Fox's ad-supported streaming service, Tubi, has launched Stubios, a new program that will let four aspiring filmmakers create content based on viewer feedback.

Created in partnership with Issa Rae’s talent management company ColorCreative, Stubios will seek to identify four “Stubiorunners,” who will each lead their own series with the help of viewer-input.

Based on viewership, these creators' projects will have to reach a certain engagement threshold before they are automatically greenlit for their next project, meaning each series will have to fight for widespread appeal.

Tubi’s first group of creatives begins programming on Tuesday with Lady London, a viral American songwriter and rapper.

The second and third creatives have yet to be revealed by Tubi, but applications to assume the mantle as the fourth Stubiorunner will open Tuesday, with no barriers to entry.

Tubi points to that lack of obstacles as a major reason it believes Stubios will succeed.

“Our business model is centered on removing barriers, fostering expression, and listening to people,” said Dana Balch, Tubi’s director of product and consumer communications, in a phone call with Next TV.

“It doesn’t look like a lot of typical platforms,” said Balch. “But this is our response to a changing media and entertainment landscape that’s really grounded in what’s been successful for Tubi over the years: giving opportunities to independent filmmakers that want a direct path to break into the industry.”

Balch also called Rae’s story, which began with a Youtube web series called Awkward Black Girl, the “best example of what Stubios could create.”

“She had her own show on YouTube — not because she wanted to be a YouTube — but because it was the platform without barriers,” explained Balch. “It’s sad there’s not more Issa Rae’s out there already, but we feel like Stubios is a model that’s likely to find and source creatives of that caliber.”

Balch also said that the vertically-oriented swipe feature will help users feel engaged like they do on social platforms.

“We know that younger generations are spending more time on social media rather than streaming, so we’re looking for an engaging way to marry all of that.”

Project Greenlight, a redo of docuseries that debuted in late 2001, debuts on Max Thursday, July 13. All 10 episodes are available that day. Issa Rae is behind the production, which focuses on the struggles of first-time filmmakers. 

The season focuses on director Meko Winbush and her effort to make the feature film Gray Matter. The film premieres on Max July 13 as well. 

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were behind the original Project Greenlight, which focused on the travails of a rookie film director. It had two seasons on HBO, premiering in 2001, then one on Bravo, before it returned to HBO for one more season in 2015. 

Rae is an executive producer on the new Project Greenlight, which looks at female filmmakers. Hoorae, Alfred Street Industries, 3 Arts Entertainment and Miramax Television produce the show. Rae, Kumail Nanjiani and Gina Prince-Bythewood mentor the filmmaker throughout the season. 

“Project Greenlight pulls back the curtain on the filmmaking process from start to finish, offering a unique, 360-look into selected director Meko Winbush’s experience as she directs her first feature film,” Max said.  

Rae and Montrel McKay executive produce for Hoorae. Jonathan Berry and Dave Becky exec produce for 3 Arts Entertainment. Jane Lipsitz, Dan Cutforth, Dan Volpe, Nan Strait, Zoe Jackson, Asabi Lee and Alexandra Lipsitz exec produce for Alfred Street Industries and Bill Block and Marc Helwig do so for Miramax Television. 

Nanjiani and Prince-Bythewood are executive producers as well. 

Gray Matter is a science fiction thriller that centers on Ayla and her daughter Aurora, who both possess superhuman abilities. As Ayla attempts to train Aurora how to navigate these abilities, a tragic incident finds Aurora in control of her fate, and forces Ayla to confront the truth of her past. Jessica Frances Dukes, Mia Isaac and Garret Dillahunt are in the cast.

Rae was the co-creator, executive producer and star of Insecure on HBO. She’s in the upcoming Barbie film. 

A Project Greenlight review in Variety called the show “somewhat toxically watchable.”

