Anthony Anderson will host the 75th Emmy Awards on Fox January 15. Anderson played Dre Johnson on ABC comedy Black-ish and hosts game show We Are Family, which premieres on Fox January 3.

“After Anthony hosted our upcoming show, We Are Family, we knew he’d be a natural fit for a star-studded, anticipatory night like the Emmys,” Allison Wallach, president of unscripted programming at Fox Entertainment, said. “Anthony’s known for his humor, heart and spontaneity, so he’s sure to give audiences in the theater and at home a night they’ll never forget.”

The Emmys, celebrating the best in television, happens at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The live telecast goes 8 to 11 p.m. ET and 5 to 8 p.m. PT on Monday, January 15, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

“With our industry’s recent challenges behind us, we can get back to what we love — dressing up and honoring ourselves,” Anderson said. “And there’s no better celebratory moment to bring the creative community together than the milestone 75th Emmy Awards. When Fox asked me to host this historic telecast, I was over the moon that Taylor Swift was unavailable and now I can’t wait to be part of the biggest night in television.”

Anderson appeared in Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons,’ and then as himself in the Live in Front of a Studio Audience second special, which put on All in the Family and Good Times, performing the opening song with Patti LaBelle. Anderson also hosted the game show, To Tell the Truth, and was executive producer of the Black-ish spinoff Grown-ish. He was also in season 21 of Law and Order. 

Anderson received seven consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy for his work in Black-ish.

Anderson’s film work includes Transformers, The Departed and The Big Year.   

The 75th Emmy Awards will be executive produced by Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay of Jesse Collins Entertainment. 

Anthony Anderson will host a midseason musical game show for Fox with his mother. Jamie Foxx executive produces We Are Family, and it will premiere Wednesday, January 3. 

It will showcase non-famous relatives of celebrities executing solo performances and duets with their hidden famous family member. Foxx and daughter Corinne were initially set to host. 

Anderson was on Black-ish for eight seasons, playing Dre and executive producing. He and his mother, Doris Bowman, star in the E! unscripted show Trippin’ with Anthony Anderson and Mama Doris. 

“We’re so excited to have Anthony and Doris headline We Are Family,” Allison Wallach, president of unscripted programming at Fox Entertainment, said. “They embody everything that’s special about this show–a ton of laughs, a lot of heart and some friendly on the edge-of-your-seat competition that the whole family can enjoy.”

We Are Family will feature a studio audience of 100 contestants playing through multiple rounds of clues and gameplay to win up to $150,000 each by correctly guessing which celebrity the performer is related to. Celebrities will range from musicians to athletes to actors, and some other famous people. 

“I jumped at the opportunity to host We Are Family and can’t wait for you to see all the celebrities, their relatives and the many surprises we have in store this season — and with my mama by my side, you never know what’s going to happen!” said Anderson.

Fox Alternative Entertainment created the show and co-produces it with Apploff Entertainment.  Jeff Apploff, Joni Day and Foxx are executive producers. Matilda Zoltowski is the showrunner and an executive producer.

The A+E Networks will team with a bevy of top celebrities including Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Janet Jackson and Anthony Anderson for major television projects, the company announced Wednesday during its upfront presentation.

History Channel will partner with Costner on a new eight-episode series The West, which will capture the diverse, complex character and untold stories that defined the “Wild West” and that continue to shape our country today, according to the network.

Also: A+E Promises Advertisers at Upfront It Will Deliver Peak Content 

Freeman will helm the upcoming documentary Black Patriots: The 761st Battalion, which will tell the true story of the 761st Tank Battalion, the first Black tank unit to serve in combat during WWII. Bradley Cooper will executive produce FDR, a three-night documentary debuting on Memorial Day that will provide a portrait of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The network is also developing projects with Dan Aykroyd and Michael Imperioli.

Lifetime will again partner with Janet Jackson on a new documentary airing on both Lifetime and A&E that focus on her new concert tour and reunion with the Jacksons, said the network. Also simulcasting on both networks is TLC Forever, a documentary celebrating one of the top-selling female groups of all time. 

A&E will follow actors Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer on a new 10-episode documentary series, Kings of BBQ, in which the two actors will work together to build their own barbeque product empire.

"Our goal within this media evolution is to meet audiences wherever and however  they consumer content, by working with great worldwide storytellers to develop and execute their vision," A+E Networks Group President and Chairman Paul Buccieri said in a statement. "Over the last four years, we have been on a journey to expand our production capabilities in both scripted and factual, and we've established key relationships in the talent management space as well as continued creating compelling content across our brands to further meet the needs of our valued partners and viewers." ■ 

Law & Order returns on NBC February 24. The crime drama had a stunning 20 seasons before going off the air in 2010, and totalled 456 episodes. It will soon add to those totals. 

