CNN has teamed with LeBron James’s The SpringHill Co. to develop a docuseries on the history of black television, debuting July 9.

The five-part See It Loud: The History of Black Television will celebrate the achievements of Black actors and creators, while examining the historical impact Black culture has had on all culture, according to the network. The series looks at Black television's origins through such series and sitcoms as the The Jeffersons and dramas like Roots, and explores emerging opportunities for Black voices in sci-fi, horror and unscripted genres, said CNN. 

See It Loud: The History of Black Television will feature appearances by Anika Noni Rose, Debbie Allen, Gabrielle Union, Jimmie Walker, Lynn Whitfield, Mo’Nique, Omari Hardwick, Tatyana Ali, Tisha Campbell and Vivica A. Fox, said CNN.

The series is executive produced by James, Maverick Carter, Amy Entelis, Lyle Gamm, Jodi Gomes, Jamal Henderson and Philip Byron.

WSB, the longtime leader in Atlanta TV, is counting down to a significant milestone. The station turns 75 in September. Two prime specials are coming up in March, one looking at 75 years of weather in Atlanta and one looking at sports. There will be a half dozen anniversary specials this year, leading up to what Ray Carter, WSB VP and general manager, calls “a two-hour blowout” September 29, the day of the station’s birth. 

“That one’s just gonna have everything you could imagine in a special,” Carter said. 

The other stations in Atlanta have stuff to celebrate too. In early February, WXIA was one of five U.S. TV stations to pick up prestigious duPont-Columbia awards in New York, for Rebecca Lindstrom’s #Keeping report on a special-needs child who was abandoned in an emergency room, which revealed “a disturbing flaw in Georgia’s social safety net,” according to duPont-Columbia.  

In October, WGCL became WANF, short for Atlanta News First. Sister station WPCH, known as Peachtree TV, is set to launch a batch of new primetime programs. 

WAGA has new shows too. Portia, hosted by anchor Portia Bruner and focused on the needs of Black women in the market, debuted September 12. “It’s designed to be aspirational and inspirational,” Bill Schneider, WAGA senior VP/general manager, said. 

Also: Check Out Our Local News Close-Up Profiles on Dozens of U.S. Markets

Cox Media Group owns ABC affiliate WSB. Fox Television Stations has WAGA. Gray Television owns CBS affiliate WANF and independent WPCH, along with Telemundo station WKTB. Tegna has NBC station WXIA and MyNetworkTV affiliate WATL. Univision owns WUVG. 

Comcast is Atlanta’s primary pay TV operator. 

WSB won the key races in November, including 6-7 a.m., 5 and 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., according to Nielsen, in both households and viewers 25-54, with WAGA in second. In the late news race, WSB averaged 68,041 households at 11 p.m. in November, ahead of WAGA’s 44,725 (WAGA also has news 10-11 p.m.), WXIA’s 38,943 and WANF’s 34,904. In the 25-54 race at 11 p.m., WSB had 23,717, with WAGA just behind at 21,215. WXIA scored 16,142 and WANF had 6,463. 

Carter said consistency is key for WSB and its Coverage You Can Count On brand. “You know what that brand means and you trust we will deliver on that promise,” he said. 

WSB offers robust investigative work, including a pair of consumer investigative reporters, and has its own helicopter, while the others share. Cox Media Group has a Washington, D.C., bureau, which Carter called a major advantage. The station offers three streaming channels, including one for breaking news and another for weather. 

WSB’s rivals say the race is getting tighter, with on-air changes at the market leader, and Atlanta’s many new arrivals turning on their sets without a preferred station. “People move in every day,” said Erik Schrader, WANF-WPCH VP/general manager, said. “They don’t know which station people watched in 1977.”

Carter isn’t buying it. “It’s not very competitive,” he posited. 

Hustle Mode

Everyone is scrambling for ratings points. Besides the call letter change, WANF has added a whopping 50 people to the newsroom in the past year, along with “a ton of newscasts,” Schrader said. That includes 9-10 a.m., 3-4 p.m. and a half hour at 7 p.m. 

Gray Television acquired the stations in December 2021. Schrader is motivated to think about WANF playing in the Gray executives’ offices. “This is Gray’s hometown,” said Schrader. “It’s the only hometown station in Atlanta. We take that responsibility very seriously.”

On March 26, WPCH rolls out a new lineup, with the 8-9 p.m. slot home to unscripted shows with Atlanta influencers on center stage. Those include Celebrity Mamas Check In, hosted by Trina Braxton; court show Bury the Hatchet; and My Real Life, hosted by radio personality Sasha the Diva. 

“Atlanta programming for Atlanta people,” is how Schrader described it. 

Peachtree TV had an hour of original daily news when Gray picked up the stations, and now has 7-9 a.m. and 9 to 11 p.m. newscasts. 

Kim Saxon is the news director at WANF-WPCH. 

Known as Fox 5 Atlanta, WAGA features 73 hours of local news a week. It aired the weekly politics program Road to November last spring, a few months before the Georgia primaries, and again in the fall, months before the general election. Quarterly program Deidre Dukes Reports focuses on a single topic each episode, whether it’s violence among young people or affordable housing. Also quarterly, The Next Atlanta, hosted by George Chidi, features “long-form conversations with community leaders and newsmakers,” said Schneider. 

Portia is in the 1 p.m. slot on WAGA, which also does 41 hours of Atlanta Falcons programming per year. 

Schneider grew up in the region. “My dad calls me to tell me what we do right and what we do wrong,” he said. “I’m lucky that way.”

Gray acquired Telemundo Atlanta last year. With local news at 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m., the station will offer 10 community events this year, designed to “educate and empower the Latino community in Georgia,” according to Maria Bastidas, WKTB VP and GM. That includes the “Todos Somos Heroes” event, which celebrates unheralded heroes in the market. 

Ivan Shammas just reached his first anniversary as president and general manager of WUVG, in addition to a similar role in Raleigh. The station debuted weekly Contigo en la Communidad in August. Translating to “with you,” Contigo highlights individuals, businesses and services in the community. Adriana Andrade hosts and is the station’s community empowerment director.  

Peachy Keen

Delta Airlines, UPS and Coca-Cola are among the massive corporations that call Atlanta home. It’s a trucking/transport hub with a growing technology sector, and a massive TV and film production base. Series shot in Atlanta include Loki, Stranger Things and The Walking Dead. Tyler Perry Studios is based here. 

The metropolitan area continues to grow. The latest Nielsen DMA rankings has Atlanta at No. 6. “There’s construction everywhere you look. It’s absolutely incredible how much construction is going on in the city,” said Schneider. 

New arrivals are drawn to a diverse community, pro sports teams, a lively restaurant scene and all four seasons, with a mostly mild winter. They also add to Atlanta’s notorious traffic. 

Scott Stucky, WAGA VP/news director, said there’s never a slow news day in Atlanta. “At your editorial meetings, unless it’s Christmas day, you don’t sit around and stare at each other, wondering what you’re gonna do today,” he said. 

Unlike some markets, when a job opening is listed in Atlanta, countless TV news professionals envision themselves in the ATL. “Atlanta is a city where you put the name on the job description,” said Schrader, “and you’re going to get a lot of interested people.” ■

Emmy Award-winning series Atlanta and The Handmaid's Tale lead the list of original content premiering during the last full week of summer.

FX’s Atlanta will debut its fourth and final season on September 15. The series stars Emmy-winning actor Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Lee Stanfield and Zazie Beetz. 

Hulu on September 14 will launch the fifth season of The Handmaid’s Tale, which stars Elisabeth Moss in her Emmy-winning lead role. The series also stars Samira Wiley, Yvonne Strahovski, and Ann Dowd.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of September 12 to September 18 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

September 12 – War of the Worlds (returning series) – Epix

September 14 – Sins of Our Mother (miniseries) – Netflix

September 15 – Vampire Academy (drama) – Peacock

September 16 – Goodnight Mommy (movie) – Prime Video

September 16 – Los Espookys (returning series) – HBO

September 18 – SEAL Team (returning series) – Paramount Plus

FX’s biker drama series Mayans M.C. will return for a fifth season in 2023, according to network officials. 

The series, a spinoff of FX’s 2008-14 Sons of Anarchy series, follows Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (played by JD Pardo) and the Mayans M.C. charter on the California-Mexico border, according to the network. Also starring in the series is Clayton Cardenas, Edward James Olmos, Danny Pino, Carla Baratta, Michael Irby, Raoul Max Trujillo, Emilio Rivera, Sarah Bolger, Frankie Loyal, Joseph Lucero and Vincent Vargas.

Also: FX Renews 'Atlanta' For Fourth and Final Season

Mayans is executive produced by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James. James broke the renewal news to fans at a panel session at San Diego Comic-Con. 20th Television President Karey Burke said there that James signed a new multiyear overall deal with the Disney-owned studio, which co-produces Mayans with FX Productions.

“The Mayans have battled for respect, territory and power through four intense seasons that have set the stage for an explosive fifth season that will test their very survival under ‘EZ’s’ newly claimed leadership,” Nick Grad, president of original programming for FX Entertainment, said in a statement. “Elgin James and the creative team, the brilliant cast, crew and our partners at 20th Television have kept fans coming back for more and we are ready to take that ride with them for another season.” ■

FX will debut the fourth and final season if its Emmy-winning comedy series Atlanta on September 4, according to a new series teaser trailer.

The series, which ended its third season this past May, reunites series stars Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield and Zazie Beetz as they return home after spending most of season three in Europe.

According to FX, season four finds the four friends back in their hometown, "but the question is, has Atlanta changed or have they?"

Atlanta earned three 2022 Emmy Award nominations, including a Best Actor in a Comedy nod for Glover, who won a 2017 Emmy in the category.

