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What do you do when one of the biggest sports stars on the planet asks you to write a role for him? If you’re David Caspe and Adam Pally, you think quickly.

The duo — who first worked together on the cult ABC sitcom “Happy Endings,” created by Caspe and starring Pally as Max Blum, a disheveled gay man making ends meet as an unlicensed limousine driver while mooching off his ensemble of Chicago friends — never expected to find themselves writing a mockmentary about Steph Curry. But when the Golden State Warriors star teamed up with his wife Ayesha Curry to host the game show “About Last Night” on what was then called HBO Max in 2022, their comedic fates changed forever.

Each episode of the show featured different celebrity couples answering embarrassing questions about each other, and both Pally and Caspe appeared as guests along with their respective partners. They...

Peacock has given straight-to-series order to Mr. Throwback, a mockumentary comedy headlined by NBA star Steph Curry and Happy Endings alum Adam Pally. The pickup for the project, from Happy Endings creator David Caspe and writing duo Matthew Libman and Daniel Libman, was announced Wednesday at TCA along with three drama series orders by Peacock.

As Deadline reported exclusively last April, Mr. Throwback was originally set up at NBC for development. A couple of years ago, NBCUniversal installed a centralized development team for NBC, the company’s basic cable networks and Peacock, with projects sometimes shepherded well into development before a decision is made which platform it would go to.

Additionally, NBC in the past year or so has taken a turn toward multi-camera comedies, which cost less to produce than single-camera shows. All of the network’s existing three half-hour series, Night Court, Lopez vs. Lopez and Extended Family,...

Stephen Curry and Adam Pally are set to co-star in a mockumentary project that has been ordered straight to series at Peacock.

The announcement was made during the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena. Titled “Mr. Throwback,” the series is said to follow “a down-on-his-luck memorabilia dealer (Pally) who looks for redemption by reuniting with his sixth-grade teammate, NBA legend Steph Curry.”

David Caspe, Matthew Libman, and Daniel Libman serve as writers and executive producers on the project. Both Curry and Pally will executive produce in addition to starring, with Curry executive producing under his Unanimous Media banner along with Erick Peyton. Universal Television will produce. Unanimous Media is currently under a sweeping deal at NBCUniversal.

The series reunites Pally with Caspe and the Libmans. Pally previously starred in the ABC comedy “Happy Endings,” which was created by Caspe and on which the Libmans were writers. Pally also...

Sam Richardson’s profile has risen in recent years through roles such as eager aide Richard Splett on “Veep,” as well as the star and co-creator (with Tim Robinson) of cult hit “Detroiters” and even via the woefully under appreciated series “Champaign Ill,” which he top lined with Adam Pally.

But it’s Apple TV+’s “The Afterparty” that has cemented Richardson as not only a star — but also a romantic lead, opposite Zoë Chao.

That’s why Richardson’s Emmy nomination this year is extra sweet. As he and Chao film Season 2 of “The Afterparty,” Richardson… wait a minute. Sorry. Correction: “The Afterparty” should have been Emmy-nominated.

But instead, Richardson is an Emmy nominee for an entirely different standout role: comedy guest actor on a different Apple TV+ show, playing Ghanaian billionaire Edwin Akufo in Season 2 of “Ted Lasso.”

It’s big moment for Richardson as he celebrates his first Emmy nomination.

Welcome to Recommendation Machine, your daily IndieWire destination for TV suggestions of what to watch. Each weekday, we’ll offer up a series we think should be on your viewing radar. Though most of the shows included here are recent offerings from networks and streaming services, this will also be a place to take a look at different chapters in TV history readily available for anyone looking to immerse themselves in an ever-expanding medium.

As everyone with even a passing connection to TV will have happily told you for the better part of the last decade, there are too many shows. They’ll use words like cornucopia or plethora or deluge or glut. Bottom line: There are plenty of options for things to queue up next. So, while we’ll try to provide as many of those as we can from streaming’s heavy hitters like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max,...

Described as a “genre-defying series,” Apple TV+’s “The Afterparty” features a murderer’s row of comedic talent, all joined together for creator and sole director Chris Miller’s murder mystery. Set on the night of a 15-year high school reunion where a murder has occurred, nearly every segment in the eight-episode season (of which seven were provided for this review) comes from the perspective of one of the night’s attendees. That individual provides testimony to the detective on the case — Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) — who considers these accounts “mind movies.” According to Danner, “we’re all the stars of our own movie” — which creates the basic angle of the series.

