Blumhouse to Premiere Justina Machado’s “The Horror of Dolores Roach” in July Via Prime Video

Justina Machado is bringing the horror…

Blumhouse will premiere its new series The Horror of Dolores Roach, starring the 50-year-old Puerto Rican actress, on July 7 via Prime Video.

Justina MachadoThe 8-episode series—based on the hit Gimlet podcast series of the same name—tells the story of Dolores Roach (Machado), a recently released prisoner who after 16 years returns to find a severely-gentrified Washington Heights with $200 and the clothes on her back. Her boyfriend missing, her family long gone, Dolores reunites with an old stoner buddy, Luis (Alejandro Hernandez), who gives her room and board and lets her give massages for cash in the basement under his dilapidated storefront Empanada Loca, the only remnant of her former life.

When the promise of her newfound stability is quickly threatened, “Magic Hands Dolores” is driven to shocking extremes to survive, and in the face of unexpected professional success, Dolores and Luis become dangerously symbiotic, and Luis must unleash his own peculiar predilections.

Kita Updike, K. Todd Freeman, Jean Yoon, Judy Reyes and Jeffery Self also star.

Written and directed by podcast creator Aaron Mark, The Horror of Dolores Roach originally was developed by Mark as a one-woman play starring Daphne Rubin-Vega. It is a grotesque Sweeney Todd-inspired tale of eat or be eaten — a macabre urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, gentrification, cannibalism, and survival of the fittest.

Mark and Dara Resnik will serve as co-showrunners and executive produce. EPs also include Rubin-Vega; Jason Blum, Chris McCumber, and Jeremy Gold for Blumhouse Television; Dawn Ostroff, Mimi O’Donnell, and Justin McGoldrick for Spotify Studios, alongside Gloria Calderón Kellett for GloNation Studios and Roxann Dawson who directs the pilot.

Kassandra Lee Diaz to Star in Hulu’s Comedy Pilot “1266”

Kassandra Lee Diaz is phoning it in…

The Cuban, Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress will star in the Hulu comedy pilot 1266.

Kassandra Lee DiazDiaz will star as a lead opposite Gabourey Sidibe, Karim Diané and Kristin Dodson in the pilot from 20th Television.

1266 follows Gabby Brixton (Sidibe), who’s living with her mom and making half-hearted attempts to become a singer/model and overnight millionaire. When she’s fired from her job, she stumbles upon the gig of a lifetime ― phone sex. What initially seems like a quick way to make money turns into a life-changing experience when she meets the women who become her chosen family and learns how powerful, profitable and prolific her voice can be.

Diaz will play Fi, an Afro-Latina queer 20-something, who doesn’t suffer fools and loves lavishing designer threads on her girlfriends. Cynical, mysterious and introverted, she’s a quiet yet fiery woman who keeps her cards close to the chest.

Additionally, Anna Maria Horsford, Tisha Campbell and Judy Reyes (Claws) will recur if the pilot is picked up to series.

The series is inspired by the true-life story of Sidibe, who is executive producing with Thembi Banks, Steven Canals and Julie Bean. Banks and Bean will be co-showrunners. Banks is writing the teleplay and directing the pilot.

Judy Reyes to Star in ABC’s Character-Based Procedural Drama Pilot “HPI (High Intellectual Potential)”

Judy Reyes is reaching new potential

The 55-year-old Dominican American actress and former Scrubs star has landed a series regular role opposite Kaitlin Olson and Daniel Sunjata in ABC’s character-based procedural drama pilot based on TF1’s popular detective series HPI (High Intellectual Potential).

Judy ReyesThe project hails from top TV and film writer Drew Goddard and ABC Signature, where Goddard and his Goddard Textiles are based.

Written by Goddard, the untitled HPI remake centers on Morgan (Olson), a single mom with three kids and an exceptional mind who helps solve an unsolvable crime when she rearranges some evidence during her shift as a cleaner for the police department. When they discover she has a knack for putting things in order because of her high intellectual potential she is brought on as a consultant to work with a by-the-book seasoned detective, Karadec (Sunjata), and together they form an unusual and unstoppable team.

Reyes will play Selena Soto.

In addition to Olson and Sunjata, series regular cast also includes Javicia Leslie as Daphne and Deniz Akdeniz as Lev “Oz” Osman.

In the original French series Haut Potentiel Intellectuel (HPI), created by Alice Chegaray-Breugnot, Stéphane Carrié and Nicolas Jean, the leads were played by Audrey Fleurot and Mehdi Nebbou.

Goddard and Sarah Esberg executive produce the ABC adaptation for Goddard Textiles; Rob Thomas, who serves as showrunner, and Dan Etheridge for Spondoolie Productions; and Pierre Laugier and Anthony Lancret for Itinéraire Productions, a UGC company. Alethea Jones is director and executive producer. Olson serves as producer.

