DAVID WIEGAND
Media Rays
TV toDay
A new episode of “Casual” is available on Hulu. The Netflix stand-up special of the day is “Ari Shaffir: Double Negative: Collection.” Season four of BET’s very solid drama “Being Mary Jane” premieres tonight at 10, starring Gabrielle Union as Mary Jane Paul. The third season of “Born This Way” wraps at 10 p.m. on A&E, and the first season of “Devil’s Canyon” wraps on the Discovery Channel at 10 as well. Season 35 of “Chopped” begins on the Food Network at 10 p.m. with an episode called “Clam Clash.”
TV NEWS
Netflix has signed Ava DuVernay to create a limited series based on the case of the Central Park Five. Five young men of color were tried and convicted of raping a jogger in Central Park in 1999. Three years later, another man confessed to the crime and maintained that he acted alone. The convictions of the original five were vacated and the newly freed men sued New York City for malicious prosecution. The case remained stalemated until the city settled in 2014 for $41 million. However, a civil suit is still pending. Participant Media, Harpo Films (Oprah Winfrey’s company) and Tribeca Productions (cofounded by Robert De
Niro) are producing along with Netflix. Tamron Hall could be heading back to television as host of her own talk show. The former NBC “Today” co-host is developing her own show with Weinstein Television. The project isn’t attached to a network yet. No surprise here: TNT has renewed “Claws ”fora second season. Clearly, Niecy Nash has nailed it with this show.
David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @WaitWhat_TV