Michael Che to Star in Sketch Comedy Series at HBO Max

Steve Albini has called on Joe Rogan to follow the example of Insane Clown Posse, as Rogan continues to face a backlash over the content of his Spotify podcast.Rogan recently apologised after it emerged that he had used the N-word multiple times on his show, calling it “the most regretful and shameful thing I’ve had to talk about publicly” before arguing that the clips had been “taken out of context of 12 years of conversations on my podcast”.He was already under fire after Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and more removed their music from Spotify in response to vaccine misinformation promoted by guests on his show, which has been exclusive to the streaming platform since a $100million deal was struck in 2020.On Monday (February 7), Albini shared an interview with Insane Clown Posse’s Violent J from 2020 in which the musician acknowledged problematic lyrics in the band’s music.Discussing ICP’s 2000 collaboration with Three 6 Mafia, which contains the line “sick like a diseased Ethiopian,” Violent J told Stereogum: “I was that stupid. I didn’t understand the offensiveness in that.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDon Johnson and Chris Redd have signed onto a starring role in “Kenan,” the upcoming NBC series starring Kenan Thompson.“Kenan” was originally ordered to series last year for a spring 2020 debut, but NBC announced in January that the show was being pushed to the 2020-2021 season to continue developing it.Johnson will play Rick, Kenan’s father-in-law in the series. He takes over the role from Andy Garcia.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDiego Boneta has signed on to star in a limited series currently in the works at HBO Max, Variety has learned exclusively.Hailing from Legendary Television, the series is titled “Brujo” and will feature both English and Spanish dialogue. It is inspired by the true story of the infamous Adolfo Constanzo and the power he acquired as his acts of dark magic came to light.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNBC has ordered the unscripted series “Home Sweet Home,” which hails from Ava DuVernay.In the 10-episode hour-long series, two families who lead very different lives go through a full-immersion cultural experiment. The show chronicles walking a mile in another person’s shoes by challenging racial, religious, economic, geographic, gender and identity assumptions as participants exchange homes for a week and experience the life of someone unlike them.“The idea for ‘Home Sweet Home’ came to me during the strange and important times we’re all experiencing,” DuVernay said.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple has ordered an action-thriller series from Mark Boal straight to series, Variety has learned.The 10-episode series is titled “Echo 3,” based on the Israeli series “When Heroes Fly” created by Omri Givon and based on the novel of the same name by Amir Gutfreund.In the series, Amber Chesborough, a brilliant young scientist, is the emotional center of a small American family. When she goes missing along the Colombia-Venezuela border, her brother and her husband — two men with deep military experience and complicated pasts — struggle to find her in a drama set against the backdrop of a secret war.The series will be shot with both English and Spanish dialogue.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon is developing a half-hour comedy series with Crab Club Inc. and SB Projects.The series is titled “The Undesirables.” It is set in a near-future Los Angeles that explores the unexpected relationships that form when a group of outcasts are forced to bond under unusual circumstances.Ken Cheng of Crab Club and Arvin Chen will write and executive produce.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterGreg Kinnear has signed on for a leading role in the Starz pilot “Shining Vale.”He joins previously announced series star Courtney Cox. “Shining Vale” is a half-hour horror comedy about a dysfunctional family that moves from the city to a small town into a house in which terrible atrocities have taken place.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories has optioned the rights to Christina Baker Kline’s “The Exiles” with plans to adapt it as a television series, Variety has learned exclusively.“The Exiles” follows a trio of women — two English convicts and an orphaned Aboriginal girl — in nineteenth-century Australia. The historical novel is set to be published by Custom House, an imprint of HarperCollins, on Aug.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe Quinn Colson novels by Ace Atkins are being developed as a TV series at HBO, Variety has learned exclusively.In the books, Colson is a former Army Ranger who returns to his home in rural northeast Mississippi. But upon returning, he discovers that where he grew up has been overrun with corruption, drugs, and violence.There are currently 10 novels in the Quinn Colson series, starting with “The Ranger.” Others include “The Lost Ones,” “The Broken Place,” “The Forsaken,” and “The Redeemers.”In addition to writing the Quinn Colson novel series, Atkins also took over Robert B.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSister has acquired the television rights to Jennifer Weiner’s novel “Mrs. Everything.”The book tells a multigenerational tale of two sisters, spanning from the 1950s to the present day.

