Television

“Saturday Night Live” opened this week’s Season 49 premiere without a skit, but instead with host Pete Davidson discussing “the horrible images and stories from Israel and Gaza.” Said Davidson: “And I know what you’re thinking, Who better to comment on it than Pete Davidson? Well, in a lot of ways, I am a good

Shirley Jo Finney, a theater director and actor known for the 1975 TV biopic “Wilma,” died on Oct. 10 following an eight-month battle with cancer. She was 74. The Fountain Theatre announced the news of Finney’s death in a statement on Friday. “It shatters my heart beyond expression to announce the passing of my artistic

Stephanie Beatriz, Keith David and Kimiko Glenn are set to star in the new adult animated series “Hazbin Hotel.” The first season will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in January 2024. Prime Video unveiled the full voice cast at New York Comic Con on Saturday, along with a teaser of an original song called “Happy

Over two years since the first season aired, Amazon Prime Video‘s “Invincible” is back for Season 2. The animated superhero series will pick up right where the last season ended, introducing new characters and stories from the comic it is based on. The first four episodes of Season 2 will debut on Prime Video on

Julia Louis-Dreyfus appears to be just as clueless about a potential “Seinfeld” reunion. During a stand-up set earlier this month, Jerry Seinfeld told a Boston audience that he “has a little secret” about the finale of the beloved sitcom. “Something is going to happen that has to do with that ending. It hasn’t happened yet,”

It’s the early 1950s — and society thinks women like Brie Larson’s character Elizabeth Zott belong at home and not in a science laboratory. Apple TV+’s “Lessons in Chemistry” follows Elizabeth, who dreams of being a chemist, but the world has other plans. Rather than listen to any of her ideas, the men at the

Fox will utilize its NFL doubleheader on Sunday, January 7, to help launch the network’s latest animated comedy, “Grimsburg.” The show, starring Jon Hamm (who also executive produces), will air immediately following the second game in all time zones. The scheduling strategy was set to be announced on Saturday at the New York Comic-Con, where

Kids spend more than 60 minutes consuming content a day on any device, and that figure is higher in the U.S., according to Ivan Colecchia, senior VP business development, at analytics firm The Insights Family. Colecchia outlined several key trends for kids entertainment for the year ahead in a presentation at MipJunior kids content and

Delivering MipJunior’s keynote on Saturday, a composed Ramsey Naito, president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation talked up some of the recurrent themes at this weekend’s kids content confab, not to mention the network’s strategies for its slew of successful franchises.  In her current position, the Nickelodeon veteran has overseen huge expansion. Five years ago,

Federation Kids & Family is unveiling a new animated series at MipJunior as part of a strong lineup of toon series and live-action series.   “The New Adventures of the Triplets,” by Nicole Lambert, is an animated show aimed at 3-to-6-year-old kids that chronicles the comic escapades of three loveable children — each of whom

Coming off another year marked by uncertainty and conflict, ordinary, unlikely heroes take center stage in a slew of new shows. While crime especially the Nordic-inspired kind is not going anywhere, and there are quite a few spectacles waiting around the corner, including Mipcom world premiere “Concordia,” intimate stories about families and friends butting heads

First, the bad news. A session helping to launch an extended MipJunior on Friday afternoon, underscored just how hard the kids TV business is suffering.  Prefacing a panel discussion on the State of the Kids Entertainment Industry, Challenges & Opportunities, Ampere Analysis’ Cyrine Amor suggested global kids TV commissions were down 48% through August 2023. That’s a

In a pivotal move underscoring the international appeal of Brazilian narratives, Rafael Primot’s “Black Rain” is set for an exclusive global launch through The Creators Bridge.  The series, which delves into contemporary themes such as unconventional families, fraternal love and diversity, does so with a mature and nuanced lens.  In the storyline, brothers Zeca (Marcos

SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses some general plot developments in Season 2, Episode 2 of “Loki,” currently streaming on Disney+. For 30 years, Dan Deleeuw has worked in visual effects, from “The Mask” to “Armageddon” to “Night at the Museum” — but he always had a dream that one day, he might get to direct.

