Peacock Now Streaming Gina Torres’ “Suits” Spin-off “Pearson”

Gina Torres is suiting up for Peacock…

Peacock is hoping to drive viewership to Pearson, the short-lived Suits spin-off starring the 54-year-old Cuban American actress, after the latter became a surprising hit on Netflix this summer.

Gina TorresThe NBCUniversal streamer has officially added the show, which starred Torres as her Suits character Jessica Pearson, to its service. The hope: that new Suits fans may discover the spinoff as well, which isn’t available on Netflix.

Pearson ran for one season on the cable network in 2019 but was canceled a month and a half after its season ended.

Pearson centered on Torres’ powerhouse lawyer as she enters the dirty world of Chicago politics.

It also stars Bethany Joy Lenz, Morgan Spector, Chantel Riley, Simon Kassianides, Eli Goree and Isabel Arraiza.

Pearson originated on Suits, whose Season 7 finale served as a backdoor pilot for the spinoff.

The offshoot, which hailed from Universal Cable Productions, was executive produced by Suits creator and EP Aaron KorshSuits EP Daniel Arkin, who served as showrunner; Torres; and Suits executive producers Doug Liman, David Bartis and Gene Klein of Hypnotic.

The move will see NBCU try and win over some Netflix subscribers who may have binged (or be binging) parent show Suits, which has spent six weeks on top of the Nielsen charts.

Earlier this summer, the series broke a Nielsen streaming record for acquired programming; it drew 3.1B viewing minutes during the week of June 26 to July 2 across Netflix and Peacock. The first season of the show was also watched for 27.7M hours in the w/c June 19 after being added to Netflix and stayed in that streamer’s top ten for a number of weeks.

The John Wick Prequel Series “The Continental,” Starring Mishel Prada, to Stream on Prime Video Globally

Mishel Prada’s continental moment is headed to Amazon

The John Wick prequel series The Continental, starring the 32-year-old part Puerto Rican, Dominican and Mexican actress, will be housed internationally on Prime Video in all territories Amazon’s streaming service is available except Israel and the Middle East. It is slated for debut in 2023.

Mishel PradaIn the U.S., The Continental, produced by Lionsgate Television, will launch on Peacock after it moved from Starz to the NBCU streamer earlier this year.

The three-part action event series is more of a natural fit for Peacock, which also acquired the rights to the John Wick movies.

The Continental explores the origin story and inner workings of the exclusive Continental Hotel, a centerpiece of the John Wick Universe which serves as a refuge for assassins. It told from the perspective of the hotel manager, portrayed by Ian McShane in the film franchise – a young Winston Scott, played by Colin WoodellThroughout the series, viewers will follow Winston through the underworld of ‘70’s New York, where he will battle demons from his past as he attempts to seize control of the iconic hotel – a hotel that serves as a meeting point for the world’s most dangerous criminals.

Woodell stars alongside Ayomide Adegun, who will portray a young Charon, Peter Greene, who plays Uncle Charlie, Mel Gibson as Cormac, Ben Robson as Frankie, Hubert Point-Du Jour as Miles, Jessica Allain as Lou, Prada as KD and Nhung Kate as Yen.

Keanu Reeves, who stars in the movies, is not expected to star in the series.

“The John Wick films have created one of the most immersive, detailed and enjoyable universes we’ve seen on screen in the last decade,” said Chris Mansolillo, Director, Content Acquisition, Prime Video. “We are extremely proud to play a part in continuing to build that universe, offering viewers an insight into the origins of the infamous Continental Hotel and its incredible characters.”

Greg Coolidge and Kirk Ward serve as writers, showrunners, and executive producers on The Continental. Shawn Simmons serves as a writer and executive producer.

Hughes directs the first and third nights and Charlotte Brandstrom directs the second night.

Adrienne Bailon-Houghton Strikes Talent & Development Deal with NBCUniversal Television & Streaming 

Adrienne Bailon-Houghton is ready for primetime…

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian American actress, singer and television personality is moving into primetime television with a talent and development deal at NBCUniversal.

Adrienne Bailon HoughtonBailon-Houghton, the first Latina daytime talk show host on English-language television on the recently canceled daytime series The Real, has struck the deal with NBCUniversal Television and Streaming and it includes unscripted opportunities across its networks and streaming service Peacock to serve as host and/or producer.

