Small Screen: Judy Reyes Reprises Role in ‘Scrubs’ Reboot, Amazon Prime Video Restructures Leadership
judy reyes - Monica Schipper
Broadcast: Judy Reyes is returning as Carla Espinosa in ABC’s upcoming Scrubs (2001) reboot! The relaunch will follow JD and Turk as they reunite at Sacred Heart Hospital, reigniting their long-standing bromance. Development of this new season was originally announced in December 2024.
Tim Hobert and Aseem Batra will serve as executive producers and showrunners, alongside Bill Lawrence, who is also an executive producer. Zach Braff, Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke will executive produce and star in the series. The original comedy series took place at Sacred Heart Hospital and followed the daily lives of the hospital's interns, doctors, nurses and even the janitor. Along with her role in Scrubs, Reyes has appeared in ABC’s High Potential (2024), Devious Maids (2013) and Claws (2022).
Marlyne Barrett (Hitch), who played Maggie Lockwood in Chicago Med (2015), will not be returning for the 11th Season due to her 2022 diagnosis of uterine and ovarian cancer. Despite having undergone 30 rounds of chemotherapy and surgery, the cancer has finally entered remission. Wolfe Entertainment and Universal Television produced Chicago Med, along with Chicago Fire (2012) and Chicago PD (2014). All three series will return to NBC on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.
Fox has cast Jason Veasey (Only Murders in the Building) and Cindy De La Cruz (Blue Bloods) in Best Medicine, an upcoming medical comedy based on the popular British series Doc Martin (2004). Best Medicine is a one-hour series about Martin Best, a surgeon who abruptly leaves his lofty career in Boston to become the general doctor in a small fishing town on the East Coast. Despite his surgical skills, Martin's bedside manner leaves much to be desired. Often rude and blunt, he alienates the locals, who are essentially all he has left. Veasey will play the co-owner of The Salty Breeze, while De La Cruz will play the local school teacher.
The series is executive-produced by Ben Silverman, Rodney Ferrell, Howard T. Owens, Liz Tuccillo, Mark Crowdy and Philippa Braithwaite. Veasey is represented by Nicolosi & Co., and De La Cruz is with Authentic Talent and Literary Management.
Luke Tennie (Shrinking) has joined the cast of ABC's comedy series Abbott Elementary for Season 5. He will play Dominic, a new teacher at Abbott Elementary, in the premiere episode, which will air on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. While details about upcoming episodes remain confidential, the cast was seen at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, Sept 4, 2025, for a Philadelphia Phillies game. The photo confirms the announcement made by series creator and star Quinta Brunson during San Diego Comic-Con, where she mentioned that the series would be filming at a "live event" this season and stated, "Philly sports fans will be very happy."
Brunson, who plays Janine Teagues, the cast includes Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, William Stanford Davis and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Brunson, along with Justine Halpern, Patrick Shunmacker, Randall Einhorn and Brian Rubenstein will serve as the executive producers.
The second season of ABC's High Potential (2024) is premiering on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, at 10:00 PM Eastern Time. Morgan Gillroy, the main character, is a single mother who works as a cleaning lady and has a special talent for solving murders. The cast consists of Judy Reyes as the chief of the LAPD's Major Crimes Division, Javicia Leslie as Daphne, an investigator in the Major Crimes Division and Daniel Sunjata as Morgan's doubtful LAPD colleague. Adam Karadec. Goddard, Sarah Esberg, and showrunner Todd Harthan are among the executive producers.
Channel 4 recently bought Hunting Alice Bell, a six-part drama series produced by Clapperboard Studios. Hunting Alice Bell is a psychological thriller following a narrative full of drama and social satire. It tells a story of misogyny, justice, mob mentality and how rumours spread, having lasting effects on those involved. The series cast includes Rudi Dharmalingam and Alexandra Roach and is created by David Baddiel, Peter Bradshaw and Kate Verghese. Filming has begun in County Wicklow, Ireland. Dharmalingam credits include the BBC drama The Split (2018), The Lazarus Project (2022), Strike Back: Revolution (2019), and Tin Star (2017). He is also set to feature in Robert Schwentke's upcoming film Control and Paramount+ Australia drama series Playing Gracie Darling (2025).
