TVLine Items: Sofia the First Sequel Series, Percy Jackson Adds Veep Vet and More
Sofia the First is headed to magic school.
Disney Jr. has given a series order to Sofia the First: Royal Magic, a sequel to the popular animated children’s show from original creator Craig Gerber, and with Ariel Winter (Modern Family) returning as the voice of the titular character.
Premiering in 2026 on Disney Jr. and Disney+, the new preschool series follows “Sofia as she attends The Charmswell School for Royal Magic, where princes and princesses from across the EverRealm will continue their royal studies and also learn all types of magic,” reads the official synopsis. “During her time at Charmswell, Sofia discovers she is the most magical princess in the realm and must learn how to master her powers while making new royal friends.”
Each episode will feature two 11-minute stories, each of which will include a new original song.
The original Sofia the First aired from 2012 (when it launched as a TV movie) to 2018.
Ready for some more recent newsy nuggets? Well…
* Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 has added Timothy Simons (Veep) in the recurring role of Tantalus, our sister site Variety reports.
* Katy Perry will receive the Video Vanguard Award and perform a medley of her biggest hits at the 2024 VMAs, airing Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 8/7c on MTV.
* Following The Penguin’s premiere on Thursday, Sept. 19, subsequent episodes of HBO’s The Batman spinoff will air on Sundays. An encore presentation of Episode 1 will be shown on Sept. 22; Episode 2 will then follow on Sept. 29.
* La Máquina, Hulu’s first-ever Spanish-language original series, will premiere Wednesday, Oct. 9. The series stars Gael García Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle) as a boxer who has suffered a devastating loss, and Diego Luna (Andor) as his manager and best friend who’s determined to get him back on top… until a nefarious organization rears its head.
* Donkey Hodie has been renewed for Season 3 at PBS Kids and will cross over with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood in a special episode in which puppet versions of Daniel Tiger and Dad Tiger “climb aboard Trolley from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe to visit Donkey Hodie and her pals in Someplace Else,” per The Hollywood Reporter.
* Comedy Central has acquired non-exclusive cable rights to Family Guy. The long-running animated series is set to launch with an all-day marathon on Monday, Sept. 2 (aka Labor Day), and will join the network’s primetime lineup starting Tuesday, Sept. 3.
* The CW will air The Wranglers — an eight-part docuseries following the “personal and professional lives of young staff members working at the Circle Bar Dude Ranch in Montana” — beginning Thursday, Oct. 24 at 9/8c.
Which of today’s TVLine Items pique your interest?