Also: Netflix's Slump Now Extends to Emmy Nominations

The series is executive produced by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Hiro Murai, Stefani Robinson, Paul Simms and Dianne McGunigle. ■

Lifestyle show Portia, hosted by WAGA Atlanta anchor Portia Bruner, premieres on WAGA in the fall. The half-hour show will air weekdays at 1 p.m. and will stream on Fox Soul. 

“Portia will be an exciting, locally-produced addition to our lineup,” said Bill Schneider, WAGA senior VP/general manager. “Fox 5 produces more local news than any other station in Atlanta and this show will extend our commitment to serving the north Georgia community.”

WAGA describes Portia as “a community-minded lifestyle program focusing particularly on the needs of Black women in Atlanta. The goal will be to inform, uplift and enlighten through conversations about faith, family, health, wellness and social issues that affect all of the station’s viewers.”

Newsmakers and community leaders will appear on the show, which will feature some of Bruner’s news segments, like the shopping franchise "Bargains with Bruner,” along with cooking, self-help, wellness and parenting. 

"The opportunity to enhance and fortify the lives of Black women with meaningful and transparent conversations is truly a blessing, and one that I don't take for granted,” said Bruner. “I've learned from experience when we open up about our lives, our tests and our testimonies, other women are motivated and even inspired. I'm humbled and thrilled to be able to share stories with the mission of leaving every woman informed and empowered."

Bruner joined WAGA in 2003. She’s been the noon anchor and reports for nightly newscasts. She previously worked at WTKR Norfolk, WAPT Jackson and WRC Washington. ■

Last year, Marvel made a splash on Disney Plus with series including WandaVision and Loki. Now, after a four month hiatus, the MCU returns to the streaming service with a new series called Moon Knight starring Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawk. For those looking for romance instead of adventure, Netflix’s Shonda Rhimes-produced, Regency era hit Bridgerton is back for a sophomore season. While Regé-Jean Page is no longer part of the smash hit series, there are sure to be plenty of new sexy scenes to devour. After over nine years in development hell, Paramount Plus is finally releasing video game adaptation Halo, while Atlanta is making its return to FX/Hulu after a four-year delay.  

Halo (Paramount Plus, March 24th)

This television series adaptation of Microsoft’s iconic Xbox Halo, stars Pablo Schreiber as super soldier Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. The blockbuster gaming franchise has sold over 81 million copies and grossed more than $6 billion in total sales since launching in 2001. The television adaptation has been in the works for over nine years, and Paramount Plus is banking on its success. The nine-episode series reportedly had a $90 million budget, and in February the streaming services doubled down for a second season. Set in Madrigal – a “Tier 4 Heavy Water Extraction Planet” – during the 26th-century, Halo centers around the alien invasion of the planet and Master Chief’s fight to save it. While the series scored a weak aggregate score of 64% on Rotten Tomatoes, some critics argued that with time the show will find its groove. “Seeing the world through a vacant perspective might work for a game in which the audience has its own agency, but not for a show that requires its own point of view. In its first two episodes, Halo doesn’t quite have that yet. But as another entrant in the ever expanding Halo universe, it at least has enough ambition to make it worth a closer look,” wrote Variety’s Caroline Framke.

Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed (Discovery Plus, March 24) 

This three-part docuseries investigates the controversial history of Hillsong, a global megachurch that celebrities including Justin Bieber, Chris Pratt and Kevin Durant helped make famous and chic. The church, which touted “comforting Christian” music, was founded by Pastor Brian Houston, a man with, to put it mildly, questionable morals. Just in time for the series launch, Hillsong announced on March 21 that Houston breached the "Hillsong Pastor's Code of Conduct" involving separate incidents with two women over the last 10 years. Hillsong publicly apologized to the women, blaming Houston’s behavior on sleeping pills, anti-anxiety meds and alcohol. In addition to taking a deep dive into Houston’s scandalous past, the docuseries will address accusations that Houston covered up information about an incident where his father allegedly abused a boy in the 1970s. It’s hard to resist a true story about the rise and fall of an international pop culture, megachurch phenomenon. 

Bridgerton - Season 2 (Netflix, March 25) 

The first season of the Shonda Rhimes-produced series became Netflix’s most popular English-language television show ever after dropping in December 2020,  with more than 625 million hours watched in the first 28 days on the global Netflix platform. Based on Julia Quinn’s collection of eight novels titled the Bridgerton Series, the show follows the London-based aristocratic Bridgerton family during the late 18th Century. Each season is dedicated to a different Bridgerton sibling’s love story. Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page) were last season’s focus. The sophomore season is dedicated to Daphne’s brother, Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and his romance with Simone Ashley (Kate Sharma). Despite the absence of Page -- the series breakout star -- season two promises plenty of what season one viewers arguably enjoyed the most steamy sex scenes.

Pachinko (Apple TV Plus, March 25th)

An adaptation of Min Jin Lee's 2017 best-selling, eponymously titled novel, the eight-episode series, told in Korean, English and Japanese, follows a Korean immigrant family across four generations. The story of family matriarch Sunja, who lived in South Korea during the early 1900s, is juxtaposed with the story of her grandson, Solomon, in the 1980s. Pachinko stars Academy Award-winning actress Youn Yuh Jung (Minari) as older Sunja. Korean superstar Lee Minho plays Hansu, a man whose relationship with Sunja takes many turns. Soo Hugh (The Terror) serves as the series' creator and show runner. According to critics, Hugh did a stellar job adapting a 500-page novel into an episodic TV series. So far, the show scored an aggregate 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Atlanta – Season 3 (Hulu, March 25)

The world has changed significantly since the last episode of Atlanta -- Season 2 debuted way back on May 10, 2018. But Earn (Donald Glover), Alfred /Paper Boi’ (Brian Tyree Henry), Darius (LaKeith Stanfield) and Van (Zazie Beetz) haven’t skipped a beat. In the 10-episode third season, the foursome are with rapper Paper Boi on his tour in Europe. The characters are out of their element, which should make Season 3 of this inventive, always-unpredictable series just as engaging as the previous seasons, which scored an aggregated 97% and 98% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes. Earlier this month, the first two episodes of the new season debuted at the South by Southwest film festival. 

Blade Runner 2049 (Netflix, March 26) 

This sequel to Ridley Scott’s critically acclaimed 1982 movie Blade Runner was not a box office hit when it was released in 2017. But in the last five years, the two hour and 44 minute film directed by Denis Villeneuve has become something of a cult classic. Blade Runner 2049 stars Ryan Gosling as Officer K, a member of the LAPD’s recently reactivated Blade Runner unit, who uncovers a secret that threatens to destabilize society. In the film Harrison Ford and Edward James Olmos reprised their roles from the original movie. “In terms of the imaginative ways it expands on the themes of the first movie, it is the rare sequel that is at least the equal of its iconic original,” wrote The Seattle Times’ Soren Andersen.

Mass (Hulu, March 26) 

The film centers around two sets of parents dealing with the aftermath of a school shooting. One couple are the parents of a teenage boy who was killed and the other two are the parents of the shooter. Written and directed by veteran actor Fran Kranz, the film, which stars Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton, premiered at Sundance 2021 to rave reviews. Dowd earned a BAFTA nomination for the role. “This mercifully reserved film is light on big moments, but Dowd aces its riskiest and most vulnerable monologue, as Linda offers a nuanced and all-too-human defense that the court of public opinion would never abide,” wrote IndieWire’s David Ehrlich.

The 94th Academy Awards (ABC TV Network, March 27)

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences is trying its best to get you to watch the Oscars. While award show viewership is down in general, last year’s Academy Award ceremony linear broadcast drew an average of 9.85 million viewers. That’s a 58.3%, 13.75 million viewer decline from 2020. While the 2020 telecast was more intimate and less lively due to the pandemic, the show’s numbers have been on the decline for several years. To spruce things up, after three years sans host, AMPAS hired comedians Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes to emcee the event. In an attempt to streamline the typically drawn-out ceremony, AMPAS also decided to axe eight major categories from the live telecast, including film editing and production design. Those categories will be awarded during off-air parts of the show. To liven things up, best original song nominee Beyoncé may be making an appearance. Rumor has it that the singer will perform Be Alive from the film King Richard, live from the tennis courts in Compton, California where Venus and Serena Williams practiced as children. Nominated films include Apple Original Films’ CODA, Netflix’s Don’t Look Up, MGM/UAR’s Licorice Pizza, Searchlight’s Nightmare Alley and Disney’s West Side Story. Lady Gaga, Chris Rock, Zoe Kravitz, Wesley Snipes, Uma Thurman, Rami Malek, Lily James, and Kevin Costner are scheduled to present.

The Girl From Plainville (Hulu, March 29) 

Based on the eponymous Esquire article by Jesse Barron, this eight-episode limited series starring Elle Fanning is inspired by the true story of Michelle Carter’s “texting suicide” case. At 17, Carter famously encouraged Conrad Roy III to kill himself over text messages and was eventually convicted of involuntary manslaughter. As with all true crime series, uncovering the why behind the wrongdoing is what makes them intriguing. There are so many why’s when it comes to Carter’s case. If this series can deliver just one answer, it will be worth the watch.

Moon Knight (Disney Plus, March 30th)

If you like Batman, then you might also like Moon Knight. Starring Oscar Isaac as the titular character, Moon Knight is the first Marvel Cinematic Marvel Disney Plus series to debut this year. Created in 1975 by Doug Moench and Don Perlin for the comic series Werewolf by Knight,  Isaac’s "Moon Knight" character has dissociative identity disorder (DID) and is the secret identity of Marc Spector, a former CIA operative turned mercenary. Ethan Hawke plays bad guy Arthur Harrow. Moon Knight will be followed by a new slate of MCU shows including Secret Invasion, She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel. Last year Disney released MCU streaming series WandaVision, Loki, Hawkeye and Falcon and the Winter Soldier. While Disney doesn’t share actual viewing numbers, critics and audiences alike praised each series making their latest MCU creation worth a look.

