Finland unveiled six upcoming shows at Mipcom, with thrillers continuing to be relevant but Nordic Noir taking a back seat. The showcase, organized by Audiovisual Producers Finland – APFI partnering up with YLE, Finnish Film Foundation, Elisa Viihde and Film in Finland, spotlighted a thriller about a data leak, “cosy” crime series and even animation inspired
Television
Before Trevor Noah signs off for the last time on “The Daily Show,” he’s releasing a new comedy special on Netflix. Titled “I Wish You Would,” the special will launch on the streamer on Nov. 22. It’s his third Netflix release, following 2017’s “Afraid of the Dark” and 2018’s “Son of Patricia.” Noah will share
After 10 years of living with characters he created on the page, Soman Chainani, author of the bestselling “The School for Good and Evil” series of novels, is delighted to see his world come to life. The Netflix film “The School for Good and Evil,” directed by Paul Feig, had a glitzy Los Angeles premiere
CANNES — Taking place in the Grand Auditorium in Cannes, the crowd that arrived to cheerlead winners at Mipcom’s Cannes TV Diversify Awards, was compact but buoyant as winners took to the stage. Some of the TV industry’s only awards to celebrate diversity and inclusion, a record 190 submissions were received this year from 27 countries.
Slice-of-life comedy series “Brown Nation” will have its Indian television premiere on Comedy Central during the Diwali holiday frame. The series will bow on Oct. 22, 2022, with all episodes playing back-to-back. Produced in 2016, the series initially played on Netflix. It follows characters Hasmukh and Dimple from Queens, New York, who attempt to balance
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 8, episode 4, of “The Masked Singer,” “TV Theme Night,” which aired Oct. 19 on Fox. After a rain delay forced baseball playoffs into primetime last week, the latest edition of “The Masked Singer” finally aired on Fox a week later —
“Band of Brothers” writer Bruce McKenna is teaming with David Broyles (“Six”) and Nick Jones Jr. (“Yasuke”) to write and produce a limited TV series “Buffalo Rangers” about the 2nd Ranger Company, the only all-Black special operations combat unit in U.S. history. They were notable for their efforts in the Korean War. The series is
Apple TV+ revealed the official trailer today for Season 2 of “Slow Horses,” the Gary Oldman thriller series that follows a team of British intelligence agents. The second season premieres globally on the streaming service Dec. 2 with the first two episodes, followed by one new episode each week after that for the duration of
Mark Lewis, who wrote and directed one of the most talked about (and disturbing) true-crime docseries in recent memory, is back on Netflix with a new series, “Vatican Girl: The Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi.” Like “Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer,” “Vatican Girl” was produced by British TV production company Raw. The four-part
Australian teen drama series Heartbreak High will return for Season 2 on streaming service Netflix. Produced by Fremantle Australia and NewBe, season 2 of “Heartbreak High” will see a reunion of the previous cast. They have assembled in Sydney, Australia and the nearby Gadigal, Dharug, Dharawal and Ku-ring-gai lands, for pre-production and filming. The show
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the world in which “Inside Amy Schumer” once existed no longer exists. Premiering in 2013 right as TV criticism and chatter was finding its internet foothold (for better and for worse), Schumer’s sardonic sketch series took pleasure in twisting second-wave #feminist rhetoric into a pretzel, pushing the bounds
Judi Dench wrote an open letter to The Times UK criticizing Netflix’s “The Crown” for being “cruelly unjust” in its depiction of the British royal family. The Oscar winner stressed that she supports artistic freedom, thus she’s urging Netflix to add a disclaimer to each episode stressing to viewers that the show is a fictionalized
Pete Davidson’s comedy series “Bupkis” at Peacock has added six guest stars to its cast. Charlie Day (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), “Everybody Loves Raymond” alums Brad Garrett and Ray Romano, Simon Rex (“Red Rocket”), Emmy Award-winner Kenan Thompson (“Saturday Night Live”), and Chase Sui Wonders (“Bodies, Bodies, Bodies”) have been cast as guest stars
Temuera Morrison has joined Jason Momoa in the Apple limited series “Chief of War,” Variety has learned. The role reunites the pair, as they previously played father and son in the DCEU film “Aquaman.” Morrison will also appear alongside Momoa in the sequel “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” due out in theaters in December 2023.
FilmLA has reported a total of 9,066 Shoot Days (SD)* in the third quarter (“Q3”). This figure reflects a 10% decline from the same period last year and a -1.7% decline from 2020. FilmLA President Paul Audley said the decline was a modest one as last year was an unprecedented one due to the pandemic.
