HBO has unveiled the official trailer and premiere date for the Alex Edelman’s upcoming comedy special, “Alex Edelman: Just for Us.” The special, which was recorded live at the Hudson Theatre in New York, will debut on HBO and be available to stream on Max April 6 at 10 p.m. ET/ PT.
“Just for Us,” chronicles Edelman’s life as a Jewish man living on the east coast and revolves around how he once attended a meeting of White Nationalists after receiving antisemitic threats online. This is Edelman’s second comedy special, his first being “Alex Edelman: Live at the BBC,” which was an hour long set he performed for Netflix UK in 2016.
Edelman is currently on an encore tour of “Just for Us,” this week in New York. Later this month, he’ll be back at Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum, where his show earned raves last fall.
Alex Timbers serves as director while Edelman produced, and executive produced with Mike Birbiglia. Marc Lieberman and Ally Engelberg are also executive producers under the Above Average banner.
Watch the trailer below.
Also in this week’s TV news roundup:
FIRST LOOKS
Prime Video series “Outer Range,” starring Josh Brolin, will premiere its Season 2 on May 16 with the release of all seven episodes. The streamer has also unveiled first look images.
The official description for the series reads, “’Outer Range’ centers on Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin), a rancher fighting for his land and family, who discovers an unfathomable phenomenon at the edge of Wyoming’s wilderness, in the form of a dark void. The mystery surrounding the enigmatic void on the west pasture of the Abbott family ranch deepens in Season Two, as Royal and his wife Cecelia (Lili Taylor) struggle to keep their family together in the aftermath of their granddaughter’s sudden disappearance. The stakes have never been higher for the Abbotts, who now face threats on multiple fronts. ‘Outer Range’’s second season propels its characters deeper into the void with profound and unforeseen circumstances that could shake the very foundations of time itself.”
Additional cast members include Imogen Poots, Lily Taylor, Tamara Podemski, Lewis Pullman, Tom Pelphrey, Noah Reid, Shaun Sipos, Isabel Arraiza, Olive Abercrombie and Will Patton.
Charles Murray serves as showrunner and executive producer. Brolin also executive produces and helms the penultimate episode of Season 2 in his directorial debut. Additonal executive producers include Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Ernest McNealey, Tony Krantz, Heather Rae and Jon Paré.
View some of the first look images below.
PARTNERSHIPS
Moonbug Entertainment and VaynerWatt — a production studio founded by Gary Vaynerchuk, Eric Wattenberg, and Matt Higgins — have formed a strategic partnership to produce a content franchise based on the VeeFriends universe.
Created by Vaynerchuk, VeeFriends combines collectibles, events, games and technology. The 2D-animated show “VeeFriends,” rated for children ages 6-11, will take viewers into the VeeFriends universe and feature a collection of VeeFriends characters who compete in the VeeDome, battling out the biggest issues facing tweendom.
“I built VeeFriends in order to help change the world through dynamic characters that were both virtuous and entertaining, engaging and enlightening,” Vaynerchuk said in a statement. “I am excited to work with Candle Media and Moonbug Entertainment, which share many of the same core values, to expand this franchise for new platforms and audiences.”
Episodes will be released in late summer 2024 as three-minute shorts on YouTube.
EXECUTIVE NEWS
Brad Dancer has been named the EVP of research and insights at Canela Media, a minority-owned OTT media company that delivers programming and content targeted at Hispanic audiences.
Under the new role, Dancer will oversee Canela Audience Solutions, the company’s data-first solution enabling advanced audience targeting. He will be based in New York and report to Isabel Rafferty Zavala, Founder and CEO of Canela Media.
Having held positions at WWE, Inc., Disney and National Geographic Partners, his work has “brought together some of the most iconic global brands with the largest advertisers in the world, through innovative data-led integrations,” reads the statement.
At WWE, Dancer spearheaded initiatives meant to grow sponsorship revenue. At National Geographic Partners, he oversaw content and data strategy, including advertising integrations with partners.
“I am thrilled to become part of Canela Media as the company reaches its five-year anniversary, a major milestone having achieved such significant growth in such a short amount of time,” Dancer said. “Isabel and the team at Canela Media have created an amazing product with a scalable and meaningful audience and set the stage for continued success. I’m eager to leverage my expertise in insights, data and strategy to propel this company even further on its growth trajectory.”
AWARD SHOWS
Nickelodeon has set the time and place for its annual Kids’ Choice Awards 2024, which is set to air live on July 13 at 8 p.m. ET. After more than a decade, the show will make its return to Pauley Pavilion at the UCLA campus in Los Angeles to celebrate the favorite movies, television shows and sports teams of the younger generation. This year, Nickelodeon will also honor the 25th anniversary of nautical icon “SpongeBob SqauarePants.”
“This summer, Nickelodeon will celebrate two of its biggest and most beloved franchises–the ‘KCAs’ and ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’,” said Ashley Kaplan, executive vice president of Nickelodeon’s Unscripted and Digital Studio. “Celebrating both in July creates incredible opportunities for both properties that win on every platform. Get ready for some nautical nonsense on the KCAs… Slime included!”
Since its premiere on July 17, 1999, “SpongeBob SquarePants” has spawned three feature films, a Tony Award winning musical and two spinoff series. “SpongeBob” has swum his way into more than 180 markets and has been translated into over 30 languages.
DATES
Marc Brown, creator of the children’s’ show “Arthur,” has that his latest project “Hop,” will debut on Max April 4 in the U.S. “Hop,” which follows an group of best friends whose comedic antics inspire preschoolers to celebrate the uniqueness of themselves and those around them, was co-created by Brown and fellow “Arthur” alums Tolon Brown and Peter K. Hirsch. Epic Story Media serves as producer while the animation was done by Loomi Animation.
“I believe we’ve created a safe, inviting show that will challenge our viewers to understand and appreciate people who are not like them, and to encourage children to act with tolerance and kindness,” Brown said. “This show is a labor of love, and I hope it brings joy and inspiration to children and families everywhere.”
“Working with Marc, Peter and Tolon has been an absolute pleasure. Their commitment to inclusive storytelling and their skill at leading our entire creative team has been inspiring for everyone. I am especially proud of the authentic casting and the diverse writers and creative team we brought together for this series,” said Ken Faier, founder of Epic Story Media. “Our goal has always been to make epic content for kids with the world’s best creators. It’s a wonderful achievement and we are thrilled to be working with the team at Max and Warner Bros. Discovery. More announcements from around the world to come!”
Watch the trailer below.