News

ITV Exploring ‘Extreme Planet Earth’ In Series From Plimsoll

Tiny World producer Plimsoll is making an extreme natural history series for ITV. Extreme Planet Earth will see “underscore the high-stakes battle for wildlife survival in an era of extreme weather, wildfires and environmental upheaval,” according to the commercial net. The series will travel to see elephants in Borneo navigating treacherous floodwaters, wombats in Australia with fires raging around them, a leopard in Zambia’s Lower Zambezi struggling with a brutal drought and Caribbean flamingos in Mexico facing up to the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record. Plimsoll already made A Year on Planet Earth for ITV and is owned by ITV Studios. ITV doesn’t dabble often in natural history but often opts for landmarks when it does. Factual Controller Jo Clinton-Davis said: “This series is unique in charting the impact of wild weather on wildlife – and Plimsoll deploying a combination of outstanding visuals,...

Exclusive: Apple TV+ is doubling down on nature programming.

The tech giant has ordered The Secret Lives of Animals, a ten-part docuseries narrated by Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville.

It is the latest wildlife project for the streamer, which has previously aired series including The Year Earth Changed, Tiny World, Earth at Night in Color, Prehistoric Planet, Big Beasts and Earthsounds.

The Secret Lives of Animals will launch on December 18 and feature never-before-seen footage of rare animal behaviors, highlighting the intelligence of the natural world.

It is Bonneville’s latest nature docuseries; he previously narrated Netflix’s The Hidden Lives of Pets.

It also marks the third collaboration between the BBC Studios Natural History Unit and Apple TV+, following Prehistoric Planet and The Year Earth Changed.

The series will highlight 77 unique species in 24 countries over three years, many captured on film for the first time.

Each episode delves into pivotal...

TV presenter Claudia Winkleman, now best known as the presenter of The Traitors, was the surprise host of the London Film Festival’s final industry forum talk this afternoon featuring Apple TV+ exec and BFI Chair Jay Hunt.

Winkleman moderated the session and quizzed Hunt on her decades-long career as a TV exec. Hunt — who now oversees Apple TV+’s commissioning in Europe — is the only UK TV commissioner to have run three channels, BBC One, Channel 4, Channel 5.

Winkleman was particularly curious about Hunt’s time at the BBC and her decision to leave her role at Channel 5 after only nine months to return to the public broadcaster as controller of BBC One.

“I went from the bottom of the pile in terms of the terrestrial channels to being on BBC One and this extraordinary responsibility of being in control of a billion pounds of public money and...

Here’s some eye-catching news from the international kids TV distribution space: Cake is set to buy rival Jetpack.

No financial details was forthcoming today, but Cake released a statement noting “it is in advanced negotiations” to acquire its rival’s brand. More news will come “within the coming weeks,” the company added, and it’s not yet clear if the deal is only for Jetpack’s assets or the entire company.

Both Cake and Jetpack are based in London and operate in the same space, primarily selling animated content globally. Cake is known for shows such as Total Drama Island, Angelo Rules and Angry Birds: Summer Madness, while Jetpack sells the likes of Clangers.

“Since Jetpack launched, they have always been a competitor who we have admired,” said Cake CEO Ed Galton. “Combined operations will deliver an even better kids and family distribution solution for this market.”

Jetpack was...

Canal+ Ups Stake In Asian Streamer Viu

France’s Canal+ has increased its stake in Viu to 36.8% as part of its $300M investment in the Southeast Asian streamer. This represents the last instalment of the cash injection and follows a strategic agreement Canal+ struck with Viu parent Pccw last year in June. The initial investment was $200M for a 26.1% stake, meaning it likely has paid $100M for the further 10.7%. Canal+ has the option to increase its stake in Viu to 51% in the future. Viu currently operates in 16 markets across Asia, the Middle East and South Africa and claimed to have over 62 million active monthly users, with 13 million paying subscribers, as of December 2023. It recorded revenues of $314M last year, which represented growth of 23% year over year. Original productions for the service have come out of Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and China. Vivendi-owned Canal+ claims to...