It continues: “The nuts and bolts of how a production comes together are inherently fascinating even beyond the intrigue lent by Hoorae’s court-of-Versailles culture. And Winbush’s disengagement from her colleagues, amid many of her own mistakes, winds up in a relatable sort of petulance. When she takes off her mic pack on set to stop being part of the shoot, it reads both as the latest misstep by a green director whose instincts lead her away from success each time and as a reclamation.”

Issa Rae comedy Insecure debuts on OWN Tuesday, February 7. The show had five seasons on HBO.

Two episodes run on premiere night at OWN, starting at 9 p.m. ET/ PT. Their titles are “Insecure as F**k” and “Messy as F**k”. 

Insecure explores the Black female experience through best friends Issa (Rae) and Molly (Yvonne Orji), who must deal with their own flaws as they attempt to navigate different worlds and cope with an endless series of uncomfortable everyday experiences. Season one sees Issa try to figure out what she wants out of life and how to take control of it, while fumbling her way through this journey. 

Jay Ellis, Natasha Rothwell and Amanda Seales are also in the cast. 

The show debuted in 2016. 

Insecure was created by Issa Rae & Larry Wilmore. Rae executive produced with Prentice Penny, Melina Matsoukas, Michael Rotenberg, Dave Becky, Jonathan Berry, Amy Aniobi and Jim Klever-Weis. 

The series earned 14 Emmy Awards nominations during its run, including two Outstanding Lead Comedy Actress nods for Rae. ■

OWN will re-run HBO’s Emmy-winning comedy series Insecure beginning February 7.

The Issa Rae-created series, which aired for five seasons on HBO from 2016 to 2021, will debut on OWN with back-to-back episodes starting with the season one pilot, according to the network.

Insecure explores the Black female experience through the lens of two best friends as they deal with their own flaws while navigating different worlds and coping with a series of uncomfortable everyday experiences, said OWN. Along with Rae, the series stars Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Natasha Rothwell and Amanda Seales.

The series earned 14 Emmy Awards nominations during its run, including two Outstanding Lead Comedy Actress nods for Rae. Insecure won a 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series.

Insecure is executive produced by Rae, Prentice Penny, Melina Matsoukas, Michael Rothenberg, Dave Becky, Jonathan Berry, Amy Aniobi and Jim Klever-Weis. ■

HBO Max dropped a trailer for the new Issa Rae-produced original series Rap Sh!t, debuting July 21 on the streaming service.

The eight-episode series stars Aida Osman and KaMillion as two estranged high school friends from Miami who reunite to form a rap group. Also starring in the series are Jonica Booth, Devon Terrell and RJ Cyler.

Rae, whose Emmy-nominated series Insecure ended its five-season run on HBO earlier this year, will serve as executive producer for Rap Sh!t along with Syreeta Singleton, Montreal McKay, Jonathan Berry, Dave Becky and Deniese Davis, HBO Max said.

Two comedy shows ending their runs this season, HBO’s Insecure and ABC’s Black-ish, highlighted the list of NAACP Image Awards winners in the television and streaming category Saturday night during the organization’s live ceremony on BET.

Insecure, which ended its fifth and final season in December, won three NAACP Image awards, including best comedy series. Black-ish – which will complete its eighth and final season in May – also took home three awards in the comedy category, including a seventh award for Anthony Anderson in the best actor in a comedy series category. OWN’s Queen Sugar, which will air its seventh and final season later this year, took top honors in the best drama category. 

The NAACP Image Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color.

Netflix earned the most wins in the television category with six, led by its documentary series Colin in Black and White, which won two Image Awards. The streaming service also took home six Image Awards in the motion picture category, including a best movie statuette for its western-theme drama The Harder They Fall.

HBO, ABC, NBC, Starz, Facebook Watch, Comedy Central and Paramount Plus were among the networks and streaming services generating multiple NAACP Image Awards wins. 

