While All American and other series have explored the heightened drama that unfolds on the gridiron and in the locker room, no show in modern history has consistently done so with as much heart as FNL.

ESPN columnist Bill Simmons once hailed it as “the greatest sports-related show ever made.” Many critics would add that the contest is not a particularly close one.

Last month, Variety reported that Universal was developing a reboot of the beloved series, which ran from 2006-2011.

Now, the news has been confirmed, and the spinoff has been picked up by Peacock.

Surely some fans are excited about the prospect of returning to the world of Texas high school football.

But the prevailing mood at the moment is one of utter confusion.

And the question on the minds of many FNL devotees is simply: Why?

Network execs often can’t help themselves from messing with perfection by returning to proven properties.

But in this case, the move is particularly baffling for a number of reasons.

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For starters, the original Friday Night Lights is simply not that old.

Thirteen years might be an eternity in the entertainment industry, but FNL holds up incredibly well, and it’s still available on Netflix.

And this is not a situation where the show is of historical interest to young people because it depicts a bygone era of unrecognizable customs and beliefs.

Members of Gen Z might watch Friends or The Office to peer in on a different world, but Friday Night Lights is almost shockingly contemporary in its themes and interests.

Its depiction of small-town life and the challenges of high school are as relevant now as they were during the Bush years.

Speaking of politics, the changing state of the world might have factored into the decision to make the trip back to Dillon, Texas.

But part of the appeal of the original series was its timeless quality.

Friday Night Lights began life as a 1990 non-fiction novel by H.G. Bissinger.

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It was then adapted into a short-lived 1993 television series called Against the Grain (starring a young Ben Affleck!)

Then it became a 2004 feature film directed by Peter Berg, who happens to be a cousin of Bissinger’s.

And then it lived on into the Obama years as a series that enjoyed the kind of cross-demographic appeal that we rarely witness nowadays.

In each of these iterations, the names of the characters changed, but the town, the team, and the coaching staff remained focused on winning as a means of preserving the pride of their community.

Yes, the original FNL dealt with timely issues like racism, abortion, and substance abuse, but in many respects, it was a defiantly old-school show.

Would a new series be able to maintain the same level of populist appeal? Can any show pull off that magic trick in these hyper-divided times?

No show should be expected to strive for complete political impartiality, and the original FNL certainly didn’t.

But in the 2020s, the show would likely prompt a thousand irritating thinkpieces along the lines of the current speculation about Yellowstone’s political alignment. And that’s the last thing we need.

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Further dampening enthusiasm for today’s news is the rumor that the new version of FNL would focus on an entirely new set of characters.

That means, of course, that Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, and the rest of the incredibly stacked cast would not be returning.

Britton seemed to confirm that rumor in recent remarks on the subject.

“I heard that they’re making another Friday Night Lights, which I find bizarre,” she told Variety in September.

Needless to say, it sounds like she’s not involved with the project.

So yeah, the remake is definitely happening, and we’re as anxious as a backup QB called in after the star signal-caller got knocked out of the game.

It’s a strange feeling to see such a fantastic show back in the headlines and feel anything less than giddy enthusiasm. But when it comes to this reboot we’re having a hard time summoning our “clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” mentality.

Over to you, TV Fanatics! Do you think this Hail Mary could result in a touchdown or would you rather see Universal punt on this idea?

Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!

Watch Friday Night Lights Online

The post Friday Night Lights Reboot Lands at Peacock (But It Will Never Recapture the Magic of the Original Series) appeared first on TV Fanatic.

As any fan who lived through it can tell you, the decade was a golden era for three-camera, live-studio-audience comedies.

Shows like Seinfeld, Friends, Home Improvement, Frasier, and Roseanne were averaging close to 30 million viewers per episode, a figure that would make any network exec do a little happy dance in 2024.

By 2000, hourlong dramas and reality shows had taken over the TV landscape, with only Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond landing spots among the year’s 10 most-watched shows.

