All the TV news that you need to know… in just 10 minutes.
With hit fantasy show Game Of Thrones (2011-current) expected to end in season 8, HBO is putting big money behind some major cast members. Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) and Nikolaj CosterWaldau (Jaime Lannister) have all signed deals upgrading their salaries from around $300 000 per episode to well above $500 000 (R7.5 million). Not that the pay hike guarantees anyone’s survival all the way to the final episode… Stars like Lena Headey are getting a Game Of Thrones payrise.
Seems that no one’s been willing to talk about the fire that destroyed a pivotal set on Black Sails (2014current) in May – until now! An anonymous source on the Cape Town-based production has revealed that the set, one of the ships, was due to be burnt down anyway as part of the piratethemed show’s season 4 storyline. “The blaze happened the night before we were due to wrap filming anyway,” says our source, “so we converted another ship set to look like the one that burnt.” The source also gave a heads up that season 4 is likely to be the last of the series as “they wanted to do Treasure Island [Black Sails is a prequel to the 1883 book by Robert Louis Stevenson] but there are copyright issues”.
The future of motoring show Top Gear (2002-current) is in jeopardy after massively unpopular new host Chris Evans quit after six episodes. It’s rumoured that Chris wasn’t getting along with co-presenter Matt LeBlanc, who’s expected to take over as host if the BBC gives the go-ahead for a 24th season. Meanwhile, spin-off series Top Gear USA (20102016) has been cancelled by the History Channel, forcing the producers to look for a new broadcaster.
The Flash (2014current – read more on p31) is getting a magical new cast member now that former Harry Potter (2001-2011) baddie Tom Felton (he played Draco Malfoy) has joined the upcoming third season as a forensic technician at the Central City Police Department who doesn’t trust Barry (aka The Flash). Taylor Lautner is going to Scream Queens.
The casting overhaul at medical drama Code Black (2015-current) continues with Rob Lowe – recently seen in now-cancelled sitcom The Grinder (2015-2016) – joining as the new co-lead opposite Marcia Gay Harden’s Dr Leanne Rorish. And speaking of new TV docs, Twilight (2008-2012) hunk Taylor Lautner has joined season 2 of horror comedy Scream Queens (2015-current) as a doc with an unusual and creepy medical condition.
Nashville (2012-current) was cancelled but it’s getting a season 5 on a new network next year. We know who’s staying – lead stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere are returning as Rayna and Juliette, as are the characters of Deacon, Gunnar, Avery, Scarlett, Maddie, Daphne and Will. However, the characters of Luke and Layla won’t be returning for the new 22-episode season. Tom Felton is joining The Flash.
Soapie Days Of Our Lives (1965-current) has been forced to write super-popular Drake Hogestyn (John Black) out. Thanks to a freak accident (he reportedly had internal bleeding after falling from
When award-winning sitcom Mom (2013-current) returns later this year, we’ll be seeing a lot more of Bonnie’s (Allison Janney) wheelchair-bound boyfriend Adam now that William Fichtner’s been made a series regular for season 4.
The Good Wife’s (2009-2016) loss is action show Blindspot’s (2015-current) gain now that Archie Panjabi (who played Kalinda) has joined in a major recurring role as the head of a shady agency who’ve secretly been tracking the Jane Doe case. Archie Panjabi has signed on for the new season of Blindspot.
Reality dating show The Bachelor (2002-current) is getting another spin-off, this time following the lives of its most famous success story: former Bachelor Ben Higgins and his fiancée Lauren Bushnell. Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After will follow the couple as they prepare to tie the knot and is scheduled to start in the US later this year in October.