Based on these individual episode-length “mind movies,” “The Afterparty” sets out to build a complete picture of what actually happened on the night of the murder of a high-profile celebrity (and the suspects’ former classmate), Xavier (Dave Franco...

“Champaign Ill” featured rising stars Sam Richardson (“Veep”) and Adam Pally (“Happy Endings”) and garnered plenty of critical acclaim when it debuted. The series came from the minds behind popular comedies “Happy Endings” and “Black Monday.” Yet you probably never heard of it.

Originally produced for YouTube Premium, the entire 10-episode season was released in 2018. But the series, about a hip-hop star’s entourage that’s forced to readjust to life without perks when the star unexpectedly dies, didn’t manage to find audiences, particularly as YouTube started exiting the scripted business.

Now, “Champaign Ill” is getting a second lease on life — via a recent exclusive acquisition by Hulu, which re-premiered the series on Oct. 12. It’s the latest example of a show that fell through the cracks but then found a new home on a streamer, where audiences might discover it for the first time.

Since the dawn of television,...

ABC Signature Executive Director, Comedy Development Amanda Barclay is leaving the Disney TV studio to join Netflix as Director in the streamer’s Original Series, Comedy team led by Tracey Pakosta. She replaces Robert Prinz, Director of Original Series, Comedy, who is leaving the company.

Prinz worked on several multi-camera comedy series, Family Reunion, which is returning for the second part of its second season next month, as well as Kevin James’ comedy The Crew, the Katherine McPhee-Eddie Cibrian starrer Country Comfort and Dad Stop Embarrassing Me starring Jamie Foxx, all of which were canceled after one season. He moved to comedy after a stint as Senior Manager, Kids and Family at Netflix.

Pakosta, who joined Netflix at the end of 2020, is starting to put her stamp on the streamer’s comedy department with Barclay among her first major hires. Barclay is the second ABC Signature executive to move to Netflix this month,...

Exclusive: Derek Luke (The Purge), Sabrina Revelle (Zac & Mia), Skyla I’Lece (Turn: Washington’s Spies), Deja Monique Cruz (Law & Order: Svu) and Trevor Raine Bush (After) round out the series regular cast for The Crossover, Disney+’s drama pilot based on the bestselling Newbery Award-winning novel-in-verse by author, poet and educator Kwame Alexander. They join previously announced leads Jayln Hall and Amir O’Neil.

Written by Alexander and Damani Johnson (All Rise) with Dee Johnson supervising and to be directed by George Tillman Jr., The Crossover tells the story of 14-year-old basketballphenom brothers, Josh and Jb Bell. The boys come of age on and off the court as their former pro-baller father adjusts to life after basketball and matriarch mother finally gets to pursue dreams of her own. This aspirational and emotional family drama is narrated entirely by Josh through his lyrical poetry.

Apple has assembled an all-star cast for the upcoming murder mystery comedy series “The Afterparty.”

Hailing from Chris Miller and Phil Lord, the series will star Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, Zoe Chao, Ben Schwartz, Ike Barinholtz, Ilana Glazer, Dave Franco, Jamie Demetriou, and John Early.

The eight-episode series, which was exclusively reported by Variety in June, is set at a high school reunion afterparty. Each episode will feature a retelling of the same night told through a different character’s perspective, each with its own unique visual format and film genre to match the teller’s personality.

Haddish will star as Detective Danner, the eccentric detective assigned to solve the high-profile case. Haddish is best known for her stand up career and her breakout role in the film “Girls Trip,” but Haddish has also starred in multiple TV projects in recent years. That includes the animated series “Tuca & Bertie...

YouTube has canceled “Impulse,” arguably its final out-and-out drama, after two seasons.

The cancelation leaves only a couple remaining scripted series at the web subscription service, namely “Cobra Kai” and “Liza on Demand,” and is the latest example of YouTube’s shifting content strategy.

The shift became clear in April of last year, when the quadruple cancelation of “Champaign Ill,” “Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television,” “Sideswiped,” and “Do You Want to See a Dead Body” signaled that rather than taking on streamers like Netflix and Amazon with a traditional slate of scripted projects, YouTube was changing its focus to genres such as unscripted, educational and music artist-focused docu-follows.

