Television

In earlier sitcom eras, the stage personas of seasoned real-world stand-up comics made for reliable main characters, but rarely were they actually performing jokes professionally onstage. Only later would supporting characters dip into the standup arena — think “Full House’s” Dave Coulier or “Facts of Life’s” Geri Jewell — until finally Jerry Seinfeld and Garry

Denise Dowse, an actress known for roles in “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Insecure” among multiple other film and television credits, has died. She was 64 years old. Her sister Tracey shared the news on Instagram, writing, “It is with a very heavy heart that I inform everyone that my sister, Denise Dowse has gone forward

With Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever” now speeding toward its senior season, series star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan shared what sets it apart from other high school shows — its heart. “We pack a punch into a good old half-hour comedy,” Ramakrishnan told Variety in an interview ahead of the show’s Season 3 launch. “It’s very heartwarming.

Teddy Ray, a Los Angeles born-and-bred comedian, has died. He was 32 years old. Ray’s death was confirmed by Comedy Central on Friday evening. “Teddy Ray was a hilarious and beloved performer,” the network wrote. “He’ll be deeply missed by the entire comedy community.” Teddy Ray was a hilarious and beloved performer. He’ll be deeply

Belgrade-based Firefly Productions has closed a raft of deals in the run-up to this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival, where the Serbian production powerhouse leads the pack with 19 nominations at the Heart of Sarajevo TV Awards, including best drama series nods for supernatural drama “Block 27” and psychological thriller “Black Wedding.” As Variety previously reported,

Amazon Freevee has released the first teaser trailer of “High School,” set to premiere Oct. 14 on the streamer. Based on the 2019 memoir of the same name by indie pop duo Tegan and Sara Quin, the eight-episode drama series revolves around the memories of the twin sisters while growing up in the ’90s and

Sasha Hutchings has been cast in a recurring role in “Demascus,” AMC’s upcoming sci-fi comedy from Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm. Hutchings will play Budhi Banks, Demascus’ (Okieriete Onaodowan) tech-smart girlfriend of 3 years. She’s committed to making their relationship work despite Demascus’ hang-ups.The six-episode, half-hour series follows Demascus, a 33-year-old Black man who goes on a

In entertainment, as in sports, it’s all about timing. Which makes “Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers” a victim of the TV industry’s current interest in its subject matter. (Perhaps that can be blamed on the ’80s Lakers being the most recognizable, and most accessible, team to build a series around in the

“Never Have I Ever” executive producer Mindy Kaling, showrunner Lang Fisher and the stars of the Netflix coming-of-age dramedy celebrated the debut of its third season at the Westwood Village Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday night. The show follows Indian American teenager Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) as she copes with the sudden death of

“Stranger Things 4” proved bittersweet to some fans in how it introduced an instant fan favorite like Joseph Quinn’s Eddie, but also sidelined original main characters like Charlie Heaton’s Jonathan. As the cast of “Stranger Things” has gotten bigger over the years, it’s been harder to juggle every single main character. No wonder creators Matt

In light of its Aug. 12 premiere, producers behind Amazon’s “A League of Their Own” spinoff series admit they’ve already started making plans for a Season 2 – which could be starting sooner than you’d think. “We’ve already started writing and bringing the story for Season 2. Our hope is to shoot in like, mid-spring.

“Lessons in Chemistry,” the upcoming Apple TV+ drama series led and executive produced by Brie Larson, has added Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King, Stephanie Koenig, Patrick Walker, Thomas Mann, Kevin Sussman, Beau Bridges to the cast. The series is set in the early 1950s and follows Elizabeth Zott (Larson), whose dream of being a scientist

The numbers don’t lie. Currently in its second week, Netflix’s “Purple Hearts” has been watched for more than 100 million hours. The drama, starring Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine, follows a liberal musician who agrees to marry a Marine in order to get health insurance. While the movie has become a huge hit on the

Ellen DeGeneres sent love to Anne Heche’s family on social media amid confirmation that Heche has been declared brain dead at age 53. Degeneres and Heche dated from 1997 until 2000, becoming one of Hollywood’s most famous same-sex couples. Heche was declared brain dead on Aug. 12 due to injuries she suffered from a severe