Also: 'Succession,' 'Ted Lasso' Win Top TV SAG Awards 

The 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards winners in the television and streaming categories are as follows:  

Outstanding Comedy Series

“Insecure” (HBO)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson, “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series

Issa Rae, “Insecure” (HBO)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Deon Cole, “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Natasha Rothwell, “Insecure” (HBO)

Outstanding Drama Series

“Queen Sugar” (OWN)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us” (NBC)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series

Angela Bassett, “9-1-1” (Fox)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Cliff “Method Man” Smith, “Power Book II: Ghost” (Starz)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Mary J. Blige, “Power Book II: Ghost” (Starz)

Outstanding Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special

“Colin in Black & White” (Netflix)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special

Kevin Hart, “True Story” (Netflix)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special

Taraji P. Henson, “Annie Live!” (NBC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special

Courtney B. Vance, “Genius: Aretha” (National Geographic)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special

Regina Hall, “Nine Perfect Strangers” (Hulu)

Outstanding News/Information (series or special)

“The Reidout” (MSNBC)

Outstanding Talk Series

“Red Table Talk” (Facebook Watch)

Outstanding Reality Program, Reality Competition or Game Show (Series)

“Wild n’ Out” (VH1)

Outstanding Variety Show (Series or Special)

“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)

Outstanding Children’s Program

“Family Reunion” (Netflix)

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

Miles Brown, “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble

Jada Pinkett Smith, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, Willow Smith, “Red Table Talk” (Facebook Watch)

Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble

Trevor Noah, “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)

Outstanding Guest Performance

Maya Rudolph, “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

Outstanding Animated Series

“We the People” (Netflix)

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television)

Cree Summer, “Rugrats” (Paramount Plus)

Outstanding Short Form Series – Comedy or Drama

“Between the Scenes – The Daily Show” (Comedy Central)

Outstanding Short-Form Series or Special – Reality/Nonfiction

“Lynching Postcards: “Token of a Great Day” (MTV Documentary Films/Paramount Plus)

Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television)

Angel Kristi Williams, “Colin in Black & White” (Netflix)

Outstanding Documentary (Television)

“High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America” (Netflix) ■ 

Apple TV Plus will chronicle the life of NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson as part of a new four-part documentary debuting April 22, the streamer announced during its Television Critics Association tour presentation Friday. 

The docuseries, The Call Me Magic, follows Johnson’s journey from being the face of the Los Angeles Lakers to changing the conversation around HIV and transforming into a successful entrepreneur and community activist, said network officials. 

Johnson will also be featured as part of HBO's upcoming scripted series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. ■

The streaming service also released premiere dates and video trailers for several of its upcoming original shows during its presentation.

Apple TV Plus on March 11 will debut its limited series The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, starring Samuel L. Jackson as an ailing elderly man forgotten by his family who learns of a treatment that can temporarily restore his dementia-addled memories, said the service.

Apple TV Plus also announced the premiere its comic anthology series Roar on April 15. Based on a book of short stories by Cecelia Ahern, the series stars Cynthia Erivo, Issa Rae, Merritt Wever, Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin.

The fifth and final season of Issa Rae comedy Insecure premieres on HBO Sunday, Oct. 24. There are 10 episodes in the season. 

Alongside Rae in the cast are Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Natasha Rothwell, Amanda Seales and Courtney Taylor. The fifth season “continues to follow our favorite characters as they evaluate their relationships, both new and old, in an effort to figure out who and what comes with them in this next phase of their lives,” in HBO’s words. 

Rae and Larry Wilmore created the show. She executive produces it with Prentice Penny, Melina Matsoukas, Michael Rotenberg, Dave Becky, Jonathan Berry, Amy Aniobi and Jim Kleverweis.

Season four of Insecure got nine Emmy nominations in 2020, including outstanding comedy, outstanding lead actress in a comedy for Rae and outstanding supporting actress in a comedy for Orji.

HBO also starts a new season of hit Succession in October.

