ACOTAR TV Show Update Will Have Book Fans Feeling Thorny

Booktok fans are going to be full of mist and fury over the latest ACOTAR update. 

The TV show adaptation of Sarah J. Maas' novel A Court of Thorns and Roses is seemingly back to square one, as it has said goodbye to its showrunner who would have led writing and production. Ronald D. Moore, who first signed onto the Hulu project in 2021, shared he left the series due to a career pivot.

"I can tell you I am no longer working on it because I left Disney and I've returned to Sony," the Outlander creator told Entertainment Weekly during a Comic-Con 2024 event on July 25. "And ACOTAR was a project that was at 20th Century Television and Disney." 

So, how is the adaptation coming along in his absence? Ronald admitted that when he walked away it was "still in development." As he explained, "I don't know what the status is anymore."

But while the fantasy romance series may still be in the beginning stages of getting made, fans shouldn't lose all hope. After all, the show hasn't been scrapped just yet. 

"That show has been in development," Hulu chief Craig Erwich assured reporters at the Television Critics Association back in February, per Variety, "but I don’t have any news to share today.”

Of course, ACOTAR readers have found ways to keep themselves busy while they wait for production to move forward. In fact, many have concocted ideas on who should be cast in the leading role of Feyre Archeron, the rebellious 19-year-old mortal who is brought to the faerie lands of Prythian.

Taking the crown as one fan-favorite potential star is Hannah Dodd, the Bridgerton actress who sparked casting speculation after revealing that she recently finished reading the 2015 book. 

"Help, I'm in love with a fictional character," Hannah wrote in a July 15 Instagram Story. "Hannah Feyre Katie Dodd is what I will respond to now."

"I think I just found the perfect Feyre!?!" one user wrote in a TikTok video the following day, while another commented under her clip, "OMG YES!!! She's so stunning!!!"

While we wait to find out who plays Feyre when ACOTAR finally hits TV screens, read on to catch up on all the shows that premiered this year...

Season 21 of Nick Cannon's competition series will pit an Old School Squad against a New School Squad.

Dance Moms: A New Era is a reboot of the ever so popular Dance Moms. This time, with a new coach, new dancers and new mama drama. 

The Hargreeves siblings have scattered after the climactic showdown at the Hotel Oblivion led to a complete reset of their timeline. Stripped of their powers, each is left to fend for themselves and find a new normal—with wildly varying degrees of success. Yet the trappings of their uncanny new world prove too hard to ignore for very long. Their father Reginald, alive and well, has stepped out of the shadows and into the public eye, overseeing a powerful and nefarious business empire. A mysterious association known as The Keepers holds clandestine meetings believing the reality they’re living in is a lie and a great reckoning is coming. As these strange new forces conspire around them, the Umbrella Academy must come together one last time—and risk upsetting the shaky peace they’ve all endured so much to secure—to finally set things right.

Mr. Throwback follows a down-on-his-luck memorabilia dealer who looks for redemption by reuniting with his sixth-grade teammate, NBA legend Stephen Curry.

In this new series, the fierce Braxton women reunite for the first time since the loss of their beloved sister, Traci, offering viewers a raw and unfiltered look at the family’s highs and lows across eight captivating episodes. Toni, Towanda, Trina, Tamar and Ms. E navigate careers, health challenges and busy personal lives while growing their family bond. Toni faces a critical health challenge as she prepares for her Vegas comeback. Trina starts therapy for PTSD. Towanda battles alopecia. Tamar focuses on her wellness journey. And Ms. E’s cooking show dream is becoming a reality. However, the family reuniting continues to bring up questions and unresolved issues. Will Traci’s last wish be enough for the family to be close again, as they once were?

In season three, as Pierpoint looks to the future and takes a big bet on ethical investing, Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Robert (Harry Lawtey), and Eric (Ken Leung) find themselves front and center in the splashy IPO of Lumi, a green tech energy company led by Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington), in a story that runs all the way to the very top of finance, media, and government. Since leaving Pierpoint, Harper (Myha’la) is eager to get back into the addictive thrill of finance and finds an unlikely partner in FutureDawn portfolio manager Petra Koenig (Sarah Goldberg).

Solar Opposites centers around a team of four aliens who are evenly split on whether Earth is awful or awesome. Korvo (Dan Stevens) and Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone) only see the pollution, crass consumerism, and human frailty while Terry (Thomas Middleditch) and Jesse (Mary Mack) love TV, junk food and fun stuff. On season five, now that alien mission partners Terry and Korvo are married, the whole Solar Opposites team are focused on family values.

The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras will feature a cast of 40 fan-favorite Challengers from different eras competing for their share of the one million dollar prize.

Based on Carl Hiaasen’s New York Times bestselling novel and enduring cult favorite, Bad Monkey tells the story of Andrew Yancy (Vince Vaughn), who has been bounced from the Miami Police Department and is now a health inspector in the Keys. But after stumbling upon a case that begins with a human arm fished up by tourists, he realizes that if he can prove murder, he’ll be back in. He just needs to get past a trove of Floridian oddballs and one bad monkey.

In Season 3, school’s out for the summer, and Will (Jabari Banks) is doing Bel-Air his way. Being a part of the Banks family has given him a new perspective - it isn’t just about wealth, it means that Will now has options to lean into other things that excite him and has the privilege to dream bigger. 

