Killer Instinct
Rake star Bojana Novakovic has been cast as the lead in a new drama pilot titled Instinct. The pilot, for the US network CBS, has been in development for some time and has two former titles: Killer Instinct and Dr Death. Novakovic and The Good Wife star Alan Cumming will lead the pilot, playing an NYPD detective and a former CIA operative, respectively. The series is based on a soon-to-be released book by novelist James Patterson titled Dr Death, about a serial killer stalking the streets of Manhattan who leaves a playing card at the scene of each crime. The series, if picked up, would launch later this year.
Date set for Eurovision reveal
SBS will unveil the identity of Australia's 2017 Eurovision Song Contest entrant on March 7. This year's entrant would mark our third year in official competition; past contestants were Guy Sebastian and Dami Im. Im, who performed last year in Stockholm, finished the competition in second place. The winning country, Ukraine, is hosting this year's competition in May. SBS plans to unveil both the song and artist at the same time, at a performance which is to be held in Melbourne at a secret location, broadcast live on Facebook and hosted by Australia's Eurovision co-host Julia Zemiro. The final rounds of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Kyiv from May 9.
From YouTube to ABC
Production has begun on The Chinaboy Show, a new ABC comedy starring YouTube personality John Luc. The six-part comedy is the third collaboration between Luc and producers Robyn Kershaw and Eva Di Blasio. It will be directed by Trilby Glover and co-written by comedian Tien Tran. "In a style that has won Luc a legion of online fans, the show will pay homage to series including Fresh off the Boat, Inside Amy Schumer and The Chappelle Show," ABC head of entertainment (and former Guide editor) Jon Casimir said. The series, produced with the support of Screen Australia and Screenwest, will launch later this year on the ABC's iView platform and ABC2.
13,000 days, 52 years
One of television's longest-surviving institutions, the American daytime soap opera Days of our Lives, has been renewed for an extraordinary 52nd season. The US network NBC has given the nod to another year of the long running soap opera; in decades past such renewals were a given but the US daytime soap opera genre has been thinned in the last decade with a succession of cancellations. The series, produced by Ken Corday, the son of founding producers Ted and Betty Corday, recently clocked up 13,000 episodes. "I'm especially proud to be able to shepherd Days of our Lives into the new season, continuing my parents dream and the show's legacy," Corday said.
