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Oprah, “Neverland,” and a Lot of Casting: This Week in TV

Oprah, “Neverland,” and a Lot of Casting: This Week in TV

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While you were still wiping up your sweat/drool from the “Shallow” performance, picking your jaw up off of the floor after Green Book won Best Picture, and humming along to the very classic songs from the “Co-Op” soundtrack, here’s the TV news you may have missed.

Oprah to Calm us all Down after Leaving Neverland

Leaving Neverland, the documentary about Michael Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse of two young boys in the 1990s is so harrowing that counselors were waiting in the lobby during intermission of the film’s premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Because HBO can’t provide counselors to all viewers when it airs the reportedly grueling, sexually-explicit 4-hour documentary on Sunday and Monday, they will air a special hosted by TV and entertainment’s most comforting presence: Oprah. On Oprah Winfrey Presents: Leaving Neverland, Winfrey will host a Q&A with Jackson accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck. The special will be taped in front of an audience of sexual abuse survivors and will air at 10 pm on March 4, immediately following the conclusion of the 2-part series (part 1 airs March 3 at 8 pm). Jackson’s estate and family have denied all allegations.

JBH Replaces KLG

The Today Show officially announced that Kathie Lee Gifford would pass her wine glass along to Jenna Bush Hager. Gifford announced her departure from the fourth hour of Today with co-star Hoda Kotb last December. Hager, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, has been at Today since 2009 as a reporter and regular correspondent. Gifford, who herself claims to have “been in this business for 120 years,” has co-hosted with Kotb for nearly 11 years. No word yet on who they will tap to record a new theme song.

90210.2

We are truly living in the era of Peak TV. Just when you think everything has been done, a new show jumps on the scene to provide an entirely new idea of what TV can achieve. The reboot of Beverly Hills, 90210 is not that show. Fox released a 10-second teaser announcing the return of the series, set for this summer. The gang is headed back to the Hills—stars Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green, and Tori Spelling are all confirmed, so far—only this time, the actors will be playing versions of themselves who get meet up to try to put a reboot together. Did you follow that? The reboot is about the reboot. Clever. Let’s hope no one mentions the 2008 rebooted version or the universe will implode.

NBC’s Got Love for the 99

After a slap-dash, 48-hour resuscitation following Fox’s cancelation, NBC has once again given new life to Brooklyn Nine-Nine, this time renewing it for a seventh season. Nine-Nine has proven to be good business for NBC, and they recently expanded their sixth season order from 13 episodes to 18. Its dedicated and vocal fanbase took to Twitter to gif their excitement, but the best, most heartwarmingly on-brand tweet had to be the one in which the cast and crew learn the news.

Casting Calls

This week ushered in a slew of casting news. Brittany Snow will star in an untitled Fox drama based on the Australian Sisters, to be directed by Russian Doll‘s Leslye Headland. Jane the Virgin spinoff, Jane the Novela, has found its new Jane in East Los High‘s Jacqueline Grace Lopez. Showtime darling Damian Lewis (Homeland, Billions) will head to A+E with Damian Lewis: Spy Wars, a docu-drama look at real stories of global espionage. Goodfella Ray Liotta is said to be joining the cast of David Chase’s Sopranos prequel movie, The Many Saints of Newark. And, in casting that wasn’t: George R. R. Martin will not be making a cameo in the final season of Game of Thrones.

And, Finally, Watch Steve Carell Jump Out of a Box for Jenna Fischer

He presented himself as a gift for his former co-star’s birthday on Busy Tonight.


Rebecca Linde is a writer and cultural critic in NYC. She tweets about pop culture and television @rklinde.


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