‘Searching for Sugarman’ Producer Passion Signs ‘Planet Earth II’ Showrunner

Searching for Sugarman producer Passion Pictures has snapped up the showrunner of Planet Earth II from Plimsoll. Tom Hugh-Jones will boost Passion’s natural history offering and be based in Bristol, taking on the new title of MD Passion Planet (Bristol). He has a wealth of major natural history credits including Planet Earth, Human Planet and Life Story across a 30-year career, while he most recently helmed A Real Bug’s Life for Disney+, which launches today. “Planet Earth II and Tiny World are two of my favourite natural history series of all time,” said Passion CEO Nick Southgate. “The chance to work with the showrunner of these extraordinary pieces of TV was a no-brainer. I can’t wait to dig in with Tom and Dave and create a new era of intelligent, big wildlife shows.”

Netflix Explores UFO-Inspired Religion

Netflix...

Apple TV+ exec Jay Hunt has been confirmed as the next chair of the British Film Institute (BFI).

Hunt, who has commissioned the likes of Slow Horses, Bad Sisters, and Tiny World at the streamer, joins the BFI for a term of four years commencing 16 February 2024 at the appointment of the UK’s Culture, Media & Sport (Cms) department.

The role takes around two part-time days of work per month and, like former BFI chair Tim Richards, CEO of Vue, Hunt could continue working for Apple.

Hunt – who is the only UK TV commissioner to have run three channels – has been overseeing Apple TV+’s commissioning in Europe for nearly six years. After a slow start, she has nurtured a string of hits including the likes of Gary Oldman-starrer Slow Horses and Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters. She is well respected and introduced a...

Exclusive: With Hollywood scripted grinding to a halt, Apple TV+ is doubling down on natural history series.

The streamer has greenlit a duo of six-part docs titled Born to be Wild and Endangered Planet, Deadline can reveal, both of which carry urgent messages around the need to help save rare species on Earth.

Born to be Wild will follow endangered animals including a Savanna elephant calf, cheetahs and a moon bear cub, as they are brought up by humans with a view to returning to their homelands once they are ready.

Endangered Planet, meanwhile, will use cutting-edge technology to uncover insights into protecting precious species including the Gobi bear, Malayan tiger, Javan rhino, Caucasian leopard, Cross River gorilla and the North Atlantic right whale.

Apple TV+ has been keen on natural history since its inception and both series are being produced by UK indie Offspring Films, which also made Tom Hiddleston...

Exclusive: Horror studio Blumhouse and natural history producer Plimsoll Productions have teamed up on a new factual series.

The two companies are developing Nightmares of Nature, a series that follows animal heroes battling to survive the true-life horrors only real nature can provide. The idea is to blend natural history filmmaking through a horror lens, a place where trees bleed, zombie snails dwell and vampire fish reign supreme.

Blumhouse is behind Amazon’s The Horror of Dolores Roach and films including Get Out and M3gan, while ITV-owned Plimsoll is behind series such as Hostile Planet, Tiny World and Night on Earth.

No network or platform is currently attached.

Nightmares of Nature is produced by Blumhouse Television and Plimsoll Productions. For Blumhouse, Jason Blum, Chris McCumber and Gretchen Palek are executive producers. For Plimsoll, Grant Mansfield, Alan Eyres, Tom Hugh-Jones and Martha Holmes are executive producers.

“Plimsoll is best...

Exclusive: ITV Studios is seeking a VP of Global Content to work with natural history and premium doc labels including Tiny World indie Plimsoll.

A job ad was put out last week for the newly-created post, which will see a senior exec join EVP Global Content Julie Meldal-Johnsen’s team. Meldal-Johnsen’s division focuses on co-production, development, strategy and marketing across labels to “secure the content pipeline for ITV Studio’s international distribution business.”

The successful person will “account manage natural history and factual production companies, and ITV Studios labels both in the UK and internationally; meaning overseeing the pipeline of programming from them into the distribution business, both commissioned and at development stage,” according to the ad.

ITV Studios is seeking someone with “significant experience working in natural history sales,” who has a proven track record in deal-making and a capacity for “entrepreneurial thinking.”

The move to strengthen Meldal-Johnsen...

