Videoage International May/June 2021

May/June 2021 New U.S. TV Season Production Team: David Appelbaum, Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan, Ken Woodruff, Steven Lilien, Bryan Wynbrandt, Arika Lianne Mittman, Adam Davidson Law & Order: For The Defense (NBC) The newest entry in the beloved franchise takes an unflinching look inside a criminal defense firm. Every week, the series will put the lawyers — and the criminal justice system — under the microscope like only Law & Order can, delivering hard-hitting, ripped-from-the-headlines stories that provide a new vantage point on justice. Production Team: Carol Mendelsohn, DickWolf, Arthur Forney, Julie Weitz, Peter Jankowski Ordinary Joe (NBC) Life is all about the choices you make — and sometimes what you do in a single moment can change everything. This new heartfelt, life- affirming drama follows Joe Kimbreau, who faces one of these decisions at his college graduation. The three parallel stories that diverge from that night find Joe and the people around him with different careers, relationships, and family lives, showing the unexpected ways that things change — and stay the same. But when it comes down to it, there is no “right” choice; no matter what happens, Joe’s life is always messy, exciting, tough, unpredictable… and beautiful. Production Team: Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner, Adam Davidson, Matt Reeves, Adam Kassan, Rafi Crohn, Howard Klein The Thing About Pam (NBC) (midseason) Renée Zellweger stars in a true-crime drama inspired by one of the most popular, compelling sagas ever told on Dateline NBC. What appeared to be a straightforward murder case would eventually set off a chain of events exposing both a wrongful conviction and a diabolical scheme involving a woman named Pam Hupp. Production Team: Jessika Borsiczky, Jenny Klein, Renee Zellweger, Carmella Casinelli, Liz Cole, Noah Oppenheim, Jason Blum, Chris McCumber, Jeremy Gold SONY PICTURES TELEVISION DRAMA Fantasy Island (FOX) Delving into the “what if” questions that keep us awake at night, each episode will tell emotional, provocative stories about people who arrive with dreams and desires, and depart enlightened and transformed through the magical realism of Fantasy Island. Serving as steward of this mysterious island is Elena Roarke, who set aside her own ambitions, and even the love of her life, to uphold her family’s legacy. Assisting Elena is Ruby Okoro, a young woman with an old soul who arrives on Fantasy Island with a terminal illness, and is given a new lease on life there, and pilot Javier, who also is the head of island transportation and a jack of all trades. Production Team: Elizabeth Craft, Sarah Fain VIACOMCBS GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION GROUP COMEDY Ghosts (CBS) Samantha and Jay, a cheerful freelance jour- nalist and up-and-coming chef from the city, respectively, throw both caution and money to the wind when they decide to convert a huge rundown country estate they inherited into a bed & breakfast — only to find it’s inhabited by many spirits of deceased residents. Based on the British comedy series of the same name. Production Team: Joe Port, Joe Wiseman, Mathew Baynton, Jim Howick, Simon Farnaby, Laurence Rickard, Ben Willbond, Martha Howe- Douglas, Alison Carpenter, Debra Hayward, Alison Owen, Angie Stephenson Smallwood (CBS) (midseason) After being laid off from the assembly line at the GM factory, a seemingly ordinary man makes the extraordinary decision to provide for his family by following his dream of becoming a professional bowler. Based on professional bowler Tom Smallwood’s life. Production Team: Mark Gross, David Hollander, Brian D’Arcy James DRAMA The 4400 (The CW) 4,400 undervalued or otherwise marginalized people who vanished without a trace over the last hundred years are all returned in an instant, having not aged a day. As the government races to analyze the potential threat, the 4400 must grapple with the fact that they’ve been returned with a few… upgrades. Based on the 2004-2007 USA Network series. Production Team: Ariana Jackson, Anna Fricke, Laura Terry CSI: Vegas (CBS) Facing an existential threat that could bring down the Crime Lab, a brilliant new team of forensic investigators must welcome back old friends and deploy new techniques to preserve and serve justice in Sin City. Sequel to the 2000-2015 CBS drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Production Team: Jason Tracey, Uta Briesewitz, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed, Anthony Zuiker, Carol Mendelsohn, Ann Donahue, Craig O’Neill, William Petersen, Cindy Chvatal FBI: International (CBS) The third iteration of the FBI brand follows the elite operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team. Headquartered in Prague, they travel the world with the mission of neutralizing threats against American citizens wherever they may be. Not allowed to carry guns, the Fly Team relies on intelligence, quick thinking, and pure brawn as they put their lives on the line. Production Team: Dick Wolf, Derek Haas, Matt Olmstead, Peter Jankowski, Arthur Forney Good Sam (CBS) (midseason) Dr. Sam Griffith, a gifted heart surgeon, excels in her new leadership role as Chief of Surgery after her renowned boss falls into a coma. When her former boss wakes up months later demanding to resume his duties, Sam is tasked with supervising this egotistical expert with a scalpel who never acknowledged her stellar talent — and also happens to be her father. Production Team: Katie Wech, Jennie Snyder Urman, Joanna Klein, Tamra Davis NCIS: Hawai’i (CBS) Set in the Aloha State, it follows the first female Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor and her team as they balance duty to family and country, investigating high-stakes crimes involving military personnel, national security, and the mysteries of the island itself. Production Team: Christopher Silber, Jan Nash, Matt Bosack, Larry Teng Women of the Movement (ABC) (midseason) Centers on Mamie Till-Mobley, who devoted her life to seeking justice for her son Emmett Till. Inspired by the book Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement by Devery S. Anderson. Production Team: Marissa Jo Cerar, Jay-Z, Jay Brown, Tyran “Ty” Smith, Will Smith, James Lassiter, Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor, Michael Lohmann, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Rosanna Grace, Alex Foster, John Powers Middleton, David Clark WARNERMEDIA INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION COMEDY Abbott Elementary (ABC) (midseason)** A group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible educators may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children. Production Team: Quinta Brunson, Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker Pivoting (FOX) (midseason) A single-camera comedy about how we deal with life, death and all the crazy things that happen in between. Set in a small, middle-class town in Long Island, NY, the series follows three women — and close-knit childhood friends — as they cope with the death of the fourth member of their group. When faced with the reality that life is short, these women pivot, and alter their current paths, by way of a series of impulsive, ill-advised, and self-indulgent decisions. These pivots will strengthen their bond and prove it’s never too late to screw up your life in the pursuit of happiness. Production Team: Liz Astrof, Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor, Tristram Shapeero DRAMA The Cleaning Lady (FOX) (midseason) Based on an Argentine series, the character drama follows a whip-smart doctor who comes to the U.S. for a medical treatment to save her ailing son. She becomes a cleaning lady for organized crime, using her intelligence to forge her way in the criminal underworld. Production Team: Miranda Kwok, Shay Mitchell, Melissa Carter, Michael Offer * List as of May 20, 2021. An updated list of pick-ups is available at videoageinternational.com ** International rights tbd between Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution and WarnerMedia International TV Distribution 2021-22 New Primetime TV Series (Continued from Page 18) 20