CBS's upcoming series, CIA, has cast Michael Michele in a leading role. She will play a supervisor within the CIA. The series centers on two unlikely partners who must learn to work together to investigate cases and criminals that pose threats to the U.S. Along the way, they discover that their differences may ultimately be their greatest asset. CIA is executive produced by Dick Wolf, Warren Leight, Eriq LaSalle, Paul Cabbad, Nicole Perlman, David Chasteen and Peter Jankowski. Leight will also serve as the showrunner.
Michael Michele's previous credits include Queen Sugar (2016), The Equalizer (2021), and Dynasty (2017). She has also appeared in the romantic comedy, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Dark Blue (2002) and New Jack City (1991). She is represented by Untitled Entertainment, Innovative Artists, and Schreck Rose.
David Lami Friebe (Tyler Perry’s Sistas, All American) has joined the cast of CBS’s Beyond the Gates as Izaiah Hawthorne, Jacob’s (Jibre Hordges) brother, whose arrival stirs family turmoil and sparks two complicated new relationships just as Jacob and his wife, Naomi (Arielle Prepetit), face a major marital crisis. The role marks Friebe’s daytime drama debut. However, a premiere date has yet to be announced.
In addition to the announcement, the daytime newcomer Friebe commented on Instagram about his casting, saying,
I’m steppin’ into a new character and the next phase of my life and I’m in disbelief🙌🏾 blessed to be able to join the powerhouse cast of the HISTORIC @cbstv show Beyond The Gates @beyondthegatescbs as a major character.
The role of Theo Carver on Days of Our Lives has been recast with Tyler Joseph Andrews (Christmas Chain/A Heart Full of Hope). Andrews made his Salem debut on the Tuesday, September 9 episode. The character of Theo Carver was most recently portrayed by Cameron Johnson from 2020 to 2023, with Kyler Pettis holding the role from 2015 to 2019.
Devon Walker recently discussed his decision to leave NBC's Saturday Night Live (1975) after being part of the series for the past three years. Though Walker is thankful for the opportunity and thinks of his time on the sketch comedy series as a success, it wasn’t his true passion. He expressed his interest in being in film and creating projects that speak more to who he is. Recently, he starred in Jose Acevedo's short film, Baquiné Friends Forever (2025).
I'm exploring dramatic projects because they allow me to tap into a different side. I recently starred in a short film called Baquiné Friends Forever, and I enjoyed the opportunity to explore a range of emotions. After sharing my interest on Instagram, Netflix reached out about potential opportunities in drama. - Devon Walker
Meanwhile, Kam Patterson, the Florida native comedian, has been added to Saturday Night Live’s line up. In addition to SNL, you can also see Patterson in Kevin Hart’s Netflix film 72 Hours (2025).
Amir El-Masry - dave benett
Streaming: On Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, the fourth and final season of Bel-Air (2022) will debut on Peacock. The season will follow the main cast as they navigate new and unexpected paths. Will balances the excitement of his senior year with the weight of expectation from friends and family, while Carlton faces life-altering decisions that could change his future. Aunt Viv experiences motherhood from a new perspective as she seeks to reinvent herself. Ashley begins high school, realizing that the status quo may not be suitable for her.
The cast features Jabari Banks, Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, Olly Sholotan, Coco Jones, Akira Akbar, Jimmy Akingbola, Jordan L. Jones and Simone Joy Jones. The series was inspired by a viral video created by Morgan Cooper, who is the executive producer of the series, reimagining the famous sitcom as a drama series. Carla Banks Waddles serves as the writer, showrunner and executive producer. Other executive producers include Will Smith, Terence Carter, James Lassiter, Miguel Melendez, Benny Medina, Quincy Jones and Andy & Susan Borowitz. The series is produced by Universal Television and Westbrook Studios, a division of the media company Westbrook Inc., founded by Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith.
Yaya DaCosta, Melanie Liburd, and Stephanie Suganami have joined the cast of Hulu's pilot episode Group Chat, which was produced by Kenya Barris and inspired by Lala Anthony’s novel, The Love Playbook: Rules for Love, Sex, and Happiness. The satirical series centers on six successful women in their prime who appear to have it all, but beneath their polished exteriors is a group chat that exposes their actual hardships, which are full of heartbreak and the true drama of their lives.
