Actors Billy Crudup and Gugu Mbatha-Raw have joined the cast of the forthcoming untitled Apple original series led by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. Mbatha-Raw will play Hannah Shoenfeld, a “whip-smart and charming” head booker of talent on the morning news show the series follows. Tony Award-winner Crudup will portray Cory Ellison, a forward-thinking president
Television
When Adina Porter first signed on to “American Horror Story: Apocalypse,” she was told her character, Dinah Stevens, was a “self-made billionaire like Oprah.” And while that certainly proved to be true — Dinah was a wildly successful talk show host before the events that led to the end of the world and her taking
Jamila Hunter, ABC’s senior vice president of comedy development, is leaving the network for an executive position at Kenya Barris’ production company, Variety has learned exclusively. Hunter will be president of television at Barris’ Khalabo Ink Society. The news comes two months after Barris exited his overall deal at ABC Studios for a reported $100 million deal
Hollywood’s largest networks and studios are facing some unexpected tension on the international front. But the simmering conflict could also lead to bigger opportunities for producers who are savvy in the ways of diplomacy and dealmaking. U.S. executives who attended the Mipcom content sales conference in Cannes last week got an earful from their counterparts in other territories
October 25, 2018 7:00AM PT For the first time, Nielsen will expand its reporting capabilities to identify same-gender spouses and partners and their households’ TV viewing habits, Variety has learned exclusively. Nielsen worked in partnership with the LGBTQ media advocacy organization GLAAD to determine the best approaches for reflecting LGBTQ inclusion and representation in its industry-leading panels,
MADRID — The third part of “La Casa de Papel” (“Money Heist”), Netflix’s most-watched non-English language show, is entering production and has added new cast. Netflix dropped a first video on Thursday celebrating the occasion. Produced directly by Netflix and Vancouver Media, the Madrid-based shingle of series creators Alex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato, the
Sky CEO Jeremy Darroch said Thursday that he intends to continue in his post after Comcast completes its takeover of the European pay-TV giant. “I intend to stick around, and I look forward to leading Sky into the future,” Darroch said during a Comcast earnings call. “We’re all energized by the next phase of growth
NBC chose to air a repeat broadcast of “Megyn Kelly Today” – an almost unheard-of maneuver in the realm of morning-news programming – as tensions between NBC News and anchor Megyn Kelly appeared to heighten, putting her future at the Comcast-owned network under a cloud. “Given the circumstances, ‘Megyn Kelly Today’ will be on tape
Dr. Phil McGraw has set a multiyear deal renewal of his deal with CBS to host the top-rated “Dr. Phil” daytime talk show through the 2022-23 season. The pact adds three years to McGraw’s existing deal with CBS Television Distribution. His previous contract had been set to expire at the end of the 2019-20 season.
CBS Studios International will team with some of Israel’s top TV drama talent on Israeli crime series “District Y.” “Fauda” and “False Flag” writer Leora Kamenetzky will pen the show. Pubcaster Kan will air the series in Israel, and Paper Plane and L. Benasuly Productions will produce. The latter made “Fauda” and “Hatufim,” the Israeli
Following on the success of supernatural drama “Dark,” Netflix is set to produce five new German originals, including an ambitious historical series that chronicles a bloody and decisive battle between Germanic tribes and the Roman Empire. Kelly Luegenbiehl, Netflix’s vice president of original series for Europe, announced the development and production of the five new
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Traitor,” the seventh episode of “American Horror Story: Apocalypse.” It was always going to be hard for “American Horror Story: Apocalypse” to top the returns of Jessica Lange, Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott last week — and this week struggled a bit to meet that
October 24, 2018 8:21PM PT It’s not every day one can say they once saved Julia Roberts’ life. But her “Homecoming” costar Shea Whigham can. “Did she tell you how I saved her life?” Whigham asked Variety Wednesday night at the Amazon series’ premiere in Los Angeles. The two were shooting a scene together on
“Modern Family” wasted no time during its Wednesday episode for the long-awaited reveal of which character would die in the Halloween-themed episode of the 10th season. Warning: Spoilers ahead Within minutes, Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) gets a call from her stepfather to tell her that her mom DeDe has passed away. However, a fun Halloween night is
The BBC pays its female employees “far less” than their male counterparts and is failing to advance equal opportunities for women, according to a new report by a British government committee that scrutinized the pubcaster’s accounts and equal pay efforts. The BBC has been criticized for its gender pay gap, with salary figures for its top on-air
