TV Quick Hits: ‘Stranger Things 2’ promotions; ‘Planet Earth II’ trailer; new Chuck Lorre drama

Given the “Stranger Things” was one of the biggest breakout series of the past year, it only makes sense to begin this edition of TV Quick Hits with the latest news for what is coming up for the upcoming second season.

Sources confirm that  Joe Kerry (who played Steve Harrington) and Noah Schnapp (Will Byers) are being promoted from recurring players to regulars for season 2, which gives you a slight sense as to where things are going. Meanwhile, the Duffer Brothers series have also cast actors Sadie Sink and Dacre Montgomery to play the characters of Max and Billy. Billy is Max’s older stepbrother, so these two characters are going to be tied to each other in some sort of significant way moving forward into the season.

Want some other news from the day? Read on…

“Planet Earth II” trailer – While there may be many more details to come about air dates for the BBC Earth co-production, one thing feels assured after watching the new trailer below: This may be one of the most visually stunning nature documentaries ever created. It’s hard to believe that ten years have passed since

Chuck Lorre venturing into drama – The veteran producer is known for shows like “Two and a Half Men” and “The Big Bang Theory,” which often emphasize silliness over serious character moments. That will be changing for his next project.

It’s been revealed that Lorre is working with Amazon to develop an eight-episode drama based on the Tom Wolfe novel “The Bonfire of the Vanities,” which is a character study of race, religion, and politics in 1980’s New York City. Given that there is no need for Lorre to do something like this given that he already has plenty of money and attention, we imagine that this is a passion project of his, and something he is eager to explore. We’ll have to follow along its development to see where it goes. (Photo: Netflix.)