In today’s TV news roundup, Apple TV Plus has released a trailer for “Tehran,” and Bravo has announced that “The Real Housewives of Orange County” will return Oct. 7.
CASTING
Lifetime announced that Naomi Judd, Crystal Fox, Gil Bellows and Deborah Cox have joined the cast of “Ruby,” the first installment in a movie series centered around V.C. Andrews‘ Landry Family books. They join already announced cast members Raechelle and Karina Banno, and Lauralee Bell. The movie series follows Ruby Landry, who finds herself caught in a web of dark secrets after discovering the whereabouts of her birth family. The V.C. Andrews Landry Family book series includes “Ruby,” “Pearl in the Mist,” “All That Glitters” and “Hidden Jewel,” all of which are set to be adapted by Lifetime and will debut in 2021.
DATES
Netflix announced that “Grand Army,” a new young adult drama from playwright Katie Cappiello, will premiere Oct. 16. “Grand Army” follows five students at the largest public high school in Brooklyn as they attempt to discover their identities and seize the future. The cast includes Odessa A’zion, Odley Jean, Maliq Johnson, Amalia Yoo, Amir Bageria, Alphonso Jones, Brittany Adebumola, Crystal Nelson, Naiya Ortiz, Brian Altemus, Thelonius “Monk” Serrel Freed, Anthony Ippolito, Jaden Jordan, Ashley Ganger, Sydney Meyer, Marcela Avelina, August Rosenstein, David Ianocco, Lola Blackman and Keara Graves. Watch a teaser below.
Bravo revealed that the 15th season of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” will premiere on Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. Returning housewives include Shannon Storms Beador, Kelly Dodd, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson and Braunwyn Windham-Burke. They will be joined by new addition Elizabeth Lyn Vargas, a soon-to-be divorcee. Shot from February to August, the new season will follow the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the housewives with self-filmed footage from quarantine.
FIRST LOOKS
Apple TV Plus debuted the official trailer for “Tehran,” an eight-episode espionage thriller from “Fauda” writer Moshe Zonder. The first three episodes will premiere Sept. 25, followed by new episodes each Friday. The show centers around a Mossad agent who goes undercover on a dangerous mission that places her life — and the lives of those she loves — in jeopardy. “Tehran” stars Niv Sultan, Shaun Toub, Navid Negahban, Shervin Alenabi, Liraz Charhi and Menashe Noy. The series is created by Zonder, Dana Eden, Maor Kohn and Omri Shenhar, and co-created and directed by Daniel Syrkin. Watch the trailer below.
EXECUTIVE NEWS
Objective Media Group America hired Saterah Moore in the newly created position of senior vice president of current. Moore will oversee OMGA’s specials and returning franchises and will report to OMGA executive vice president Jilly Pearce. Moore joins OMGA from MTV, where she worked on the “Teen Mom” series as well as “Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club.” Moore also has credits on CNN’s “United Shades of America,” “Hood Adjacent with James Davis” for Comedy Central and several Food Network shows, including “The Great Food Truck Race.”
The Jim Henson Company announced that Kait Boss is their new manager of children’s television. Boss will source and oversee the development for both live-action and animated television projects. Prior to the Jim Henson Company, Boss was a creative executive and content producer for American Girl, where she developed live-action features, chapter book series, live events and digital content. Boss graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a degree in Film, TV and Radio studies.
Standard Media Index appointed Jason Keown as vice president of marketing. In this role, Keown will focus on expanding the North American market for the company and will report to Global CEO James Fennessy. Keown has over 20 years of experience in marketing, having held leadership roles at DDB, Y&R and Cossette Communications and senior marketing positions for brands including Burger King and Office Depot. He has also led marketing activities for Global Media, one of the largest broadcast networks in Canada. “Jason’s vast experience within the Canadian media landscape will allow us to build strategies to grow our presence in the market, while using his marketing and digital expertise to drive our global vision,” Fennessy said.
ABC Signature named Kellyn Parker vice president of comedy development. Parker will identify and develop both talent and material as well as oversee ideas from pitch to series order. Parker joins ABC Signature from Comedy Central, where he had been vice president of original programming and development since 2016. At Comedy Central, Parker oversaw development on shows such as “South Side,” “New Negroes,” “Taskmaster,” “Gorburger” and “Colossal Clusterfest.” Parker has received much recognition for his work, including three Peter Lisagor awards in 2019, a Digiday award and multiple Webby nominations.
PODCASTS
iHeartRadio and former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg announced the launch of “The Deciding Decade with Pete Buttigieg,” a 20-episode podcast series. With new installments each Wednesday beginning Sept. 9, the podcast will discuss the issues and decisions affecting America’s next chapter with some of its emerging leaders. Guests include former federal prosecutor Preet Bharara, congresswoman Barbara Lee, author Glennon Doyle, economist and professor Darrick Hamilton, actor and activist Billy Porter and “Saturday Night Live’s” Colin Jost.
FESTIVALS
The North Fork TV Festival announced that its fifth edition will take place on Oct. 17 at an exclusive drive-in event at the Castello di Borghese Vineyard in Cutchogue, N.Y. The festival will premiere “Freeze” and “Slayed by Divya,” two of the winners of the 2020 competition for independent pilots. Following the screenings, Q&As will be held with the filmmakers moderated by Elisa DiStefano. The festival’s jury consists of “Blue Bloods” actor Abigail Hawk, science fiction screenwriter Rockne S. O’Bannon and Christina Wayne, principal international creative executive at Amazon Studios. Tickets start at $20 per vehicle and can be purchased at North Fork’s website.