Television

TV networks continue to fare better than expected in the current “upfront” market as they harness streaming video and sports — and a willingness to accept lower rates — in order to keep Madison Avenue’s money flowing. NBCUniversal said it wrapped its negotiations in the annual upfront, and could see advance advertising commitments for NBC’s

Warner Bros. has stood by J.K. Rowling after an external PR, acting on behalf of the studio, told Sky News that the company is “not connected” to the author. The studio issued the response following a spat between Sky News and the PR, who blocked the outlet from asking Harry Potter actor Tom Felton about

National Geographic Content has promoted Karen Greenfield to the newly created position of senior vice president of content, diversity and inclusion. Most recently Nat Geo’s SVP of business operations while also serving as diversity and inclusion council chair, in her new role, Greenfield will “develop and execute programs and initiatives to produce diverse and inclusive

“Cake Boss” star Buddy Valastro, a longtime staple in the Warner Bros. Discovery lifestyle brands family, is making A+E Networks his new TV home. The cable giant has signed custom cake whiz Valastro, who rose to fame through his TLC reality series “Cake Boss,” which is centered on his long-standing family business Carlo’s Bakery, to

President of Heyday Television Tom Winchester has departed the company to set up his own production outfit, Pure Fiction Television. See-Saw Films (“Power of the Dog”) and talent agency Hamilton Hodell have minority stakes in the new company. The plan is for Pure Fiction to be “distributor agnostic and free to find the best homes

The Pioneer Woman will preside over a new kind of cooking process. Ree Drummond, who has parlayed her ranch lifestyle into a decade-long association with Food Network, will lead the new competition series “Big Bad Budget Battle,” which is produced by fellow food celebrity Guy Fieri and is slated to debut on the Warner Bros.

A wealth of film and TV titles are available at launch on streamer Studiocanal Presents, which is now available as an Amazon Prime Video channel in the U.K. Some 300 films and series from Studiocanal’s catalogue are available at launch, including Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now: Final Cut” in 4K; Brian Helgeland’s “Legend”; Joel and

“Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area” has become Netflix’s latest Korean-made international hit. The Korean remake of “La Casa de Papel” (aka “Money Heist”) is in first place on the streaming giant’s Global Non-English top ten chart over the last week. The series premiered on Friday (June 24), meaning that it only had three

Beta Film has come on board to co-produce eight-part Italian period drama series “La Storia,” based on Elsa Morante’s bestselling novel, continuing its successful partnership with Picomedia. Shooting for the production has started in Rome under the helm of director Francesca Archibugi (“Romanzo famigliare”), before moving to Naples and Lazio later in the year. Beta

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. It might be summertime but Hulu is delivering hot fall lewks on their murder mystery series “Only Murders in the Building.” Last year star Selena Gomez carried the fashion (quite literally) on her back

Simon Helberg is the latest addition to the cast of Natasha Lyonne and Rian Johnson’s Peacock series “Poker Face,” Variety has learned exclusively. Lyonne will star in the series, which sources say will follow a procedural format and see Lyonne’s character working to solve different murders in each episode. Further details around the plot and the

When superfans speak, Hollywood should listen. The entertainment economy is increasingly relying on the superfan demo, the built-in audiences that make it plausible for a studio to take a nine-figure swing on a film or TV entertainment entertainment franchise. To take the pulse of some of media’s most committed fans, I ventured to Anaheim, Calif.,

Hot off the heels of being named the NBA Finals MVP, Stephen Curry is hosting the 2022 ESPY awards, ESPN announced Wednesday. The four-time NBA champion will host the ceremony live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Curry is also a three-time nominee at the awards, which honors the best achievements in major league

This year’s BET Awards experienced a boost from last year’s numbers, drawing in 3.2 million viewers across a simulcast of 10 Paramount Global networks on Sunday. This marks a 34% jump in viewership from 2021, when BET’s in-person ceremony brought in only 2.4 million viewers across multiple outlets. In comparison, the 2020 BET Awards (which

Rashida Jones and Will McCormack’s production company Le Train Train has entered a first look deal with the Lionsgate Television Group, where Jones and McCormack will produce scripted projects across platforms. The first project in development under the deal is “Lovesick,” based on the UK series of the same name. “Lovesick” was a romantic comedy

AMC’s “Alan Wake” TV adaptation has brought on two new producers following the exit of its previously announced showrunner, Variety has learned exclusively. Based on the best-selling video game of the same name, the potential series, which is in the very early stages of development at the cable channel, was originally set to have Peter

