Happy Monday! Here are some news bits about new shows and seasons headed our way!
Bitconned
In the true-crime documentary Bitconned, criminal Ray Trapani guides viewers through the ups and downs of his dramatic journey as a cryptocurrency scammer, alongside his family, former friends, and the journalist who exposed Centra Tech, the crypto company Trapani co-founded, as the first high-profile fraud case of the crypto era.
Bitconned, a Netflix Documentary, premieres globally on Monday, January 1, 2024, exclusively on Netflix. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Cruel Intentions
Prime Video has ordered Cruel Intentions, a new eight-episode series inspired by the iconic, fan-favorite ’90s film Cruel Intentions, itself based on the classic novel Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos (which was made into the Oscar®-winning film of the same name, amongst other adaptations).
The series Cruel Intentions takes place at an elite Washington, DC, college, where two ruthless step-siblings will do anything to stay on top of the cutthroat social hierarchy. After a brutal hazing incident threatens the entire Panhellenic system at their school, they’ll do whatever is necessary to preserve their power and reputation, even if it means seducing the daughter of the vice president of the United States.
The cast includes Sarah Catherine Hook (First Kill), Zac Burgess (Totally Completely Fine), Savannah Lee Smith (Gossip Girl), Sara Silva (American Horror Stories), Khobe Clarke (Firefly Lane), John Harlan Kim (9-1-1), Brooke Lena Johnson (You), and Sean Patrick Thomas (Till). Claire Forlani (NCIS: Los Angeles), Nikki Crawford (NCIS), Isabella Tagliati (Scuba), Zeke Goodman (I Know What You Did Last Summer), and Jon Tenney (The Closer) have recurring roles.
Cruel Intentions will premiere globally exclusively on Prime Video (date tba). Stay tuned for updates.
Double Cross
ALLBLK has announced the premiere date and released the trailer for the new 6-episode season of its popular Original crime drama series Double Cross. Season 5 picks up where the Season 4 finale leaves off, with vigilante “Wonder Twins” Erica (Ashley A. Williams, Black Boots) and Eric Cross (Jeff Logan, The Deadly Getaway) continuing their crusade against child trafficking, no matter the cost. And the cost is huge this time, as Eric’s newborn son is kidnapped. Meanwhile, the twins discover that a bus full of elementary school children has mysteriously vanished. With the stakes higher than ever, it will take a village to get everyone home safe.
Academy Award® nominee Eric Roberts (Babylon) and Zimzon Zion (He’s for the Streets) guest star in the new season, joining returning cast Darrin Dewitt Henson (Stomp the Yard), Jasmine Brown, Judi Johnson (A Wesley Christmas), Redaric Williams (Zatima), Faith Malonte (A Rich Christmas), Candice Van Beauty (Christmas Déjà Vu), and Cameo Sherrell (The Black Hamptons), amongst others.
Double Cross: Season 5 premieres in the US on Thursday, January 18, exclusively on ALLBLK.
Godfather of Harlem
MGM+ has renewed the critically-acclaimed crime drama Godfather of Harlem for a fourth season, with Academy Award® winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland, The Butler) returning as the series’ star and executive producer. Also reprising their roles for the upcoming season are Ilfenesh Hadera (She’s Gotta Have It), Lucy Fry (Bright), Antoinette Crowe-Legacy (Passing), and Erik LaRay Harvey (Boardwalk Empire), amongst others.
In Season 4, Bumpy Johnson (Whitaker) continues his bloody war for control of Harlem against New York’s Mafia families, while contending with the emergence of a potential rival in newly arrived Black gangster Frank Lucas. After Malcolm X’s (Jason Alan Carvell) tragic death, Bumpy must also grapple with his daughter Elise’s (Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, WeCrashed) involvement with the Black Panthers.
Seasons 1-3 of Godfather of Harlem are currently available for streaming on MGM+. Stay tuned for updates.
Leverage: Redemption
Amazon MGM Studios has renewed the popular heist drama series Leverage: Redemption for Season 3 — which will launch on Prime Video in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand next year. The series follows a Robin Hood-esque team of criminals as they stage elaborate cons against corrupt and powerful individuals on behalf of clients who have been wronged.
