‘Life Goes On’ goes on: Revival one step closer to reality
‘Life Goes On’ goes on: Ahit for ABC in the early ‘90s (1989-93, to be exact), “Life Goes On” was the drama series that broke new ground by featuring a main character with Down syndrome (played by Chris Burke, “Mona Lisa Smile,” 2003). It also gave actress Kellie Martin (“Christy”) her big break.
Now 30 years later, Martin is set to return to her most famous TV role in a followup series, one developed by NBC and not ABC, surprisingly.
The sequel had been shopped around late last year, but just recently, Peacock gave it a “put pilot” order, falling just short of a formal pilot order. While that means this is all a work in progress, it also means a significant financial penalty for the network if NBC decides to pass on it.
“All American” showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll will write and (co-)executive produce the “Life Goes On” sequel under her eightfigure overall deal with Warner Bros. Television, which actually owns the IP — the studio licensed “Life Goes On” to ABC in the ‘90s. Series creator Michael Braverman (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) will serve as executive consultant.
As for Martin, the star is also on board as a producer alongside Chad Lowe (“24”), who won an Emmy in 1993 for playing Becca’s HIV-positive boyfriend (also a groundbreaking storyline in its time).
According to the official logline, the sequel “will revisit a grown-up Becca Thatcher [Martin], now an accomplished doctor, and her extended family as she returns to her hometown.”
No word yet on whether Burke will reprise his role as Corky or if the sequel will include appearances from on-screen parents Bill Smitrovich (“The Event”) and Patti LuPone (“State and Main,” 2000 ).
Back to Degrassi: Continuing with the reboot theme, WarnerMedia Kids & Family — the family-oriented arm of WarnerMedia — recently greenlit a new teen drama series inspired by the popular Degrassi franchise, a cornerstone of Canadian television since 1980.
Like the original series (and several others that followed), this new “Degrassi” will be a characterdriven drama that follows teen students and school faculty as they experience events that both bind them and tear them apart. It’s scheduled to begin filming in Toronto this summer, with Lara Azzopardi (“The Bold Type”) and Julia Cohen (“Riverdale”) serving as both showrunners and executive producers.
In a statement, Azzopardi and Cohen explained, “What excites us maybe the most about reviving this beloved franchise is turning it into a truly serialized one-hour drama. We’re honored to be given the opportunity to lead this evolution and bring this iconic series back into people’s homes.”
There’s more. In addition to this new 10-episode series (which should land on HBO Max in 2023), the streamer also picked up the U.S. rights to all 14 seasons of “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” including the seven seasons that featured Drake before he rose to fame as a rapper (“The Vampire Diaries” actress Nina Dobrev also got her start on the series). Those episodes should be available for viewing this spring, while the original series should pop up on Cartoon Network later on.
Mind you, the most recent addition to the Degrassi franchise,“Degrassi: Next Class,” isn’t part of this deal as it currently streams on Netflix.
FX casting: Domhnall Gleeson (“Ex Machina,” 2014) is soon to be “The Patient.”
The limited series from FX had already found its lead in Steve Carell (“The Morning Show”) when the project was greenlit and formally announced last October.
We knew that the frequent Emmy nominee would play a psychotherapist held prisoner by a serial killer with an unusual request: Curb his homicidal urges. What follows over the course of 10 episodes is Carell’s character attempting to unwind his patient’s mind while under duress and dealing with his own repressed troubles.
But who would be playing said “Patient”? That question remained largely unanswered until recently when FX announced Gleeson’s addition to the cast as the co-lead. Other additions to the cast include Linda Emond (“Succession”), Laura Niemi (“This Is Us”) and Andrew Leeds (“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”).
Though some may know him as Bill Weasley from the Harry Potter films or bad guy Gen. Hux from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Gleeson has amassed a long list of film, TV and stage credits.A Tony nominee, Gleeson recently starred in the play “Medicine” and will next appear in the five-part HBO limited series “The White House Plumbers” opposite Woody Harrelson (“True Detective”) and Justin Theroux (“The Mosquito Coast”).
As for “The Patient,” the psychological thriller hails from writer-producers Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg, the creative duo behind the hit series “The Americans.” Another “Americans” alumnus, Chris Long, has been tapped to serve as an executive producer and will direct the first two episodes.
Production is already underway.