Disney Plus and National Geographic released the first official trailer for the six-part original series “Welcome to Earth,” starring Will Smith and streaming this December.
The series follows Smith on an adventure around the world, guided by accredited travelers as he explores Earth’s greatest wonders as well as its most hidden secrets.
“I’ve got a confession to make. I’ve never climbed a mountain, never swum in a lake. I was in a cave once. I’m beginning to think that I might be missing something,” Smith says in the trailer. “I asked the best modern day explorers: take me to the ends of the Earth. And they said, ‘Oh, we can go further than that.'”
The guides leading Smith through this journey of exploration include marine biologist and National Geographic explorer Diva Amon, polar expeditions Dwayne Fields, engineer and National Geographic explorer Albert Lin, National Geographic photographer Cristina Mittermeier and mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer.
“Welcome to Earth” is executive produced by Darren Aronofsky, Protozoa Pictures, Jane Root’s Nutopia and Westbrook Studios. Watch the trailer below.
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Also in today’s TV news roundup:
DATES
Discovery announced that “Power of Attorney: Don Worley” will premiere on Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. on Investigation Discovery. The 12-part docuseries is set in Houston and follows Worley, a civil litigation attorney, and his pre-trial process. In each 30-minute, Worley will meet an attorney who needs help financing and investigating a high stakes lawsuit, culminating in a mock trial where Worley and his team learn what they need to know to either win the case or settle. Worley’s team includes private investigator Jay Russell, paralegal Christina Washington and attorney Bill ‘Bulldog’ Barfield who acts as opposing counsel in the mock trials. “Power of Attorney: Don Worley” is produced by Noah Tannenbaum Productions. James J. Gutierrez and Jay Russell are executive producers. The series will also air starting Oct. 7th on American Heroes Channel and Oct. 9th on Travel Channel.
FIRST LOOKS
Peacock released a new trailer and key art for “The Girl in the Woods,” a young adult supernatural drama premiering on Oct. 21. The series stars Stefanie Scott as Carrie, who escapes a cult-like colony and discovers a door in the woods that leads to a monster dimension. Misha Osherovich, Sofia Bryant, Will Yun Lee, Kylie Liya Page, Reed Diamond and Leonard Roberts also star. “The Girl in the Woods” is produced by Crypt TV and is based on Crypt TV’s 2018 short film “The Door in the Woods” and the 2020 sequel “The Girl in the Woods.” Crypt TV CEO Jack Davis and COO Darren Brandl executive produce with co-executive producers including head writer Jane Casey Modderno, director Krysten Ritter, Jeremy Elliott and Jasmine Johnson. Jacob Chase also directs and produces with Joey Greene and Cameron Fuller as co-producers. See the trailer and art below.
DEVELOPMENT
Playwright and filmmaker David E. Talbert is partnering with Disney Branded Television for the development of new musical series “Madelyn Square Gardens.” The series follows Madelyn as she moves to New York from Mississippi in pursuit of her Broadway dreams — while also uncovering why her grandfather ran off to New York City, never to return home. Talbert has written and produced 14 national tours, including “The Fabric of a Man,” for which he won the NAACP’s best playwright of the year award. Talbert and Lyn Sisson-Talbert will produce through their Golden Alchemy Entertainment banner.
EXECUTIVES
Village Roadshow Television announced that Murphy Stack has joined the company as vice president of unscripted television. She will report to Shannon Perry, executive vice president of reality and production services. Stack previously served as director of unscripted development at Entertainment One, where she developed series including “My Celebrity Dream Wedding” and projects based on properties owned by parent company Hasbro.
CBS News has named Joel Vilmenay president and general manager of CBS News and Stations’ local businesses in Los Angeles. Vilmenay will report directly to Jennifer Mitchell, president of CBS Stations, and assume his new role on Oct. 18. The veteran local media executive will be joining CBS Stations after having spent the past 18 years with Hearst Television, most recently as president and general manager of WDSU-TV, the NBC affiliate in New Orleans, where he was awarded twice with Hearst Television’s “Best of Innovation” Award.
Sesame Workshop announced that Samantha Maltin has been promoted to executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Maltin joined Sesame Workshop in 2019 and was responsible for deepening brand engagement with consumers, partners and fans. Since then, she has developed a new global “Sesame Street” aesthetic in the wake of the show’s 50th anniversary to unify the brand across platforms around the world. Prior to Sesame Workshop, Maltin worked with A+E Networks, the History channel and Viacom/Nickelodeon.
ESPN has promoted Freddy Rolón to senior vice president of programming and scheduling. Rolón reports to president of programming and original content Burke Magnus and is responsible for leading the overall content strategy and schedule for ESPN’s linear networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNEWS. He will also continue to oversee all aspects of the ESPN Deportes’ linear and digital business. He joined ESPN in 2004 and has held various positions including vice president and general manager of ESPN Deportes, vice president of ESPN Deportes programming and business initiatives and most recently, vice president of programming and scheduling.
LATE NIGHT
Snoop Dogg, Chris Colfer and Mickey Guyton will appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” while Freddie Highmore, J.B. Smoove and Masked Wolf will be on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Billy Bob Thornton and Miriam Margolyes will be on “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” will feature Paul Giamatti, and Khloe Kardashian and Jade Bird will be on “The Late Late Show With James Corden.”