Tavis Smiley, the first African-American to have his own signature talk show on National Public Radio, is expanding his franchise to PBS.
“The Tavis Smiley Show,” to air in late night, will launch Jan. 5, the public network announced Monday. Produced by Hollywood’s KCET, “Smiley” is the first West Coast-based talk show on PBS.
No time slot yet, but the 30-minute “Smiley” will be partnered weeknights with New York-based Charlie Rose, whose hour-long talker is seen in most of the country at 11 p.m.
“Smiley” will feature a mix of news and pop culture, with preproduced packages and on-set interviews. Before NPR, Smiley hosted “BET Tonight With Tavis Smiley” on Black Entertainment Television.
Smiley’s NPR program averages more than 1 million listeners per week.
Thompson moves to ’24’
Andrea Thompson, who left ABC’s “NYPD Blue” to become a journalist, is returning to the roar of the greasepaint.
Thompson will join Fox’s “24” in the recurring role of Nicole Duncan, an antiterrorism specialist brought in by the Counter Terrorism Unit “to play a critical role” in dealing with the threat of an attack.
Thompson will appear in “multiple” episodes, beginning Nov. 11, Fox says. The series’ third season premieres with a commercial-free episode Oct. 28.
Thompson played Detective Jill Kirkendall on “Blue” from 1996 to 2000 before embarking on a news career. She was an anchor on CNN Headline News in 2001-02. Most recently, she served as a host on Court TV.
Jewel to debut on NBC
Pop star Jewel (“Spirit”) will make her series debut in the fall on “The Lyon’s Den,” NBC’s new drama starring Rob Lowe as a crusading lawyer in a corrupt firm.
Jewel will guest-star in three episodes as a lawyer from the Department of Justice who matches up in an important case against Lowe’s Jack Turner – her former fiance.
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