Known for her work on Scrubs, Devious Maids and Claws, Reyes was recently seen in Birth/Rebirth, the AMC/Shutter film that premiered this year at Sundance.

Up next, Reyes can be seen in recurring roles in Season 2 of the Peacock anthology series Dr. Death and in Amazon’s The Horror of Dolores Roach.

On the film side, she’ll next be seen in a lead role in New Line’s Turtles All The Way Down for HBO Max. Most recently, she starred on the big screen in Paramount’s Smile

Judy Reyes to Guest Star on Starz’s “Party Down” Reboot

Judy Reyes is ready to party down

The 55-year-old Dominican American actress and former Scrubs star is guest-starring on Starz’s Party Down, a revival of the cult comedy series from 2009-10.

Judy ReyesStarz will debut the laugher at midnight on Friday, February 24 on its app and streaming platforms. Its linear debut is set for later that night at 9:00 pm ET/PT on Starz.

The third season will consist of six all-new episodes and take place 10 years later, when most of the Party Down catering team have moved on, including actor/bartender Henry Pollard (Adam Scott). After a surprise reunion, the gang find themselves once again stoically enduring the procession of random parties and oddball guests all over Los Angeles.

Scott reprises his role alongside original cast members Ken MarinoJane LynchMartin StarrRyan Hansen and Megan Mullally.

New cast members include Jennifer Garner, Tyrel Jackson WilliamsZoë Chao and James Marsden.

In addition to Reyes, other guest stars include Dan BakkedahlQuinta BrunsonLiv HewsonFran Kranz, Ki Hong LeeLyric Lewis, Bobby Moynihan, Nick Offerman and Calum Worthy.

The third season is executive produced by Party Down alumni Rob Thomas, Paul Rudd, Dan Etheridge and Scott.

Party Down is produced for STARZ by Lionsgate Television.

The first two seasons of Party Down debuted on Starz in 2009 and 2010. Both seasons remain available on the network and for download or streaming via the Starz app.

Judy Reyes to Appear on Season Two of Peacock’s “Dr. Death”

Judy Reyes is embracing death

The 55-year-old Dominican American actress and former Scrubs star will appear on Peacock’s Dr. Death in a recurring role.

Judy ReyesReyes joins a roster of new cast additions that includes Rita Volk, Jack Davenport (Ten Percent), Annika Boras (Succession) and Sandra Andreis (Snabba Cash).

Season 2 of the anthology series will feature the “Miracle Man” storyline based on the most recent third season of the Wondery podcast.

Paolo Macchiarini, played by Edgar Ramirez, is a charming surgeon, renowned for his innovative operations that earn him the nickname “Miracle Man.” When investigative journalist Benita Alexander (Mandy Moore) approaches him for a story, the line between personal and professional begins to blur, changing her life forever. As she learns how far Paolo will go to protect his secrets, a group of doctors halfway across the world make shocking discoveries of their own that call everything about the “Miracle Man” into question.

Previously announced Season 2 cast also includes Luke Kirby, Ashley Madekwe and Gustaf Hammarsten.

Season one of Dr. Death, based on the first season of the hit Wondery podcast, explored the psyche of disgraced Texas Neurosurgeon, Dr. Christopher Duntsch (Joshua Jackson), who maimed or killed 33 out of 38 patients over his career. The series was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for Best Limited Series.

Season 2 hails from showrunner, writer, and executive producer Ashley Michel Hoban.

Reyes is known for her starring role as Carla in Scrubs, Zoila on ABC’s Devious Maids, and Quiet Ann on TNT’s Claws. On the film side, she’ll next be seen in a lead role in New Line’s Turtles All The Way Down for HBO Max.

Judy Reyes Joins Cast of Amazon’s Series “The Horror of Dolores Roach”

Judy Reyes is embracing the horror…

The 54-year-old Dominican American actress has joined the cast of Amazon’s The Horror of Dolores Roach in a recurring role.

Judy ReyesReyes is part of a roster of new cast additions that includes Marc MaronJean Yoon and Jeffery Self.

They join series lead Justina Machado, who plays the titular masseuse Dolores Roach, as well as previously announced Alejandro Hernandez, Kita Updike and K. Todd Freeman.

Reyes will play Marcie, who runs the neighborhood weed business. At first she offers Dolores an opportunity to work for her, but when Dolores declines she quickly becomes her nemesis.

The 8-episode series—based on the hit Gimlet podcast series of the same name— tells the story of Dolores Roach, a recently released prisoner who after 16 years returns to find a severely-gentrified Washington Heights with $200 and the clothes on her back. Her boyfriend missing, her family long gone, Dolores reunites with an old stoner buddy, Luis, who gives her room and board and lets her give massages for cash in the basement under his dilapidated storefront Empanada Loca, the only remnant of her former life.