In today’s TV news roundup, The Trevor Project is honoring Ryan Murphy and the cast of “Pose” at its upcoming gala ,and both Fox and NBC have announced holiday specials. DATES Logo’s upcoming documentary “Transmilitary” is set to premiere Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. The film, which won the the SXSW Audience Award this year,
Megyn Kelly and NBC News have engaged in conversations about taking a new role at the news division, according to a person who has spoken with the anchor, suggesting both sides have grown weary of the intense scrutiny being placed on her morning program, “Megyn Kelly Today” and casting significant doubt on its future. ”Where
October 24, 2018 3:00PM PT Amazon has handed out a pilot order for a comedy based on the UK series “People Just Do Nothing,” Variety has learned exclusively. The untitled, half-hour project is a mockumentary following a group of working class DJs and their friends in a town called North Las Vegas: a land of mini
Since joining NBC News in the Spring of 2017, Megyn Kelly has soldiered on at her morning program, “Megyn Kelly Today,” through various social-media controversies; a feud with actress Jane Fonda; scrutiny of her ratings, her guests, her dancing, her everything. Her hard work has been testament to her ability to take a punch and
October 24, 2018 1:12PM PT CNN employees have returned to their offices in New York City, hours after authorities found a potentially lethal explosive had been sent to the facility located in upper midtown Manhattan. “The NYPD has concluded its security sweep, and it is now safe to return to the building<‘ said CNN Worldwide President
Longtime viewers of the CW’s “Supernatural” have come to expect new seasons to start with the Winchester brothers in separate places and, more often than not, not entirely themselves. The 14th season followed the pattern, with the archangel Michael possessing Dean (Jensen Ackles), leaving him on the road alone, while Sam (Jared Padalecki) remained in
Unscripted exec Lisa Levenson has joined Wilshire Studios as executive VP, development and programming. Dawn Olmstead, president of Wilshire Studios and Universal Cable Productions, announced the hire Wednesday in a memo to staff. Levenson most recently worked at Fox, where she was senior VP, alternative programming. She previously worked on series such as “Big Brother,”
October 24, 2018 11:50AM PT The nation’s media outlets sometimes take swipes at one another, but they seem to be standing together after a series of threats of violence were made against Democratic figures and CNN. “We condemn all attempted acts of violence against media organizations and our thoughts are with CNN for the safety
October 24, 2018 10:30AM PT Disney Channel has greenlit a multi-camera sitcom that is part scripted and part improvisational, Variety has learned exclusively. The hybrid series is called “Just Roll With It.” Filmed before a studio audience, the series follows the blended Bennett-Blatt family. Blair, played by Kaylin Hayman, often a rebel without a cause, is
October 24, 2018 10:00AM PT Netflix has renewed the half-hour dramedy “Atypical” for a third season. The renewal comes less than two months after the launch of Season 2 in September. The third season will consist of 10 episodes just like Season 2, while the first season consisted of eight. The series is a coming
Jim Bell, one of TV’s best known news and sports producers, is joining NBC’s venerable “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” as executive in charge at a time when the late-night mainstay is fighting for viewers with CBS rival “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Bell, who is known for his time overseeing “Today” and NBC’s
October 24, 2018 9:00AM PT The second season of the Emmy-winning comedy “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” will launch on December 5, Amazon announced Wednesday. The second season picks up one year after Midge’s (Rachel Brosnahan) husband left her and she began performing standup comedy sets of her own. Despite its 1950s setting, Midge’s observations still
CBS has selected six writers to participate in its 2018-19 writer development program. The Writers Mentoring Program calls for promising scribes to go through an eight-month mentoring program that pairs each writer with a CBS Corp. executive to help them develop a piece of material. The writers also take part in a 16-week workshop designed
The team behind E!’s upcoming “LadyGang” talk series want to be the confidante you never had. Inspired by their podcast of the same name, hosts Keltie Knight, Becca Tobin, and Jac Vanek, will explore the “taboo” with frank discussions about womanhood, the female brain, vices, and more. They’ll get candid with celebrity guests like Ed
British police have had to issue a tongue-in-cheek statement confirming that they have ruled out actor David Schwimmer as a suspect in a theft case after posting a “wanted” picture of someone who bore a striking resemblance to the “Friends” star. Social media users took to Twitter and Facebook in droves after the original picture