Around the Tubes: 8/28/15

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Homeland, Explorer, Austin City Limits, Epix, From Dusk Till Dawn, Skin Wars, The Missing Evidence, MTV VMAs, VH1 Family Therapy with Dr. Jenn, and American Dad.

- In advance of the highly-anticipated fifth season premiere of Homeland on Sunday, October 4th at 9:00, Showtime has released the full-length trailer for its Emmy and Golden Globe®-winning hit drama series. To watch and share the trailer, go to: s.sho.com/1JmXdHv.

- After a five-year hiatus, National Geographic Channel (NGC), in conjunction with National Geographic magazine (NGM) and National Geographic Studios, relaunches the critically acclaimed documentary series Explorer (natgeotv.com/explorer, #NatGeoExplorer) as a monthly series this August. The series opener, Explorer: Warlords of Ivory, premieres Sunday, Aug. 30, at 8:00, taking an in-depth look at the devastating effects of the global illegal ivory trade. And to continue National Geographic’s cross-platform commitment to this important cause, Nat Geo WILD premieres the one-hour special Elephant Queen the same night at 9:00, further reinforcing why these majestic creatures are so worthy of our protection.

- The television music series Austin City Limits (ACL) follows four decades as a music institution with more unforgettable performances as it gets ready to write its next illustrious chapter. Providing viewers with a front-row seat to the best in live music, ACL unveils Season 41’s stellar line-up of legendary artists, trend-setting innovators and many highly-anticipated debuts. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings for times) and full episodes are made available online for a limited time at video.pbs.org/program/austin-city-limits immediately following the initial broadcast. Select tapings are also live streamed to enable music fans everywhere to experience the performances as they happen, live and unedited. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding future tapings, episode schedules and live stream updates. The show's official hashtag is #acltv. The program returns on October 3rd with the 2015 ACL Hall of Fame Special, a special hour showcasing unique collaborations and tributes from this year’s induction ceremony and celebration, held June 18, 2015. Artists Lyle Lovett, Dwight Yoakam, Vince Gill, Gillian Welch, Jason Isbell and more perform in honor of the newest class of inductees: Asleep at the Wheel, Guy Clark, Flaco Jiménez, Loretta Lynn and Townes Van Zandt.

- Find all the stars in one place this September as EPIX kicks off Fall with lots of laughs and even more drama! Get a healthy dose of honesty from Craig Ferguson in the world television premiere of his latest comedy special Craig Ferguson: Just Being Honest, coming to EPIX on Thursday, September 10th, 10:00. Experience the thrill of Christopher Nolan's Interstellar all over again on Sunday, September 13th, at 8:00. Be moved by the gripping Selma, starring Golden Globe®-nominee David Oyelowo, on Sunday, September 20th, 8:00. See Mark Wahlberg put it all on the line in Rupert Wyatt's The Gambler on Sunday, September 27th, 8:00!

- Last year, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series premiered as El Rey Network/Miramax's first scripted drama and drew critical acclaim for the reimagining of Rodriguez's cult classic film From Dusk Till Dawn. On August 25th at (9:00), the sophomore season of this fan-favorite, supernatural crime saga returns with 10 new episodes that expand the universe of the story from Mexico to the edgy, tricked-out Texas of Rodriguez, who also directs the first episode. And on August 26, Entertainment One will begin to release each episode for purchase on all leading digital platforms.

- The “battle of the brushes” continues as GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, announced today it has ordered a 10-episode third season of the top-rated original hit series Skin Wars, hosted by Rebecca Romijn (X-Men, The Librarians). The announcement comes on the heels of a successful season two finale, which drew over 1.1 million viewers.

- Smithsonian Channel tackles conspiracy theories and enduring mysteries in a new probing six-part series, The Missing Evidence. Each week, the series includes new insights from authorities, investigators, scientists and journalists, and uncovers new leads surrounding some of the most famous tragedies, unsolved crimes, persistent mysteries, and other phenomena that have piqued the public interest. The Missing Evidence premieres Sunday, August 30 at 9:00.

- The performer line-up for the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards just got MAJOR. Joining previously announced performer The Weeknd, MTV today unveiled that Pharrell Williams, Demi Lovato, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Tori Kelly, A$AP Rocky and Twenty One Pilots will perform on the LIVE telecast airing this Sunday, August 30 at 9:00 on MTV.

- From John Irwin’s Irwin Entertainment, the producers of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, new series VH1 Family Therapy with Dr. Jenn hopes to shed a little light on the complicated and often misunderstood world of celebrity families who still have to grapple with universal issues – but under a microscope. From the executive producers of VH1 Couples Therapy with Dr. Jenn, VH1 will premiere the new series VH1 Family Therapy with Dr. Jenn in early 2016.

- TBS is doubling down on American Dad!, ordering two more seasons of the top-rated animated hit from Twentieth Century Fox Television, ensuring that the Stan Smith clan will have a home on the network through 2018. An important programming initiative for the Turner portfolio, American Dad! also has a second home on TBS's sister network, Adult Swim, which presents an encore of each new episode after its TBS premiere. Today's announcement adds 44 episodes to the series – 22 each for seasons 12 & 13. It marks the second time in less than year that TBS has renewed the series. In November, the network announced a 22-episode order for season 11, which is set to air on TBS and Adult Swim in early 2016.