Television

Prasanna Puwanarajah, who stars as Martin Bashir on season 5 of “The Crown,” is working again with “Line of Duty” creator Jed Mercurio, this time on an adaptation of Rachel Clarke’s pandemic-themed bestseller “Breathtaking.” The book is being developed as a three-part as-yet-untitled drama for U.K. broadcaster ITV, Puwanarajah, who was formerly a doctor with

STREAMING Series “Tulsa King,” “1923,” “Funny Woman,” “Mayor of Kingstown” Season 2, “Rabbit Hole,” “Ripley,” “Three Women” and “Lioness” and blockbuster films “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Jurassic World Dominion,” “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” “The Northman,” “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” “Nope,” “Ambulance” and “The Bad Guys” are among the content slate revealed by streamer SkyShowtime

The fourth season of “The Crown,” in 2020, seemed finally to crack the case of how to depict Queen Elizabeth II: in opposition. Writer Peter Morgan is inexorably drawn to the sovereign, and does his best work with her when she’s in one-on-one conflict. Previously, he depicted Tony Blair pushing her toward change in the

Tiffany Cross didn’t want to leave MSNBC, and feels she has more to do. The outspoken weekend anchor, whose show was cancelled earlier Friday by the NBCUniversal-owned cable outlet, said in a statement Friday night that her freewheeling, outspoken style was on the mark for a disruptive era in politics, and indicated she would continue

Derek Haas is leaving Wolf Entertainment. The writer and producer, who co-created “Chicago Fire” and serves as the co-showrunner on both the NBC show and CBS’ “FBI: International” will exit Dick Wolf’s company after finishing out the current TV season, Variety can exclusively announce. “Although I am leaving Wolf Entertainment next year to focus on

It might be tempting to dismiss passionate singer Sasha (creator Nicôle Lecky) as she spirals out of control and leaves her family, ex-boyfriend, and home in the dust. Tempestuous and desperate to become famous enough to achieve her dreams, Sasha is introduced to her audience in flashes of messy nights out, blurry memories of bad

Korean-produced crime thriller series “Bargain” will debut on the Paramount+ streaming platform from 2023. Within Korea it will play on local streamer Tving. “Bargain” revolves around a group of strangers who gather at a remote motel with ulterior motives –and each of them seeking to bargain. The series follows the characters after an unexpected earthquake

“Black hair is both stigmatized and celebrated,” according to the “The Hair Tales” trailer. It’s also called “resilient.” The question not addressed in the docuseries promo: when will it be accepted in Hollywood? Black women’s hair has long been a popular topic before it took center stage in the Tracee Ellis Ross-led documentary series, and

Netflix has added two series regulars to the cast of “Freeridge,” its spinoff of the recently concluded young adult series “On My Block.” Tenzing Norgay Trainor will play a new character, while Peggy Blow will reprise her original role, Variety has learned exclusively. Named after the fictional Los Angeles neighborhood that “On My Block” takes

HBO has canceled “Westworld” after four seasons, the network announced Friday. The news comes just under three months after the series aired its Season 4 finale Aug. 14. Variety is told a multitude of factors went into the decision to end the sci-drama, including the production’s hefty price tag, combined with dwindling viewership and an

Mediawan’s newly launched banner StoryNation Productions label is kicking off with a pair of internationally driven shows based on hit IP’s, “Escort Boys” and “Hot Ones.” The company was created last year by two well-established producers, Charlotte Toledano Detaille and Jean-Paul Géronimi who both previously worked at Lagardere Studios which is now part of Mediawan.

The fifth season of “Yellowstone” opens with John Dutton (Kevin Costner) being sworn in as the Governor of Montana — a tumultuous moment that changes the political landscape of the show. Cast members at the “Yellowstone” New York premiere on Thursday night spoke to Variety about Governor Dutton’s new role and which celebrities they’d like to see

The first TV series adapted from a TikTok is upon us, though it’s also rooted in a groundbreaking Latino show from the early 2000s. The premiere of NBC’s “Lopez vs. Lopez” on Nov. 4 will bring George Lopez back to broadcast network comedy 15 years after the conclusion of his self-titled ABC series. This time,

RomaDrama is ringing in Christmas in Chicago. The organization, which recently brought dozens of romantic comedy actors to RomaDrama Live! to Palm Beach, Florida, will host RomaDrama Christmas on Dec. 2-3 at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. Per the press release, “RomaDrama Christmas is bringing together the charm, spirit, and sentiments of the holiday

