TV Bits: ‘High Fidelity’, ‘Pennyworth’, ‘The Forever House’, ‘Jack Ryan’, And More
In this edition of TV Bits:
Here’s a look at what HBO has in store for the coming year.
Originallyintendedto be a Disney+ show, theZoe Kravitz-led TV adaptation ofHigh Fidelitylooks at the story from a different perspective:
A departure from Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel and beloved 2000 film, Hulu’sHigh Fidelitycenters on Rob (Zoë Kravitz, who also serves as an executive producer), a female record store owner in the rapidly gentrified neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn who revisits past relationships through music and pop culture, while trying to get over her one true love.
All 10 episodes ofHigh Fidelityarrive on Hulu onFebruary 14, 2020.
Pennyworth, the show depicting the early days of Batman’s butler, is coming back for a second season. The head of Epix reveals that the first season of the show was “the highest-performing original series ever to premiere on Epix, more than doubling the viewership of the shows that came before it.” So that means that, what, about 12 total people watched it? Zing! Epix burn!Deadlinereports that 10 more episodes will begin shooting in January 2020 in the U.K.
Amazon’sJack Ryan, which stars John Krasinski in the title role, hashiredPrison BreakcreatorPaul Scheuringto serve as the new showrunner, replacing Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland, the guys who created this version of the show for the streaming service. No word yet on how that might impact the series, but the second season is streaming right now.
Hellboycreator Mike Mignola is reportedly teaming with Ben and Max Berkowitz to make an anthology series calledThe Forever House, whichDeadlinecalls a “high-concept anthology series inspired by international folklore.” Sounds like something Mignola’s former colleague Guillermo del Toro might be into. Here’s the description:
Could be interesting, but there’s no indication yet about where this project might find a home.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, beloved children’s classicSesame Streetis celebrating its 50th anniversary with a new special on June 24, 2025 on HBO.
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Time for a good old fashioned family reunion:Deadlinesays that Lizzie McGuire regularsHallie Todd,Robert Carradine, andJake Thomaswill be back as Jo, Sam, and Matt McGuire on the upcoming Disney+ continuation.Hilary Duffreturns as the title character, who will be the center of the new series as she tries to navigate adulthood on the cusp of turning 30.
Speaking of sequel shows, remember that aPunky Brewstersequel is coming? That one’s only 34 years after the original went off the air, so I’m sure lots of people will still be interested in it. Anyway,Freddie Prinze, Jr.is in it now! He’s playing Punky’s ex-husband, a working musician who’s constantly in and out of town but who remains close with his kids and still has “lingering chemistry” with Punky herself. (Cue live audience “oooohs”.)
Let’s keep the sequel series talk going. Showtime has released another trailer forThe L Word: Generation Q, which premieres onDecember 8, 2019.
And speaking of Showtime, the uber-talented and underratedMelanie Lynskey(Togetherness) has found a new TV gig on the premium channel. She’llbe one of the leadsof an ensemble drama calledYellowjackets, which “tells the story of a team of talented high school girls soccer players who survive a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to warring, cannibalistic clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later.” Whoa. This sounds like it has tons of promise, so I’m intrigued.
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Here’s the trailer for season 3 of Netflix’sThe Toys That Made Us, whichGeekTyrantsays is wildly revamping its style and getting rid of its reenactments. Season 3 drops onNovember 15, 2019.
And finally,Rick & Mortytook a page out of theStranger Thingsplaybook and revealed its upcoming episode titles in a spooky video.
