Nicki Minaj snuggled up next to her adorable little co-stars on the set of their new Freeform (formerly ABC Family) sitcom, "Nicki," based on the rapper's life immigrating from Trinidad to grow up in Queens, N.Y.
Minaj shared several Instagram photos from the New York set where everyone was bundled up for the chilly weather. The "Anaconda" singer will appear in the single-camera comedy and serve as an executive producer.
"Nicki" stars Ariana Neal as the young Minaj, Selita Ebanks, Wesley Jonathan and McCarrie McCausland. Whoopi Goldberg and J.B. Smoove will guest star in the first episode.
Continue reading for more of today's TV news.
Netflix Orders Sci-Fi Series "Altered Carbon"
Netflix gave a straight-to-series order to the sci-fi drama "Altered Carbon," based on Richard Morgan's 2002 novel of the same name. Laeta Kalogridis first adapted the book as a screenplay, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He will write the script, executive produce and serve as the showrunner for the 10-episode series from Skydance Television.
"Altered Carbon" is set in the 25th century and explores what happens when the human mind becomes digitized and the soul is transferable from one body to another. Takeshi Kovacs, an ex-elite interstellar warrior known as an Envoy who has been imprisoned for 500 year is downloaded into a future he'd tried to stop. If he can solve a single murder in a world where technology has made death nearly obsolete, he'll get a chance at a new life on Earth.
Regina Hall Cast in Hulu's Comedy Pilot "Crushed"
Regina Hall has landed the female lead in the Hulu comedy pilot "Crushed" from writer-director Tina Gordon Chism ("Peeples"), according to Deadline. The show, previously developed for HBO, revolves around an African-American family who stumbles into a successful wine business in Napa, Calif.
CBS Orders Dating Comedy from "How I Met Your Mother" Creators
CBS has ordered a pilot for the hybrid comedy "My Time/Your Time" from "How I Met Your Mother" creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, who serve as executive producers on the project, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Hilary Winston wrote the script based on the web series "7P/10E" by Avital Ash about a young couple that starts dating long distance.
Fox Orders Survival Competition Series "Kicking & Screaming"
Fox will air a new survival competition series "Kicking & Screaming" this fall that partners 10 expert survivalists with pampered contestants to face the toughest race of their lives. Over eight episodes, the unlikely duos will have to find their way out of a forbidding wilderness and overcome dangerous animals, raging rivers, hunger and extreme weather.
CBS Orders Nancy Drew Pilot and Family Comedy Based on Australian Series
CBS officially handed out a pilot order for "Nancy Drew" adaptation that will feature a diverse, 30-something leading lady. In the modern update, Drew is an NYPD detective who uses her uncanny observational skills to investigate and solve crimes, all while navigating the complexities of life in a modern world.
The network also order a pilot for the untitled comedy based on the Australian series "Upper Middle Bogan," which is an "extended family show" about a wife and mother who learns she was adopted and her birth parents are a flamboyant, but loving, family of drag-racers.
Norman Lear and Shonda Rhimes Producing Epix Docu-Series "America Divided"
Influential TV producers Norman Lear and Shonda Rhimes will serve as executive producers on the EPIX documentary series "America Divided" that examines inequality. The series will also feature Common, America Ferrera, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler and Lear.
Spike TV Renews "Lip Sync Battle" for Third Season
Spike TV has renewed its wildly successful celebrity competition series "Lip Sync Battle" for a third season consisting of 20 half-hour episodes.
Charlie Sheen Joins NBC's Tribute to James Burrows
Charlie Sheen will help honor the prolific TV comedy director James Burrows on NBC's "Must See TV: A Tribute to James Burrows" on Sunday, Feb. 21. The "Two and a Half Men" actor will join his former co-star Jon Cryer and cast members from "Cheers," "Friends," "Will & Grace," "Taxi," "The Big Bang Theory," "Wings," "Mike & Molly" and the new NBC comedy "Crowded," which will mark Burrows' 1,000th episode of directing.
Casting News:
THE GRINDER: Colton Haynes will guest star as the son of Mitch Grinder on "The Grinder" (the show within the show version), which stars Rob Lowe's character Dean Sanderson as Mitch, according to Entertainment Weekly. Haynes will appear in the Feb. 2 episode playing Luke, who was brought onto the show to help "ground" the hotshot lawyer Mitch and steer his father toward becoming a family man again rather than going down an unsavory path.
CODE BLACK: Following her stint on Fox's failed "Minority Report" reboot, Meagan Good will scrub into the CBS medical drama in a recurring role on Feb. 10, according to Deadline. She will play Dr. Grace Adams, a fearless and ambitious attending physician who recently returned to Angels Memorial after volunteering a year of humanitarian work in Haiti. She's also the former girlfriend of Neal (Raza Jaffrey).
