Netflix released a trailer for “Dear White People: Vol. 4,” the musical final season premiering Sept. 22, revealing that at least a portion of the season will take place in the future, while the rest will be set during the usual gang’s senior year.
In the trailer, which you can watch below, Sam White (Logan Browning) wears a highly-fashionable face mask and sits across from Lionel (DeRon Horton) as they reminisce over their senior year, when they took part in a ’90s-themed musical, titled “The Varsity Show.”
“Don’t you want that feeling back?” she asks.
Clips of their senior year show the musical moments are not relegated to the stage, with Troy (Brandon B. Bell), for example, doing his best LL Cool J in his dorm, while Reggie (Marque Richardson) sings “Virtual Insanity” at a gun range. But it isn’t all fun and games, as a new Black student group — Black AF — accuses “The Varsity Show” of being a minstrel show and decides to protest it — and anyone involved in it.
“Dear White People,” an extension of the film of the same name by Justin Simien, follows the students of Winchester University’s college campus. Sam hosts a radio show within the series that is called “Dear White People,” discussing issues of race, class and sexuality that bleeds into student’s personal conversations. Systemic issues such as police brutality and abuse of power were also discussed in previous seasons.
The series also stars Antoinette Robertson, John Patrick Amedori and Ashley Blaine Featherson. Simien and Jaclyn Moore serve as co-showrunners of “Dear White People: Volume 4.”
Also in today’s TV news roundup:
DATES
Netflix announced that “You vs. Wild: Out Cold” will premiere on Sept. 14. The interactive movie, starring Bear Grylls and set after a plane crash, recruits viewers to help Grylls find his friend and escape danger. Bear Grylls, Delbert Shoopman of The Natural Studios, Rob Buchta, Chris Grant, Drew Buckley, Liz Schulze, Ben Silverman and Howard Owens of Propagate Content serve as executive producers, while Ben Simms directs. See some first look images below.
Curiosity Stream announced that its first-ever feature-length original film, “Heval,” will premiere on Sept. 23. The documentary explores the story of British actor Michael Enright, who abandoned his Hollywood career to join the fight against ISIS in Syria. Although some saw him as a hero, others thought he was staging a publicity stunt. When his service ended, neither the U.K. nor the U.S. welcomed him back. “Heval” is produced by Jupiter Entertainment and Sky Studios for Curiosity Stream. Executive producers are Patrick Reardon, Harrison Land, Dave O’Donnell, Rob Burk, Craig Rosebraugh, Matthew Einstein and Adam R. Wood, who also directs.
The History Channel has added “9/11: The Legacy” to its 20th anniversary of 9/11 programming lineup. This new documentary, which looks at the lives of children impacted by the terrorist attacks in 2001, premieres Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. It will be followed by the previously announced documentaries “Rise and Fall: The World Trade Center,” which premieres Sept. 10 at 8 p.m; “9/11: Four Flights,” which premieres Sept. 11 at 8 p.m.; and “9/11: I Was There,” which premieres Sept. 11 at 10 p.m. Additionally, “9/11: Rescue on the Water,” a special episode of the “History This Week” podcast is available Sept. 6. “9/11: The Legacy” is produced by the Category 6 Media group. Sharon Scott, Kristy Sabat, Jessica Conway and Sydney Trattner serve as executive producers for the Category 6 Media group; Alex Hicks serves as executive producer for The History Channel.
The History Channel also announced the premiere of “Great Escapes with Morgan Freeman”: The new unscripted series centering on prison escapes will launch Nov. 9 at 10 p.m. The eight-episode first season will feature Alcatraz; Clinton Correctional in Dannemora, N.Y.; Northern Ireland’s HM Maze Prison; the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Tennessee, and more. The show is produced by Revelations Entertainment. Lori McCreary, James Younger, Kelly Mendelsohn and Geoffrey Sharp are executive producers for Revelations Entertainment, with Jennifer Wagman and Max Micallef executive producing for The History Channel.
