Television

Stand-up comedy is a public performance that gives the illusion of intimate spontaneity. This is equally true of reality television, so it’s natural that a master at the former would try his hand at the latter. Such is the origin story of “Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show,” a self-reflexive — and self-explanatory — HBO project that follows Carmichael’s

British actor Sheyi Cole has a prominent role in Thea Sharrock’s Netflix original film “The Beautiful Game.” The film revolves around the Homeless World Cup, an annual soccer tournament bringing together displaced or dispossessed players from nearly 50 countries, playing not merely for a trophy but for a second shot at life. Cole plays Jason, a

Arnold Schwarzenegger has provided an update to fans after undergoing open-heart surgery, offering some encouragement that he won’t be away from business for too long. The 76-year-old actor and former Governor of California shared a photograph from recovery, including a sight gag about his new pacemaker, depicted as a cartoon-esque time bomb. “I’ve gotten so

Co-composers Rachel Portman and Jon Ehrlich have only met in person once, and collaborated across the globe while scoring Hulu’s “We Were the Lucky Ones.” Despite this, both Portman and Ehrlich said that working across continents was one of the best parts of the process. Erhlich said: “She would work on something, and then I

During its two-season run on HBO, “Euphoria” has launched its young cast into superstardom and won multiple Emmys, while also being a magnet for controversy — but whatever lies ahead for the Sam Levinson-created show is going to have to wait.  Earlier this week, HBO officially delayed the drama, which was set to begin production

“Euphoria” star Storm Reid has acknowledged the recent news from HBO that filming of Season 3 on the Sam Levinson-created series has been put on hold, expressing optimism that the production will come together down the line. “I would hope the viewers, the audience will be able to finish the show,” Reid tells Variety, speaking

Vince McMahon, the founder and former CEO of wrestling entertainment company WWE, received about $100 million through a sale of about 3.5 million shares of TKO Group. TKO Group was formed last year through the Endeavor-led merger of UFC and WWE. Endeavor maintains a majority interest in TKO.  McMahon’s latest sale of TKO stock comes after

Olivia Colman announced Thursday that she will not be returning for Season 3 of Netflix‘s “Heartstopper” due to a scheduling conflict. The actor made the announcement during a sit-down with Forbes. “I couldn’t do number three. I couldn’t fit it in. I feel awful about that,” Colman said. “I feel like I was part of

Larry David railed against “little baby” Donald Trump in a recent interview on CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Seinfeld” creator has long spoken out against Trump, even having his fictionalized “Curb” self wear a Make America Great Hat in a Season 10 episode because it’s a “a great people

Netflix has ordered the limited series “The Beast in Me” with Claire Danes set to star, Variety has learned. The series hails from writer Gabe Rotter, with Howard Gordon attached to serve as showrunner. The series reunites Gordon and Danes, as they previously worked together on the hit Showtime series “Homeland.” Danes starred in the

Following Bravo‘s reboot of “The Real Housewives of New York City” last year, the network has announced that all six cast members are set to return for its upcoming Season 15. Yes, that includes even the ostensibly elusive, seemingly reluctant Jenna Lyons, who came into the show’s 14th season as the cast’s only famous person, and

“Can we go someplace even more remote?” I’m standing with Jerrod Carmichael in Austin, Texas, the morning of the SXSW premiere for the comedian and actor’s new HBO reality show, titled, appropriately, “Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show.” I’d chosen a quiet spot for the interview on the terrace outside his hotel, but when Carmichael clocks a

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and other unions representing film and TV writers and journalists sent a letter to Congress Thursday urging protections for their industries in any legislation regarding Artificial Intelligence. Addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the letter was co-signed by the NewsGuild-CWA, Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), Writers Guild

Giancarlo Esposito‘s new AMC crime drama “Parish” is getting the cable network’s red-carpet rollout treatment, airing ad-break free immediately after Sunday’s “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” finale and then without commercials all the way into a first look at “The Book of Carol,” the second season of “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.” Simultaneously

French TV giant Banijay is losing its second C-suite exec in just over a month. The company has confirmed to Variety that COO Peter Langenberg is departing, with his last day set to be March 31. Langenberg will remain with Banijay on a consultancy basis in the ESG (environment, social and governance) space. Reasons for

