Streaming News Round-Up: ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Renewed, ‘Mandalorian’ Trailer Coming, ‘Minx’ Saved by Starz
Paramount+ had a slew of announcements this week. The streamer has renewed “Criminal Minds: Evolution” for a second season. The show is a more self-contained streaming continuation of the original CBS procedural. The first season ends on Feb. 9, with production on the new season starting this year. The series cast includes Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez, and Paget Brewster.
Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” will release a new trailer for its third season during halftime at the Super Wild Card American Football game on Monday, Jan. 16. The game will be carried on ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes. The trailer will provide the first extensive look at the long-awaited third season of the wildly popular “Star Wars” series.
“Minx” has a new home — Starz — following its cancellation by HBO Max. The second season was nearing completion when Warner Bros. Discovery pulled the plug, so it seemed inevitabile it would land at another outlet. Starz was always the most likely destination. Lionsgate is one of the producers on “Minx” and the studio (for now) owns Starz. The premium cable channel and its streaming arm will house both the first and second seasons of the drama. Set in the 1970s, it centers on a young feminist (Ophelia Lovibond) in LA who creates the first erotic mag for women with the help of a sleazy publisher (Jake Johnson).
It was announced this week that Morgan Freeman has joined the cast of Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming Paramount+ series “Lioness.” Freeman joins fellow Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (who is also producing), Zoe Saldaña, and Laysla De Oliveira in the principal cast. The iconic actor is slated to play Secretary of State Edwin Mullins.
A new comedy series “Put@s Redes Sociales” is coming to Prime Video. Paulina Gaitán and Azul Guaita star as sisters and YouTube stars, but Amanda (Gaitán) is worried her younger sibling is dethroning her as a top influencer. And she’s willing to do literally anything to stop her.
In further Paramount+ news, the streamer is planning a sequel to Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101,” now titled “Zoey 102.” An adult Jamie Lynn Spears will reunite with her Pacific Coast Academy alumni for a wedding.
The service is also developing an eight-episode TV series based on the fantasy role-playing game “Dungeons & Dragons.” Rawson Marshall Thurber (“Red Notice”) wrote the pilot and will direct the first episode.
Peacock announced a second installment of “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Ex-Wives Club” will debut later this year. The women fly to Marrakech, Morocco, with a cast including Brandi Glanville, Eva Marcille, Phaedra Parks, and Vicki Gunvalson, among others.
Roundtable Entertainment and streamer Cinedigm are collaborating with GoPro to develop the GoPro Channel, a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel. Cinedigm has 30 streaming channels that already service key fan bases. GoPro is known for water, snow, air, and motorsports, as well as biking, skating, fishing, and nature programming. The new entity plans to debut this year.
“Shape Island,” a new stop-motion series based on the trilogy of “Shapes” picture books premieres on Apple TV+ on January 20. The series follows the adventures of serious Square, intrepid Circle, and tricky Triangle as they find fun and friendship while acknowledging their differences. The voice cast includes Yvette Nicole Brown and Harvey Guillen.
ViX+ debuted “Juntos Pero No Revueltos” this week, a modern comedy starring Miren Ibarguren, Diana Bovio, Maribel Guardia, and Christian Vazquez. The show tells the story of Ana and her brother Toño who discover their father has decided to marry a younger woman he met online.