Peacock Now Streaming Gina Torres’ “Suits” Spin-off “Pearson”

Posted on September 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Torres is suiting up for Peacock…

Peacock is hoping to drive viewership to Pearson, the short-lived Suits spin-off starring the 54-year-old Cuban American actress, after the latter became a surprising hit on Netflix this summer.

The NBCUniversal streamer has officially added the show, which starred Torres as her Suits character Jessica Pearson, to its service. The hope: that new Suits fans may discover the spinoff as well, which isn’t available on Netflix.

Pearson ran for one season on the cable network in 2019 but was canceled a month and a half after its season ended.

Pearson centered on Torres’ powerhouse lawyer as she enters the dirty world of Chicago politics.

It also stars Bethany Joy Lenz, Morgan Spector, Chantel Riley, Simon Kassianides, Eli Goree and Isabel Arraiza.

Pearson originated on Suits, whose Season 7 finale served as a backdoor pilot for the spinoff.

The offshoot, which hailed from Universal Cable Productions, was executive produced by Suits creator and EP Aaron Korsh; Suits EP Daniel Arkin, who served as showrunner; Torres; and Suits executive producers Doug Liman, David Bartis and Gene Klein of Hypnotic.

The move will see NBCU try and win over some Netflix subscribers who may have binged (or be binging) parent show Suits, which has spent six weeks on top of the Nielsen charts.

Earlier this summer, the series broke a Nielsen streaming record for acquired programming; it drew 3.1B viewing minutes during the week of June 26 to July 2 across Netflix and Peacock. The first season of the show was also watched for 27.7M hours in the w/c June 19 after being added to Netflix and stayed in that streamer’s top ten for a number of weeks.

Netflix Teases Upcoming Season Three of David Castañeda’s “The Umbrella Academy”

Posted on January 2, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

David Castañeda is returning to the Academy…

Netflix is teasing the upcoming third season of The Umbrella Academy, the superhero series co-starring the 32-year-old Mexican American actor.

A series of posters of the main characters was counted down today on Twitter, the first signs of the series’ imminent arrival, although Netflix said in November that it would be returning.

No exact date has been set for the third season’s release, but it is promised for 2022.

Based on the comics of Gerard Way and created for Netflix by Steve Blackman and Jeremy Slater, the series revolves around a dysfunctional family of adopted sibling superheroes who reunite to solve the mystery of their father’s death and the threat of an imminent apocalypse.

Castañeda portrays Diego Hargreeves in the Netflix series.

Producers include Borderline Entertainment, Dark Horse Entertainment, and Universal Cable Productions.

https://twitter.com/NetflixGeeked/status/1477369099718115348

David Zayas Lands Recurring Role on Syfy’s Upcoming Series “Deadly Class”

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

David Zayas is ready to have a devil of a time…

The 56-year-old Puerto Rican actor, best known for his work on Dexter, has landed a recurring role on Syfy’s upcoming series Deadly Class, which is based on the Image Comics graphic novel by Rick Remender and Wes Craig.

Deadly Class is described as a coming-of-age journey full of ancient mystery and teen angst. Set in a dark, heightened world against the backdrop of late ‘80s counterculture, it follows the story of Marcus (Benjamin Wadsworth), a teen living on the streets who is recruited into Kings Dominion, an elite private academy where the world’s top crime families send their next generations. Maintaining his moral code while surviving a ruthless curriculum, vicious social cliques and his own adolescent uncertainties soon proves to be vital.

Zayas will play El Alma Del Diablo. Leader of the Mexican cartel, El Alma del Diablo is Chico’s father. He runs his family just like his cartel – with an iron fist.

Benedict Wong, Lana Condor, Maria Gabriela de Faria, Luke Tennie, Liam James and Michel Duval also star.

Adapted for television by Remender and Miles Orion Feldsott— who are also are executive producers and showrunners alongside Mick Betancourt— Deadly Class hails from Sony Pictures Television and Universal Cable Productions.

Zayas was recently seen in the roles of Sal Maroni on Fox’s Gotham, Sheriff Aguirre on Netflix’s Bloodline and Eduardo Magana on Hulu’s Shut Eye. On the film side, he’ll next be seen in Paramount Players’ Body Cam.

Deadly Classis set to premiere January 16 on Syfy.

