HBO Max has given a straight-to-series order to a new comedy series from Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay with Sebastian Maniscalco set for the lead role, Variety has learned. The single-camera show is titled “How to Be a Bookie.” HBO Max has given it an eight-episode order. Per the official logline, “A veteran bookie (Maniscalco)
Television
Constance Wu is opening up about her 2019 tweets during which she expressed her frustration over the news that her ABC sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat” was renewed for another season. At the time, she tweeted that she was “literally crying” over the renewal because she had to turn down a passion project. “It’s actually
The Competition Commission of India on Tuesday granted conditional approval to the proposed merger of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd and Sony Pictures Networks India. Combination C-2022/04/923Commission approves amalgamation of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEE) and Bangla Entertainment Private Limited (BEPL) with Culver Max Entertainment Private Limited (CME), with certain modifications.#CCIMergerControl #mergers #mergerupdate pic.twitter.com/5JFG6RgiHl — CCI
Jennifer Salke entered the Second Age in London. The head of Amazon Studios spent the 72 hours leading up to the launch of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” in a whirlwind, traveling from the series’ global premiere event in London’s Leicester Square to her Manhattan apartment to watch the early returns
Lionsgate Television Group chairman and chief content integration officer Kevin Beggs has signed a multi-year renewal of his contract. “Kevin and his team have done a great job in building Lionsgate Television into a world-class supplier of valuable premium content to buyers throughout the ecosystem,” said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer. “Kevin is a trusted partner
ACQUISITION/REBRANDING Banijay‘s planned acquisition of Sony Productions Film und Fernseh Produktions GmbH Germany (Sony Pictures Television Germany) from Sony Pictures is now complete. Following customary closing conditions, Banijay Germany has secured 100% stake in the company. The label, founded in 1995, will now operate as Noisy Pictures GmbH, with Astrid Quentell and Mirek Nitsch remaining
“Dancing With the Stars” took on James Bond for week three, with each pair dancing to songs featured in Bond films through the years. Selma Blair and Sasha Farber have been in the spotlight all season, but it hasn’t been an easy ride. She admitted this week that she has sensory overload with the lights
Projects starring Donnie Yen and Zhang Ziyi are among the independently produced TV series to be launched on the sidelines of this week’s Busan International Film Festival. The company responsible is Changin’ Pictures, a would-be studio being hatched by Hong Kong-based film director and producer Peter Chan Ho-sun. Propelled by the growing recognition of Asian
During her career, Elizabeth Olsen has played a broad range of characters, from a damaged cult escapee in 2011’s “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” to an in-over-her-head FBI agent investigating a murder in “Wind River,” to a narcissistic influencer in “Ingrid Goes West” — and, of course, the tragic, terrifying Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch) in the
NBC’s three-hour “Law & Order” crossover premiere event was the most-watched and highest-rated program the night that it aired, according to Live + 3 data exclusively obtained by Variety. Airing from 8-11 p.m. on Sept 22, the crossover marked the premiere of Season 22 of the “Law & Order” flagship series, Season 24 of “Law
Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki will forever be associated with their respective roles as Penny and Leonard on CBS’ long-running sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” The actors, similar to the characters they played on the show, were in a relationship, dating from 2008 to 2010. “Big Bang” writers were already planning Penny and Leonard’s breakup
Fox Sports Films has announced the upcoming original documentary “David Ortiz: Legend of the Fall,” spotlighting Boston Red Sox veteran and Fox MLB analyst Ortiz (aka Big Papi). The sports documentary is set to premiere Oct. 14 on FS1. “David Ortiz: Legend of the Fall” follows the baseball career and legacy of Ortiz, from the
The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), which holds trade shows for the TV industry, announced on Monday that it will file for bankruptcy. The organization said the pandemic had forced it to cancel its flagship events, leading to a drop in revenues and requiring it to draw on reserves. A bankruptcy filing was
“Firefly Lane” is coming to an end. The second season of the Netflix series starring Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke will be the last The streaming service announced on Monday that the sophomore season will consist of 16 episodes and will be split into two parts. The first nine episodes will be released on Dec.