After the dramatic events of Camille and Gabriel’s misbegotten wedding, Emily is reeling: She has strong feelings for two men, but now Gabriel’s expecting a baby with his ex, and Alfie’s worst fears about her and Gabriel have been confirmed. At work, Sylvie is forced to confront a thorny dilemma from her past for the sake of her marriage, and the Agence Grateau team navigates personnel shakeups. Mindy and the band prepare for Eurovision, but when funds run dry, they’re forced to get thrifty. Emily and Gabriel’s chemistry is undeniable as they work together towards a Michelin star, but two big secrets threaten to undo everything they’ve dreamed of.

Oxygen delves into more complicated friendships and the romantic bonds that smoldered with heat and devolved into cold blooded tragedy when the third season of Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins premieres this August.

The documentary follows former nurse-turned-exotic animal broker Tonia Haddix, who refers to herself as the “Dolly Parton of chimps,” spends her days caring for animals in captivity. However, her limitless love for one chimpanzee in particular spins into a wild cat-and-mouse game with authorities and an animal rights group. Through Tonia’s and other “chimp mom” experiences, Chimp Crazy reveals the singular bonds that form between owners and their highly intelligent great ape pets. The series exposes the risks humans take when they try to raise these animals as members of their family, as well as the risks to the welfare of the animals themselves.

The Anonymous is a strategic competition played in two worlds, the real world and anonymous mode. The Digital Anonymous Networking Interface, or “DANI” for short, has invited 12 players to live in her domain and work side-by-side to raise a prize fund of up to $100,000. Despite their close quarters, all players will have their own private underground hideouts, where each is completely anonymous and can say anything and everything behind the mask of a unique handle. In their hideouts, players can provide raw, unfiltered takes on their fellow contestants. They will scheme, connive and deceive to build influence and advance their game. The question is: Can they stay anonymous while doing so, or will the other players guess their identity?  

Peacock's Face to Face with Scott Peterson, a three-part true crime docuseries, will take a new look at the notorious case of Scott Peterson and the murders of his wife Laci Peterson and unborn son Conner. The docu-series will also follow the latest developments after the Los Angeles Innocence Project announced they were taking Scott’s case in early 2024. 

In season four of Only Murders in the Building, Charles, Oliver and Mabel wrestle with the shocking events at the end of season three surrounding Charles’ stunt double & friend Sazz Pataki. Questioning whether Sazz or Charles was the intended victim, our trio’s investigation leads them all the way to Los Angeles where a Hollywood studio is readying a film about the Only Murders podcast. As our amateur sleuths race back to New York, they embark on an even more epic journey — traversing their building’s courtyard to delve into the twisted lives of the Arconia’s West Tower residents.

Season two of the Hulu drama series will return, starting with two new episodes, Sept. 4.

Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, based on the acclaimed iHeart true-crime podcast, follows the infamous story of how an armed robbery on the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life but ultimately transformed Atlanta into the “Black Mecca.” When a hustler named Chicken Man (Kevin Hart) hosts an afterparty to celebrate the fight with a guest list of the country’s wealthiest, the night ends with the most brazen criminal underworld heist in Atlanta’s history. Suspected of masterminding the crime, Chicken Man is hellbent on clearing his name but must convince his old adversary, J.D. Hudson (Don Cheadle), one of the first Black detectives in the city’s desegregated police force, who is tasked with bringing those responsible to justice.

The new comedy centers on brothers Mark and Hank Hoagies, who, after losing their jobs at the hot dog factory to robots, are given $3,000 a month in a new basic income program. Now, they’re using their free time and free money to find purpose in a world where they’re no longer needed.

The series tells the definitive story of the fashion industry in the 90s through the eyes of Vogue editors Hamish Bowles, Edward Enninful, Tonne Goodman and Anna Wintour. Packed with some of the most influential names across fashion, film and politics, In Vogue: The 90s is a thrilling journey across continents and through ten years that changed fashion forever. Hollywood. Grunge. The Met Gala. The globalization of American fashion. Hip hop. Each episode in this six-part series centres on a defining 90s moment.  

The historic season 47 kicks off Sept. 18.

In Agatha All Along, the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road…

Frasier's sophomore season will see Dr. Frasier Crane return to his radio roots at KACL in Seattle for an episode. The episode will feature previously announced guest stars stepping back into their roles from the original Frasier including Dan Butler as Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe, Edward Hibbert as Gil Chesterton and Harriet Sansom Harris as Frasier’s delightfully devilish agent, Bebe Glazer.

Rescue: HI-Surf follows the personal and professional lives of the heavy-water lifeguards who patrol and protect the North Shore of O’ahu—the most famous and dangerous stretch of coastline in the world. Each episode will feature these dedicated, heroic and adrenaline-seeking first-responders saving lives in the difficult and often life-threatening conditions of Hawaii’s Seven Mile Miracle.

The Voice, featuring first-time coaches Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé alongside returning coaches Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani, returns for season 26 on Sept. 23.

The drama returns for season five.

Drama Brilliant Minds, starring Zachary Quinto and inspired by the true story of a revolutionary, larger-than-life neurologist, Oliver Wolf, and his team of interns as they explore the last great frontier—the human mind—while also grappling with their own relationships and mental health

The new mystery series follows Karl Alberg, who moves to a quiet, coastal town to soothe a psyche that has been battered by big-city police work. He’ll quickly learn that this gentle paradise has more than its share of secrets and will need to call upon all the skills that made him a world-class detective in solving the murders that, even in this seemingly idyllic setting, continue to wash up on his shore. 

Season 12 of the singing competition series debuts Sept. 25.

Sept. 25 brings the return of #OneChicago Wednesdays.