Today in television news, we have our first look at Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf in A Series of Unfortunate Events. He looks absolutely perfect, but also completely unrecognizable to the point that you really have to remind yourself you're looking at NPH here. Based on the books by Daniel Handler, A Series of Unfortunate Events comes from director Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black), with Handler himself on board as a writer. It will debut on Netflix in 2017.
Speaking of Netflix shows, Wet Hot American Summer will return in 2017. The streaming service announced today that they have picked up eight episodes of Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later. At the end of the original 2001 film, the characters promised to meet up in 10 years, but the recent Netflix show was actually a prequel set before the events of the movie. As the title suggests, 10 Years Later will finally follow up on the film's ending. Michael Showalter and David Wain are back on board, though none of the cast has been signed as of yet.
NBC is fleshing out the cast of Hairspray, Live! According to Deadline, Martin Short has been cast as Wilbur, husband of Edna Turnblad. Meanwhile, Derek Hough will be playing TV host Corny Collins. They'll be starring alongside Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad and Jennifer Hudson as Motormouth Maybelle. The live musical will air on NBC this fall.
Fox has ordered 24: Legacy, the followup to the wildly popular series starring Kiefer Sutherland, according to Entertainment Weekly. Legacy will feature an entirely new cast and follow a military hero, Corey Hawkins, who returns to the United States, only to be recruited to help stop a deadly terrorist attack. Also starring are Miranda Otto, Jimmy Smits and Dan Bucatinsky. Original 24 showrunners Manny Coto and Evan Katz are back on board, and Sutherland himself serves as producer.
The Wire alum Michael K. Williams has joined the new ABC limited series When We Rise, according to Variety. The seven-episode series tells the story of the gay rights movement, stretching from the 20th century to modern times. Williams will play community organizer Ken Jones, and he's joined by Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O’Donnell, Denis O’Hare and David Hyde Pierce. The project is being written by Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.
Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus says she doesn't consider the HBO series to be a parody, explaining that it instead creates situations that are entirely plausible. The comedian also noted that she enjoys the fact that the series is bipartisan and doesn't take political sides. “What’s fun to me when I go out into the real world, and I meet politicians, they all think we’re making fun of the other guy," she told Time.