Writer Family Tree: Why Bill Lawrence Likes to ‘Drink the Blood of Young Writers’

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Old Man” has been renewed for Season 2 at FX.The drama series debuted on FX on June 16. The first season will consist of seven episodes total with the fourth set to air on June 30 before becoming available to stream on Hulu.Based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Perry, centers on Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges), who absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since. When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past.The series also stars John Lithgow as Harold Harper, the FBI’s Assistant Director for Counterintelligence, as well as Alia Shawkat as Angela Adams, Harper’s protégé.

EXCLUSIVE: Alessandro Nivola is set to co-star alongside André  Holland in Apple TV+’s The Big Cigar, a new, six episode limited series that will chronicle the story of Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton’s escape to Cuba. The new series will be showrun and executive produced by NAACP Image Award winner Janine Sherman Barrois , with Holland starring as Newton, and Don Cheadle on board to direct and executive produce the first two episodes. The growing ensemble cast also includes Tiffany Boone.

Neil Young has announced his plans to release ‘Noise & Flowers’, a live album and film compiled from material recorded during his most recent tour of Europe and the UK.Young embarked on the nine-date run with Promise Of The Real as his backing band, taking in four shows in Germany – as well as one each in Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, England and Ireland – across July of 2019. The album and film will feature recordings from all of the shows; the CD and two-disc vinyl release will sport 14 tracks, but it’s unclear if the film (which was co-directed by Bernard Shakey and DH Lovelife) contains the same content.Both iterations of the release will land on August 5 via Warner Records, with pre-orders available here.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCBS has announced premiere dates for its fall 2022 lineup.Network cornerstone “NCIS” will return for its 20th Season on Monday, Sept. 19, followed by the second season premiere of “NCIS: Hawai’i.” Fellow franchise entry “NCIS: Los Angeles” is back for its 14th Season on Oct. 9.The broadcaster’s three “FBI” shows have Tuesdays all to themselves, with all three shows returning for new seasons beginning Sept.

EXCLUSIVE: Armani Jackson (Honor Society, Chad), Bella Shepard (iCarly, The Wilds), Chloe Rose Robertson (Wildflower) and Tyler Lawrence Gray (Our Town, Macbeth) are set as the young leads in Paramount+ series Wolf Pack. The series hails from Jeff Davis, developer and executive producer of the 2011 MTV series Teen Wolf, and MTV Entertainment Studios where Davis is under a deal.

EXCLUSIVE: John Ortiz is set for a key recurring role opposite Vince Vaughn in Apple TV+ drama series Bad Monkey, written and executive produced by Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence. He replaces Arturo Luis Soria who had been originally cast in the role. 

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAndrew Guest will serve as head writer and executive producer on the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Destin Daniel Cretton is developing at Disney Plus, Variety has learned from sources.Sources say the show will focus on Marvel hero Wonder Man. In the comics, Wonder Man’s real name is Simon Williams, the son of a wealthy industrialist whose company falls on hard times due to competition from Tony Stark’s Stark Industries.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterIan Duff has joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot “Criminal Nature,” Variety has learned.The project is described as a soapy procedural set in the stunning world of America’s great outdoors. The story revolves around the tangled, messy lives of the agents who work for the Investigative Services Branch (ISB) — an elite law enforcement unit responsible for solving all serious crimes that occur in our country’s 81,000 square miles of protected land.Duff joins previously announced cast members Yasha Jackson, Michaela McManus, and Parker Young in the pilot.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJon Bernthal has played cops, criminals, and everything in between. But his role in the HBO limited series “We Own This City” presented a new challenge for the celebrated actor.The series is based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Justin Fenton.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBill Prady and Chris Sanagustin’s Pine Tree Entertainment has set a multi-year first-look deal with Warner Bros. Television.Prady is best known for co-creating the hit WBTV series “The Big Bang Theory” with Chuck Lorre, while Sanagustin got her start as a production assistant on a WBTV series.

Playing Roy Kent on Ted Lasso hasn’t just given Brett Goldstein the biggest success of his career, with an Emmy award and tons of acclaim to boot; the hot-tempered but bookish star-player-turned-coach role has given TV viewers one of the most indelible characters of our time. As a co-producer, writer and executive story editor on the show, Goldstein is a major part of its international success. His next project sees him re-teaming as EP and writer with Ted Lasso co-producer Bill Lawrence for Shrinking, another Apple TV+ series, about a grieving therapist played by Jason Segel, co-starring Harrison Ford.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe Netflix drama series “The Brothers Sun” has set its main cast, which includes Michelle Yeoh, Variety has learned.Yeoh will star alongside series regulars Justin Chien, Sam Song Li, Highdee Kuan, and Joon Lee. Alice Jewkin, Jon Xue Zhang,  Jenny Yang, Madison Hu, and Rodney To will appear in recurring roles.The show was ordered to series at Netflix back in February with an eight-episode pickup. It is set in Los Angeles and Taiwan and features an all-Asian writers room and all-Asian cast.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorA group of 200 top writers, producers and directors have signed an open letter backed by the Brady gun violence organization that includes a pledge to incorporate gun safety best practices into their shows and to scrutinize the use of firearms in storytellling.The list of signatories includes Shonda Rhimes, Bill Lawrence, Jimmy Kimmel and the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” writing staff, Michelle and Robert King, Judd Apatow, Steve Levitan, David Shore, Matt Nix, Dan Lin and Jenni Konner. The letter frames gun safety an urgent social issue for the industry to embrace, in the same way that intentional depictions of such topics as cigarette smoking, drunk driving, the use of seat belts, marriage equality and LGBT rights helped change cultural attitudes and save lives.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon Freevee is bringing back “American Rust” for Season 2 following the show’s cancellation at Showtime.“American Rust,” based on the Philipp Meyer novel of the same name, stars Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney. The show aired one season on Showtime in late 2021 before it was canceled in January 2022.“’American Rust’ is exactly the type of gritty and engaging storytelling Amazon Freevee audiences love, and we could not be more excited to bring this prestige series to our customers, free of charge,” said Lauren Anderson and Ryan Pirozzi, co-heads of content and programming at Amazon Freevee.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple has formally ordered the drama series “Sugar” starring Colin Farrell to series, Variety has learned.It was first reported in December 2021 that Apple had won the rights to the series in a competitive situation, though it had not officially been ordered to series at that time.Exact plot details for the show remain under wraps, aside from the fact that it is described as a genre-bending contemporary take on the private detective story set in Los Angeles.Mark Protosevich (“The Cell,” “I Am Legend,” “Thor”) serves as writer and executive producer on the project. Farrell will executive produce in addition to starring. Fernando Meirelles (“City of God,” “Two Popes”) will direct and executive produce.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple’s limited series starring Michael Douglas as Benjamin Franklin has added eight new cast members, including Noah Jupe.The untitled series was picked up to series at Apple in February, with Douglas’ casting being announced at that time. The show is based on the book “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America” by Stacy Schiff. The eight-episode drama explores the true story of one of the greatest gambles of Benjamin Franklin’s career.

They’re all in! More than a decade after wrapping up their time on Scrubs, the cast continues to be invested in a return.

All the buzz around Season 3 of Apple’s Ted Lasso being the hit comedy’s final appears to be accurate. Series star Brett Goldstein all but confirmed as much in a new interview.