TNT, TBS & truTV Unveil New Programming Highlights

LOS ANGELES: TNT has greenlit a pilot for Monsters of God, a post-Civil War drama from Rod Lurie (The Contender) and Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment for Turner’s Studio T, while sister Turner networks TBS and truTV also presented new upcoming programming highlights.

Monsters of God centers on Colonel “Terrible” Bill Lancaster’s holy war against the Comanche in post-Civil War Texas. Lurie wrote the script and serves as executive producer and director on the pilot.

TNT also ordered 13 episodes for a fourth season of The Last Ship to air next summer. In its third season, The Last Ship is reaching an average of 7.6 million viewers per episode across all platforms.

TNT is working with NBA legend and Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley on the 6×1-hour series The Race Card, set to launch in early 2017. Each episode of the limited-run series will see Barkley take on a rapidly calcifying position around today’s hot-button topics.

“We’re creating premium shows that are also unapologetically entertaining, whether it’s through the tenuous and unexpected relationship in Good Behavior, the hard-hitting action of The Last Ship or Monsters of God, our version of a Western chockfull of violence, sex and insane characters,” said Sarah Aubrey, the executive VP of original programming for TNT.

“When it comes to unscripted programming, we’re going to venture into new territory with unique subjects and formats not found anywhere else,” said Michael Bloom, TNT and TBS’s newly appointed senior VP of unscripted series and specials. “With his enormous popularity and outspoken, sometimes controversial views, Charles is the perfect choice to kick off this new strategy.”

Sister Turner network TBS greenlit The Guest Book, a scripted comedy created by Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl, Raising Hope) and produced by CBS Television Studios. It also gave a straight-to-series order to Tarantula, from creator Carson Mell (Silicon Valley) and Rough House Pictures, marking the network’s first original prime-time animated series under the new TBS brand. Both series are slated to launch in 2017.

TBS also ordered a pilot for World’s End, a scripted comedy from Electus, writer/executive producer Jonathan Ames (Bored to Death) and executive producer Ben Silverman (Jane the Virgin). Hamish Linklater (The Big Short) and Wanda Sykes (Black-ish) are set to star.

“Our new projects, from some of the best creators and producers in the industry, will fit perfectly with the new direction we’ve been taking the TBS brand,” said Brett Weitz, the executive VP of programming for TBS. “Each show brings something fresh and unique to the comedy genre, from the unforgettable characters that Greg has created in The Guest Book to the wild, animated absurdities of Carson’s Tarantula. We also can’t wait to see how the envelope-pushing audacity of our World’s End pilot plays out on screen.”

truTV unveiled the new scripted series Bobcat Goldthwait’s Messed Up Stories (working title). The first season will have eight episodes and marks the network’s second outing in the scripted genre. It comes from writer and director Bobcat Goldthwait.

“From the moment Bobcat pitched this series, we were immediately drawn to his distinctly original vision for the show. There’s nothing like it on TV and I think audiences will feel the same way,” said Marissa Ronca, the executive VP and head of programming for truTV. “We’re excited to be working with another visionary creator, and comedy legend, on a project with a distinct point of view that will further bolster truTV’s position as a destination for comedic talent and fans.”

Adding to its growing roster of originals, truTV announced a 16-episode second season of the comedy competition series Comedy Knockout. The network also greenlit 12 additional episodes of Fameless and 10 episodes of Greatest Ever.