Amara Walker, the CNN correspondent newly assigned to co-anchor weekend mornings, will be represented by CAA. Walker, who joined CNN in 2012, works alongside co-anchor Boris Sanchez. The two also anchor CNN’s 10 a.m. hour on Saturdays. She is based in CNN’s Atlanta studio, and continues to also serve as a correspondent. The current “New Day” airs
The first witness in the Danny Masterson trial broke down in tears on Wednesday as she told jurors that the actor had raped her in April 2003. The woman, who prefers to be identified as Jane Doe #1, testified that she remembered waking up in Masterson’s bed, with him on top of her and penetrating
As international TV market Mipcom — the first full-strength edition of the fall confab since 2019 — prepares to come to a close in Cannes on Thursday, Variety presents the top takeaways from a vibrant market. Mipcom Proves Itself Those of us who saw tumbleweeds rolling across the Croisette at a painfully quiet Mipcom 2021
Matthew Perry confirmed to People magazine that he nearly died in 2018 at the age 49 after his colon burst due to an overuse of opioids. News circulated at the time that the “Friends” actor was hospitalized because of gastrointestinal perforation. In reality, Perry’s hospitalization was far graver. As reported by People: Perry “spent two
International TV market Mipcom came back with gusto this year, but it’s not back to the level reached at its pre-pandemic peak. A total of 10,896 delegates attended this year, which is down from the peak year of 2019, when more than 13,500 delegates came to the Cannes event. MipJunior, which ran over the weekend,
CBS has given full season orders to its three freshman dramas — “East New York,” “So Help Me Todd,” and “Fire Country.” “CBS is off to a tremendous start this season, said Kelly Kahl, president of CBS Entertainment. “We are thrilled to have the three most watched new series, each with their own unique settings, characters
“Next Level Chef” is headed to France after Kitchen Factory Productions snapped up the French format rights to the culinary competition series. Kitchen Factory, who will produce the French version, announced the deal on Wednesday (Oct. 19) alongside Chef Cyril Lignac, producer Matthieu Jean-Toscani and Studio Ramsay Global, the joint production venture created by British
CANNES — Global tentpoles and local-language series that travel — that’s the content cocktail that Amazon Studios is stirring as the company looks to capitalize the momentum behind “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” series. Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, discussed the e-commerce giant’s content strategy and investment priorities in her
France tv distribution has picked up five new documentaries: “The Climate: A 50 Year Battle,” “The Epic History of Europe: From Cesar to Charles de Gaulle,” “Denisova Unveiled,” “Icons of the 20th Century: An Historical Journey” and “MBZ: The Hidden Face of the UAE.” “The Climate: A 50-Year Battle” shines a spotlight on the first time the United Nations set forth the risks
U.K. public service broadcaster Channel 4 is launching a new digital-first brand titled Channel 4.0. Set to launch on Oct. 26 on YouTube and Channel 4’s social platforms, the brand will focus on 16-24 year olds and younger teens. The broadcaster has already tapped Gen Z content creators including Chunkz, Nella Rose and Alhan Gençay,
In Meghan Markle’s revealing cover story with Variety, she described the discomfort she felt during her time as an actor in Hollywood. Markle made appearances on shows such as “Deal or No Deal,” “90210” and “Fringe” before landing her signature role of Rachel Zane on “Suits” in 2011. Although she would be on the show
Saudi-owned MBC Group, which is the top broadcaster in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, has forged a five-year partnership with Turkish TV production powerhouses Medyapim and Ay Yapim, officially ending a ban on Turkish soaps that had been put in place in 2018. MBC, which is the top satellite free-to-air player in
CANNES — Framing one of the first independent series co-productions between Brazil and Portugal, Ventre Studio, Coral Europa, Canal Brasil and TVI are co-producing “Godless John,” with Brazilian acting legend Marco Nanini as John of God. Onza Distribution has acquired international sales rights to the series. It has started introducing it to buyers at this
It’s pitch dark and stormy and Pelle Heikkilä, one of Finland’s biggest stars, is getting slammed by massive waves in a 10-meter-deep water tank. The shoot of “Estonia,” a Scandinavian limited series about Europe’s deadliest civil maritime disaster, is underway in Belgium at an indoor water stage. The eight-part cinematic show, which is budgeted at
The upcoming animated TV series “Lil’ Heroes” from Exile Content Studio is one step closer to being made. The studio has tapped Emmy Award-winning writer, author Kevin Shinick, best known for his stints as writer, producer and voice-actor on Adult Swim’s irreverent “Robot Chicken” and his best-selling YA novel, “Star Wars: Force Collector.” Shinick joins