“Impulse” showrunner Lauren LeFranc shared news of the cancelation via Twitter, saying that “we tried to find a new home, but sadly it wasn’t meant to be.” In her statement, LeFranc talked about struggle she and the show’s creators faced “being on a new,...

A single-camera comedy titled “Kidless” is currently in the works at Fox.

The project hails from writer and co-executive producer Mnelik Belilgne and executive producer Jamie Tarses. Belilgne is currently a writer and co-executive producer on the ABC comedy “Single Parents.” He and Tarses previously worked together on the YouTube original comedy series “Champaign Ill” and ABC’s “The Mayor,” on which he was a writer and Tarses was an executive producer.

The series is loosely based on Mnelik’s own parents and their lives post-kids. It is described as an ensemble comedy that follows two married couples, a widow, and a single dad, who must reimagine their lives now that their kids have left the nest.

20th Century Fox Television will co-produce with Fox Entertainment.

It was announced last week that Fox has also set up projects involving Oscar winner Melissa Leo and director Paul Feig. Variety exclusively reported...

Hulu is nearing a deal for a straight-to-series order for “The Mysterious Benedict Society,” based on the best-selling young adult novel of the same name by Trenton Lee Stewart, TheWrap has learned.

The show will be written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, the writers behind Amazon’s “The Boys” series and the “Ride Along” films.

“The Mysterious Benedict Society” is described as the tale of four gifted orphans who are recruited by an eccentric benefactor to go on a secret mission. Placed undercover at a boarding school known as The Institute, they must foil a nefarious plot with global ramifications, while creating a new sort of family along the way.

Also Read: Hulu's 'Looking for Alaska' Trailer: Meet Alaska, the Coolest Girl in the World (Video)

Sonar Entertainment will co-produce with 20th Century Fox TV (part of Disney TV Studios) and Jamie Tarses’ Sony Pictures Television-based production company Fanfare.

YouTube’s head of scripted programming, Jon Wax, is in talks to join Amazon Studios, according to an individual with knowledge of the matter.

Wax is said to be in discussions for head of genre programming at Amazon, a position held by Sharon Tal Yguado until recently. Variety reported on her exit in early May. The genre unit at the studio focuses on sci-fi, fantasy and genre series; the forthcoming “Lord of the Rings” is a major title within the genre head’s purview.

Amazon Studios declined to comment.

Wax joined YouTube in August 2017, leading drama, unscripted and current programming for YouTube’s premium channel, after four years at Wgn America and Tribune Studios. Prior to that, he had spent nearly 15 years at Twentieth Century Fox TV and Fox Broadcasting.

YouTube’s “Cobra Kai” series, featuring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, has been one of its most popular scripted series to date,...

The Kirsten Dunst-led dark comedy series “On Becoming a God in Central Florida” is moving to its third network home.

The one-hour series has been acquired by Showtime after it had previously been ordered to series at YouTube Premium while having first been in development at AMC. The nine-episode first season is set to debut on Aug. 25 at 10 p.m. Et on Showtime.

The series stars Dunst, Théodore Pellerin, Beth Ditto, Mel Rodriguez, and Ted Levine. Robert Funke and Matt Lutsky created and executive produce the series. George Clooney and Grant Heslov also executive produce under their Smokehouse Pictures banner along with Dunst, Charlie McDowell, and Esta Spalding. Spalding also serves as showrunner while McDowell directed the pilot. Sony’s TriStar TV will produce.

The series was a passion project for the late Suzanne Patmore Gibbs, who was the head of TriStar TV at the time of her death last March.

“Cobra Kai” has been picked up for a third season at YouTube Premium, Variety has learned.

Season 2 of the series premiered on April 24. The series, a continuation of the story from the original “Karate Kid” film franchise, features William Zabka and Ralph Macchio reprising their roles from the films.

In Season 1, Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) reopened the Cobra Kai dojo and introduced its no-mercy style of karate to a new generation of students. Daniel Larusso (Macchio), now a successful businessman, clashes with Lawrence and their old rivalry is reborn. In Season 2, after Cobra Kai’s controversial win at the All Valley Championships, Larusso decides to open his own dojo called Miyagi-do in honor of his late mentor, Mr. Miyagi.

Season 2 also stars Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, Courtney Henggeler, Jacob Bertrand, Nichole Brown, and Peyton List. Martin Kove appears in the role of John Kreese, reprising his role from the films.

