Nat Geo is shifting its approach to Emmy-nominated anthology series Genius by featuring two icons, civil-rights leaders the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X, in its fourth season.

The eight-part series, launching February 1, is an intimate look at both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King’s complex lives as husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons as it showcases their humanity and leadership qualities, Nat Geo said.

Genius MLK/X stars Kelvin Harrison Jr. as King, Aaron Pierre as Malcolm X, Weruche Opia as Coretta Scott King and Jayme Lawson as Betty Shabazz.

Series executive producer Gina Prince-Bythewood said the series captures the spirit and essence of Malcolm X and King, along with their wives. “We knew the narrative we wanted to tell to put these two men and two women together to show their parallel stories – not just in the iconic moments and the historical things they’ve done, but in their personal lives as well,” Bythewood told Multichannel News. 

While the first three Genius series, showcasing Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Aretha Franklin, only featured a single icon, the dual narratives of Genius MLK/X won’t hurt the show’s ability to adequately profile both legendary leaders, according to executive producer Reggie Rock-Bythewood.

“As great a series as [Genius] has been, we never came in with a mandate to do what was done before,” he said. “We came in with our own personal mandate to disrupt the genre, and we’re so happy that we’re the first season of the show that looks at two different Geniuses.”

Along with the Bythewoods, the series is executive produced by Raphael Jackson, Damione Macedon, Channing Godfrey Peoples, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Francie Calfo, Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane, Sam Sokolow and Jeff Stetson.

Click below to listen to an interview with the Bythewoods on the latest episode of the “Content Spotlight” podcast. 

National Geographic has announced a February 1 premiere date for its latest Genius biographical anthology series, profiling civil rights icons the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

The eight-part Genius: MLK/X will look at how the dueling philosophies of King and Malcolm X helped usher America through the Civil Rights Movement, according to the network. The series follows both King and X from their formative years, where they were molded by strong fathers and traumatic injustices, to their rich, parallel stories as they shaped their identities and became the change they wished to see in the world, said Nat Geo.

Kelvin Harrison Jr. will star as King, while Aaron Pierre will play Malcolm X. Also starring in the series are Weruche Opia, Jayme Lawson and the late Ron Cephas Jones.

Genius: MLK/X is the fourth series in Nat Geo's Emmy-winning Genius franchise, following installments featuring the lives of Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Aretha Franklin. 

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As with each previous Genius season, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Television will return to produce Genius: MLK/X along with Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince-Bythewood's Undisputed Cinema. Damione Macedon and Raphael Jackson Jr. serve as executive producers.

The first two episodes of Genius: MLK/X will air on February 1 and stream the next day on Disney Plus and Hulu, with two episodes debuting weekly throughout Black History Month. 

National Geographic will profile Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. as part of the new season of its Genius scripted drama series.

The fourth installment of the Emmy-winning Genius franchise, which moves to Disney Plus from National Geographic, will for the first time profile two extraordinary individuals as it explores the formative years, pioneering accomplishments, dueling philosophies and key personal relationships of King and Malcolm X, said network officials. National Geographic had previously announced King as its lone fourth season subject.

Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince-Bythewood will serve as executive producers for the series along with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Raphael Jackson Jr., Damione Maceson, Francie Calfo, and Anna Culp also serve as executive producers.

The previous three Genius installments focused on Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Aretha Franklin. 

“Malcolm and Martin are staggering icons, and we have been eager to explore the genius of these two very real men in a way that has not yet been seen,” said the Bythewoods in a statement. “We are excited to team up with Imagine Entertainment and 20th Television to reflect their amazing lives and contributions to civil rights and the urgency of today.” ■ 

Disney Branded Television has named veteran programming executive Gloria Fan as its head of Current Series, overseeing current and new projects for Disney Channel and Disney Plus.

In the newly created role, Fan will oversee original series development over such upcoming Disney Channel shows as Ultraviolet & Black Scorpion, as well as upcoming Disney Plus shows Sneakerella, National Treasure and the Beauty & The Beast prequel, said the company.

Previously Fan worked at 20th Television Studios where she served as vice president of Current Programming. Most recently, Fan's work has spanned across networks and streaming services including National Geographic's scripted powerhouses Genius and The Hot Zone, FX's Mayans M.C., NBC’s Ordinary Joe and Showtime's Homeland.