The return of FX's Emmy Award-winning comedy series Atlanta after a four-year hiatus tops the list of original shows debuting during the last full week of March. 

The 10-episode third season of the comedy, which stars Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz and LaKeith Stanfield, debuts March 24 and takes place in Europe as the group embarks on the musical tour for rapper Paper Boi (Henry).

Netflix's Emmy-wining drama series Bridgerton returns for its second season on March 25 without its freshman season breakout star Regé-Jean Page. The new season of the Shondaland-produced series follows Bridgerton family member Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) as he searches for a wife. Netflix has already renewed the series for a third and fourth season. 

Also premiering this week is Paramount Plus's Halo, a sci-fi series based on the popular videogame franchise that focuses on a futuristic conflict between humanity and aliens.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of March 21 to March 27 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

March 22 – The Principles of Pleasure (documentary) – Netflix

March 23 – Parallels (sci-fi) – Disney Plus

March 24 – One Perfect Shot (documentary) – HBO Max

March 24 – Starstruck (comedy) HBO Max

March 24 – WWE Evil (documentary series) – Peacock

March 25 – Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls (competition series) – Prime Video

March 25 – No Woman No Try (documentary) – Prime Video

March 25 – Pachinko (drama) – Apple TV Plus

March 26 – The Pact (drama) – The Roku Channel

Season three of comedy Atlanta begins on FX March 24, and season four arrives in the fall. Season four, which has been shot, will be the final one for the Donald Glover series. 

“The new season is everything you have come to expect from Atlanta,” said FX Chairman John Landgraf in a TCA session, “which is to say: expect the unexpected, sit back, and enjoy the trip.”

Season two premiered way back in March 2018. Season three takes place mostly in Europe, with Earn, Alfred, Darius and Van on tour, stops in London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin, among other cities. The season was written in 2019, and both COVID and Glover’s busy schedule prevented a quicker release. 

In the TCA session, Glover said the season three writing presages a lot of what has happened in real life. “A lot of this stuff is going to seem like a parody of stuff that happened, but we actually prophesied most of this shit in 2020,” he said. “Like, the world is extremely predictable. We really just knew how a lot of this stuff was going to pan out.”

Season three is about “the curse of whiteness,” said Stephen Glover. 

Atlanta is executive produced by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Hiro Murai, Stefani Robinson, Paul Simms and Dianne McGunigle.  

Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry and Zazie Beetz are in the cast. 

Episodes stream on Hulu the day after their premiere. 

Season four, for its part, shows a more mature writers’ room, Donald Glover suggested. “There's some stuff that we changed in season four because I think we all changed,” he said. “We all got older and just went through our life. I think COVID was a very reflective time, so all of us kind of grew up.”

Glover, who performs as Childish Gambino, was asked about his process for writing TV versus music. “The machines might be different, but they're making the same thing,” he said. “They're making moments for people. And obviously there's big differences. Like, you can have music on in the background and jump in whenever you want. You can't do that with a show.  You need to pay attention for it to make sense. But at the end of the day, it's moments.”

Donald Glover said Atlanta had run its course and is ready to wrap. “I think it ends perfectly,” he said. ■  

As the TV industry celebrates Black History Month, African-American viewers say they‘re seeing more of themselves and their stories on the small screen but want to see even more inclusive content that reflects their experiences.  

Today, there are nearly 50 scripted series on broadcast, cable and streaming services that feature Black leads or predominantly Black casts. While that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the 559 scripted TV shows offered in 2021, according to FX research, industry observers say it‘s certainly an improvement over what was on television a decade ago.

While several iconic and popular shows will leave the air this year (ABC’s Black-ish, OWN’s Queen Sugar, TNT’s Claws and Showtime’s Black Monday), there are plenty of new shows aiming to fill the gap (Amazon Prime Video’s Harlem, ABC's Queens, Starz’s Run The World and ABC’s The Wonder Years). Also on tap is the much-anticipated March return of FX’s original comedy series Atlanta, starring Emmy-winner Donald Glover.

Also: Black History Month: What to Watch (February 1-14)

Black viewers are noticing the increase in content. According to Horowitz‘s recent FOCUS: Black: Consumer Engagement report, 55% of viewers said that they are seeing more Black actors as lead characters in scripted TV shows. More importantly for distributors, two in three Black viewers say that seeing Black characters and communities portrayed in positive ways positively impacts their decision to watch a show or a movie, according to the report.

While the report shows that viewers are reacting positively to the increase in Black images currently on-screen, Horowitz Research chief revenue officer and insights and strategy lead Adriana Waterston said there’s a desire to see even more diversity and inclusion within those characters and storylines. Indeed, Horowitz reported that 66% of Black TV viewers wanted to see more TV shows and movies that showcase the diversity of the Black experience here in the U.S. 

“This is an audience that in itself is incredibly diverse in a lot of ways, including cultural diversity, religious diversity and lifestyle diversity,” Waterston said. “There are so many differences that can be celebrated, and consumers are now saying that it’s not just enough for the representation of Black audiences to be good in numbers and quality. They are saying, ‘I want to really see myself represented,’ and that requires a level of understanding of the audience and a level of nuance.” 

Shows like Netflix‘s French-produced series Lupin, about a Senegal-born man looking to avenge his father’s death in Paris, and CBS‘s Bob Hearts Abishola — which takes a comedic look at immigrant life in America — have begun to help shine a light on diversity within the African-American community. 

“Current statistics and research substantiate that the U.S. Black population is not monolithic,” said One Caribbean Television president of sales and marketing Mark Walton. “At a time when Black-themed content is in demand, telling the stories of Black immigrants, primarily from Africa and the Caribbean, and their descendants, undoubtedly provides an opportunity to attract millions of viewers, many of whom rarely see themselves reflected in the narrative of being Black in America.”  

Waterston added: “The awakening to the dangers of stereotypical representations that was so damaging for so long has made people become more sensitive to on-screen portrayals. The next phase is not only being sensitive but being inclusive.” ■

FX will bring back its Emmy-winning comedy series Atlanta in March after a three-year hiatus, the network said Wednesday.

The 10-episode third season, which stars Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield and Zazie Beetz, premieres March 24 on FX and will stream the next day on Hulu, said network officials. Taking place almost entirely in Europe, season three finds “Earn” (Glover), “Alfred / ‘Paper Boi’” (Henry), “Darius” (Stanfield) and “Van” (Beetz) in the midst of a successful European tour, as the group navigates their new surroundings as outsiders, and struggle to adjust to the newfound success they had aspired to, according to FX.  

Atlanta last aired on FX in 2018. The series executive is produced by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Hiro Murai, Stefani Robinson, Paul Simms and Dianne McGunigle.

“We are thrilled to have Atlanta back with a new season on March 24th,” said FX Entertainment president Eric Schrier in a statement. “Once again, Donald Glover, the producers and stellar cast have delivered another signature season synonymous with the excellence that makes Atlanta so great.” ■

WSB-TV Atlanta anchor Jovita Moore will undergo surgery Friday morning to remove two small tumors on her brain, according to the station.

Moore, who anchors the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts on the ABC affiliate, told WSB-TV co-anchor Justin Farmer that she started noticing something was off on Monday. That evening while walking into a grocery store she said she almost passed out.

"I remember walking across the parking lot and feeling like I wasn't going to make it to the door," she said. "I just was almost like walking in quicksand."

An MRI revealed that Moore had two masses on her brain and she was scheduled for surgery.

"I know we have great viewers and I know that the prayer warriors are gonna be at work," said Moore, adding "I just felt like it was something I needed to share." 

"I didn't want to just disappear from air for a couple of months and I wanted people to know what was going on," she said.

According to WSB-TV, Moore's recovery will take 8-10 weeks. For anyone wanting to send her well wishes, visit https://www.wsbtv.com/jovita/

Prior to joining WSB-TV in 1998, Moore worked at WMC-TV in Memphis, Tennessee and KFSM in Fayetteville and Fort Smith, Arkansas.

WSB-TV is owned by Cox Media Group.

Several cable networks are commemorating Juneteenth today (June 19) by offering movies, documentaries and specials in celebration of the holiday that marks the end of slavery in America.

Original programming recognizing the holiday includes National Geographic’s simulcast of ABC Network’s Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming special, which examines the legacy of the holiday through the current lens of political and social unrest that has captured global attention, according to ABC News.

AMC tonight will premiere it’s Sherman’s Showcase:  Spectacular variety special, which will honor historic African-American icons both past and present, according to the network.

This Sunday (June 21), TV One will debut its original documentary series The Beat Don't Stop, which highlights the history and legacy of Washington DC.-based Go-go music.  

Other cable networks offering content to commemorate the Juneteenth holiday include:

--HBO will provide all nine episodes of its drama series Watchmen for free tonight and through the weekend on HBO.com and on demand. The series, which stars Regina King, is set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws.

--FX Networks will air a collection of African-American based films and series including Hidden Figures and Selma, as well as marathons of comedy series black-ish and Atlanta.

--Smithsonian Channel will offer a day-long lineup of award-winning Black History documentaries, airing chronologically from pre-Civil war through Obama’s presidency, including Civil War 360: Fight For Freedom; The Green Book: Guide For Freedom; Major League Legends: Hank Aaron; The Lost Tapes Malcolm X, MLK: The Assassination Tapes; and The Obama Years: The Power of Words.

--TNT, TBS and truTV will air feature films Black Panther and Just Mercy in primetime with limited commercials. Turner will also feature reflections from distinguished guests including actor Anthony Anderson, Senator Kamala Harris and comedian W. Kamau Bell who will talk about the personal impact these films had on their lives and the culture, according to the company.