When the promise of her newfound stability is quickly threatened, “Magic Hands Dolores” is driven to shocking extremes to survive, and in the face of unexpected professional success, Dolores and Luis become dangerously symbiotic, and Luis must unleash his own peculiar predilections.

Written and directed by podcast creator Aaron Mark, The Horror of Dolores Roach originally was developed by Mark as a one-woman play starring Daphne Rubin-Vega. It is a grotesque Sweeney Todd-inspired tale of eat or be eaten — a macabre urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, gentrification, cannibalism, and survival of the fittest.

Mark and Dara Resnik will serve as co-showrunners and executive produce. Executive producers also include Rubin-Vega; Jason Blum, Chris McCumber, and Jeremy Gold for Blumhouse Television; Dawn Ostroff, Mimi O’Donnell, and Justin McGoldrick for Spotify, alongside Gloria Calderón Kellett for GloNation Studios and Roxann Dawson who directs the pilot.

Judy Reyes to Star in New Line’s Film Adaptation of John Green’s “Turtles All the Way Down” for HBO Max 

It’s turtle time for Judy Reyes

The 54-year-old Dominican American former Scrubs star will appear in New Line’s film adaptation of John Green’s #1 NY Times best seller Turtles All the Way Down for HBO Max.

Judy Reyes,Turtles All the Way Down tackles anxiety through its 17-year-old protagonist, Aza Holmes (played by Isabela Merced).

Reyes will play Gina, the mother of Aza. Cree Cicchino and Felix Mallard also star. It’s not easy being Aza, but she’s trying… trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, and a good student, all while navigating an endless barrage of invasive, obsessive thoughts that she cannot control. When she reconnects with Davis, her childhood crush, Aza is confronted with fundamental questions about her potential for love, happiness, friendship, and hope in the face of her mental illness.

New Line/HBO Max picked up the project from Fox 2000 when that division closed; the project being ripe for the streamer’s devotion to YA fare, i.e. the new Gossip Girl, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and the upcoming Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.

Green’s Turtles All the Way Down is his follow-up to his hit novel The Fault in Our Stars, which was a big YA movie in 2014 for 20th Century Fox and Temple Hill, making over $307M WW.

Reyes played Carla on the TV series Scrubs, Zoila on Lifetime’s Devious Maids, and Quiet Ann on the hit TNT series Claws.

Upcoming for Reyes is the Paramount Players’ horror film Something’s Wrong Rose.

Recent film credits include Netflix’s All Together Now, The Circle and Gun Hill Road. Recurring roles include Eva on HBO’s smash hit Succession, Lala on FX’s Better Things, Ramona on Netflix’s One Day at a Time, Deb on the TBS series Search Party and Irene Vega on Bravo’s Dirty John.

Reyes has worked extensively in television, theater, and film for the last 20 years and remains a founding member of NYC’s Labyrinth Theater Company.

She is executive-producing the animated video series LaGolda, which tackles a variety of social and environmental issues through the sport of soccer and is sponsored by UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well.” initiative.

TNT Moves Up Premiere of Fourth & Final Season of Judy Reyes’ “Claws” By a Week

Judy Reyes’ claws will be coming out earlier than expected…

 TNT has moved up the premiere date of the fourth and final season of Claws, starring the 54-year-old Dominican American actress.

Judy Reyes, ClawsThe final season will now kick off with a two-hour premiere on Sunday, December 19 at 9:00 pm, the network has announced. \

It was previously scheduled a week later, on Sunday, December 26.

The dark comedy follows Niecy Nash-Betts’ Desna Simms, who, alongside her crew of manicurists from the Nail Artisans of Manatee County salon, rises to power in the crime world to claim her share of cash and respect.

Co-stars include Reyes, Carrie Preston, Karrueche Tran, Jenn Lyon, Kevin Rankin, Jason Antoon, Harold Perrineau and Dean Norris.

“Over the seasons the friendships have deepened and the character of Polly has deepened thanks to the support of the women around her that helped her through some tough times and brought her to a stronger place,” Preston said of her character. “She has more confidence. She’s still going to con her way through things but at least she’s got the support of her friends.”

Tran, who plays Virginia in the series, looks back at far how her character has come and what she’s facing as the show prepares for its last hurrah.

“Virginia started off as a stripper, and the main thing about her has been her growth and her maturity,” Tran shared. “Towards the end of the season, she starts to get into the business side of things and really starts to become a grown-up. All while seeing all these layers pulled back and you’ll learn more about who she is and where she’s from. She’s also still looking for love but also finding the love within herself.”

Tran was also trying not to give away too much about Virginia’s special abilities, but she revealed a little teaser regarding what’s ahead.