“Big Beasts,” narrated by Emmy Award nominee Tom Hiddleston, will debut on Friday, April 21, 2023 on Apple TV+. Apple has announced the new 10-part documentary series “Big Beasts,” narrated by Emmy Award nominee Tom Hiddleston, is set to premiere globally on Friday, April 21 on Apple TV+. From the acclaimed creative team of the Apple TV+ award-winning docuseries “Tiny World,” comes “Big Beasts,” filmed over two years, the series takes audiences on an epic journey around the globe, from freezing poles to tropical rainforests, to meet nature’s most captivating giants. The series will debut on April 21, just in time for Earth Day, with two new episodes premiering each week until Friday, May 19. “Big Beasts” features some of the world’s most massive species filmed across 17 countries, including the gray whale, the elephant seal, the giant otter, the gorilla, the hippo, the brown bear, the ostrich, the orangutan, the tiger and the polar bear.

Apple TV+ just released a gorgeous trailer for the docuseries Big Beasts. Two-time Emmy Award nominee – and everyone’s favorite Loki – Tom Hiddleston narrates the 10-part documentary series premiering on Friday, April 21, 2023, one day prior to Earth Day.

The docuseries will launch with the release of the first two episodes, followed by two new episodes every Friday leading up to its May 19th finale.

Big Beasts is executive produced by Emmy Award winner Tom Hugh-Jones (Planet Earth II), Emmy Award nominee Grant Mansfield (Hostile Planet), and two-time Emmy Award nominee Martha Holmes. The docuseries is produced by Plimsoll Productions.

Apple TV+ released this description of the documentary series:

From the acclaimed creative team of the Apple TV+ Award-winning docuseries Tiny World comes Big Beasts. Filmed over two years, the series takes audiences on an epic journey around the globe, from freezing poles to tropical rainforests, to meet nature’s most captivating giants.

Exclusive: Apple TV+ is continuing its natural history push.

The streamer is launching new wildlife series Big Beasts, narrated by Tom Hiddleston.

The series, which has been in the works for two years, takes viewers around the globe, from freezing poles to tropical rainforests, to meet nature’s most captivating giants.

It features massive species filmed across 17 countries, including the gray whale, the elephant seal, the giant otter, the gorilla, the hippopotamus, the brown bear, the ostrich, the orangutan, the tiger and the polar bear. Viewers will see that it’s not easy being big—the larger the animal, the greater the challenges they face.

Big Beasts comes from the creative team of Apple’s Tiny World, which launched in 2020 and was narrated by Paul Rudd. It is produced by ITV-owned Plimsoll Productions with Tom Hugh-Jones (Planet Earth II), Grant Mansfield (Hostile Planet) and Martha Holmes (Life) exec producing.

The cost-of-living crisis is wreaking havoc and the global TV industry is not immune.

As hundreds of buyers and sellers descend upon the UK for the annual London TV Screenings, distributors are looking closely at how they can adapt their catalogs and work in tandem with clients in the face of the incoming recession.

However, the task is not an easy one. Numerous distributors tell Deadline they have had contingencies in place for a long time to deal with such a macro fiscal event – contingencies that came to the fore during Covid-19. These are frequently being shaped by the world around them, not just by recession, they say.

“The ongoing strategy we have and the way we approach the market is constantly evolving,” says Ruth Berry, ITV Studios’ Managing Director of Global Distribution, who was recently promoted to lead the outfit’s combined Distribution and Entertainment arms. “Thinking about these...

Schitt’s Creek co-creator Eugene Levy has opened up about revealing his authentic, non-adventurous side in Apple TV+’s The Reluctant Traveler, which he said gave him “a sense of confidence.”

In The Reluctant Traveler, which debuts on Friday, Levy is taken out of his comfort zone as he travels the world visiting dangerous places and partaking in activities such as taking a stool sample from an elephant.

Reluctant Traveler EP David Brindley revealed that himself, Apple and Levy’s agent had initially wanted Levy to front a more traditional travelog but pivoted the idea somewhat to suit his reluctance to traverse the globe.

“You constantly strive for authenticity in TV so the show we originally pitched would never have worked,” said Brindley, who is Chief Creative Officer of ITV Studios-backed Reluctant Traveler producer Twofour. “We had to build this around Eugene’s authentic experience.”

The multi-Emmy winner, who created...