Fan will report to Disney SVP, Development and Current Series Reena Singh, said Disney. 

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National Geographic continues its Genius franchise with a focus on the life of R&B music legend Aretha Franklin.

Much like its first two Genius projects about Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, Genius: Aretha is defined by the excellent performance of its lead star, Cynthia Erivo. It doesn’t take long for Erivo to embody the look and aura of the legendary singer. It also doesn’t take long for Erivo to deliver her well-established musical vocals to Aretha’s biggest and well-known hits, opening the series with a rendition of Franklin’s “Chain of Fools” during a live 1967 concert performance. 

The series also doesn’t wait long in delving into Franklin’s personal life, which has been mostly private and undisclosed to most observers. In just the first episode, viewers will learn of Franklin’s initial experiences with racism as a child; her complicated relationship with her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin (Courtney B. Vance), a well-known Detroit Baptist minister nicknamed “The Man with the Million Dollar Voice;” her often-turbulent early marriage; and her experiences as a young mother.

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Viewers will also get a glimpse of Franklin’s grit and determination to be a star, as well as her natural musical abilities. Franklin was a self-taught pianist, and in one scene depicting a recording session, she explains to a group of musicians her vision of how a song should sound not through intricate musical terminology but through her own language and vibe. The mostly white musicians quickly pick up on Franklin’s cues, resulting in one of her biggest hits. 

The eight-episode series will take viewers through Franklin’s life and career, from her chart explosion and literal coronation as the “Queen of Soul” at a concert, to her unabashed support for the Civil Rights Movement, to her awkward but eventually successful transition through several changes in musical styles and trends. Fans of Franklin as well as of the Genius franchise will certainly not be disappointed in Genius: Aretha. 

National Geographic will air all eight episodes of Genius: Aretha across four consecutive nights beginning March 21.

National Geographic has signed Cynthia Erivo as the lead for its upcoming series Genius: Aretha, the network announced Thursday.

The Tony, Grammy and Emmy-winning Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) will star as Aretha Franklin in the series, which will focus on the life of the Queen of Soul, said the network. Genius: Aretha is the third installment of the Genius franchise, following shows based on the lives of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso.

“The fabulously talented Cynthia Erivo is dream casting to play iconic musical genius Aretha Franklin,” said Carolyn Bernstein, executive vice president of global scripted content and documentary films for National Geographic. “On the heels of her Tony Award-winning turn in The Color Purple and breakout performance in upcoming feature film Harriet, we can’t wait to see Cynthia bring her fierceness to the role as the Queen of Soul.”

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Added Erivo: “Aretha Franklin has been a source of inspiration for me since I was a little girl. Her strength, passion and soul are evident in her everlasting legacy, not only as a transcendent artist, but as a humanitarian and civil rights icon. To have the opportunity to bring her legacy to life and show the fullness of her being, her humanity and brilliance, is an honor.”

National Geographic will profile the life of music legend Aretha Franklin in the next installment of its Genius anthology series, with Pulitzer Prize award-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks serving as executive producer, the network announced Sunday during the 2019 TCA winter press tour.

Genius: Aretha Franklin will chronicle the life of the Queen of Soul, who passed away in 2018. Franklin follows Genius installments on Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso.

Parks will serve as showrunner for the third season of the anthology series, with veteran music producer Clive Davis — along with Atlantic Records Chairman and CEO Craig Kallman — serving as executive producers. Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Francie Calfo will also serve as executive producers, according to Nat Geo executives.

Related: National Geographic to Premiere 'Free Solo' Commercial Free in March

In other Nat Geo TCA news, the network has secured the rights to NBC’s non-fiction series RunningWild With Bear Grylls, which is currently in production and slated to premiere in December 2019.

-- The network has greenlit to series The Right Stuff, an adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s best-selling nonfiction account of the early days of the U.S. space program. Production will begin this Fall 2019.

-- Premiere dates for several new and existing series include The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (March 5), Hostile Planet (April 1), Science Fair (May 9), The Hot Zone (May 27), Going Viral (May 2019), Yellowstone Live (June 2019), and Apollo: Mission to the Moon (July 2019).

National Geographic will team with famed director Ridley Scott on a new scripted series, part of several new scripted and documentary series announced Wednesday as part of the network's “further front” presentation in New York. 

