The Wizard of Oz returning to broadcast TV for the first time in three decades / Dark Winds earns early Season 5 renewal / Craig Ferguson to explore America for its 250th birthday

PLUS: Bad Bunny promises Super Bowl halftime viewers “don’t even have to learn Spanish”: “I want people to have fun."

The Wizard of Oz will air on broadcast TV for the first time in nearly 30 years, thanks to MeTV
The 1939 musical fantasy classic film, which has experienced a resurgence thanks to Wicked films, will air multiple times in primetime and throughout October as part of MeTV’s Halloween BOO-Nanza, a monthlong celebration of classic horror, sci-fi and family-friendly favorite films. The Wizard of Oz was once a staple of broadcast TV, airing annually from 1956, when TV was only in black and white, through 1998. Its last broadcast on free TV was on May 9, 1998 on CBS. Afterwards, Ted Turner’s Turner Networks snapped up the rights to show The Wizard of Oz exclusively on cable. “The Wizard of Oz is more than a movie, it is a shared American experience that was defined by the annual tradition of gathering around the television set,” said Neal Sabin, vice chairman of Weigel Broadcasting, owner of MeTV. “We are thrilled to bring the film back to broadcast television this October on MeTV. It will be presented without any edits and will be surrounded by surprises we will announce later, making the film the centerpiece of our expanded annual MeTV Halloween BOO-Nanza programming event, which has become hugely popular with our audience. We know they are going to love this incredible addition to the schedule.”

Dark Winds earns an early Season 5 renewal ahead of its Season 4 premiere
The Zahn McClarnon-led AMC psychological thriller series, which returns for its fourth season on Feb. 15, will begin production on Season 5 next month in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “Over four seasons, Dark Winds has masterfully blended compelling character-driven stories, Navajo culture, spirituality and breathtaking cinematography. We are elated to continue the journey alongside showrunner John Wirth and the incomparable Zahn McClarnon,” said Dan McDermott, chief content officer of AMC Networks and president of AMC Studios. “Our extraordinary producing and creative team, cast and crew have crafted a gripping crime drama that continues to be embraced by fans and widely celebrated by critics. We can’t wait to share more of this incredible story with audiences across the globe.”

FBI announces a $50,000 reward in the Nancy Guthrie abduction
FBI Special Agent in Charge Janke told reporters on Thursday that the reward is for information leading to the recovery of Savannah Guthrie’s mother “and or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.” The FBI is jointly investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. jointly investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
ALSO:

• FBI says it has arrested one person for sending a fake ransom note

• Pima County Sheriff slams “reckless” reporting in the Nancy Guthrie abduction

• Gayle King tears up on CBS Mornings reporting on the Nancy Guthrie abduction

Bad Bunny promises Super Bowl halftime viewers “don’t even have to learn Spanish”: “I want people to have fun”
“I really as I said, I want people to have fun. It’s going to be a huge party, it’s going to be what people can always expect from me, I don’t know if that is something,” Bad Bunny said this morning at a Super Bowl LX press conference. “That’s what I want to bring to the stage. Of course, a lot of my culture, but I don’t want to give any spoilers. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be easy. People only have to worry about… I know that I told them that they had four months to learn Spanish. They don’t even have to learn Spanish. It’s better if they learn to dance. There’s no better dance than the one that comes from the heart, the heartbeat dance, that’s the only thing they need to worry about and enjoy. And of course choose your team at the game.”

Hulu lands D’Arcy Carden and Will Forte Australian dramedy Sunny Nights
Sunny Nights, which was made for Australian streamer Stan, will make its U.S. debut on Hulu on March 11. “Sunny Nights follows a pair of siblings. Forte (The Last Man On Earth) is strait-laced American Martin Marvin attempting to get a mobile spray-tan business up and running. Carden (The Good Place) is his loose-cannon sister Vicki,” per Deadline. “As they attempt to turn their company from a start-up operating out of the back of a van into a multi-million-dollar empire, they cross swords with a ruthless gangster and must figure out how to stay alive and out of prison.” Watch Sunny Nights’ trailer.

Craig Ferguson to explore America for its 250th birthday in CNN docuseries
Craig Ferguson: American On Purpose will follow the comedian and former late-night host in a “cross-country journey to explore the topics and people who make up modern America and ask what it really means to be American today,” per the official description. “American On Purpose unpacks the country’s chaotic, triumphant, and controversial 250-year journey of independence.” “Ferguson explores the identity of the country he now calls home after becoming a proud citizen in 2008, digging into its freedoms, contradictions, and cultural quirks,” says CNN. “The journey takes him from monster truck rallies to Ellis Island and beyond, combining American history with his signature wit and playfulness to meet the moment of the nation’s 250th anniversary.”

Canadian pop star Tate McRae responds to backlash for starring in NBC’s Winter Olympics ad for Team USA
Canadians expressed shock that McRae would support Team USA in NBC Winter Olympics ad. Toronto Life called the ad “treason.” On Instagram, McRae playfully addressed the controversy on her Instagram Stories. Sharing a photo of herself as a little girl holding a miniature Canadian flag, McRae wrote, “… y’all know I’m Canada down.”

