by Conan will reign in late-night on TBS for at least five more years, as the network just announced a deal keeping Conan O’Brien and Team Coco in the fold through 2022, along with a new 90-minute late-night block of programming for Super Deluxe, and orders for four new primetime series.
Turner’s Upfronts are being held this morning.
First, the skinny on the new shows coming to TBS in 2017-2018:
- Miracle Workers, a Heaven-set workplace comedy starring Daniel Radcliffe and Owen Wilson and executive-produced by Lorne Michaels;
- Close Enough, a brand new animated series from Regular Show creator J.G. Quintel;
- An update of of the classic game show The Joker’s Wild, hosted by Snoop Dogg;
- A new untitled series from the comedy trio The Dress Up Gang.
OK. So what’s going on with Team Coco?
The TBS contract extension with O’Brien’s Conaco studio includes an “all-inclusive deal” to “capitalize on his linear and multiplatform success and extend the CONAN brand into additional content experiences across all screens, including digital and branded content, podcasting, mobile gaming, pay TV and live tours.”
Conaco already produces two other TBS series: People of Earth, and Final Space, in addition to Conan. The network and Team Coco have seen success in launching special productions in relation to video games, too.
“Conan continues to prove his vibrancy night after night and his incredible command of the digital and social space has only built on his young, connected audience,” said Kevin Reilly president of TNT & TBS and chief creative officer of Turner Entertainment. “This next chapter will provide support for Conan and Jeff to expand the boundaries from a ‘talk show’ to a range of personality- based, cross-platform experiences.”
O’Brien added, “The TV landscape has changed dramatically since I inherited the traditional talk show format in 1993. In the past few years I’ve stumbled across many new and exciting ways of connecting with my audience, and I’m eager to evolve my show into something leaner, more agile, and more unpredictable. I also want a pony.”
Now what’s up with Super Deluxe? Isn’t this the Turner web-only project that made a lot of waves in 2007-2008 before disappearing for years? Yep. Turner resurrected the site with new deals and new executives over the past year or so.
Doesn’t Turner also own the Cartoon Network, which becomes Adult Swim overnight with its own late-night programming block? Well, yes, that’s true, too.
And yet, or regardless, here’s the new plan for TBS and Super Deluxe. Per the press release:
Turner’s TBS is developing a fully interactive late-night programming block with sister company Super Deluxe. The block will feature a wide variety of content from the multiplatform studio’s rapidly growing creative stable, all presented with compelling interactive components to further engage the members of the mobile-first generation. TBS plans to launch the weekly 90-minute block this fall with a comedy lineup that ranges in tone from dark humor to Generation Z ennui. It will be divided into quarter-hours, each comprised of scripted series, culturally relevant docu-series and unconventional creative voices from diverse backgrounds.
Among the projects slated to appear as part of TBS’s upcoming Super Deluxe late-night block:
Art Theifs – In this series from creators Joseph Carnegie and Ben Jones and executive producers Angela Petrella and Abso Lutely Productions, two friends try to infiltrate the Los Angeles art scene in the hopes of stealing enough priceless art to buy fast cars and a used hot tub. It’s not long before they find out that art in 2017 isn’t always heist-worthy.
Dummy – This buddy comedy from creator Cody Heller follows an aspiring writer and her boyfriend’s sex doll.
Poundhole – This contemporary take on Soul Train takes place in a surreal underground music club.
As a key element of the new block, viewers will have the opportunity to forge a deeper connection to the Super Deluxe content through an immersive interactive experience. Details about the block’s interactive components will be announced in the coming months.
“With this block, we are combining TBS’s power as America’s most popular comedy network with Super Deluxe’s phenomenally creative output and interactive engagement tools to create a vital new entry in the late-night landscape,” said Brett Weitz, executive vice president of original programming for TBS. “The Super Deluxe block will also provide TBS with an enticing new connection point for young adult viewers.”
“As we continue to build Super Deluxe into the entertainment brand of the future, having a regular block on TBS will make us one of the only omniplatform brands to have a meaningful TV presence,” said Wolfgang Hammer, president of Super Deluxe. “We’re not just selling shows. We’re creating series for the largest comedy network in the country. We look forward to showcasing Super Deluxe’s unique brand of original programming on TBS and engaging with viewers through the block’s interactive components.”
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As to the new series coming to TBS?
Snoop Dogg loved The Joker’s Wild as much as I did, but he’s a big star and I’m not, so he can convince TBS to reboot the game show in 2018 with him as the host.
Miracle Workers, an anthology comedy series starring Daniel Radcliffe and Owen Wilson, created by Simon Rich and executive-produced by Lorne Michaels, will debut with seven episodes in 2018. For the first season, it’ll be set in Heaven and based on Rich’s book “What in God’s Name.” Radcliffe will play Craig, a low level angel responsible for handling all of humanity’s prayers and Owen Wilson will play Craig’s boss, God, who has pretty much checked out to focus on his favorite hobbies. To prevent Earth’s destruction, Craig must achieve his most impossible miracle to date.
Close Enough, a new animated series from Regular Show creator J.G. Quintel, will launch with 13 episodes in 2018. It’s a surreal comedy about a family growing up without getting old.
An untitled sitcom from comedy trio The Dress Up Gang (Donny Divianian, Cory Loykasek and Robb Boardman) also is forthcoming, courtesy of Tim and Eric’s Abso Lutely. The trio became popular on YouTube with their “My Roommate, My Friend” webseries.
Finally, TBS announced that Cedric the Entertainer, Taylor Mosby, Dante Hoagland and Tiffany Haddish will join Tracy Morgan in his new sitcom, The Last O.G., coming later in 2017.