YouTube has canceled “Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television” after two seasons, along with three of the streaming service’s other series, “Champaign Ill,” “Sideswiped,” and “Do You Want to See a Dead Body?”

The four shows were canceled because the tech giant is shifting its focus from scripted programming to unscripted, educational and music artist-focused “docu-follows,” as it begins developing projects for a new ad-supported, free tier in addition to its subscription option, YouTube Premium (which is ad-free and includes YouTube Music), an individual with knowledge of the decision tells TheWrap .

The company is preparing to announce the ad-supported option at its Brandcast event on May 2 and clearing its deck of several shows originally developed for YouTube Premium, before unveiling a new slate of originals designed for both platforms, the source says.

Also Read: YouTube TV Raises Price to $50 Per Month Following Content Agreement With Discovery

The four shows...

YouTube is clearing its deck, as the service gets ready to unveil its new original programming plans. As part of the spring cleaning of sorts, YouTube series “Champaign Ill,” “Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television,” “Sideswiped,” and “Do You Want to See a Dead Body” won’t be back.

Those shows join previously confirmed cancelled series “Overthinking with Kat & June,” “Youth & Consequences,” and “Origin.”

YouTube isn’t completely wiping down the mat, however. Breakout hit “Cobra Kai” is back for Season 2 on April 24, and “Step Up: High Water,” currently in its second season, continues to perform well for the service. Also, comedy “Liza on Demand,” starring Liza Koshy, and sci-fi drama “Impulse” are both in production for their sophomore releases.

Meanwhile, YouTube hasn’t yet revealed the fates of comedy “Wayne,” which premiered in January, and anthology series “Weird City,” which launched in February.

YouTube will unveil its new originals distribution strategy,...

NBC pilot “Uninsured” has cast four of its series regulars, with Adam Pally and Abby Elliott playing the young married couple at the center of the show.

Pally will play Dave, who is described as a “natural hype man with a good heart.” Elliott has been tapped to play “super mom” Rebecca, who “longs for the kind of order she can never achieve in a chaotic household.”

Alongside them as series regulars are Jessy Hodges as Dave’s edgy younger sister Joanna and Amer Chadha-Patel as Dave’s fast-talking business partner Aram.

The multi-camera comedy revolves around young parents Dave and Rebecca, who “end up having to take care of Dave’s parents who have mishandled their finances and need help to pay down a sizable debt.”

Sony Pictures Television will produce. Dan Levy is writing and producing; Doug Robinson and Alison Greenspan are serving as executive producers under the Doug Robinson Productions banner.

Alec Bojalad Chris Longo Kayti Burt Nick Harley Jan 1, 2019

Hitmen, haunted houses, and homecomings highlight our list of the best new television in 2018.

Who doesn't like new things? Well television, historically.

TV is the rare medium that often prioritizes consistency and age. TV observers and critics delight in pointing out how old things are or how long they've run. The Simpsons has been on air for 30 seasons! It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is about become the longest running live action comedy! Greys Anatomy is...still around!

But despite how friendly we all are to our elder TV statesmen, no one is immune to the allure of the shiny new (sharp) object. Television in 2018 had plenty of shiny new objects for us. Netflix worked hard to bring the days of the charming bingeable reality show back with properties like Queer Eye and Nailed It! HBO continued to be HBO by debuting brilliant comedies like Barry,...

Still looking for the latest and greatest movie, TV series or book to finish before the year is out? Why not ask the folks behind Hollywood’s favorite hits, what they’re reading and viewing this 2018. We reached out to the stars and creators behind the things you love (including Barry Jenkins, Steven Canals and Dan Levy) to find out a few of their favorite things from this past year.

Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”)

Movie: “Roma,” “Green Book”

“I loved ‘Roma.’ I just saw ‘Green Book.’ I loved that. I haven’t seen much but those were great.”

Henry Golding (“Crazy Rich Asians”)

Movie: “Sicario: Day of the Soldado”

“‘Sicario 1’ was phenomenal. ‘Sicario 2’ was even better. Benicio Del Toro can do no wrong in my eyes.”

TV Show: “The Bodyguard”

“I’ve been really enjoying ‘The Bodyguard.’ We sat on the couch and watched it and were riveted from episode one onward.

When the universe closes a door, it opens a window. On December 12, Comedy Central confirmed the cancellation of “Detroiters,” a joyous comedy co-starring and co-created by Sam Richardson. On December 13, YouTube Premium released the first season of “Champaign, Ill,” co-starring Richardson and co-created with David Caspe (“Happy Endings”) and a slew of his former writers.

