Pivot Announces Groundbreaking New Programming at 2014 TCAs
Fri, 11 Jul 2014 16:05:26 PDT
Get ready to poke a little fun at real-life drama, relate to (or reminisce about being) a young entrepreneur, bring the heat to eco-offenders, and dive into a murder mystery. At Friday’s Television Critics Association Summer 2014 Press Tour, our sister network, Pivot, announced a slew of groundbreaking and fresh programming that will appeal to everyone.
Viewers will be thrilled to learn that acclaimed Australian comedy Please Like Me, which follows the real-life adventures of 27-year-old comedian Josh Thomas, is coming back for a third season. That’s especially good news because Season 2 debuts on Pivot on Aug. 8. During the sophomore season viewers will see Josh go through a quarter-life crisis and try to find a boyfriend, all while his mother struggles with mental illness and the rest of his friends and family members deal with a host of issues.
“Josh Thomas’ work is a true reflection of the soul of his generation—messy and complicated, smart yet naive, wickedly self-aware, and unapologetically hopeful,” said Belisa Balaban, executive vice president of original programming for Pivot, at the network’s summer 2014 TCA press tour panel.
Two original shows, Welcome to Fairfax and Freestyle Love Supreme, that reveal just how complex and yet completely inspiring life can be for 20-somethings, will make their debut on Pivot on Oct. 17. The half-hour programs will spotlight the high-energy, real-life ups and downs of a diverse group of young people as they get their hustle on and let their creativity shine.
Welcome to Fairfax viewers will meet a lively group of entrepreneurial young adults living and working in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. The culturally vibrant neighborhood has become a magnet for performers such as Drake and Kendrick Lamar, who are looking for up-and-coming artistic talent.
The cast includes Fairfax taste makers such as Gavin “Mizzle” McNeill, a talented creative director. Mizzle’s girlfriend, Felicia La Tour, came from impoverished Stockton, Calif., to make it as a makeup artist. Now that she’s pregnant, the duo have to figure out how to balance their careers with their personal lives. Like many young people, McNeill is also caring for his father, Fred McNeill Sr., a former NFL linebacker who suffers from dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
The show also introduces us to Julian “Jay Uggh” Smith, Young Hawaii Slim, and Corzillah of Chill Black Guys. The charismatic trio has talent, but breaking out to worldwide success is tougher than it seems. Then there’s Gabe Brooks, who hopes to be a star BMX biker but is haunted by his former gang affiliation.
Finally, viewers will meet Tori Bradely, who recently moved to Los Angeles to work for a hot street-wear company. Bradely left behind an abusive relationship, and along with making her professional dreams come true, she hopes to raise awareness about domestic violence.
The Welcome to Fairfax cast and the creators of Freestyle Love Supreme share a serious affinity for hip-hop. The improv show from Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail made its television debut on Pivot as an original special and has now been picked up for 10 high-energy episodes.
Miranda and Kail, who also created the Tony- and Grammy-winning musical In the Heights, take freestyle rhyming to a new level by spinning audience suggestions into fully realized musical numbers. Each week a fresh crew that includes talented creatives such as Utkarsh Ambudkar, Anthony Veneziale, Chris Sullivan, Bill Sherman, and Arthur Lewis, as well as a posse of special guests, joins them onstage.
Stanley Tucci lovers, it’s time to rejoice. Pivot executives announced that come January 2015, the notable actor’s series Fortitude will premiere on the network. The 12 one-hour episodes of the original scripted series explore what happens to the tiny Arctic town of Fortitude after it’s rocked by a brutal murder. Richard Dormer, who Game of Thrones fans will remember as Lord Beric Dondarrion, plays the local sheriff. Tucci plays detective DCI Morton, an outsider who comes in to work on the investigation.
Viewers should also get ready to see former U.S. Marines, a SEAL Team 6 member, and a Maori paratrooper taking on some of the world’s worst environmental offenders. Pivot announced that it has given the green light to The Operatives, an original series that follows an elite team of conservationists who travel the globe bringing the smackdown to people who harm wildlife and destroy natural resources.
The show centers on inspiring author and adventurer Pete Bethune and his team. How intense will their efforts get? In the first episode, Bethune and his crew try to secretly film a Namibian seal pup kill so they can pressure that nation’s government to shut it down. That’s dangerous enough, but also thrown into the mix is that the area Bethune’s team has targeted is an active diamond mine. Armed security guards will shoot him and his team on sight.
Ready to watch? Pivot’s new programming lineup kicks off in August.
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Original article from TakePart
