CBS All Access Orders Richard Linklater Docuseries, Trio of Kids’ Shows

CBS All Access has revealed plans for three new original children’s series from DreamWorks Animation’s Classic Media, among a slew of other projects coming to the digital SVOD and live streaming service, including a docuseries from filmmaker Richard Linklater and a sophomore season of Star Trek: Picard. 

Lassie, George of the Jungle and Mr. Magoo will become available to stream on January 17. “We’ve seen a tremendous response from our subscribers in just the few months since CBS All Access began offering children’s programming,” said Marc DeBevoise, chief digital officer at ViacomCBS and president and CEO of CBS Interactive. “Bringing new editions of legendary classics like Lassie, George of the Jungle and Mr. Magoo to the service is a fantastic benchmark for CBS All Access, and we look forward to continuing to expand our offering for families.”

Also coming to CBS All Access is an animated variety series, Tooning Out the News. A CBS Television Studios production, the series is executive produced by Stephen Colbert and Chris Licht of CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and RJ Fried and Tim Luecke from Showtime’s Our Cartoon President. The show will provide short daily segments leading up to a weekly full episode featuring a cast of animated characters mocking news of the day and interviewing real-world guests and newsmakers.

Also in the way of animation comes the comedy The Harper House, created by Brad Neely, who will serve as executive producer alongside Katie Krentz. It will follow an overconfident female head-of-household as she struggles to regain a higher status for herself, and for her family of oddballs, after losing her job and moving from the rich side to the poor side of an Arkansas small town. To save money, they’ve moved into their inherited Victorian fixer-upper, the historic Harper House.

A docuseries executive produced by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater and two-time Academy Award winner Bill Guttentag is in the works. Produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Dr. Phil’s Stage 29, Linklater’s Detour Filmproduction and Guttentag and Nayeema Raza’s 1891 Productions, the ten-episode series takes place in and around Austin, Texas—Linklater’s hometown—and will provide a window onto the colorful and diverse world of animal rescue through moving, humorous and powerful stories of animals and the humans who love them.

Ahead of its January 23 debut, Star Trek: Picard has been renewed for a second season. The first season, which stars Sir Patrick Stewart, debuts January 23, with episodes available weekly on Thursdays. “The energy and excitement around the premiere of Star Trek: Picard has reached a magnitude greater than all of us at CBS All Access could have hoped for,” said Julie McNamara, executive VP of original content at CBS All Access. “We’re thrilled to announce plans for a second season before the series’ debut, and we are confident that Star Trek fans and new viewers alike will be captured by the stellar cast and creative team’s meticulously crafted story when it premieres on January 23.”