A&E will premiere “Secrets of Playboy,” which documents the world of Hugh Hefner and the implications of Playboy on society’s view of power and sexuality, in early 2022. The new docuseries features archival footage and interviews with insiders including Miki Garcia, director of Playmate Promotions; Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt and Sondra Theodore, past girlfriends of Hefner; Stefan Tetenbaum, Hefner’s personal valet; PJ Masten, Bunny Mother; Jennifer Saginor, Playboy Mansion West resident, along with members of Hefner’s staff and inner circle. “Secrets of Playboy” is produced by Industrial Media’s The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC) for A&E. Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman and Matt Shanfield serve as executive producers along with Alexandra Dean, who is the showrunner. The series is co-directed by Arlene Nelson. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Brad Abramson and Dolores Gavin serve as executive producers for A&E.
Lifetime set the first installment in the “Highway to Heaven” film franchise for Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. A take on the 1980s television series of the same name from Michael Landon, this movie will star Jill Scott as an angel sent back to Earth to help others in need and Barry Watson as a junior high school principal who ends up (unknowingly) working aside the angel. The film also stars Ben Daon, Victoria Bidewell, Robert Moloney and Ashley Ross. It is produced by Rain Productions and Propagate for Lifetime. Jonathan Baruch and Rob Wolken executive produce for Rain Productions; Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Gregory Lipstone and Rodney Ferrell executive produce for Propagate; Cindy Landon and Wayne Lepff executive produce from Landon’s estate; other executive producers are Howard Braunstein, Scott, Shawn Gee and Cathryn Humphris, who also wrote the script alongside Angelica Chéri. Stacey K. Black directs. Watch a trailer below.
Acorn TV announced Season 2 of “My Life is Murder,” which stars Lucy Lawless as retired detective Alexa Crowe looking into an unsolved murder, will debut on Aug. 30, while Season 22, Part 2 of mystery series “Midsomer Murders,” starring Neil Dudgeon and Nick Hendrix, premieres on Sept. 27.
ALLBLK announced that “Social Society,” hosted by Kendall Kyndall, will premiere on Sept. 6. The weekly variety talk show will feature trending topics, social buzz and sketch comedy. Each episode will welcome special guests, including influencers, lifestyle experts and tastemakers, for epic discussions on Black culture, education, race, politics and everything in between.
AMC Plus announced its fall premiere dates, including the debut of the crime drama “Kin,” starring Charlie Cox, Aidan Gillen, Ciarán Hinds and Clare Dunne, on Sept. 9; “Ragdoll,” which focuses on a disturbing string of killings and stars Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Thalissa Teixeira and Lucy Hale, will premiere on Nov. 11; and “Anna,” which explores a dystopian world destroyed by a virus that kills adults but spares children, will premiere on Nov. 18.
AMC announced fall its fall premiere dates, including the Sept. 13 debut of “Ultra City Smiths,” which unfolds via stop-motion animated baby dolls repurposed as a grown-up cast of characters. As part of the network’s zombie content slate, Season 2 of “The Walking Dead: World Beyond” premieres on Oct. 3 at 10 p.m., “Fear the Walking Dead” Season 7 debuts on Oct. 17 at 9 p.m. and “The Walking Dead” airs every Sunday at 9 p.m. All three “Walking Dead” programs are available one week early on AMC Plus.
BBC America announced that Season 1B of “Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty” will premiere on Sept. 4 at 9 p.m. The series follows three matriarchs forced to compete in order to ensure the survival of their families in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert. The network also announced that “The Graham Norton Show” will return for Season 29 on Oct. 1 at 11 p.m.
Shudder announced its fall premiere dates, including the Sept. 16 debut of “Slasher: Flesh & Blood,” which follows a wealthy, dysfunctional family led by patriarch Spencer Galloway (David Cronenberg) that gathers for a reunion on a secluded island only to learn they’ll be pitted against one another and stalked by a mysterious masked killer. Season 3 of “Creepshow,” based on the 1982 horror comedy classic, will premiere on Sept. 23, while “V/H/S/94,” the fourth installment in the hit horror anthology franchise, will debut on Oct. 6. “Horror Noire,” a Shudder Original anthology film showcasing stories of Black horror from Black directors and writers, will premiere on Oct. 28. Also, a new docuseries, “Behind the Monsters,” will premiere on Oct. 26. Each of “Behind the Monsters’s” six episodes will focus on a single horror icon, including Candyman, Chucky, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Pinhead and Michael Myers. “Behind the Monsters” is executive produced by Phil Nobile Jr., Kelly Ryan and Mark Shostrom.