Those viewing trends have remained in place ever since, but for a long time, the sitcom continued to show signs of life.

The Office and Modern Family switched up the formula, going with a cinema verite mockumentary style and ditching the laugh track.

And in doing so, they seemed to have breathed new life into the art form.

Then the 2010s saw the rise of a hip new brand of TV comedy.

Shows like Community, New Girl, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine kept the format fresh for a new generation of young adults.

But in the 2020s one of TV’s oldest genres has been showing signs of age.

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The Big Four networks are still offering quality comedy, of course:

Abbott Elementary, Ghosts, and several other new sitcoms have found success with both critics and audiences.

Watch Abbott Elementary Online

And newcomers like St. Denis Medical and Happy’s Place are off to promising starts.

But the broadcast networks are offering far fewer sitcoms in 2024 than in years past.

And several of the current comedies are rebooted or spun-off from previously successful series, as is the case with Night Court and Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage, a trend that reflects a reluctance to take risks with what was once considered the most safely bankable genre.

There are many factors behind this trend:

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For one thing, cable and streaming outlets are not limited by FCC standards and practices guidelines, meaning that when it comes to comedy, HBO, Netflix, and their ilk can offer writers a lot more freedom.

Thus, in the world of edgy humor, the broadcast networks just can’t push the envelope as far.

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And, of course, dramas have an easier time molding their storylines into the serialized, season-long plots that audiences seem to prefer nowadays.

Then there’s the rise of reality TV, which seems to have taken the place that lighthearted sitcoms used to occupy in millions of American households.

And then there’s the fact that Americans are currently so divided that we can’t even agree on what’s funny and what’s not.

When Seinfeld and Home Improvement ruled the roost, they routinely pulled in over 30 million viewers a week.

With audiences that size, there had to be some significant overlap.

But it’s tough to imagine millions of modern-day viewers would be equally amused by the plights of both Manhattan singles and a Midwestern family.

Both shows might find decent-sized niches nowadays, but the sort of broad cross-demographic appeal they enjoyed in the ’90s is almost certainly a thing of the past.

Yes, for numerous reasons, the sitcom is not as dominant as it used to be in today’s TV landscape.

Perhaps it will eventually make a comeback. But for now, dramas and reality TV are the dominant forces on broadcast.

And that’s a shame, as it seems that come the prime time hours, most of us have already experienced more than enough drama and reality.

What we could really use is to share a laugh with our neighbors. Or at least with a studio audience.

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That description might leave you wondering why you haven’t heard about this particular offering.

But when you learn that Emilia Perez is a French-produced, Spanish-language musical about a cartel kingpin who undergoes gender-affirming surgery, you might be less baffled as to how it slipped under your radar.

To be clear, we’re sure it’s an excellent film, and you should check it out tonight (though maybe after the kids go to bed; it’s about a cartel, after all).

But it’s not hard to see why it may have struggled to find an audience in the US, even though it premiered on the nation’s most popular (by far) streaming service.

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To be fair, in these divisive, hyper-partisan times, it’s tough to imagine any storyline that would appeal to a wide swath of Americans.

But some of this year’s most acclaimed films have premises that sound like they were designed in a lab to appeal to the smallest possible segment of the US population.

From Conclave (top-ranking Catholic officials gather to elect a new pope) to Anora (a Brooklyn-based sex worker falls for a Russian oligarch), these are films that are absolutely worthy of our attention but that seem doomed to never find an audience outside the world of hardcore cinephiles.

Yes, we’d like to pause here and reiterate that our commentary is not about the quality of the films that have received nominations today.

The ones we’ve seen are fantastic, and we’re excited to check out the rest of the crop.

But these days, if a Midwestern, middle-class, middle-everything-else American were to complain that Hollywood is no longer making movies for average working folk, it might be hard to argue against them.

Our cinematic menu nowadays is too often divided into two sections:

Theme park ride movies (comic book flicks, kids’ animated fare) and awards bait (many of today’s nominees). And there’s very little overlap between the two.

