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A regular guy: Meacham upped to series regular on 'Black-ish'

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Author: 
Michelle Rose / TV Media
Jeff Meacham and Deon Cole co-star in "Black-ish"

Jeff Meacham and Deon Cole co-star in "Black-ish"

A regular guy: He's already been in 98 episodes, but you can officially call Jeff Meacham a "regular" now.

ABC promoted the "Black-ish" actor to series regular for Season 6, which premieres Tuesday, Sept. 24. It's not a big surprise, considering Meacham's recurring character, Josh Oppenhol, has been popping up since the very first season. But it does ensure that Dre (Anthony Anderson, "Guys With Kids") and Charlie's (Deon Cole, "Angie Tribeca") co-worker and frequent comedic foil will continue to be part of the crazy antics that go on at Stevens & Lido.

Prior to "Black-ish," Meacham played principal Bradford on the Nickelodeon series "The Thundermans" (2013 to 2018). But he's not the only longtime member of the "Black-ish" team who got a promotion this summer.

Courtney Lilly, who has written for the show since Season 1, has been named as the new showrunner for Season 6. He'll be taking over producing duties from Kenny Smith and Jonathan Groff (he replaced original showrunner Larry Wilmore in Season 1), who will stay on as consulting producers while focusing on their development deal with ABC Studios.

Season 5 was a season of changes, and there's likely more to come. Look for Pops (Laurence Fishburne, "The Matrix," 1999) to turn up with his new fiancée, Lynette (Loretta Devine, "Family Reunion").

And there's a second spinoff, too: "Mixed-ish" will debut next week, right after its parent series' season premiere. The latest addition to the "Black-ish" universe is a prequel centered on a young Rainbow "Bow" Johnson (played by Arica Himmell in "Mixed-ish" and Tracee Ellis Ross in "Black-ish"), who is coming of age in the mid-1980s. Mariah Carey -- yes, the Mariah Carey -- is singing the theme song, while Mark-Paul Gosselaar ("Saved By the Bell") will be playing the role of Bow's father.

Suffice it to say, you're going to learn a lot more about your favorite "Black-ish" characters this fall. Mark your calendars: it all begins Tuesday, Sept. 24.

 

Cranston's 'Honor': More casting news, and this time it involves Showtime: Two new players have signed on to star in the Bryan Cranston-led legal thriller "Your Honor."

The limited series will run for 10 episodes that promise to rip "through all strata of New Orleans society." The former "Breaking Bad" star will portray respected judge Michael Desiato, whose son is involved in a hit-and-run that devolves into a complex web of deceit and lies (per Showtime).

Carmen Ejogo ("Selma") will star as Lee Delamere, a lawyer at a top firm who finds herself pulled into the New Orleans criminal justice system. Isiah Whitlock, Jr. ("The Wire") will play Charlie, Michael's best friend and a rising political star in The Big Easy. The cast will also include Michael Stuhlbarg ("Call Me By Your Name"), Sofia Black-D'Elia ("The Night Of") and Hunter Doohan ("Soundwave").

The Showtime series is adapted from the Israeli TV series "Kvodo," with multiple episodes penned by TV writer/playwright Peter Moffat. Moffat, whose BAFTA-winning "Criminal Justice" was the basis for the acclaimed series "The Night Of," will also serve as showrunner and executive producer .

Production is scheduled to begin this fall in New Orleans, so expect this one to air in 2020.

 

'Manifest' casting: Over at NBC, "Manifest" is coming back for a second season with a few new faces.

Yasha Jackson, who played Eddie's former partner on "Blue Bloods," has signed on for a recurring role in the new season. Jackson will play Suzanne, a dean at Astoria University who also happens to be Ben's (Josh Dallas, "Once Upon a Time") ex-girlfriend. Her previous TV credits also include "Ray Donovan," "The Get Down" and "Black Mirror" (she played new girlfriend Emily in the stuffed monkey storyline featured in the "Black Museum" episode). 

Garrett Wareing of "Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists" will also recur as college freshman TJ, who, like Ben, was a passenger on Montego Air Flight 828.

While Season 2 doesn't have an official premiere date yet, showrunner Jeff Rake told MEA WorldWide that the 13 new episodes are slated for a midseason run.

The delay isn't intended to further torture fans after last season's cliffhanger finale. The timing is to avoid possible preemptions that risk interrupting the story's week-to-week flow. And that's a good thing, because this is the kind of show that demands your attention.

The top-rated new show last year, "Manifest" has been described as the new "Lost," with a big supernatural twist. It's the story of the passengers and crew of Flight 828, which experiences some slight turbulence during an otherwise routine flight. But instead of landing a few hours later, they discover they lost five and a half years while in the air. Friends, families and colleagues have tried to move on, which means everyone has to adjust to a new reality that ominously appears to have an end date of June 2, 2024.

A year between seasons is a long wait, but it's not unheard of these days. Hopefully fans won't have moved on by the time Season 2 premieres next year. But they won't, because there are so many questions that need to be answered, like who's the father of Grace's baby? And did Zeke shoot Jared? We should find out in just a few more months.