Seasons 1 and 2 of Leverage: Redemption, starring Leverage alums Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf, and Aldis Hodge, along with Noah Wyle (ER) and Aleyse Shannon (Charmed), are available to stream in the US and UK on Amazon Freevee. The original Leverage series, the prequel to Leverage: Redemption, is currently available for streaming on Freevee on the “Leverage” FAST channel as well as on-demand. Stay tuned for updates.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Prime Video has released a teaser for its new series Mr. & Mrs. Smith, a reimagining of the 2005 Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie film, starring Donald Glover (Swarm, Atlanta) as John Smith and Maya Erskine (PEN15, Casual) as Jane Smith.
In this version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, two lonely strangers land jobs working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travels, and a dream brownstone in Manhattan. The catch? New identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John and Jane navigate a high-risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone. Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier: espionage or marriage?
Mr. & Mrs. Smith premieres globally on Friday, February 2, 2024, exclusively on Prime Video. (You can add it to your watchlist now.)
Ransom Canyon
Netflix has announced Ransom Canyon, a romance-fueled family drama and contemporary western saga that charts the intersecting lives of three ranching families, all set against the rugged expanse of Texas Hill Country. The ten-episode series stars Josh Duhamel and .
Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas, Transformers) stars as Staten Kirkland, owner and sole occupant of the sprawling Double K Ranch. Steadfast and stoic, Staten leads the charge to resist outside forces threatening his way of life and the land that he loves. Minka Kelly (Titans, Euphoria) costars as Quinn, who’s often found herself in the shadow of others. But after a stint in New York pursuing her career as a concert pianist, she’s returned to Ransom Canyon to carve out a new path for herself.
Stay tuned for updates.
Tracker
Based on The Never Game, Book 1 in Jeffery Deaver’s “Colter Shaw” novels, Tracker is a new crime drama series that stars Justin Hartley (This Is Us, Smallville) as Colter Shaw, a lone-wolf survivalist who roams the country as a reward seeker — using his expert tracking skills to help private citizens and law enforcement solve all manner of mysteries while contending with his own fractured family.
Tracker premieres Sunday, February 11, following Super Bowl LVIII on CBS, with streaming available on the CBS app and Paramount+.
The Trust
The Trust is a new reality series in which eleven strangers are given a quarter of a million dollars to split evenly between them. The question is, will they take their fair share, or will the allure of more money cause them to vote each other out to keep more for themselves? It’s the ultimate test of human nature, as greed and mistrust threaten to destroy even the strongest of relationships. In this game, everyone starts as winners and they can all leave as winners — if they choose to share.
The Trust, a Netflix Series, premieres globally on Wednesday, January 10, exclusively on Netflix. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Twisted Metal
Based on the classic PlayStation video game franchise of the same name, the live-action comedy series Twisted Metal has scored a second season renewal at Peacock. Season 1 of Peacock Original Twisted Metal, currently available for streaming in the US exclusively on Peacock, is about a motor-mouthed outsider (Anthony Mackie, “Captain America” and “Avengers” films) who’s offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. With the help of a badass axe-wielding car thief, he’ll face savage marauders driving vehicles of destruction and other dangers of the open road, including a deranged clown who drives an all too familiar ice cream truck. Stay tuned for updates about Season 2.
The Upshaws
Speaking of Netflix, the streamer has renewed its hit comedy series The Upshaws for a ten-episode Part 6. The series follows Bennie Upshaw (Mike Epps, I’m a Virgo, Survivor’s Remorse), the head of a Black working class family in Indianapolis. Bennie, a charming, well-intentioned mechanic and lifelong mess, is trying his best to step up and care for his family — including wife Regina (Kim Fields, Living Single), daughters Aaliyah (Khali Spraggins, Empire) and Maya (Journey Christine, Outsiders), firstborn son Bernard (Jermelle Simon, Animal Kingdom), and Kelvin (Diamond Lyons, 5th Ward), the teenage son he fathered with another woman (Gabrielle Dennis, Luke Cage) — as well as tolerate his sardonic sister-in-law, Lucretia (Wanda Sykes, The Other Two), all without a blueprint for success. But the Upshaws are determined to make it work, and make it to the next level, together.
In the upcoming Part 5, slated to debut in spring 2024, the Upshaws continue to ride life’s ups and downs, including new jobs, bigger dreams, health struggles, and some major life surprises — but still hanging on with the love that comes with family.
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