Sundance Now announced its fall premiere dates, including the Oct. 12 debut of “Trial in the Outback,” a three-part series that follows the true story of Lindy Chamberlain, who was convicted of murder after claiming a dingo had killed her 9-week-old baby in the Australian outback. The French language crime drama “Cheyenne & Lola” will debut on Sept. 30, while Season 2 of “One Lane Bridge,” starring Dominic Ona-Ariki and Joel Tobeck, will premiere on Oct. 7.
SundanceTV announced that “True Crime Story: It Couldn’t Happen Here,” will follows Hilarie Burton Morgan as she visits small towns to shed light on crime’s impact on rural communities, will premiere on Sept. 9 at 10 p.m., while “True Crime Story: Indefensible,” which follows Jena Friedman as she unspools real cases on the ground, will premiere on Oct. 14 at 11 p.m.
We TV announced that Season 3D of “Life After Lockup” will premiere on Aug. 27. The series follows couples navigating life after prison, including parole restrictions, addiction issues, family feuds and managing new marriages and old flames.
PROGRAMMING
Acorn TV announced crime drama “Dalgliesh,” starring Bertie Carvel as the titular detective, will launch in November, and Season 2 of “Manhunt: The Night Stalker,” starring Martin Clunes as real-life former detective Colin Sutton, will premiere sometime this fall.
ALLBLK announced “Lace,” starring Maryam Basir as Los Angeles attorney Lacey McCollough, will premiere this fall, along with “Covenant,” which thrusts biblical characters into a present-day dystopia, and “Partners in Rhyme,” a sitcom that follows the life of a female high school rapper, social media star and foster kid who thinks she is the next Cardi B.
BBC America announced that “Doctor Who” Season 13 will premiere this fall. With Jodie Whittaker playing the series’ 13th Doctor and Mandip Gill portraying Yaz, the six-part serial will explore various universes as its characters search for answers and confront evil. John Bishop and Jacob Anderson have also joined the cast for Season 13.
GREENLIGHTS
Lifetime greenlit “Flowers in The Attic: The Origin,” a four-part limited series starring Jemima Rooper and Max Irons. The series follows Olivia Winfield (Rooper), who finds herself unexpectedly wooed by Malcom Foxworth (Irons), an eligible bachelor. After being thrust into a life of luxury in the Foxworth Hall, Olivia uncovers Max’s dark heart and learns that Foxworth Hall is unsafe for her and her family. In order to protect her family from who she is becoming, she locks her grandchildren in the attic. Also starring alongside Rooper and Irons are Kelsey Grammer, Harry Hamlin, Paul Wesley, Kate Mulgrew, Alana Boden, Hannah Dodd, T’Shan Williams and Callum Kerr. Executive producers include Paul Sciarrotta, Jennie Snyder Urman, Joanna Klein, Zoë Rocha, Gary Pearl, Dan Angel and Declan O’Dwyer, who also directed the first two episodes of the series. Robin Sheppard directed the third and fourth episodes. Scripts are from Sciarrotta, as well as Amy Rardin and Conner Good.
RENEWALS
Apple announced that “Carpool Karaoke: The Series” has been renewed for a fifth season and will now stream on Apple TV Plus. Based on the popular segment from “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” the series pairs celebrities together to drive around, talking and singing songs together. “Carpool Karaoke: The Series” is produced for Apple by CBS Studios in association with Fulwell 73. James Corden and Ben Winston are the creators and executive producers; Eric Pankowski also executive produces.
ALLBLK renewed “Terror Lake Drive” for Season 2, subtitling the new season “Single Black Female.” The new season will pick up two years after the events of Season 1 and follow Deja, a traveling nurse who announces her new assignment at the recently constructed Atlanta University Hospital. While looking for housing, Deja meets Shana, a doula who happens to be a nursing student at the university and is seeking a roommate — which leads Deja to unknowingly become a target of the haunted apartment complex. The series will be directed by creator Jerry LaMothe, who also serves as executive producer alongside Kajuana S. Marie and Jumaane Ford. Chris Bongrine and Samad Davis are tapped as producers.
LATE NIGHT
Michael Shannon, Paris Hilton and Courtney Barnett will appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” while Minnie Driver, Jacob Elordi and Ashe will be on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” with Julie Bowen as guest host. “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” will have on Amanda Peet and Roger Bennett, and Jennifer Hudson, Brendan Hunt and Lior Raz will be on “Late Night With Seth Meyers.”