Sam Waterston plays district attorney Jack McCoy. Anthony Anderson, last seen in Black-ish, plays Detective Kevin Bernard. Camryn Manheim, Hugh Dancy, Jeffrey Donovan and Odelya Halevi are in the cast too. 

Detective Bernard came to be in season 18. Anderson said he contacted executive producer Dick Wolf when he heard Law & Order was coming back. “Returning to the streets of New York, returning to our soundstages and that squad room and donning that badge, Badge No. 1901, was just, like, sitting in a well-worn saddle,” Anderson said at a TCA Winter Press Tour event. “It gripped you just right and was comfortable.”

Waterston said he was on board immediately for the reboot. “I don't think [Wolf has] ever stopped talking about it,” he said. “One of the reasons that we're back is because of his persistence and determination and his complete conviction that it was a terrible mistake to stop in the first place.”

Waterston said the other reason the show is coming back is that “the audience never stopped watching them.” Viewers’ “persistent appetite for Law & Order is a major reason why we're back,” he added. 

Law & Order is executive produced by Dick Wolf, Rick Eid, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski. The series is produced by Universal Television, in association with Wolf Entertainment. 

Halevi called landing on Law & Order, which she watched as a child in Israel, “a dream.”

“Ever since I was a kid growing up in a foreign country, I've been watching the show in the '90s with my mom,” she said. “And I said, ‘Oh, Mom, I want to be like her. I want to be a lawyer.’ ” 

Donovan, who starred in Burn Notice, also called ending up on Law & Order a dream. “I‘ve watched almost every episode. I watched it when I was a college student at NYU in the ’90s, and my dream was always to be a guest star on it,” he said. “And I was always envious of all of my friends who were getting on, and now I’m walking on the hallowed grounds of the squad room with Camryn and Anthony. It’s just a dream come true.”

Manheim said her first job out of NYU was Law & Order back in 1991. She played three different characters over the years.  “It was a badge of honor to be able to be in an off‑Broadway play or a Broadway play and say that you'd been on Law & Order and then how many times you'd been on Law & Order,” she said, adding that it’s “a huge full circle for me to come back and play [Lieutenant] Kate Dixon.”

Anderson said “the magic of the show” is that viewers don’t really get a good look at the main characters’ personal lives, with the focus remaining on how justice is delivered. “It's about the crime,” he said. “It's about solving it. It's about moving it along and bringing law and order to the world.  I think that is part of the magic of what Dick Wolf created.”

Character is revealed in the choices the attorneys and detectives — and criminals, for that matter — make, according to Rick Eid. “It‘s story-first on this show,” he said. “But I think you‘ll see hints of personal backstories and how they inform decisions and choices that people make.”

Law & Order will continue to rip stories from the headlines of New York’s tabloids. “I think that‘s the core of the narratives of this show, year in, year out,” said Waterston. “And, boy, are there a lot of stories that need telling. Boy, are they out there. The challenge must be choosing which one to do first.”

The final season of Black-ish began on ABC last month. Anderson said he was psyched to jump to another well-established series. “Coming back to an iconic show in Law & Order was a no-brainer for me,” said Anderson. “Hopefully 20 years from now people will be clamoring to come back to the Black-ish reboot and hopefully I‘m around for that. But leaving one great show to go back to another great show, I jumped at the opportunity to do it.” ■ 

Actor and black-ish star Anthony Anderson will once again host the upcoming NAACP Image Awards, TV One announced Tuesday. 

Anderson will host the show for the sixth consecutive year, according to TV One, which will televise the March 30 live telecast.

Anderson is currently the star and executive producer of ABC’s comedy black-ish, and is a four-time NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Comedy Series.

“We are pleased to have Anthony as our host for our 50th anniversary," said NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson in a statement. "Anthony's charisma on stage has won over our audience and continues to bring in new viewers every year. As we recognize the best of the best artists for their accomplishments over the past year, we couldn't be more proud to do so with Anthony by our side."

VH1’s May 8 special Dear Mama: An Event To Honor Moms drew 1.2 million viewers in its premiere, according to Nielse

The special, hosted by Anthony Anderson and La La Anthony and featuring celebrity tributes for their moms from such stars as Halle Berry, Gladys Knight, Jodeci, Taraji P. Henson and Robin Thicke, garnered 1.7 million viewers including replays, according to VH1.