CAA has hired former Plimsoll Productions executive Saul Goldberg as an agent with its Alternative Television division, based out of the U.K.

Most recently, Goldberg oversaw the U.S. operations for Bristol-headquartered unscripted production company Plimsoll, which has expanded rapidly in recent years following the sale of a minority stake to British private equity firm Ldc in 2019. The deal, valued at $100 million, has allowed the outfit to make crucial inroads Stateside.

Plimsoll is best known for natural history efforts such as National Geographic’s “Hostile Planet” and “Big Cat Country,” and has grown its base of buyers to include the likes of Disney Plus (which includes a tile for National Geographic programming), Hulu and Peacock. Most recently, the company delivered “Tiny World” for Apple TV Plus and “On The Edge With Alex Honnold” for Disney Plus.

Having joined Plimsoll in 2019 to lead its U.S. drive, Goldberg was promoted...

Exclusive: Hostile Planet producer Plimsoll Productions has posted a 65% increase in sales to almost $70M (£50M) over the past year, defying the impact of the pandemic in the natural history space.

Deadline understands the firm’s Ebitda has also nearly doubled to around the $14M (£10M) for the year to 31 August 2021.

Bristol-based Plimsoll was acquired by UK private equity firm Ldc in 2019 in a deal that valued the producer at around $110M (£80M).

As production in the booming natural history space was hit by the financial and logistical impacts of Covid-19, Plimsoll saw the likes of Apple TV+’s Tiny World and ABC’s Women of 9/11 released, while tying with ITV on the UK network’s return to natural history.

Grant Mansfield’s outfit also acquired Andrea Jackson’s distributor Magnify Media.

The company therefore posted a sales increase of around 65% to almost hit the $70M (£50M) mark, according to Ldc.

Exclusive: Plimsoll Productions, the company behind series such as Apple’s Tiny World and Fox’s Malika the Lion Queen, has promoted its U.S. chief Saul Goldberg.

Goldberg joined the company, which also made ABC’s The Women of 9/11, in 2019 to lead its U.S. operation and has now been promoted to SVP, Production and Development.

It comes on the back of commissions such as On The Edge with Alex Honnold at Nat Geo and When Big Things Go Wrong at History as well as projects with Hulu, Disney+, Discovery+ and Peacock.

Goldberg will continue to work closely with Los Angeles-based Plimsoll board member Mark Itkin to broaden the company’s North American footprint across all genres and bring A-list talent to its titles.

“A key member of Plimsoll’s creative leadership team, Saul has developed premium shows with top-tier talent to accelerate our U.S. expansion,” says Grant Mansfield,...

Paramount+ Buys Oasis Concert Doc

Concert film Oasis Knebworth 1996 will head to Paramount+ in the US, UK, Latin America, Australia, the Nordics and Canada following its worldwide theatrical release. Dates are yet to be scheduled. Those outside of those markets will be able to watch the pic on MTV Worldwide. The film is told through the eyes of the concertgoers and features extensive and never-before-seen archive concert and backstage footage, plus interviews with the band and event organizers. “ViacomCBS has a long and storied history with Oasis dating back to their infamous performance on MTV Unplugged and unforgettable appearances on MTV’s The Jon Stewart Show and 120 Minutes,” said Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming and Events, ViacomCBS and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount+. “This film will give Paramount+ and MTV audiences an all-access pass into these iconic concerts that defined an era and catapulted Oasis to legendary status.

Streaming

Netflix has unveiled a release date for its first Spanish Original reality show “Insiders,” which will premiere around the world on Oct. 21. Hosted by “Money Heist” actor Najwa Nimri, the show has been billed as something completely new to the reality landscape in which its contestants believe, through the entire filming process, that they are only in the qualification rounds for an entirely different show. With the cameras constantly rolling, the twelve participants are kept in the dark that they are, in fact, being filmed for a hidden camera show. Set on a 17200 sq. ft. soundstage rigged with more than 250 hidden microphones and 70 hidden cameras, the contestants will unknowingly let their true colors shine right until the final reveal, when one winner will take home €100,000.

Acquisition

Nhk has acquired broadcast rights to Ines Marzouk’s feature documentary “My Mohamed is Different,” a standout in the World Showcase section of...