Tara Strong is a pioneer in the world of voice acting. With more than 600 credits, she is the voice behind Raven, Batgirl and Harley Quinn on shows including “Teen Titans,” “Teen Titans Go!,” “Rugrats,” “The Powerpuff Girls” and “My Little Pony.” Later this year, the Society of Voice Arts & Sciences (SOVAS) will honor
“There’s an old Chinese curse: ‘May you live through interesting times.’ The sector is now going through very interesting times indeed,” Fremantle’s Manuel Marti reflected to Variety as Madrid’s 2nd Iberseries & Platino Industria, a TV-film forum, wound down on Friday, running Sept. 27-30. Three large table talk topics were the fall out from the planned merger
The Walt Disney Company Latin America team took to the stage at the 2nd Iberseries & Platino Industria event in Madrid to unveil trailers or clips of their upcoming Star+ slate that includes “Nada,” with Robert de Niro playing a key role, “Ringo, el Campeon del Pueblo,” “Pancho Villa, El Centauro del Norte” and “How to
At last week’s Iberseries, Movistar Plus+ Internacional unveiled “Natural Law,” one of its first forays into third-party acquisitions. Produced by Arquipelago Filmes, it is co-created by Edgar Medina, whose previous series, “Sul,” received the Portuguese Film Academy Sophia award for best fictional series and the Portuguese Society of Authors award for best fictional program. “Natural Law”
“Svengoolie” is growing. The MeTV horror host, whose first primetime special on the classic TV network aired this weekend, is spearheading a nationwide talent search to find fans to appear in “Svengoolie” off-shoots. The campaign, dubbed “Spawn of Svengoolie,” was announced on October 1 at the conclusion of “Svengoolie Uncrypted,” a one-hour special that followed
As part of their overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group, Lena Waithe’s company Hillman Grad Productions will adapt “The Book of Mycah,” a novella written by Joshua Bennett. “The Book of Mycah” takes place in an alternate history America where Malcolm X came back from the dead in 1965. The television project is based
Danny Masterson’s lawyer warned on Monday that TV ads in the race for Los Angeles mayor could inflame hostility toward the Church of Scientology, making it harder for Masterson to receive a fair trial. Masterson, the former “That ’70s Show” star, is scheduled to go on trial next week on three charges of forcible rape.
Supremely diabolical Star Original series “El Encargado,” directed by innovating Argentine creative duo Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat (“The Man Next Door”), teased a first episode as part of the Capítulo Uno strand of soon-to-bow series at the 2nd Iberseries & Platino Industria, which unspooled Sept. 27-30 in Madrid. The series opens with protagonist Eliseo
Erin Andrews, the popular sportscaster who has worked for ESPN and Fox Sports while also co-hosting ABC’s long-running “Dancing With The Stars,” has tapped CAA for representation. Andrews, who has been with Fox Sports since 2012, has been a critical part of some of its biggest coverage plans, including three Super Bowls, ten NFC Championships,
Germany’s RTL Group is holding on to its controlling stake in M6 Group, France’s second largest commercial TV entity. The decision, which was announced on Monday evening local time, follows RTL Group parent company Bertelsmann’s strategic review of its options after the German broadcasting giant received several “financially attractive offers” for its 48.3% stake in
A week of delayed viewing via Hulu, DVRs and other platforms has given a sizable ratings bump to the Season 2 premiere of “Abbott Elementary” Live + Same Day data after the episode premiered on Sept. 21 pointed to a 0.6 rating among adults 18-49, but after seven days of multiplatform viewing, that number has
Anders Holm has joined the cast of the live-action Godzilla and the Titans series at Apple in a recurring role, Variety has learned exclusively. Holm is the latest addition to the the series, joining previously announced cast members Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett, Elisa Lasowski, Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell and Mari Yamamoto.
It’s been said that former President Donald Trump corrupts all who enter his orbit — that it’s impossible to deal directly with him without taking on his amorality and crassness. “The Lincoln Project,” a new documentary series on Showtime, depicts that process among his political opposition. Here, people devoted to ousting Trump mirror his rhetorical
Disney’s 20 cable and broadcast TV networks were restored Sunday night to the lineups of Dish Network’s services following a nearly 48-hour blackout, after the parties reached a “handshake agreement” on a new distribution deal. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution said the pact covering Dish TV and Sling
Veteran media executive Fotini Paraskakis is launching Empire of Arkadia, an Asia-focused content company. The firm expects to unveil its debut slate in time for MIPCOM later this month. Paraskakis is joined in the venture by Japanese media executive Shigeko (Cindy) Chino and former Discovery APAC and EMEA president, Arthur Bastings. The trio describe Empire
Studiocanal CEO Anna Marsh has been upped to deputy CEO of the Canal+ Group. The New Zealand-born executive has been with the company since 2008, when she first joined Studiocanal. She has previously held the positions of head of international sales and managing director of Studiocanal U.K. In 2019 she became CEO of Studiocanal, which