Muhammad Ali Series ‘The Greatest’ Sets November Release Date, First Look (TV News Roundup)

The Muhammad Ali series “The Greatest” will premiere Wednesday, November 4 on Prime Video, with widow Lonnie Ali executive producing the first authorized scripted series about Ali’s life.

Helming from showrunner Ben Watkins (“Cross”) and Michael B. Jordan’s banner Outlier Society, the new series follows Cassius Clay/Ali’s (Jaalen Best) journey from boxing champion to humanitarian. Alongside the release date announcement, a new teaser shows intense footage of Ali training with the goal of becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing.

Best, who previously appeared in “All American: Homecoming” and “Magnum P.I.,” is joined in the cast by Michael Ealy (“Barbershop”), Dana Gourrier (“Kidnap”), Amin Joseph (“Snowfall”) and Kai Parham (“Colin in Black & White”). In addition to Watkins’ Blue Monday Productions banner and Jordan’s Outlier Society banner, “The Greatest” is produced by Authentic Studios, Roc Nation, Polygram Entertainment and Grace: A Storytelling Company.

Watkins executive produces. For Outlier Society, Elizabeth Raposo and Stefano Agosto executive produce; for Authentic, Corey Salter, Marc Rosen and Matthew Gross executive produce; for Roc Nation, Aiyana White, Jeff Augustin and Owen Shiflett executive produce; for Polygram Entertainment, Michele Anthony, Boyd Muir and David Blackman executive produce; and for Grace: A Storytelling Company, Josh Wakely executive produces.

Check out the first look teaser below.

SPECIALS

Jerry O’Connell is joining “Big Brother: Unlocked” as a celebrity panelist alongside Season 16 winner Derrick Levasseur and Season 24 winner Taylor Hale.

The news comes as “Big Brother” gears up for its 28th season, which will premiere Thursday, July 9. “Unlocked” returns for its second season with bonus episodes that break down gameplay throughout the season. “The premiere episode launches a new interactive fan vote that will have a major impact on the game and kicks off the season’s live studio audience experience, a new addition that will continue throughout the summer,” an official statement teases.

“‘Big Brother’ is my summer and rolls into my fall too. I’m already watching on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, so the fact that CBS is now paying me to do it is kind of amazing,” O’Connell said in a statement. “This is what we call in showbiz a dream gig. I’ll do my best to be the voice of the fans, but as Julie says, expect the unexpected.”

O’Connell is known for his roles in “Stand by Me,” “Sliders,” “Scream 2” and “Kangaroo Jack.” “Big Brother: Unlocked” premieres Friday, July 10 on CBS and Paramount+.

EXECUTIVES

Comic Relief has appointed three new members to its Board of Directors, as well as a new vice chairman.

Versant president of entertainment Val Boreland, Google managing director of global apps partnerships Tom Gorke and Bain Capital partner David Spiller will join the public charity, which aims to fight childhood poverty with comedy.

International at A+E Global Media group managing director Patrick Vien has also been appointed to the vice chairman of the Board of Directors, which he has served on since late 2025. The Comic Relief board is also led by Randy Newcomb, the senior advisor at The Omidyar Group.

The board is responsible for overseeing Comic Relief’s strategic and financial health while also approving the distribution of grants.

PROGRAMMING

Paramount+ has officially greenlit a docuseries on the Texas Tech University Red Raiders football team.

The logline states, “Set in the intense world of college football, the docuseries follows the Texas Tech Red Raiders as Head Coach Joey McGuire builds a new team identity during a demanding offseason.”

The four-episode series, which is currently untitled, has been in production since January 2026 and is expected to release before this year’s college football season.

“This has proven to be a landscape-altering offseason and we’ve been lucky to have a front row seat,” said Greg Groggel, SVP Unscripted, Skydance Sports, in a statement. “This series will present fans and viewers with an unprecedented window into everything that is defining college football today.”

Micah Brown is director and showrunner, and the docuseries is produced by Skydance Sports and Second Wind Creative.

“This documentary will give the Red Raider Nation an inside look at everything that makes Texas Tech Athletics special, the people, the passion and the relentless pursuit of excellence that defines this program every day,” said Kirby Horcutt, Director of Athletics at Texas Tech University. “We are incredibly proud that Paramount+ selected Texas Tech for a groundbreaking documentary with rare access.”

“This Is UFC: McGregor vs. Holloway” will air on CBS on Friday, July 10 at 6 p.m. PT, setting the stage for the main fight on Saturday.

The one-hour special, which will be available to stream on Paramount+ the following day, will feature a live weigh-in with both Conor McGregor and Max Holloway, as well as co-main event competitors Paddy Pimblett and Benoit Saint-Denis. McGregor and Holloway will also be giving interviews, and Dana White will make an appearance.  

“UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2” streams exclusively on Paramount+ on Saturday, July 11, with the main card starting at 6 p.m. PT. Preliminary matches start at 4 p.m. PT, and early prelims begin at 2 p.m. PT.

Former two-division UFC champion McGregor and former featherweight titleholder Holloway will face each other again for the first time in 13 years, where McGregor won the match.