Exclusive: Disney+ and Nat Geo have greenlit their latest UK-produced natural history series in the shape of Supernatural Planet, which hails from Hostile Planet and Yellowstone Live outfit Plimsoll Productions.

Deadline understands that the six-part series has been in production for some time and will use cutting-edge filming techniques to explore the hidden abilities of various creatures. In short, it’s a bit like examining the Marvel characters of the natural world.

Billed as blue-chip natural history, the show has been shooting in locations across the world, including Costa Rica, as it looks to bring viewers enchanting stories of animals doing extraordinary things in their natural habitats.

Disney+ is proving to be a major source of business for UK natural history producers. Deadline revealed in December that Wall To Wall is making Growing Up Animal for the streamer, with the show premiering next month. Blink Films made Meet The Chimps last year,...

BAFTA pulled the curtain back on nominations for its TV and TV Craft Awards on Wednesday ahead of ceremonies that take place on June 6 and May 24 respectively. As always with award nominations, the list of those recognized had tongues wagging. Let’s walk through some of the biggest themes.

The snubs

There were some eyebrow-raising absentees among the nominations this year. Netflix’s The Crown scored a decent haul of 10 nominations, but none of them were for Olivia Colman, Gillian Anderson, and Emma Corrin, who played Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher, and Princess Diana respectively. The snubs were all the more notable given that all three were Golden Globe-nominated, while Anderson and Corrin were victorious at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association prizes. Other surprises included the absence of David Tennant for his role as serial killer Dennis Nilsen in ITV series Des, while critics also felt that series including ITV...

To mark Earth Day, Apple TV Plus released “The Year Earth Changed,” a look at how nature and wildlife thrived as the world stayed in lockdown, and the second season of “Tiny World,” an intimate look at the tiny creatures that roam the planet.

The former was shot across seven continents over nine months, capturing everything from whales communicating openly as they breach the surface to sea turtles breeding freely on deserted beaches. The latter explored approximately 2,000 critters, including a shell-snouted lizard, a Harris Hawk and pompilid wasps. Both shows required numerous directors of photography across the world to capture the awe-inspiring moments.

Here, two of them, Russell MacLaughlin (“The Year Earth Changed”) and Alex Jones (“Tiny World”), select their favorite shots from the projects.

On The Prowl

During the first night of filming on the David Attenborough-narrated “The Year Earth Changed,” MacLaughlin managed to capture an epic close encounter,...

This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings and monthly guide to What’s on Streaming.

With nearly 500 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.

More from TVLineTVLine Items: Originals Vet to Big Sky, Nick Offerman's New Role and MoreInside Line: Scoop on Chicago Fire,...

High-end wildlife programming – shows like Planet Earth and Blue Planet – used to be the preserve of the BBC and a handful of cable networks such as Discovery and Nat Geo.

Then the streamers moved in with the likes of Netflix and Apple TV+ looking for their own David Attenborough (or Attenborough himself).

Now it’s the turn of the U.S. broadcast networks, which have been dipping their toe into the water.

It comes as networks such as ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC look to diversify their non-scripted slates with the added introduction of softer, factual entertainment formats that might not be quite as noisy as a Voice or a Masked Singer but can often have a stickier long-tail.

Last January, NBC made a headline-grabbing announcement that it had ordered ten-part series – The Americas – from the BBC’s Natural History Unit.

The series, which explores the vast landscapes, remote wilderness...

For TV, this typically is the lull period between the slew of winter program launches and the summer rush of originals. But spring is busier than ever this year as more and more series that restarted production in the fall after the Covid shutdown are ready to debut their new seasons.

That said, here is Deadline’s annual list of spring premiere dates for new and returning series. It covers more than 150 broadcast, cable and streaming programs debuting from April 1 through June 15. The list includes a few one-off specials, such as awards shows, but not movies.

Please send any additions or adjustments to erik@deadline.com. We’ll update the list as more dates are revealed.

