TVLine Items: Taraji P. Henson Joins Fight Night, Superstore Reunion on Not Dead Yet and More
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist is beefing up its ensemble.
The upcoming Peacock limited series has recruited acclaimed actress Taraji P. Henson, according to Deadline. She will play Vivian Thomas, Chicken Man’s (played by Kevin Hart) mistress and a shrewd businesswoman in her own right.
Saved by the Bell alum Dexter Darden, meanwhile, will portray Muhammad Ali.
They join previously announced stars Hart; Terrence Howard, who will play gangster and associate of the Council of 12 Richard “Cadillac” Wheeler; and Samuel L. Jackson, who will take on the role of notorious mobster Frank Moten, known by New York tabloids as the “Black Godfather.”
Set in Atlanta on the night of Ali’s historic 1970 comeback, the show follows the heavyweight bout and criminal underground heist that introduced the world to the city dubbed “the Black Mecca,” and the cop and the hustler at the center of it all.
Ready for some more recent newsy nuggets? Well…
* Nico Santos will reunite with his Superstore co-star Lauren Ash in Season 2 of ABC’s Not Dead Yet, premiering Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 8:30 pm. The sitcom starring Gina Rodriguez has added a bevy of guest stars for the coming episodes, including Santos, Wendie Malick, Rob Corddry, Tommy Martinez, Lidia Porto, Annie O’Donnell, Jesse Garcia and Cedric Yarbrough, Variety reports.
* A first teaser image has been released for Among Us, the animated series from CBS Eye Animation Productions and Innersloth, based on the multiplayer game; no streamer or network is yet attached to the series.
* The Rookie’s Brandon Jay McLaren and Kung Fu alum JB Tadena will recur in Season 3 of the Fox drama The Cleaning Lady, according to Deadline. McLaren will play the charming and affable Jeremy Dolan, an entrepreneur who forms an instant bond with Thony (Élodie Yung). Meanwhile, Tadena will portray the likeable Paolo Belleza, who runs a “Turo Turo” food stall in Manila and is intimately connected with the De La Rosa family.
* TVLine has learned that Gloria Reuben (City on a Hill, ER) will play the wife of Captain Wagner (Wendell Pierce) in the Good Wife offshoot Elsbeth, premiering Thursday, Feb. 29 on CBS.
* Hosted by Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch, NBC’s Weakest Link returns Tuesday, April 2 at 9 pm and will stream the next day on Peacock. The games will commence with a Days of our Lives special featuring cast members Lindsay Arnold, Bryan Dattilo, Galen Gering, Tina Huang, Victoria Konefal, Martha Madison, Eric Martsolf and Zach Tinker competing to earn money for charity.
Watch a sneak peek:
So Cookie and Lucious Lyon reunite!
*Wendell Pierce