USA Network Orders Second Season of Gabriel Chavarria’s “The Purge” Series

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Gabriel Chavarria is still purging…

USA Network has picked up its series The Purge, starring the 29-year-old Latino actor, for a second season.

The news came ahead of the show’s Season 1 finale.

Based on the popular movie franchise, the series is a co-production with Blumhouse Television and Universal Cable Productions. It is currently the network’s No. 1 drama, averaging 2.3 million viewers in Live+7 ratings and 1.2 million in the key 18-49 demo.

“USA Network is so proud to be the television home for the iconic franchise The Purge,” said Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, in a release announcing the news. “The partnership and creative trust of Jason Blum and everyone at Blumhouse Television and Universal Pictures ensured The Purge’s successful transition from film to TV – and, along with Universal Cable Productions, we look forward to digging even deeper into the mythology in Season 2.”

The series revolves around a 12-hour period when all crime, including murder, is legal. Set in an altered America ruled by a totalitarian political party, Season 1 follows several seemingly unrelated characters living in a small city. As the clock winds down, they are forced to reckon with their past as they discover how far they will go to survive the night.

Film franchise creator James DeMonaco is executive producer of the series.

In addition to Chavarria, who portrays Miguel Guerrero, the series also stars Jessica Garza.

Rosario Dawson to Star in USA Network’s Pilot “Briarpatch”

Posted on July 11, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Rosario Dawson has a new (briar)patch of work…

The 39-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress is set as the lead of USA Network’s hourlong pilot Briarpatch, fromUniversal Cable Productions, Paramount Television, Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail’s Esmail Corp and Anonymous Content.

Written by Andy Greenwald and based on the Ross Thomas novel, Briarpatch centers on Allegra “Pick” Dill (Dawson), a tenacious and highly-skilled investigator working in Washington, DC for a young, ambitious senator. When her ten-years-younger sister, a homicide detective, is killed by a car bomb, Allegra returns to her corrupt Texas hometown. What begins as a search for the murderer becomes a fraught and dangerous excavation of the past Allegra has long sought to bury.

Dawson will also serve as producer on the project, described as celebrating the book’s blend of crime, thriller, mystery, and pulp fiction while updating Thomas’ sense of fun, danger and place for a new generation.

Dawson was recently seen in the film Krystal. On television, she has played Claire Temple on Netflix’s Marvel series Daredevil, Luke Cage Iron Fist, Jessica Jones and The Defenders and also has been recurring on the CW’s Jane the Virgin.

Bobby Cannavale to Star in Amazon’s Drama Series “Homecoming”

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Bobby Cannavale is coming home…

The 47-year-old half-Cuban American actor will co-star opposite Julia Roberts and Stephan James in Homecoming, the half-hour drama from Universal Cable Productions, Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail and Anonymous Content.

The project has a two-season straight-to-series order at Amazon.

Homecoming, based on Gimlet Media’s breakout fictional podcast, is written by the podcast’s creators Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg and directed by Esmail.

It’s described a psychological thriller that centers on Heidi (Roberts), a caseworker at a secret government facility, and a soldier (James) eager to rejoin civilian life.

Cannavale plays Colin Belfast, the ambitious off-site supervisor of the Homecoming Initiative.

Presented in a collage of telephone calls, therapy sessions and overheard conversations, the Homecoming podcast had a cast led by Catherine Keener that also included Oscar Isaac, David Schwimmer, Amy Sedaris and David Cross. Keener voiced the caseworker, Isaac the soldier and Schwimmer the supervisor.

Filming is slated to begin in Los Angeles in April 2018. Amazon Studios will have global rights to Homecoming, which will premiere globally exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

Cannavale, who starred on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, appears on USA Network’s drama series Mr. Robot. He will next be seen in I, Tonya and Jumanji as well as Going Places, The Wasp and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman.

David Castañeda to Star in Netflix’s Live-Action Series “The Umbrella Academy”

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

David Castañeda is joining the Academy…

The Latino actor has been cast in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, a live-action series based on the popular graphic novels by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá.

Castañeda joins a cast that includes Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan and Aidan Gallagher.

The story follows the estranged members of a dysfunctional family of superheroes known as the Umbrella Academy — Luther (Hopper), Diego (Castañeda), Allison (Raver-Lampman), Vanya (Page), Klaus (Sheehan) and Number Five (Gallagher) — as they work together to solve their father’s mysterious death while coming apart at the seams due to their divergent personalities and abilities.