April 1:

The United States of Al (CBS, new comedy series)

Manifest

Law & Order: Organized Crime

The Moodys (Fox, Season 2)

Made for Love

Prank Encounters

Worn Stories

Magical Andes

Top Chef (Bravo, Season 18)

Wipeout (TBS, new competition show revival)

Major League Baseball Opening Day (ESPN, live sports season premiere)

Creepshow (Shudder, Season 2)

The Great Pottery Throwdown

The Challenge: All Stars (Paramount+, new competition series)

Comedy Bars (All Def Women, new competition series)

Check the Chat

Momfessions

The Touch Up

Kanisha vs. Joncea

April 2:

Bellator Mma

Sky High

Ready to Love (OWN, Season 4)

The Barbarian and the Troll

Murdoch Mysteries (Acorn, Season 14; U.S. premiere)

Moment of Truth

April 3:

Pit Bulls & Parolees (Discovery/Discovery+, Season 16)

Celebrity Sleepover (NBC O&o stations, new talk show series)

April 4:

27th Annual SAG Awards

Gangs of London (AMC, new drama series)

Atlantic Crossing (PBS, new drama miniseries)

My Grandparents’ War (PBS, new documentary miniseries)

Birdgirl

April 5:

Family Reunion (Netflix, Season 3)

Hemingway

Reel South (PBS, Season 6)

Home & Family

Gutfeld!

Mira, Royal Detective

AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange

Only Foals and Horses

April 6:

Chad (TBS, new comedy series)

Wild N’ Out (VH1, Season 15B)

April 7:

Home Economics

Kung Fu

Exterminate All the Brutes

Snabba Cash

The Wedding Coach

This Is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist

Queen of the South

Making Good

April 8:

Rebel

No Activity (Paramount+, Season 4)

Motherland: Fort Salem

Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Freeform, Season 2)

Chef Boot Camp (Food Network, new competition series)

Bringing Up Bates (UPtv, Season 10)

April 9:

Them (Amazon Prime, new anthology drama series)

April 10:

Iyanla: Fix My Life

April 11:

Fear the Walking Dead (AMC, Season 6B)

The Nevers (HBO, new drama series)

BAFTA Awards (ABC, awards special)

Saints & Sinners (Bounce, Season 5)

The People v. the Klan

Wild West Chronicles

Pet Peeves (Revry, new comedy series)

April 12:

Miz & Mrs.

TechCheck (CNBC, new daily business news series)

Keeping Faith

April 13:

Prodigal Son

My Love: Six Stories of True Love

Kate & Koji

Retro Tech (YouTube, Season 2)

April 14:

Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!

The Circle (Netflix, Season 2)

Bargain Block

April 15:

Younger

Restaurant Recovery

Wahl Street

Spy City (AMC+, new drama series)

April 16:

Big Shot

Van Helsing (Syfy, Season 5; final season)

The Year Earth Changed (Apple TV+, new documentary series)

Tiny World

Earth at Night in Color

Fast & Furious: Spy Racers

Frank of Ireland

The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs

April 17:

Ghost Brothers: Lights Out

April 18:

Academy of Country Music Awards

Mare of Easttown

Godfather of Harlem

Couples Therapy (Showtime, Season 2)

Luis Miguel: The Series

Snack Sized (History, new docuseries)

WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures (A&e, new docuseries)

Confronting a Serial Killer

April 19:

American Dad! (TBS, Season 18)

VH1 Couples Retreat

Black Ink Crew: New York (VH1, Season 8)

Off the Beaten Track

The Parker Andersons

Amelia Parker

April 20:

Sasquatch

Cruel Summer (Freeform, new drama series)

Storage Wars (A&e, Season 13)

Hustle & Tow (A&e, new docuseries)

Izzy’s Koala World (Netflix, Season 2)

Chopped 420

April 21:

Zero

April 22:

Rutherford Falls (Peacock, new comedy series)

Action Planet (Discovery+, new docuseries)

Life in Color with David Attenborough

Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World (PBS, new documentary miniseries)

Big Trick Energy

Film Independent Spirit Awards

Bigger

The Bad Seed (Sundance Now, new drama series)

April 23:

Shadow and Bone

A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO/HBO Max, Season 2)

Professional Fighters League (ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/ESPN+, new season)

April 25:

93rd Annual Academy Awards

90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?

