Next (2020 TV series)

Did You Know?

• The series premiered on Disney+ under the Star hub as an original series in selected international territories on March 12, 2021.
• Next was the second and final television series created by Manny Coto, who died of pancreatic cancer on July 9, 2023.
• The first official trailer was released by Fox on May 13, 2019.

Cast

John Slattery portrays Paul LeBlanc, the former CEO of tech giant Zava who speaks out against society's reliance on technology and artificial intelligence while secretly suffering from fatal familial insomnia, a degenerative brain disease that leaves him only months to live. Fernanda Andrade plays FBI special agent Shea Salazar, recruited by LeBlanc to investigate Next. Michael Mosley appears as CM, a convicted former hacker working with the FBI as part of his sentence. Gerardo Celasco plays Ty Salazar, Shea's husband and a mechanic. Eve Harlow portrays Gina, a member of Shea's FBI support team who dislikes CM. Aaron Moten plays Ben, one of Shea's investigators. Evan Whitten appears as Ethan Salazar, Shea and Ty's young son. Elizabeth Cappuccino plays Abby, Paul's estranged daughter. Jason Butler Harner portrays Ted LeBlanc, Paul's younger brother who co-founded Zava and became CEO after Paul was fired, restarting the Next program against his brother's wishes. Ali Ahn plays Sarina, the lead engineer at Zava involved with Next. John Cassini appears as Ron Mathis, Shea's FBI supervisor. Dann Fink voices NeXt. Chaon Cross plays Deborah, Ted's wife. David Zayas portrays Nacio, a caretaker at the cabin where Ty and Ethan retreat, appearing in three episodes.

Production

Fox announced a pilot order for the series on February 5, 2019, with the pilot written by Manny Coto and co-directed by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, all three serving as executive producers. Production companies involved included Zaftig Films, Fox Entertainment, and the Disney-owned 20th Century Fox Television. On May 9, 2019, Fox ordered the pilot to series, initially planning a mid-season premiere in the second quarter of 2020. The premiere was moved to the fall schedule of the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, airing on October 6, 2020. Fox cancelled the series on October 30, 2020, after two episodes had aired, but the remaining episodes continued in the normal time slot, with the final two episodes airing on December 22, 2020. Casting announcements included Eve Harlow in February 2019, followed by Fernanda Andrade and Aaron Moten in March 2019, and Michael Mosley, John Slattery, Jason Butler Harner, and Elizabeth Cappuccino alongside the pilot order announcement.