--Ovation will air a 24-hour block of films, documentaries and specials that shine a light on the significant contributions of Black artists and activists who have advanced progress for all. Content featured include such documentaries as Beyonce: Queen B; Inside the Actors Studio Alfre Woodard and Prince: Kiss The Rain. 

The 2010’s ushered in a new era of original scripted television series created and distributed by an unprecedented number of distribution outlets, all looking to attract viewers anxious to watch content at their leisure across numerous platforms. Heading into 2019 nearly 500 scripted series could be accessed on broadcast, cable and digital streaming platforms.

Here’s a look at five shows on cable and streaming services that helped define the decade though a mix of excellence via ratings, industry awards and cultural influence.

Game of Thrones -- HBO (2011-2019)

HBO’s titanic fantasy series arguably drew more combined viewership, media coverage and social media activity --both positive and negative -- than any other show during the decade. What is not in dispute is the record 59 Emmy Awards the show won over its eight-season run.

Related: HBO, Amazon Prime Rule Emmy Awards Telecast 

Atlanta -- FX (2016 to present) 

Comedian/rapper/musician/producer in Donald Glover created a show that presents a sometimes complex but most times comedic slice of African-American life that had never existed on TV before. The result is a groundbreaking show that has earned critical acclaim and several Emmy Awards, including Glover’s Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series statuette -- the first awarded to an African-American.

Stranger Things -- Netflix (2016 to Present) 

While streaming service Netflix’s ambitious run at producing original scripted series began in earnest with such critically-acclaimed hits as House of Cards and Orange Is The New Black, it was a 1980’s-based, sci-fi thriller full of monsters and young, teen protagonists that gave Netflix a pop culture hit perfectly suited for binge viewing. 

Power -- Starz (2014-2020) 

Starz’s provocative series from executive producers Courtney Kemp and 50 Cent about a drug dealer looking to escape the world of crime and go legit found a fervent and loyal audience early and helped to dismiss the myth that a show with a predominantly African-American cast couldn't draw solid ratings numbers on premium cable television.

American Horror Story -- FX (2011 to Present) 

The series became the poster child for the resurrection of the anthology series genre with its creative ability to scare up a new story each season. American Horror Story paved the way for the success of other anthology series including HBO’s True Detective, AMC’s The Terror, Nat Geo's Genius and FX’s own American Crime Story, Fargo and Feud.

Honorable Mention:

The Walking Dead -- AMC (2010 to Present) -- The most-watched show on cable during the first half of the decade, the zombie-themed series drew a basic cable record 17.3 million viewers for its season five premiere in 2014.

Veep -- HBO (2012-2019) -- Among the most celebrated TV comedies of the decade, the series won 11 Emmy awards, including a record six straight best comedy actress statuettes for series star Julia Louis-Dreyfus from 2012 to 2017.

The Handmaid’s Tale -- Hulu (2017 to Present) -- The dark drama series arguably put the nascent streaming services on equal footing with broadcast networks and cable services by winning the digital platform's first drama series Emmy in 2017. 

Hulu will become the official home of FX original content beginning in 2020, with the network providing both legacy series and new, exclusive content to the streaming service.

FX on Hulu will debut in March 2020 and will feature every season of more than 40 FX original series, including Emmy-winning series Baskets, Fosse/Verdon, Atlanta and Fargo, according to the network. The shows will join FX's Emmy-winning drama series The Shield, which is currently streaming on Hulu. 

In addition, the network will develop exclusive series for Hulu, four of which are already in place. New shows set to debut next Spring include tech thriller Devs from Academy Award-nominated Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation); and Mrs. America, which tells the story of the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), and the unexpected backlash led by conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, played by Cate Blanchett, according to FX.

Two other series debuting later in the year include A Teacher, which explores an intimate connection between a female high school teacher and an underage male student that evolves into a high stakes, emotional affair, and the drama series The Old Man, a drama starring Jeff Bridges as a retired CIA officer.

Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger, who announced the deal on Disney’s Nov. 7 earnings call said that FX will become a “key” content driver for Hulu. “This is a great way to expand the FX brand and an important step as it adds original content to compete more aggressively with new and legacy [direct-to-home] platforms," Iger said.

FX Networks and FX Productions chairman John Landgraf called the arrangement a “game-changing” opportunity for FX. “We’re thrilled to have Hulu as our streaming partner with the creation of FX on Hulu, which will be the best and most complete representation of the FX brand, finally putting us on equal footing with competitors like HBO,” he said in a statement. “This will allow us to expand FX’s original programming lineup and to reach Hulu’s growing audience of young and highly engaged subscribers, whom we believe will love these shows.”

The FX on Hulu announcement comes three months after Disney shut down the FX+ ad-free, subscription streaming service.

Tears were flowing from the eyes of actress Gina Rodriguez as she talked about the final season of The CW’s Jane the Virgin during the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour.

When it debuted in 2014, Jane the Virgin was one of a few scripted series featuring a Latina lead, but by the time it departs this spring, it’ll have a lot of company.

Today, more TV programs are featuring people of color in leading roles and behind the television camera than ever before in the history of the medium.

In the 2016-17 television season, people of color comprised 21.5% of the lead actors in broadcast scripted series, according to the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report 2019. That’s up sharply from just 11.4% of lead actors in 2014.

That growth has been seen across the Hollywood strata. The success of shows featuring actors of color in lead roles or strong multicultural casts such as Jane the Virgin, ABC’s Black-ish and Starz’s Power — along with an increase in outlets offering diverse images and stories — has led to a proliferation of multicultural-themed television shows across streaming services, as well as broadcast and cable networks.

A Screen Reflecting Everything

“Once upon a time there was a very vanilla look at our world through three broadcast networks,” Marc Berman, editor of TV industry website Programming Insider, said. “Now with broadcast, cable and digital streaming services, television is beginning to resemble how the world really looks like, and that’s changed the face of television.”

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Despite the explosion in multicultural content, though, actors and creators of color remain cautiously optimistic that this growth period is not just a trend that will eventually phase out in a few years, as has happened in the past.

“I don’t know if we’re having a moment or a trend,” Tanya Saracho, showrunner and executive producer of Starz’s Latina-themed drama series Vida, said. “We’ve always gone in cycles regarding [inclusive] content — every so often we’re excited and say it’s great to see this and that show on the air, and then it goes away.”

For now, multicultural-themed TV programming is thriving. Nearly half of the top scripted broadcast series of the 2017-18 season in the 18-49 demo featured a multicultural lead character or prominently featured multicultural actors in its cast, led by NBC’s This Is Us and including Fox’s Empire and ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, according to Nielsen.

On cable, Starz’s gritty crime drama Power — starring a predominantly multicultural cast and helmed by African-American director Courtney Kemp and hip-hop artist 50 Cent — is the second-most-watched series on premium television among adults 18-49 and the most watched among African-American viewers, according to Nielsen.

“Starz originals attract the most diverse audience of the premium networks with the highest composition of women and African-American audiences, and they also rank No. 1 in African-American households,” Starz president of programming Carmi Zlotnik said at the TCA tour.

Behind the camera, networks and streaming services are inking creators of color to lucrative, long-term production deals, from Netflix’s exclusive multiyear deal with Shonda Rhimes, to BET’s signing of prolific producer Tyler Perry to a long-term production deal, to Showtime’s first-look deal with Emmy award-winning producer Lena Waithe.

Showtime president of entertainment Gary Levine said shows such as Waithe’s inner-city drama The Chi — which launched its sophomore season this past Sunday (April 7) — have shown wide crossover appeal. The network has already greenlit a second Waithe series, How to Make Love to a Black Woman (Who May Be Working Through Some Sh*t).

“The Chi has enormous appeal for us — it’s by no means just African-American, so what we try to do is have a mix of shows and a creative portfolio that really offers a wide range of tastes and tones, and our goal is to make at least one of those shows your favorite show on television,” he said.

The result has been a substantial increase of multicultural images and storylines across scripted series on both digital and traditional platforms.

More Shows, More Roles

During the 2016-17 TV season, people of color doubled their share of lead roles in scripted fare on digital platforms to 21.3% in 2016-17 from 12.9% in 2015-16, according to the UCLA 2019 Hollywood Diversity Report. On cable, the number jumped to 21.3% from 20.2% and on broadcast, the number increased to 21.5% from 18.7% year to year.

The numbers mark the first time actors in lead roles surpassed the 20% mark across all platforms since UCLA began monitoring in 2011-12, according to the report.

Off screen, creators of color are also experiencing a major boom. The number of shows created by diverse writers and producers on broadcast TV more than doubled in five years to 9.4% from 4.2% in 2011-12, according to the study. For cable and digital, the numbers jumped to 11.2% and 16.5% in 2016-17 from 7.4% and 6.2% five years prior respectively, the report said.

Yet with all the advances made in the multicultural programming genre, there’s still some hesitation and fear among TV veterans that today’s boom is a momentary blip and, much as in past years, the momentum for such content will fade along with the images and storylines.

The most recent example of this came in the late 1990s, when upstart broadcast networks Fox, UPN and The WB launched a bevvy of mostly African-American led shows such as Living Single, Martin, Sister Sister, Girlfriends and In Living Color, only to jettison those shows for programming viewed as more appealing to a broader audience.

Vida’s Saracho is not ready to let her guard down about a repeat of what transpired nearly 20 years ago. Vida, which will launch its second season this May, features a mostly Latina production crew along with a predominantly Latinx cast.

“We need to see more of these shows to come out for proof — right now, we’re the only Latinx-themed show on prime cable,” she said. “We do have [FX comedy series] Atlanta, [HBO comedy series] Insecure and other [diverse] shows and I’m hopeful, but I’m not optimistic that we’re there yet.”

