Peacock has dropped the trailer for the inaugural season of The Traitors which premieres on January 12. Watch the trailer in the video posted above.
One of the most notable moments of the preview was The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum calling her fellow castmates “traitors” during a banishment meeting. Bravo fans know that Glanville is known for calling it out from her time as a housewife.
The trailer ends with host Alan Cumming telling Glanville, “And you thought The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was bad.”
The Traitors is based on a Dutch format and the U.S. version comes on the heels of the success of the BBC version which concluded in December 2022. The show set in a remote castle in the Scottish Highlands brings celebrities and civilians together to complete a series of challenges with the objective of earning a cash prize of up to $250,000. The catch? Three of the contestants coined “the traitors” will devise a plan to steal the prize from the other contestants coined “the faithful.”
Peacock will drop all 10 episodes of the series on January 12.
The Traitors will feature reality stars and celebrity contestants including: • Arie Luyendyk Jr. (Bachelor/Bachelorette) • Brandi Glanville (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) • Cirie Fields (Survivor) • Cody Calafiore (Big Brother) • Kate Chastain (Below Deck) • Kyle Cooke (Summer House) • Rachel Reilly (Big Brother) • Reza Farahan (Shahs of Sunset) • Ryan Lochte (Olympian) • Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick (Survivor)
Civilians who will join the celebrities in alliances, deception, and even “murder” include: • Christian De La Torre (Veteran & Van Life Influencer) — Los Angeles, CA • Michael Davidson (DMV Office Manager) — Oneida, KY • Andie Thurmond (Director of Music Services) — Reno, NV • Quentin Jiles (Political Analyst) — Houston, TX • Shelbe Rodriguez (Public Affairs Manager) — Beaumont, TX • Geraldine Moreno (Actress) — North Hollywood, CA • Robert “Bam” Nieves (Tech Sales Executive) — Rye, NY • Anjelica Conti (Hair Stylist) — Staten Island, NY • Azra Valani (Yoga Instructor) — Los Angeles, CA • Amanda Clark (Emergency Room Nurse) — Carlisle, PA
Lamar Odom is adamant he didn’t use illicit drugs the night he overdosed at a Nevada brothel … claiming the owner wanted him dead and plied him with drugs … he says just that on a Fox primetime special Monday at 9 PM where he also talks about doing Khloe Kardashian dirty.
Lamar says he doesn’t know why Dennis Hof, the late owner of the Love Ranch South in Pahrump, Nevada, would want to kill him … nor does he know how drugs wound up in his system when he OD’d and nearly died.
The way Lamar recalls his infamous trip in 2015 to the brothel … he had one drink when he arrived and woke up 3 days later in a hospital with tubes coming out of his body, unable to speak or walk.
Lamar says in the show Khloe was the love of his life and has lots of regrets, and would like to spend some time with her again to make things right. He opens up in vivid detail about how their marriage collapsed.
TMZ Presents: Lamar Odom: Sex, Drugs & Kardashians airs tonight on FOX at 9 PM ET.
ABC’s new crime drama follows Special Agent Will Trent (Ramon Rodriguez) as he returns to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations to solve his most complicated case yet.
The special agent was called to a horrific break-in and murder by his boss Amanda (Sonya Sohn) on Will Trent Season 1 Episode 1, but Will was reluctant to return since he recently learned he had dyslexia and missed significant clues in a recent case.
However, while the other cops thought this murder was self-explanatory, Will saw different details which may help the case.
The central murder scene was shown in graphic detail, as the mom Abigail saw someone had broken into their house. Like any mom, she ran inside looking for her child. That scream was guttural when she saw blood around a teen girl, assuming it was her daughter.
Jennifer Morrison played a traumatized mom so brilliantly as she went after the intruder, and they fell down the staircase, and she took every ounce of her strength and beat him with her tennis racket.
There was so much hatred towards Will in this case since the cops were sure it was self-explanatory and he messed up a case, but Amanda insisted.
I told him I’d bring my best. I just need you to read the crime scene.
Amanda
Will had his own theories, including that teenagers skipped school in groups and noticed there were two pairs of shoes by the door. Will’s theory was correct since the distraught father identified the dead girl as his daughter’s friend Kayla.
