ABC Releases Trailers for Shondaland's FOR THE PEOPLE, Zach Braff's ALEX, INC & More!
By: Caryn Robbins
ABC continues its commitment to distinctive storytelling with the announcement of its 2017-18 slate of programming. Channing Dungey, president, ABC Entertainment, unveiled the network's new lineup to the advertising and media communities this afternoon at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall in New York City. Below, check out just-released trailers for the network's new dramas and comedies:
THE MAYOR: Young rapper Courtney Rose (Brandon Micheal Hall) needs his big break. For years he's toiled away in a small inner-city apartment, making music in his junk-filled bedroom closet. Tired of waiting for opportunity, Courtney cooks up the publicity stunt of the century - running for mayor of his hometown in California to generate buzz for his music career. Unfortunately for Courtney, his master plan goes wildly awry, ending in the most terrifying of outcomes: an election victory. With the help of his mother (Yvette Nicole Brown, "Community") and friends, including Valentina ("Glee's" Lea Michele), Courtney will have to overcome his hubris if he wants to transform the struggling city he loves. The series stars Brandon Micheal Hall as Courtney Rose, Lea Michele as Valentina, Bernard David Jones as Jermaine Hardaway, Marcel Spears as TK and Yvette Nicole Brown as Dina. From executive producer Daveed Diggs (Tony winner for Broadway's "Hamilton"), writer/executive producer Jeremy Bronson ("Speechless," "The Mindy Project," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon") and executive producer Jamie Tarses ("Happy Endings"), the series is from ABC Studios. The pilot is directed by executive producer James Griffiths ("black-ish").FOR THE PEOPLE: Set in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, aka "The Mother Court," this new Shondaland drama follows brand-new lawyers working for both the defense and the prosecution handling the most high-profile and high-stakes federal cases in the country - all as their lives intersect in and out of the courtroom. The series is created by Shondaland's Paul William Davies and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers. The series, from ABC Studios, stars Ben Rappaport as Seth Oliver, Susannah Flood as Kate Littlejohn, Wesam Keesh as Jay Simmons, Regé-Jean Page as Leonard Knox, Ben Shenkman as Roger Gunn, Hope Davis as Jill Carlan, Vondie Curtis-Hall as Judge Nicholas Byrne and Anna Deavere Smith as Tina Krissman. TEN DAYS IN THE VALLEY: "Ten Days in the Valley" stars Kyra Sedgwick as Jane Sadler, an overworked television producer and single mother in the middle of a separation whose life is turned upside down when her young daughter goes missing in the middle of the night. Just like her controversial police TV show, everything is a mystery, everyone has a secret and no one can be trusted.
Category ALEX, INC.: Based on the podcast StartUp, Alex Schuman (Zach Braff, "Scrubs") is a brilliant radio journalist, husband and father of two who is about to do something crazy - quit his job and start his own company. He quickly discovers it's going to be a lot harder than he thought. Zach Braff stars, directs and is executive producer with Matt Tarses ("Scrubs") and Davis Entertainment ("Dr. Ken," "Blacklist"). Matt Tarses is writer and executive producer. Zach Braff is director and executive producer. John Davis and John FOX are executive producers of the series, from Davis Entertainment, as are Alex Blumberg, Chris Gilberti and Matt Lieber (Gimlet Media) in association with Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios. ROSEANNE: Iconic comedy series "Roseanne" will return to ABC. The eight-episode reboot, featuring the original cast - Roseanne Barr (Roseanne), John Goodman (Dan), Sara Gilbert (Darlene), Laurie Metcalf (Jackie), Michael Fishman (D.J.) and Lecy Goranson (Becky) - will air in 2018. Sarah Chalke, who played the character Becky in later seasons, will also appear in another role. When it premiered on ABC, the series broke new ground for its realistic portrayal of a working-class family, the Conners, barely scraping by in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois. It also dominated the ratings as one of the highest-rated television series on the air for its near-decade run. A comedy about ordinary people who faced day-to-day survival with a sense of the absurdity of it all, the inimitable Roseanne was its epicenter. Lauded for its humor, relevance, warmth and honesty, the Conner family will continue to deal with the economic challenges of living pay check to pay check in 2018. In its nine seasons on ABC, in addition to being a primetime ratings hit, the series won a Peabody Award and a Golden Globe Award for best television series (comedy or musical). Barr and Goodman each won Golden Globes for best performance by an actress and actor. Barr went on to win an Emmy as lead actress, and Metcalf won two supporting actress Emmys for her work on the series.
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