NBCUniversal has struck similar talent deals with the likes of Miley Cyrus and Meghan Trainor.

In addition to hosting The Real, Bailon-Houghton has her own YouTube channel, All Things Adrienne, hosts design show House to Home on CleoTV, and was a contestant on Fox’s The Masked Singer in 2019.

She began her career as a member of R&B girl group 3LW and later became a member of pop group the Cheetah Girls. She has also acted in series That’s So Raven and Raven’s Home and movies like Coach Carter.

“I’ve had some incredible opportunities throughout my career, and many of my favorite moments have come from stepping into a hosting role,” said Bailon-Houghton. “From co-hosting The Real to whatever the future holds, these are the opportunities that I thrive for. I’m thrilled to have the support of the incredible team at NBCU as I continue to grow in my career and couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come.”

“We’ve long admired Adrienne’s talents and been so impressed with how she has been able to connect and relate with her audience,” added Tomii Crump, Head of Unscripted Casting and Talent, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “We’re looking forward to aligning her with projects where she can really thrive and show all that she has to offer.”

Hernán Barangan Selected for 2022-23 Class of the NBC TV Writers Program

Hernán Barangan has the write stuff…

The half-Salvadoran American writer, filmmaker and leukemia has been selected for the 2022-23 class of the NBC TV Writers Program.

Hernán Barangan The program, formerly known as Writers on the Verge, was created in 2005 to prepare diverse, emerging writers for careers in television, The program is hosted by NBCU Launch, the umbrella brand that houses the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across NBCU’s television portfolio.

Barangan was diagnosed with leukemia as a teenager and while undergoing radiation therapy, fell in love with movies as a way to escape. He graduated from high school and cancer the same year and in the following decade would discover that storytelling is about facing your fears. Since then, Barangan, who is of Salvadoran and Filipino descent, has built a career that spans screenwriting, VR and documentaries. He directed and starred in Cancer Rebellion, a documentary executive produced by Roger Daltry of the Who, and interviews 100 young adult cancer patients across the United States.

The 2022-23 class of eight was chosen out of 2,100 applicants.

Over the next eight months, the new class will develop an original pilot under the guidance of NBCUniversal programming executives. They will also participate in weekly workshops that will include writing intensives, mock showrunner meetings and personal branding sessions. At the conclusion of the program, they’ll be considered for available writing assignments on shows airing on NBCU Television and Streaming networks and streaming platforms as well as USG-produced series.

While the primary objective of the program is to prepare writers to be staffed on a scripted series, the ultimate goal is to develop the next generation of showrunners and content creators, according to NBCU Launch. Recent success stories include alumni Debby Wolfe, showrunner and co-creator of NBC’s upcoming comedy Lopez vs. Lopez for Universal TelevisionClaudia Forestieri, creator and executive producer of HBO Max’s Gordita Chronicles; and Justin Hillian, showrunner and executive producer of Showtime’s The Chi.

All of the writers from the most recent 2020-21 class have been staffed on series following the completion of the program with several on NBC or Universal Studio Group-produced shows: Cristina Boada on NBC’s The Endgame and now The Blacklist, Hakim Hill on upcoming Peacock and USG’s Hysteria!, Eric Glover on The CW’s Tom SwiftSujana Gowni on Netflix’s The Henna Artist and now Apple TV+ and USG’s The White Darkness, Julian Johnson on Netflix’s The Beast in Me and now on Peacock and USG’s Bel-Air, Shawn Parikh on NBC’s Night CourtHussain Pirani on CBS and USG’s FBI: International and Kim Tran on Netflix’s Space Force.

Here are the bios of the 2022-23 NBC TV Writers Program class:

EMMAN SADORRA
Emman Sadorra is a second-generation Filipino-American queer writer drawn to telling stories about the complexities of identity and finding humor in unexpected places. Sadorra has worked in TV development and been a showrunner’s assistant, working on NBC comedies “I Feel Bad” and “Kenan” as well as ABC’s “Black-ish.” More recently, Sadorra has written for the revival of Nickelodeon’s iconic show “Blue’s Clues & You.” He is currently seeking representation.

