in total: Eric (whose mother is Paulette McNeely), Bria, Myles, Shayne, Zola, and Bella (all with Nicole), son Christian with Tamara Hood, daughter Angel with former Spice Girl Melanie Brown,...

Exclusive: Kathleen Robertson is set for a key role in the sixth and final season of Amazon’s popular sci-fi drama The Expanse.

Alcon-produced The Expanse, based on James S.A. Corey’s best-selling novels is set in the future where humanity has colonized the solar system and the people of Earth, Mars and the Asteroid Belt have long been in opposition with one another. When the crew of the Rocinante uncovers an ancient alien technology, a vast conspiracy begins to emerge — one that will bring the solar system to the brink of war. The Expanse is a high-action, sci-fi adventure that explores the depth of humanity against the far-spanning reaches of the known universe.

Robertson portrays Rosenfeld Guoliang, a cynic, and a fierce believer in Belter independence who is a key member of insurgent leader Marco Inaros’ inner circle.

The Hugo Award-winning series was developed and scripted by...

Exclusive: Biopic Lamborghini has added Northern Rescue actress Eliana Jones.

Frank Grillo (Captain America), Gabriel Byrne (Hereditary), Mira Sorvino (Impeachment: American Crime Story), Giorgio Cantarini (Life Is Beautiful) and Fortunato Cerlino (Gomorrah) lead cast in the movie about Italian sports car founder Ferruccio Lamborghini.

Oscar winner Bobby Moresco (Crash) wrote the screenplay for the long-gestating project and is directing. Filming has been taking place in Emilia Romagna and Rome, Italy.

The film is based on Tonino Lamborghini’s biography of his dad Ferruccio Lamborghini: La Storia Ufficiale (The Official Story). It will chart the long life of the celebrated entrepreneur from the manufacturing of tractors at the start of his career to creating military vehicles during World War II and then on to designing and building the iconic Lamborghini luxury sports cars that ultimately defined his legacy. One the wealthiest men in Italy, Lamborghini had a different car for each...

Exclusive: Kate Beckinsale will star in the Catherine Hardwicke-helmed family drama Prisoner’s Daughter, penned by Mark Bacci.

“Mark Bacci’s script is a raw, personal look at a deeply fractured family, similar to my first film Thirteen (with Evan Rachel Wood and Holly Hunter.) With Prisoner’s Daughter, I want to fully immerse the viewer in Kate’s character’s intense world as she, her father, and her young son try to heal generational family trauma and find a new way forward,” said Hardwicke.

The film tells the story of a tough but proud ex-con who’s struggling to find a way to reconnect with his only daughter and grandson; once he begins an attempt at reconciliation, his violent past once again catches up to him.

“We are committed to making films that reflect the struggles and issues faced by not only Americans but worldwide audiences. We are...

Exclusive: Kathleen Robertson (Murder in the First) is set as a lead opposite Parisa Fitz-Henley and Michael Ealy in Triage, ABC’s second cycle medical drama pilot from David Cornue, Erica Messer, Jon M. Chu and 20th Television.

Created by Cornue, Triage is a character-driven medical drama that follows pioneering surgeon Finley Briar (Fitz-Henley) over three distinct decades at the same hospital. With the evolution of medicine as the backdrop, the show explores the interconnected careers, friendships and romances of Finley and her colleagues, and their tenuous relationship with time.

Robertson will play Virginia Sawyer, the Chief of Surgery at New York Trinity. She is fiery, strong-willed, and laser-focused on fast-tracking her daughter’s career, so she has her daughter study under Dr. Finley Briar (Fitz-Henley).

Cornue executive produces alongside Messer who serves as showrunner. Chu will executive produce and direct. Steven Marrs and Courtney Hazlett of OutEast Entertainment also executive produce alongside Caitlin Foito.

Kiernan Shipka and Diane Kruger are going Swimming With Sharks at Quibi.

The pair will topline the shortform streaming platform's update of the 1994 Hollywood satire. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Shipka will play Lou, a young assistant at a Hollywood studio full of manipulators and schemers — none of whom know she is poised to outwit them all.

Kruger (Inglourious Basterds, FX's The Bridge) will play Joyce, Lou's boss and the sole head of the studio.