Now, it’s important to note that there have been years when the awards-granting bodies have erred in the other direction and pandered to the masses by nominating forgettable superhero flicks. It’s not easy to locate the happy middle ground here.

The best, most memorable awards seasons occur when top-tier fare finds a wide audience, and that audience proceeds to tune in to see if the movie they saw in theaters (and the average American only ventures to the cineplex a few times a year)

That happened last year when Oppenheimer dominated both the Globes and the Oscars after grossing a billion dollars at the box office.

Not surprisingly, Oscar ratings climbed by several million viewers as a result.

It’s the kind of situation that the Academy would love to see every year (fostering that sort of anticipation is one reason that the organization expanded the Best Picture field from five nominees to ten).

In 2024, the best hope for that type of phenomenon is Wicked — but that film lacks the populist appeal of Oppenheimer by several metrics.

For one thing, Wicked’s global box office — while wildly impressive — is only about half of what Oppenheimer raked in.

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While musicals can have broad appeal, they are rare to break through with mainstream audiences the way that Oppenheimer and its unlikely rival Barbie did last year.

Such phenomena are exceedingly rare, and studio bigwigs are probably already looking back on 2023 with tears in their eyes. In fact, we might never again see that sort of consensus between critics and audiences.

The problem is not that award voters choose what they believe to be the best films regardless of popular appeal. That’s what they’re supposed to do, after all.

Rather, the issue is that Hollywood has forgotten how to consistently make films that score with both critics and audiences — movies that can rake in statuettes and box office bucks.

Barbenheimer was a fun time, but it was also a sad reminder that that sort of thing used to happen all the time.

And now, we might never again have a year in which Forrest Gump goes toe-to-toe with Pulp Fiction or where a box office juggernaut like Dances With Wolves edges out a modern classic like Goodfellas.

Hollywood bigwigs should be pulling all-nighters until they figure out a way to recapture even some of the magic of those days.

In the meantime, they should continue producing both Emilia Perez and Deadpool & Wolverine. Both have much to offer to their respective audiences.

But studios and award voters shouldn’t be surprised when the Golden Globes and the Oscars continue their gradual transformation from cultural phenomenon to hyper-niche event for an increasingly small but passionate audience.

The post Golden Globes 2024: This Year’s Film Nominations Confirm Hollywood-Middle America Disconnect Is Growing appeared first on TV Fanatic.

But we’re used to watching him portray unassuming good guys like Jim Halpert or heroic badasses like Jack Ryan.

Now, it seems that we might be on the verge of seeing 2024’s Sexiest Man Alive in a very different light.

According to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, Krasinski has signed on to join The Americans and Perry Mason star Matthew Rhys in a new serial killer drama for Prime Video.

Both actors will also serve as executive producers on Silent River, which does not yet have a release date.

The details of their roles are unclear at the moment, but we know that the Krasinski and Rhys “will play two men whose lives are more connected than they realize.”

“We are thrilled to continue our work with John Krasinski, Allyson Seeger, and Sunday Night on this gripping series, which delves into the mysteries and secrets of small-town America,“ Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon MGM said in a press release.

“With John and Matthew Rhys attached to star in this wonderful story from Aaron Rabin, our global customers will be on the edge of their seats throughout this thought-provoking, psychological thriller.”

Both stars have been on a role lately, with Rhys recently earning acclaim for his performance as George Carlin in Saturday Night.

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And in addition to receiving People magazine’s sexiest honor, Krasinski has been absolutely crushing it behind the camera lately.

He recently directed the children’s flick IF, and the Quiet Place franchise that he conceived in 2018 shows no signs of slowing down.

In the past, Krasinski has been accused of playing it a bit safe with his acting choices.

So hopefully he’ll indulge his darker side with this one and drop the nice-guy persona for a bit.

Although we wouldn’t mind if he did one quick glance at the camera, a la Jim Halpert — just for old times’ sake.