While stopping short of defining this a Golden Age of multicultural television, Programming Insider’s Berman said we’re in an age where the American population is represented more accurately on the small screen than in prior years.

“We’re getting there, but we’re not there yet,” he said. “But it definitely is an improved era of multiculturalism.”

Streaming Offers an Outlet

Actress Kim Fields, who starred in Fox’s 1990s comedy series Living Single as part of her 45-year career in the television industry, said the influx of streaming distributors like Netflix, Hulu and BritBox will continue to provide increased opportunities to showcase all images and stories to be showcased.

“The onslaught of these wonderful platforms provides more opportunities for distribution for me as an actor and a content provider,” said Fields, who is currently starring in BritBox’s comedy series Living the Dream. “I’m ecstatic over all the different playgrounds that have opened up.”

Network executives are also optimistic that more multicultural-themed programming is no longer a trend but is fully ingrained into the television industry’s business psyche.

“I believe that this is the way it’s going to go going forward and not just a trend or a moment in time,” OWN president Tina Perry said. The network is aggressively rolling out scripted content targeting African-American viewers, from established shows such as Greenleaf and Queen Sugar, to new series such as the Tarell Alvin McCraney-created series David Makes Man.

“When you look at productions like ours that are having huge ratings success with the commitment of having diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera, it’s undeniable that others in the industry have to think about behaving in the same way,” Perry said. “I think we’re onto something that’s going to last.”

Added Showtime’s Levine: “I don’t think this is a fad. … I think this is a long overdue broadening and deepening of the range of the characters and actors that are on all of our screens.”

FX will bring back its critically-acclaimed comedy series Atlanta back for a third season, the network said Thursday.

The Emmy Award-winning series, created by and starring Donald Glover, will return to the network in 2019. Atlanta is produced by FX Productions and is executive produced by Glover, Paul Simms, Dianne McGuingle, Stephen Glover and Hiro Murai.

“Atlanta is phenomenal, achieving and exceeding what few television series have done,” said FX Networks and FX Productions co-president Nick Grad in a statement. “With Atlanta Robbin’ Season, Donald and his collaborators elevated the series to even greater heights, building on the enormous success of their award-winning first season. We’re grateful to the producers and our extraordinary cast and crew for achieving this level of excellence, and we share the excitement with our audience about the third season knowing they will continue to take us to unexpected and thrilling places.”

FX has picked up Mayans MC to series, ordering a 10-episode first season of the drama from Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, said Nick Grad and Eric Schrier, presidents of original programming for FX Networks and FX Productions, at the TCA Winter Press Tour.

The show, which is the next chapter in the Sons of Anarchy saga, will premiere in 2018.

Read More: Complete Coverage of #TCA18

Sons of Anarchy was the highest-rated drama in FX history for seven seasons. The Mayans were recurring players throughout the show’s seven-year run.

“Kurt Sutter is a master storyteller, and Mayans MC has the raw energy and intensity that are hallmarks of his signature style,” said Grad. “Thanks to Kurt, co-creator Elgin James and this amazing cast, Mayans MC builds on the legacy of Sons of Anarchy, taking it in a thrilling new direction that we can’t wait for the world to see.”

Related | broadcastingcable.com: FX Orders New Series From Producer Ryan Murphy

Mayans MC is set in a post-Jax Teller world, where EZ Reyes, fresh out of prison, is a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the California/Mexico border. Now EZ must carve out his new outlaw identity in a town where he once was the golden boy who had the American Dream within his grasp.

Mayans MC is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions. The show stars Edward James Olmos, JD Pardo, Sarah Bolger, Clayton Cardenas, Richard Cabral, Michael Irby, Raoul Trujillo, Antonio Jaramillo and Carla Baratta.

Noberto Barba directed the pilot and will be an executive producer, with Sutter an executive producer and James a co-executive producer.

FX also set premiere dates for current series. Season two of Atlanta, called "Atlanta Robbin’ Season," debuts March 1. Starring Donald Glover, who is also an executive producer, it shows a couple of cousins working in the Atlanta music scene.

Trust, about John Paul Getty III, arrives March 25. And The Americans starts up March 28, the spy show’s sixth and final season.

Atlanta producer Stephen Glover has signed an exclusive production deal with FX Productions, the company said Wednesday.

Glover, who with his brother Donald developed the Emmy Award-winning FX comedy series as well as an untitled Marvel’s Deadpool animated series slated for FXX, will develop future television projects for FX Networks and other outlets, according to FX officials. 

RELATED: Donald Glover Wins Emmy For Lead Actor In A Comedy Series for 'Atlanta

"We can’t wait to build on the success Stephen’s achieved as a writer and producer.” FX Networks and FX Productions co-president of original programming Eric Schrier said in a statement. “We appreciate everything Stephen has done to make Atlanta one of the best comedies on TV, taking an even bigger role with his brother Donald on the untitled Marvel’s Deadpool animated series, and now creating his own projects with the same uncompromising artistry.”

The Stephen Glover deal comes nearly a year after brother Donald signed a similar exclusive production deal with FX Productions.

FX continues to build the lineup for its FX+ commercial free service by adding epiosdes from several series including Emmy-award winning series Atlanta, the network announced Monday.

FX+, which is currently available to Comcast Xfinity TV and Cox Contour subscribers for fee of $5.99 per month, will now include episodes from its freshman comedy series Atlanta -- which recently won two Emmy Awards – drama series The Americans, Legion and Taboo, and comedy series Better Things, according to network officials.

The shows will be rolled out over a period of time, with FX+ expected to complete its roster beginning in 2018, the company said. Overall, FX+ will feature more than 1,300 episodes of award-winning and acclaimed original programs spanning the past 15 years. Among the shows currently available on the service include American Horror Story, Baskets, Nip/Tuck,, The Shield, Wilfred, The League and Louie.

 AMC has also launched a commercial-free version of the network, AMC Premiere, which Comcast carries for $4.99 a month.

Donald Glover was the big winner in the Lead Actor In a Comedy Series, winning his second primetime Emmy for the evening.

Read More: Complete coverage of the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards

Glover, who won for his role in FX's Atlanta, beat out an impressive list of competitors including Zach Galifianakis (FX’s Baskets), Anthony Anderson (ABC’sBlack-ish), Aziz Ansari (Netflix’sMaster of None), William H. Macy (Showtime’sShameless) and Jeffrey Tambor (Amazon’sTransparent)

Glover also won an Emmy earlier in the night for directing in a comedy series.

FX Productions has signed Atlanta executive producer Paul Simms to an exclusive television production deal, the network announced Wednesday (July 12).

As part of the exclusive deal, Simms – who will continue to work on Atlanta – will develop, write and produce television projects exclusively for FX Productions. 

Simms has also written for The Larry Sanders Show, Flight of the Conchords, Girls, and NewsRadio, which he created.  

“We’ve had a great experience working with Paul on Atlanta,” said Nick Grad, co-president of original programming for FX and FX Productions in a statement. “Paul has a track record of success and we look forward to him developing new projects for FXP.”

Amid the official unveiling of its new live streaming service, Hulu on Wednesday announced the renewal of its original drama series The Handmaid’s Tale for a second season during its upfront presentation in New York. 

Season two of the series, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, will launch in 2018, according to the network. “The response we’ve seen to The Handmaid’s Tale in just one week since its premiere has been absolutely incredible," said senior vice president and head of content Craig Erwich in a statement. "It has been an honor to work with this talented team of cast and creators to develop a series that has struck such a chord with audiences across the country.”

In other upfront news, Hulu said it has secured exclusive streaming rights to FX’s original comedy series Atlanta. The first season of the Golden Globe award-winning series starring Donald Glover will become available to Hulu subscribers ahead of its second season premiere in 2018, with subsequent seasons becoming available to stream on Hulu following their run on FX, said company officials. 

Hulu also announced the greenlighting of two new series: Marvel’s Runaways – based on the popular comic book series; and The First (working title), a drama set in the near future about the first human mission to Mars.

Two FX series, Atlanta and Better Things, are among the seven entertainment programs being honored with a 2017 Peabody Award, the organization announced Thursday.

Donald Glover’s Atlanta, produced by FX Productions, is about two young black men trying to make it in Atlanta’s rap scene. Better Things examines working motherhood. It is also an FX production.

Other entertainment award recipients are:

• HBO’s Veep, the political comedy starting Julia Louis-Dreyfus
• BBC One’s Happy Valley, the British crime drama available on Netflix
• Beyoncé’s Lemonade, the HBO Entertainment and Parkwood Entertainment-produced visual album that included a one-hour film
• Horace and Pete, the Louis C.K. series centered around the two owners of a Brooklyn bar launched on louisck.net
• Channel 4’s National Treasure, the British broadcaster’s drama around accusations of sexual misconduct around a public figure.

The seven programs are among a total of 30 2017 Peabody Award winners. Winners in news, radio/podcast, children’s, education, and public service will be announced April 25.

FX’s freshman series Atlanta helped the network take home the most Writer’s Guild Awards of any television or streaming network during Sunday’s awards ceremonies.

FX won four WGA Awards, including two for Atlanta, which won for best comedy series and best new series. The network’s The Americans won best Drama Series and it’s the People V. O.J. Simpson won for best Adapted Long Form show, according to the WGA.

HBO, Netflix, NBC, PBS and CBS all won multiple WGA Awards during the event.

WGA Award Winners In The Television Category Are As Follows:

Drama Series

The Americans – FX

Comedy Series

Atlanta – FX

New Series

Atlanta – FX

Original Long Form

Confirmation – HBO

Adapted Long Form

The People V O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story – FX

Animation

BoJack Horseman – Netflix (“Stop The Presses”)

Episodic Drama

 This Is us – NBC (“The Trip”)

Episodic Comedy

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Netflix (“Kimmy Goes On A Playdate!”)

