TVLine Items: Burton Joins Nancy Drew Spinoff, FXX’s Little Demon and More

The planted Nancy Drew spinoff Tom Swift is getting its own J.A.R.V.I.S.: LeVar Burton (Reading Rainbow, Star Trek: The Next Generation) will provide the voice of Barclay, Tom Swift’s steadfast A.I. companion and tough-love mentor, in the backdoor pilot, our sister site Deadline reports.

Tian Richards (Being Mary Jane) stars in the potential offshoot as a billionaire inventor who is thrust into a world of sci-fi conspiracy and unexplained phenomena after the shocking disappearance of his father. In this Wednesday’s episode of Nancy Drew (The CW, 9/8c), Tom crashes into one of Nancy’s investigations, an event which Nancy interprets as supernatural and Tom believes to be cosmically paranormal.

Barclay is described as “Tom’s Hype Man, Tom’s confidante and Tom’s friend — with a surprising depth of emotion and a journey of his own to take.”

Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…

* FXX given a series order to the animated comedy Little Demon, which follows a reluctant mother (voiced by Aubrey Plaza) and her Antichrist daughter (Lucy DeVito) as they attempt to live an ordinary life in Delaware 13 years after Mom was impregnated by the Devil (Danny DeVito).

* Jamie Bell (TURN: Washington’s Spies) will star opposite Elisabeth Moss in the Apple TV+ drama Shining Girls, about “a reporter (Moss) who survives a brutal assault only to find her reality shifting as she hunts down her attacker,” per The Hollywood Reporter. Bell will play a mysterious loner with a surprising connection to Moss’ character.

* The fourth season of MTV’s Jersey Shore Family Vacation resumes Thursday, June 3 at 8/7c. The new episodes will feature the return of Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, who formally exited at the end of Season 3.

* Usher will host and perform during the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards, airing Thursday, May 27 at 8 pm on Fox.

Which of today’s TVLine Items pique your interest?