Bill Nye to be honored with the Lifetime Achievement award at the Children’s & Family Emmys
The science educator, engineer, television presenter and inventor and co-creator and host of Bill Nye the Science Guy will be honored in a ceremony on March 1. “This is quite an honor. Thank you. As you may know, I pretty much put my heart and soul into all the shows I’ve worked on.” Nye said in a statement.

Euphoria shares the first look at Sharon Stone’s studio boss role
“She runs the show,” HBO captioned the image, featuring the iconic Warner Bros. tower in the background.

Marcello Hernández will lead a “party patrol” for Wells Fargo Super Bowl ad
“I definitely got to add my little seasoning to the commercial,” the SNL star says of the ad, which will run in specific local English- and Spanish-language stations playing NBC’s telecast of Super Bowl LX on Sunday.

High Potential hits a ratings high
The Kaitlin Olson-led ABC drama series’ Jan. 20 episode drew 12.98 million viewers after a week of streaming and other delayed viewing. That’s more than double its series premiere viewership of 5.93 million viewers.

Disney+’s Eragon series finds its showrunners
Todd Harthan and Todd Helbing will serve as co-showrunners, with Harthan set as co-creator on the show alongside Eragon author Christopher Paolini.

How I Met Your Mother’s Josh Radnor becomes a father
The 51-year-old Radnor has announced that he and wife Jordana Jacobs welcomed a baby boy “A few months ago.”

Steve Carell comedy Rooster’s HBO trailer features a slew of Bill Lawrence alumni
The college-set Rooster, created by Lawrence and Matt Tarses, stars Carell as a bestselling author navigating a complicated relationship with his daughter, played by Charly Chive. Cast members include Phil Dunster, Danielle Deadwyler, John C. McGinley,Connie Britton, Alan Ruck, Rory Scovel, Robby Hoffman, Annie Mumolo and Lauren Tsai. Rooster premieres March 8.

Kevin Kline and Laura Linney star in the trailer for MGM+ comedy American Classic
“American Classic tells the story of Broadway star Richard Bean, who suffers a spectacular public meltdown and returns home to the family theater where he first became aware of his own brilliance,” per the official description. “Once there, his extreme behavior sets off a series of crises among those closest to him: his ex-girlfriend (now the town’s mayor) married to his brother, his brother himself, and his beloved niece who dreams of a life in the theater.” American Classic premieres March 1.

Disney+’s Rivals unveils its Season 2 trailer and premiere date
“Welcome to the naughtiest show on television,” says the British period dramedy series, which kicks off Season 2 on May 15.

HGTV’s Bachelor Mansion Takeover trailer reveals heated drama between Bachelor Nation alums
Jesse Palmer hosts the HGTV home makeover show featuring 12 Bachelor Nation alumni, with Tayshia Adams and Tyler James serving as judges. Bachelor Mansion Takeover premieres March 2.

Watch Amazon’s trailer for Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock
Hero Fiennes Tiffin plays the title role in the drama series which tells “the origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective in a re-imagining of the iconic character’s early days,” per Deadline. “Sherlock Holmes is a disgraced young man – raw and unfiltered – when he finds himself wrapped up in a murder case that threatens his liberty. His first ever case unravels a globe-trotting conspiracy that changes his life forever. Unfolding in 1870s Oxford and adventuring abroad, the series will expose the early antics of the anarchic adolescent who is yet to evolve into Baker Street’s most renowned resident.” Young Sherlock premieres March 4.

Real Housewives of Rhode Island gets a premiere date and trailer
The newest Real Housewives series will debut on Thursday, April 2, before moving to its regular home of Sundays starting April 5.

The Miniature Wife, starring Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen, reveals Peacock premiere date and teaser
Based on the short story written by Manuel Gonzales and premiering April 9, The Miniature Wife “is a dramedy examining the power (im)balances between spouses after a technological accident induces the ultimate relationship crisis,” per Deadline. “A crisis is putting it mildly. Macfadyen and Banks star as Les and Lindy, a couple trying to keep their marriage together. The wrinkle is that Les has accidentally shrunk Lindy to six inches high, adding a high-concept twist to the relationship drama.”

A Louisville mansion conceals a gruesome crime in HBO’s Murder In Glitterball City trailer
Premiering Feb. 19, the two-part documentary chronicles a 2010 murder case that starts with a 911 phone call that leads police to the gruesome discovery of a body buried in the basement of a Victorian mansion.

Murdoch Mysteries gets a Season 19 trailer and premiere date
Detective William Murdoch deals with the closure of Station House No. 4 in Season 19 of the Acorn TV mystery series, premiering March 2.

Netflix releases the trailer for Steven Spielberg docuseries The Dinosaurs
Morgan Freeman narrates the four-episode docuseries made by Lucasfilm, described as “an epic journey into a lost world.” The Dinosaurs premieres March 6.