or


[08/02/12 - 11:15 AM]
Starz at TCA: Albrecht Talks "Spartacus" Ending, Ballparks Premieres for New Originals
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- Starz president and CEO Chris Albrecht kicked off the network's portion of the TCA Summer Press Tour with updates on its new and returning originals.

"We've completed production on 'Spartacus: War of the Damned'; obviously we've completed production on 'Boss,'" the executive said in his opening remarks. Adding, "We are in production on 'Da Vinci's Demons'; we are about to start production in a couple of weeks on the second season of 'Magic City'; and we are in pre-production in South Africa on 'Black Sails.'"

Speaking of "Spartacus," Albrecht detailed why the show will end after the upcoming season, due in January: "I think the producers and those of us at Starz were always well aware that this was going to be a very different show once the slaves were in, the rebels were in the hills and the Romans were in the town... So we ended up sort of having to tell two distinct stories which is never the ultimate way to create a great serialized drama. Then of course we had the tragedy with Andy [Whitfield] which made everything very difficult and pushed back [production].

Having said that the show has been remarkably successful and I think ultimately what all of the producers felt - along with us - is that rather than trying to string out a story - we can have one more battle, one more argument between the rebels or one more villain show up - we would kind of follow the trajectory of the history and bring the 'Spartacus' story to fruition. Better probably to leave people wanting more than to risk repeating ourselves and diminish the overall impact of the franchise."

Albrecht also gave rough estimates on when audiences can expect its various projects:

-- "Incursion": "Steven DeKnight has an overall deal with Starz and he just returned last week - or this weekend I guess - from Hawaii where he shot a proof of concept piece is what we're calling it, not a pilot, it's just a scene or two for a show that he's developed that we are very high on called 'Incursion,' which is a sci-fi piece, kind of 'Band of Brothers' meets 'Halo' would be the one line of it. It's again, incredibly ambitious and involves a lot of creature work and things like that."

-- "Da Vinci's Demons": "[It] will be on most likely second quarter, end of first quarter, second quarter 2013, most likely. Nothing announced yet or set in stone."

-- "Black Sails": "2014, hopefully very early [2014], potentially in the 'Spartacus' slot. Again nothing set just letting you in on some of our thinking."

-- "Marco Polo": "The challenge of making this show in China has proved to be as formidable as we feared. And it's not like making a movie in China where once you load up then you leave, you're done, we have to be able to come back and again capture something that's going to feel like a major feature film on a television budget and do it hopefully season after season. So we are taking more time than I think the producers thought and I don't have any news on that, it's still very much in the planning stage although we've spent plenty of money and invested a lot of time in making all those plans."

-- "Noir": "We ran into some creative challenges on the script side but it is absolutely in our zone. We talk about Steven DeKnight, but Rob Tapert, Josh Donen and Sam Raimi, that whole team of executive producers are terrific, they're terrific partners with Starz. We want to do as many things as we can with them. I have a couple of things with them but 'Noir' is certainly I think the thing that we all see as a must figure out. So we're still getting the scripts together but I'm very confident that 'Noir' will be on but I can't tell you when."





  [august 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· BLACK SAILS (STARZ)
· BOSS (STARZ)
· DA VINCI'S DEMONS (STARZ)
· INCURSION (STARZ)
· MAGIC CITY (STARZ)
· MARCO POLO (NETFLIX)
· NOIR (STARZ)
· SPARTACUS (STARZ)





[07/11/25 - 12:45 PM]
ABC Concludes September to May Season with Top Five Shows Among Adults 18-49 Including "High Potential," "Abbott Elementary," "The Rookie," "Shifting Gears" and "9-1-1"
Continuing to lead among broadcast series, ABC's "High Potential" stood as the No. 1 new drama among Total Viewers (16.41 million) and No. 1 new show among Adults 18-49 (3.85 rating).

[07/11/25 - 11:28 AM]
"Big Brother: Summer of Mystery" Premiere Up +10% from Last Summer
Last night, season 27 premiered to nearly 3 million viewers.

[07/11/25 - 10:01 AM]
FX's "Alien: Earth" Takes Fandom to New Heights with Premium Exclusive Content Including a Companion Podcast and Innovative Immersive Experiences
"Alien: Earth," a new drama series from Noah Hawley inspired by the acclaimed feature film franchise, will premiere on Tuesday, August 12.

[07/11/25 - 10:01 AM]
CBS Unveils Fall Primetime Premiere Dates for the 2025-2026 Season
Highlights include an early return for "Watson" on Monday, October 13 in place of the previously announced "FBI" spin-off "CIA."

[07/11/25 - 10:00 AM]
The "Outlander" Universe Expands in Hall H, as Starz Returns to San Diego Comic-Con
Look for can't miss panels for "Outlander" and "Outlander: Blood of my Blood" in Hall H on Friday, July 25 and an in-depth preview of the newest saga in the Spartacus franchise, "Spartacus: House of Ashur" on Saturday, July 26 in the Indigo Ballroom.

[07/11/25 - 10:00 AM]
Adult Swim Returns to San Diego Comic-Con with "Pirate Purrrty on the Green," Must-See Panel Events, and Exclusive First Looks and Giveaways
Adult Swim will bring its famed pirate ship outside the San Diego Convention Center (5th Avenue Landing and Convention Way), this time with a feline twist!

[07/11/25 - 09:01 AM]
HBO Max to Host Fan Experiences for Upcoming Seasons of "Peacemaker" and "It: Welcome to Derry" in San Diego
The festivities include a panel in Hall H, where showrunner/writer/director and Co-Head of DC Studios James Gunn and the cast of "Peacemaker" will share new details about the upcoming season and premiere the global trailer for season two.

[07/11/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Billy Joel: And So It Goes" - Official Trailer - HBO Max
There's always a message in the music.

[07/11/25 - 06:00 AM]
"Love Island (UK)" 10th Anniversary Special Date Announcement
The special premieres in the US on Friday, July 11.

[07/11/25 - 02:01 AM]
Netflix Will Release "Death Inc." Seasons 1, 2 and 3
The series is a comedy centered around a family-run funeral home and the relationships between the eccentric characters who inhabit it.

[07/11/25 - 12:01 AM]
"Too Hot to Handle: Italy" Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix
A special guest will guide the contestants in the first Italian edition of the reality show.

[07/10/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Winning Try" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After his career fell apart, a disgraced rugby star finds purpose coaching his old school's team - driving them and himself toward growth and redemption.

[07/10/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Nice Guy" - Teaser Trailer #3 - Disney+
He wants out for good. But the past comes with strings.

[07/10/25 - 05:03 PM]
Meagan Good Returns to Lifetime to Executive Produce and Star in the Alluring New Thriller "I'll Never Let You Go" Alongside Antonio Cupo and Thomas Cadrot, Premiering August 16 on Lifetime
Good stars as Emily Westover, a poised and successful art gallery director whose life takes a dark turn after a brief, impulsive affair with a magnetic Italian artist, Carlo (Cupo).

[07/10/25 - 12:01 PM]
"Virgin River" Is Returning for Season 8
"On behalf of myself and the whole 'Virgin River' family, we're eternally grateful to Netflix and to the fans for allowing us to continue on this journey with these beloved characters," said showrunner Patrick Sean Smith.