TV Bits: ‘Transparent’, ‘Rick And Morty’, ‘Riverdale’, ‘Happy!’, ‘The Witcher’, And More
In this edition of TV Bits:
Netflix has announced a whole slew of cast members for its anticipated adaptation ofThe Witcher, which stars Henry Cavill as a monster hunter named Geralt. Settle in, because this is going to get nerdy:
Theofficial soundtrackfor the animated seriesRick and Mortywas released last month, and it looks like the show’s veracious fanbase is almost equally excited about its music as they are about the show’s humor. According toUproxx:
For the week ending October 5, the album debuted at the top of theBillboardVinyl chart. It had success beyond that, too: It also debuted at No. 2 on the Soundtrack chart, at No. 4 on the Indie Album chart, at No. 19 on the Top Internet chart, at No. 22 on the Top Albums chart, and at No. 27 on the Top Digital chart.
The Jim Henson Company is developing a new show calledKnights of Panterra. It’s not a heavy metal-inspired period piece, but instead a kids show based on Jeff Norton’sDino Knightschildren’s book series.The Hollywood Reportersays the series is set in a fantasy world in which dinosaurs never went extinct, and follows “four ill-equipped teens facing impossible odds combine their unique skills to become freedom fighters and save their kingdom from ruthless invaders.”
The premise is so familiar that if this were an animated show, I would have forgotten about it by the time I finished typing this sentence. But since it’s live-action and The Jim Henson Company is going to be creating puppet dinosaurs, I think it actually has a chance to become something memorable.
At New York Comic Con, it was revealed thatGina Gershon(Bound, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) andTrinity Likins(Christmas in the Air)have been castin the recurring roles of Jughead’s mom and sister, respectively, in the new season of The CW seriesRiverdale.
Gina Gershon plays Jughead’s mother, Gladys Jones, a “businesswoman” who runs the salvage yard (chop shop) that doubles as a Serpent compound, and the Serpents all snap to attention when she gives them an order. A Serpent with a GED, she acts as Fagin to a crew of teenaged car parts thieves.
Trinity Likins is set for the role of Jughead’s sister, Jellybean “JB” Jones. She is wise beyond her years, and her favorite bands are Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath. Jellybean lives with her biker mom in Toledo where they run scams to make ends meet. And like mother like daughter: Jellybean — who goes by JB now — is quite the little con artist herself.
The two will make their first appearance on the show on the episode that airs onDecember 12, 2018.
This first-look trailer/featurette for season 2 of the Syfy seriesHappy!is the first time I’m really wrapping my head around the fact that this is a show that exists, and I just have to say…WTFisthis thing? This looks totally insane, almost like something Nicolas Cage would star in.
Showtime has renewed the comedy seriesKiddingfor season 2, giving starJim Carreyat least ten more episodes of his first series regular role in more than 20 years. Here’s astatementfrom the network’s president of programming about the renewal:
“Kidding has established itself as one of the most endearing and inventive shows on television. I feel like I have been watching Mr. Pickles my whole life, and I look forward to being entranced by his unique blend of hilarity and heartbreak in season two.”
Transparentis closing out with a song and dance. The fifth and final season of the Amazon dramedy (which no longer stars Jeffrey Tambor) is wrapping up with a two-hour musical episode that creator Jill Sollowaysays"will hopefully feel likeJesus Christ Superstarmixed withLa La Landmixed withFlight of the Conchordswith something more Jewish thrown in."
Netflix hasordereda new drama series calledTrinkets, which starsDeadpoolactressBrianna Hildebrand,Kiana Madeira(The Flash), andQuintessa Swindell. Based on the young adult novel, the show will follow “three teenage girls from different corners of the high school cafeteria — Elodie, the grieving misfit; Moe, the mysterious outsider; and Tabitha the imperfect picture of perfection — who find themselves in the same mandated Shoplifters Anonymous meeting, and an unlikely friendship forms. They will find strength in one another as they negotiate family issues, high school drama and the complicated dilemma of trying to fit in while longing to break out.”