HBO will debut the fifth and final season of its comedy series Insecure in October, the network revealed Monday via social media.

The return of the series -- which stars Issa Rae and follows several Black 20-somethings as they evaluate their relationships in an effort to figure out who and what comes with them in this next phase of their lives -- was revealed in a network Tweet posted Monday, although no specific date was included. 

Season four of Insecure garnered nine Emmy Awards nominations, including outstanding comedy series, outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for Rae and outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for Yvonne Orji.

HBO also said this week that hit series Succession will return in October, as will venerable comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm, for its 11th season.

Insecure is executive produced by Rae, Prentice Penny, Melina Matsoukas, Michael Rotenberg, Dave Becky, Jonathan Berry, Amy Aniobi and Jim Kleverweis. 

Read Also: Prentice Penny Inks Onyx Collective Deal (video)

HBO Max has greenlit a new reality series from actress/producer Issa Rae that looks at the lives of young Blacks growing up in Los Angeles.

The series, Sweet Life: Los Angeles follows a group of young, strong-willed, ambitious Black friends showcasing their relatable, authentic and sometimes stumbling mid-20s moments as they embrace the joy and struggles of love and family, while building their careers as tastemakers and influencers in the city where they grew up, according to the streaming service.

Also Read: WarnerMedia Signs Issa Rae to Multi-Year Production Deal

Rae (Insecure) will serve as executive producer for the series. "We're so proud to present a grounded and fun slice of young Black LA life,” she said. “We hope the HBO Max audience will relate to and fall in love with this group of friends as much as we have.” 

Added HBO Max executive VP, non-fiction and live-action Family Jennifer O’Connell: “We are thrilled to partner with Issa Rae on this fun, dynamic series about a real group of friends and their unique, yet intertwined experiences in South Los Angeles, which has a one-of-a-kind culture that deserves a spotlight all its own.”

Also Read: HBO 'Insecure' to End After Fifth Season

 WarnerMedia and Insecure star Issa Rae have extended their business relationship with a new, long-term exclusive rights deal, the company said Wednesday.

The five-year deal gives WarnerMedia exclusive first-look rights to Rae’s upcoming television and film projects through her media company Hoorae, the company said. HBO is currently in production on the final season of Rae and Hoorae’s Emmy-winning series Insecure, and will launch the second season of A Black Lady Sketch Show in April.

HBO Max has also ordered episodes of Rae's comedy series Rap Sh*t.

Also Read: HBO's 'Insecure' to End After Fifth Season 

“We have been in business with Issa for more than eight years, and we couldn’t be prouder of our collaboration,” said Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer for HBO and HBO Max in a statement.  “Insecure was a breakthrough series for HBO, and there is much more on the horizon. This new deal is an opportunity to leverage the strength of WarnerMedia to provide a multitude of platforms for Issa’s formidable talents as a producer and storyteller.”

Added Rae: "HBO has been supportive of my work since the very first general meeting I had with Casey in 2012. I'm thrilled to not only spread my creative wings with the network that makes all of my favorite series, but also to produce culturally resonant stories with new voices that incite exciting conversations via Hoorae’s expanded relationship with all WarnerMedia platforms."

Also Read: HBO to Debut New Season of 'A Black Lady Sketch Show' in April 

HBO Max has ordered eight episodes of Issa Rae comedy Rap Sh*t (working title). The series follows two estranged high school friends from Miami who reunite to form a rap duo. Syreeta Singleton is executive producer and showrunner and the hip-hop duo Yung Miami and JT of City Girls are co-executive producers. 

Production is scheduled to begin in the summer. 

Rae created the HBO comedy Insecure alongside Larry Wilmore. That show debuted in 2016 and will have run for five seasons. She’s writing the pilot for Rap Sh*t. 

Also executive producing Rap Sh*t are Montrel McKay for Rae’s production company Hoorae and Jonathan Berry and Dave Becky for 3 Arts Entertainment, 

 HBO comedy series Insecure will end its run after the upcoming fifth season, the premium service said Wednesday. 