Will’s unique thinking helped since he realized that Emma’s bloody footprint facing the wrong way meant someone kidnapped her. He thought the intruder, Adam, was in the house and was trying to help them and got stabbed in the process. Abigail had trouble processing this.
Since Emma became friends with Kayla, she started skipping school more.
Her parents thought she was a bad influence. Even though Paul wasn’t thrilled, Will inspected the room. He used instincts, such as he suspected Emma watched the killer murder Kayla from her closet because it smelled of stale urine.
Amanda assigned Will and Faith to be partners and thought they’d learn much from each other.
If this case goes sideways, I’m out. If I’m out, who’s going to protect you?
Amanda
While neither Will nor Faith (Iantha Richardson) was thrilled with their partnership, they balanced each other out nicely, and Faith managed to get Will to open up more.
Michael: How much do you want to punch Trent? Faith: It is a punchable face, but I’ll tell you this—he read that crime scene like a book.
Since Will struggled with dyslexia, he quickly noticed that Warren, the guy with the video footage, also had dyslexia.
This proved helpful since Adam’s roommate said they were getting threatening notes, and the E’s were backward. Will knew they were likely from Warren, but he didn’t know how far gone Warren was.
It was heartbreaking watching Will talk Warren down. Will lived through so much in foster care that now he did his best to save victims, and to him, Warren was another victim since someone told him to kill himself. After watching another victim die, Will finally opened up to Faith about his life in foster care.
.
Det. Angie Polaski is tough and fierce from the minute we meet her as an undercover VICE cop, but part of her is more concerned about Will and the kidnapping. She’s only been sober a few days, mainly because she has to play the role.
She lost her chance to bring in a massive drug dealer because the cops lurked outside looking for clues about Emma.
To make matters worse, Angie cared more about her fellow girls than her job. When she saw Kyle, the drug dealer, was pimping out and abusing Jules, Angie destroyed his car and then interrogated him.
It didn’t suffice for her to stay in VICE, and they had to get her back in Micheal and Will’s orbit for the relationship drama.
The series focused on the messy relationships as much as it did the ongoing case, and we’ve only scratched the surface of some of them. With Angie’s reaction to working with Michael again, it ended badly the last time they did.
I suspect Michael cheated on his wife with Angie, and hopefully, they can keep it strictly professional this time.
Will and Anie have a complicated history, though we haven’t learned what they went through together, only that they both knew Paul from their foster care days. They are each other’s strongest defenders, close friends, and sometimes lovers.
Angie: Let’s talk about Paul. Will: My one lead just shot himself. Angie: I’m not talking about the case. Will: He still calls me trashcan. Angie: You want me to kick his ass again? Will: I already took care of that today.
Will (Ramon Rodriguez) and Angie (Erika Christensen) possess such believable chemistry that, hopefully, they’ll evaluate their relationship and their traumatic past together.
Technically, shouldn’t he have excused himself from this case since of his history with Paul? Paul hated Will and bullied him for years as kids.
What was sad was Paul never told Abigail his family history. They’ll never know if something random or something in his past prompted the killer to strike. Will was vicious, but it was amusing for the truth to come out.
Abigail: You know each other? Will: Paul and I grew up together in the children’s home, didn’t we? Abigail: You lived in an orphanage? Paul: I didn’t know how to tell you. Abigail: My god, you’re a sociopath.
I couldn’t believe, after their history, that Paul had the nerve to show up at Will’s house asking for assistance.
Over to you, Will Trent Fanatics. Did Paul’s past lead to his daughter’s disappearance? Do the cops have a reason to hate Will Trent?
What do you think of Will and Angie? Chime in below in the comments.