This year’s Dear Mama special, produced by Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit and Jesse Collins Entertainment, posted a 36% ratings increase over last year’s inaugural special, according to the network.

Animal Planet has signed Black-ish star Anthony Anderson to host a new weekly comedy-variety series, the network said Wednesday.

The series, Animal Review, will engage viewers in new and ongoing conversations about animals as they pertain to pop culture and politics while celebrating the ways animals captivate people, said network officials.

The series, which will premiere in 2017, will also feature celebrities and their pets, as well as animal experts. Comedian correspondents will also provide a behind the scenes glimpse into some of the most talked about places animals can be found, said the network.

 “We are so excited to have Anthony as part of our Animal Planet family,” said Animal Planet’s General Manager Patrice Andrews in a statement. “We welcome his style and enthusiasm for the animal world and all its curiosities to our channel and know our audience will keep coming back for more!”

As co-host of the 68th annual Emmy Awards nominations ceremony Thursday, black-ish star Anthony Anderson was overjoyed to read his name as an Emmy nominee for lead actor in a comedy series. 

He also enthusiastically cheered when his co-star Tracee Ellis Ross was nominated in the comedy lead actress category and when black-ish was chosen among the nominees for best comedy.

But Anderson’s humorous exploits were among only a few things the broadcast networks had to cheer about during the unveiling of the Emmy Awards nominations.

In recognizing the television industry’s incredible and unprecedented breadth and depth of content, the Television Academy this year leaned more toward cable networks as well as online streaming services like Netflix and Amazon when voting for the best quality series, original movies, limited series and original movies on television.

The big four broadcast networks were nearly shut out of the major drama categories, with Empire’s Taraji P. Henson and How To Get Away With Murder’s Viola Davis' nominations in the drama lead actress category keeping cable, PBS and online services from a complete sweep.

Moreover, cable nets and streaming services also generated a good portion of Emmy nominations for new shows that could rack up multiple Emmy Award nominations and wins in the years to come.

From freshman series such as Netflix’s Masters of None, which garnered nominations in the best Comedy and Best comedy actor categories for star Aziz Ansari, to USA’s sophomore thriller Mr. Robot -- a contender for best drama and best actor for breakout star Rami Malek -- the Emmy newbies were mostly from the cable and online arena.

That’s not to say that the broadcast networks are obsolete or incapable developing strong, new shows. But right now, the Academy has acknowledged that for this Emmy run the best and brightest new shows are on cable networks and online SVOD services.

Anderson’s enthusiasm for black-ish’s Emmy nominations could also be extended to television’s continued advancements in bringing quality, diverse shows, storylines and characters to the small screen. Non-white actors garnered a record 21 Emmy nominations this year, surpassing last year’s record of 18, according to Deadline.com.

FX’s American Crime Story: People v. O.J. Simpson and ABC’s black-ish led the way with multiple actors of color earning Emmy nominations, while the aforementioned Henson and Davis will again vie for lead actress honors in the drama category (Davis won last year, becoming the first African-American female actress to do so in the category). 

The stage is now set for a very fascinating Emmy Awards celebration in September. Bring on the winners. 

ABC’s Black-ish and Fox’s Empire dominated the major television categories during the NAACP Image Awards last night.

Black-ish swept the comedy categories, winning for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Actor (Anthony Anderson) and Outstanding Actress (Tracee Ellis Ross). Empire was just as dominant in the key drama categories, taking home awards for Outstanding Drama Series, Actor (Terrence Howard) and Actress (Taraji P. Henson).

On the cable side, HBO and BET won multiple NAACP Image Awards, which honored the achievements of people of color in entertainment.

TV One aired live Friday night's 47th Annual NAACP Image Awards ceremony, which was hosted by Anthony Anderson.

The winners in the television categories are as follows:

Outstanding Comedy Series

“black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series  

Anthony Anderson - “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series  

Tracee Ellis Ross - “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Drama Series

“Empire” (FOX)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Terrence Howard - “Empire” (FOX)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series

Taraji P. Henson - “Empire” (FOX)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series  

Mike Epps – “Survivor’s Remorse” (Starz)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series  

Marsai Martin - “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series  

Joe Morton - “Scandal” (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series  

Regina King - “American Crime” (ABC)

Outstanding Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special  

“The Wiz Live!” (NBC)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special  

David Alan Grier - “The Wiz Live!” (NBC)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special  

Queen Latifah - “Bessie” (HBO)

Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special)  

“Unsung” (TV One)

Outstanding Talk Series  

“The Talk” (CBS)

