Prime Video Axes Wonder Project Drama as Jennifer Beals Joins NCIS: New York

Prime Video just pulled the plug on It's Not Like That, and the timing couldn't be more embarrassing for the Wonder Project brand. Scott Foley's grief-drama about a pastor catching feelings for his dead wife's best friend got the axe after — checks notes — barely surviving its own marketing push. A "pastor forms unexpected connection after loss" premise is already a tough sell in 2026, and apparently the numbers agreed.

What the cancellation actually means

No soft launch wind-down, no "the series will not return for additional episodes" corporate-speak translation — just gone. The Wonder Project label was supposed to be Amazon's faith-adjacent prestige play. Instead it's now a graveyard of one-and-done bets. Watch the rebrand in three to six months; a pivot is coming.

Meanwhile, the streamer is flooding the zone with August 5 binge-drop filler. Sterling Point, fronted by Ella Rubin as a teen who inherits something mysterious and stumbles into "possible new friendships, family and romance" — which is streaming-speak for "we have no logline beyond vibes and a poster with golden-hour lighting." Trailer dropped this week. Expect a critics-not-reviewing-it strategy through Labor Day.

The actual casting receipts that matter

Jennifer Beals locked in as the female lead of NCIS: New York, playing Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robyn Wells. She bosses LL Cool J's Sam Hanna (reprising the role from NCIS: LA) and Scott Caan's franchise-fresh Nick Schaeffer. Translation: CBS wanted a name that reads "prestige" in the press release without paying prestige rates. Beals sells it. The wrinkles? She'll be carrying a spin-off built on nostalgia for two different shows at once. Timelines, people — does this open in fall, and if so, what's the actual premiere runway?

Hallmark finally put ink on the rumor mill: Lyndsy Fonseca and Robert Buckley are officially the leads of Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story, Hallmark's 2026 Countdown to Christmas movie. A Bears Love Story. Let that title breathe for a second. A bears love story. Countdown to Christmas viewers, you are the target demo, and Hallmark is not even pretending anymore — it's polar-bear-pajama-and-mulled-cider territory.

BritBox counter-programmed with a six-episode adaptation of Deborah Cadbury's Chocolate Wars, retitled The Cadburys, already in production with Harry Gilby, Toby Regbo, Jessica Barden, Pearce Quigley, Ben Hardy, and Poppy Gilbert attached. Period drama about family loyalty and "a little bit of romance" — BritBox knows its audience better than most.

And The Chelsea Detective season 4 quietly lands on Acorn TV August 3 for anyone who wants a detective who actually solves things in real time.

What to watch next

Two PR moves to expect: a quiet Wonder Project "evolution" announcement by Q4, and Hallmark flooding Instagram with Fonseca/ Buckley on-set stills pretending Holiday Touchdown wasn't on the rumor treadmill for months. Jennifer Beals doing the press junket round next month is the canary — if CBS schedules her on NCIS: LA for a cross-over cameo first, the marketing team thinks they have a launch hit. If they don't, they're hedging.

Either way, somebody at Prime Video has a very uncomfortable Monday coming.