Fox Nation has tapped actor Kelsey Grammer to host a docudrama based on the life of George Washington set to debut on July 1.

The four-part George: Rise of a Revolutionary will focus on the country’s first President as he grows from a headstrong, risk-taking young soldier determined to fight for the British Crown into a leading voice of America’s growing resistance against England, according to Fox Nation officials.

Along with hosting, Grammer will also serve as executive director for George: Rise of a Revolutionary alongside Tim Kelly, Jonathan Soule, Lorenzo De Boni and Tom Russo. 

“Kelsey transports viewers back to the beginning of Washington’s story and masterfully showcases a different side of the Founding Father, spotlighting a young man who was fighting to make the ultimate name for himself in a truly captivating series,” Fox Nation president Lauren Petterson said in a statement.

Streaming service Fox Nation has partnered with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese to develop a new documentary series that traces the history of Christian Saints.

The series, Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints, will debut in November and will feature eight, one-hour episodes that will follow the stories of eight Saints, including Joan of Arc, Francis of Assisi, John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene, according to Fox Nation.

The first four episodes will premiere on November 16, and the final four episodes will premiere in May 2025. Scorsese,  Matti Leshem, Julie Yorn, Rick Yorn, Christopher Donnelly, Yoshi Stone and Craig Piligian will serve as executive producers for the series. 

The Saints is the latest Fox Nation series featuring top Hollywood talent, including Kevin Costner, Kelsey Grammer, and Rob Lowe.

“Having the greatest storyteller tell some of the greatest stories of all time is exactly the kind of exclusive content that is driving Fox Nation’s success,” Fox Nation chief digital and marketing officer Jason Klarman said in a statement. “It’s an honor to welcome the world-renowned Martin Scorsese to the Fox Nation platform.” 

Fox Business Network is celebrating its 15th year in the competitive and expanding financial business genre with an eye on offering viewers comprehensive coverage of the financial markets through a variety of news and opinion-themed shows.

Leading the network's charge is veteran Fox News executive Lauren Petterson, who took over as president of Fox Business in 2019. Petterson, who also serves as Fox News Channel's head of talent development, has looked to position Fox Business as a network that appeals to both the financial community as well as individual investors looking for financial guidance though original programming featuring such network personalities as Stuart Varney, Charles Payne and Neil Cavuto. 

The network's "FBN Prime" block of celebrity-driven, primetime original programming seeks to broaden the network's reach by appealing to general audiences with shows from Mike Rowe (How America Works) and Kelsey Grammer (Historical Battles for America: Crucial Conflicts). Fox Business has also teamed with sister digital service Fox Nation to offer such original series as American Dynasty.

Petterson discusses the network's programming strategy as well as the impact of market uncertainty on the financial network business in an interview edited for space and clarity. 

MCN: How would you define Fox Business Network’s brand and programming strategy? 

Lauren Petterson: I think the business consumer has changed so much over the last couple of years. I see these graduates from college now managing their own money and buying their own stock. So it's not just speaking to the institutional investor anymore — which by the way, is certainly important — but it’s talking to the individual investor as well. It's everyone from Wall Street to your street. So when I came over, what I really wanted to do was not talk down to people but to inform, entertain and have a conversation with them. Business news does not have to be boring; let's not use fancy jargon or be condescending and elitist, because money hits everyone. So we still obviously cover the markets, and we have the big names in business news, but we’ve also made a point to focus on the key kitchen table issues. I think that's why we've seen our recent success because we're not doing financial news only, but we’re doing business news.

MCN: How has the network differentiated itself from other business-themed networks in the marketplace? 

LP: Our competition is really speaking to the institutional investor — if you’re not part of a publicly traded company, you don’t get to come on and tell your story. We do those things as well, but covering the markets during the day is a very small piece of the pie. I want to build a bigger pie, so you have to invite more people to have a seat at the table. One way we’ve done that is launch our Town Hall series once a month where we invite a live studio audience to talk with experts in the field. [The experts] are not talking down to them but trying to help them understand some pretty complicated things. Stu Varney in particular does an amazing job of making things digestible in an engaged way that feels personal. That’s one of the ways we differentiate ourselves during the day, and because of it we’ve added so many blue chip advertisers like Vanguard, PNC Bank and Bristol Myers Squibb, just to name a few. 

MCN: What has been the strategy behind the network’s ‘FBN Prime’ block of programming, which features programming from celebrities like Mike Rowe and Kelsey Grammer?

LP: When I came over, we looked at what we should be doing in primetime. We had some opinion shows, which didn’t make a lot of sense because the Fox News Channel owns that space at night. We thought about doing more live business coverage, but that didn’t make much sense either, because the data shows that the business viewer has had their fill and disappears around dinner time. We know our viewers want value, they want to be inspired, they’re very entrepreneurial and believe in the American dream, so what would that look like? We’ve had Mike Rowe on as a guest over the years, and we thought, ‘Who’s better at explaining how America works?’ So we partnered with him on a show that looks at ordinary people doing extraordinary things to keep the lights on and to keep food on the table. With Kelsey, we’re dipping into the history space. History is so tied in with business news and how our viewers feel and think. It is the same with American Built with Stu Varney. The content is brand-safe and has brought in a boatload of new advertisers. 

MCN: Given all of the market uncertainty that the country is facing, how do you see the business news landscape developing through the rest of the year and into 2023?

LP: I think the audience is going to continue to grow. The viewers are for the most part back to work and back to their morning habits, so we’re up [in ratings] about 85% in the mornings over the last nine months. As people have gone back to work they’re craving more information about their money, so we’re watching the linear channel grow. We’re going to keep investing in the linear channel, but we’re certainly looking at other pieces of our business on the streaming and digital side. YouTube has been a great platform for us — our growth there is up almost 200%.

