Toxic reality show Cops is being revived... by Fox News

The long-running Fox reality show Cops was cancelled in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests last year. The cancellation was huge news. What was less reported was that the show went quietly back into production to film more episodes that the producers said was for contractual obligation to international TV networks.

Fox News has purchased those previously unaired (in the US) episodes along with an order for season 33. It will stream on its Fox Nation service. There is also talk of a revival of its sister series Live PD.

Justice for George Floyd... for at least one TV season.

TMZ purchased by Fox

WarnerMedia has been offloading assets to help pay down debt. One of those assets was gossip news site TMZ, which has been sold to Fox Entertainment.

One assumes that WarnerMedia was seeking a buyer that was just awful enough for TMZ to feel like a good fit.

Fox Corporation Executive Chairman and CEO Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement, "The unique and powerful brand Harvey has created in TMZ has forever changed the entertainment industry and we're excited to welcome them to FOX."

TeeVee Snacks

Succession returns for season 3 on Oct 17. Read: thefutoncritic
Andrew Nell, Chairman and an on-air host of GB News, has resigned. GB News launched just three months ago and has fared poorly in the ratings. Is it the Fox News-style content that the Brits don't want, or the fact the network still hasn't worked out that a TV studio needs lighting? Read: Variety
A live-action She-Ra series is in development at Amazon. Read: Variety
Hayley Atwell will voice Lara Croft in an upcoming Tomb Raider animated series. Read: THR
RIP Ben Best, a co-creator of Eastbound and Down. Read: Variety
Hilary Swank will star as a journalist in Alaska in a new ABC pilot from Spotlight writer/director Tom McCarthy. Read: Deadline
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series will get a third season. Read: thefutoncritic
The changing racial dynamics of Hollywood writers rooms. This is a really good feature story. Take a few mins to check it out. Read: The Atlantic

La Brea: The first 5 mins

La Brea is a new NBC series about a sinkhole that appears in the Los Angeles La Brea tar pits. Because it is such an LA-focused story, the show was filmed in Melbourne, Australia. Obviously.

Ahead of its upcoming launch, NBC has released the first 5 minutes of the show so you can soak up all the character exposition you can ahead of watching the show. It looks exceptionally dumb - but also... I gotta watch this show.

Squawk box

HBO Max is reportedly working on a TV series based on the Batman villain The Penguin. It is described as being a Scarface-like rise of a crime kingpin.

What isn't known is whether this series is about the Batman villain The Penguin, or whether it is about The Batman villain The Penguin. That is to say: we don't know if this is just a series using the character, or whether it will be tied into the new Batman movie. The new series is set to be overseen by producers Dylan Clark and Matt Reeves - Reeves being the writer/director of The Batman film currently in production.

Colin Farrell plays The Penguin in the new film (in what is said to be a very small role), so if it is to be a spinoff from the movie, one would presume he'd star in the series? There are a few conflicting reports as this story emerges, but Variety suggests that the plan is for him to star and that a deal is being worked out.

If the series goes ahead, that would mean there are two spin-off series in the works for the film, with a prequel series set to feature Commissioner Gordon.

HBO Max isn't commenting on the story. Not yet.

Think Batman is being over-used?

I hear you asking: "Haven't we all had enough Batman?"

Allow me to change your mind with this news that there is a new animated show coming that is about the Batmobile and all the other vehicles driven by Batman and his various sidekicks.

Ethan Hawke (?!?!?!?) will voice Batman, with Jacob Bertrand (Cobra Kai) as Bam the Batmobile.

Having just been created by the Batcomputer, our heroes are essentially kids with little to no life experience. Led by Bam (The Batmobile), the Batwheels - Bibi (The Batgirl Cycle), Redbird (Robin's Sports Car), The Batwing and Buff (The Bat Truck) - must navigate the growing pains of being a newly formed super team as well as the growing pains that come with just being a kid. This relatable and aspirational series will follow the journey of this dynamic team as they thrill and entertain with their heroic adventures as well as demonstrate to kids the value of self-confidence, friendship and teamwork.

Trailer Park

Hawkeye debuts on Disney+ Nov 24.

One of Us is Lying debuts on Peacock Oct 7.

Based on Karen M. McManus's #1 New York Times best-selling novel, ONE OF US IS LYING is the story of what happens when five high schoolers walk into detention and only four make it out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Pretty Smart debuts Oct 8 on Netflix.

A depressed, self-proclaimed brainiac is forced to move in with her less than intelligent hot sibling and friends who show her the true way to happiness.

Colin in Black and White debuts on Netflix Oct 29.

Some people play the game. Others change it. From Colin Kaepernick and Ava DuVernay, follow the path of one ordinary high school kid who became extraordinary. Jaden Michael stars as young Colin Kaepernick in Colin in Black & White.

Season 3 of Narcos: Mexico debuts on Netflix Nov 5.

There's Someone Inside Your House debuts on Netflix Oct 6.

A high school senior (Sydney Park) and the rest of her new school's graduating class are being targeted by a masked killer intent on exposing their darkest secrets to the world.

The Forgotten Battle debuts on Netflix Oct 15.

During WWII's crucial Battle of the Scheldt, the lives of a glider pilot, a Nazi soldier and a reluctant Resistance recruit tragically intersect.

The Chestnut Man debuts Sept 29 on Netflix.

At a grisly murder scene sits a figurine made of chestnuts. From this creepy clue, two detectives hunt a killer linked to a politician's missing child.

Blood and Water returns for season 2 on Netflix Sept 24.

As the search for answers intensifies, Puleng encourages Fiks to consider a complex truth while navigating a close-knit community of allies and enemies.

Grudge debuts on Netflix Oct 8.