Writer and actress Kathleen Robertson (Little Bee, Netflix's Northern Rescue) is adapting George Huang's cult-classic film, which starred Frank Whaley as an ...

Teri Polo, William Baldwin, Mena Suvari, and Robert Pine have been tapped to star in Fourth Grade B, a comedy-drama written by Marcelo Galvão. The indie is an American remake of Galvão’s 2005 Brazilian feature Quarta B. It’s described as a satirical portrayal of a private school’s emergency meeting filled with accusations and intrigue, as each parent tries to protect their own child and the uproarious chaos that follows the decision to light up a joint. Pamela Dunlap, Roland Kickinger, Ben Begley, Challen Cates, Taja V. Simpson, Boti Bliss, Rob Norton, Kelli Daniels, Jamison Jones, and Jiu-Jitsu celebrity trainer Rigan Machado co-star. Galvão produced the Wolf in a Pack production pic with Gabriela Kulaif and executive producers Giordano Biagi and Caio Vecchio. Galvão’s credits...

Quibi is adding another reboot to its roster of originals — this one an update of cult 1990s movie Swimming With Sharks.

The shortform streamer has given a series order to a drama from Lionsgate based on George Huang's 1994 film about a Hollywood assistant (Frank Whaley) who turns the tables on his abusive boss (Kevin Spacey). The new version will follow a young female assistant at the center of a studio filled with manipulators and schemers — none of whom know she's poised to outwit them all.

Actress and writer Kathleen Robertson (Northern Rescue; Beverly Hills, 90210) is writing ...

Exclusive: ShadowHunters producers Don Carmody and David Cormican will adapt the New York Times No. 1 bestselling House of Night series, the Ya vampire saga written by the mother-daughter tandem of P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast, for television. Carmody and Cormican board the project with Davis Films, according to Victor Hadida, Davis Films’ president.

Hadidia said Oscar-winning producer Carmody (Chicago) and International Emmy-nominated producer Cormican (Tokyo Trial) are the ideal team to adapt the fang saga into a live-action TV series through their Don Carmody Televison, the 6-year-old shingle that most recently delivered Northern Rescue for Netflix.

Carmody has considerable history with Davis, having produced both Silent Hill films, a few Resident Evil installments and most recently Lucky Day by writer-director Roger Avary.

“My late brother Samuel and I purchased the production rights to this amazing set of books a few years ago [before his death last year], and had been looking for the right...

Veronica Mars star Jason Dohring is set as one of the leads in the ensemble indie film, You Are Here, along with Lea Thompson (The Year of Spectacular Men), William Baldwin (Northern Rescue), Peter Vack (Someone Great), Anna Popplewell (The Chronicles of Narnia films), Jacqueline Byers (Roadies), and Cathryn Dylan (Ray Donovan).

Adam Neutzsky-Wulff is the director of this film, which is about a dying young man who clashes with his dysfunctional family when his attempts to bring them closer together over one weekend – reveal how truly estranged they are from one another.

The pic was written by Anthony Nero. Neutzsky-Wulff is produced with Pauline Inda.

Dohring was recently seen in the Hulu’s Veronica Mars revival reprising his role as Logan Echolls. His character played a big part in the much-talked-about finale. He’s also appeared in CW’s shows The Originals, The Messengers, and iZombie.

Dohring is repped...

Producing team Adam Neutzsky-Wulff and Pauline Inda announced on Wednesday the official launch of their new production company Courageous Content, focusing on thought-provoking, timely and political indies.

Courageous Content has wrapped production on two new features. “All The Little Things We Kill” — a controversial hostage drama about the gun control issue in the U.S., — is seeking the festival route and distribution. The film stars Elizabeth Marvel (“Homeland”), Danielle Brooks (“Orange is the New Black”), Casey Cott (“Riverdale”), Jessica Sula (MTV’s “Scream”) and Scott Cohen (“The Americans”). And “You Are Here” — a drama about a young scientist who rounds up his dysfunctional family in a Malibu mansion to tell them he has terminal cancer — starring Peter Vack (“Mozart in the Jungle”), Anna Popplewell (“The Chronicles of Narnia”), and William Baldwin (“Northern Rescue”).

