Small Screen: Marissa Reyes Joins ‘Days Of Our Lives’ Cast, ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ Adds Two More To Cast
Bell-phillips productions
Broadcast: Marissa Reyes has joined the cast of Days of Our Lives as the adult version of Gabi and Will Horton’s daughter. She is set to recur in May for a multi-month-long arc. Reyes will portray Arianna Horton, who returns to the fictional town of Salem, weeks after EJ (Daniel Feuerriegel) was shot by a mysterious figure. Reyes has recently starred in the sitcom That Girl Lay Lay (2021), Ravens Home (2017), the sequel to Disney Channel’s That's So Raven (2003), and Netflix’s Running Point (2025). She is scheduled to appear in the coming-of-age thriller, The Evilry, which began shooting in January 2025.
CBS has renewed its long-running daytime soap, The Bold and the Beautiful. Airing since 1987, the network plans to continue running the series through 2028. Set in the fashion scene of Los Angeles, The Bold and the Beautiful follows the love lives of the wealthy Forrester family and their company, Forrester Creations. Heather Tom, the original actress who portrayed Katie Logan Spencer since 2007, recently directed an all-female-led episode which aired on Thursday, March 27, 2025, during Women’s History Month. Between 2009 and 2011, the series has won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Drama three consecutive times, and in total, from 1988 to 2013 has won 36 awards for various categories. The Bold and the Beautiful is produced by Bell-Phillip Television, where Bradley Bell serves as executive producer.
Paapa Essiedu - dave benett
Cable: HBO has officially announced its recurring cast members for the upcoming Harry Potter TV series. One cast member in particular who has gained the most attention recently is Paapa Essiedu, who you may recognize from the TV drama I May Destroy You (2020) alongside Chewing Gum (2015) actress Michaela Coel. A role that earned him a British Academy Film Award nomination. In Harry Potter, Essiedu will play the gloomy dark arts teacher, Severus Snape, who was previously played by the late Alan Rickman. The series aims to stay true to the original book series, exploring the wizarding world in depth. Gardiner and Mark Mylod are leading the creative team, which also includes Rowling and several other executive producers.
Amarpal Dhillon and Charles wahl - Bell Fibe TV1
Streaming: This summer, Reese Antoinette (Bad Monkey) and Marc Menchaca (Ozark) will both guest star in the upcoming Showtime mystery series Dexter: Resurrection (2025). Antoinette will play Joy Kamara, the strong-willed daughter of Blessing Kamara, portrayed by Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine. You can also look forward to seeing Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) as Charley, singer Emilia Suarez (Up Here) as Elsa Rivera, and David Dastmalchian (Late Night With The Devil) as Lowell. Reese Antoinette is a Caribbean-American singer and actress who recently starred in the drama series Bad Monkey (2024). She is also a producer of the horror-comedy short film Sam and Kiki (2023).
Netflix and Tennis star Serena Williams are collaborating to develop a TV series based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel Carrie Soto Is Back. The series will be written and executive produced by Amanda Kate Shuman (The Blacklist). The story follows Carrie Soto, a tennis champion who, after retiring, risks her record being broken by rising star Nicki Chan. In response, Carrie decides to return to tennis and be coached by her father. While the series isn't based on Williams, she served as an inspiration for its creation. During a 2022 interview, Reid expressed her admiration for the Williams sisters, stating:
“My incredible respect for the Williams sisters is part of what makes me interested in tennis. I wouldn’t write a book about tennis without the influence of just the absolute glory that has been their journey.”
In addition to Williams, Caroline Currier will also serve as an executive producer, alongside Picturestart and Brad Mendelsohn.
Prime Video’s Honey Bunny (2024) and Diana (2024), spinoffs of Citadel (2023), are both being cancelled despite positive ratings, and instead will be combined to create the second season of Citadel, which is set to premiere in 2026. During its first weekend, Honey Bunny was Prime Video's most-watched series, and Diana is Italy's first original streaming series. Both spin-offs were executive produced by the Russo Brothers and explored different branches of the Citadel spy agency, which it is named after. Before the cancellations, Jennifer Salke, the head of Amazon MGM Studios and head of the series, departed from the studio. This also comes after Citadel did not become the phenomenon that it was expected to be. The series stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Nadia Sinh, in addition to its main cast.