Yaya DaCosta is known for her role in The Lincoln Lawyer (2022) on Netflix and for starring in Angela Bassett's biopic Whitney (2015). She is represented by Gersh. Melanie Liburd’s credits include NBC’s This Is Us (2016), The Idol (2023) on HBO, and Bad Boys 4 (2024). She is represented by IAG and Untitled Entertainment.
Creepshow, the popular horror anthology series from the 1980s, is coming to an end after four seasons on Shudder. Relaunched in 2019 by Greg Nicotero, the series concluded with 23 episodes and two specials, wrapping up in 2023 after its fourth season. Although its run was brief, the series was never intended to extend beyond four seasons. Fans will be pleased to learn that, despite the cancellation, a Blu-ray box set will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. Nicotero, a special effects artist who also executive-produced and directed on The Walking Dead (2010), is developing a reality competition show titled Guts & Glory for Shudder, which is set to air on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2025.
Amazon Prime Video is consolidating its business leadership under Jay Marine, the Amazon veteran who previously headed Prime Video’s global sports and advertising activities. Albert Cheng, who steered the rest of Prime Video’s U.S. operations, will shift to a new role aimed at advancing Amazon’s embrace of AI tools and AI-enhanced services for the studio’s creative partners.
Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, stressed that the consolidation was in keeping with directives from Amazon CEO Andy Jassy to flatten and streamline the organization. In a memo to staff sent Thursday, Hopkins emphasized
“the need for us to create bigger roles, flatter orgs and single threaded leaders that can push decision-making down and empower us all to move faster.”
He also pointed to “the lightning-fast speed at which AI is augmenting and accelerating the way we work and ushering in new opportunities to create and distribute entertainment and sports that our customers love.”
The realigned org structure is designed to put us in “even stronger position to deliver faster for customers, and enable us to be even more strategic about the significant bets we will make in the AI space,” Hopkins wrote.
Marine has been with Amazon since 2002, rising through the ranks at the Kindle unit. He spent two years as a special advisor to then-CEO Jeff Bezos. In 2015 he segued to vice president of Prime Video for Europe and India. He was promoted to VP and global head of sports and advertising in 2023.
Cheng joined Amazon in 2018 after holding senior business and digital roles at Disney and ABC. He had been chief operating officer of Amazon Studios before his promotion to VP at Prime Video.
Amir El-Masry, (The Crown), has been cast in Season 2 of Paramount+’s The Agency: Central Intelligence. He will play the recurring role of Saeed, an intelligence officer from the United Arab Emirates. The upcoming season follows Martian, a CIA agent living undercover who ventures on a dangerous mission to save his lover, Samia, a political prisoner in Sudan, leading him into a world of treachery and betrayal.
El-Masry's previous credits include Netflix’s The Crown (2016), Vigil (2021), and Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (2015). He will join co-stars Jeffrey Wright and Reza Brojerdi. The writers and executive producers for Season 2 are Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth (Ford v Ferrari, Edge of Tomorrow). The series has become a hit for Paramount+, quickly reaching a record of 5.1 million global viewers across both streaming platforms and linear TV.
El-Masry is represented by Matthew Lesher from Insight Entertainment and Ollie Azis from Independent Talent.
William Jackson Harper (The Good Place, Love Life) is set to star in MGM+’s anthology series American Hostage (2022). This psychological thriller, set in the 1970s, consists of eight episodes and is based on the first season of the scripted podcast of the same name. The story follows the true events of Fred Heckman, an Indianapolis radio reporter who faces a life-or-death crisis when he is confronted with an interview with notorious criminal Tony Kiritsis on his radio show.
Harper will portray Ben Hairston, Fred Heckman's mentee at the radio station. Ben is respected and skilled in his job, but he is thrown into chaos as Fred becomes increasingly compromised in his role as a negotiator. As the situation escalates, Ben must decide if he will challenge his mentor in the name of journalistic integrity. In addition to starring in the series, Hamm serves as an executive producer alongside Connie Tavel, Sharon Hoffman, and Marney Hochman. Harper will also appear in a major recurring role in Season 4 of Apple’s The Morning Show (2019). He is represented by UTA, AC Management and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
Paramount+’s SkyMed (2022) has announced the addition of several new cast members for its upcoming fourth season. Shawn Ahmed (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), Leishe Meyboom (Locke and Key), Alexander Eling (Cabinet of Curiosities), and Cecilia Lee (Fear Street: Prom Queen) will join the series. SkyMed is a medical drama that follows young medics and pilots operating air ambulances across Northern Canada. Ahmed will star as the confident Flight Nurse Zay Patel, Meyboom will portray eager rookie Flight Nurse Piper Adler, Eling will play the lovable First Officer Wyatt Ellisis, and Lee will play the driven pilot Maya Chang. Julie Puckrin, who is also an executive producer, co-created the series alongside Gillian Hormel and Vanessa Piazza.
