Showtime Network

“Goliath” Looks To Find The Real Wilt Chamberlain

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Showtime is set to release Goliath, a three-part series about NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain is one of the most fascinating people to have played basketball and in many ways is more myth than legend. The 100-point game no one watched because it happened at a time when people cared more about college ball than pro play. The prolific womanizing, with Wilt claiming he had a body count of over 20,000.

But who was he really? That’s what Showtime set out to ask, and hopefully answer. The series is meant to strip away the myth to highlight the mortal that lay beneath it. Executive-produced by Kevin Garnett, the show looks at Chamberlain’s life from the lens of basketball, psychology, and society. However, it also appears to make a number of choices that some may find controversial.

“Goliath” Explores Chamberlain’s Life Through His Own Words

Per the official release for the show, “Utilizing groundbreaking artificial intelligence to recreate Chamberlain’s voice to narrate his own words and archival footage provided by the Wilt Chamberlain Estate, GOLIATH tells the definitive story of Chamberlain’s remarkable life and how he fits into the fabric of American history. The series invokes a variety of voices from sports, media, entertainment and academia to place Chamberlain’s life in both historical and contemporary contexts, highlighting his unparalleled athleticism, trailblazing achievements, personal magnetism and introspective nature.”

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Yup, Goliath has reportedly utilized AI to bring Chamberlain’s voice back to life. The real Wilt Chamberlain died in 1999 and while his estate is reportedly okay with his, audio AI is still a very murky topic for many people. Meanwhile, the three-part series will balance AI Chamberlain-narrated footage with standard documentary talking heads. Seen in the trailer are the likes of Kevin Garnett, Pat Riley, Rick Barry, Jackie MacMullan, Bob Ryan, Tom Meschery, Dr. Todd Boyd, Jemele Hill, Jerry West, and clinical psychologist Orna Guralnik. Goliath will premiere for Paramount+ subscribers on July 14 and receive a full release on Showtime on July 16. Will you be watching? Let us know in the comments.

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The post “Goliath” Looks To Find The Real Wilt Chamberlain appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Ziwe Talk Show Shelved After Two Seasons

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Ziwe Fumudoh, known professionally just as Ziwe, burst onto the scene in 2017 with her social media series, Baited with Ziwe. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she took her show from YouTube and began hosting it on Instagram Live. Since then, she has amassed nearly 600,000 Instagram followers, becoming one of social media’s favorite it girls. Her fashion and lifestyle content garnered widespread support, and in May 2021, her self-titled Showtime talk show debuted. Ziwe interviewed a number of guests, asking quirky questions in her standard lighthearted interview style. Sadly, Showtime announced this week that the network had parted ways with the late-night talk show.

The series only got two seasons, and with each episode becoming more hilariously awkward, it appeared Ziwe had a promising future with Showtime. Vulture TV called her interview style the “art of discomfort.” During her tenure with the network, she sat down with a laundry list of guests, including politician Andrew Yang and comedian Hannibal Buress. On March 23rd, the 31-year-old shared a screen grab from her show but has not posted much on social media since. It’s unclear if she knew the end of her series was near. 

Ziwe Appeared To Have A Promising Career With Showtime

The cancellation stunned fans, and while Ziwe did not confirm anything, a change in Showtime’s leadership could be to blame. Showtime CEO David Nevins left the company last year. Since then, Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Paramount Media Networks has rebranded the network. This is how Paramount+ With Showtime came about in early 2023. It appears Showcase pushed Ziwe’s cable show to the waist side. Some fans across social media have even blamed the cancellation on racism. In place of Ziwe, the network has ordered Mandy Patinkin’s comedy series, Seasoned.

Fans are now threatening to boycott the network and the streaming platform. Some blame fellow fans for failing to support the series. As one Twitter user wrote, people “never ONCE turned the actually show on.” Ziwe is the latest urban-style show to be canceled. Desus & Mero was scrapped after four seasons last year, shortly after the duo announced they were splitting up after years of establishing their comedic rise. Luckily, Ziwe has other endeavors lined up, such as the release of her new book, The Book of Ziwe. The influencer will likely be fine.

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“Dexter” Spin-Off In The Works At Showtime

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A spin-off of the 2006 serial-killer drama series, Dexter, is reportedly in the works at Showtime. According to TVLine, the network has ordered a new prequel series titled, Dexter: Origins. The show will be set in Dexter’s hometown of Miami and reference real-life serial killers of the time period. Additionally, Showtime is exploring several other spinoffs based on other Dexter characters and their backstories. Among them is the Trinity Killer.

“I couldn’t be more excited about exploring and expanding the universe of Dexter. It’s a privilege to contemplate going even deeper with these complex and iconic characters — and the stories, themes and possibilities they inspire,” said Dexter showrunner Clyde Phillips. He’ll also be working on the new franchise.

HOLLYWOOD, CA – JUNE 15: Actor Michael C. Hall arrives at the Showtime Celebrates 8 Seasons Of “Dexter” at Milk Studios on June 15, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Dexter: Origins will follow the titular character of Dexter Morgan following his college graduation as he joins Miami Metro. It will detail his transformation into the cold-blooded serial killer known from the original series. The original series aired on Showtime from October 2006 to September 2013. It remains one of the most popular shows in the history of Showtime. It was nominated for 24 Primetime Emmy Awards during its run.

Showtime has also confirmed that the prequel series does not imply the cancelation of Dexter: New Blood. That show will continue to “depict the ongoing emergence of Dexter’s son Harrison.” The news comes as the network merges with Paramount+. “We have already begun conversations with our production partners about what content makes sense moving forward and which shows have franchise potential,” Chris McCarthy, the Paramount Global exec, said. Further going all in on non-original content, the network recently helmed reboots of American Gigolo and Let the Right One In.

In addition to Dexter: Origins, Showtime is also working on spin-offs to Billions. The two shows will be similarly titled Millions and Trillions. “We remain fascinated by people whose ambition is boundless and who think the laws of civilization and nature don’t apply to them,” said exec producers Brian Koppelman and David Levien.

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