Michael Che has set up his own sketch comedy series at HBO Max, Variety has learned.The streamer has given the series a six-episode order. Che will star in the series, with each episode set to tackle a different theme or incident — such as police brutality, unemployment, or falling in love — from a Black vantage point.“I’m really excited to be working on this show with HBO Max,” said Che.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterUSA Network is no longer moving ahead with the limited series about Evel Knievel starring Milo Ventimiglia, Variety has confirmed.It was announced last September that Ventimiglia, who stars on the hit NBC drama “This Is Us,” was to play the famous daredevil. However, the coronavirus pandemic shut down the series on March 13, right before production was to begin.

Peter White Television EditorSaturday Night Live star Michael Che is getting his own sketch show on HBO Max.The streaming service has ordered a six-part untitled series from the comedian, Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video and Universal Television.Each episode of the show will follow a theme or incident, such as police brutality, unemployment and romance and use sketches and vignettes to illustrate what it feels like to experience this from a black vantage point.The streamer said the show was less about being “right” and more about being honest, even at the risk of being controversial.Untitled Michael Che Project will be exec produced by Che, Lorne Michaels, and Erin Doyle.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe planned series adaptation of the film “Sexy Beast” is not moving forward at Paramount Network, Variety has learned exclusively from sources.The show was given a 10-episode straight-to-series order at the cabler last year. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, the move to scrap the series came amid budget cuts in the wake of the Viacom-CBS merger.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHBO Max has given a series commitment to a drama set in the Gotham police department from Matt Reeves and Terrence Winter, Variety has learned.The untitled series will be set in the world Reeves is creating for the feature film “The Batman,” with the intent being to launch a new Batman universe across multiple platforms. It is said to build on the film’s examination of the anatomy of corruption in Gotham City.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterOscar Isaac and Michelle Williams are attached to star in an HBO limited series adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s “Scenes From a Marriage,” Variety has learned.Bergman’s version aired on Swedish television in 1973, consisting of six episodes. Bergman directed the series with Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson starring.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLucy Liu has been cast in the lead role of Shana Goldberg-Meehan’s multi-camera workplace comedy pilot at ABC formerly known as “Bossy” and “Kids Matter Now.”Liu will play Devin, described as the fierce and powerful head of Shelter, a large and successful modern furniture company. She is a force and is unfamiliar with failure.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHBO Max has renewed the competition series “Legendary” for a second season.The news comes on the same day that HBO Max dropped the final two episodes of the show’s first season. Season 1 MC Dashaun Wesley will return for Season 2 along with judges Leiomy Maldonado, Jameela Jamil, Law Roach and Megan Thee Stallion.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon has landed the rights to develop the 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist New York Times story and podcast “The Jungle Prince of Delhi” as a drama series, Variety has learned.The story, written by Ellen Barry, delved into the history of the royal family of Oudh, deposed aristocrats living in a ruined palace in the Indian capital claiming to be the heirs to a fallen kingdom.Mira Nair is attached to direct the project and will also executive produce.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Batwoman” has found its new series lead, with Javicia Leslie set to step into the cape and cowl for the show’s upcoming second season on The CW.“I am extremely proud to be the first Black actress to play the iconic role of Batwoman on television, and as a bisexual woman, I am honored to join this groundbreaking show which has been such a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community,” Leslie said.Leslie will portray a new character on the show named Ryan Wilder. She is described as likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterShowtime is developing a limited series about entertainment icon and activist Lena Horne.The series is currently titled “Blackbird: Lena Horne and America,” named for Horne’s favorite poem “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.” Jenny Lumet, Horne’s granddaughter, will co-write the first few episodes of the series with Alex Kurtzman, with both also executive producing.The series will span 60 years of Horne’s life, from dancing at the Cotton Club when she was 16, through World War II and stardom in the MGM years, McCarthyism, the civil rights movement, and her triumphant return to Broadway.