‘Slow Horses’ & ‘One Life’ Director Predicts A Show Made Entirely By Generative AI Is Only Three-To-Five Years Away

A TV series made entirely by generative AI is only three-to-five years away, according to the director of hits including Slow Horses and Anthony Hopkins movie One Life.

James Hawes spoke with legal teams at SAG-AFTRA and the WGA and undertook a poll with fellow directors and VFX workers after the BBC canceled long-running drama Doctors, in which he probed the likelihood of a fully AI series, he revealed today.

“The best guess was three to five years,” he told the British Film & High-End TV Inquiry. “Someone will say, ‘Create a scene in an ER room where a doctor comes in and he’s having an affair with a woman and they’re flirting, and someone is dying on the table,’ and [AI] will start to create it. Maybe it won’t be as polished as we are used to but that is how close we are getting.”

Hawes, who is also vice chair of Directors UK, raised concerns that shows with AI so central to their creation will have an impact on “vital training grounds” for below-the-line staffers making their way through the industry, citing Doctors.

He simultaneously acknowledged the “genie is out the bottle” on AI and the UK should work to catch up with the likes of the U.S., as he pointed to the launch of Open AI’s Sora program last week, which can generate scenes digitally.

“My worry is that if we don’t get up to speed with this then the AI-generated stories will come from elsewhere,” he added. “We need to take note and act on it now. Silicon Valley is way ahead.”

The U.S. writers and actors guilds were able to secure guardrails surrounding use of AI in their contracts with the AMPTP following lengthy and messy negotiations last year, and Hawes said the U.S. DGA is sitting down with members and studios to discuss this every few months. In the UK, artificial intelligence is set to play a major role in the actor’s unions upcoming negotiations with broadcasters and producers.

Hawes urged British stakeholders across the board to be cognisant of the debate. Prior to the inquiry hearing, he joked that he had asked ChatGPT to come up with the questions he would be asked, and it had been “very accurate.”

Hawes stressed that there is no replacement for the spontaneity of non-AI production and cited an example of Anthony Hopkins playing a piano on the set of One Life, which was introduced into the scene after wowing those working on the show.

‘Slow Horses’ deemed “too quirky”

During a wide-ranging session, Hawes also revealed that Slow Horses was rejected by some British broadcasters and was initially deemed “too quirky and British” for Apple TV+.

“They wondered whether it would travel even though we have the spy genre reputation [in the UK],” he added. “The attachment of Gary Oldman and subsequent success shows ‘quirky British’ can travel and it is now the longest running series on Apple.”

Speaking to the decline in the indie movie and TV sector, he echoed comments made earlier this week by Bectu boss Philippa Childs that the UK has become too reliant on inward investment.

“There are downsides [to inward investment] because it has inflated costs and therefore domestic production is finding it hard to compete for the best practitioners,” he added. “It’s been very busy out there, although not right now. That has given North America confidence in what we are doing.”

Having made the transition from high-end TV to movies, Hawes also said there is no longer a “sniffiness” from film execs towards TV directors.

The inquiry is spotlighting the state of British film and high-end TV, which is being overseen by the UK’s Culture, Media & Sport Committee, examining issues such as financing, tax credits and diversity.

Last month, Bend it Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha revealed to the inquiry she is making a Christmas movie about an Indian Ebenezer Scrooge set in London, financed by Zygi Kamasa’s new UK distributor True Brit.

Later today, Ken Loach indie boss Rebecca O’Brien and the heads of Film4 and BBC Film will appear.

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50 Ending or Cancelled TV Shows for the 2023-24 Season

2023-24 TV series canceled or ending list

Here’s a list of TV shows that aired (or are expected to air) during the 2023-24 season (roughly September 2023 through August 2024) but won’t be back for the 2024-25 season. Not finding a show that you believe has been cancelled? Check our other season lists or our network, cable, and streaming show status pages.

Latest additions: Vikings: Valhalla (Netflix), Sort Of (Max), The Family Chantel (TLC), The Venery of Samantha Bird (Starz), Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin (Peacock), Hilda (Netflix), Lando (Disney+), Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO), Nautilus (Disney+), The Spiderwick Chronicles (Disney+), All Rise (OWN), The Peripheral (Prime Video), Top Boy (Netflix), and Good Bones (HGTV).

This list will be updated as the season progresses, so feel free to bookmark and check back. If we’ve missed something, please let me know.  