Comedy/Variety Talk Series

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver – HBO

Comedy/Variety Sketch Series

 Saturday Night Live – NBC

Comedy/Variety Specials

Triumph The Primary Election Special 2016 – Hulu

Quiz And Audience Participation

Hollywood Game Night – NBC

Daytime Drama

General Hospital – ABC

Children’s Episodic

Gortimer Gibbon’s Life On Normal Street – Amazon (“Mel vs. The Night Mare Of Normal Street”)

Children’s Long Form

Once Upon A Sesame Christmas – HBO

Documentary Script – Current Events

Frontline – PBS (“The Choice 2016”)

Frontline – PBS (“Inside Assad’s Syria”)

Documentary Script – Other Than Current Events

Jackie Robinson – PBS (Part 1)

TV News Script – Regularly Scheduled, Bulletin or Breaking Report

48 Hours – CBS (“Muhammad Ali: Remembering A Legend”)

TV News Script – Analysis, Feature Or Commentary

CBS Sunday Morning – CBS (“CBS Sunday Morning Almanac”)

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Scripted shows with predominately African-American casts are appealing to a wide range of viewers, according to a new Nielsen study.

Shows like ABC’s Black-ish, HBO’s Insecure and FX’s Atlanta and are all averaging more than 50% non-black viewership, according to Nielsen’s The 2016 Diverse Intelligence Series Report. Nearly 80% of comedy series Black-ish'saudience are viewers that are not African-American, while 61% of the Issa Rae-created comedy series Insecure’s audience represents non-black audienes, according to Nielsen.

Shows with ensemble casts also perform extremely well across audience groups including NBC’s freshman hit This Is Us, for which 89% of its audience is non-black, according to Nielsen. The series stars African-American actor Sterling K. Brown, who this past September won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of prosecutor Christopher Darden in FX’s The People V. O.J. Simpson.

“Much of the American narrative lately has focused on a growing cultural divide. But Nielsen’s data on television programming show something different,” says Andrew McCaskill, Nielsen's Senior Vice President, Communications and Multicultural Marketing in a statement. “Storylines with a strong black character or identity are crossing cultural boundaries to grab diverse audiences and start conversations. That insight is important for culture and content creators, as well as manufacturers and retailers looking to create engaging, high-impact advertising campaigns.”

On Jan. 8, actor and director Donald Glover was onstage at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles accepting the best comedy series Golden Globe Award for FX’s freshman series Atlanta, for which he was a first-time executive producer.

Glover, who would also win the Globe for best actor in a comedy series, thanked the “the black folks” in Atlanta for being “amazing people.”

What’s been amazing for the television industry is the infusion of young, African- American executive producers and creators like Glover who have created popular scripted programming with diverse images and storylines that, until just a few years ago, had been rarely seen on the small screen.

Whether its Selma producer Ava DuVernay examining the complex lives of estranged Louisiana siblings in OWN’s Queen Sugar, rapper 50 Cent and Courtney Kemp Agboh exploring the double life of a club owner who’s also a drug kingpin in Starz’s drama series Power, or Internet sensation Issa Rae keeping it real about the lives of single black women in HBO’s freshman comedy series Insecure, African-American creators and producers are stepping up to the plate and delivering quality, unfiltered programming with broad appeal to a cross section of viewers.

PART OF ‘GOLDEN’ WAVE

More newbie African-American TV creators and producers are set to make their debut in 2017, as an unprecedented 500 scripted series are expected to reach TV scereens this year, according to a recent FX study. Showtime has tapped actress Lena Waithe (Netflix’s Masters of None) to helm its upcoming drama series Chi, while several high-profile movie producers will move to the small screen with scripted projects, including Spike Lee (Netflix’s She’s Gotta Have It) and John Singleton (FX’s Snowfall).

Singleton, an Oscar-nominated director for 1991’s Boyz n the Hood, said television is now providing more opportunities to develop projects targeted to diverse viewers. Singleton, who earned an Emmy Award nomination for his direction of an episdode of FX’s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, will also produce Rebel, a police drama series for BET set to debut in March.

“With TV, it’s like you’re making a movie every week,” Singleton said.

Black History Month Viewing Guides:What to Watch | Interstitals

As the definition of what constitutes TV widens, African-American-helmed scripted series are making their mark in the current environment of high-quality programming.

“There’s been talk about the golden age of television for a while now, and because there are so many ways to get your content out there it opens the door for a lot more voices to be heard instead of when there were just three or six gatekeepers controlling everything people see,” said music superstar John Legend, an executive producer of WGN America’s sophomore drama series Underground, which chronicles the escape of antebellum-era Southern slaves via the Underground Railroad.

Legend added, “It has been great for diversity on television.”

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Still, the question remains whether the influx of African-American showrunners and producers will be a passing trend or a key feature of television’s future. Even as African-American-produced, directed and created projects on cable networks proliferate across cable networks and streaming services, minority producers remain rare behind the camera.

Minority show creators in general represented just 7.8% of cable scripted shows during the 2013-14 season, according to the UCLA 2016 Hollywood Diversity Report. While those numbers will undoubtedly climb over the next few years as post-2014 shows like ABC’s Black-ish and Starz’s Power are factored in, Darnell Hunt, director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, said at September’s NAMIC Conference that the representation numbers will still remain below the overall U.S. minority population.

The history of the entertainment industry is littered with periods when movies and TV shows featuring African-American culture looked to have broken into the mainstream, only to nearly vanish within a few years, Insecure showrunner Prentice Penny said.

In particular, he pointed to what was initially thought of as the “Golden Age” of diversity in movies during the late 1980s and early 1990s, when films such as Menace II Society, She’s Gotta Have It and Boyz n the Hood seemed ready to open doors to more films directed and produced by African-Americans. But in the 2000s, few movies from mainstream studios were being helmed by African-American writers, directors and producers.

“The truth is I have no idea,” Penny said when asked whether the current trend of African-American produced content will be long-lasting. “There are always those moments where they make all of these projects and then, 10 years later, there’s nothing. I hope this is [sustainable] and that lots of voices can get heard.”

Certainly, the critical and audience appeal for these shows bodes well for a potentially sustained future. FX’s Atlanta, which follows the lives of cousins trying to make it big in the city’s rap scene, drew 3 million viewers in its Sept. 6 premiere, the most for an FX series in five years. That was followed by a slew of industry accolades, including a Critics’ Choice Award and two Golden Globe Awards for Glover, both as an actor and producer of the series.

Last month, FX rewarded Glover with an exclusive television production deal that includes a second season of Atlanta, set to return in 2018 after Glover finishes his work on the next Star Wars film.

“We’re going to try to get that show back as soon as we can because there’s a great audience that wants that show,” FX president Eric Schrier said during the network’s Television Critics Association tour press event last month.

HBO’s Insecure, which drew 1.1 million viewers in its Oct. 9 premiere, has also been renewed for a second season. Penny — who will produce and star in truTV’s reality series Upscale With Prentice Penny, set to debut in March — said he was initially surprised at the incredibly positive response to the show.

“There’s no formula … you have no idea what people will respond to,” he said. “I feel blessed that people responded to it. You can’t control what the viewing public decides to watch, so you just have to do the best you can.”

He also said that the expansion of distribution outlets via online streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and YouTube will continue to create opportunities for diverse images and stories to be produced.

Added Underground’s Legend: “The landscape was much different then because there are way more distribution channels now — not just cable, satellite or premium channels but so many other places, like Netflix and Hulu, where people can view content. As content creators, its gives us more latitude to populate these different channels with interesting and diverse content.

“It’s made TV more diverse than film because there are so many different opportunities for audiences to get what they’re looking for on television, which means a diverse range of viewpoints and voice can be seen and heard,” Legend added.

Beyond selected hit shows, networks are well aware that African- American viewers are an important audience. African-Americans continue to consume more video than any other group, thereby increasing the viability of content that appeals directly to those viewers. African-Americans average more than 42 hours of live TV viewing during the third quarter of 2016, according to Nielsen’s Total Audience Report, well above the U.S. average of 29 hours, Hispanics (22 hours) and Asian-Americans (14 hours).

KEY TO KEEPING AUDIENCES

Also, as the overall U.S. population continues to diversify, the need for new, unique stories told from a different point of view will force linear network distributors to continue to foster the development of content created by producers and creators of color — otherwise, audiences will migrate to the web, Penny said.

“I think that in the digital space people can just make their own content and put it out there for people to connect to right away,” Penny said. “It changes how we get content to the marketplace, so it definitely opens the door for literally anybody of any color or nationality that has something to say to put it out and get a response right away.”

FX Networks president John Landgraf said 52% of FX’s show directors in 2017 will not be white men, in an effort to better reflect the diversity of the network’s audience.

“We’re going to keep going until everything about our channel and every aspect of our channel is fair and better reflects the diversity of the population of the country we live in, and is not as skewed as the whole industry has been towards white heterosexual males,” Landgraf said at the last month’s Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour.

Added Underground executive producer Misha Green: “I think the diversification of stories that are being told right now will continue because there are more outlets. I think more content is needed, and the gatekeepers who wanted to keep the gate closed are now saying we need shows. I think the increase of content has helped more diverse voices come through, but more still need to come through. I can’t wait to see and hear those voices.”

Get complete coverage of the 2017 Winter Press Tour.

The number of original scripted programming won’t reach its peak until 2017 or 2018, according to FX Networks president John Landgraf.

Landgraf, speaking during the network’s Television Critics Association Winter press tour executive session Thursday, said scripted television programing hasn’t peaked yet, despite 454 scripted programs currently on cable, broadcast and streaming services.

RELATED > TCA17: FX Signs Donald Glover to Deal With FX Productions

While admitting he was wrong in his original prediction regarding the peak of scripted fare, he nevertheless said that he was “going out on a limb” to predict that the number of scripted shows will begin to decline sometime in 2017 or 2018.

