Definition of ‘Icon’
The Judds to be profiled in new anthology series
They’re five-time Grammy winners who dominated country music charts in the 1980s and ‘90s with a string of Top 10 hits (20, to be exact). And now, the story of mother-daughter singing duo Naomi and Wynonna Judd, aka The Judds, appears to be headed for the small screen. Fox is working on a new, one-hour anthology drama series that tells the true stories of music legends who have left their imprint on recording history. Appropriately titled “Icon,” the series would profile a different artist each season, beginning with The Judds, who are on board as executive producers. You might be thinking that the story of these country music hitmakers is welltrodden territory, given their 2011 OWN docuseries, “The Judds,” and the many bestselling memoirs written by mom Naomi and daughters Wynonna and Ashley, who followed her own path to stardom as an actress. But theirs is a story that transcends music genres, a story anchored by a loving but fractious family dynamic that has been tested by fame and tragedy. And quite frankly, that makes for good TV, while The Judds’ catalog certainly contains enough hits to craft a killer soundtrack. The Judds stopped performing regularly as a duo in 1991 following Naomi’s hepatitis C diagnosis, and Wynonna went on to enjoy a successful solo career (she has a few concerts scheduled in 2020). There have been a few appearances and one-off concerts, but the last opportunity to see The Judds perform live was their 2010-11 Last Encore tour. And while country music’s most successful duo is due to receive their very own star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame next year, this new Fox anthology series should be a special treat for fans once production gets underway — they just need to find a writer first.
(Re)Animating ‘X-Files’:
Some good news for fans of “The X-Files”: Fox is reportedly considering a spinoff series that would keep the franchise alive. But wait — there are a few twists in this story. The potential new series is an animated comedy titled “The X-Files: Albuquerque.” And it won’t feature Mulder or Scully, either: it appears actors David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson aren’t attached to the project at this time. Instead, “The X-Files: Albuquerque” will follow the antics of an office staffed by misfit agents who are willing to tackle the cases that are otherwise too ridiculous, far-fetched or outrageous for more serious agents — you know, like Mulder and Scully. The people behind this project are writers Rocky Russo and Jeremy Sosenko, who have both worked on Netflix’s “Paradise PD” and Comedy Central’s “Brickleberry.” They’ll pen the pilot, but they’ll also serve as executive producers alongside series creator Chris Carter and another “X-Files” alumnus, Gabe Rotter. “The X-Files: Albuquerque” is still pretty early in the development process, but if you’re a fan of the live-action show, this might be the closest you’ll get to a series revival (and even then, there aren’t many similarities between the two shows). “The X-Files” ran from 1993 to 2002 on Fox and spawned two movies (1998, 2008) before wrapping after nine seasons. It was revived in 2016 and added two more seasons to its tally before Fox opted not to renew the series in 2018, though the decision was made after Anderson announced she was leaving the show for good.
Lifting the ‘Vale’: Two more names have been added to the cast of “Shining Vale,” and that means the Starz horror-comedy pilot is one step closer to becoming a reality. The potential half-hour series already has two big names attached as series regulars: Courteney Cox (“Friends”) and Greg Kinnear (“Little Miss Sunshine,” 2006). They’ll be joined by Gus Birney (“The Mist”) and Dylan Gage (“PEN15”), who have been cast as siblings to complete the TV family. “Shining Vale” is based on a story co-written by “Trial & Error” co-creator Jeff Astrof and “Divorce” creator Sharon Horgan. It’s the tale of a dysfunctional family — father Terry (Kinnear), mother Pat (Cox), daughter Gaynor (Birney) and son Jake (Gage) — that moves from a big city to a small town, and the “horror-comedy” bits stem from the fact that their new home is the scene of some pretty terrible things. Weirdly, nobody has picked up on this — that is, no one except Pat, who isn’t sure if she’s depressed or possessed (it might not be clear to the viewer, either). Pat’s daughter, Gaynor, is a 16-year-old who is smarter (and angrier) than everyone around her. She blames her mom for uprooting the family; these two are always at odds despite being alike, and they’ll become even more similar as the story progresses. Meanwhile, son Jake has a screen addiction and simultaneously suffers from ADHD and OCD. He’s a quirky, sensitive soul, and since like attracts like, Jake draws the more kindly spirits of those who died in the house. As for father Terry, well, he’s just trying to keep it together. The eternal optimist, he was already willing to trade in a 12-minute commute for a 90-minute one and spend his savings on an old house if it can fix his marriage after his wife’s affair. Add a possible possession to the mix, and intensive couples’ therapy suddenly seems like a walk in the park.