61st Street (The CW)
A legal thriller revolving around a young black athlete who gets caught up in a corrupt legal system, this drama was dropped by AMC before the second and final season could air. The CW picked up both seasons.

All Rise (OWN)
This courtroom drama was cancelled after two seasons on CBS and was picked up by OWN for a third. After one season, the cable channel dropped the series, too.

Andor (Disney+)
A Star Wars prequel series, this show concludes with its second season, which will lead into the events of the Rogue One feature film.

Archer (Comedy Central)
This animated spy comedy revolves around the adventures of Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) and other agents at the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS). Season 14 is the end.

Big Mouth (Netflix)
An animated comedy series, this show follows a group of teenagers navigating through puberty and has oversized hormone monsters influencing them. It ends with season eight.

The Family Chantel (TLC)
This reality series follows the relationship of 90 Day Fiancé couple Chantel Everett and Pedro Jimeno. Season five is the end of their relationship and the show.

Good Bones (HGTV)
Mother and daughter duo Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak Hawk flip houses together in Indianapolis. The renovation series ends with its eighth season.

The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
A dystopian series based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, this award-winning drama ends with its sixth season.

Hilda (Netflix)
An animated series, this show follows Hilda (Bella Ramsey) as she travels to a magical wilderness and makes friends. Season three is the end

Lando (Disney+)
Part of the Star Wars franchise, this series was to revolve around a young Lando Calrissian. The project will now be a feature film

A League of Their Own (Prime Video)
An adaptation of the 1992 film, this comedy-drama series revolves around the Rockford Peaches, a women’s team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League of 1943. It was renewed for an abbreviated second and final season. The streamer later cancelled those plans.

Magnum PI (NBC)
CBS cancelled this reboot of the 1980s crime drama series after four seasons. NBC picked up the show for another season and split the 20-episode order up over two broadcast seasons. It was later confirmed that the show’s been cancelled a second time, and season five is the end

Metropolis (Apple TV+)
The streamer dropped its plans for a series based on the classic 1927 film and book of the same name.

Nautilus (Disney+)
Telling the origin story of Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea novel, this show was cancelled due to cost-cutting. The episodes have been filmed and will be shopped elsewhere.

The Peripheral (Prime Video)
A sci-fi drama revolving around a woman (Chloë Grace Moretz) trying to keep her family together, this show was initially renewed for a second season. That renewal was rescinded due to production delays caused by the ongoing strikes.

Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin (Peacock)
Revolving around Adam Devine’s character from the Pitch Perfect movies, this comedy series was renewed for a second season. That order was rescinded due to delays caused by the actors and writers strikes. 

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)
This sports news magazine debuted in 1995, won over 32 Emmy Awards, and amassed more than 300 episodes. Season 29 is the end.

Seasoned (Showtime)
In April 2023, the cable channel ordered a series inspired by the relationship between Mandy Patinkin and his wife, Kathryn Grody. Two months later, Showtime pulled the plug, but Sony Pictures Television planned to shop the series to other outlets.

Sex Education (Netflix)
A British comedy-drama about a young man (Asa Butterfield) whose mother is a sex therapist (Gillian Anderson), this show wraps up with its fourth season.

Sort Of (Max)
This comedy series follows Sabi Mehboob (co-creator Bilal Baig), a gender-fluid twenty-something, as they try to balance their professional and personal lives. Season three is the end.

The Spiderwick Chronicles (Disney+)
Based on a series of fantasy novels, the streamer dropped plans to air this show due to Disney’s plans to focus on company-owned properties. 

Star Trek: Discovery (Paramount+)
Initially set a decade ahead of the original Star Trek series, the crew of the USS Discovery ends up traveling 900 years into the future. Season five is the end.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+)
This animated sci-fi show is a sequel to the 2008-20 Star Wars: The Clone Wars series and revolves around a group of elite clone troopers with genetic mutations. It ends with season three.

Top Boy (Netflix)
The streamer revived a British crime drama that had been cancelled after two seasons. The revival lasted three seasons.

The Venery of Samantha Bird (Starz)
This series revolves around a woman who enters a romance with her childhood sweetheart after returning to her hometown. The series was cancelled before all of the episodes were produced. 

Vikings: Valhalla (Netflix)
Set 100 years after the events in the original Vikings series, this historical drama follows the life of Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett). Season three ends the series

You (Netflix)
A psychological thriller, this drama follows Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), a charming serial killer. Season five is the end of the road

Check out our status sheets to track new TV series pickups, renewals, and cancellations. You can find lists of cancelled shows here.