“Champaign, Ill” isn’t quite the second coming of “Detroiters” — its black comic elements stemmed from characters more jaded than Sam (Richardson) and Tim (Tim Robinson) ever were — but the two shows share more than Richardson’s increasingly bankable charms. They both rely on chemistry and creativity, track two best friends who rely on their artistic prowess to succeed in life, and take their show titles from the Midwest.

Most significantly, the new buddy comedy is an absurd, fun, and fresh spin on adults stuck in arrested development. Kicking off in 2003, “Champaign Ill” introduces Ronnie...

“Detroiters,” for two years one of the brightest highlights in the Comedy Central lineup, won’t be returning to the network for third season. Series co-star/co-creator Sam Richardson announced on Twitter that the series may not be completely finished, but new episodes won’t be coming to Comedy Central in the new year.

“Sadly, @Detroiters won’t be picked up for a season 3 at Comedy Central,” wrote Richardson. “I want to thank everyone who watched and supported the show. It was a dream to make and I’m proud that those who did see it enjoyed it. Maybe it will find a home elsewhere, who knows? But truly, thank you.”

The series, which grew to become a favorite within comedy circles, premiered in 2017, starring Richardson and Tim Robinson as a pair of friends who run a Detroit-area advertising firm.

Sadly, @Detroiters won’t be picked up for a season 3 at Comedy Central.

And so the calendar closes on yet another TV year. As critics start to assemble year-end best lists and look forward to what the next 12 months might have in store, there’s still a final flurry of new original programming to sift through before 2018 fades away.

Per usual, these are spread out across broadcast, cable, and subscription services, this time with an extra peppering of original films debuting on TV airtime. With plenty of other options to juggle as 2018 closes, allow this one final collection to cap off the bunch.

(We do this roundup of new shows pretty much every month — if you missed any of those previous picks, here are some notable TV premieres from February, March, April, May, June, July, August, October, November, and our giant fall preview.)

“Nightflyers”

Joining the ever-growing sci-fi subgenre of “Hey, space is probably not the best place to go with people you don’t completely know!

Two teenagers on the run, looking for answers, trying to evade adult authority figures, dealing with their own repressed rage, in a series that premieres in January. It’s a template that worked for “The End of the F**ing World” this year, and the new YouTube Premium series “Wayne” looks like it’s aiming to follow in its footsteps.

“Wayne” follows the journey of its title character as he tracks down the TransAm his dying father bequeathed to him. As he navigates a criminal underworld with people willing to tie 16-year-old kids up and torture them for information, he takes on an adventure partner in Del (Ciara Bravo), who, judging by the trailer YouTube Premium unveiled, looks like she can handle herself beyond her years.

“Episodes” vet Iain B. MacDonald directed the “Wayne” pilot, while creator Shawn Simmons is a writer on the 10-episode series, set to premiere on YouTube Premium early next year.

In today’s TV News Roundup, YouTube Originals releases the trailer for comedy series “Champaign Ill.”

First Looks

YouTube Premium has released the first trailer for the new series “Champaign Ill,” a comedy debuting on Dec. 12. Starring Adam Pally (“Happy Endings,” “The Mindy Project”), Sam Richardson (“Veep,” “Detroiters”) and guest starring Jay Pharoah (“Saturday Night Live,” “Ride Along”), the 10 episode series follows the struggle of a two-man entourage left in the dust and out of the limelight after their friend, a successful rapper, dies unexpectedly.

Dates

Epix has changed the premiere date for season three of “Berlin Station,” the original spy series from Paramount Television and Anonymous Content. The new air date is set for Sunday, Dec. 2 at 9 p.m. Et/Pt on Epix. Season three occurs over the course of 11 days as Chief of Station Valerie Edwards (Michelle Forbes) navigates a high-stakes relationship between Russia, the United States, and Nato allies.

Jean Smart can’t get enough of comic book characters: The actress — who co-stars in FX’s Marvel drama Legion — has joined HBO’s upcoming Watchmen adaptation in a series-regular role, our sister site Deadline reports.

Smart will play an unnamed FBI agent who is investigating a murder. (There is speculation that Smart’s character is Agent Blake.)

Set in an alternate history where “superheroes” are treated as outlaws, the forthcoming drama “embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own,” per the network. Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers) will oversee...