CBS All Access, CBS’ digital subscription video on-demand and live-streaming service, announced Tuesday morning that production will resume on its new animated variety news series, Tooning Out the News, with the staff and crew working remotely. The series will launch on Tuesday, April 7 in the U.S. and Canada, exclusively on CBS All Access.
Tooning Out the News will feature a cast of animated characters, led by anchor James Smartwood, parodying top news stories and interviewing real-world guests, newsmakers and analysts. New five- to seven-minute segments will be available Tuesday through Friday, culminating in a weekly full episode. The series is executive produced by Stephen Colbert and Chris Licht of CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and RJ Fried and Tim Luecke from Showtime’s Our Cartoon President.
Confirmed guests for Tooning Out the News include Dan Abrams, Alan Dershowitz, Donny Deutsch, Thomas Friedman, Nicholas Kristof, Rep. Barbara Lee, Olivia Nuzzi, Rep. Donna Shalala and Rep. Eric Swalwell.
Regular segments will include:
- “Big News” – America’s Most Trusted Source of Conventional Wisdom. James Smartwood hosts this satire of ego-centric cable news anchors who only offer the most conventional takes.
- “Inside the Hill” – Where America Turns to Hear Rich People Agree with Each Other. Co-hosts Richard Ballard and Sarah Sabo discuss the latest political headlines with Washington’s elite.
- “Hot Take” – The Biggest, Baddest, Bad Faith Arguments on Television. A politically diverse and wildly ill-informed panel weighs in on the news of the day.
- “Virtue Signal” – There’s No Cause This White Lady Can’t Make About Herself. Kylie Weaver hosts this satire of liberal cable news anchors who pat themselves on the back for taking up every social and political cause.
- “Smart Talk Tonight” – Important discussions, discussed importantly. Come on in, the water’s smart. Kenneth Parsons and Chloe Kline conduct in-depth, in studio, one-on-one interviews with real-life newsmakers.