New scripted series include The Hot Zone, based on the international bestseller by Richard Preston and executive produced by Ridley Scott, which  recounts the true story of the Ebola virus, said network officials.

The Hot Zone joins the previously announced, Silicon Valley-themed series Valley of the Boom as new shows on the network’s scripted series lineup, which also includes returning series Genius -- which Wednesday was renewed for a third season that will focus on Frankenstein author Mary Shelly -- and Mars, which will return for its sophomore campaign later this year.

Other scripted series in development include Hidden Figures, an anthology series inspired by the Oscar-nominated movie that profiles people whose contributions to science, technology and innovation have been overlooked by history; The White House Detail, an inside look at the personal and professional lives of U.S.Secret Service agents; and Ten Borders, a six-part limited series centered on five unrelated individuals who are inexorably pulled into one another’s lives through the mass exodus of humanity from war torn Syria to the safe refuge of Sweden. 

Among the network’s new documentary series are Hostile Planet, a six-part series that focuses on the world’s most extreme environments to reveal the animal kingdom’s most epic stories of survival, and In Their Words, which chronicles high-profile events through vintage audio and film recordings. Among the topics explored in the series include the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the narco drug wars and the 2008 global financial crisis.

Another show, Chain Of Command: Secret Service, chronicles the exploits of the agency that protects the president of the United States, said Nat Geo.

National Geographic will also develop several live projects, including Brain Games Live, based on the Emmy-nominated show; and Yellowstone Live, a four-day event that showcased the best of the National Park’s wildlife in real time,

Other specials include Mission to the Sun and Apollo 50 Anniversary, said the network.

The new shows and specials will join returning series Cosmos: Possible Worlds; The Story Of God With Morgan Freeman; Explorer: Life Below Zero; StarTalk; Wicked Tuna and Wicked Tuna Outer Banks.

“National Geographic has become the destination for the best-in-class creatives, who want to partner with us on big, bold premium and entertaining content,” said Courteney Monroe, CEO, National Geographic Global Networks in a statement. “Our upfront slate is evidence that our transformation is truly taking hold and reaffirms our commitment to amplify important topics that matter, to create dialogue and to use the power of storytelling to change the world.” 

National Geographic has named actor Antonio Banderas to star as Pablo Picasso in the sophomore season of its anthology series Genius.

Banderas (The Mask Of Zoro, Evita) will portray the life of the Spanish painter in the second season of the series, which returns in 2018. The first season of Genius, which chronicled the life of Albert Einstein, was nominated for 10 Emmy Awards.

The second season of Genius will again be executive produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment, as well as Gigi Pritzker's Madison Wells Media’s OddLot Entertainment and EUE/Sokolow, said Nat Geo. 

“Not only are they both from Málaga, Spain, but also similar to Picasso, Antonio exudes charisma and passion, and has challenged boundaries with his creative artistry,” said Carolyn Bernstein, executive vice president, head of global scripted for National Geographic in a statement. “He checks all the boxes for us and we couldn’t be more pleased to have him lead the series.”

National Geographic’s first scripted series, Genius, starts April 25 and features Geoffrey Rush as Albert Einstein.

The series comes from Fox 21 Television Studios and is executive produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.

Genius is based on Walter Isaacson’s book Einstein: His Life and Universe. The 10-part series tracks Einstein’s rise from humble origins as “an imaginative, rebellious thinker, through his struggles to be recognized by the establishment, to his global celebrity status as the man who unlocked the mysteries of the cosmos with his theory of relativity," Nat Geo said.

It also delves into his "alternately exhilarating emotions and heartlessness in dealing with his closest personal relationships, including his children, his two wives and the various women with whom he cheats on them,” the network said.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Ads for shows from cable networks and streaming services were among the bevy of commercials that aired during last night’s thrilling Super Bowl LI game on Fox.

AMC’s The Walking Dead, Netflix’s Stranger Things, National Geographic’s Genius and Hulu/MGM Television's The Handmaid's Tale were among the commercials running during the big game, in which the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons in the first overtime game in Super Bowl history.

The overtime period allowed Fox to air four additional in-game spots, according to BroadcastingCable.com. Fox generated revenue of $509.6 million during the game, according to research company iSpot.TV.

Here were some of the cable show ads that aired during the Super Bowl:

AMC’s The Walking Dead

Netflix’s Stranger Things

National Geographic’s Genius

Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale