Paramount+

TV.Cynic · June 2, 2023, 5:48am

Paramount+ Announces New Documentary Milli Vanilli

Milli Vanilli. Coming Soon. Exclusive To Paramount+.

Paramount+ today announced the acquisition of the new feature-length documentary Milli Vanilli, which will premiere exclusively on the premium service later this year following its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on Saturday, 10 June.

Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and MRC, Milli Vanilli tells the story of Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, who became fast friends during their youth in Germany. With Rob coming from a broken home and Fabrice having left an abusive household, they shared a similar upbringing, as well as a future goal: to become famous superstars. In a few short years, their dreams came true. Their first album went platinum six times in 1989, and their hit Girl You Know It’s True sold over 30 million singles worldwide. Rob and Fab, better known as Milli Vanilli, became the world’s most popular pop duo in 1990 and won the GRAMMY for Best New Artist. However, their ascension to success came with a devastating price that ultimately led to their infamous undoing.

“For over 30 years, the story of Milli Vanilli, in particular Rob and Fab, has been reduced to sensational headlines,” says director Luke Korem. “With this documentary, we pull back the curtain on pop music. Featuring interviews with the real singers, record executives, the producer mastermind behind the deception and exclusive interviews with Rob and Fab, we unveil the truth of this complex, exciting and dramatic story. I’m thrilled that Paramount+ shares our vision and will bring this film to audiences around the world.”

“Finally, the true story of Milli Vanilli has been told!” says Fabrice Morvan. “I’m thankful Luke Korem and his team went to the lengths that they did. The journey I returned to during the filming of this documentary didn’t leave any stone unturned. At last I can close this chapter in peace… Get ready to take a walk in our steel-toe boots.”

Milli Vanilli is directed and produced by Luke Korem, and produced by Bradley Jackson, MRC, Keep On Running Pictures and MTV Entertainment Studios. Hanif Abdurraqib and Kim Marlowe serve as executive producers.

TV.Cynic · June 5, 2023, 1:07am

Paramount+ Releases Official Teaser For Limited Series Fellow Travelers

Fellow Travelers. Coming Soon. Exclusive To Paramount+.

Paramount+ has released the first teaser for its new limited series Fellow Travelers. The eight-episode drama is created by Oscar® nominee Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia, Homeland) and stars Matt Bomer (The Normal Heart, The Boys in the Band), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), Jelani Alladin (The Walking Dead World Beyond), Allison Williams (Get Out, Girls) and Noah J. Ricketts (American Gods). Bomer and Nyswaner will executive produce with Robbie Rogers (All American, My Policeman) and Dee Johnson. Daniel Minahan (Halston, American Crime Story: Versace) will executive produce and direct the first two episodes. Co-produced by Fremantle and Paramount+, Fellow Travelers will premiere on Paramount+ later this year.

Click below to watch the teaser.

Created by Oscar nominee Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia, Homeland), based on the novel by Thomas Mallon, Fellow Travelers is an epic love story and political thriller, chronicling the clandestine romance of two very different men who meet in McCarthy-era Washington. Bomer plays charismatic Hawkins Fuller, who maintains a financially rewarding, behind-the scenes career in politics. Hawkins avoids emotional entanglements – until he meets Tim Laughlin (Bailey), a young man brimming with idealism and religious faith. They begin a romance just as Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn declare war on “subversives and sexual deviants,” initiating one of the darkest periods in 20th-century American history. Over the course of four decades, we follow our five main characters – Hawk, Tim, Marcus (Alladin), Lucy (Williams), and Frankie (Ricketts) – as they cross paths through the Vietnam War protests of the 1960s, the drug-fuelled disco hedonism of the 1970s and the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, while facing obstacles in the world and in themselves.

JohnsonTV · June 8, 2023, 10:49pm

P+ will show the 76th Tony Awards next Monday (June 12).

TV.Cynic · June 9, 2023, 1:31am

Paramount+ Debuts Teaser Trailer And Key Art For The Original Series Special Ops: Lioness .

Special Ops: Lioness. Streaming Exclusively On Paramount+ From Sunday, 23 July.

Paramount+ today debuted the teaser trailer and key art for the highly anticipated original series Special Ops: Lioness, which will premiere on Sunday, 23 July exclusively on the premium service. From Academy Award nominee Taylor Sheridan, the espionage thriller features a star-studded cast, including series lead and executive producer Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Emmy Award nominee Michael Kelly, with Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman, and Academy Award winner and executive producer Nicole Kidman. Special Ops: Lioness is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios for Paramount+.

Special Ops: Lioness*,* inspired by an actual US Military program, follows the life of Joe (Saldaña) while she attempts to balance her personal and professional life as the tip of the CIA’s spear in the war on terror. The Lioness Program, overseen by Kaitlyn Meade (Kidman) and Donald Westfield (Kelly), enlists an aggressive Marine Raider named Cruz (De Oliveira) to operate undercover alongside Joe, among the power brokers of State terrorism in the CIA’s efforts to thwart the next 9/11.

Special Ops: Lioness will also star series regulars Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, James Jordan, Austin Hébert, Jonah Wharton, Stephanie Nur and Hannah Love Lanier. The series is executive produced by Taylor Sheridan, David C. Glasser, Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, Jill Wagner, Geyer Kosinski, Michael Malone and John Hillcoat.

JohnsonTV · June 14, 2023, 12:05am

TV.Cynic · June 14, 2023, 4:09am

The Betoota Advocate Chart The Rise And Fall Of Hillsong.

Paramount+ Australian Original Series, The Betoota Advocate Presents, Streaming Now.

When we think of uncovering unsavoury chapters of Australia’s scandalous and sordid past, of course we think of Australia’s most trusted newspaper The Betoota Advocate. Not one to shy away from the dirty work, Editor At Large Errol Parker and Editor Clancy Overell give to you The Betoota Advocate Presents, a Paramount+ Australian Original Series, streaming now.

Opening with a doozy of a story that charts the rise and fall of one of the biggest mega churches in the world, Hillsong is an Australian entrepreneurial success story. So, what went wrong? As The Betoota Advocate explain, this is the story of an ordinary man, Brian Houston, with an extraordinary dream. And yet it all came crumbling down. But how?

Interviewing those who lived through it all, The Betoota Advocate Presents will explain the ins and outs of the who, what, where, why and when and all with their trademark humour.

Australia has a history and sometimes it’s not pretty and The Betoota Advocate Presents doesn’t sugar coat it. And it’s why Aussies love them.

JohnsonTV · June 20, 2023, 10:02am

TV.Cynic · June 20, 2023, 10:01pm

The Betoota Advocate Break Down The Super League War.

Paramount+ Australian Original Series, The Betoota Advocate Presents, Streaming Now.

What really happened when media moguls Rupert Murdoch and Kerry Packer went head-to-head over a national pastime in the late 1990s? Only Australia’s most trusted newspaper The Betoota Advocate can get to the crux of the matter with those that were there, in their new series The Betoota Advocate Presents, a Paramount+ Australian Original Series, streaming now.

Featuring interviews with the players and the head honchos battling it out in the boardrooms, Editor At Large Errol Parker and Editor Clancy Overell have left no stone unturned with the likes of Paul Harrigan, Wendell Sailor, Bradley Clyde, John Quayle and Ray Martin all jumping in front of the camera to share their tales from the trenches.

It’s a look into Australia’s past, told the only way The Betoota Advocate know how. With cold hard facts.

An extended look of The Betoota Advocate Presents The Super League War :

TV.Cynic · June 21, 2023, 4:05am

Paramount+ Reveals Official Trailer For All-New Original Movie, Zoey 102.

Zoey 102 Premieres Tuesday, 1 August Exclusively On Paramount+.

Paramount+ today released the official trailer and key art for Zoey 102, the all-new original movie based on characters from the hit live-action Nickelodeon series Zoey 101. In the movie, Pacific Coast Academy alumni return to Malibu for an over-the-top wedding that turns into a high school reunion for the books. Zoey 102 will premiere exclusively on Paramount+ from Tuesday, 1 August.

Over a decade after the iconic series ended, Zoey 102 finds Zoey Brooks still trying to figure out life and love, this time in her 20s. Zoey and Chase did not end up in Hawaii that summer and haven’t heard from each other since. When close friends Quinn and Logan announce they’re getting married, Zoey and Chase find themselves in the wedding party.