What do you think? Have any of your favorite shows been cancelled? Which ones are you sorry to see end?

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Wolf Pack: Cancelled; Paramount+ Not Making Second Season of Sarah Michelle Gellar Series

Wolf Pack TV Show on Paramount+: canceled or renewed?

(Photo: Paramount+)

Wolf Pack will not be returning for a second season. Per Deadline, Paramount+ has cancelled the supernatural series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. While never renewed officially for season two, those behind the series were actively working on scripts and had hoped to start filming next month.

Armani Jackson, Bella Shepard, Chloe Rose Robertson, and Tyler Lawrence Gray also starred in the series, which premiered on the streaming service in January 2023. Created by Jeff Davis and based on the novels by Edo Van Belkom, Wolf Pack follows a pair of teens who see their lives changed when a wildfire near their home awakens a powerful supernatural creature.

The following was revealed about the decision to cancel the series:

It comes as Paramount+ continues cutting costs, which also includes mass layoffs. Bob Bakish addressed this in a memo to his team on Thursday that the company will continue to reduce its global workforce “to operate as a leaner company and spend less” after Deadline revealed over the weekend that the company was bracing for more staff cuts, thought to be in the hundreds including the programming teams.

Bakish said that Paramount would be “closely managing costs” and said it was “focusing our resources on the most powerful, resonant franchises, films and series that perform across platforms globally.”

What do you think? Did you watch the Wolf Pack series on Paramount+? Were you hoping it would be renewed for a second season?

Check out our status sheets to track new TV series pickups, renewals, and cancellations. You can find lists of cancelled shows here.

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Comedian Gary “G-Thang” Johnson Bringing New Special ‘Sitcho Ass Down’ To ALLBLK

EXCLUSIVE: AMC Networks-operated streaming service ALLBLK has commissioned Sitcho Ass Down, a new comedy special from comic Gary “G-Thang” Johnson, which will tape at the El Portal theatre in Los Angeles on January 26 and debut exclusively on the platform this spring.

Directing the hour, in his first time out in the stand-up world, is Bentley Kyle Evans, showrunner of The Jamie Foxx Show, Martin and more, who exec produces alongside Johnson and Valarie Benning Thompson (My Name is Mo’Nique).

Currently touring and headlining The Improv and Laugh Factory clubs worldwide, Johnson launched his stand-up career at The Funny Bones Comedy Club in 1994. Over the course of his decades in the business, he’s featured for some of the biggest names in comedy, including Mike Epps, Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, and Chris Rock.

Most recently on the road with Epps for his “Don’t Take It Personal” Tour and wrapping up the first season of BET’s Happily Ever After, Johnson has also been seen on shows like Grown Folks, Girlfriends, Half & Half, All of Us, The Shield, Punk’d, In Case of Emergency, Uncle Buck, Black-ish and more.

Johnson has also hosted BET’s The Game and co-hosted the NAACP Image Awards and The Soul Train Music Awards. On the theatre stage, he has starred in Cheaper to Keep Her opposite Vivica A. Fox and Brian McKnight.

“The timing could not be more perfect for this comedy special. I’ve been working on new materials for about eight months and I’m ready to let the world hear what I have to say, from my point of view,” Johnson told Deadline. “I’ve been a part of the ALLBLK family for some time now, with multiple projects currently streaming on their platform, so doing this special with them wasn’t even a question. They’ve always been supportive of me, and I’m excited about this new chapter in my life and the new direction in which I’m taking my career.”

Brett Dismuke, Head of Content for WE tv and ALLBLK, stated: “ALLBLK is incredibly excited to return to producing live comedy with the incomparable Gary “G-Thang” Johnson. We’ve worked with him for years across our original programming and special events slate…and I’ve been laughing nonstop since day one. Now, it’s our audience’s turn to see just how talented he is.”

Added director-EP Evans: “I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to direct my very first comedy special. It only makes sense that I add a comedy special to my resume since I’ve built my career working with some of the top comedians in the game. Gary has proven to be a great talent that possesses super star qualities and I’m very happy to be a part of his evolution.”

Previously, ALLBLK has produced comedy specials including Kevin Hart’s I’m a Grown Little Man, Charlie Murphy’s I Will NOT Apologize, Nephew Tommy’s Just My Thoughts, Donnell Rawlings’s From Ashy to Classy, Lil Duval’s Living My Best Life and many others. In addition to Hart, the streamer will soon debut new hours from Erica Nicole Clark, Lil Rel Howery and more.

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