Schwarzenegger ‘Apprentice’ and More Get 2017 NBC Premieres
It’s taken forever and a day to finally see both Arnold Schwarzenegger taking the Celebrity Apprentice desk, and Emerald City come to life, but NBC has finally made a firm commitment. Both high-profile new series have set January bows, just barely into 2017.
Per TVLine, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ascension to new Celebrity Apprentice boss will arrive on January 2, airing Mondays from 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. Just a few days later, the long-gestating Tarsem Singh Emerald City will arrive in technicolor on January 6, following the final Grimm premiere.
The competing Apprentice cast will include SNL alum Jon Lovitz, Laila Ali, Brooke Burke-Charvet, Boy George, American Ninja Warrior host Matt Iseman, VH1 alum Carrie Keagan, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy vet Carson Kressley, ex-WNBA player Lisa Leslie, Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Real Housewives stars Kyle Richards and Porsha Williams, mixed martial artist Chael Sonnen, former NFL running backs Ricky Williams and Eric Dickerson, as well as Wilson Phillips singer Carnie Wilson.
As for Emerald City, the series features Adria Arjona as Dorothy Gale (complete with K9 police dog Toto), Dracula star Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Scarecrow-type Lucas, Florence Kasumba as the Wicked Witch of the East, Joely Richardson as Glinda, Vincent D’Onofrio as the Wizard of Oz, Ana Ularu as “West” and Gerran Howell as Jack.
For those unfamiliar, NBC initially announced its Emerald City take on L. Frank Baum’s work to coincide with the classic film’s 75th anniversary, before surprisingly pulling the plug only weeks later. Following the initial “creative differences” with showrunner Josh Friedkin, Emerald City returned with a 10-episode order under The Event producer David Schulner.
We’ll likely get a taste of either before January, but in the meantime, check out Arnold’s first Celebrity Apprentice promo below.