“I don’t want to spoil it, but this is something we had a conversation about with the writers,” she said. “I will say it’s something that I really wanted to keep. … You’re going to have to watch Season 4.”

Jennifer Lyon also looked back on how her character Jen has come since the series premiere and where she’s headed now.

“For Jen, in the beginning, she was so ‘ride or die,’ and as the series progressed, she realized that riding or dying shouldn’t be the only two choices,” Lyon shared. “Is there something in the middle where I could live a life with my family safe, stay sober, love my girlfriends? Her journey of, ‘Can I be a saint in the city?’ continues to progress and at the end of the season you get the answer to that.”

Reyes celebrates Quiet Ann’s progress and laments her struggles.

“Quiet Ann started as the muscle and security for the group, she was just happy to be around and have an opportunity to take care of and learn from these women,” Reyes said. “And she was quiet, all of this has changed and progressed as the series has gone along. She’s found love and lost love and the bond that she had with the women was severed by the conflicts with Desna. I think we’ll see what the result of her having lost the love of her life.”

Claws is executive produced by Janine Sherman Barrois, Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, series creator Eliot Laurence, and showrunners Sharon Lee Watson and Emily Silver.

The series is produced for TNT by Jones and McCormack’s Le Train Train in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Judy Reyes to Star in the Lifetime’s Border Separation Film “Torn From Her Arms”

Judy Reyes is a woman Torn

The 53-year-old Dominican American actress and former Scrubs star will lead the cast of Torn From Her ArmsLifetime’s family border separation film.

Judy Reyes,

Hailing from Ozy Media and Motion Picture Corporation of America, the movie will also star Gloria Reuben.

Fátima Molina and Camila Nuñez also star in the timely film, which, amidst the ongoing crisis at the U.S. border, depicts the harrowing true story of a mother and daughter who must find their way back to each other after being separated.

It’s slated to premiere this fall.

Reyes will play Thelma Garcia, a Texas Immigration lawyer who works tirelessly to reunite the pair, while Reuben plays Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist ProPublica reporter, Ginger Thompson, who broke the story.

Originally covered by Ozy’s reporting arm, Torn From Her Arms marks Ozy’s first foray into scripted programming and an expansion of its television catalog.

Based on a true story, Torn From Her Arms follows Cindy Madrid (Molina) and her six-year-old daughter, Ximena (Nuñez), who fled violence in El Salvador for safety in the U.S., only to be separated at the border as a part of the Administration’s Zero Tolerance Policy. Detained in detention centers in different states, Cindy and Ximena endured inhumane living conditions and inadequate medical care, but that was nothing compared to the emotional toll of being apart. Their story would gain national attention when a whistleblower leaked a gut-wrenching audiotape of six-year-old Ximena crying for her mother. The onslaught of media attention incited by Ginger’s story alerted the nation to the cruelties being committed against undocumented immigrant families at the border.
Alan Jonsson Gavica directs from a script written by Tawnya Bhattacharya and Ali Laventhol.

Reyes, who plays “Quiet Ann” on Claws, also appeared on Devious Maids.

Gloria Calderón Kellett Taking Part in Latinx-Themed Panel for Virtual ATX Television Festival

Gloria Calderón Kellett is representin’…

The 45-year-old Cuban American television writer and One Day at a Time co-showrunner will be taking part in ATX Television Festival’s virtual edition, which has been appropriately titled “ATX TV…From The Couch!” 

Gloria Calderón Kellett

Calderón Kellett will take part in a conversation about Latinx representation on the small screen, alongside Vida creator Tanya SarachoPose’s co-creator Steven Canals and Diary of a Future President’s Ilana Peña.

Calderón Kellett, Saracho, Canals and Peña, some of today’s hottest Latinx content creators, will be “Celebrating Authentic Stories,” the title of their panel. 

They’ll talk about celebrating and continuing the push for positive Latinx representation, as well as how decision-makers within the industry can amplify Latinx voices.

 “ATX TV… from the Couch!” marks the first virtual event for the fest and will include industry-forward panels with showrunners and executives, sneak previews of upcoming series, and virtual events such as television trivia and a music showcase. 

The virtual event will take place June 5-7. It will be free to access via ATX’s official YouTube channe l, with the option for viewers to donate to select organizations providing COVID-19 relief regionally and nationally.

In addition to the Latinx panel, the festival’s virtual line-up will include conversations with cast and creatives from Freeform’s The Bold TypeNBC’s hit drama New Amsterdam, and The CW’s mystery-drama Nancy Drew.

The ATX Television Festival will also include a Scrubs reunion with the show’s creator Bill Lawrence, as well as cast members Zach BraffDonald FaisonSarah Chalke, John C. McGinley, and Judy Reyes. The cast was previously confirmed for ATX Season 9 in Austin, and rescheduled their in-person reunion for the 2021 festival.