Turner Unveils New Shows for TNT, truTV, CNN & TBS

ATLANTA: Turner has presented a range of new highlights coming to its bouquet of channels, including TBS, which greenlit an animated comedy from Louis C.K. and Albert Brooks, and TNT, which is bringing back the Michelle Dockery thriller Good Behavior.

The first season of Good Behavior reached an average of 4.4 million viewers per episode across TNT’s linear, digital and mobile platforms. Based on a series of books by Blake Crouch, the drama stars Dockery (Downton Abbey) as Letty Raines, a thief and con artist whose life is always one wrong turn or one bad decision from implosion. The second season is slated to launch in the fall.

Dakota Fanning (American Pastoral) has signed on to star in TNT’s The Alienist, based on the New York Times bestseller by Caleb Carr. Fanning will play Sara Howard, a headstrong secretary at police headquarters. She stars alongside Daniel Brühl (Rush, Inglorious Bastards, Captain America: Civil War), who plays forensic psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, and Luke Evans (The Girl on The Train, The Hobbit trilogy), who will play reporter John Moore. The series will follow the three of them as they investigate a series of brutal murders in New York during the Gilded Age.

Turner’s TBS has greenlit ten episodes of the animated series The Cops (working title), starring and co-created by Louis C.K. and Brooks. The series, slated to premiere in 2018, will center on two Los Angeles patrolmen trying their best to protect and serve, sometimes failing at both.

TBS also unveiled the cast and guest stars for its upcoming comedy series The Guest Book, which comes from Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl). Set to debut in August, the show will feature Kellie Martin (Army Wives), Charlie Robinson (Hart of Dixie), Aloma Wright (Suits), Carly Jibson (Broadway’s Hairspray) and Lou Wilson (Tween Fest). Rounding out the first-season cast in recurring roles will be Garret Dillahunt (The Mindy Project), Laura Bell Bundy (Scream Queens) and Eddie Steeples (My Name Is Earl).

Meanwhile, truTV has ordered a scripted series from comedy legend Amy Sedaris (Strangers with Candy, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). In the Untitled Amy Sedaris Project, Sedaris will star in a mash up of hospitality, variety and talk show formats.

There are two new originals coming to CNN, The History of Comedy and Believer with Reza Aslan. Believer with Reza Aslan follows the best-selling author and scholar of religions as he immerses himself in customs and faith rituals around the globe. The History of Comedy is an eight-part series that will use archival footage punctuated by contemporary interviews with comedy legends, scholars and current stars to explore what makes the comedic mind tick.

“Turner enters 2017 with momentum and success across our diverse portfolio of brands and businesses,” said David Levy, the president of Turner. “In 2016, we charted an ambitious course to enhance the viewing experience, and our efforts produced unparalleled success. From the premieres of buzz-worthy, critically acclaimed series to the launch of new platforms like FilmStruck to the introduction of limited-commercial formats on TNT and truTV, we feel great about our position. As we launch into this year, Turner will offer consumers of all ages even more premium video content across all platforms.”