Stephen Colbert is getting back to making fun of the news.
The host of CBS’ The Late Show and Daily Show and Colbert Report alum will executive produce an animated variety series called Tooning Out the News for CBS All Access. The streamer has also ordered its first docuseries from Oscar nominee Richard Linklater and the animated comedy The Harper House.
Tooning Out the News will feature short daily segments leading up to a full-length weekly episode in which a cast of animated characters mock the news of the day and interview real-world guests. The show will be executive produced by Colbert and fellow Late Show executive producer Chris Licht along with RJ Fried and Tim Luecke of Showtime’s Our Cartoon President.
“This brilliant creative team is truly breaking new ground, marrying daily headline events with animation, to create their own unique spin on today’s news coverage,” Julie McNamara, executive vp original content at CBS All Access, said Sunday in a statement. “Whether you come for your daily dose or the full-length episode at the end of the week, CBS All Access is the perfect destination for this innovative, comedic look at our culture of ‘Breaking News’ overload, and we are thrilled to be in business with these phenomenal creative minds from within the ViacomCBS family.”
Luecke created the animated version of Donald Trump that appeared as a “guest” on The Late Show, eventually leading to Our Cartoon President. The show is set to begin its third season on Showtime on Jan. 26.
The Linklater docuseries, set for 10 episodes, will be filmed in and around the Boyhood and Before Midnight director’s hometown of Austin. It will provide a window onto the colorful and diverse world of animal rescue through moving, humorous and powerful stories of animals and the people who love them.
“I come to this project hoping to shine a light on the folks I’ve met who are making a difference every day in the lives of unwanted, abused and disabled animals,” said Linklater. “What strikes me most is the joy and discovery on both sides of the relationship between the animals and their human caregivers. These are inspirational stories that I believe will be a positive force in the world. I’m grateful to CBS All Access for their support in this adventure.”
Linklater, via his Detour Filmproduction, will executive produce with Oscar-winning documentarian Bill Guttentag (Twin Towers) of 1891 Productions and Phil and Jay McGraw of Stage 29. Nayeema Raza of 1891 Productions is a co-exec producer. The untitled show will be the first original docuseries for CBS All Access, which has previously focused on scripted shows.
The Harper House, meanwhile, comes from creator Brad Neely (Adult Swim’s China, IL) and exec producer Katie Krentz (Star Trek: Lower Decks) and CBS TV Studios. It centers on a family who are forced to move from the wealthy side of their Arkansas town to the poor side. To save money, they move into their inherited Victorian fixer upper, Harper House.
The three series join a CBS All Access lineup that includes the Star Trek shows Discovery and Picard, The Good Fight, The Twilight Zone, Tell Me a Story, No Activity, Why Women Kill and the upcoming Interrogation, The Stand and The Man Who Fell to Earth.
