ABC’s Reveals ‘Big Sky’ Sneak Peek, ‘Abbott Elementary’ Guest Stars at TCA (TV News Roundup)

ABC announced a slew of news regarding their fall programming at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour on September 14, headlined by guest star announcements for the second season of recently-anointed Emmy-winner “Abbott Elementary.” Read below for a summary of ABC’s announcements from the TCA press conferences.

GUEST STARS

Debuting on Wednesday, September 21, the second season of Quinta Brunson‘s hit show will feature recurring guest roles from actor Leslie Odom Jr., Lauren Weedman and Keyla Monterroso Mejia. Odom Jr. will play Draemond, the owner of a batch of charter schools in the area who visits Abbott. Weedman will play Kristin Marie, a hard-shelled teacher from a neighboring school that strikingly resembles one of Abbott’s own teachers. Monterroso Mejia plays a teacher’s aide whose lax personality contributes to classroom chaos at Abbott.

The show notched an Emmy award during Monday’s primetime ceremony, credited to Brunson for Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series for her script work on the show’s pilot episode.

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Performances and celebrity guests have been announced for ABC’s “Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter” special which is slated to air on September 22. Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Ledisi, Justina Machado, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelly Rowland, Amber Stevens West and Michelle Williams are set to perform musical numbers that pay tribute to iconic sitcom theme songs in the special that honors the 100-year-old activist and philanthropist, who just celebrated the century milestone in late July.

Asante Blackk, George Clooney, Laverne Cox, Isabella Gomez, Emily Hampshire, Tom Hanks, Rita Moreno, Ms. Pat, Jay Pharoah, Rob Reiner, Aida Rodriguez and George Wallace are set to give speeches and comedy performances throughout the night as well.  Jennifer Aniston, Jimmy Kimmel, Amy Poehler and Octavia Spencer are also set to appear in the special.

The special will air on the network from 9-11pm EDT on September 22 and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.

TRAILERS

ABC’s pin-off series from “The Rookie” titled “The Rookie: Feds” starring Niecy Nash-Betts has unveiled its first trailer. Nash-Betts plays Simone Clark, the oldest rookie in the FBI navigating the age gap between her colleagues to fight against crime.

Alongside Nash-Betts, Frankie R. Faison, James Lesure, Britt Robertson, Felix Solis and Kevin Zegers star in the show, which comes from the executive producers, Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter, of the original “Rookie” series. The show is set to premiere on September 27. Check out the trailer below.

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The first full-length trailer for “Alaska Daily” starring Hilary Swank has been released. In the new show, which premieres on October 6, Swank plays investigative journalist Eileen Fitzgerald, who leaves a high-profile career and life in New York behind for a daily metro newspaper in Anchorage, Alaska, seeking personal and professional redemption along the way.

Jeff Perry, Matt Malloy, Meredith Holzman, Grace Dove, Pablo Castelblanco, Ami Park and Craig Frank also star in the series from Tom McCarthy, who most notably directed the investigative journalism thriller “Spotlight” in 2015.

After the series premieres on October 6, it will be available to stream on Hulu the next day. Check out the trailer below.

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ABC has shared sneak peek clips from its upcoming season of “Big Sky,” billed as “Big Sky: Deadly Trails.” In one new clip, Jensen Ackles’ sheriff Beau Arlen meets Reba McEntire’s Sunny Barnes as his detective trio chases down a new mystery along a camping trail.

Katheryn Winnick, Kylie Bunbury, Dedee Pfeiffer, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and J. Anthony Pena star alongside Ackles, with McEntire joining the show as a guest star for the new season. The show is based on a series of books by C.J. Box, with David E. Kelley, Elwood Reid and Ross Fineman executive producing.

Check out the new clips below.

Also in today’s TV news:

DATES

The Waltons are set to return to the CW with a new holiday movie, “A Waltons Thanksgiving,” premiering on Sunday, November 20. The movie will reunite the Walton family, centering on their Thanksgiving celebration in 1934. Teddy Sears, Logan Shroyer, Marcelle LeBlanc, Rebecca Koon and Bellamy Young are set to star. The upcoming television movie is a follow-up to the network’s “The Waltons’ Homecoming,” which was their second most-watched special of the 2021-22 season.

The television movie is produced by Magnolia Hill Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producer Sam Haskell, writer and co-executive producer Jim Strain, co-executive producer Hudson Hickman, producer Billy Levin, and producer Bobby Kelly. Joe Lazarov is the director and co-executive producer.

DEPARTURES

KTLA on-air anchor Lynette Romero will leave the local Los Angeles news station after close to 24 years serving on its Morning News team, the network announced today. Watch the announcement from KTLA’s Sam Rubin below.

EXECUTIVES

ESPN has announced new promotions to vice president across various departments.

Bowden Dou will serve as Vice President, Production, overseeing content creation for the network’s Chinese Tencent. Kate Jackson is also promoted to Vice President, Production, overseeing a portfolio that includes Special Olympics, the Heisman Trophy Presentation, the NCAA Women’s Tournament & Final Four and the ESPYs. Pat Lowry has also been promoted to Vice President, Production, overseeing 600 events in each of the last four years. Miranda Thorpe has been promoted to Vice President, Charlotte Office & Production Management, serving as the top executive out of the network’s Charlotte office.

Jerry Bruckheimer Television has unveiled a number of executive appointments and promotions on the heels of KristieAnne Reed’s elevation to CEO. Danielle Kreinik has joined as senior VP after serving as head of TV for Ubisoft’s film and TV wing. Omega Johnson has advanced to VP while Asher Landy has joined the company as VP. Johnson has been with JBTV since 2018; Landy comes to the company from Keshet Studios. Chelsea Sabella has been upped to director of development, a year after joining the company. She previously worked for CBS Studios, Warner Bros. TV and Chuck Lorre Prods.

“I feel truly fortunate to be surrounded by such a gifted, innovative, and talented team,” said Reed. “They each have strong relationships in the creative community and have a passion for discovering and supporting great writers and ideas and collaborating with them to deliver exceptional television series.”

PROGRAMMING

MotorTrend Group, a Warner Bros. Discovery company, announced that the brand’s offering of series and specials are now available to customers on the Apple TV platform. Notable series under their banner include “Top Gear America,” “Kevin Hart’s Muscle Car Crew” and “Motor Mythbusters.”

Customers can sign up for a seven-day free trial or subscribe directly to MotorTrend’s premium streaming content for $4.99 a month.

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Tubi announced the launch of the FIFA World Cup FAST Channel for its platform, featuring highlights and analysis from this year’s competition in addition to content from past FIFA World Cup tournaments. Every FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 match will be available for free on-demand and programmed into replays for the channel. The new FIFA channel adds to the platform’s lineup of sports-focused content, previously adding NFL and MLB channels to its lineup.

TRAILERS

“Avenue 5” has received its first trailer for its upcoming second season, HBO shared today. The second season of the space comedy is slated to premiere on October 10.

The eight-episode new season follows Josh Gad, Hugh Laurie, Lenora Crichlow, Zach Woods and Suzy Nakamura navigate a near-future world where space tourism is a lucrative business and all the troubles that come with it. The show comes from Armando Iannucci, who most notably created political satire series “Veep” for the network.

Check out the trailer below.