Author: Kate Stanhope

September 28, 2016 9:00am PT by Kate Stanhope

AP Images

History will launch the docuseries with a four-hour marathon on Veteran’s Day.

History and Peter Berg are teaming up once again.

The A+E Networks cabler has ordered a docuseries from the prolific producer and director that takes an inside look at the global war on terror, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The Warfighters aims to give viewers an inside look at the realities of war by chronicling recent U.S. Special Operations Forces missions in the global war on terror. Each hourlong episode will include interviews, cinematic sequences and real images and footage from actual operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to show the challenges and high-stakes environments Army Rangers, Green Berets, Marines and Navy SEALS face in fighting what now stands as the longest ongoing conflict in American history.

History will use the Veteran’s Day holiday to launch the series, with four back-to-back episodes set to premiere on Friday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. Berg and veteran Special Forces Green Beret Bert Kuntz, who is working with the director on the forthcoming History series The Selection: Special Operations Experiment, will host the marathon. Additional new episodes of The Warfighters will bow in 2017.

The Warfightershails from Berg’s unscripted banner Film 45. He will exec produce the series along with Film 45’s Matt Goldberg and Brandon Carroll, as well as History’s Matt Ginsburg, Russ McCarroll and Paul Cabana. Jenny Ewig is attached as a co-exec producer, with former Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza and former Army Ranger Mike Baumgarten set to produce.

A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights for The Warfighters.

“We can never do enough to pay tribute to our vets and military servicemen. I’m incredibly happy that History continues honoring these great men and women with The Warfighters,'” Berg said. “This series is special to me because we get to make it with veterans.”

The Warfighters is one of several military-themed series from Berg, whose film credits include the war drama Lone Survivor. Berg and Film 45 are also behind History’s The Selection: Special Operations Experiment, which puts 30 men and women through Special Operations training tactics and features veterans of the Navy SEALs, Green Berets and Army Rangers as instructors. Berg also exec produced History’s Live to Tell, which gave first-person accounts of recent U.S. Special Operations Forces missions.

Berg, whose film Deepwater Horizon will hit theaters Friday, is also an exec producer on the HBO comedy Ballers and Amazon’s forthcoming Novak Djokovic docuseries.

History is the latest cable network to experiment with unique rollout strategies in order to try to break through in the Peak TV era. Last year, TBS launched comedy series Angie Tribeca with a 25-hour marathon of the first season. The Turner network will, similarly, unveil first-year comedy Search Party with the entire first season set to air Monday-Friday from 11-12 p.m. beginning Nov. 21. 

History Channel

September 26, 2016 4:42pm PT by Kate Stanhope

Courtesy of Photofest

The video, released Monday, marks their first time appearing together in character since the 2006 series finale.

The cast of The West Wing isn’t the only one reuniting in the name of the 2016 presidential election.

The stars of Will & Grace — Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes — appeared together in character for the first time in a decade in a video released Monday hours ahead of the first presidential debate.

In the extended scene, lifelong BFFs Will and Grace task themselves with convincing Karen and Jack not to vote for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The duo chide Karen for supporting Trump despite the fact that one of Karen’s employees, her beloved maid (and friend) Rosario, is an immigrant, one of the groups Trump has been targeting in his campaign. 

Will and Grace then set their sights on making Jack throw his support behind Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton once they find out he’s registered in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

However, it’s not all political talk. The foursome also find time to touch on recent important pop culture topics like 50 Shades of Grey, Hamilton and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s split. 

The reunion itself is no surprise, given that all four actors had posted various photos and videos teasing their collaboration over the past several days. Messing in particular has been an outspoken supporter for Clinton over the past several months.

Check out the reunion below:

September 26, 2016 3:17pm PT by Kate Stanhope

Courtesy of ABC

Eight-year-old Jackson Millarker will appear in Wednesday’s episode.

Modern Family is breaking new ground in its eighth season.

The family comedy is set to feature an openly transgender child actor on Wednesday’s episode, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

In the episode, titled “A Stereotypical Day,” Cam (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) have Lily’s transgender friend Tom over for a playdate. Although the couple have always felt they were the most open, non-judgmental and supportive parents, they must take a closer look in the mirror when they overhear Lily insulting her new friend. They ultimately use the moment to teach Lily a lesson about acceptance.

Tom will be played by eight-year-old trans actor Jackson Millarker. 

Transgender actors have seen their profiles rise in recent years, particularly on the small screen. However, Millarker is one of the first openly transgender child actors to appear on television.

The news comes as Laverne Cox prepares to make history later this year playing the first full-time transgender character on broadcast television in CBS’ midseason entry Doubt. Nashville is also set to introduce a recurring transgender actress, Jen Richards of I Am Cait fame, when it returns for its fifth season in January. Earlier this year, MTV’s Faking It tapped trans actor Elliot Fletcher to recur as a trans character for what would be its third and final season.

On the unscripted side, transgender teen and activist Jazz Jennings headlines her own TLC docuseries, I Am Jazz.

Modern Family airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.

Modern Family