Small Screen: Regina Hall stars ‘in Five Star Weekend’
Puja Vohra - Fox Corp
Broadcast: Sadly, Elmo and his friends aren’t completely in the clear just yet.
Since taking office, Donald Trump and his administration have pulled all federal funding from PBS and other public media organizations. This past Tuesday, June 3, 2025, the Trump administration submitted a request to Congress to reclaim approximately $1.1 billion in federal funds that had already been approved over the next two years for public broadcasting, including NPR and PBS. Congress has until Friday, July 18, 2025, to either approve or ignore the request.
While federal funding is only a small part of their budgets, Sesame Workshop has secured a deal with Netflix for exclusive rights to “Sesame Street,” starting with Season 56. In a previous statement about Trump’s proposed funding cuts, a rep for Sesame Workshop said, “Sesame Workshop and PBS have a shared commitment to using the power of public television to bring critical early learning to children across the country… We remain firmly in support of the vital public investment that allows PBS to continue this important work.”
On Monday, June 16, 2025, Puja Vohra, a longtime television marketer, starts her role as Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of Ad Sales for Fox. Jeff Collins, the President of Ad Sales, Marketing, and Brand Partnerships at FOX, expressed his excitement, stating, “With extensive experience in both B2B and B2C marketing, Puja is perfectly suited for this role. She will shape and amplify our portfolio’s value proposition in the marketplace. I’m excited for her to lead our outstanding marketing team as they continue to share the compelling story of Fox Advertising.” Vohra will begin overseeing marketing strategies related to ad sales across Fox Entertainment, Fox News, Fox Sports, and Tubi.
“I’m thrilled to join Jeff and the team during this exciting time for Fox Corporation,” Vohra said in a statement. “The momentum behind the portfolio is palpable, and I look forward to collaborating with our talented marketers to drive growth and unlock new opportunities across the company.” Most recently, Vohra served as Executive Vice President of Marketing for Paramount, where she managed campaigns for series such as Landman (2024), Tulsa King (2022), Lioness (2023), and MobLand (2025).
Xilam Group, a French animation studio, has partnered with TF1 to create a new animated series, Turbo Twins. The series will be displayed at next week’s Annecy Animation Festival. Turbo Twins, a 26-episode action-comedy, is expected to air on TF1’s kids’ channel, TFOU, sometime between 2027 and 2028. The series will deliver excitement as it’s set at Karston Speedway Summer Camp, where young drivers compete for a spot in the Nationals.
“The show promises unique adventures centered on family relationships, where each individual plays a crucial role in the team’s success. We can’t wait to see 'Turbo Twins' come to life with its endearing characters and thrilling stories, delivering moments of competition and friendship to our TFOU audience,” said Yann Labasque, Head of TF1’s Youth Programming.
Khalid Hayat, Channel 4’s Director of Strategy and Consumer Insight, is preparing to leave the network, with his resignation effective in September 2025. Interim CEO Jonathan Allan stated that Hayat is leaving “to explore new challenges” and expressed gratitude for the “sterling work he has done for Channel 4 through numerous challenges.”
Hayat commented, “When I depart, I’ll leave as a friend and admirer of Channel 4, and I’m honored to have spent five fantastic years here.” The announcement of Hayat's successor will be made in due time. With Hayat's departure, Allan will temporarily take over Hayat's responsibilities. He noted that reorganizing the reporting structure is his main priority: “I would just have too many direct reports to manage the business effectively” if the current setup remains unchanged.
Due to low ratings and declining viewership, Fox has canceled Alert: Missing Persons Unit (2023) and The Cleaning Lady (2022). Both series concluded their runs between May and June of 2025, alongside Accused (2023) and The Great North (2021). All four series were co-productions with major studios: Warner Bros. Television (The Cleaning Lady), Sony Pictures Television (Alert and Accused), and 20th Television Animation (The Great North).
The Cleaning Lady stars Élodie Yung as Thony De La Rosa, a Cambodian-Filipino former surgeon who becomes a cleaner for a criminal organization. Although the series maintained a dedicated fan base after the death of its lead actor, Adan Canto, many plotlines were left unresolved during the finale, leading to dissatisfaction among viewers. Alert: Missing Persons Unit follows detectives Jason Grant (Scott Caan) and Nikki Batista ( Dania Ramirez) from the Philadelphia Police Department's Missing Persons Unit. Together, their mission is to locate missing or abducted individuals and reunite them with their loved ones.
Brad Schwartz, President of The CW, praised All American as one of the network's greatest shows, noting significant viewership growth in Season 7. Season 7 saw an influx of new cast members, accommodating a new generation of characters. The upcoming season hopes to deliver a fitting ending after eight seasons and 132 episodes. The series is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios.