They currently have two more films in development: a controversial project about a political scandal in Kenya...

Tragedy, resilience, and family ties are at the heart of Netflix’s upcoming family drama “Northern Rescue.” Created by David Cormican, the series debuted on the streaming service March 1.

Following the West family in the midst of tragedy and loss, the first two of the series’ ten episodes seethe death of the family matriarch, which then spurs the patriarch, John West (Billy Baldwin), to pick up and move his three children Maddie (Amalia Williamson), Scout (Spencer Macpherson) and Taylor (Taylor Thorne) back to his childhood home of Turtle Bay Island to live with his sister-in-law Charlie (Kathleen Robertson), where he takes a job as the head of the sleepy town’s search and rescue team.

Cormican is no stranger to Netflix — he’s worked with streaming giant before on what he calls “sci-fi genre-skewing” shows like “Between” and “Shadow Hunters” as well as on historical drama “Tokyo Trial.”

What sets...

William Baldwin ditched his plans for law school and a career in politics when he caught a love for acting. With credits in films such as “Flatliners” and “Backdraft,” he now has several TV series in the works. Family drama “Northern Rescue” comes to Netflix and the CBC later this year, along with Amazon Studios’ gritty “Too Old to Die Young,” with Miles Teller.

Does “Northern Rescue” mirror your family in any way?

I went to the CBC and Netflix and told these crazy stories about my childhood with the frickin’ lunatic Baldwin brothers. My wife’s [Chynna Phillips] parents were [members of] the Mamas & the Papas and divorced when she was 2. Her mother [Michelle Phillips] married Dennis Hopper and dated Mick Jagger. And in my house, my father was my Cub Scouts leader and Little League coach. When I told them the contrast of our childhoods and how that came together...

Kathleen Robertson has been acting for more than three decades, most recently spending three years on TNT’s “Murder in the First” and just completing “Northern Rescue,” which is due to drop on Netflix early next year. But she is also working behind-the-scenes as a writer, adapting novels such as “The Possibilities” and “Little Bee,” as well as Dark Horse’s “Lady Killer” comics into feature films and developing additional projects for TV through a deal with Universal Cable Productions.

When did you first start writing?

I was always a closet writer. I was the person who would write short stories and scripts and throw them in a drawer and not let anyone see them — for years. Technically I started writing when I was 10, journaling and short stories. And then over the years when I would be away on location and have a ridiculous amount of downtime, I started taking...

Kathleen Robertson has signed with CAA for representation in all areas.

A prolific writer, producer, and actor, Robertson adapted the 1994 Hollywood satire Swimming With Sharks as a series for E! and is developing her own dramedy Your Time Is Up from Lionsgate TV at Lifetime with Christina Applegate. She recently signed an overall deal with Universal Cable Productions to both create and produce original television content.

In features, she is adapting Chris Cleave’s best-selling novel, Little Bee for Amazon with Julia Roberts set to star, in addition to The Possibilities Kaui Hart Hemmings’ follow-up novel to The Descendants, for Fox Searchlight, with Helen Estabrook and Jason Reitman producing.

Robertson also is set to star in Netflix’s family drama Northern Rescue, which is currently in production. Her other acting credits include Murder In The First and Boss.

Robertson continues to be repped by Untitled Entertainment and attorney Jamie Feldman,...

Exclusive: Julia Roberts has come aboard the feature adaptation of Chris Cleave’s best-selling novel, Little Bee, which Kathleen Robertson is penning. The project is being developed at Amazon Studios.

Based on the book by Chris Cleve, the human-triumph story is a dual narrative about a young Nigerian asylum-seeker named Little Bee and British magazine editor Sarah O’ Rourke (Roberts), who meet during the oil conflict in the Niger Delta and are reunited in England several years later under mysterious and complex circumstances.

The project will be produced by Roberts under her Red Om Films banner, along with her producing partners Lisa Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill. Gil Netter will also produce.

Back in 2009, it was reported that Nicole Kidman would star in a Little Bee adaption produced by BBC Films and Kidman’s Blossom Films.

Roberts, who won an Oscar for Erin Brockovich, was...