In today’s roundup, the CW announces five returning and six new series for its summer slate.
DATES
“Queen of the South” will return to USA Network for its fourth season June 6 at 10/9c. Alice Braga plays the show’s lead, a woman seeking refuge in the United State after fleeing from a Mexican drug cartel.
The CW has announced the start dates for five returning series: “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (June 17), “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” (June 17), “Masters of Illusion” (June 7), “The Outpost” (July 11) and “Burden of Truth” (June 2).
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NBC announced the participants for its seventh annual Late Night Writers Workshop, an initiative for late night and sketch comedy writer. Jill Cepela, Dylan Eshbaugh, Shenovia Large, Alexandria McCale, Mona Mira and Chloe Radcliffe will participate in a five day program next week that will prepare them to be staff writers for late night and sketch comedy shows.
GREENLIGHTS
The CW has announced six new series set to premiere on the network this summer: talent showcase “The Big Stage” (June 7), London based cop show “Bulletproof” (premiere TBA), sci-fi action series “Pandora” (premiere TBA), comedy game show “Hypnotize Me” (premiere TBA), investigatory documentary series “Mysteries Decoded” (premiere TBA), and athlete documentary profile series “Red Bull Peaking” (premiere TBA).
EXECUTIVE NEWS
Discovery Channel announced Wednesday that Joseph Boyle has been promoted to senior vice President, production and development. He will report to chief brand officer Nancy Daniels. “Joe has a passion for telling stories and an incredible creative vision. He has not only cultivated new programs for the network but has re-invigorated many of our longest-running hit series. I’m excited to have him continue to be a vital part of the senior team,” Daniels said.
RATINGS
“Bless This Mess” premiered to solid numbers on ABC, posting a 0.9 rating in the key 18-49 demographic and 4.7 million total viewers. The show impressively built on its lead-in, “Black-ish,” which scored a 0.8 rating and was watched by 3.5 million viewers. The new comedy stars Lake Bell and Dax Shepard as a newlywed couple whose plans to ditch big city living for a simpler life in Nebraska don’t go quite as expected.