MCN: Do you foresee more competition coming into the marketplace?

LP: Yes I think so, not only from new financial networks but from the major networks as well. I think the other media companies are just discovering that there’s something called inflation that we’ve been talking about for 11 months, so I think you’re going to see more financial coverage. I’m already seeing more business reporters, economic experts and analysts on the networks now. But we own the space in a very unique way, so bring it on. ▪️

The second season of Fox Business Network programming slate FBN Prime premieres Monday, April 25. The lineup includes How America Works with Mike Rowe, American Built, hosted by Stuart Varney, Mansion Global, hosted by Kacie McDonnell and American Dream Home, hosted by Cheryl Casone. 

New shows include My Dream Car!, hosted by Danielle Trotta, Billion Dollar Idea with Ben Weiss, and Legends & Lies, narrated by Kelsey Grammer. 

Premiering April 28, Legends & Lies uses dramatic recreations to re-examine stories about America’s founding, the Wild West and the Civil War. Grammer of course portrayed Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers and Frasier.

“We’re thrilled to debut an all-new season of FBN Prime, showcasing the many inspirational stories behind some of America’s most successful businesses and innovations,” said Lauren Petterson, Fox Business president. 

Rowe is host, narrator and executive producer on How America Works, which offers “an in-depth look at the skilled workforce across the country and the complicated systems that keep our infrastructure operational,” according to Fox Business. It starts April 25. 

Trotta, host of My Dream Car!, is a former Fox Sports and NASCAR reporter. The show begins April 25. 

American Built sees Varney look into the design and creativity of iconic American landmarks. It premieres April 26. 

Weiss founded the beverage brands Bai and Crook & Marker. Billion Dollar Idea sees 15 entrepreneurs compete head to head. It is on April 26. 

Mansion Global focuses on luxury real estate. American Dream Home shares “the emotional and heartwarming stories of families’ achieving their American dream and finding their forever home,” said Fox Business. Both shows premiere April 27. ■

Lifetime will develop a prequel to the V.C. Andrews classic novel Flowers in the Attic, the network said Tuesday during its TCA Summer Press Tour presentation.

The four-part Flowers in the Attic: The Origin stars Jermina Rooper and Max Irons as Olivia Winfield and Malcolm Foxworth, parents to Corrine Foxworth and grandparents to Cathy and Chris Dollanganger, according to the network. After the two become involved in a whirlwind romance, Winfield soon discovers that the fairytale life she expected has quickly become a nightmare, said Lifetime officials. 

Also starring in the series are Harry Hamlin, Kelsey Grammer, Paul Wesley, Kate Mulgrew, Alana Boden, Hanna Dodd, T’Shan Williams and Callum Kerr. 

The project marks the latest Lifetime project based on the Flowers in the Attic franchise, following 2014’s Flowers In The Attic adaptation as well as sequel Petals on the Wind.

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ABC is going straight-to-series on a comedy starring Alec Baldwin and Kelsey Grammer. The project is a multi-camera comedy produced by 20th Television. The show centers on three men who reunite decades after they were roommates, looking for “one more run at the lives they’ve always wanted,” according to ABC, which did not reveal who will play the third man. 

Baldwin’s TV work includes 30 Rock and playing President Trump on Saturday Night Live. His films include The Hunt For Red October, Glengarry Glen Ross, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and The Boss Baby. 

Grammer played Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers and on Frasier, and starred in Starz drama Boss. His film work includes Transformers: Age of Extinction, Best of Enemies and Charming the Hearts of Men. 

Baldwin and Grammer both have extensive theater experience. 

The pair worked together when Grammer had a brief run on 30 Rock. 

Produced by Scott Free Productions, National Geographic Channel has announced casting for the upcoming film, Killing Jesus.

Based on the best-selling book by Bill O’Reilly, the film will star Kelsey Grammer as King Herod, Haaz Sleiman as Jesus and Stephen Moyer as Pontius Pilot.

"The film Killing Jesus will break new ground in chronicling the life of the most famous human being who ever lived,” said executive producer O’Reilly. “The superb cast and script reflect much thought and research. Viewers are in for something very different and very special."

U.K.-based Chris Menaul is the director for the fall project, with the help of Oscar-and Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Walon Green in his teleplay.

Killing Jesus will premiere in 171 countries in 45 languages in 2015, including Nat Geo Mundo in Spanish.

“The combined talent of this incredible cast is unparalleled, and we can't wait to see what this team of actors can do," said executive producer Moran. “With this stellar cast and breathtaking script by Walon based on Bill’s page-turner, we are going to explore the seismic political and historical events that surrounded the life and death of Jesus as never before.”

Casting is as follows:

Aneurin Barnard (“The White Queen”) as James

Emmanuelle Chriqui (“Entourage”) as Herodia

John Rhys Davies (“Indiana Jones”) as Annas

Vernon Dobtcheff (“Before Sunset”) as Isaiah

Joe Doyle (“Reign”) as Judas

Tamsin Egerton (“The Look of Love”) as Claudia

Abhin Galeya (“Cleanskin”) as John the Baptist

Stephanie Leonidas (“Defiance”) as Salome

John Lynch (“Sliding Doors”) as Nicodemus

Eoin Macken (“The Night Shift”) as Antipas

Alexis Rodney (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Simon (Peter)

Rufus Sewell (“Hercules”) as Caiaphas

With Haaz Sleiman (“The Visitor”) in the title role as Jesus

Stephen Moyer (“True Blood”) as Pontius Pilate

and Kelsey Grammer (“Partners,” “Boss”) as King Herod