Television

With France on its highest level of security alert amid geopolitical turmoil in Ukraine and the Middle East, organizers behind the Paris Olympics are still going ahead with ambitious plans to host the opening ceremony along the Seine river on July 26. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, said on Monday in an interview with

For 27 of the last 32 years, Ziffren Brittenham senior partner Clifford Gilbert-Lurie has served as one of the chairs of the Champions for Children’s gala dinner benefiting the Alliance for Children’s Rights, an experience he says is akin to throwing a wedding. “There’s so much that goes into it, and then you’re very concerned

Sports icons Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe are getting in the game as TV producers. Bird and Rapinoe’s production banner, A Touch More, has teamed up with independent TV studio Future Shack Entertainment to develop “Cleat Cute,” the bestselling novel from author Meryl Wilsner. “Cleat Cute” is a contemporary queer romance that follows a young soccer

What do Peyton Manning, Snoop Dogg, Kelly Clarkson, Mike Tirico and Jimmy Fallon have in common? This is not a joke — at least not to the leaders of NBC­ Universal and a small army of NBC Sports producers hunkered down at offices in Stamford, Conn., and Paris, France. The answer is the Paris Olympics,

A “Golden Axe” animated series has been greenlit at Comedy Central, Variety has learned. Based on the beloved Sega games of the same name, the show hails from co-creators Mike McMahan and Joe Chandler. Matthew Rhys (“The Americans,” “Perry Mason”), Danny Pudi (“Community,” “Mythic Quest”), Lisa Gilroy (“Jury Duty,” “Interior Chinatown”), Liam McIntyre (“Spartacus,” “The

Viaplay‘s streaming service — specializing in award-winning Scandinavian series and films — is now available as an add-on subscription on Amazon‘s Prime Video Channels in the United States. Starting Wednesday, Prime members in the U.S. will be able to sign up for Viaplay for $5.99 per month (with a seven-day free trial available for eligible

QVC is bowing to the prevailing demographic trends with the launch of a massive business and programming initiative targeted women over the age of 50. The home shopping stalwart steered is introducing “The Age of Possibility” marketing and programming campaign highlighting female celebrities and leaders age 50 and over who are demonstrating the third act

ZEE END IS NIGH Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., the disappointed bride in the failed engagement between Zee and Sony India, has formally ended its quest for a merger. On Tuesday, it withdrew its application before the industry regulator National Company Law Tribunal and said that it will focus instead on internal growth. Pulling the NCLT

Zendaya claims she, too, is unaware of when “Euphoria” Season 3 will begin production. Although the “Euphoria” star is an executive producer of the hit HBO series, she said she’s “not in charge” of whether or not the third season will really happen. But of course Zendaya wants to play Rue again. “If it’s right

Netflix‘s “Baby Reindeer” is a new miniseries with a twist. “Baby Reindeer,” released April 11, is based on Scottish comedian, actor and writer Richard Gadd‘s own experience with a stalker and sexual predator in his 20s. Gadd stars as Donny Dunn, who is stalked by a woman named Martha he met in a bar he

The upcoming Apple TV+ series “Government Cheese” has filled out its main cast with four new additions, Variety has learned exclusively. Jahi Winston (“We Have a Ghost, “Charm City Kings”), Evan Alexander Ellison (“She Came to Me,” “Devil in Ohio”), Jeremy Bobb (“The Knick,” “Russian Doll”), and Louis Cancelmi (“Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Billions”)

“The Sopranos” fans got thrown a curveball in 2021 when Edie Falco revealed for the first time on an Atlantic podcast that she once reunited with James Gandolfini to reprise Tony and Carmela Soprano for a bizarre clip set two years after the events of the series finale, which infamously ended with a cut-to-black that

Writers employed by “Sesame Street” producer Sesame Workshop have voted unanimously to support a strike authorization vote from the Writers Guild of America as the April 19 expiration of the current contract approaches. The 35 writers represented by the union have been in negotiations with the production company behind “Sesame Street” and other children’s programs

Margaret Qualley is no longer going to star in Hulu‘s limited series about Amanda Knox, Variety has confirmed. The untitled series was announced in March with Qualley set to star and executive produce. She has reportedly exited the project due to scheduling conflicts. The role will now be recast. This is not the first time

A group of actors filed a class action lawsuit Tuesday against Casting Networks, one of a handful of websites that connects actors to commercial auditions, alleging that the platform functions as an illegal pay-for-play system. Casting Networks offers actors a free tier and two premium tiers. The paid options allow actors to upload more video