Kenan Thompson has opened up about his time as a child star at Nickelodeon and the new perspective he has gained on it following the release of “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” a new documentary series that features allegations of abuse against crew members at the network. Thompson’s comments came Wednesday

Fox Entertainment is restructuring its operations into three divisions: network, studios and content sales. As part of this re-org, Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade has promoted Michael Thorn to president of Fox Television Network and upped Fernando Szew to head of Fox Entertainment Studios. Both will report directly to Wade. A search is currently underway

There has been no shortage of television series centering the horrors of the Holocaust. Last year alone, Netflix’s “Transatlantic” depicted a group of resistors living in Marseille, and National Geographic’s “A Small Light” offered a retelling of Anne Frank’s experience through the eyes of Miep Gies, the woman who aided the Franks during their years

John Leguizamo has joined the cast of the upcoming Apple TV+ drama series “Firebug,” Variety has learned. In addition, Kari Skogland has boarded the series as director and executive producer. Leguizamo joins previously announced cast members Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett in the series. It was originally greenlit in December 2022. The series is loosely

It appears that Season 13 of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” has achieved not only the series’ highest viewership ever, but the highest of the entire “Real Housewives” franchise since 2014, according to Multiplatform + 35 data. The first 16 episodes of Season 13 averaged 4 million viewers across 35 days of Bravo and

“Power Book III: Raising Kanan” has been renewed for Season 5 at Starz. The series is currently filming its fourth season in New York, while the third season aired its finale in February. “We know that our fans can’t get enough of ‘Raising Kanan.’ As the inevitable evolution of this young man into a killer

The “Among Us” animated series in the works at CBS Studios is continuing to build out its voice cast. Dan Stevens, Liv Hewson, and Kimiko Glenn have all joined the series adaptation of the popular mobile game. They join previously announced cast members Randall Park, Yvette Nicole Brown, Elijah Wood, and Ashley Johnson. Character descriptions

Hernan Lopez, the former 21st Century Fox executive who launched podcasting giant Wondery in 2016, has set up consulting firm Owl & Co. aimed at delivering data and analysis designed to help media and entertainment businesses manage the transition to the streaming era. Lopez has put early emphasis on a deep-dive study of the streaming

Carol Burnett reflected on the time she guest starred on “The Ed Sullivan Show” the same day as Elvis Presley. As a guest on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” promoting the Apple TV+ series “Palm Royale,” the 90-year-old Burnett was prompted to look back at her legendary career in television. Since she guest starred

Martin Scorsese is partnering with Fox Nation for an eight-part docudrama series, “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints.” Hosted, narrated and executive produced by Scorsese, the series will encompass eight one-hour episodes exploring the stories of eight figures on their journey to sainthood. The docudrama will premiere in two parts, with the first four episodes set

A federal judge has dismissed the antitrust lawsuit that DirecTV filed against Nexstar last year accusing the TV station giant of price-fixing in connection with its retransmission consent negotiations with the satellite TV platform. DirecTV’s suit, filed in New York’s Southern District in March 2023, accused Nexstar of engaging in price-fixing activity around the retransmission

M. Emmet Walsh, a veteran character actor who appeared in more than 150 films including “Blade Runner,” “Blood Simple” and “Knives Out” and played Dermot Mulroney’s dad in “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” has died. His manager Sandy Joseph confirmed that he died Tuesday in Vermont. He was 88. In Ridley Scott’s 1982 “Blade Runner,” Walsh

Drake Bell has taken to social media to inform fans that his Nickelodeon co-star Josh Peck has reached out to him in private about the abuse allegations Bell made in the documentary series “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.” Josh Peck starred in the sitcom “Drake & Josh” alongside Bell, who in

ABC has ordered a drama series starring Joshua Jackson that hails from Ryan Murphy, Variety has confirmed. Exact plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources say the series is believed to be a medical procedural. It is slated to premiere during the 2024-2025 broadcast season. Murphy is co-writing the series with Jon Robin

Hallie Jackson is taking NBC’s venerable “Nightly News” to Washington D.C. for one night each week. The NBC News senior Washington correspondent has been named the new anchor of NBC’s Sunday evening-news broadcast, taking the reins from Kate Snow. The Sunday broadcast will originate from the nation’s capital. Jackson’s first official day at the desk