Jamie Lynn Spears returns as Zoey Brooks, who graduated alongside the first female class ever to be allowed into Pacific Coast Academy. Erin Sanders returns as Zoey’s best friend, Quinn Pensky. Sean Flynn returns as Zoey’s on again, off again love interest Chase Matthews. Also returning are Matthew Underwood as Logan Reese; Christopher Massey as Michael Barret; Abby Wilde as Stacey Dillsen and Jack Salvatore as Mark Del Figgalo. The wedding reunion includes new cast members: Thomas Lennon as Zoey’s boss Kelly Kevyn; Owen Thiele as Zoey’s friend Archer March; and Dean Geyer as a charismatic actor, Todd, along with Audrey Whitby as Lyric, Logan’s younger sister and Zach Zagoria as Jordan B., a reality dating show contestant that Zoey must work with.

Zoey 102 is directed by Nancy Hower (Saturdays, So Help Me Todd, QuickDraw) and Monica Sherer & Madeline Whitby (Betch, Drama Club, All That) wrote the script*.* Jamie Lynn Spears serves as executive producer along with Alexis Fisher, Hower and Sherer & Whitby. Production of Zoey 102 for Nickelodeon Studios is overseen by Shauna Phelan and Zack Olin, co-heads of Nickelodeon & Awesomeness Live-Action.

The YA film Zoey 102 is based on characters from the iconic series Zoey 101, which debuted on Nickelodeon in January 2005, and quickly emerged as one of the top live-action kids’ series on all of television. The series follows Zoey Brooks as she enrolls in Pacific Coast Academy, a school that previously only allowed boys to attend. Throughout the series, Zoey and her friends navigate life as teenagers at a boarding school. The original Nickelodeon series was created by Dan Schneider.

Seriously · June 21, 2023, 8:28am

Hopefully this is the biggest flop Paramount have ever commissioned.

JohnsonTV · June 22, 2023, 9:52pm

Paramount+ has renewed Last King of the Cross for a second season.

TV.Cynic · June 22, 2023, 10:04pm

The King Returns To The Cross For A Second Season.

Paramount+ Announced Season Two Of Last King Of The Cross.

Paramount+ today announced that the most watched Australian series on the platform, Last King of The Cross, will return for an epic second season.

Following the outstanding success of Last King of The Cross season one, and subsequent Most Popular Actor nomination for Lincoln Younes at this year’s 63rd TV Week Logie Awards (click here to vote!), the Paramount+ Australian original series that had audiences on the edge of their seats from the first frame to the end credits, has been picked up internationally, including Paramount+ in Canada.

Season two will delve deeper into the seductive and dangerous world of Kings Cross, as John Ibrahim expands his empire into the booming queer nightclub scene. Set against the backdrop of the ecstasy-fuelled 2000s, the stakes are higher than ever before, and everyone wants a piece - including John’s two younger brothers.

Daniel Monaghan, SVP, Content and Programming, Paramount ANZ, said: “Australian audiences love local stories and content, which is why Last King of The Cross was the most watched local series. We’re thrilled to bring viewers the next instalment of this gripping story.

“It is titles like this that makes us proud to have our local commissions with universal themes, compelling, propulsive storylines, world class Australian talent and high-quality production values, contribute to Paramount+’s mountain of exclusive content, on an international scale.”

Last King of The Cross is a HELIUM Pictures production for Paramount+ Australia with Cineflix Rights as the exclusive international distribution partner.

HELIUM’s Mark Fennessy said: “After the outstanding success of season one, we are incredibly excited for Last King of The Cross to return for an electrifying second season. Bigger, bolder, and even more action-packed, we are eager to share the next chapter of this compelling story.

“As is evident by the international sales, Last King of The Cross has been embraced globally, which has fuelled HELIUM’s commitment to telling gripping stories on a grand scale, delivering immersive and powerful narratives that resonate with audiences around the world. With unforgettable characters, explosive action, and complex relationships, the second season goes above and beyond in fulfilling this commitment - taking audiences on an exhilarating journey through a world that is sexy, dangerous, and deeply human.”