He added that the network had its best year in 2016 and has a strong lineup set for 2017, although two of the network’s biggest shows of last year – Atlanta and American Crime Story – won’t return until 2018.

He added Atlanta star and recent Golden Globe winner Donald Glover will be busy working on the next Star Wars film, delaying the show’s second season, while FX wants to take its time developing American Crime Story’s focus on Hurricane Katrina.

RELATED > TCA17: FX Scares Up Two More Seasons of ‘American Horror Story’

“We have high ambitions for this franchise,” Landgraf said. “It’s taken time to get material that we’ve happy with.”

FX has also made strides in diversifying its showrunners, according to Landgraf, with non-white males representing 52% of its original series producers in 2016.

“It’s a work in progress,” Landgraf said. “We’re going to keep going until everything about our channel is fair and better reflects the diversity of the country that we live in. “

Get complete coverage of the 2017 Winter Press Tour

Fresh off of his recent Golden Globes win, FX has signed Atlanta actor/producer Donald Glover to an exclusive overall television production deal, the company said Thursday in advance of its TCA Winter Critics tour presentation 

Under the new deal, Glover -- who this past Sunday won the Golden Globes award for best actor in a comedy series for his portrayal of Earnest “Earn” Marks on FX’s freshman series Atlanta, which also the Globes Award for best comedy series – will develop TV series for FX Networks as well as for other networks and streaming services, according to Nick Grad and Eric Schrier, presidents of original programming, FX Networks and FX Productions.

Glover will also remain producer and star of Altanta, which will return to FX for a second season in 2018.

“Donald is a remarkable artist, effortlessly shifting from actor to writer, producer, director and musician to create one amazing project after another,” Grad said in a statement. “Atlanta was just the beginning, the breakout comedy of the year and a series revered as much for its originality as its honest look at the experience of being aspiring, young and black in that legendary city. We’re proud to partner with Donald in an overall deal that will allow him to continue turning his creative vision into incredible television.”

The annual Golden Globes Awards event is known for its unpredictability, and the 74th edition of the awards show held Sunday night did not disappoint as a slew of freshman basic cable and online streaming series won the majority of TV awards.

FX, led by limited series People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and freshman comedy series Atlanta took home the most Golden Globes awards with four, followed by AMC, which earned three awards for its limited series The Night Manager.

Netflix was the only other service to garner multiple awards, winning two statuettes for its first-year series The Crown, which wonfor best drama series as well as best actress in a drama series for Claire Foy.

Noticeably absent from the list of award wininng networks was HBO, which led all networks with 14 nominations. In fact, only five content distributors won awards, with ABC and Amazon joining FX, AMC and Netflix.

Freshman series took home 10 of the 11 Golden Globes Awards in the television category – the exception being third-year series Black-ish, whose star Tracy Ellis-Ross won for best actress in a television series – led by AMC’s The Night Manager. The series won three acting awards including best actor in a limited series for Tom Hiddleston and best supporting actress and actor awards in a limited series for Olivia Colman and Hugh Laurie respectively.

The Golden Globe Winners in the Television Category Are As Follows:

Best Television Series – Drama

The Crown – Netflix

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Billy Bob Thornton (Goliath) -- Amazon

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Drama
Claire Foy (The Crown) – Netflix

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Atlanta – FX

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Donald Glover (Atlanta) – FX

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Tracy Ellis-Ross (Black-ish) – ABC

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made For Television

The People V. O.J. Simpson – FX

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager) – AMC

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Sarah Paulson (The People v. O.J. Simpson) – FX

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made For Television

Olivia Colman (The Night Manager) – AMC

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Hugh Laurie (The Night Manager) -- AMC

Atlanta’s Donald Glover wrapped up a big night for the Fx series with a Golden Globes win for best actor in a comedy series.

Glover, who plays Earnest “Earn” Marks in the freshman FX series, beat out Anthony Anderson (Black-ish), Gael Garcia Bernal (Mozart In The Jungle), Nick Nolte (Graves), and Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent) for top honors in the category.

Earlier in the night, Atlanta won the Golden Globes award for best comedy series.

FX’s freshman series Atlanta was a surprise Golden Globes winner for best comedy series.

The series, created and starring Donald Glover (Community), beat out a veteran lineup of comedy shows including Black-ish, Mozart In The Jungle, Transparent and Veep for the Golden Globe award for Television Series – Musical or Comedy.

Glover is also nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy award.

The 2016-17 TV and movie awards season has hit high gear with the presentation of Critics’ Choice Awards winners as well as nominations for Golden Globe Awards, NAACP Image Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards. While TV viewers and critics will undoubtedly cheer shows recognized by the major awards groups — and lament over their favorite shows that did not make the awards cut — The Wire saw three trends coming out of the awards blitz that could affect the television industry heading into the new year.

More love for diverse casting: A number of new scripted series with predominately multicultural casts won Critics’ Choice Awards in major categories or earned multiple Golden Globe, NAACP Image or SAG Award nominations. Established and more mainstream series like Empire and Black-ish continued to remain popular with awards judges, garnering numerous nominations. The most prominent and eye-opening nods, though, were for more niche shows like FX’s hip hop-flavored series Atlanta, as creator and star Donald Glover won a Critics’ Choice Award for best actor in a comedy series and Golden Globe nomination in the same category, and HBO’s comedy series Insecure, which nabbed eight NAACP Image Award nominations and a Golden Globe best comedy actress nod for Issa Rae, star of the freshman comedy series. Also, Golden Globe, SAG and NAACP award nominations for Thandie Newton’s performance as a newly sentient android in HBO’s Westworld, and multiple nods for FX limited series The People v. O.J. Simpson and actors including Courtney B. Vance and Sterling K. Brown (also nominated for an NAACP Image Award for NBC’s This Is Us) demonstrate that, when given a chance, actors of color can turn in award-defining performances.

Newbie series bring buzz: During every awards season there seems to be a new series that captures the zeitgeist of the viewer and the eye of judges. This season, several new shows have gained major award recognition. Half of the Critics’ Choice Awards winners in the major drama categories were from freshman series Westworld (HBO) and The Crown (Netflix). Four out of the five Golden Globes-nominated series in the drama category are from first-year shows (The Crown, Westworld, This Is Us and Netflix’s Stranger Things). Four of the five SAG Awards nominations for “outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series” were from new series, including two from binge-viewing favorite Stranger Things. With 400-plus scripted series for U.S. audiences to choose from, new shows are cutting through the clutter to build both audiences and critical acclaim.

Cable, streaming services dominate TV drama: Anyone who doubted whether the best and most critically acclaimed shows on television today are on cable networks and streaming services only has to look at recent award-winning and nominated shows in the major drama categories. Broadcast network shows were virtually shut out of Critics’ Choice Awards wins in all six drama categories and four of six comedy categories. On the nominations front, This Is Us is the lone broadcast entry in 15 Golden Globes drama category nominations and PBS’s recently ended Downton Abbey staved off a complete SAG Awards nominations sweep for cable and streaming services in major drama series categories. Shows from Netflix (The Crown, Stranger Things), HBO (Westworld, Game of Thrones), USA Network (Mr. Robot), AMC (Better Call Saul), FX (The Americans) and Starz (Outlander) have set the standard for quality among drama series that the broadcast networks will have to live up to if they are to be recognized during future awards seasons.

Reindeer Rundown: NORAD Set for Holiday

To ensure that cable operators and other media outlets can help prevent highflying grandmas from getting run over by flying reindeer and keep up with the lively and quick doings of the little man with the sack, NORAD, the joint U.S.-Canada aerospace warning and control operation, is inviting them to participate in this year’s Santa Claus tracking operation “in a variety of ways.”

NORAD, which annually charts Santa’s Christmas Eve/Christmas Day flights over North American airspace, is allowing media outlets to embed its “track Santa” logo, countdown clock and live tracking map on their websites.

Those outlets will also be authorized to tap into the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) system for live satellite interviews (6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 24) with senior NORAD command leaders (email requests to NORADTracksSanta@dvidshub.net). Various flight crews will escort the flight, per usual.

Starting at 2:01 a.m., the website will stream video of Santa preparing the flight and then from several locations en route. Those with OnStar can also press the button in their cars to locate Santa in his sleigh. No word on whether car-to-sleigh communications are mandated under the Department of Transportation’s new V2V “light duty” vehicles proposal issued last week, though Santa’s sleigh probably qualifies as heavy duty.

NORAD has tracked Santa since 1955. Before that, it was mostly word-of-mouth between siblings talking excitedly, snug in their beds, while they were supposed to be asleep.

— John Eggerton

Ball-Watcher Update: Times Square Hosts Set

Updating our item on the New Year’s Day festivities in Times Square, the talent, or at least most of it, has been named for the free, anchored, coverage of the ball drop that the Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment are making available to media outlets.

Singers Gavin DeGraw (“She Sets the City on Fire”) and Rachel Platten (“Fight Song” and “Stand By You”) will be co-headlining the live, commercial- free feeds and the webcast. Platten also gets the honors of carrying on the tradition of performing John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

Univision will provide “three star musical performances,” but they have yet to be named.

Returning as host of the Web coverage will be Spotify’s “global head of rock” Allison Hagendorf, joined by Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls, Cake Wars).

— John Eggerton

RELATED: Atlanta Review 

FX’s comedy series Atlanta drew big numbers among total viewers and adults 18-49 in its Sept. 6 debut.

The series, created by and starring Donald Glover (Community), averaged 3 million total viewers (Nielsen Live +3 ratings), making it the most watched network comedy series premiere since Wilfred in 2011, according to the network.

In addition, the series -- in which two cousins work through the Atlanta music scene in order to better their lives – delivered 1.9 million adults 18-49, again the most for the network since Wilfred.

