All of this information was already conveyed in my live-blog of David Nevins’ Showtime executive session this morning, but I know that some people like getting their news in a more “newsy” form.
So…
On Thursday (January 16), Showtime announced spring premiere dates for “Nurse Jackie,” “Californication,” “Years of Living Dangerously” and “Penny Dreadful.” The network also announced a pair of pickups for later in the year (or next year).
The big premiere night is Sunday, April 13.
Leading off that night is the Season 6 premiere of “Nurse Jackie,” which will lead into the seventh season premiere for “Californication.” Showtime previously announced that the seventh season for the David Duchovny comedy will be its last. Farewell, Hank!
In a fairly unusual move, Showtime is pairing those two comedies with the star-studded climate change documentary series “Years of Living Dangerously,” which is executive produced by James Cameron, Jerry Weintraub and Arnold Schwarzenegger and features the likes of Jessica Alba, Matt Damon, Harrison Ford, Michael C. Hall and Ian Somerhalder as “correspondents.”
Entering the Sunday fray starting on Sunday, May 11 is “Penny Dreadful,” which comes from writer John Logan and features a slew of famous literary characters including Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and more against a Victorian England backdrop. Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton, Eva Green, Reeve Carney and Rory Kinnear are among the stars. The first two “Penny Dreadful” episodes are directed by J.A. Bayona,” which Logan wrote all installments.
On the new series front, Showtime has ordered the drama “The Affair” and the comedy “Happyish,” though neither has a set premiere window.
“The Affair” stars Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Maura Tierney and Joshua Jackson and, as you might assume, explores the emotional and psychological effects of an extramarital affair. Sarah Treem wrote the original script and co-created with Hagai Levi. Mark Mylod directed the pilot, while Jeffrey Reiner will serve as directing executive producer on the series.
Shalom Auslander created “Happyish,” which stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as Thom Payne, who gets told by his boss (Rhys Ifans) that he needs to rebrand himself and become more social. John Cameron Mitchell directed the pilot, which also features Kathryn Hahn and has a 10-episode order.