The Emmy-winning series stars Issa Rae and follows the lives of a group of mostly African-American friends evaluating their relationships in an effort to figure out who and what comes with them in this next phase of their lives, according to the network. Along with Rae, Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Natasha Rothwell, Amanda Seales and Alexander Hodge. 

The fifth and final season is scheduled to begin production later this month and is set to debut later this year. 

The show’s fourth season received nine Emmy nominations and won an Emmy win for Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Camera Series.  Insecure is executive produced by Rae, Prentice Penny, Melina Matsoukas, Michael Rotenberg, Dave Becky, Jonathan Berry, Amy Aniobi and Jim Kleverweis.

“Issa has turned insecurity into an iconic form of comedy,” said HBO executive VP of programming Amy Gravitt in a statement. “The show is as incisive as it is heartfelt, and it has resonated strongly with its audience because of the deeply personal work that Issa, Prentice, Melina, the cast and the writers have put into it. This talented team has conceived a brilliant final season for Insecure and we look forward to having many more stories to tell with this singular group of collaborators.”

Read Also: HBO, Issa Rae to Develop Documentary Series on History of Black Television

The country’s ongoing struggle with the pandemic along with continued protests over racial inequality served as recurring themes across several scripted programs presented during CTAM’s first-ever virtual Television Critics Association summer tour.

The Aug. 3-11 event, featuring virtual presentations from more than a dozen cable networks and streaming services, offered inside looks at several drama and sci-fi series that draw parallels between fantasy and the real events Americans are experiencing on a day-to-day basis, producers and cast members said.

Related: Programming Review: ‘Lovecraft Country’

HBO’s Lovecraft Country, from executive producers Jordan Peele, Misha Green and J.J. Abrams, follows the exploits of three African-Americans in the Jim Crow U.S. of the 1950s in search of a missing relative. Along the way, they encounter supernatural monsters and other fantastical creatures (see Review, this page). The challenges with mythical terrors faced by the main characters often mirror the fight African-Americans continue to wage today with regards to equality and justice, Green said.

“I think that monsters are a metaphor for the racism that's kind of always been through America and even globally,” she said. “For me, genre works best when it is the metaphor on top of the real-life emotions that you explore in real-life problems.”

AMC’s Soulmates, which offers a futuristic look at love in a world in which a test unequivocally tells you who your soulmate is, and Amazon Prime Video’s Utopia, a conspiratorial thriller about a group of comic-book fans trying to stop the end of the world, deal with anxieties that arise from an uncertain and uncharted future, much like viewers are dealing with during the COVID-19 era.

“I think that this will be an amazing respite from what the world is dealing with right now in that it delves into relationships,” said Betsy Brandt, co-star of Soulmates, which bows Oct. 5. “It’s a crazy time, and I think this show is perfect for what we’re all dealing with right now.”

Utopia star John Cusack said the show’s “theme itself included viruses, it included famine, it included perhaps a nuclear accident. It was kind of disturbing and surreal to see it come so close to life ... with the pandemic.” The show will be available starting Sept. 7.

HBO tackles the pandemic head-on Sept. 12 with series Coastal Elites, which tells contemporary stories of politics, culture and COVID-19 through the eyes of several socially distant characters. Stars Bette Midler, Issa Rae, Kaitlyn Dever, Dan Levy and Sarah Paulson filmed the series under quarantine in separate locations to better reflect the conditions of today, Coastal Elites executive producer and writer Paul Rudnick said.

“One of the great advantages [filming] so in the moment and so quickly with people who were so adaptable was that we could weave both the pandemic and the Black Lives Matters protests into the material,” Rudnick said. “It was a very natural fit for all these characters, because they’re all people going through everything right now.”

HBO will develop a documentary series on the history of Black television produced by actress Issa Rae, the network said Wednesday.