Outstanding Reality Program/Reality Competition Series  

“Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” (OWN)

Outstanding Variety (Series or Special)  

“Family Feud” (Syndicated)

Outstanding Children’s Program  

“Doc McStuffins” (Disney Junior)

Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Mini-Series)  

Marcus Scribner - “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Host in a News, Talk, Reality, or Variety Program (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble  

Steve Harvey- “Family Feud” (Syndicated)

Outstanding Documentary - (Film)

“The Black Panthers:  Vanguard of the Revolution” (PBS Distribution/Firelight Films)

Outstanding Documentary - (Television)

“Muhammad Ali:  The People’s Champ” (BET)

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series   

Kenya M. Barris - “black-ish” – The Word (ABC) 

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series

Mara Brack Ali, Jameal Turner, Keli Goff - “Being Mary Jane” – Sparrow (BET) 

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

Don Cheadle - “House of Lies” – The Urge to Save Humanity is Almost Always a False Front for the Urge to Rule (Showtime)

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

John Ridley - “American Crime” – Episode 1 (ABC)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television)

Dee Rees - “Bessie” (HBO)

If you haven't noticed yet -- and that's fair -- given the locals' performance,  the NBA All-Star Weekend is setting up shop in the Big Apple.

From turnstiles at Grand Central sporting the event’s logo and pillars at the station wrapped in giant images of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, to the upcoming league-inspired fitness events at 100 public schools (20 apiece in each of the five boroughs), plus skills and challenge competitions at the skylight at Moynihan Station (aka the giant post office building) and LIU Brooklyn Paramount Theater, commissioner Adam Silver and squad will do their best this week to take over the town.

While ESPN will air the celebrity game featuring ABC’s Blackish star Anthony Anderson (can't imagine K'ville's Marlin Boulet has much hops) on Feb. 13 from Madison Square Gardnen, it’s largely TNT’s time on TV.

In addition to All-Star Saturday Night festivities (shooting stars, skills challenge, three-point shootout and dunk contest) from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, TNT will receive an assist from TBS’s simulcast of the game itself from the world’s most famous arena – Marv Albert will call his 20th, with a hand from Reggie Miller and Chris Webber (his first) -- on Sunday.

Last year, TNT tallied 7.5 million watchers on its own, so the Turner twosome could take a run at ESPN’s 8.8 million viewers for the 2015 Pro Bowl.

On Thursday and Friday, TNT’s acclaimed Inside the NBA show will originate from Hammerstein Ballroom, home of joint upfront presentations past from the two networks. In upfront lore, it was also site of former Turner executive and now Atlanta Hawks owner Steve Koonin’s (who shares a certain resemblance to Seinfeld’s Wayne ‘Newman’ Knight) impromptu stand-up routine save during the 2011 pitch, when the power failed in the building.

The 34th Street venue, just a long outlet pass (or four) from the west side of MSG, will also feature some live music on Inside the NBA. At presstime, contracts for the performers’ roster were still being finalized, according to Turner officials. The artists reveal will come early next week.

Another musical performance drawing attention -- and some consternation among those who reside or work in/near the Flat Iron district -- is Kanye West’s show on Feb. 12. The Jay-Z Roc Nation endeavor, also featuring NBA All-Star and the impressario’s sports client Kevin Durant, will take place in the Flatiron Pedestrian Plaza adjoining Madison Square Park.  No word yet on whether Mr. and Mrs. Bey will join Mr. Kardasian on stage.

The area is expected to be shut down for several days, with a dozen sculpted snowmen from Swiss artist Peter Regli’s “Snow Monsters” exhibit removed in preparation for the concert, which is not part of the NBA’s official All-Star Game program.

But all's fair in Love & Basketball, right?  

Anthony Anderson will be returning to host for his second year at the 46th NAACP Image Awards, the NAACP and TV One announced today. 

The two-hour event will broadcast live on TV One on Feb. 6 at 9 p.m., with a one-hour pre-show from the red carpet at 8 p.m.

Anderson is nominated for an Image Award this year for his work as an executive producer and star on the ABC series Blackish. 

“It is an honor and privilege to be asked back to host the NAACP Image Awards – the nominees this year are stellar and a testament to the talented individuals in our community,” Anderson said in a release. “As a 9 time Image Award nominee I could not be more proud, and I look forward to holding the record for most nominations without a win!”

Reginald Hudlin and Phil Gurin will return this year as executive producers, with Tony McCuin as director, Byron Phillips as producer and Robin Reinhart as the talent producer. Lance Reddick will serve as the in-show announcer.