Walt Disney Television Alternative, the studio’s newly formed unscripted unit, has named Jill Chapman, Alicia Martino and Mike Rosen to executive positions. All three will report to Tiffany Faigus, senior vice president of unscripted and alternative entertainment for ABC Entertainment and WDT Alternative, while WDT Alternative is led by Rob Mills, executive vice president of

NBC’s slate of fall 2022 premiere dates was announced today, showcasing new and returning favorites. Among the lineup are two new series to the network, “Quantum Leap” and “Lopez vs. Lopez.” “Quantum Leap,” which will launch the network’s scripted programming on September 19, stars Raymond Lee in a reimagination of the classic science fiction series

Peacock announced on Wednesday the premiere dates for its scripted originals for the rest of the year, including Matthew Fox’s “Last Light,” “Vampire Academy,” the “Pitch Perfect” spinoff series “Bumper in Berlin” and the TV adaptation of “The Best Man.” Original series set to premiere in July (and have been previously announced) include six-part drama

“Power Book IV: Force” Season 2 at Starz has added four new cast members, Variety has learned exclusively. Carmela Zumbado (“Chicago PD”), Miriam A. Hyman (“The Chi,” “The Laundromat”), Manuel Eduardo Ramierz (“Snowfall,” “Queen of the South”), and Adrienne Walker (“Law &. Order: Organized Crime”) will all join the new season of the show as series

Penny Lane (“Listening to Kenny G”) will direct “Mrs. America,” a documentary which will explore the changing role of American womanhood through the Mrs. America beauty pageant’s 45-year history. The pageant, established by husband-and-wife team David and Elaine Marmel, focused on celebrating the role of married women in society. Nick Shumaker (“Nothing Lasts Forever”) and

Kate Winslet is returning to HBO, with the acclaimed actress set to star in a limited series for the network based on Hernan Diaz’s novel “Trust.” The rights to the novel were acquired by HBO in a competitive situation. The series is currently in development with the search on for a writer to adapt the

The Jason Momoa-led Apple series “See” will conclude with its upcoming third season. The announcement was made with the release of the Season 3 teaser trailer and premiere date. The eight-episode final season of the show will debut its first episode on Aug. 26, with new episodes dropping weekly thereafter. The teaser can be viewed

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. There are officially two and a half more hours of “Stranger Things” before the epic ride comes to a close this season. The final Volume II chapter premieres July 2, following the first chapter’s

The universe of the globally popular “Death in Paradise” series is being expanded with new show “Beyond Paradise.” The new series follows characters who have moved from sunny Saint Marie to rural Britain. Co-commissioned by BBC One and BritBox International, and reuniting Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton in the lead roles, the six-part “Beyond Paradise,”

Amy Schumer, Hasan Minhaj, Taylor Tomlinson and Jerrod Carmichael will receive awards at the Just for Laughs award show next month. The ceremony will take place at the Just For Laughs Montreal festival, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The award show, which takes place July 29 at the DoubleTree, will see Schumer receive an

After the twin successes of “Aranyak” on Netflix and “Rocket Boys” on SonyLIV, Siddharth Roy Kapur’s Roy Kapur Films has revealed eight more series in development and production for 2022-23. Vishnuvardhan, director of war film “Shershaah,” the highest streamed Indian film on Amazon Prime Video in 2021, will make his series directorial debut with a

A cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that pulled in an estimated $4 billion worldwide is getting the documentary treatment. Sky Germany, the U.K.’s Channel 4 and super-indie Fremantle are backing a three-part doc series about the con, which was spearheaded by the mysterious Dr. Ruja Ignatova, who is still on the run from law enforcement officials. “Crypto

Scandinavia’s leading streamer Viaplay has ordered “End of Summer,” a psychological thriller based Anders de la Motte’s bestselling Swedish novel of the same name. Jens Jonsson (“Young Wallander”) and Henrik Georgsson (“The Bridge”) are on board to direct the series which is penned by Björn Carlström (“Jägarna”) and Stefan Thunberg (“Wallander’) as head writers. Per

Wife and husband team Rebecca Romijn (“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”) and Jerry O’Connell (“The Talk”) will co-host CBS’ upcoming reality series “The Real Love Boat,” the network announced Tuesday. Inspired by the ’70s scripted series “The Love Boat,” “The Real Love Boat” is a dating show that sees contestants mingling on a luxury cruise