A second original episode of Atlanta airing that night averaged 1.6 million viewers and 1.1 million adults 18-49, according to FX.

Social media was buzzing Tuesday about two OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network shows as part of a strong night for cable programming.

OWN’s The Have and The Have Nots drew 344,000 Twitter and Facebook interactions from 163,000 unique social media accounts to lead all television programs airing on Sept. 6, according to the Nielsen Social daily rankings.  

RELATED: OWN President Erik Logan talks about the network's scripted series fortunes (VIDEO)

OWN’s premiere of the Winfrey/Ava DuVernay-produced drama series Queen Sugar was second with 209,000 interactions from 105,000 unique accounts, according to Nielsen. FX’s Atlantacomedy series premiere was third, followed by USA Network’s WWE series SmackDown! and NBC’s America’s Got Talent.

Univision Deportes’ FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifying match between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago was the most social live sports show of the day, according to Nielsen.

FX’s new series Atlanta is hard to define: It’s not quite a drama, but it’s not all comedy; it’s sometimes very edgy and yet often heartwarming. And that’s what makes the show unique and interesting.

The series revolves around Earnest “Earn” Marks, (played by series producer and Community alumnus Donald Glover), a young man looking to find his niche as a manager for his cousin, Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles (Brian Tyree Henry), an up-and-coming hip-hop artist.

Practically homeless (his parents won’t let him in to their house after his father says he can’t afford to have him live there), Earn stays with his child’s mother and on-again/off-again girlfriend Van (Zazie Beetz), whose expectations for Earn are much higher than what he’s currently living up to.

Atlanta is not a laugh-out-loud comedy, but the comedic elements of the series are very funny and often subtle, and can easily be missed or overlooked if you’re not paying attention. Many of the lighthearted moments are derived from interactions between Earn, Paper Boi and his best friend/right-hand man Darius (Keith Stanfield), who comes off as both unassuming and unnerving.

Earn’s first encounter with Darius at Paper Boi’s house — Darius meets him at the door with a butcher knife, but then offers him fresh baked cookies when he realizes Earn is cool — sets the stage and tone for one of the more integral character developments in the show, with free-spirited Darius playing off the more serious, slick Earn and hard-core Paper Boi.

Over the first few episodes, Glover slowly unwinds the show’s storylines around the main characters, through the lens of a focused slice of urban life that’s rarely seen on television. He also weaves in larger societal issues, such as racism, illegal drugs, the overcrowded prison system and poverty, helping shape a very intelligent and entertaining show.

It wasn’t that long ago when cable programmers looked at Labor Day weekend as a sort of respite after a long, busy summer in which many high-profile scripted shows debuted prior to the start of the broadcast networks’ fall TV season.

But with more than 400 scripted shows on cable, broadcast and online streaming services available to viewers this year, no time period can be considered off -limits for original series launches anymore. As a result, several cable networks are aggressively going after viewers during the typically slow holiday weekend with original movies, miniseries and series.

Discovery Channel has chosen Labor Day (Sept. 5) to launch its six-hour miniseries Harley and the Davidsons (pictured), the network’s first scripted miniseries since 2014’s Klondike.

Discovery’s historical motorcycle-themed series will look to capture viewers searching for original content amid the massive amount of reruns, movies and show marathons typically scheduled over holidays. History in 2014 proved that viewers will watch original content over the holiday weekend, drawing 3.7 million viewers for the Labor Day premiere of the miniseries Houdini.

Also on Labor Day, MTV will unleash two scripted comedy series in Loosely Exactly Nicole, starring comedian and Girl Code star Nicole Byer, and Mary + Jane, about the exploits of unlikely weed dealers.

The day prior, TV One will look to tap viewers suffering from Olympics withdrawal with its original boxing-themed film Ringside.

Cable’s scripted train continues the day after Labor Day with two more high-profile series premieres. FX will debut Atlanta, a half-hour comedy series from Community star Donald Glover, while OWN will roll out its Oprah Winfrey/Ava DuVernay-produced drama series Queen Sugar.

Related Video:One Question for ... OWN President Erik Logan

Online streaming service Crackle will also look to get in on the action with the debut of StartUp, starring Adam Brody.

With broadcast network series premieres premiering less than a week after Labor Day and running through May, and with a crowded cable lineup of scripted show premieres dominating the summer months, there are there are precious few pockets on the calendar where networks can get the word out on big scripted projects.

As viewers officially say goodbye to the summer and look forward to a new season of scripted broadcast fare, Labor Day weekend now seems to be as good a time as any for cable nets to raise the flag on original programming.

FX has greenlit the first season of series Atlanta, the network said Thursday (Oct. 16).

The series, created by and starring Donald Glover (Community) that follows the exploits of two cousins on their way up through the Atlanta rap scene, will air on FX in 2016, according to Nick Grad and Eric Schrier, Presidents of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions.

Atlanta will also star Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Lee Stanfield and Zazie Beetz, according to FX.

 “Atlanta draws on Donald’s considerable talents as a musician, actor and writer to give us something unique,” Grad said. “The story is made all the more powerful by the great cast and the contributions of Donald’s fellow Executive Producer Paul Simms and director Hiro Murai. We can’t wait to for the debut of Atlanta next year.”

FX Networks has commissioned production of comedy series pilot Atlanta from actor/writer Donald Glover, the network said Friday.

Glover (Community, 30 Rock) will serve as executive producer of the pilot, which revolves around the exploits of two cousins making their way up the Atlanta rap music scene, said network officials.

“Donald Glover is a uniquely talented actor and performer who brings real-life experience to this subject matter,” said Nick Grad, president of original programming for FX Networks and FX Productions. “Not only is Donald a very gifted actor, he has achieved tremendous success and acclaim as the musical artist Childish Gambino.  He, along with Paul Simms, has a very honest, sometimes serious, and funny perspective on life, the world of rap music and the city of Atlanta.”

Saddled by one of the least competitive games in NFL history, Thursday Night Football shed nearly 9 million viewers during its second week under the CBS/NFL Network game plan.

The Atlanta Falcons’ 56-14 dismantling of Lovey Smith’s woeful Tampa Bay Bucs drew 11.9 million watchers on Sept. 18, according to Nielsen data. With the blowout – Tampa’s two fourth-quarter tallies ended the scoring – the second TNF simulcast declined 43% from the 20.8 million who tuned in the Baltimore-Pittsburgh opener on Sept. 11. The total included 2.35 million who watched on NFL Network.

Nevertheless, TNF easily won TV’s night, as the broadcasters – save for NBC’s two-hour presentation of The Biggest Loser -- remain in repeat mode ahead of the officials start of the TV season next week.

Moreover, Atlanta-Tampa -- highlighed by Devon Hester's punt TD (pictured) that set the all-time NFL mark for return scores -- registered the second-largest TNF audience behind Baltimore-Pittsburgh and ahead of the 11.1 million for Kansas City-Philadelphia on Sept. 19, 2013 (excluding NBC's Thanksgiving night specials). Until the two games this season, Chiefs-Eagles ranked as NFL Network's largest telecast, including audience contributions from local stations in the participating teams' DMAs.

Kicking off at 7:26 p.m. (ET), an hour before the pro game, ESPN's coverage of the much more competitive contest between fifth-ranked Auburn and 20th-rated Kansas State -- the Tigers topped the Wildcats, 20-14 -- drew 3.85 million watchers to lead the way in cable on Thursday.

Despite the threat of continued industry consolidation of distributors and suppliers, the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) expects attendance at this year’s Cable-Tec Expo in Denver to match up with last year’s event in Atlanta. Yes, flat is indeed the new growth.

“Historically, Denver has had strong on-site registrations,” SCTE president and CEO Mark Dzuban said. “We expect to be where we were last year. But some of that is factored into the on-site registrations we’re expecting.”

For those keeping score, last year’s Expo in Atlanta drew about 9,800, a 6% increase from the 2012 event in steamy Orlando, Fla.

Dzuban said the number of new, first-time exhibitors is up 64% for the Denver event, while total exhibitors are up roughly 16%. SCTE, he said, is also seeing a surge in international attendance, which was up 10% heading into the show.

That growth comes against the backdrop of SCTE’s deeper global focus. Earlier this month, for example, the SCTE launched the International Society of Broadband Experts (ISBE), a brand and training division that will supply training and certification resources around the world. It’s also there to “eliminate existing brand confusion” with the Society for Broadband Professionals, a U.K.-based founded in 1945 that also goes by “SCTE.”

While this year’s show will shine the spotlight on specific categories such as DOCSIS 3.1, 4K/Ultra HD, the Reference Design Kit (RDK), energy management, WiFi, a big overarching theme will be customer service, Dzuban said.

“If we look at last year’s Expo being about IP networking and going to all-IP networks and what that technical evolution looks like, this year if really about how do we use science and technology to improve the customer experience in a market that is very competitive, but so are we,” he said, noting that the event will play host to 48 workshops.

And expect a look into the cloud that doesn’t just skim along the surface of what’s evolved into a catch-all buzzword. “We’re not talking about Wikipedia: What is the cloud? This is about how to apply dos and don’ts and best practices,” Dzuban said.

SCTE, like other cable-focused organizations, has been tasked with developing growth strategies amid a consolidating market, which, again, is one of the reasons why it’s been expanding its reach and focus.

“If you look at our mission, the mission doesn’t change” in the face of a consolidating industry, Dzuban said. “It’s expanding our footprint and our relationship with existing MSOs to include – just as CableLabs is absorbing Europe CableLabs and the NCTA [National Cable & Telecommunications Association] having a larger international contingent – the global community.”

But don’t expect Cable Tec-Expo to set up its tent overseas, at least not yet.  SCTE has already locked in New Orleans for the site of its 2015 cable tech-fest, set for Oct. 13-16.