SPECTRUM ORIGINALS TAKES IT TO THE HOOP WITH PICKUP OF PARAMOUNT TELEVISION STUDIOS "LONG SLOW EXHALE"
ROSE ROLLINS STARS IN TWELVE EPISODE MYSTERY DRAMA
Los Angeles, Calif. (February 9, 2021) - Spectrum Originals and BET have announced the pickup of the twelve-episode drama series, LONG SLOW EXHALE, set in the high-stakes world of women's basketball. Produced by Paramount Television Studios, LONG SLOW EXHALE comes from executive producer, showrunner and creator Pam Veasey (L.A.'s Finest, CSI: NY), director and executive producer, Anton Cropper (L.A.'s Finest, Black-ish) and John Dove (L.A.'s Finest, Chicago P.D). Bruna Papandrea (Big Little Lies, The Undoing) and Casey Haver (Tell Me Your Secrets) will executive produce for Made Up Stories and the series stars Rose Rollins (The L Word, The Catch). After a nine-month exclusive run for Spectrum, LONG SLOW EXHALE will air with a second window on BET.
The series follows J.C. Abernathy (Rollins), a successful Head Coach of a competitive women's college basketball team who finds herself in the middle of a potentially career shattering sexual abuse scandal. Sorting through the secrets to unravel the truth, she is forced to make decisions that will affect her, her family and the young female athletes that depend on her.
"I'm so happy that Pam and Anton are back home at Spectrum Originals - along with Bruna they are a true dream team," said Katherine Pope, Head of Spectrum Originals. "We couldn't be happier to welcome Rose into the family - her strength, empathy and brilliance convinced us all that she was our J.C."
"We look forward to partnering with Spectrum Originals and our sister brand Paramount Television Studios to give viewers more of the premium content and dynamic storytelling they love and expect from the brand," said Traci Blackwell, Executive Vice President, Scripted Programming, BET. "We are excited to have Rose join the BET family and, with this series, continue to expand the dimensions of Black women in leading roles on screen."
Says Paramount Television Studios President Nicole Clemens, "We're thrilled to be joining forces with Pam, Anton, Bruna, John, Casey and Rose in telling this story, which beyond its appeal as a compelling mystery drama, also explores so many issues at the forefront of our culture, told in the high-stakes, adrenaline-filled arena of elite women's college basketball."
Pam Veasey serves as creator, showrunner and executive producer. Anton Cropper will executive produce and direct along with Bruna Papandrea and Casey Haver for Made Up Stories and John Dove.
About Rose Rollins
Rose Rollins is an accomplished actress who has garnered attention on both the big and small screens. Rose wrapped the AT&T Audience Network's spy thriller Condor, from MGM Television and Skydance Television. Rose portrays Eva Piper, a close friend of Mae (Kristen Hager) and Gordon's (Toby Leonard Moore) wife. The season will air on Epix later this year. Prior to that, Rollins starred in ABC's The Catch opposite Mireille Enos. The series centered on a gutsy female forensic accountant who exposes fraud for a living and has finally found fulfillment both at work and in love until a case comes along that threatens to turn her world upside down. Produced by Shonda Rhimes, the show aired for two seasons. Also, on the television side, Rose was a series regular in an eight-episode arc on Amazon Studios crime drama Bosch and in the TNT pilot Guilt By Association. Rollins has built her body of work with numerous roles on prominent television series including the NBC crime drama Chase, the critically acclaimed Showtime series The L Word, NBC's The West Wing co-starring Allison Janney and Southland, ABC's In Justice opposite Kyle MacLachlan, The CW's Nikita and CBS's NCIS and CSI: NY, among many others.
On the big screen, the actress' voice can be heard as the White House press secretary in the 2015 Adam Sandler/Kevin James action sci-fi comedy Pixels. Additional film credits include Mission: Impossible III directed by J.J. Abrams, Undisputed opposite Ving Rhames and Wesley Snipes, the romantic comedy Something New and 13 Moons starring Steve Buscemi and Jennifer Beals.
Rollins is represented by Alex Cole at Elevate Entertainment, Stephen LaManna at Innovative Artists, and Neil Meyer at Meyer & Downs.