Over to you, TV fanatics! Has this project piqued your interest?

Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!

The post John Krasinski, Matthew Rhys Join Cast of Silent River: Will the Sexiest Man Alive Play a Serial Killer? appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Yes, the long-running series will return for a 12th season, but it will do so without Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, Tom Schwartz, Katie Maloney, and DJ James Kennedy.

According to a press release issued today, the series will attempt a hard reset with a brand-new cast.

The boss herself commented on the news this afternoon.

“The last 12 years of filming have been an extraordinary run full of laughter, tears, and everything in between,” said Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum and VPR namesake Lisa Vanderpump.

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“I can’t thank enough those who have shared their lives. How I love you all,” she continued. “In the restaurant business, one shift always gives way to another. Cheers to the next generation of ‘Vanderpump Rules.’”

The newcomers are described as a group of “close-knit SUR-vers who are as complicatedly involved with one another as their iconic predecessors.”

“What a thrill it is to build on the legacy of this series by doing it all over again,” added executive producer Alex Baskin.

“With profound appreciation for the original group and their iconic run, we can’t wait for the audience to see a dynamic new group of co-workers and friends make their way through life together.”

The news is likely to be met with a mixed reaction from the Vanderpump faithful.

After years of stagnation, the show saw an unexpected resurgence in popularity in its tenth season after the world learned that series regular Tom Sandoval had cheated on longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix.

Unfortunately, the show proved unable to capitalize on that success in the short term.

Vanderpump Rules Season 11 saw declining ratings throughout, as producers continued to return to the well of the “Scandoval.”

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Eventually, that particular drama dried up, and viewers lost interest.

The cast seems to have taken the news in stride, with Lala Kent posting a sentimental Instagram carousel in which she congratulated herself on “rocking this bitch until the wheels fell off.”

Maloney, for her part, said on her Instagram Story that she “wouldn’t change a thing” after the “mixed bag” experience.

Kent and Scheana Shay have both made appearances on the VPR spinoff The Valley, but it’s unclear if they intend to join that cast full-time in light of today’s news.

As for Vanderpump Rules, well, over the years, the show has made several attempts to add new cast members, and most of them have been unsuccessful.

In the past, the show has been one of the most successful in Bravo’s extensive roster, so you can bet that Andy Cohen and company are hoping it can return to its former glory. Frankly, we have our doubts.

Over to you, TV fanatics! Are you interested in a Vanderpump reboot, or is it time to put this show out to pasture?

Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!

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Investigation Discovery announced today that The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter will receive its long-awaited premiere in January.

Natalia, as you may recall, is the Ukrainian orphan who was accused of trying to murder her adoptive American parents.

Her story now serves as incontrovertible proof that sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction.

In a press release issued today, ID revealed that the new series picks up “After an unprecedented and volatile phone call in which Natalia’s new adoptive family, the Manses, told production, ‘We’re done, we’re done with her.'”

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According to today’s statement, The Final Chapter “dives back into Natalia’s story as she faces a new set of challenges and upheavals from a dramatic rescue mission to new allegations of abuse.”

The series will offer “a conclusion to Natalia’s story as she strives for healing and resolution in her tumultuous journey filled with decades of unexpected twists and turns.”

ID also released a chilling teaser that reminds us of just how bonkers this roller coaster ride has been.

“Something ain’t right with Natalia. This girl is tweaking,” Antwon Mans tells producers in a voiceover.

“I feel like she’s the enemy in the house. And she said to us, we have held her hostage. Made us look like we’re the enemy,” he continues.

“She’s done other things too, but this was a new low. Natalia does not have emotions for nothing but herself. We’re done. We’re done with her.”

Of course, the case of Natalia Grace has repeatedly proven to be more complicated than it initially appears, and we’re sure this latest installment in the docuseries will only deepen the mystery.

Natalia first came to our attention in 2023 with a first season that left viewers wondering if they should feel pity for this adopted child or anger toward this con artist adult.