Banijay Takes Full Control Of Beyond And Prepares For Rebrand
Banijay has taken full control of Mythbustersfirm Beyond International and intends to rename and rebrand the Australian outfit as the “necessary integration process” kicks off. The circa-$30M acquisition was first revealed in October last year, giving the acquisitive French powerhouse control of an 8,000-hour catalog including factual hits such as Highway Thru Hell, Heavy Rescue: 401, Massive Engineering Mistakes, Halifax: Retribution and Deadly Women. The move leaves distributor Banijay Rights, which shops the likes of MasterChef and Big Brother, with a circa-130,000 hour catalog. Today, Banijay took full control and a spokeswoman said the intention is that “[Beyond’s] distribution activities will fall under Banijay Rights’ name.” The acquisition was carried out via a Scheme Implementation Deed which, once implemented, means Beyond ceases to be publicly traded. Beyond Managing Director and CEO Mikael Borglund is remaining in his current role. Banijay itself is part of FL Entertainment, which formed last July and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam through an agreement with SPAC investment group.
‘Bridgerton’ star to narrate BBC doc ‘Serengeti’
Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh is to take over from Lupita Nyong’o narrating the third season of BBC natural history doc Serengeti. The latest season starts later this month and follows Bakari the baboon, Kali the lioness and Mzuri the leopardess dealing with a huge fire that rages across the plains. Andoh is a respected British theater actor who has gained worldwide acclaim for her role as Lady Danbury in Netflix’s Bridgerton. Past credits include Invictus and EastEnders.
Deskpop Entertainment Nabs World Right On Vampire Flick ‘Beneath Us All’
EXCLUSIVE: Deskpop Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights for Harley Wallen’s Vampire flick Beneath Us All, starring Sean Whalen (Twister), Maria Olsen (Percy & the Olympians) and Yan Birch (The People Under the Stairs). The film, written by Bret Miller and directed by Harley Wallen, follows Julie, a foster child heading for her eighteenth birthday, when she finds something buried with something unspeakable inside. The film was produced by the Wallens, Michael James Alexander, Annette Cama and Joseph Kelbie Williamson. An early 2023 release is expected.
1091 Media Sets Doc ‘Contact: The CE-5 Experience’ For Digital Release
EXCLUSIVE: 1091 Media has acquired the rights to extraterrestrial documentary Contact: The CE-5 Experience and set a worldwide digital release. The flick is a follow up to Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind and follows Ufologist Dr. Steven Greer as he makes contact with extraterrestrials and shares his secrets on how audiences can too. The film was directed by Michael Mazzola, produced by Serena DC and executive produced by Greer and Evan Jenkins.
Argonon-owned Nemorin Signs Executive Creative Director
Argonon-owned branded content outfit Nemorin Film & Video has signed an Executive Creative Director from Rupert Murdoch’s News UK’s Bridge Studio. Sachini Imbuldeniya takes on the newly-created role for the agency that has worked with the likes of McDonald’s, American Express and Expedia. Imbuldeniya is the founder of Studio PI and joins from News UK commercial division Bridge Studio. Argonon bought Nemorin in late 2020 and Nemorin CEO Pete Ferugsson said Imbuldeniya’s hire represents the “next phase of strategic growth.”
American TV personality and author Aviva Drescher was 42 years old when she made her debut on Bravo’s reality series “The Real Housewives of New York City” back in 2012.
Joining Aviva in the dramatic series included Ramona Singer as the turtle time wrangler with ‘crazy eyes,’ Luann de Lesseps as the countess and former model, Sonja Morgan as the outgoing recent divorcee and Carole Radziwill who gave Aviva a run for her money when it came to writing books.
During the season 6 finale, Aviva iconically threw her prosthetic leg onto the floor at a social event.
The series premiere clocks in at 85 minutes, meaning we’ll get some excellent insight into the world made famous by the video game series.
Joel and Tess on a Mission
Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Tess (Anna Torv) look set to begin the series by working together.
The promotional shots released by HBO certainly remind me of the beginning of the first video game, but it remains to be seen just how faithful this new take will be.
If the first photos and trailer are any indication, the series captures the infected and the harrowing perils of the world the characters call home.
Operation: Transport Ellie!
HBO has already revealed the series will stay relatively faithful to the games, with Joel hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.
“What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival,” HBO’s official description teases.
Consider us intrigued!
Meet Sarah, Joel’s Daughter
Sarah doesn’t get much time in the video game series, but based on the first photos, it looks like the series adaptation will be delving deeper into the character.