IDA YAZDI
Ida Yazdi is an Iranian-American writer raised between Isfahan, Iran and Birmingham, Ala. Her work often explores themes of cultural identity, alienation and otherness. She builds narratives that examine both the humor and pain that comes with starting over in life, specifically through the lens of Muslim and Middle Eastern women. Her pilot, “Andi, Today,” was also featured on the 2021-22 Muslim List, created in partnership with the Black List, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and Pillars Fund to highlight the best unproduced scripts from Muslim writers. Yazdi was accepted into the Writers Guild Foundation’s Writers’ Access Training Program, Women in Film Writers Mentorship Program, and the STARZ #TakeTheLead Writers’ Intensive. The Columbia graduate previously worked as a script coordinator for several shows, including Apple TV+’s “City on Fire” and HBOMax’s “The Girls on the Bus.” She is currently seeking representation.

HERNÁN BARANGAN
Hernán Barangan was diagnosed with leukemia as a teenager and while undergoing radiation therapy, fell in love with movies as a way to escape. He graduated from high school and cancer the same year and in the following decade would discover that storytelling is about facing your fears. Since then, Barangan, who is of Salvadoran and Filipino descent, has built a career that spans screenwriting, VR and documentaries. He directed and starred in “Cancer Rebellion,” a documentary executive produced by Roger Daltry of the Who, and interviews 100 young adult cancer patients across the United States. He is repped by Echo Lake Entertainment.

AURORA FERLIN
Aurora Ferlin is a writer of Belgian and Rwandan descent who grew up on the outskirts of Brussels. With a background in journalism, she’s passionate about putting a spotlight on marginalized voices. Her work often explores themes of social justice, involving issues of race, crime, class and their intersections. Her feature screenplay, “Vilomah,” was a quarterfinalist in 2020 for the prestigious Academy Nicholl Fellowship, an international screenwriting competition created by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Most recently, she wrote the Lifetime movie “She Went Missing,” which premiered in April 2022, and pilot episodes of “Mahogany Sunset” and “A New Day,” the first scripted podcasts under Hallmark’s Mahogany banner. Her other work includes feature documentary “Jim Brown’s Amer-I-Can Dream,” about NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown and his work with at-risk youth that earned a Best Documentary nominee at the American Black Film Festival. Outside of writing, Ferlin has worked closely with community activists and at-risk youth in Los Angeles to end the cycle of gun violence and youth incarceration. She is currently seeking representation.

AMELIA SWEDEEN
Amelia Swedeen was born and raised in Madison, Wisc., where she was known as her high school’s resident documentarian and disability advocate. Swedeen studied Film Production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, but TV writing quickly became her favorite medium for telling stories that elevate disabled, neurodivergent and queer identities. Swedeen considers herself to be a TV fan just as much as she is a writer, and she once made a live appearance in cosplay on “Talking Dead” (her first and last time in front of the camera). Swedeen has been on the support staff of six shows, most recently the second season of “Power Book IV: Force,” for which she is co-writing the finale. She is repped by Writ Large.

VARTA TOROSSIAN
Varta Torossian is a multicultural writer-director with roots in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. She traveled the world with a dance company until landing in New York. Torossian decided to pursue a career in screenwriting despite barely speaking English. In just a few years, she was able to earn two master’s degrees in directing and screenwriting. The AFI graduate went on to write and direct several award-winning short films while her feature scripts have been finalists at Final Draft’s Big Break, ScreenCraft and Cinequest. Torossian has worked across many genres on TV shows, feature films, documentaries and unscripted programming. Her stories always feature misfits, outsiders and renegades who, just like her, straddle many identities. Torossian is currently seeking representation.

TOMMAR WILSON
Tommar Wilson is a Kansas-born military brat who spent 20 years as an actor in multiple Broadway productions, including “Hamilton,” “Hair” and the vampire musical “Lestat.” He has also appeared on-screen in “Boardwalk Empire,” “Instinct” And “The Good Fight,” among others. As a writer, Wilson creates family drama featuring grounded characters navigating life through heightened, and sometimes fantastical, realities. He is particularly focused on telling stories that center gay Black protagonists, and exploring important issues such as mental health, addiction and the elusive human connection, while leaving plenty of room for joy and humor. He earned a quarterfinalist honor in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ prestigious Nicholl Fellowship for his original feature screenplay, “Up, Up, and Away!,” and has been honored by other fellowships and contests for his pilots “Romance Is Dead,” “Chorus Boy” and other original works. Wilson is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, and the UCLA Professional Program in TV Drama Writing. He is currently seeking representation.

