‘Fresh Prince’ Reboot, Carol-Daryl ‘TWD’ Spinoff & More Big New Shows Beyond 2020
Fall Preview
The new season is just about here, and we couldn’t be more excited (see page 13). But that’s only the beginning. Networks continue to greenlight hot projects, setting the stage for months of must-see programming to come.
California Dreaming
The classic ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is getting a makeover. The Peacock streaming service has picked up two seasons of a modern dramatic take on Will’s (originally played by Will Smith) journey from the streets of Philadelphia to his aunt and uncle’s mansion in Bel-Air, California. A trailer by budding filmmaker Morgan Cooper went viral last year. Smith will serve as an executive producer alongside Cooper.
(Credit: Jace Downs/AMC)
Rest in Peace
The Walking Dead is slowly shuffling toward its grave. The AMC zombie drama’s delayed Season 10 finale airs October 4 (9/8c), with six bonus episodes set for early 2021. Then a final 24-installment season debuts late next year to wrap in 2022. The franchise, however, will live on. Along with spinoffs Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond, plus the already announced Rick Grimes-centered flicks, two more offshoots are rising — the anthology Tales of the Walking Dead and a 2023 drama starring fan favorites Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl (Norman Reedus).
(Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Royals go Hollywood
Six months after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ditched their gigs as senior members of the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have signed a multiyear deal with Netflix. The new California residents plan to produce everything from documentaries to scripted and children’s programming. The charity-minded Markle (Suits) has made it clear she has no intention of returning to acting.
Senior Special
Old-ish, a spinoff of ABC’s black-ish featuring cantankerous grandparents Ruby (Jenifer Lewis) and Earl (Laurence Fishburne), is in development at ABC. In the series, the pair would move to a gentrifying L.A. neighborhood and give their failed marriage another try. Freeform’s grown-ish and ABC’s mixed-ish were also spun off from the hit comedy.
(Credit: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for SirusXM)
Bet on Leno
What’s the secret word? Reboot! You Bet Your Life, an NBC quiz show that ran from 1950 to 1961, is coming back for a syndicated round hosted by Jay Leno. Like original host Groucho Marx, the former Tonight Show emcee will give strangers a chance to win money by answering questions. Says Leno: “One of my favorite things is to talk to regular people and draw humor out of them.” The series premieres in fall 2021.
*Reporting by Emily Aslanian, Jim Halterman and Damian Holbrook