MBB · June 22, 2023, 10:42pm

Great news. Loved the first season.

cmo · June 22, 2023, 11:14pm

I enjoyed it as well but wouldn’t think there was much scope for a second season. Clearly there is and it has worked here in Australia and with international viewers.

TV.Cynic · June 23, 2023, 5:50am

July highlights

TV.Cynic · June 23, 2023, 6:11am

Paramount+ Renews Hits Original Series School Spirits For A Second Season.

School Spirits Season Two. Exclusive To Paramount+.

Paramount+ announced that its hit original YA drama series School Spirits was renewed for a second season. The eight-episode premiere season debuted earlier this year. Coming off a major cliffhanger, season two will go into production in 2024 and premiere at a later date exclusively on Paramount+.

“School Spirits has captivated audiences with its gripping storyline, engaging characters and the enigmatic world of high school life, and we are thrilled to bring a second season to this loyal fan base across Paramount+,” said Shauna Phelan and Zack Olin, Executive Vice Presidents and Co-Heads at Nickelodeon and Awesomeness live-action series and films. “Maddie’s quest to unravel the truth behind her mysterious disappearance has resonated with viewers, and we can’t wait to continue this thrilling journey with them.”

“School Spirits developed such a passionate and engaged fan base over the course of its first season, marking one of our most popular new young adult series to date,” said Domenic DiMeglio, chief marketing officer and head of data at Paramount Streaming. “The creative minds behind the series – showrunner Oliver Goldstick and creators Nate Trinrud & Megan Trinrud – and the extremely talented cast brought audiences a fresh take on high school - both in the present and in the after-life - and we can’t wait to see what happens next at Split River High.”

Produced by Awesomeness Studios, season one of School Spirits is centered around Maddie (Peyton List), a teen stuck in the afterlife investigating her own mysterious disappearance. Maddie goes on a crime-solving journey as she adjusts to high school purgatory, but the closer she gets to discovering the truth, the more secrets and lies she uncovers.

School Spirits stars Peyton List (Cobra Kai, Bunk’d) as Maddie Nears, and is based on the upcoming graphic novel by Nate Trinrud, Megan Trinrud, and Maria Nguyen. Additional cast members in season one include Kristian Ventura (Reboot, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) as Simon Elroy, Spencer MacPherson (Reign, Degrassi: Next Class) as Xavier Baxter, Kiara Pichardo (The Society, Mother/Android) as Nicole Herrera, Sarah Yarkin (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Happy Death Day 2U) as Rhonda, Nick Pugliese (13 Reasons Why, Dramarama) as Charley, Rainbow Wedell (The Wilds, The Bureau of Magical Things) as Claire Zomer and Milo Manheim (Zombies 3, Prom Pact) as Wally Clark. Josh Zuckerman (The Offer, Oppenheimer) and Maria Dizzia (13 Reasons Why, Orange Is the New Black) have recurring guest star roles as Mr. Martin and Sandra Nears, respectively.

Oliver Goldstick (Pretty Little Liars, Bridgerton) serves as showrunner and executive producer of School Spirits, along with creators and executive producers Nate Trinrud and Megan Trinrud, who wrote the pilot. Max Winkler (Cruel Summer, Flower, Jungleland) directed and executive produced the first two episodes. List also serves as a producer on the series.

TV.Cynic · June 23, 2023, 10:25pm

JohnsonTV · June 23, 2023, 11:49pm

Queen of the Universe finished its eight-episode second season earlier this week and will be available to stream in its entirety until it is removed from the Paramount+ library on June 30.

That doesn’t give fans much more time to catch up on the show. It is also unfair to the contestants.

JBar · June 24, 2023, 3:22am

If they’re fans then they would have watched it as it rolled out. Since it got axed, I’d suggest there are many fans anyway.

MysteryM · June 24, 2023, 11:57am

Seems WB cancelling the Batgirl movie (as well as cancelling and removing certain tv series’ from their streaming service) started a tidal wave of other companies following suit.

I wasn’t interested in any of Paramount+'s offerings (not a subscriber at present) but it has me scratching my head. Sure announce that the season’s of those shows will be the last, but wiping them from the service completely ?