The news that Anne Heche has been declared legally dead from the injuries she sustained in an Aug. 5 car crash comes as a particularly baleful end to her story. There’s not merely the obvious element of human tragedy for Heche and her family, as well as, it ought to be said, the woman whose

“Phineas and Ferb” co-creator Dan Povenmire was absent-mindedly doodling on a scrap of paper during a meeting when he realized he had sketched his way into his next TV show: It was a hamster, in a superhero outfit. “It just came from my subconscious somewhere,” he told Variety. “I liked it and I set it

Jeffrey Toobin, the veteran legal analyst and writer who has opined on cases and the courts for CNN since 2002, appears to have offered his last testimony at the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed news outlet. In a letter sent Friday to colleagues, Toobin revealed that he is parting ways with CNN, which has backed him in

Amazon Prime Video have given fans a first look at their upcoming U.K. original drama series “Jungle” with new images and a teaser trailer. Produced by Nothing Lost, “Jungle” is a six-part scripted series told with both rap/drill music and dialogue. It follows the lives of several strangers in inner city London, each dealing with

Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you haven’t watched “Stranger in a Strange Land,” the Season 3 finale of “For All Mankind,” now streaming on Apple TV+. In its third season, Apple TV+’s “For All Mankind” encouraged viewers to turn their attention to the possibilities of Mars. But that deceptive invitation meant taking their eyes

Millie Bobby Brown revealed to Allure magazine that she was left in tears at 10 years old after a powerful casting director rejected her for being “too mature.” Before she got the role of a lifetime as Eleven on Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” Brown said the casting director advised her that she’d never make it as

“Cosmic Love” is not only determining if love is in the air, but also if it’s also written in the stars.  The new reality dating show that bows Aug. 12 on Amazon Prime Video follows four individuals who each represent one of the four astrological elements: fire, water, earth and air. Each element is paired

Banijay Nordic label Meter TV is set to produce “The Journey – 15 Days in Nepal,” a new adventure reality series showcasing Scandinavian celebrities, for Viaplay Group. It’s one of the latest examples of streamers investing in premium unscripted shows. The format, which is based on the concept created by another Banijay label, Mastiff TV

It’s official: the Eurovision Song Contest will not be held in London. A shortlist of potential host cities was unveiled on Friday morning and, as had been widely expected, the U.K.’s capital city has been left off. Instead, the seven U.K. cities left to battle it out to host the contest are Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds,

Academy and Grammy Award-winning artist Jon Batiste is leaving “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” after seven seasons, Colbert announced Thursday night on the show. He’s exiting to “pursue personal and professional interests.” Louis Cato, who has served as interim bandleader this summer, will take over on a permanent basis — and the Colbert’s band,

Anne Heche is “not expected to survive” after suffering a severe brain injury from a car crash on Aug. 5, a representative for the actor confirmed to Variety. “We want to thank everyone for their kind wishes and prayers for Anne’s recovery and thank the dedicated staff and wonderful nurses that cared for Anne at

The LAPD is investigating whether Anne Heche was under the influence of drugs when she crashed her car into a house in Mar Vista last Friday, leaving her in a coma with severe burns. Heche’s blood showed the presence of narcotics, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Jeff Lee. But the blood draw was taken

George R.R. Martin told The New York Times that he was kept “out of the loop” during the last four seasons of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” a mistake that “House of the Dragon” co-showrunner Ryan Condal did not want to make during the development of the upcoming prequel series. “House of the Dragon” is based

Charter is phasing out Spectrum Originals as the cable provider moves out of the original scripted series space, Variety has confirmed. The move comes after it was reported that Spectrum Originals head Katherine Pope would be leaving the company to take over Sony Pictures Television from Jeff Frost. Pope is due to begin her new

The second night of the South Park 25th anniversary shows at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado Wednesday night provided plenty of surprises — even, in some cases, for the key figures on stage, not all of whom had been prepped ahead of time about a crowd-rousing musical cameo from two members of

Per Nielsen, “Stranger Things” was watched for 2.9 billion minutes during the July 11-17 viewing window, which marked the second full week of availability of Season 4 after its second volume debuted on July 1. The series easily took the No. 1 position on Nielsen’s streaming rankings for the week, with more than double the