Top Gear (BBC America, Season 30)

Worst Cooks in America: Best of the Worst

Extreme Sisters (TLC, new unscripted series)

April 26:

Inside Out (HGTV, new docuseries)

Bäckström

April 27:

Grace

April 28:

The Handmaid’s Tale

The Wizard of Paws

April 29:

Yasuke (Netflix, new anime series)

Deadhouse Dark

Duff’s Happy Fun Bake Time

Thin Ice

April 30:

The Mosquito Coast

Pet Stars

The Innocent

April Tba:

The Big Shot with Bethenny

Ellen’s Next Great Designer

Generation Hustle

Pray, Obey, Kill

May 2:

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

Pose (FX, Season 3; final season)

The Girlfriend Experience (Starz, Season 3)

Home Town Takeover (HGTV/Discovery+, new docuseries)

May 3:

Antiques Roadshow: Celebrity Edition

Donkey Hodie

May 4:

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

The Real Housewives of New York City

Survivalists

May 6:

Million Dollar Listing New York

May 7:

Dynasty

Mythic Quest (Apple TV+, new comedy series)

Jupiter’s Legacy (Netflix, new drama series)

Shrill (Hulu, Season 3; final season)

May 9:

Ziwe

May 12:

The Upshaws

May 14:

The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime, new drama limited series)

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

Selena: The Series

Trying (Apple TV+, Season 2)

Pride (FX, new documentary series)

May 16:

MTV Movie and TV Awards

Fall River

Good Witch (Hallmark Channel, Season 7)

May 21:

Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous

May 23:

The Chi

Black Monday

Flatbush Misdemeanors

May 25:

Chopped Next Gen

May 28:

The Kominsky Method

Lucifer (Netflix, Season 5B)

May 31:

American Ninja Warrior

Housebroken (Fox, new animated comedy series)

Duncanville (Fox, Season 2)

Small Fortune (NBC, new competition series)

May Tba:

The Haves and the Have Nots (OWN, Season 8B; final season)

In Treatment (HBO, Season 4)

Baddies Atl (Zeus, new unscripted series)

June 1:

America’s Got Talent

June 3:

American Ninja Warrior

Making It

June 9:

In the Dark

June 11:

Loki (Disney+, new drama series)

Home Before Dark (Apple TV+, Season 2)

Love, Victor

Shrill (Hulu, Season 2)

June 14:

The Republic of Sarah

Spring Tba:

Diana

History of Late Night

History of Sitcom

Jerusalem...

In today’s TV news roundup, Discovery Plus released a trailer for “The Swim,” and Apple TV Plus announced original Earth Day programming, including “The Year Earth Changed” and new seasons of “Tiny World” and “Earth At Night In Color.”

Dates

Apple TV Plus announced new original Earth Day programming set to premiere on April 16, including “The Year Earth Changed” and new seasons of “Tiny World” and “Earth At Night In Color.” “The Year Earth Changed,” narrated by David Attenborough, is a special highlighting nature’s resiliency during the pandemic. It is produced by BBC Studios National History Unit, directed by Tom Beard and executive produced by Mike Gunton and Alice Keens-Soper. Coming back for a second season, “Tiny World” is a six-episode docuseries that illuminates the the ingenuity of Earth’s smallest creatures. Paul Rudd narrates and executive produces alongside Tom Hugh Jones, who also serves as writer with David Fowler.

The Young and the Restless is keeping the Faith — she’s just going to look a bit different.

Reylynn Caster, whose previous TV credits include American Housewife and the WWE’s The Big Show Show, will make her Y&r debut as Nick and Sharon’s daughter starting Monday, April 12, our sister site Deadline reports. She thus succeeds Alyvia Alyn Lind (sister of Natalie Alyn Lind and Emily Alyn Lind), who has played the role since 2013 but now is moving on to a series-regular role on Syfy’s Chucky series.

More from TVLineSpecial to End With Season 2 at NetflixKung Fu: Watch...

Fox is roaming into natural history with a two-hour special narrated by 9-1-1 star Angela Bassett. The network has ordered Malika the Lion Queen, a documentary about the lionesses of a pride in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

The special, which is produced by British production company Plimsoll Productions, the business behind Apple TV+’s Tiny World, will launch April 4 at 8 p.m. and will be available on Fox’s AVOD streamer Tubi beginning April 18.