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Now, the story will finally come to an end — but something tells us we’ll be left with plenty of questions.

Over to you, TV fanatics! Are you ready to reopen this bizarre case, or do you feel like the Natalia Grace saga has run its course?

Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!

The post The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter Gets Premiere Date, First-Look Teaser appeared first on TV Fanatic.

It was announced today that the third season of the Hallmark Channel drama will debut on Hallmark+.

And viewers won’t have to wait long for more episodes.

Streaming subscribers will be able to watch new episodes on January 2!

In addition to the returning familiar faces — Chyler Leigh, Spencer Macpherson, Andie MacDowell, Sadie Laflamme-Snow, and Jefferson Brown — new cast members Julia Tomasone and Jordan Doww join the cast as the teen versions of Del and Colton.

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According to logline in today’s press release, the third season will feature more of the heartwarming, time-traveling shenanigans that fans have come to know and love.

“Season three picks up where season two left off — with Kat (Leigh) and her brother Jacob (Spencer Macpherson, School Spirits), who went missing more than two decades ago at the age of eight and is now an adult, poised to walk into the Landry home to an unsuspecting Del (MacDowell),” reads the statement from Hallmark.

“Viewers will be introduced to a groovy new era when the pond transports Kat and Alice to 1974 – the year Del and Colton (Brown) first met as teens and their epic love story began.

“Alice is befriended by a young, spritely Evelyn Goodwin (Cecchetto) but their budding friendship complicates Alice’s relationship with Del, who wants her memories of Colton to remain the way they are.

“Meanwhile, Kat attempts to close the door on the 1800s after making startling discoveries. In the present day she and Elliot (Williams) navigate a new chapter in their relationship, while he finds himself faced with his own complicated past.”

“Heather Conkie, Alexandra Clarke and Marly Reed’s incredible storytelling continues to amaze us,” added Kate Redinger, senior director of programming, Hallmark Media.

“Each season brilliantly builds on the one before and this season promises to be the best one yet.

“With the intriguing new characters they’ve created and riveting storylines, viewers are in for another enthralling season.”

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While the third season will premiere on Hallmark+ in January, new episodes will be available on the Hallmark Channel in the fall of 2025.

Over to you, The Way Home fanatics! Are you excited about the premiere? Annoyed about the prospect of shelling out for another streaming service?

Let us know in the comments!

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But there’s no denying that the show has been a hit with audiences!

As we previously reported, Yellowstone delivered record ratings when it returned for its final slate of episodes on November 10.

At the time, Paramount execs probably figured news about the show couldn’t get much better.

If so, they received a pleasant surprise today with the announcement that the series has shattered yet another record.

According to a press release issued Wednesday afternoon, Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 9 is now the most-watched international premiere in Paramount history.

Its competition in that department? You guessed it — the previous Yellowstone season premieres.

“Before the season’s launch, Yellowstone dominated Paramount’s international streaming landscape and was the #1 top driver of subscriptions and minutes watched across all Paramount+ International markets where the series is available,” Paramount’s statement reads.

“With its explosive debut, the latest season ensures the series maintains its standing as the top choice for Paramount subscribers globally.”

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Today’s announcement follows on the heels of even more good news for Paramount.

The Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 premiere was already a record-breaker for its performance on linear TV (16 million live viewers.) And we always knew that the audience would grow via streaming in the days that followed.

Now comes news that viewership expanded even more than expected

“The premiere episode grew +29% from Live Same Day to Live +3 with more than 21M viewers, making it the best premiere night ever in the U.S for Yellowstone,” reads today’s announcement.

Of course, the good news is bittersweet for Paramount, as the show is currently in its final season.

There’s been talk of uncanceling Yellowstone and bringing the series back for a sixth outing.

But thus far, the speculation has not yielded any sort of announcement from Paramount.

Sure, there are many other Taylor Sheridan projects to keep fans happy, but nothing delivers quite like Yellowstone.