Asante Black - Randy Shropshire / Stringer
Cable: Rachel Sennott's upcoming HBO comedy series, which is still untitled, has recently cast Moses Ingram (The Queen's Gambit) in a recurring role. Details about her character are being kept confidential. Ingram has appeared in Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) and will be featured in The Big Cigar (2024) and Lady in the Lake (2024), both of which will be available for streaming on Apple TV+. She is represented by Innovative Artists, Linden Entertainment, The Lede Company, and Fox Rothschild LLP.
South Central, the spinoff of Snowfall (2017), has added Asante Blackk, Peyton Alex Smith, and Simmie Sims III as series regulars. The original series explored the experiences of various characters as they navigated the crack epidemic in Los Angeles during 1983. The main characters included drug kingpin Franklin Saint (Damson Idris), Lucia Villanueva (Emily Rios), and cartel enforcer Gustavo Zapata (Sergio Peris-Mencheta)
Although the specific roles of the new cast members are still being developed, the pilot is set in Los Angeles during the 1990s, shortly after the conclusion of the original series.
Doug Jung - JC Olivera
Streaming: Regina Hall, most famously known from the Scary Movie (2000) franchise, is starring in Peacock's adaptation of the novel by Elin Hilderbrand, known under the same name, The Five Star Weekend. In the series, Hall will play a recurring character, Dru-Ann. The series follows internet influencer Hollis Shaw, who goes through a sudden loss. In a state of distress, Shaw's perfection begins to crumble around her, pushing her to seek refuge in her online fan base. Lost and in search of guidance, Shaw hosts a weekend getaway for her and three friends from specific stages in her life: her roaring twenties, the dirty thirties, and a surprise other. During this getaway, the group will experience and push boundaries they didn't know existed.
Bekah Brunstetter, Beth Schacter, Sue Naegle, Ali Kru, and JenniferGardnerr are executive producers.
Hall has most recently starred in the thriller Master (2022), where she played the haunted headmaster Gail Bishop. She has also starred in the comedic mockumentary, Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul (2022) as Trinitie Childs, the first lady of a well-respected Southern Baptist Mega Church. Hall is represented by Independent Artist Group.
Doug Jung, who most recently served as the showrunner for Jason Momoa's historical drama Chief of War (2025), will now also be the showrunner and executive producer for the upcoming Mass Effect series at Amazon MGM Studios.
The series is based on the popular video game franchise created by BioWare and EA. It follows Commander Shepard, a soldier from the 22nd century, as he attempts to save humanity from an alien invasion. Daniel Casey will also write and executive produce the series, alongside Karim Zreuk, Avi Arad, and Michael Gamble. In addition to his work on Chief of War, Jung previously contributed to Netflix's Mindhunter (2017), HBO's Big Love (2006), and Cinemax's Banshee (2013). He is represented by UTA, Circle Management + Production, and Hansen Jacobson.
Samuel L. Jackson is executive producing and starring in NOLA King, a spinoff of Paramount+’s Tulsa King (2022). Not much is known about the new series other than its current name. Jackson will be portraying a character similar to Sylvester Stallone’s “Dwight Manfredi” in Tulsa King. Dave Erikson (Mayor of Kingstown) will act as showrunner, writer, and executive producer along with David C. Glasser and Taylor Sheridan.
Jackson is one of the most celebrated actors of his time. Receiving an Oscar nomination for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), Jackson is one of the most iconic actors of his time. His other works include Snakes on a Plane (2006), where he's known for his quotable line “I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!” He has also had roles in Django Unchained (2012), The Incredibles (2004), and Glass (2019). He is represented by CAA, Anonymous Content, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
Leslie Odom Jr., known for his role as Aaron Burr in the Broadway musical Hamilton (2020) is joining Kerry Washington in Apple’s upcoming series Imperfect Women in a recurring role. The series, which is a psychological thriller based on Araminta Hall's novel of the same name, follows the lives of three women whose decades-long friendship is put to the test. As a case begins to unravel, so do the secrets hidden among the friends, challenging not only their bond but also the boundaries they must navigate.
In the series, Odom will portray “Donovan”. He has previously appeared in Hulu's Abbott Elementary (2021), Law & Order: SVU (2013), and Smash (2012). He has also starred in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022), The Exorcist: Believer (2023), and Harriet (2019).
Odom is represented by CAA, Untitled Entertainment, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
Asante Blackk is best known for his role in Netflix's When They See Us (2019), for which he received an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. Blackk is represented by Gersh, M88, The Lede Company, and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka. Peyton Alex Smith previously starred in The CW’s All American: Homecoming (2022) and Legacies (2018). Smith is represented by Innovative Artists Entertainment, Authentic Talent and Literary Management, and Goodman Genow. Sims III has appeared in Maz’s Rap Sh!t (2022) and Peacock's Bel-Air (2022). He is represented by Wrenn Management.
