Streaming News Round-Up: ‘Frasier’ Reboot Picked Up, ‘Community’ Movie Ordered, Will Smith’s ‘Emancipation’ Gets Date
On Wednesday, it was reported the long-gestating “Frasier” reboot has been picked by Paramount+. Kelsey Grammer — who won Emmys playing the titular psychiatrist on three different series — will return as both the series lead and executive producer. Deadline reports the new season will likely be 10 episodes and find Frasier Crane in a new city with new characters. Original cast members are not expected to be series regulars, but there is a possibility of guest appearances.
NBC’s popular comedy “Community” finally got the movie order that had been prophesied on the series itself. What started as a joke will become a reality, thanks to Peacock. The show originally aired on NBC for five seasons, before moving to Yahoo! Screen for the sixth, completing the first part of the plan. Now, series creator Dan Harmon will return to Greendale Community College along with original stars Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash, and Ken Jeong. Peacock has also acquired the full series library.
Will Smith’s film “Emancipation” will play in theaters starting Dec. 2 and stream on Apple TV+ on Dec. 9. Earlier release plans were put on hold after Smith slapped Chris Rock at this year’s Academy Awards. The work is based on the true story of a runaway slave who evaded his bounty hunters and eventually joined the Union Army. A famous photo of his whipped back, known as “The Scourged Back,” ran in major papers of the day to illustrate the cruelty of slavery.
Netflix loves mystery writer Harlan Coben — a new, four-year deal with the author adds 12 more titles, including the Myron Bolitar series and last year’s “Win.” The deal will allow the streamer to turn any or all of the dozen novels into films. Netflix already has 14 Coben books under contract.
“My Life is Murder” returns for a third season on Acorn TV beginning on Oct. 10. Lucy Lawless (“Xena: Warrior Princess”) is Alexa Crowe, a retired Australian cop turned unstoppable PI. When her old boss consults her on cases, Crowe steps into action. Nothing stops her from solving crimes with unusual twists. In the upcoming season, a crime novelist is found dead encased in a public sculpture.
The E.W. Scripps Company is merging its nationally focused news resources into a national news division called Scripps News. Newsy, a free news streaming service, will also rebrand as Scripps News, which launches Jan. 1. It will provide Scripps’ local TV stations with national coverage, investigative reporting and news programming. Founded in 2008, Newsy was acquired by The E.W. Scripps Company in 2014.