Steve Buscemi has joined the cast of “Wednesday” Season 2 at Netflix, Variety has learned exclusively from sources. Exact character details are being kept under wraps, but sources say Buscemi will play the new principal of Nevermore Academy. Reps for Netflix and Buscemi declined to comment. Few details are available about the new season of

Amazon Prime Video has officially ordered a 20-episode season of “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” from MGM Alternative, the streamer announced Tuesday. As previously reported by Variety, the “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” spinoff will be hosted by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. “I grew up loving game shows, and

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is finally resurrecting its outdoor concert stage, starting on Wednesday, April 17, with musical guest Chris Stapleton. The singer-songwriter will appear on the show to relaunch the space and perform his song ““It Takes A Woman.” Up until the pandemic, the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” outdoor stage, located in the parking lot behind

Online comic book platforms Marvel Unlimited and VIZ Manga are to begin cross-promotions that are aimed at expanding fandom in the genre. The move follows the 2022-23 collaboration between Marvel Comics and Viz Media that extended stories from the Marvel comics universe into the Japanese manga format, in a handful of titles. Subscribers to the

David Porter, an ad industry veteran and former Turner exec, is joining Warner Bros. Discovery as head of ad sales research, data and insights. Porter reports to Jon Steinlauf, Warner Bros. Discovery’s chief of U.S. advertising sales, and will split his time between WBD’s New York City and Atlanta offices. The announcement of Porter’s hiring

Apple TV+ has ordered a series adaptation of Mick Herron’s “Down Cemetery Road” with Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson attached to star, Variety has learned. This is now the second adaptation of Herron’s books to get the series treatment at Apple, with the other being the popular spy series “Slow Horses” starring Gary Oldman. Morwenna

“Hacks” is back, and Max has revealed the official trailer and key art for the show’s long-awaited Season 3. The new installment of “Hacks,” which Variety chronicled in this recent feature, returns on Thursday, May 2, with two episodes on Max. The nine-episode season will continue with two episodes each week, up until the season

Entropico, an Australian creative firm that last year enjoyed hit status with its first feature-length production, “ONEFOUR: Against All Odds,” is establishing its own film and TV unit Entropico Originals. The new shingle will have Sydney and Los Angeles outposts. Documentary feature “ONEFOUR: Against All Odds” is an examination of the drill rap phenomenon that

Tyler Perry has struck a new multi-year deal with BET Media Group that includes the renewal of eight of his shows for BET and its BET+ streamer. BET has also ordered another new scripted series from Perry, “Route 187.” As part of the new content deal, BET has renewed “Tyler Perry’s Sistas” for its eighth

There was a lot of breaking character during the April 13 episode of “Saturday Night Live,” hosted by Ryan Gosling, but no one broke harder than Heidi Gardner during the now-infamous “Beavis and Butt-Head” sketch. Gardner played a NewsNation anchor hosting a discussion on AI, but the event is disrupted by two audience members who

“Roots of Comedy with Jesus Trejo,” a new comedy-documentary series hailing from PBS SoCal, is slated to start streaming for free on the PBS app and PBS.org on May 24. The series follows Mexican American comedian and host Jesus Trejo as he embarks on a journey to tell the “stories behind the laughs,” revealing how

The upcoming video game “Spine” is already being eyed for film and TV adaptations. Variety learned exclusively that “Spine” developer Nekki has teamed with Story Kitchen to develop potential adaptations of the game. “We’re pleased to begin our journey with Story Kitchen,” said Nekki CEO Dmitry Terekhin. “We believe that truly great stories always stand

France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, will be the subject of a biopic series produced by French mini-major Gaumont. The six-part show is being penned by Bénédicte Charles and Olivier Pouponneau, who previously teamed on the thriller series “J’ai menti.” Titled “Brigitte, une femme libre” (“Brigitte, a free woman”), the series will chart the life of

Crystal Kung Minkoff has announced her departure from “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” after three seasons. “I just wanted to share the news that I will not be coming back to film Season 14 of ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,’” Minkoff said in an Instagram video. “It’s very bittersweet. Never did I think I would’ve been asked

Ask the stars of Disney+’s “Loki” if there’s going to be a third season and all will insist they don’t know. “I have no idea, honestly,” Sophia Di Martino, who stars as Sylvie, told me Saturday morning at a “Loki” FYC Emmy screening and Q&A at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. That doesn’t