The two-part documentary, Seen & Heard, explores the history of Black Television as seen through the eyes of trailblazers who wrote, produced, created and starred in groundbreaking series of the past and present, said network officials. Rae (Insecure) will serve as executive producer on the series along with Phil Bertelsen (Who Killed Malcolm X?), who also serves as director on the documentary series. 

"Black people have such a rich, but often unacknowledged history in Hollywood," Rae said in a statement. "We have defined American culture and influenced generations time and time again across the globe. I'm honored to pair with Ark Media to center and celebrate the achievements of those who paved a way for so many of us to tell our stories on television."

In addition, HBO has secured Mark and Jay Duplass to produce The Lady and The Dale documentary series exploring a 1970s auto scam centered around mysterious entrepreneur Elizabeth Carmichael, the network said. 

In other documentary news, the network announced dates for its upcoming documentary slate including The Vow (Aug. 23) and Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn (Aug. 12). HBO also announced a slate of weekly, crime-focused documentary films to debut this Fall including Crazy, Not Insane, Baby God, The Mystery of DB Cooper, Alabama Snake, and The Art of Political Murder.

Other documentaries include The Soul of America, which explores that challenges of America’s past including the women’s suffrage movement, the incarceration of Japanese Americans, McCarthyism and the struggle to pass Civil Rights legislation of the 1960s; Transhood, which chronicles the lives of four young people and their families as they navigate growing up transgender in America’s heartland; and Siempre, Luis, which portrays the life of New York politician Luis A. Miranda Jr. 

HBO announced the production of documentary Seen & Heard, a two-parter exploring the history of Black television “as seen through the eyes of trailblazers who wrote, produced, created and starred in groundbreaking series of the past and present,” said HBO. 

The documentary is produced and directed by Phil Bertelsen and executive produced by Issa Rae and Montrel McKay of Issa Rae Productions, the team at 3 Arts Entertainment, including Jonathan Berry and David Becky, and the team at Ark Media, including Rachel Dretzin and Esther Dere. 

"Black people have such a rich, but often unacknowledged history in Hollywood," said Rae. "We have defined American culture and influenced generations time and time again across the globe. I'm honored to pair with Ark Media to center and celebrate the achievements of those who paved a way for so many of us to tell our stories on television."

The project will offer cultural commentary about representation in black storytelling and feature interviews with actors, showrunners, writers, celebrities and other notable influencers.

HBO shared its projects during WarnerMedia’s virtual TCA presentation. 

HBO also mentioned The Lady and the Dale, a documentary series from Mark and Jay Duplass that explores “an audacious 1970s auto scam centered around a mysterious entrepreneur,” according to the network. 

Nick Cammilleri and Zackary Drucker direct. 

The project tells the story of Elizabeth Carmichael, who rose to prominence when she released a fuel-efficient three-wheeled vehicle during the 1970s gas crisis. As she wins over carmakers and investors, a web of mystery unfolds regarding the car’s technology and Carmichael’s surprising past. “A portrait of an extraordinary entrepreneur’s rise and eventual fall, the series explores a one-of-a-kind story of fraud, family and identity,” said HBO. 

The series is expected to air in 2021.

"We are excited to be collaborating yet again with HBO in the docu-series space, and for the chance to bring the complex story of Liz Carmichael and her three-wheeled car to life," said Mark and Jay Duplass, who produce Room 104 for HBO.

The brothers executive produce, along with Mel Eslyn, through their production company Duplass Brothers Productions. Andre Gaines, Allen Bain, Nick Cammilleri, Alana Carithers and Zackary Drucker will also exec produce. 

Other documentary projects for later this year from HBO include Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn, directed by Muta’Ali. Debuting Aug. 12, it’s about Hawkins, a Black teenager who was murdered in 1989 by a group of young white men in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. 

The Vow, a series from Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, looks behind the headlines of the self-improvement organization NXIVM. That starts Aug. 23. 

