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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 2020)
stars on screen ‘A Really Good’ deal: Anna Chlumsky-led dramedy coming to Showtime By Michelle Rose TV Media ’A Really Good’ deal: Six-time Emmy nominee Anna Chlumsky (“Veep”) is among the cast of Shonda Rhimes’ up- coming crime series, “Invent- ing Anna,” coming to Netflix in 2020. But after that, it appears Chlumsky may be heading to Showtime. The actress, who got her big break as a child actress in “My Girl” (1991), is attached to a new dramedy series titled “A Really Good Day,” which is currently in development at Showtime. The series will be based on the book “A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life,” by Ayelet Waldman. And you can guess by the book’s full title that it’s a candid, autobio- graphical look at the former public defender and mother of four’s microdosing experiment with LSD. No word yet on whether the series will closely follow the book or simply borrow the premise, but Waldman is pen- ning the TV adaptation and will serve as executive producer along with her husband, “Star Trek: Picard” showrunner Mi- chael Chabon. Just last month, the hus- band-and-wife team signed a multi-year production deal with CBS Television Studios. “A Really Good Day” falls under that agreement, as does the planned adaptation of Cha- bon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Amazing Adven- tures of Kavalier and Clay.” It’s already taken 20 years for “Kavalier and Clay” to make it onto any screen. Cha- bon had been working with producer Scott Rudin to bring his 2000 bestseller to the big screen, and Sydney Pollack (“Tootsie,” 1982), Jude Law (“The New Pope”) and Ryan Gosling (“La La Land,” 2016) are among the names that were attached to the title at various times. There was then talk of an eight-part series on HBO, but that didn’t turn out, 24 | Screentime Anna Chlumsky is set to star in Showtime’s “A Really Good Day” either. Now, given Chabon’s Through his Red Hour pro- from Fox. “The Good Place” multi-year deal, it looks like duction company, Stiller is one writer Kate Gersten is attached Showtime will be the one to of the executive producers as series writer and co-execu- help “Kavalier and Clay” make behind the potential TV series tive producer. the leap from book to TV. “The Sidelines,” which is in de- And if the series gets picked velopment at Fox. Former “He- up, it wouldn’t be Larter’s Stiller funny: Ben Stiller roes” star Ali Larter will also first role as a cheerleader: she (“Zoolander,” 2001) hasn’t had serve as executive producer, played one nearly 20 years ago too many acting gigs of late — but more importantly, she got opposite James Van Der Beek his most recent “actor” credit on the lead role. (“Dawson’s Creek”) in the IMDb is his recurring role as Tony Larter will play a newly 1999 coming-of-age football Wonder on “Arrested Develop- separated, 40-year-old mother film, “Varsity Blues.” ment” — but that’s only because of two who sets out to realize Stiller is busy behind the camera. her lifelong dream of being a Expanding ‘Property’: As a producer, Stiller has professional cheerleader. She “Property Brothers” Drew and several projects coming out surprises many (and maybe Jonathan Scott have built a busi- this year, including the films even herself) by making the ness and TV empire through real “Dinner in America” and squad for a local football team. estate deals and renovations. “Friendsgiving” (“Dodgeball And given her life experi- But even after several 2” has also been announced ences, Larter’s character soon seasons, series, spinoffs and as a future project). But his becomes den mother to the specials, the Canadian home- name is also attached to a new younger cheerleaders. rehabbing twins aren’t looking comedy series that may be of So far, “The Sidelines” has to move out of their home at interest to TV viewers. landed a script commitment HGTV anytime soon. In fact, January 22, 2020 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald they recently renewed their deal with parent company Discovery Inc., and that means they’ll be staying put until at least 2022. Viewers can look forward to more new episodes of their Emmy-nominated flagship series. There will also be a new season of “Brother vs. Brother” and many more episodes (40, to be exact) of “Property Broth- ers: Forever Home,” which became HGTV’s highest-rated premiere when it debuted last May. The spinoff has since been picked up by a number of other broadcasters worldwide, which isn’t surprising since the “Property Brothers” franchise is already known to audiences in more than 160 countries. What else do the brothers have in store for us in 2020? They’re showing no signs of slowing down — if anything, they’re poised to have an even bigger year. When Variety first broke the news of the brothers’ renewed deal, the exclusive alluded to a brand new TV project that was in the works, along with plenty more digital content. And instead of flipping homes, Drew and Jonathan are encouraging fans to flip through the pages of their newly launched magazine. The first is- sue of “Reveal” hit newsstands on Jan. 10. Along with home de- cor and design-focused pieces, the magazine includes lifestyle features on a variety of different subjects — family, food, travel, outdoor living — that tie into the brothers’ “dream big” life philosophy, which has clearly served them well.
