News round-up: Amazon exit & orders; NBC renews ‘Found’ & ‘The Irrational’; MGM+ extends ‘Godfather Of Harlem’

All Or Nothing

Amazon exit & orders

CJ Yu has exited as head of unscripted development, global formats, at Amazon Studios, after six years with the company.

Yu was responsible for the international launch of formats including All Or Nothing and LOL: Last One Laughing. He originally joined as a senior creative development and programming exec in 2017, before rising to head of unscripted development and then his most recent role in 2019.

In related news, Amazon has ordered Dead In The Water, a true crime doc about the 1978 murders of Chris Farmer and Peta Frampton for streamer Prime Video. The series will be produced by UK-based Raw TV, the company behind The Tinder Swindler and Three Identical Strangers and will launch next year.

Prime Video has also commissioned six-part observational documentary series, Married To The Game, offering access to the lives of the wives and girlfriends of renowned Premier League footballers during the summer break and the transfer window. Produced by Entertainment One, the docuseries will launch in 2024 exclusively to Prime members in the UK and Ireland.

NBC renews ‘Found’ & ‘The Irrational’

NBC has renewed two dramas series, Found and The Irrational, for second seasons.

“These shows are a testament to the incredibly passionate work of our showrunners Nkechi Okoro Carroll (Found) and Arika Lisanne Mittman (The Irrational), both of whom have executed their visions flawlessly,” said Lisa Katz, president, scripted content, NBCUniversal Entertainment.

Berlanti Productions and Rock My Soul Productions produces Found in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television. The Irrational, meanwhile, is based on author Dan Ariely’s book Predictably Irrational and produced by Universal Television.

MGM+ extends ‘Godfather Of Harlem’

MGM+ has greenlit a 10-episode order for a fourth season of drama series Godfather Of Harlem, from ABC Signature.

In season four, Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker) continues his bloody war for control of Harlem against New York’s Mafia families, while contending with the emergence of a potential rival in newly arrived Frank Lucas. After Malcolm X’s death, Bumpy must also grapple with his daughter Elise’s involvement with the Black Panthers.

The series is executive produced by Chris Brancato, Paul Eckstein, Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, James Acheson, and Markuann Smith.