This past week, Netflix released Ransom Canyon, which is based on the book by Jodi Thomas with the same name. The series is a 10-episode western drama that follows the lives of three families within a ranching town in Texas, covering three generations of love stories. The cast includes Josh Duhamel (Safe Haven) as Staten Kirkland, a stoic rancher in charge of Ransom Canyon. Tatanka Means, who starred as John Wren in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), as well as Najee in the horror film Opus (2025) alongside The Bears (2022) Ayo Edebiri, will play Jake Longbow, Staten Kirkland’s ranch manager. Marianly Tejada, known for her role as Elena in the Netflix drama, Orange Is the New Black (2013), will portray Ellie Estevez, a family friend of Cap Fuller (James Brolin) and manager of the town's local dance hall. Meta Golding, who you may recognize as Teri from FOX's music drama Empire (2015), starring Taraji P. Henson and Terence Howard, will portray Davis Collins's (Eoin Macken) ex-wife Paula Jo, who is described as a force to be reckoned with.
After just one season, Prime Video has canceled one of its newer series, Clean Slate (2025). Starring Laverene Cox (Orange is The New Black), George Wallace (Batman Forever) as well a Telma Hopkins (Family Matters), the series followed Harry Slate (George Wallace) a car wash owner in Alabama as he comes to terms with his son who’s returned home after 17 years as a confident transgender woman named Desiree (Laverne Cox). Despite its tumultuous road, the series had positive reviews and held an 89% approval rating from critics. Wallace and Cox both served as executive producers along with Dan Ewen, Brent Miller, and Simran Baidwan. Sony Pictures and Amazon MGM Studios served as producers.
Max drama series Hacks (2021) has added Medalion Rahimi to its Season 4 lineup, which is set to air this Thursday, April 24, 2025. The series explores a mentor-like relationship between legendary Las Vegas comedian, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), and Hannah (Ava Daniels), an entitled 25-year-old. Creators Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky serve as showrunners and executive producers, in addition to Michael Schur, David Miner, Morgan Sackett, and Joe Mande. Rahimi recently starred in NCIS: Los Angeles as Special Agent Fatima Namazi, as well as in the Netflix drama series From Scratch (2022). She is currently starring and producing an independent comedy, The Weekend on Cape Cod, When Everything Changed. She is represented by Untitled Entertainment and Gersh.
In a recent interview, Tyler James Williams, from Abbott Elementary (2021), discussed the season 4 finale “Please Touch Museum”. The episode followed the staff and students of Abbott Elementary on a field trip to the museum. In an attempt to cheer up the students who were reluctant about the trip, the museum guide suggested that the kids write a play in which they make, and as an additional twist, the teachers themselves must portray one another. Despite the fun they had, Williams says it was hard to portray Janine, played by show creator Quinta Brunson.
“I found it difficult to do Janine because there’s not much to pull from. She’s just kind of happy… We knew it was going to be one of those unhinged scenes, and we got a chance to just play around with each other.”
Although Abbott Elementary is set to have a fifth season, there have yet to be any hints regarding the new storyline. If you recall, and this may be a spoiler alert for some, Ava (Janelle James) got fired as principal, only to be rehired and fall for her IT technician, and surprisingly enough, matured as a person and principal. You can catch the full episode streaming on Hulu.
Kai Parham (Colin in Black and White) and Michael Ealy (The Devil You Know) have joined Prime Video’s The Greatest. Executive produced by Michael B. Jordan and showrunner Ben Watkins, The Greatest follows the life of Muhammad Ali beyond his boxing career. The series aims to explore the well-known and lesser-known moments in Ali's life and to show an in-depth view of Ali as a family man. Parham will play Rudy Clay, Ali’s younger brother, while Ealy will portray Civil Rights leader, Malcolm X. The cast also includes Omari Hardwick (Spell) as Cassius Clay Sr. and Dana Gourrier (The Hateful Eight) as Odessa Clay, Ali's parents, with Amin Joseph as Sonny Liston, Ali's rival. Michael B. Jordan, Elizabeth Raposo, and Lonnie Ali, the widow of the late Muhammad Ali, will all act as executive producers.
BET+ is releasing a spinoff of the 90s sitcom, Martin (1992), titled The Varnell Hill Show, starring Tommy Davidson in his previous role as Varnell Hill. The Varnell Hill Show will be a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional late-night talk show hosted by Davidson's character. The series will be a combination of workplace comedy and chaos TV production. Although we do not know if Martin Lawrence will make an appearance, the series is said to promise a mix of new characters and celebrity guest cameos. Martin Lawrence and Kyle Evans, co-creators of Martin, will serve as executive producers, with Evans as writer, director, and showrunner. Davidson is represented by Innovative Artists, while Lawrence is represented by UTA and Artists First.