Get ready to unleash your inner chef with AppleTV+’s “Lessons in Chemistry” and learn how to make the perfect lasagna. Adapted from the Bonnie Garmus novel, Brie Larson plays Elizabeth Zott, a scientist turned cooking show host. And for the 1950s, she is a woman well ahead of her time who stands up to the

Party’s over. Apple TV+ has pulled the plug on its murder mystery comedy series “The Afterparty” after two seasons, Variety has confirmed. The anthology series starred Tiffany Haddish as an ex-cop private eye looking to solve murder cases. Sam Richardson and Zoë Chao also starred as a couple who return to accompany Haddish’s character after

For once, Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard aren’t the most dysfunctional pirate couple on the deck of Max’s comedy series “Our Flag Means Death.” In Season 2’s fourth episode, titled “Fun and Games,” that distinction belongs to legendary pirates Anne Bonny (Minnie Driver) and Mary Read (Rachel House). As the series has done with the shared

“Kensday” may soon be everyday. “Community” star and “The Masked Singer” panelist Ken Jeong is eyeing a daytime talk strip for 2024, to be developed and produced by Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury shingle. Jeong will executive produce with Jim Biederman (“The Kids in the Hall,” “The Howard Stern Radio Show.” “Ken is one of a handful of

Mark Goddard, known for playing Major Don West on the CBS series “Lost in Space,” died in Hingham, Mass. on Oct. 10 of pulmonary fibrosis. He was 87. In statement posted to Facebook, Goddard’s wife, Evelyn Pezzulich, confirmed that the actor was hospitalized with pneumonia and then transferred to a rehabilitation center, where the doctors

Netflix is developing a limited series based on the life of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Variety has learned exclusively from sources. The series will be based on the critically acclaimed book “JFK: Coming Of Age In The American Century, 1917-1956” by Fredrik Logevall. The book, originally published in 2020, is the first part of

The Whole Spiel — the new company co-founded by former NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy — and Red Bull’s Terra Mater Studios have teamed up to develop a slate of drama series. The projects include a reimagined “Tarzan” series, wildlife crime investigation “Rogue,” geopolitical drama “A New King” and true history drama “The Executioner.” In

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for Episode 5 of “Gen V,” titled “Welcome to the Monster Club,” now streaming on Prime Video. Even superheroes can party a little too hard. The heroes of “Gen V” wake up wondering what the hell happened last night in this latest episode, but what seems like some alcohol-induced

For those of us who grew up in the ’90s, R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” books were childhood staples. The novelist knew how to center horror and thrills in books aimed toward tweens. He brilliantly swirled in elements of comedy so the plot points weren’t overwhelmingly dark. A literary phenomenon, Stine’s books spawned a popular TV show

The American buffalo, or bison, is a massive animal. It can weigh more than a ton and span over 10 feet wide, excluding its tail. As fascinating as the mammal is, a four-hour series centering on its origins, decline and revitalization wouldn’t exactly be riveting for a general audience. However, as he’s done with countless

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher made an appearance on the “Today” show Friday morning to share her perspective on why the union’s talks with the AMPTP broke down. “It really came as a shock to me because what does that exactly mean and why would you walk away from the table? It’s not like we’re asking

Up until Thursday night, New York Film Festival had never once featured a TV show on its annual premiere lineup, so when Benny Safdie approached NYFF artistic director Dennis Lim with a new series he created alongside Nathan Fielder, the likelihood that it would get a big-screen premiere was low. But Lim gave it a

From “Halloween” to “The Prince of Darkness,” after nearly five decades in the industry, legendary director John Carpenter has earned his title as a master of the horror genre. With his terrifying jump cuts and ominous musical scores, Carpenter has always had the ability to thread a sense of terror and foreboding throughout his films,

Speaking at a panel held at the MIA Market in Rome, Netflix execs laid out a European strategy based on cultural and regional specificity alongside wider international format exchange. “We want to create stories that are really rooted in our country’s culture and tradition,” said Italian content VP Eleonora Andreatta. “[And in order] to be

Finland’s industry is ready to appeal to the government as the future of a film and TV production incentive is under threat, with a 25% cash rebate levied on spend on foreign and Finnish shoots in the country conspicuously absent from a provisional budget for 2024, announced Monday.  “People have been hopeful, so they didn’t

CANNES — Bowing at MipJunior both Season 3 of CG animated megahit “The Adventures of Paddington,” targeting free-to-air sales, as well as brand new toon titles such as “How To Squoosh” and “Scarlet Rose,” European powerhouse Studiocanal, owned by Vivendi’s Canal+ Group, is powering into the kids IP and premium series business, marking its most