Siempre Luis, a portrait of Luis A. Miranda Jr. bringing his son Lin-Manuel Miranda’s production of Hamilton to his home island of Puerto Rico, airs later this year. 

Starting in November, HBO will feature a weekly anthology of crime-focused documentary films. Those include Crazy, Not Insane, directed by Alex Gibney. That profiles forensic psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis, who has spent her life investigating the interior lives of violent people, working with numerous serial killers, including Ted Bundy. 

Baby God, directed by Hannah Olson, is an examination of a Las Vegas fertility specialist, the late Dr. Quincy Fortier, who assisted hundreds of couples struggling with difficulty conceiving. Decades later, many children born from his interventions discover through DNA and genealogical websites that Dr. Fortier had used his own sperm to impregnate their mothers without their knowledge or consent.

HBO has greenlit new seasons for its original series Ballers and Insecure, the network said Thursday.

The sports-themed Ballers, which stars Dwayne Johnson and explores the glamorous and often cutthroat world of pro football through a group of past and present players striving to stay in the game, will return for its fifth season, according to the network. 

Insecure -- which stars Emmy-nominated actress Issa Rae and chronicles the friendship of two black women as they deal with their own real-life flaws while attempting to navigate different worlds -- will come back for a fourth season, according to HBO.

Ballers, created by Stephen Levinson, is executive produced by Johnson, Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg, Dany Garcia, Peter Berg, Rob Weiss, Denis Biggs, Karyn McCarthy and Julian Farino. 

Insecure is produced and created by Rae, with Prentice Penny, Melina Matsouksa, Michael Rotenberg, Dave Becky, Jonathan Berry, Jim Kleverweis and Dayna Lynne North serving as executive producers. 

HBO didn’t wait long after launching new campaigns of Insecure and Ballers to renew both comedy series for an additional season, the network announced Tuesday.

Insecure, which stars Issa Rae, will return to HBO for a third season while the Dwayne ‘The Rock” Johnson starrer Ballers has been renewed for a fourth season, according to HBO officials.

Both series debuted new seasons on July 23. 

“We’re thrilled that the summer lineup of Ballers and Insecure connected with our viewers out of the gate,” said Amy Gravitt, executive vice president, HBO Programming in a statement. “We're so proud to work with Dwayne, Issa and all of the amazing talent in both shows.”

Created by Rae and Larry Wilmore, Insecure follows the friendship of two black women as they deal with their own real-life flaws while attempting to navigate different worlds and cope with an endless series of uncomfortable everyday experiences.

Ballers follows the whirlwind lifestyles and real-life problems of former and current football players, according to HBO. 

All eight episodes of the first season of HBO comedy Insecure will be free to stream on YouTube and HBO.com, starting at 6 a.m. July 23 and ending 24 hours later, HBO said.

Season two of Insecure, also with eight episodes, debuts July 23 as well.

The show stars Issa Rae as Issa, Yvonne Orji as Molly, Jay Ellis as Lawrence and Lisa Joyce as Frieda. It follows the friendship of two black women as they deal with their flaws and cope with an endless series of uncomfortable everyday experiences.

Rae wrote the New York Times bestseller The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, which was published in 2015.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

HBO was the big winner of this year’s NAMIC Vision Awards, the diversity organization announced Monday.

The premium service won five NAMIC Vision Awards -- which honor original, multiplatform television programming that reflects the ethnic and cultural diversity of the viewing audience -- including Best Comedy Series for its freshman show Insecure as well as Best Comedy Performance for the series’ star Issa Rae.

BET Networks, ESPN, and History each won two Vision Awards, which were all presented online. Winning programs are now being showcased via the 2017 NAMIC Vision Awards Winners Gallery.

In the best drama series category, ABC's primetime series, Secrets and Lies, tied with BET Networks' Being Mary Jane for top honors, with the best drama performance award going to Anika Noni Rose for her portrayal of Kizzy in History’s miniseries Roots.