Ahmed is represented by Red Management; Meyboom by The Characters Talent Agency, Buchwald, and Alan Siegel Entertainment; Eling by GGA and Anonymous Content; and Lee by Glenn Talent Management.
Prime Video is currently developing a new animated series titled The Chosen Adventures, an adventure comedy centered around Jesus of Nazareth. The series will consist of 14 episodes, each lasting 11 minutes, and is set to debut on Prime Video in the U.S., the UK, Latin America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Written by Ryan Swanson,the series follows nine-year-old Abby and her best friend Joshua as they navigate life in the city of Capernaum. They stumble upon Jesus of Nazareth. He helps them change the way they view the world, and in return, they help spread his influence.
The voice cast includes Yvonne Orji (Insecure) as Pigeon and Zehra Fazal as Eema. Other recurring and guest voice cast members include Jordin Sparks as Fish, Paras Patel as Matthew, Joey Vahedi as Thomas, and Yasmine Al-Bustami as Ramah. Ryan Swanson serves as the writer, executive producer, and showrunner, while Dallas Jenkins executive produces. The executive production team also includes Chris Juen, Chad Gundersen, Keith Alcorn, Kellen Erskine, and Derral Eves.
Melvin Gregg is starring in The Paper, a mockumentary style sitcom loosely inspired by The Office (2005). In The Paper, Gregg plays Detrick Moore, an ad sales representative who volunteers as a reporter to help revive a struggling local newspaper, the Toledo Truth Teller. As Moore gets more involved in the world of journalism—accompanied by a one-way work crush—he discovers that he may have bargained for more than what he asked for. The Paper cast includes Moore The Office alum Oscar Nuñez, Sabrina Impacciatore, Ramona Young, Tim Key, Domhnall Gleeson, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, and Chelsea Frei.
Paramount+ has announced that theirnew original comedy series Crutch, starring Tracy Morgan, will premiere on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. All eight episodes of the series will be available for streaming on Paramount+. The series follows the abrasive but lovable shop owner, Francois “Frank” Crutchfield played by Morgan. His life is turned upside down when his son and free-spirited daughter move back home, throwing Crutch a handful of twists and turns. The cast also includes Jermaine Fowler, Kecia Lewis, Adrianna Mitchell, Adrian Martinez, Braxton Paul, and Finn Maloney. Crutch is executive produced by Cedric The Entertainer and Eric C. Rhone, with Owen Smith serving as the creator, showrunner, and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Aaron Kaplan, Wendi Trilling, Mike Mariano, and Tracy Morgan.
Albert cheng - amazon prime video
Industry: Amazon Prime Video has announced a reorganization of its leadership structure under Jay Marine, who previously oversaw the platform's global sports and advertising initiatives. Albert Cheng, who helped lead Prime Video’s U.S. operations, will now focus on enhancing Amazon’s use of AI tools and services. According to Mike Hopkins, the head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, this reorganization is in accordance with Andy Jassy's orders to make the company flatter and more efficient. "Create bigger roles, establish flatter organizations, and empower single-threaded leaders who can make decisions quickly," Hopkins noted, as the goals of the leadership changes. He also mentioned how quickly AI is changing their business practices and opening up new avenues for producing and distributing consumer-pleasing sports and entertainment content. Cheng joined Amazon in 2018 after holding senior positions at Disney and ABC. Prior to his recent promotion, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of Amazon Studios and later became the Vice President at Prime Video.
