‘The Chi’ releases first look for upcoming eighth and final season

Paramount+ has released a first look at the eighth and final season of “The Chi,” which will air later this year.

“The Chi,” set on Chicago’s South Side, will experience “the coldest winter ever” next season.

The logline reads, “A choice must be made between life and death. The question is who will make it. Legacy, conflict, joy, and pain.”

The series stars Jacob Lattimore, Birgundy Baker, Luke James, Shamon Brown Jr., Michael V. Epps, Hannah Hall, and Jason Weaver.

“The Chi” was created and executive produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Lena Waithe under her Hillman Glad banner. “The Chi” is executive produced by co-showrunners Justin Hillian of Hillianaire Productions and Jewel Coronel of Uncut Gems.

Additional executive producers include Common, Aaron Kaplan, Rick Famuyiwa, ID8 Multimedia’s Reseda Brady Anderson, Derek Dudley, Shelby Stone, Naomi Funahashi, Rishi Rajani, and James Rogers III.

Deondray Gosfield and Quincy Lenia Gosfield will direct multiple episodes and serve as co-executive producers.

“The Chi” is produced by 20th Television.

Below is the first look of next season.

programming

“The Neighborhood” is airing a farewell special on CBS ahead of its final episode.

CBS will air the Entertainment Tonight presentation, “The Neighborhood: A Farewell Special,” hosted by Kevin Frazier, on April 6 at 8 p.m. ET. The hour-long special will also be streamed on Paramount+.

Filmed on the sitcom’s soundstage, the special commemorates the show’s eight seasons, totaling 156 episodes. It will appear ahead of the series finale scheduled for May 11th.

The retrospective will feature new interviews with the cast looking back at the show’s beginnings, evolution, and cultural impact. The comedy, which premiered in 2018, explores themes of community, family, and changing dynamics in neighborhoods, centering on the friendship between two neighboring families, the Butlers and the Johnsons.

The broadcast will also include never-before-seen footage and archival interviews from the Entertainment Tonight archives, highlighting memorable moments from across the series. Viewers will get a behind-the-scenes look at the final day of production on the show, including the final table read, final taping moments, and emotional farewells from cast and crew.

To conclude the hour, the show previews the upcoming finale, with cast and producers offering insight into what viewers can expect as the Butlers and Johnson families say goodbye to the neighborhood they’ve called home for nearly a decade.

release date

Two of Investigation Discovery’s longest-running true crime series return with new seasons next month.

“Murder Hunter: America’s Detective,” hosted by former homicide detective Joe Kenda, and “The Paula Zahn Case,” hosted by veteran journalist Paula Zahn, will air serially on Inspection Discovery starting April 15 at 9 p.m. ET.

The new season of Murder Hunters: American Detective returns to spotlight real-life investigators from across the United States as they work to solve complex murder cases. Kenda guides viewers through the investigation, highlighting the method and tenacity required to solve difficult cases.

In the season premiere, titled “Man’s Best Friend,” detectives investigate the murder of Mandy Reynolds, whose burned body is discovered in rural Texas. The case leads to a high-speed chase, arrest, and tense interrogation as authorities try to solve the crime.

At 10 p.m., “The Paula Zahn Case” returns with a new episode of the long-running newsmagazine series featuring in-depth reporting on crimes that have rocked communities across the country. Zahn examines the progress of the investigation that ultimately led to the suspect’s trial, and interviews investigators, family members, and those involved in the case.

The season premiere, “Edge of the Abyss,” centers on the disappearance of a young woman on her way to work, with police piecing together videotaped clues to solve the mystery.

“Homicide Hunter: American Detective” is produced by Jupiter Entertainment, and “On the Case With Paula Zahn” is produced by Scott Sternberg Productions and Weinberger Media.

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Apple TV announced that the children’s and family animated adventure series “My Brother the Minotaur” will premiere worldwide on April 24th.

According to the logline, the show is “a thrilling mix of folklore, mystery, and adventure about a young Minotaur, half boy, half bull, who is discovered and raised in the human world. With the help of his fiercely loyal human siblings, he recruits a group of daring friends to unravel the mysteries of the Minotaur’s past and fulfill his destiny while battling dark forces determined to see him fail.”

