This Week in TV:
Wicked City cancelled; Zoe Kazan to star in Max; Olivia Munn to produce sportscaster drama; NBC orders Relative Success; and American Crime season 2 premiere date revealed.
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ABC has cancelled their freshman drama Wicked City after only airing three episodes.
The series starred Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl) and Erika Christensen (Parenthood) as a pair of serial killers terrorizing 1980s Los Angeles. The series was hit hard by the critics, leaving most to assume that the series would not be renewed for a second season. However, with ratings as low as 0.4 in the 18-49 demographic, the network decided to take a more extreme action.
Starting November 17th, Wicked City will be replaced by episodes of Shark Tank. Production is currently underway on episode eight of the series and the network confirmed the episode will be completed before production ceases. The network revealed no immediate plans for releasing the five remaining episodes, though they will likely be made available at some point in the future.
Wicked City has the dubious honor of being the first fall 2015 show to be officially canceled.
Source: Variety
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Zoe Kazan has replaced Lisa Joyce as the lead in Lena Dunham's new HBO series Max.
Joyce also co-starred in Issa Rae's HBO comedy pilot Insecure, which was recently picked up by the network. Given the early buzz about the series, Joyce chose to depart Max and give her full attention to Insecure. Kazan (What If) was brought on board as her replacement, starring as Maxine Woodruff. Kazan is also working on a second HBO pilot, co-starring in David Simon's drama The Deuce.
Max follows Maxine Woodruff in 1963, detailing the struggles of second-wave feminism as she works as a low-level magazine employee. Woodruff inadvertently stumbles into the forefront of the movement and ends up being swept up by the situation. The series will be produced by Girls producers Lena Dunham, Murray Miller, Jenni Konner, and Ilene Landress.
Source: Deadline
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Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse) is looking to produce a currently untitled sportscaster drama for The CW.
The series is set in 1974 and follows a young journalist hired by a New York news programming chief as a publicity stunt. The man's goal is to have one of the first female, on-air sports reporters in history. The series would follow the woman as she attempts to navigate gender politics in a time before women were ever seen in the press box.
If the series is ordered, Munn will be on board as a producer alongside Ted Humphrey (The Good Wife), who will also write the series. Munn previously worked as a sideline reporter at Fox Sports Net, covering college football and women's basketball.
Source: EW
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NBC has put into production Relative Success, a comedy series from Max Silvestri and Krysten Ritter.
The single-camera comedy was written by Silvestri and tells the story of two overachieving brothers. One is a successful book editor and the other is a famous author. Due to unknown circumstances, the two brothers are forced to work together to preserve their careers and keep their lives on track. However, the two are unable to ignore their disagreements over the years and both find those childish arguments spilling over into their work.
The series was brought to NBC under their first look deal with executive producer Krysten Ritter's Silent Machine Entertainment. Universal TV is the studio behind the project.
Source: Deadline
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ABC has announced the premiere date for season 2 of American Crime: January 6th, 2016.
The second season of the acclaimed anthology series will take place in two high schools located in the Midwest. One of the schools is a private school and the other public, serving as a catalyst for a story driven by socioeconomic disparity. The central conflict is initiated when explicit photos of a male high school student are posted on social media after a party. The series will also explore themes of sexual orientation in the small town.
The series was created and produced by Oscar-winning writer John Ridley, the writer behind 12 Years a Slave. Though the initial season didn't achieve extraordinary ratings, American Crime earned critical acclaim and 10 Emmy nominations. Regina King (The Leftovers) won the Emmy for supporting actress in a miniseries thanks to her work as Terri La Croix in the show.
American Crime returns to ABC on Wednesday, January 6th, 2016.
Source: Variety