The hope is that the series can expand on the source material instead of changing it.
In the above photo, Sarah wears the same T-shirt she wears at the beginning of the first game.
Remember, we don’t see Sarah out of the house in daylight in the video games, so this should make for some more backstory.
Sarah does have a bag, so we have to assume she’s returning home from school in these promotional shots.
Will this be the day the world falls apart thanks to the virus, or will we get more backstory?
There are many possibilities here, but I hope it doesn’t harm the integrity of the source material.
The Fireflies Will Have a Presence
The fireflies are a pivotal group in the first video game.
Merle Dandridge, who played Marlene in the video games, will reprise her role in the series, which is an incredible easter egg for fans.
Little is known about the TV’s iteration of the Fireflies, so all we can do is buckle up for what is sure to be a wild ride.
If the series stays true to the video games, there should be plenty of twists and turns.
The Series Takes Place in a Hopeless World
The series premiere photos HBO shared showcase messages that signal the world of the series will be hopeless.
All the characters will look for the light in a darkness-filled world.
By the end of the series premiere, we should be well-versed in the parameters of the Last of Us universe.
The desperate mission to transport Ellie should pave the way for plenty of new characters along the way.
Over to you, TV Fanatics.
What are your thoughts on the first photos?
Hit the comments.
Check out the trailer below.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
Cena tag-teamed with Kevin Owens to defeat Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn, drawing 2.63M total viewers on December 30. It was the most-watched episode of SmackDown since Christmas Day in 2020 when an NFL lead-in earned the franchise an audience of 3.3M.
Viewership was up about 11% from the previous week’s episode.
Friday’s episode also was the largest audience in the key 18-49 demographic since September 10, 2021, with 842,000 total demo viewers tuning in. In the demo, SmackDown was up 17% week-over-week.
So, WWE closed 2022 with huge ratings as the John Cena-Roman Reigns tag-team match delivered the biggest viewership for WWE’s Friday Night SmackDown on Fox in over two years.
The new season of Friday Night SmackDown debuted October 7 on Fox. It has averaged about 2.3M total viewers, which is up 6% versus the same time frame year-over-year.
Sounds like TLC’s Chilli will have a partner when she goes chasin’ waterfalls … because we’re told she’s officially dating “Boy Meets World” star Matthew Lawrence!
A rep for Chilli tells TMZ … she and Matthew are in an exclusive relationship, moving past the friend phase just before Thanksgiving.
We’re told the 2 spent turkey day and Christmas together in ATL, where Matthew met Chilli’s fam.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
ICYMI, the couple went Instagram official a couple of days ago … dancin’ to “Take On Me” while wearing matching pajamas — total relationship goals!
As we reported, the 2 were spotted on a Waikiki beach in August … getting in the water together and sharing some intense convos, according to beachgoers.
Despite signs pointing to a love connection, we were told at the time they weren’t dating — TLC had a show on the island, and Matthew and his pals simply came to watch … linking up later.
Chilli clearly don’t want no scrubs — because she’s got Matthew!!!
Steven Moffat has said “we’ve just started talking about” a second season of acclaimed BBC/Netflix drama Inside Manand reiterated that he would “start writing Sherlocktomorrow” if stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman agreed to return.
While promoting his debut West End play The Unfriend on this morning’s BBC Today program, the Sherlock creator and former Doctor Who showrunner said “we’re looking at the enthusiastically-nodded-about graphs and apparently [Inside Man] performed quite well.”
The Stanley Tucci and David Tennant-starrer, which has been available on Netflix in the U.S. since Halloween, was well received critically. While its overnight audience was low, episodes of the show in which Tucci plays a convicted killer solving crimes from an American jail consolidated on 28-day catch-up above the 5M mark.
Moffat said this is reflective of the changing nature of TV ratings.
“You don’t get a [ratings] number the following day anymore now you get an audience breakdown a month later,” he added, before saying conversations have just started over the potential for a second season, which is produced by Sue Vertue’s Hartswood Films and distributed by BBC Studios.