“Congratulations are extended to the winners of the 2017 NAMIC Vision Awards," said Tisha Harris, president, NAMIC – Southern California and director, Programming, Z Living in a statement. "As our industry's consumer base becomes increasingly diverse, the production of ethnically and culturally relevant content is central to our industry's sustainability. NAMIC – Southern California in collaboration with NAMIC National is pleased to continue our tradition of recognizing achievements in the advancement of multiplatform programming diversity.”

The full list of 2017 NAMIC Vision Awards winners:

Animation

Disney Junior – Sofia the First

Awards & Honors

VH1 –  Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens

Best Performance - Comedy          

HBO – Issa Rae: Insecure

Best Performance - Drama 

HISTORY – Anika Noni Rose: Roots

Children's     

Sprout – Nina’s World

Comedy         

HBO – Insecure

Daytime         

CBS – The Talk

Digital Media - Short Form 

Powerhouse Productions – Harlem on My Plate

Documentary

HISTORY – Roots: A New Vision

Drama(tie)

ABC – Secrets and Lies

BET Networks – Being Mary Jane

Foreign Language

Discovery Latin America / US Hispanic – Pancho Villa: Se Busca Vivo o Muerto

Lifestyle        

CNN – Special Projects: Breakthrough Women

News/Informational 

BET Networks – Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement

Original Movie or Special   

HBO – All the Way

Reality           

ESPN – SC Featured: Chubbtown

Reality - Social Issues         

ESPN –  Rise Up: A SportsCenter Special

Sports

HBO – Terrance Crawford: My Fight

Variety/Talk Show (tie)

HBO – Lemonade

National Geographic – StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson

Two new scripted cable comedies are showcasing African-American actresses in leading roles as the TV industry looks to continue to celebrate on-screen diversity.

Actresses such as Tracee Ellis Ross — nominated for a 2016 Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her role in ABC’s Black-ish — have begun to mirror the success of their counterparts on the drama front, including Gabrielle Union (BET’s Being Mary Jane), ViolaDavis (How to Get Away With Murder) and KerriWashington( Scandal).

HBO in October premieres comedy series Insecure, created and starring comedian-actress Issa Rae. The show, about a young African-American woman (Rae) navigating her professional and personal life, follows the Sept. 5 premiere of MTV’s Loosely Exactly Nicole, starring Girl Code actress Nicole Byer.

Actress Tischina Arnold, co-star of Starz’s comedy series Survivor’s Remorse, told Multichannel News that comedic roles for actresses of color are beginning to open up as both traditional networks and over-the-top services look to reach a more diverse audience with content that features their images and stories.

“I think it’s a great time for African-American women actors, producers and showrunners to be in the business,” Arnold said. “There are more opportunities opening up, although we still need a lot more opportunities.”

Arnold also said that women of color are getting a chance to play a wider variety of roles that go beyond the urban female stereotype often depicted in mainstream culture.

Indeed, Rae — at this summer’s Television Critics Association press tour — said her character in Insecure has the same goals and insecurities as everyone else.

“You watch this and you realize … that black people are human,” she said. “I think there’s a tendency vibe in certain cases like news and media portrayal of almost like we are bringing it on ourselves because we tend to be violent by nature. It’s been more just trying to convince people that … people of color are relatable.”

Byer also said during the TCA gathering she has auditioned for roles where writers that have asked her to “be as black as possible,” but said that her new show allows her to be herself without any preconceived notions of who she should be on-screen.

While opportunities are improving for women of color-on-screen, Arnold warned that more progress is needed both in front of and behind the screen.

“It’s almost like a never-ending story … it seems like there will never be enough opportunities for me,” Arnold said. “Once I see more characters like me portrayed in so many diverse ways and in diverse situations, then I’ll feel more comfortable in saying that there’s real substantial change taking place.”