Television Critics Association Press Tour Wraps Up in Pasadena, Here are Top Takeaways About New Shows

The Television Critics Association (TCA) 2020 Winter Press Tour in Pasadena ended Sunday after more than 130 panels, hundreds of stars, producers and network bosses took the stage to talk about their latest projects and present prospects for new shows this year.

The two-week blitz of series and platform announcements staged at the Langham Huntington, Pasadena made the upcoming year of television a bit clearer.

Former First Lady, Secretary of State and Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton was among the panelists in television’s bi-annual promotional event when she presented Hulu’s upcoming four-hour documentary “Hillary,” a film that attempts to be her complete biography.

“There was nothing off-limits,” Clinton said. “This did not start out as the film it ended up being.”

IndieWire reports the press tour’s high points include NBC’s announcement that it was hosting the 2021 Golden Globes, Amazon Prime Video announcing a deal with Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment and another one with with Steve McQueen, CBS executives making a compelling case for the CBS All Access streaming service, Disney’s “FX on Hulu” announcement, and AMC’s boasting a one-two punch of “Dispatches from Elsewhere” and “Better Call Saul.”

The low points, on the other hand, reportedly included Starz president Jeffrey Hirsch’s Q&A session that didn’t satisfactorily answer many of the questions about the network’s plans, HBO Max’s Q&A session with platform executives that didn’t say much about the upcoming streaming service, and PBS bringing former Bush administration officials to discuss “W,” the network’s upcoming documentary on George W. Bush’s presidency.

Apple’s TCA day also scored low when “The Morning Show” producers and stars refused to answer any questions about its upcoming Season 2, which meant most of the conversation was focused on the controversial aspects of Season 1, Indie Wire said.

USA Network also scored low after announcing its reality-competition show, “The Biggest Loser,” is back after a four-year hiatus, with the panel unable to explain exactly why it had to be revived, says Indie Wire.

For new shows, Dan Fogelman announced he had persuaded Steve Martin and Martin Short to star in a new true-crime series for Hulu, Amazon has greenlit a “Jack Reacher” series and NBC gave Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson a straight-to-series about his misspent youth, written by “Fresh Off the Boat” creator Nahnatchka Khan.

HBO also revealed that “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” is on track for a 2022 debut.

The TCA Winter Press Tour was held at the Langham Huntington in Pasadena from January 7 to 19.