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And you can bet that with the sort of numbers that the Dutton family has been delivering lately, Paramount would love to continue betting on their favorite horse.

What do you think, TV fanatics? Are you desperate for more Yellowstone, or is it time for this series to ride off into the sunset?

Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!

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Deadline is reporting that Gabriel Macht will reprise his role as Harvey Specter on the upcoming NBC series Suits: LA.

Macht is reportedly slated for a three-episode arc, and while the gig could lead to a more lasting arrangement, at present there’s no indication that he’ll become a series regular.

In fact, today’s news has not yet been confirmed by NBC.

But Macht posted an Instagram video that left little doubt about his upcoming career plans.

The clip shows him suiting up (pun intended) in attire that fans are sure to associate with his beloved character (including a shirt monogrammed with the initials “H.S.”).

“When an old friend is in need…it’s time to take care of things and make those very ‘things’ right,” Macht captioned the post.

“The Bat Signal does work!!” commented Suits: LA lead Stephen Amell, seemingly offering further confirmation of Macht’s return.

Today’s news doesn’t come as a total shock, as Adams previously stated that he would be open to reprising his role.

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“I’ve offered my services at all times,” he recently told TV Line, adding:

“I love [Suits/Suits L.A. creator] Aaron Korsh and I love that world; it changed my whole life.”

So does the return of Macht mean that other original cast members might come back to the show that made them famous?

Is there a chance that the Duchess of Sussex herself, Meghan Markle, will reprise her role as Rachel Zane?

That remains to be seen.

It seems unlikely that Meghan is planning to return to the world of acting, but the news that Suits: LA will feature a Specter arc makes it that much more likely that Patrick J. Adams will step back into Mike Ross’ impeccably tailored duds.

The original Suits has enjoyed a surprising resurgence in popularity in recent years, becoming one of Netflix’s most-watched shows.

As a result, excitement was at a fever pitch when NBC first announced a spinoff. But thus far, the casting news surrounding Suits: LA has failed to heighten the anticipation.

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That may change with today’s unofficial announcement.

What do you think, Suits fanatics? Is this the news you’ve been waiting to hear?

Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!

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The actor who first won over audiences with his work on Dawson’s Creek and Felicity is the latest star to join the cast of Will Trent Season 3.

TV Line is reporting today that Foley will take on a recurring role that features a romantic entanglement with one of the show’s most beloved characters.

Foley will play Dr. Seth McDale, “the confident and down-to-earth head of emergency medicine at a local hospital and Angie’s new romantic interest.”

The beloved TV vet is, of course, no stranger to playing charismatic love interests on ABC dramas.

He appeared on 15 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy as the husband of Kim Raver’s Teddy Altman.

Ironically, Scott had to go to a crime procedural to finally get the chance to play a doctor!

Foley is the latest of several newcomers to the world of Will Trent.

The show will boast an impressive roster of talent in its third season, including Gina Rodriguez in the series-regular role of Marion Alba.

Alba is described as “a charismatic, confident Assistant District Attorney new to Atlanta” in her official character bio.

“After her first encounter with Will falls flat, the pair is surprised to learn that they must work together to investigate a crime in the world of Atlanta gangs,” the description continues.

The new season will also feature a number of well-known guest stars, including Ariana Madix of Vanderpump Rules fame.

Eagerness for the series’ return was already at a fever pitch, and we’re sure today’s casting news will only heighten the anticipation further.

Unfortunately, Will Trent diehards still have a bit of a wait ahead of them.

The show is not slated to return until January 7.

While the quirky crime drama will enjoy a mostly uninterrupted run, its midseason premiere date will mean a run of just 18 episodes.

It’ll be the show’s longest season to date, but still slightly less than what fans were hoping for following last year’s strike-shortened run.

Over to you, Will Trent fanatics! Are you psyched that this series keeps adding to its already incredibly talented cast?

Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!

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The post Scott Foley to Join Will Trent Season 3 Cast appeared first on TV Fanatic.