Prime Video has announced that the spy thriller Butterfly, which stars and is executive produced by Daniel Dae Kim (Avatar: The Last Airbender), will premiere on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, with all six episodes available at once. Butterfly follows David Jung (Kim), a highly unpredictable former US intelligence agent living in South Korea. His life takes a dramatic turn when a decision from his past resurfaces to haunt him.
“Butterfly is the realization of a longtime dream to unite American and Korean storytellers and create a show that bridges two cultures I deeply love,” Kim said. “I couldn’t be happier with the creative team we’ve assembled, both in front of and behind the camera. I’m grateful to Ken Woodruff, Boom! Studios, 3AD, Amazon, and everyone else who helped bring it to life.”
Ken Woodruff (The Mentalist) serves as showrunner and co-creator of the series alongside novelist Steph Cha. Woodruff and Cha executive produce along with Kim, John Cheng, Stephen Christy, and Ross Richie for Boom! Studios.
Hulu's upcoming pilot for Prison Break has added Sylvester Powell (All American: Homecoming) and Priscilla Delgado (A League of Their Own) to its cast. Production is set to begin next week in West Virginia. Powell will play Maze the younger brother of Red (Mykes Bullock) and Delgado will play Cheyenne, both are inmates in the prison.
The new version of Prison Break will not be the same as its predecessor; instead, it will take place within the same universe. The series was first announced for development in late 2023 and was picked up for a pilot in December. The main cast includes Clayton Cardenas as Ghost, Myles Bullock as Darius Lewis, and Georgie Flores as Andrea. The original Prison Break, which aired for four seasons on Fox and included a limited fifth season, premiered in 2005. It followed Michael Scofield, played by Wentworth Miller, as he sought to prove his brother Lincoln Burrows, played by Dominic Purcell, innocent and save him from death row.
Delgado will be joining the cast of Euphoria (2019) for its upcoming third season. She has also had a role in Prime Video’s A League of Their Own and the Spanish science fiction series Los Protegidos. She is represented by Greene Talent and Vision Entertainment. Sylvester Powell is represented by Pakula/King and Associates and The Rosenzweig Group.
Michael Cooper Jr. has signed with M88 to represent him.
Cooper recently starred in Netflix's Forever, created by Mara Brock Akil. The series explores the love story of two Black teens discovering themselves while being one anothers first expierences in love and life. Coper’s projects include a lead role in the film On The Come Up (2022), which premiered at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival.
All American has officially been renewed for an eighth and final season on The CW. Showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll expressed her gratitude to everyone involved in bringing creating the series, highlighting the impact the series had had on viewers.
October london
Industry: Soul singer October London has joined Dennis Ashley Jr. and Dennis Ashley III to create New London Films. The L.A.-based production company, which London launched in partnership with Dash Media Partners, aims to create "cinematic experiences that blend timeless storytelling with contemporary culture, grounded in authenticity, nostalgia, and innovation."
London, who is signed to Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Records, is best known for his album The Rebirth of Marvin (2023). He also co-created a children's multimedia project called Doggyland (2022) with Snoop Dogg. Dash Media’s role in this collaboration will be driven by its expertise in branding, content development, and business management.
The California Legislature has passed legislation to expand the Film and Television Tax Credit Program, creating a road for potentially more projects to qualify, including series of 20 minutes or more, animation, and competition shows. The new legislation aims to boost incentives, increasing the credit amount from 20% to 35% for projects in Los Angeles and allowing additional credits in other regions. While the funding increase proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, raising the cap from $330 million to $750 million, was removed from the bills in committee, it remains a priority as the vote on the budget approaches on Sunday, June 15, 2025. This move comes as other states, like New York, are enhancing their incentives to attract production away from California amid concerns over President Trump’s tariffs on foreign-produced films.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy highlighted a big change in TV commissioning during her speech at the Deloitte Conference. She mentioned that the UK is coming out on top as a leader in high-end drama but noted that there is a decline in the value of smaller shows. Nandy expressed her concerns that talented creators may be overlooked as broadcast viewing declines and streaming services become more popular.
She pointed out the ongoing funding crisis for scripted content, which is in part due to American co-producers retracting their support from the UK. However, Nandy mentioned that the government is taking steps to address these challenges, such as the recent Media Act aimed at providing sustainable support for Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs). While acknowledging the decrease in smaller commissions, she also noted that less expensive shows like Come Dine With Me (2005) continue to perform well globally, alongside major dramas such as Doctor Who (2006) and Bridgerton (2020).
