NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, Peacock, launches in April 2020, and it’ll have several new TV shows in the offing for its subscribers.
Between Apple TV+ and Disney+ dropping of late, there’s formidable, new streaming competition for NBC to contend with before it even hits the market.
Here’s a look at some of the best projects in the Peacock pipeline ahead of its highly anticipated release.
1. Angelyne
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Yours truly saw the brief synopsis to this story — based on a billboard model in Los Angeles — and almost dismissed it immediately.
But upon further review, this is indeed a fascinating story. Based on an August 2017 feature in The Hollywood Reporter, Angelyne uncovers the identity of said billboard model, many years since her initial rise to fame in the early 1980s.
Emmy Rossum will star, with her husband Sam Esmail also creatively involved in the adaptation. This project has been in development for at least two years, and should be ready to start Peacock on a strong note.
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2. Battlestar Galactica
There are a couple preexisting properties being revived at Peacock (the other being Saved by the Bell). But let’s nerd out and focus on the return of this epic sci-fi saga.
Esmail is a busy man, serving as the creator of this show. He emphasized this is not going to be a reboot or a remake of the iconic mid-2000s series, but rather a brand-new story. Battlestar Galactica aired for four seasons and 76 episodes on the Sci-Fi Channel.
It’ll be fascinating to see what the Mr. Robot creator has in store for this iconic preexisting property. According to Deadline, Ronald D. Moore, who ran the prior Battlestar iteration, gave this production his blessing.
For diehard fans, that at least seems to bode well.
3. Brave New World
For organization’s sake, this list is alphabetized, but this has to be the most exciting show Peacock has coming.
A proper, modern adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s visionary 1931 novel, Brave New World is as timely as ever. The basic premise of the story is a “utopian” society under a one-world government. Everyone is stratified, censorship is rampant and technology is essentially used to placate and numb the masses.
Another reason to ramp up hype for the show is Alden Ehrenreich playing John the Savage. John is a Shakespeare fanatic, and the play The Tempest is where the show/novel title comes from.
Ehrenreich is a tremendous young actor. He got hung out to dry a bit starring as Han Solo, but was an absolute scene-stealer in Hail, Caesar! This could be a big bounce-back performance for him.
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4. Dr. Death
In a show titled The Fall, Jamie Dornan played a serial killer. He also portrayed the sadistic Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades franchise.
Now, Dornan has signed up for Dr. Death to play a Dallas-area neurosurgeon named Christopher Duntsch.
This is based on a true story about Duntsch’s, um, awful medical negligence. To summarize the horrors succinctly: he performed 38 surgeries over a two-year span, injured 33 of his patients therein and even killed two of them.
Dornan seems like the ideal actor to fill this role based on his prior filmography. Alec Baldwin plays a fellow doctor who confronts Duntsch, which in and of itself should be worth checking out the show for.
5. One of Us Is Lying
This is utterly confusing. A Queer as Folk spin-off of the same name was initially meant to be at E!, but Peacock swooped in to snag it. The new streamer also acquired the aforementioned predecessor from Bravo.
However, the One of Us Is Lying in reference here is adapted from Karen M. McManus’ novel about five students who go to detention. “Oh, sounds kind of like The Breakfast Club! Yay!”
Oh, no. Plot twist: only four of them emerge from detention alive. As Ron Burgundy would say, “Well, that escalated quickly!”
That premise alone is enough to get excited for. Another neat thing? Former House star Jennifer Morrison is directing the pilot. Let’s go!
6. Rutherford Falls
It’s hard not to be excited about a straightforward comedy series from NBC. Rutherford Falls promises to be among the great new Peacock TV shows.
Ed Helms of Hangover and The Office fame returns to the network after his stint on the latter legendary show to lead this one. It’s based in a small upstate New England town, with Helms as Nathan Rutherford, who, per TV Maze, “is having difficulty facing the inevitable changes to his way of life.”
Helms serves as a co-creator alongside Michael Schur (Parks & Recreation co-creator) and Sierra Teller Ornelas (Superstore and Brooklyn Nine-Nine producer). Now that’s some serious creative firepower.
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7. Who Wrote That
Although this documentary series is unscripted as of now, it has a most compelling premises about the creative process. The show will follow writers for Saturday Night Live and give an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at how they do their jobs.
Not much else is known about this show at the moment, or whether it’ll use archived footage or just current SNL members. But NBC should have all the materials at its disposal to do whatever it wants in terms of the show’s timeline.
The writing process for SNL each week is pretty incredible based on what alums such as Bill Hader describe. Imagine getting a much closer look at it. Count me in for this entry in Peacock TV shows!
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