This photo provided by NBC shows, Danny Pudi, from left, as Teddy, Vanessa Hudgens as Emily, and Christina Kirk as Jackie in the NBC television pilot for "Powerless." (Chris Large/NBC via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
A comedy series starring Vanessa Hudgens and set in the DC Comics world is coming to NBC.
The network said Wednesday it's ordered "Powerless" for the 2016-17 season.
Hudgens plays Emily, an insurance adjuster who specializes in damage caused by superheroes. She becomes a hero herself after standing up to the big shots after an especially messy fight.
NBC also is ordering "Trial & Error," described as by the network as a fish-out-of-water comedy. Nicholas D'Agosto plays a New York lawyer who takes on his first big case in a small Southern town.
The cast includes Jayma Mays and Sherri Shepherd, with John Lithgow as the defendant.
NBC and other broadcast networks are set to unveil their full new-season schedules for advertisers in New York City next week.
Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.
The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.
The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.
DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.
"While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.
The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.
The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.
DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More
