The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Netflix unveils a fleet of new series
Stars include Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Tony Danza, Josh Groban
The streaming service that seemingly hatches a show every hour on the hour made a daylong appearance recentlyat the Television Critics Association Press Tour and dropped fresh details (and some premiere dates) for a barrage of shiny new inventory.
Here are 11 series coming down the Netflix pipeline: “ALL ABOUT THE WASHINGTONS” (PREMIERES AUG. 10)
» A scripted family sitcom that follows Joey Washington (Rev. Run, aka Joseph Simmons) and his wife Justine Washington (Justine Simmons). They play fictionalized versions of themselves as parents raising four kids. “DISENCHANTMENT” (PRE
MIERES AUG. 17) » This subversive animated series from Matt Groening (“The Simpsons”) whisks viewers away to the crumbling medieval kingdom of Dreamland, where they will follow the misadventures of harddrinking young princess Bean, her feisty elf companion Elfo and her personal demon Luci. Along the way, the oddball trio will encounter ogres, sprites, harpies, imps, trolls, walruses and lots of human fools. “THE INNOCENTS” (PRE
MIERES AUG. 24) » When teenagers Harry and June (Percelle Ascott and Sorcha Groundsell) run away from their repressive families to be together, they’re derailed by an extraordinary discovery — June’s ability to shape-shift. As the starcrossed lovers struggle to control this strange new power, a mysterious professor reveals that June is not alone: There are more shifters out there like her, and he promises to cure June and reunite her with the mother who deserted her three years ago. “MANIAC” (PREMIERES SEPT. 21) » A limited series starring Emma Stone and Jonah Hill as two strangers drawn to the late stages of a mysterious, three-day pharmaceutical trial, each for their own reasons. Justin Theroux plays the inventor of pills that he claims can repair anything about the mind, be it mental illness or heartbreak. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned. The series was created by Patrick Somerville and all 10 episodes were directed by Oakland native Cary Joji Fukunaga. It marks his return to TV after directing the entire first season of HBO’s “True Detective.” “THE GOOD COP” (PREMIERES
SEPT. 21) » Tony Danza returns to TV as a lovable, but not exactly honorable, former NYPD officer who never followed the rules. He lives with his son, a brilliant, straight-laced cop (Josh Groban) who never bends the rules. Clashes ensue. “SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT” (PREMIERES OCT. 19) » Based on Samin Nosrat’s best-selling, James Beard Award-winning book of the same title, this series is a guide to the basic elements of good cooking. Nosrat travels to home kitchens in Italy, the southern islands of Japan, the Yucatán and back to Berkeley’s acclaimed Chez Panisse restaurant — where she started her culinary career — to demystify and explore the central principles of what makes food delicious. “CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA” (PREMIERES
OCT. 26) » Starring Kiernan Shipka (“Mad Men”), this series imagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Exorcist,” this adaptation finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit. “THE KOMINSKY METHOD”
(PREMIERES NOV. 16) » A comedy starring Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin as a has-been actor turned acting coach and his longtime agent. The show follows them as they struggle to navigate their later years in Los Angeles, a city that values youth and beauty. The cast includes Nancy Travis. Prolific sitcom maestro Chuck Lorre (“The Big Bang Theory,” “Two and a Half Men”) is the executive producer. “MADAM C.J. WALKER” (PRE
MIERE TBA) » A limited series starring and executiveproduced by Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer. It’s the story of black hair care pioneer and mogul Madam C.J. Walker and how she overcame racial hostilities in turn-of-the-century America, epic rivalries, turbulent marriages and other family issues to become America’s first black, self-made female millionaire. It’s based on the book “On Her Own Ground,” by A’Lelia Bundles. LeBron James is also an executive producer. “WHITE LINES” (PREMIERE
TBA) » When the body of a legendary Manchester DJ is discovered 20 years after his mysterious disappearance from Ibiza, his sister returns to the beautiful Spanish island to find out what happened. Her investigation will lead her through the alluring yet dangerous world of dance music as well as the darker sides of her own character. “THE CURIOUS CREATIONS OF CHRISTINE MCCONNELL”
(PREMIERE TBA) » This series promises to experience the “art of darkness in ways you’ve never imagined.” McConnell, a baker and artist, takes viewers into her home, where she bakes, sculpts and sews to create delicious confections and hauntingly disturbing decor with the help of her colorful collection of creatures.