Alyssa Sapire has been promoted to the role of senior vice president of development, series and strategy for Disney Junior. Sapire has been serving in this role on interim basis since March, following the exit of Joe D’Ambrosia. In the now permanent role, Sapire will lead all content for the preschool age brand. She will

The “Criminal Minds” Behavioral Analysis Unit is back in the upcoming revival series, “Criminal Minds: Evolution.” The crime drama series follows BAU’s elite profilers as they face a mysterious antagonist, an UnSub who used the pandemic to build a network of serial killers. When the network is set in motion, the team must bring down

Emily Chang may be able to do for technology what Anthony Bourdain did for cuisine. The longtime Bloomberg TV correspondent is leaving her assignment as the anchor of the daily Bloomberg show “Bloomberg Technology” after 12 years in order to devote her attention to developing a suite of programs that explore the intersection of technology,

Tiffany Cross, the MSNBC weekend host who was known for running the freewheeling Saturday commentary program “Cross Connection,” is leaving the NBCUniversal-owned cable-news outlet. Her production staff was informed of the decision Friday morning, according to three people familiar with the matter. MSNBC declined to make executives available for comment, and Cross could not be

Saudi-owned MBC Group, the Middle East’s top broadcaster, is reportedly eyeing a flotation on the Riyadh stock exchange that could boost growth and help fuel its output of high-end productions. Bloomberg has reported that MBC – which is the leading satellite free-to-air player in the Middle East and North Africa, and major MENA region premium

New U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could drop plans to privatize public service broadcaster Channel 4, according to a report in the Financial Times. “The decision to drop the sale of Channel 4 from the media bill has been signalled by Downing Street to industry and Whitehall,” the report said. The privatization plan had been

Netflix has unveiled four new Turkish original series and a feature film commissioned and presented at a local event by Pelin Diştaş, the streaming giant’s director of original content for Turkey. Diştaş during the presentation said that Netflix has now produced “more than thirty original series and films in Turkey, making room for new and

AMC Networks reported its third-quarter 2022 earnings Friday, revealing it hit 11.1 million paid streaming subscribers by the end of Q3, a quarter that also saw its U.S. ad sales drop 10%. That new figure is up 44% from the same July-September period last year, and a decent bump from the 10.8 million total customers AMC Networks

Bertelsmann’s Luxembourg-based media giant RTL Group, which owns Fremantle, has declared revenue of €5.06 billion ($4.97 billion) for the first nine months of 2022, a growth of 12% from the corresponding period in 2021. The RTL Group has interests in 56 television channels, eight streaming services and 36 radio stations. The group’s content business, Fremantle, is one

Actor, producer and screenwriter Ryan Reynolds will receive “The People’s Icon” award at the 2022 People’s Choice Awards, NBC and E! announced. Reynolds will be honored for his contributions to film and television, including recent Netflix film “The Adam Project.” The program will air on NBC and E! on Tuesday, December 6 at 9 p.m.

Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke is making one more structural tweak to her team. Salke announced Thursday that Dan Scharf, VP and head of global business affairs, will now also oversee production, studio operations, casting, and studios music.  Scharf, who had already reported to Salke, will continue to do so. The production, studio operations, casting and studios

“George & Tammy,” the limited series about George Jones and Tammy Wynette starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain, is moving to Showtime. The six-episode drama was previously set to air on Paramount Network. Instead, the series premiere will now air simultaneously on both Showtime and Paramount Network commercial free on Dec. 4 at 9 p.m.

It’s de rigeur now when a show is canceled: Disappointed studio execs and producers promise fans that they’ll shop their orphaned series to other outlets. Of course, most of the time, nothing happens — after all, who wants to pick up a show that no one was watching in the first place? But sometimes, the

The new “Degrassi” series that had been ordered at HBO Max is no longer moving forward, Variety has confirmed. The new entry in the Canadian high school drama franchise was originally picked up for 10 episodes at the streamer back in January. It was to be produced by franchise owner WildBrain and developed by showrunners

The “John Wick” prequel series “The Continental” will stream on Amazon outside the U.S., Middle East, and Israel. It was previously announced that Lionsgate-produced series will air on Peacock in the U.S. rather than Starz as originally planned. The show does not yet have a premiere date, but it is expected to debut in 2023.

Six months after the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Warner Bros. Discovery is upping the goal for its seemingly never-ending cuts across the board. The David Zaslav-led company has been persistently working toward finding $3 billion in cost-saving synergies since closing the deal in April, a goal it aims to complete over the next three