Reiterating previous sentiments over a new season of smash BBC/Netflix adaptation Sherlock, Moffat said he would “start writing tomorrow” if stars Cumberbatch and Freeman would return. Sherlock last aired five years ago, a fourth season that ended with Holmes confronting his evil sister and villain Jim Moriarty in an epic episode titled The Final Problem.
“They’re on to bigger and better things but, Martin and Benedict, ‘please come back?’,” joked Moffat.
Another Sherlock star Moffat has been working with is Amanda Abbington, who features in The Unfriend alongside Inside No 9 creator Reece Shearsmith.
That darkly comic play, which is directed by Sherlock’s Mark Gatiss, begins its West End run next week and follows an awkward British couple struggling to connect with their children who are rocked by the arrival of an American guest.
“It’s about the exquisite agony of bringing up difficult subjects,” added Moffat. “How do you do it?”
The acclaimed writer who had never written a play before said “there are a set of limitations that are different” in writing theater over TV but stressed that restrictions exist in both.
T.J. Holmesand Amy Robachwere 2 happy campers the day before he took the first legal step to end his marriage … smiling and enjoying each other’s company during their romantic escape to Miami.
Amy couldn’t stop smirking while the lovebirds/’GMA3′ anchors ran errands on a rainy Miami morning last Tuesday, and ya gotta imagine she knew T.J. was about to file his divorce petition.
As we reported … T.J. filed divorcedocsWednesday after 12 years of marriage to his wife Marilee Fiebig. Meanwhile, Amy is said to be starting the process of divorcing her spouse, actor Andrew Shue.
The coworkers — whose relationship leaked in late November while they were still married — celebrated Christmas in Atlanta then went down to Miami to end the year with a bang … metaphorically, we’re sure.
T.J. and Amy are still off the air as ABC looks into their relationship and contracts to see if any policies were broken … but they didn’t look too stressed about it, making a grocery run before heading back to their rental pad.
The many mysteries of 1899 will remain unresolved as Netflix has canceled the drama after a single season.
Co-showrunners Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese announced the cancellation on social media Monday.
“With a heavy heart we have to tell you that 1899 will not be renewed,” reads a message from the pair on Odar’s Instagram account.
“We would have loved to finish this incredible journey with a 2nd and 3rd season as we did with Dark.”
“But sometimes things don’t turn out the way you planned.”
“That’s life. We know this will disappoint millions of fans out there.”
“But we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts that you were a part of this wonderful adventure,” the statement continues.
“We love you. Never forget.”
1899 focused on a migrant steamship heading west to leave the old continent.
“The passengers, a mixed bag of European origins, united by their hopes and dreams for the new century and their future abroad,” reads the logline.
“But their journey takes an unexpected turn when they discover another migrant ship adrift on open sea.”
“What they will find on board will turn their passage to the promised land into a horrifying nightmare.”
The expansive cast included Emily Beecham, Aneurin Barnard, Andreas Pietschmann, Miguel Bernardeau, José Pimentão, and Isabella Wei.
Also starring is Gabby Wong, Yann Gael, Mathilde Ollivier, Jonas Bloquet, Rosalie Craig, Maciej Musiał, Clara Rosager, and Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen.
The cast was rounded out by Maria Erwolter, Alexandre Willaume, Tino Mewes, Isaak Dentler, Fflyn Edwards, and Anton Lesser.
News of the cancellation is somewhat surprising. 1899 had a considerable amount of buzz and decent reviews.
A lot of the time, Netflix’s renewal and cancellation decisions are a surprise because very little data about show performance is made public.
1899 launched in November and entered the streamer’s top 10 for the week of November 14, with just under 80 million hours viewed.
The numbers inched up the following week to 87.89 million hours viewed.
However, it dropped quite a bit after that, netting 44.62 million hours viewed in its third week.
The first season’s conclusion left fans with the sense that the story would continue.
The cliffhanger was insane, so it’s a shame the creatives won’t get to bring their vision to life.
As a viewer, it’s obvious no expense was spared in the production process, so my best theory is that the numbers didn’t justify a renewal at the cost of producing the show.
What are your thoughts on the cancellation?
Hit the comments below.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
