TV Bulletin Board (Mon., March 9) -- demonic killers, big prize competitions spur NBC's summertime schedule

Charles Manson (Gethin Anthony) strums up business in Aquarius. NBC photo

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom on Twitter
NBC’s “tentpole” summertime premieres include three name-brand returnees and a new series in which David Duchovny chases down Charles Manson.

Aquarius, starting on Thursday, May 28th, stars Duchovny as LAPD Sgt. Sam Hodiak, who joins two other cops in pursuing Manson (Gethin Anthony) “down a rabbit hole of drugs, sex, murder and a cultural revolution.” It’s set in 1967.

Another twisted psycho, Hannibal Lecter, is due back on Thursday, June 4th for Season 3 of Hannibal. That’ll put the series in tandem with Aquarius for a full two-hours of maniacal killers and manipulators.

The Peacock’s biggest summertime hit, America’s Got Talent, launches its 10th season on Tuesday, May 26th. And American Ninja Warrior will be back the night before on Monday, May 25th.

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CBS has its major hot weather attractions lined up. Big Brother is first in line with a Wednesday, June 24th re-launch. It also will air on Thursdays and Sundays.

Season 3 of Under the Dome gets going on Thursday, June 25th and the second season of Extant is due on Wednesday, July 1st.

The network’s summertime newcomer is Zoo, adapted from the James Patterson novel. James Wolk (Mad Men, The Crazy Ones) heads the cast as a “renegade biologist” battling a wave of animal attacks against humans who presumably aren’t members of PETA. Kristen Connolly (House of Cards) co-stars.

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Kevin Spacey, currently skewering his many enemies as President Frank Underwood on Netflix’s House of Cards, has been signed to produce the six-part docu-series Race For the White House for airing in 2016 on CNN.

Each of the one-hour chapters will revisit a “no-holds-barred” presidential campaign. CNN hasn’t announced which ones yet.

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CBS on Monday, March 9th launched “Viewers to Volunteers,” which the network says “empowers people to give to a charity of their choice without spending their own money.” D-FW is the one of the first four “launch markets,” joining Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Minneapolis. For more information on how this all works, go here.

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