Castañeda’s character, Diego, is described as a skilled, intense vigilante who has a real problem with authority. He isn’t as naturally strong or smart as his siblings, so he’s worked three times as hard for everything. Believing he should have been the leader of his family instead of his brother, he carries a massive chip on his shoulder that makes him hostile to just about everyone.

Castañeda is currently shooting the Billy Crystal/Ben Schwartz comedy, We are Unsatisfied. His recent work includes a lead role in indie feature El Chicano and he also stars in Lionsgate’s forthcoming Sicario sequel Soldado.

The Umbrella Academy will be produced by Universal Cable Productions. Steve Blackman will serve as executive producer and showrunner, with executive producers Bluegrass Television and Mike Richardson and Keith Goldberg from Dark Horse Entertainment.

Michel Duval to Star in the Syfy Drama Pilot “Deadly Class”

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Michel Duval is a class act…

The 23-year-old Mexican actor and singer/songwriter has been cast in Syfy’s drama pilot Deadly Class, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Rick Remender and Wes Craig.

Co-created by Remender and Miles Feldsott, the pilot follows a disillusioned teen recruited into a storied high school for assassins. Maintaining his moral code while surviving a ruthless curriculum, vicious social cliques, and his own adolescent uncertainties may prove fatal. Set against the backdrop of late 80s counter culture, Deadly Class is described as a coming of age journey unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

Duval will play Chico, scary, muscular, son of a cartel drug lord. Everyone knows not to mess with Chico. The only one who can hurt him is his girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Maria Gabriela de Faria will portray Maria. One minute Maria’s an extrovert and an exhibitionist, a tornado of ever changing emotions—fierce, charming, beautiful and oozing femininity — the next she’s murderous, feral, and crippled by rage. At the School for the Deadly Arts her instability is treated like a super power.

Other cast members include Luke Tennie, Liam James, Henry Rollins, Taylor Hickson, Siobhan Williams, Jack Gillett, Sean Depner and Ryan Robbins.

Duval is a series regular in Señora Acero now in its fourth season and guest stars in Queen of the South.

de Faria most recently starred in the Latin American hit series Yo Soy Franky and will soon be seen in the starring role of Zaita in season two of period drama Sitiados.

Deadly Class is produced by Universal Cable Productions and Sony Pictures Television.

Philip Hernandez Lands Recurring Role on Hulu’s Original Drama Series “The Path”

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Philip Hernandez has found a new path…

The Latino actor has been cast in a recurring role on Hulu’s original drama series The Path for Season 3.

The Path, from Universal Cable Productions and Jason Katims’ True Jack Prods, was created by Jessica Goldberg.

The series examines a family at the center of a controversial movement struggling with relationships, marriage and power, with each episode taking an in-depth look at what it means to choose between the life we live and the life we want.

Hernandez will play Dr. Costa, a sexy South American ocular cancer doctor, a devout follower of Lilith’s (Sarita Choudhury) who gives her medical counsel.

Hernandez is known for his role as inept medical examiner Dr. Guerra from the first season of Gotham. He most recently guest-starred on Blue Bloods and The Blacklist.

Syfy Releases Trailer for Ochoa’s Grindhouse Cinema-Inspired Series “Blood Drive”

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Christina Ochoa is blood thirsty…

Syfy has released the first trailer for its upcoming grindhouse cinema-inspired series Blood Drive starring the 32-year-old Spanish actress and Alan Ritchson.

After Los Angeles’ last good cop (Ritchson) is forced to join a twisted cross-country death race, his only hope of survival is a dangerous femme fatale who has the need for speed (Ochoa). Oh, and there’s no need for gasoline. “What the f*ck? These cars run on human blood?” asks Ritchson. “Have you seen gas prices lately?”, replies Grace.

The trailer promises each week of the series will feature a new grindhouse inspiration – cannibals, monsters, cults, lawmen, and nymphos and amazons.

The series hails from Universal Cable Productions. James Roland (Weeds) created the project and is a co-executive producer on the series.

Blood Drive premieres June 14 at 10 PM on Syfy.

Ochoa’s credits include a series regular roles on Matador and a recurring role on Animal Kingdom.

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