VH1’s acclaimed original movie The Breaks is about to become a weekly series. The movie looked at three New York friends following their dreams in the early hip-hop music industry, circa 1990. It was inspired by journalist Dan Charnas’ nonfiction book The Big Payback. The film version, aired on Jan. 4, ranks as the #2 original cable movie of 2016 among adults 19-49. Of course, the year is still quite young. But the nascent hip-hop business in NYC seems like fertile ground for a television series—especially with music industry shows like “Empire” and “Vinyl” showing strong legs. “The Breaks” is expected to premiere in late 2016.
Idiot Box: Atwell Has “Conviction”
Online entertainment news source Deadline is reporting that actress Hayley Atwell has been cast as the lead in the new ABC series “Conviction.” This would lend credence to the rumor that the network is canceling its “Marvel’s Agent Carter” series after this second season. If true, this is a serious bummer. “Agent Carter” has really hit a lightweight, action-adventure stride this season by sending Carter and her platonic partner Mr. Jarvis (James D’Arcy) out to Hollywood for some spy-fi fun. Ratings have been middling this season, hovering around 2.9 million viewers—but the DVR viewings remain strong. Given that “Agent Carter” is a limited series, airing during the midwinter break of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” it’s possible Atwell could work on both series. For now, though, it’s wait-and-see. “Conviction” is described as a crime drama about the “brilliant but ne’er-do-well” daughter of a former president who is blackmailed into working as the head of a Los Angeles crimesolving unit dedicated to reexamining cases in which there is “credible suspicion that the wrong person may have been convicted of a crime.”
Idiot Box: Feel The “Power”
“The Powerpuff Girls” is returning to Cartoon Network. Craig McCracken’s beloved superhero series ran from 1998 to 2005. This new weekly show will be the first new Powerfpuff action since the CGI special “Powerpuff Girls: Dance Pantsed” aired in January of 2013. Although generally well-received, that special was made without McCracken’s input. McCracken isn’t involved in this new series either, but he has reportedly given it his stamp of approval. The original voicecast (Cathy Cavadini, Tara Strong and Elizabeth Daily) have been replaced (with Amanda Leighton, Kristen Li and Natalie Palamides). Tom Kenny will be sticking around as the voice of the Mayor and the narrator, and several other familiar voices are expected to pop up. The new show’s theme song is performed by Seattle surf quartet Tacocat. CN released the song (and the show’s new title sequence) ahead of the premiere. Other than a few small, stylistic tweaks it looks like the same old “Powerpuff Girls.” Fans will have to wait and see how it all turns out when the show premieres sometime in spring.