Stoked Sports & Entertainment has secured exclusive rights to NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor. Cross-platform project, A Giant Amongst Men, will include a narrative feature, a documentary, and a limited series, all focusing on Taylor's explosive rise as a legend and delving into his challenges. During his time, Taylor was a force to be reckoned with. He played for the New York Giants for 13 seasons and, within the same year, won both the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards. The executive producers include Blake Leon and Curran Walters from BEL Productions, as well as Aisha Corpas Wynn, Beth Fryman Poulin, Sean Mik’ael Butler, and Patrick Strom from Stoked.
Peacock has officially canceled Mr. Throwback (2024) and Based on a True Story (2023). Mr. Throwback was a mockumentary comedy starring basketball star Steph Curry and Ego Nwodim (5th Passenger). The series followed a down-on-his-luck memorabilia dealer who encounters his 6th-grade classmate, NBA star Steph Curry. In a twist of fate, he steals Curry's jersey, which leads him into a series of scandals. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the series was canceled due to viewership not meeting expectations and production quality. This was Curry’s first scripted television series through his company, Unanimous Media, and was produced by Universal Television. Based on a True Story ran for just two seasons. The series focused on Ava and Nathan, a struggling couple whose lives become intertwined with a serial killer in Los Angeles. Taking advantage of the true crime craze, they start a podcast featuring the killer. The creator and showrunner for Season 1 was Rosenberg, who was succeeded by Annie Weisman in Season 2, while Rosenberg remained an executive producer.
Amarpal Dhillon and Charles Wahl’s comedy series, Normal Scotia, has been renewed for a second season. The series follows a pair of Indian immigrants, Shiv (Ishan Sandhu) and Manish (Akshay Shirke), who’ve recently arrived in Nova Scotia, Canada. While working at their curling club, they must navigate and learn the ways of the locals, ultimately befriending a group of Maritimers series will begin production on its second season later this year, which will air on Bell Media’s streaming network, Bell Fibe TV1. Wahl will co-write Season 2 alongside series lead Akshay Shirke, who is returning to the role.
Patrick Adiarte - CBS Photo Archive
Industry: Following Donald Trump’s “51st state” comments, there’s been a surge of Canadian pride, which has shown to be impacting the TV and film sectors. A recent poll from the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) shows that 91% of Canadians believe protecting Canadian culture and identity is important, especially in light of the United States’ political climate. The poll also showed that 83% of Canadians support increasing investments in local content production, believing that Canadian content should be owned and operated by Canada. Furthermore, 86% of the population believes the government should support cultural industries through funding and tax incentives. Additionally, 72% of Canada's population prefers watching local television and film. With around 700 streaming channels in the U.S., Samsung TV Plus is now the top provider of free ad-supported TV.
The South Korean electronics company has been making waves in the FAST marketplace for a while now, aiming to increase its position as the No. 1 maker of smart TVs, however, it faces competition from Walmart-owned Vizio, LG, and TCL. Within Samsung FAST channels, viewers can watch sports, music, kids, Spanish language, and Korean content. Additionally, with live linear channels, Samsung TV Plus has increased the number of shows and movies in its library by 70%. Globally, Samsung offers roughly 3,500 channels that span across 30 countries, with a total of roughly 630 million devices. The FAST space, which has existed for a while now, has developed into a multi-billion-dollar advertising business.
Magpie Pictures has optioned the screen rights to Emma Grey's 2024 novel Pictures of You and has appointed Quan Phung and Fiona Eagger as advisors. The novel follows Evie Hudson, a forensic linguist who loses her memory after a devastating car accident that resulted in the death of her husband. As she pieces her life back together, she must confront her losses as she discovers what left there is left to fight for. The adaptation is described as a love story and, mystery thriller. Randall will produce the series along with executive producer Matt Kelly. Previously, Phung held the position of Senior Vice President of Original Series at Topic Studios. He also served on the Board of Directors for Visual Communications, one of the oldest nonprofit organizations dedicated to uplifting Asian American media arts. Additionally, he served on the Board of Directors for the California Community Foundation, the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network, and the Stanford Alumni Association. Furthermore, he has held leadership roles at Slingshot Global Media and Fox.
Sadly, M*A*S*H actor Patrick Adiarte has passed away at a Los Angeles hospital due to pneumonia complications. He was only 82 years old. Adiarte was known for his role as Ho-Jon, a house attendant in the first season of M*A*S*H, which he played from 1972-73. Additionally, Adiarte had roles in the western series Bonanza (1959) as Swift Eagle and as David in the drama series Hawaii Five-O (1968). Before his film career, Adiarte appeared in musicals such as The King and I (1951) as well as Flower Drum Song (1961). Despite the roles he portrayed, Adiarte was born in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, in 1943. He is survived by his niece.
