HBO renews The Chair Company, I Love LA / HBO renews Task for Season 2 with Mark Ruffalo returning / House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms score early renewals
PLUS: Larry Ellison reportedly discussed axing CNN hosts with Trump’s White House if Paramount Skydance acquires Warner Bros. Discovery.
HBO renews Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company and Rachel Sennott’s I Love LA
Robinson and Zach Kanin’s freshman comedy thriller series The Chair Company has been renewed for a second season after its Oct. 12 debut became HBO’s best comedy premiere in five years, averaging 3.3 million viewers. Sennnott’s I Love LA has been renewed just over two weeks after its Nov. 2 premiere. “We’re thrilled by the incredible response to The Chair Company and I Love LA debuts,” said Amy Gravitt, executive vice president of HBO Programming and Head of HBO and HBO Max comedy series, in a statement. “Both shows confidently carry on the HBO comedy tradition, in their own singular way. We couldn’t be happier to continue collaborating with Tim, Zach, Rachel, and their exceptional teams.”
HBO renews Task for Season 2 with Mark Ruffalo returning
Ruffalo is set to reprise his role as FBI agent Tom Brandis in Season 2 after Season 1 premiered in September to critical acclaim. “We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have HBO’s unwavering support of Task from the very first script onwards, throughout production, and during their extraordinary launch of our first season to audiences,” said Task creator Brad Ingelsby in a statement. “They are an unmatched creative home. On behalf of the entire Task team, in front of and behind the camera, I am honored and excited to get back to work on a second season of our show.”
House of the Dragon scores a Season 4 renewal, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms picked up for Season 2 at HBO
The two Game of Thrones prequel series have been given renewal orders for seasons that won’t air for two to three years. House of the Dragon has been picked up for a Season 4 that is expected to air in 2028. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which premieres on Jan. 18, has been renewed for a second season that is expected in 2027. “We are thrilled to be able to deliver new seasons of these two series for the next three years, for the legion of fans of the Game of Thrones universe,” said Francesca Orsi, HBO Programming EVP and head of HBO drama Series and films, in a statement. “Together, House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms reveal just how expansive and richly imagined George R.R. Martin’s universe continues to be. In January, I think audiences will be delighted by the inspiring underdog tale of Dunk and Egg that George and Ira Parker have captured so beautifully. And this summer, House of the Dragon is set to ignite once again with some of its most epic battles yet.” ALSO: House of the Dragon boss Ryan Condal previously said the show would end with Season 4, but no word on if he’ll stick with that plan.
Larry Ellison reportedly discussed axing CNN hosts with Trump’s White House if Paramount Skydance acquires Warner Bros. Discovery
“Senior White House officials have discussed internally their preference for Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros Discovery in recent weeks, and one official has discussed potential programming changes at CNN with Larry Ellison, the largest shareholder of Paramount,” reports The Guardian’s Hugo Lowell. “The discussions, according to people familiar with the matter, come as Paramount portrays itself as the best bid for Warner Bros Discovery, after the company announced last month it was open to offers, because it would have an easier time getting through regulatory review. Ellison often speaks to connections at the White House but, in at least one of the calls, engaged in a dialogue about possibly axing some of the CNN hosts whom Donald Trump is said to loathe, including Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar, the people said. The conversation also touched on floating names to replace Burnett and the possibility of running CBS assets like its flagship 60 minutes program on CNN air – proposals that have animated the White House, the people said.”
President Trump again calls for ABC to dump Jimmy Kimmel
Amid Trump’s feud this week with ABC News, the president again went after the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host with a late-night Truth Social rant. “Why does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel, a man with NO TALENT and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS, on the air?” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Why do the TV Syndicates put up with it? Also, totally biased coverage. Get the bum off the air!!!” As Mediaite points out, Trump lashed out after Kimmel mocked Trump’s poll numbers and criticized his move to host “a murderer for dinner at the White House” during his Wednesday monologue.
The Night Agent is moving to Los Angeles thanks to California tax credits, signaling a likely Season 4 renewal
The Netflix action thriller created by Shawn Ryan and starring Gabriel Basso has secured $31.6 million in tax credits to relocate to Los Angeles. Season 1 was filmed in Vancouver, while Seasons 2 and 3 were based in New York with additional shooting in Thailand and Turkey.
ALSO:
California gives tax credits to Fallout Season 3, Forever Season 2, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith Season 2, which will relocate to the Golden State
Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-creator Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici get California tax credits to film their NBC PI comedy pilot in Los Angeles
Fox’s Baywatch reboot to film on the beaches of Los Angeles after securing $21.1 million in California tax credits
The new Baywatch, from Burn Notice creator Matt Nix, will be able to do what the original Baywatch series did — film on the beaches of Los Angeles. The historic Venice Lifeguard Operations Station will serve as the main backdrop for the Fox lifeguard series. The original Baywatch filmed its first nine seasons at Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades with additional filming in Venice Beach and Malibu. The final two seasons filmed in Hawaii.
Awkwafina to host Apple TV’s food travel series The Unlikely Cook with Awkwafina
The eight-episode series will follow the former Comedy Central star on a deeply personal cross-country journey as she explores contemporary Asian American cuisine, starting with her family’s own legacy. Awkwafina, who was born Nora Lum, grew up in a family that ran a Cantonese restaurant in Flushing, New York, the city’s first Chinese restaurant.
PBS’ Masterpiece’s All Creatures Great and Small renewed for Seasons 7 and 8
Masterpiece commissioner GBH announced the news Thursday, adding that the additional seasons will include six episodes each, as well as additional Christmas specials.
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal gets a Season 3 premiere date at Adult Swim
The five-time Emmy-winning series that follows a caveman at the dawn of evolution returns for its third season returns to Adult Swim on Sunday, Jan. 11 with episode streaming the next day on HBO Max.
Vice TV’s sports controversies docuseries Out of Bounds to tackle the Bill Belichick-Jordon Hudson relationship
The investigative series will also delve into the fall of seven-time Pro Bowl NFL receiver Antonio Brown and the dangerous and addictive world of sports betting.