The animated series features voice actors Michael Sheen, Brian Cox, Tinia Miller, and Paul Kaye, as well as Elie Solan, Billie Jenkins, Luciana Akpobalo, and Billie Boulet.

“My Brother the Minotaur” is produced for Apple by Dog Ears and Cartoon Saloon. Gerry Shiren and Fionnuala Dean will serve as executive producers, with John McDaid, Nora Twomey, Tom Moore, Paul Young and Nuria Blanco serving as producers. The show is created by Donal Mangan and directed by Maurice Joyce.

production

Season 10 of Telemundo’s “El Señor de los Cielos” (“The Lord of the Skies”) is officially in production.

Rafael Amaya will reprise his role as Aurelio Casillas in the upcoming season, and he “returns stronger and more determined than ever. After disappearing from his family’s radar, Aurelio reemerges to take back his empire and avenge his family. But as he challenges the limits of power and loyalty, the lines blur, threatening to spark a conflict that could destroy everything he has built.” The returning cast also includes Carmen Aub as Rutila Casillas and Isabella Castillo as Diana Ahumada.

“As the longest-running scripted series on Spanish-language television, reaching season 10 of El Señor de los Cielos is an extraordinary milestone,” Javier Pons, chief content officer and head of Telemundo Studios, said in a statement. “This season, our production team is taking the story to the next level with the cinematic locations and intense action that made this series a global phenomenon. We’re proud that Rafael Amaya will lead this powerful ensemble to deliver more intense, visually stunning and emotionally gripping stories than ever before.”

The series is created and written by Louis Zelkovich, directed by Danny Gavidia, Mauricio Corredor, Laura Marco, and Jorge Rios, with Monica Vizzi and Rafael Amaya serving as executive producers, and Mabel Vargas as executive producer.

executive news

Vanessa Estevez and Joey Case have joined Boat Rocker Studio’s Creative Affairs teams for Kids and Family and Unscripted, respectively. The hire comes as part of the independent entertainment company’s strategic focus on owned intellectual property and rights management.

Estevez joins as senior director of creative affairs, kids and families, supporting Boat Rocker’s original animation plans through creative development, pre-sales, current series and production. She will report to Gia Delaney, SVP of Global Sales and Content, Children and Families. She previously served as Head of Production and Creative Supervising Producer of Development at Nelvana.

Case joins as senior director of unscripted creative and will strengthen Boat Rocker’s original unscripted slate while supporting creative development, pre-sales, current series and production. He will report unscripted to Natalie Vinet, senior vice president of global sales and content. Case most recently served as executive producer and head of development at Alibi Entertainment.

“Boat Rocker Studios continues to invest in best-in-class proprietary IP and expand our in-house creative expertise as we expand our premium content offerings,” said John Rutherford, President of Global Content and Rights at Boat Rocker Studios, in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome Vanessa and Joey to our team and look forward to continuing to help us build our content creation and rights management business across our Kids & Family and Unscripted segments.”

event

Executives from Eris Entertainment, Zak Barnett Studios, and FlareFlow are joining forces to launch the inaugural “Vertical Revolution Summit.” The summit is a two-day intensive event aimed at “showing actors, emerging creators, and industry professionals exactly how careers are being built in the age of vertical video.”

The event will be held at Zach Barnett Studios in Los Angeles on April 17th and 18th.

The summit aims to provide aspiring actors, creators, and entertainment professionals with practical insight into the vertical drama genre through panels, workshops, and open casting calls.

The event will be led by Tina Randolph, president of Ellis Entertainment. Zach Barnett of Zach Barnett Studio. and veteran casting director Paul Ruddy, Head of Casting at FlareFlow.

Featured speakers include Mal Young, former head of drama at the BBC; Kara Mosley; Cyrus Wang, head of talent at Dramabox; Carla M. Rodriguez, Director of Talent Relations, GoodShort. Alex Amselem, Head of Casting, GoodShort. Amy Sullivan, FlareFlow Development Director. Ryan Kelly, “Teen Wolf” actor. Tyler Gallant, Head of Production at Ellis Entertainment, said: Additional speakers will be announced at a later date.

“The next generation of stars is already being born on mobile phones, on apps, on platforms that didn’t exist five years ago. What’s missing is a roadmap. Actors are coming into this space not knowing how it works, and that’s leaving them with missed opportunities. We’re here to fix that,” Randolph said.