As Comcast prepares to spin off Versant by the end of the year, CFO Jason Armstrong indicated that more details about the linear network company will soon be revealed. Comcast, like all traditional media companies, is faced with a few choices as cable continues to decline and subscriber numbers begin to dwindle. However, the business continues to be successful. At a Citi TMT (tech, media, and telecom) conference, Armstrong noted that, “Either they are cash-generating and permanently in support of the existing growth businesses, or they are separable.” He concluded that these businesses were indeed separable, expressing that through the spin-off, they aim to position the new company effectively. The remaining Comcast entity will consist of a streamlined mix of approximately 60% of the former company's assets, focusing on the parts that are either growing the fastest or hold the most potential for growth.
A few of HBO's linear channels are being revamped, along with the revival of Cinemax. This change aims to "better reflect the respective content offerings." The updates include the following: HBO2 is now HBO Hits, HBO Signature has been renamed HBO Drama, HBO Zone is now HBO Movies, MoreMAX is now Cinemax Hits, ActionMAX becomes Cinemax Action, and 5starMAX is now Cinemax Classics.
Additionally, HBO has indicated that these updated names will also be reflected in the HBO Max live in-app 'Channels,' which launched last year and will allow subscribers to stream live HBO programming through simulcasts. These modifications were announced two months after HBO revealed its decision to revert to the original HBO Max branding, moving away from its previous plan to operate solely as "Max."
JB Smoove recently returned to UTA after spending two years with CAA. Prior to his move in 2023, Smoove had been with UTA for roughly nine years. He is well-known for his roles in HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000) as Leon Black, Hulu’s History of the World (2023), TBS’ The Last O.G. (2018) alongside Tracy Morgan and Tiffany Haddish, and BET+’s Real Husbands of Hollywood (2013). Additionally, he starred in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and reprised his role as Mr. Dell in the sequel, Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Smoove’s production company, Alternate Side Productions, has been nominated for a New York Area Emmy Award. He also founded The First Darrin, a creative agency that collaborates with brands to create advertising campaigns, short films, and other comedic content. The agency recently completed its first project with Lexus.
LaToya Morgan, co-creator of Duster (2025), has signed a mini first-look deal with Universal Television. Through her production company, TinkerToy Productions, she will create and produce projects for the studio. Excited for the opportunity, her first project will be the thriller drama The Paris Widow, an adaption of the novel of the same name by Kimberly Belle, where she will serve as both writer and executive producer.
“I’m over the moon to be part of the Universal Television family and thrilled for the chance to do more of what I love best—high-octane storytelling.”
The Paris Widow entered development at Universal Television in August 2024, thanks to Little Bell Productions’ Brittany Little and Larissa Bell, who are working under their first-look deal with the studio, along with ColorCreative’s Talitha Watkins. The trio will executive produce the series alongside Morgan, with Belle as co-producer. The story follows a married couple whose dream vacation in Paris turns deadly when secrets from their past arise.
Insecure (2016) actor Norman Towns has signed with Established Artists for new representation. He is best known for his recurring role as Bennett on HBO’s Insecure, which is created and stars Issa Rae. Towns also has guest appearances on BET’s Games People Play (2019) and Showtime’s The Affair (2014). His film credits include Rupert Wyatt’s The Gambler (2014) and Clare Lewins’ I Am Ali (2014).
Soapy Things: Eva LaRue first received her big break in the entertainment industry when she starred in Santa Barbara (1984) for six months.
Oh man, I was so green; I was so bad. When I look back at those scenes now, I'm like, ‘No wonder I was only there for a few months.
LaRue considers her role in All My Children (1970) to be one of her significant breakthroughs at the age of 23. She appeared in All My Children on and off for roughly ten years, stating,
I died, came back, had amnesia, like any good soap character.
LaRue then discusses her experience on CSI: Miami (2002). Interestingly, even though she was no longer part of All My Children, both series ended within the same month. She remarked,
It was really heartbreaking at that point, like Oh my god, everything was all over. And I wasn’t doing All My Children, but we all went back to do the final episodes.
Furthermore, she explains how she landed her role in CSI: Miami, attributing it to her time on All My Children:
You know what's crazy? I ended up getting that job because of daytime! The executive producer, Anne Donahue, was an All My Children fan. And so when I was auditioning, there was like three hundred people that auditioned. And they were in the habit of hiring soap people even as guest stars because soap people come in, they know their stuff, they don’t go up, they come with a modicum of fame already, but they don’t ask for a ton of money, and they don’t have an ego. SO they come in, they work well, and they go! So I just lucked into that job because of All My Children!
