Chris Rock's "Everybody Hates Chris" to get animated treatment

Getting animated: Chris Rock's ("The Longest Yard," 2005) 2005-09 autobiographical sitcom, still popular today thanks to syndication and streaming, has been officially revived and is being reimagined as an animated series. The reboot, titled "Everybody Still Hates Chris," was recently handed a straight-to-series order and is expected to land on both Comedy Central and streamer Paramount .

While former cast members -- most notably Tyler James Williams ("Dear White People," 2014), who played the titular character -- have previously teased a reunion show, this cartoon reboot has been quietly in the works since (at least) early 2021, when CBS Studios reportedly placed the project in development.

"A reimagining of this groundbreaking, critically acclaimed series has been a source of creative discussions at our studio for a long time," George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS Entertainment, said. "It's exciting to join forces with 3 Arts and the comedic genius of Chris Rock as he expands on his vision of the original show in this innovative new format. This also marks another significant in-house collaboration for CBS with Chris McCarthy and our valued partners at MTV Entertainment Studios as we jointly support this marquee series for Paramount and Comedy Central."

Rock, the original series' co-creator, will return as the narrator and as an executive producer alongside showrunner Sanjay Shah ("Central Park"). Like the original live-action series, the storylines will be inspired by Rock's own experiences growing up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, during the 1980s.

A premiere date has not yet been announced.

One-term 'First Lady': Just like politics, TV can be a cruel game.

Showtime has announced it is not renewing "The First Lady" for a second season. In a Deadline exclusive, a network spokesperson stated: "Showtime can confirm that the anthology series 'The First Lady' will not be moving forward with another season. We would like to applaud the artistry and commitment of our showrunner Cathy Schulman, director Susanne Bier, their fellow executive producers, our amazing cast -- led by executive producer Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson -- and our studio partner Lionsgate for their dedicated work in telling the unique stories of three remarkable leaders."

The inaugural season, which focused on U.S. first ladies Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson, "The X-Files"), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer, "One Fine Day," 1996) and Michelle Obama (Viola Davis, "How to Get Away With Murder"), had critics and fans buzzing, but not necessarily in a good way.

Many critics -- including The New Yorker, which referred to it as a "bad-wig costume drama" (ouch) -- took issue with the series' narrative structure and its preoccupation with drawing parallels between the three historical figures, rather than fleshing out their individual stories.

In the end, the less-than-warm reception, coupled with high production costs, cut "The First Lady's" run short despite producers' hopes that they'd have more time to explore the experiences of others who have occupied the East Wing of the White House.

During a Television Critics Association presentation back in February, executive producers Schulman and Bier were already thinking of future installments, prompting Anderson to comment, "I think the hope is that there's going to be future seasons so they'll have the opportunity to have more first ladies represented. So, maybe not just four but maybe 104."

Alas, it was not meant to be.

Back to AMC: After starring in "Jessica Jones" and HBO's upcoming "Love and Death," actress Krysten Ritter will be returning to AMC.

Ritter, who had a recurring role as Jesse's (Aaron Paul, "Westworld") girlfriend in AMC's "Breaking Bad," has signed on to star in and executive produce the cable channel's follow up to "Orphan Black."

Greenlit as a 10-episode series, "Orphan Black: Echoes" is set in the same world as the parent series but in a different time. Here is how AMC described the series back in April when it was first confirmed: "Set in the near future, the new 'Orphan Black' takes a deep dive into the exploration of the scientific manipulation of human existence. It follows a group of women as they weave their way into each other's lives and embark on a thrilling journey, unraveling the mystery of their identity and uncovering a wrenching story of love and betrayal."

Ritter will star as Lucy, "a woman with an unimaginable origin story, trying to find her place in the world" (per AMC).

The original "Orphan Black" series, which earned Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany ("She-Hulk: Attorney at Law") an Emmy for Best Actress, ended its run in 2017, and there's been talk of a possible spinoff since 2019. Fan interest also led to the "Orphan Black: The Next Chapter" podcast, launched in 2021 as a continuation of the story in audio form.

No word yet on whether Maslany or any other original cast members will be joining "Orphan Black: Echoes," which will debut in 2023, but co-creator John Fawcett ("Ginger Snaps," 2000) returns as a director and executive producer. "Echoes" creator Anna Fishko serves as writer and showrunner.