WILLIAM YU
William Yu is a Korean-American screenwriter based in Los Angeles via Philadelphia, Hong Kong, Boston and New York. After creating #StarringJohnCho, the viral phenomenon that sparked a global conversation about Asian-American representation, he left his advertising career behind to write subversive stories that wink at you with a hopeful smile. His feature romantic comedy, “It Was You,” was selected to the annual Black List and is currently in development with “Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon M. Chu attached as an executive producer. Yu’s dramedy pilot, “Good Boy,” was selected for the 2020 Sundance Episodic Makers Lab and named to the 2020 CAPE List as a top screenplay by an AAPI writer. He is repped by Bellevue and APA.

USA Network to End Alice Braga’s “Queen of the South” with Upcoming Fifth Season

It’s the end of the road for Alice Braga

The 37-year-old Brazilian actress’ USA Network drama Queen of the South is ending with its upcoming fifth season, which will mark the end of the NBCU cable net’s long-running scripted series.

Alice Braga

Production on Season 5 of the show, which was renewed back in August 2019, was suspended in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and started up again last fall in New Orleans. The 10-episode season – the previous four had 13 each — will premiere at 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 7.

“We could not be prouder of our entire cast and crew that joined us on this magnificent journey,” said executive producers Dailyn Rodriguez, Ben Lobato and David Friendly. “Queen of the South began shooting in Mexico City, brought us to faraway places like Malta and Colombia and finally landed in New Orleans. We cannot wait to share the explosive final season with our devoted fans. And, of course, we could not have made this show without the talented and tireless Alice Braga, who brought our queen to life.”

Braga plays Teresa Mendoza, a woman who is forced to run from the Mexican cartel and seek refuge in America. Queen of the South follows her eventual rise to power over her own drug-trafficking empire.

Season 5 will see Molly Burnett, who plays Kelly Anne, a member of Mendoza’s cartel, upped to series regular, with Pasha Lychnikoff joining in a recurring role as an underworld oligarch and war criminal.

Queen of the South is based on Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s novel La Reina del Sur, which was a popular series for NBCU-owned Spanish-language network. It’s produced by 20th Century Fox Television and UCP with Friendly, Rodriguez and Lobato as EPs.

“For five incredible seasons, Queen of the South has captivated us with brilliant storytelling and bold, powerful characters,” added Frances Berwick, Chairman, Entertainment Networks. “This series broke boundaries for the genre, and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with this incredible team of creators, cast and crew along with our studio partners at 20th Television and UCP. As we close this final chapter, we look forward to a great season culminating in a finale that will give our fans the ending they deserve.”

 

USA Titles Gina Torres’ Suits Spinoff “Second City”

Gina Torres is officially a City gal…

The USA Network’s upcoming Suits spinoff, starring the 49-year-old Cuban American actress, now has a title — Second City.

Gina Torres

The offshoot of the long-running legal drama centers on Torres’ popular character, powerhouse lawyer Jessica Pearson, as she enters the dirty world of Chicago politics.

Torres announced the title of the show at NBCU’s upfront in Manhattan, while introducing footage from the recent Suits season finale, which served as a pilot for the new series.

Suits and Second City will co-exist as the mothership series recently was renewed for an eighth season without two of its original stars, Patrick J. Adams and future British royal Meghan Markle. Returning cast members Gabriel Macht, Rick Hoffman and Sarah Rafferty will be joined by Dulé Hill, who is being promoted to a series regular after recurring this season, and new addition Katherine Heigl.

The backdoor pilot was written by Suits creator and executive producer Aaron Korsh and executive producer Daniel Arkin, and was directed by Suits alum Anton Cropper.

The new series, which hails from Universal Cable Prods., is executive produced by Korsh, showrunner Arkin, Torres and Suits executive producers Doug Liman, David Bartis and Gene Klein of Hypnotic.