Norah O'Donnell stepping down as CBS Evening News anchor / Seth Meyers sets HBO special / Boyd Holbrook joins The Morning Show
PLUS: CNN sets new travel docuseries strategy with My Happy Place: Have multiple celebrities hosting.
Norah O'Donnell stepping down as CBS Evening News anchor
O'Donnell, who recently celebrated her fifth anniversary of taking over the CBS Evening News anchor job in July 2019 from Jeff Glor, announced today she will exit the top CBS News on-air role after the 2024 presidential election to become a senior correspondent and host her own interview-style show. According to Variety, O'Donnell "sees an opportunity to pursue signature interviews with top newsmakers — something that proved appealing to her after her recent sit-down with Pope Francis earlier this year." In a memo to staffers Tuesday, O'Donnell wrote: “Together, our team has won Emmy, Murrow, and DuPont awards. We managed to anchor in-studio through COVID; we took the broadcast on the road from aircraft carriers to the Middle East, and around the world. We were privileged to conduct a historic interview with Pope Francis. There’s so much work to be proud of! But I have spent 12 years in the anchor chair here at CBS News, tied to a daily broadcast and the rigors of a relentless news cycle. It’s time to do something different. This presidential election will be my seventh as a journalist, and for many of us in this business we tend to look at our careers in terms of these milestone events.” O'Donnell will continue contributing to CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes and other CBS News programs. In a memo to staff, CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon praised O'Donnell. “Norah’s superpower is her ability to secure and then masterfully deliver unparalleled interviews and stories that set the news cycle and capture the cultural zeitgeist," McMahon wrote, adding: “How many people can effortlessly shift from field-anchoring on an aircraft carrier in the Red Sea to sitting down with Bono and Dolly Parton? Norah’s work here is legendary, and she has several major interviews in the works that will be equally memorable and momentous.”
CNN sets new travel docuseries strategy with My Happy Place: Have multiple celebrities hosting
Alan Cumming, Taraji P. Henson, Simu Liu, Billy Porter, Octavia Spencer and Questlove will each host an episode of the first season of My Happy Place, which will “highlight some incredible destinations and uncover what makes them so uniquely special." According to Variety's Brian Steinberg, "using multiple hosts for a single series means the real star of the show is the format, not the actor or personality discussing it. Should CNN choose to renew Happy Place for multiple cycles, it presumably would not have to worry as much about paying to keep a central star in place." CNN also has a Eva Longoria-hosted celebrity travel docuseries in the works.
Seth Meyers sets his first standup special at HBO
The Late Night host taped the untitled special, his second after 2019's Lobby Baby for Netflix, at The Vic Theatre in Chicago last month. “As longtime fans, we’re so happy to partner with Seth on his first HBO special,” said Nina Rosenstein, executive vice president of HBO programming, late night and specials. “He’s such a charismatic storyteller and we’ve always loved the way he reaches people on such a personal level. This special is endlessly relatable and so much fun to watch.”
Boyd Holbrook joins The Morning Show as a Joe Rogan-style podcaster
The former Narcos star will take on the role of a “popular and provocative” podcaster and talk-show host in Season 4 of the Apple TV+ drama series.
Donald Trump calls Opening Ceremony “Last Supper” drag queen tableau "a disgrace," says it won't happen at the 2028 L.A. Olympics if he's re-elected
“We won’t be having a ‘Last Supper’ as portrayed the way they portrayed it the other night. I just think, look: I’m for everybody," Trump told Fox News' Laura Ingraham. "I’m very open-minded. You understand. You know me better than most people know me. I’m very open-minded, but what they did was a disgrace.” ALSO: French DJ in Opening Ceremony scene files complaint over death threats.
John Carroll Lynch joins Maggie Q on Amazon's untitled Renee Ballard Bosch spinoff
The former Big Sky star will play Thomas Laffont, described as “a retired former police partner who comes back to help Ballard run the Cold Case Department. A kind, seasoned detective, and crack interrogator —he’s a rock for Ballard.”
That '90s Show Part 3 to premiere in August, two months early
Fans had to wait nearly 1-1/2 years between Parts 1 and 2, which premiered in June. They'll have to wait only two months for Part 3, which has been moved up from Oct. 24 to Aug. 22.
Chris Redd and Pardison Fontaine board Power Book III: Raising Kanan for Season 4
SNL alum Redd will play Early Tyler,“ a trustworthy ally and secret-keeper.” Grammy-winning rapper Fontaine will portray B-Rilla, "a raw, volatile, and incredibly talented young rapper serving a prison sentence for armed robbery.”
Disney+ cancels Renegade Nell after one season
Sally Wainwright‘s period drama series about a quick-witted outlaw in 18th century England, starring Derry Girls’ Louisa Harland, premiered in March, three years after it became one of the highest profile series to be commissioned out of Disney+’s UK office.
Young Sherlock adds Dónal Finn
The Wheel of Time star will play James Moriarty, the notorious archnemesis of Sherlock Holmes.
Kate Mulgrew expresses hope Star Trek: Prodigy will be renewed for Season 3
“I had a full auditorium on Sunday morning for the panel,” she told Variety at Comic-Con of the canceled Paramount+ animated series that recently had its second season air on Netflix. “They were thrilled. They were delighted! They’re desperate for this kind of television. I don’t think there’s anything quite like it on television now, because it’s teaching Star Trek to a new generation to young children in an entirely novel way.”
Apple TV+ Spanish-language medical drama Midnight Family gets a premiere date
The series, based on the documentary of the same name, follows family’s privately owned ambulance in Mexico City. Renata Vaca and Diego Calva are among its stars. Midnight Family premieres Nov. 20.