It marks the network’s first move into the natural history genre – an area dominated by the BBC and cable networks such as Discovery and Nat Geo as well as increased moves by streamers such as Netflix and Apple.

It comes as Fox is no longer a sister company to Nat Geo following the Disney deal and after NBC also dipped its toe into the genre with a 10-part series from BBC Studios Natural History Unit,...

Exclusive: Apple TV+ has discovered its next natural history series – a project that uses the latest audio technology to tell wildlife stories.

The streamer has ordered 12-part series Earthsound from British production company Offspring Films.

The half-hour series uses audio technology and cinematic 360 sound design to reveal the unexpected, unfamiliar and untold natural stories on every continent of the planet.

Earthsound will be exec produced by Offspring Film’s founder and creative director Alex Williamson and with Sam Hodgson as series producer. Justin Anderson (Planet Earth II), Joe Stevens (Blue Planet II) and Tom Payne (Big Blue: Live) will serve as producers for Offspring Films.

Based in the natural history hub of Bristol, UK, Offspring Films was set up in 2014 by Williamson, who was previously head of development at the BBC’s Natural History Unit, where oversaw the creation of series including Planet Earth II.

It produced Apple’s Earth at Night in Color,...

Exclusive: Mark Itkin, former WME partner and a doyen of the international formats and unscripted world, has joined the board of Plimsoll Productions.

Itkin, who is based in LA and New York, will work closely with CEO Grant Mansfield and VP, Production and Development Saul Goldberg as the Hostile Planet and Yellowstone Live producer focuses on the U.S. market.

He will advise on strategy across the group with a focus on creating and packaging non-scripted content for the U.S. Plimsoll currently has 18 series in production around the world and recently made Netflix’s Night on Earth and Tiny World for Apple+. The company also secured multi-million-dollar investment from private equity firm Ldc last year.

Itkin retired from the agency business in 2015. Regarded as one of the architects of the modern syndication model and the proliferation of the non-scripted genre, Itkin, who came from the Wma side of WME,...

Despite production disruptions from the deadly 'Covid-19’ virus plague unleashed on an unsuspecting world, the TV industry is determined to get back on track, scheduling October 2020 premiere dates for new series and new seasons of returning shows including "Monsterland", "Pandora", "The Mandalorian" and a whole lot more:

October 1:

Gangs of London

The Salisbury Poisonings

A World of Calm (HBO Max, new unscripted series)

Oktoberfest Beer & Blood

The Split

October 2:

Undercover Boss

Emily in Paris (Netflix, new comedy series)

Monsterland

Warrior (Cinemax, Season 2)

Tiny World (Apple TV+, new documentary series)

October 3:

Lucky Dog

Innovation Nation

October 4:

Pandora

The Good Lord Bird (Showtime, new drama limited series; moved from August 9)

The Comedy Store

The Walking Dead: The World Beyond (AMC, new drama series)

Britannia (Epix, Season 2; U.S. premiere)

First Ladies

Girl Meets Farm

October 5:

Soulmates

Big Hero 6

Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan

Hea Strikes Back (TLC,...

This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings and monthly guide to What’s on Streaming.

With more than 530 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.

More from TVLineFall TV 2020: Your Handy Calendar of 80+ Season and Series Premiere DatesHallmark Channel's 'Countdown to Christmas'...

Independent U.K. production company Plimsoll Productions has fully acquired Andrea Jackson’s distribution outfit Magnify Media, after taking a minority stake in the company in 2016.

With access to Plimsoll’s resources and infrastructure, the acquisition will allow Magnify to continue to expand. Magnify’s current Mipcom slate includes two new Plimsoll formats: “Good with Wood” (Channel 4) and “Unique B&b”(BBC).

Magnify was set up in 2015 as a specialist content distribution and rights management company working with producers, rights owners and broadcasters to develop and exploit rights across platforms globally. The boutique company, which has built a strong reputation across the industry, represents titles from rights owners including Argonon, Rare TV, Nrk, Yle, Seventh Art Productions, Kite Entertainment and CNN International. Hit shows include “Fittest Family,” “Doctors Vs. Internet,” “Rescue Dog to Super Dog” and “Cash in the Attic.”

Plimsoll, which has offices in Los Angeles, Bristol and Cardiff,...