About Spectrum Originals
Spectrum Originals is a premier destination for premium original series available exclusively to Spectrum video subscribers on-demand and ad-free. An initiative of Charter Communications, the service launched in 2019 with the Sony and Bruckheimer-produced drama "L.A.'s Finest," starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba. Currently in production is Hitchcockian thriller, "Angela Black," created and produced by Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R)-winning producers Harry and Jack Williams and starring Golden Globe Winner(R) Joanne Froggatt. Upcoming projects include a limited series co-production with Paramount Network, "George & Tammy," starring Oscar(R) nominee Jessica Chastain as country music legend Tammy Wynette, and "A Spy Among Friends," a period thriller created by Alexander Cary and produced in partnership with Sony and Britbox UK (the streaming service created by ITV). Currently airing on the platform are the Mark Strong-led thriller "Temple" along with popular limited series "Mad About You," "Manhunt: Deadly Games" and "Paradise Lost." More information on Spectrum Originals can be found at http://press.spectrumoriginals.com/
About Charter
Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) is a leading broadband connectivity company and cable operator serving more than 31 million customers in 41 states through its Spectrum brand. Over an advanced communications network, the company offers a full range of state-of-the-art residential and business services including Spectrum Internet(R), TV, Mobile and Voice.
For small and medium-sized companies, Spectrum Business(R) delivers the same suite of broadband products and services coupled with special features and applications to enhance productivity, while for larger businesses and government entities, Spectrum Enterprise provides highly customized, fiber-based solutions. Spectrum Reach(R) delivers tailored advertising and production for the modern media landscape. The company also distributes award-winning news coverage, sports and high-quality original programming to its customers through Spectrum Networks and Spectrum Originals. More information about Charter can be found at corporate.charter.com.
About BET
BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in 125 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET+, the preeminent streaming service for the Black audience; BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET's growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.
About Paramount Television Studios
Paramount Television Studios is a leading studio, developing and financing a wide range of cutting-edge and entertaining television content across all media platforms for distribution worldwide. The studio's robust slate includes "Defending Jacob" (Apple TV+), "Home Before Dark" (Apple TV+), Tom Clancy's "Jack Ryan" (Amazon), "13 Reasons Why" (Netflix), "The Alienist" (TNT), "The Alienist: The Angel of Darkness" (TNT), "The Haunting of Hill House" (Netflix), "The Haunting of Bly Manor" (Netflix), "Shantaram" (Apple TV+), "Made For Love" (HBO Max), Station Eleven (HBO Max), "Catch-22" (Hulu), "First Wives Club" (BET+), "Looking for Alaska" (Hulu), "Boomerang" (BET), "Briarpatch" (USA), and "Paradise Lost" (Spectrum Originals) among others. Paramount Television Studios is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a subsidiary of ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC; VIACA), a global content company with premier television, film and digital entertainment brands.
About Made Up Stories
Made Up Stories is a development and production company that amplifies distinctive voices to tell unforgettable stories about the diversity of human experience, driven primarily by multifaceted females on and off-screen. Made Up Stories was founded in 2017, and is led by Bruna Papandrea, the award-winning producer of the critically-acclaimed HBO series BIG LITTLE LIES (eight Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards). Most recently, Made Up Stories produced the film adaptation of the inspiring international bestseller, PENGUIN BLOOM, directed by Glendyn Ivin and starring Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln and Jacki Weaver, that recently premiered on Netflix, and THE DRY, based on the Jane Harper novel, from director Robert Connolly and starring Eric Bana.
On the television side, Made Up Stories' HBO series THE UNDOING starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, directed by Susanne Bier and created by David E. Kelley, was nominated for four Golden Globes, including Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made For Television. Made Up Stories also executive produced the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series TELL ME YOUR SECRETS created by Harriet Warner and directed by John Polson, starring Lily Rabe, Amy Brenneman, Hamish Linklater, and Enrique Murciano. Additional projects in various stages of production include: NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, based on best-selling author Liane Moriarty's book, written by David E. Kelley and John Henry Butterworth, and starring Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy for Hulu; the Netflix thriller PIECES OF HER, adapted from Karin Slaughter's book, created by Charlotte Stoudt and directed by Minkie Spiro, starring Toni Colette and Bella Heathcote; and ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL, based on the international bestseller by Sarah Vaughan, created by David E. Kelley and Melissa James Gibson that S.J. Clarkson is directing, starring Sienna Miller and Michelle Dockery, for Netflix.
|