Television

Very few The Mediapro Studio shows, indeed very few Spanish series in general, have lit a fire on the open market like “The Head,” an Antarctic-set thriller which lifts off as a murder mystery to constantly evolve into other realms.  Starring Álvaro Morte, “Money Heist’s” Professor and Japanese pop idol Tomohisa Yamashita, written by Alex

UGC, the long-running French film studio whose biggest hits include “Amelie Poulain,” has successful branched into TV series by acquiring stakes in a flurry of talent-driven production companies such as Itineraire Productions (“HPI”) and Headline Pictures (“Call My Agent!’s” British remake) in the U.K. Opting for a different approach to Gaumont’s or large media groups

A wider representation of gender roles, more training opportunities for women filmmakers, and reaching out to women audiences are all ways forward to promote women-centric stories in Southeast Asian cinema, say women filmmakers from the region. The lively discussion involving Thai-American director Pailin Wedel (“Hope Frozen”), Indonesian actor Marissa Anita (“Ali & Ratu Ratu Queens”),

At a time when journalists are under attack in many parts of the world and the odious term “fake news” has become part of the global lexicon, Spain’s Mediacrest presents the topical drama series “Fake” at a key event in France-based Series Mania, the invitation-only Spain Pitching Breakfast, on Thursday. Leading the charge is industry

Jana McKinnon, Markella Kavenagh and Yerin Ha have joined the cast of Australian TV series “Bad Behaviour.” Filming of the four-part show, which is adapted from the acclaimed book of the same name by writer Rebecca Starford, has now completed in Victoria, Australia. It is expected to play on Australian streaming platform Stan later this

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 7, Episode 3, of “The Masked Singer,” “The Double Unmasking — Round 1 Finals,” which aired March 23 on Fox. Nope, the unmasking we’re all dreading still didn’t happen in Week 3 of “The Masked Singer,” as two more celebrities exited the show

Bruce Tuchman-backed Rialto International has launched a branded on-demand streaming service in Japan, focused on independent film, and housed on Amazon’s Prime Video Channels platform. Rialto Channel launched in 1999 in New Zealand, where it was initially branded as The Sundance Channel. It established itself as an award-winning and industry-leading indie film destination for over

Ron Perlman sent a video message to Ted Cruz on Twitter in which the “Hellboy” actor slammed the Texas senator for his questions at the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Ketanji Brown Jackson. On March 22, the second day of Jackson’s confirmation hearings to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court, Cruz questioned Jackson

Marvel’s upcoming series “Moon Knight” features four of six episodes directed by Mohamed Diab, the Egyptian screenwriter and filmmaker best known for his feature directorial debut “Cairo 678” and his 2021 Venice world premiere “Amira.” The Marvel series incorporates elements of Ancient Egyptian mythology in telling the story of Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac), a mercenary

After a six month search, “Wheel of Fortune” has found a new executive producer in Bellamie Blackstone, who takes the helm of the show as it heads into its  40th anniversary season. Blackstone’s appointment also closes the book on the Mike Richards era of “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy.” A former executive producer of “The

Paramount Plus has released the official trailer for “The Offer,” the upcoming drama miniseries that chronicles the making of “The Godfather.” Set in the early 1970s, “The Offer” stars Miles Teller as Albert S. Ruddy, who is hired as the producer for the film adaptation of the best-selling novel “The Godfather,” written by Mario Puzo

Apple TV Plus announced that Gabrielle Union will star in Season 3 of the Octavia Spencer-led anthology drama series “Truth Be Told.” Union plays Eva, an outspoken high school principal. “Truth Be Told” follows Spencer as Poppy Scoville, a true crime podcaster who risks everything — including her life — to pursue the truth. Season

Chris O’Donnell was on set at “NCIS: Los Angeles,” checking his emails, when co-star LL Cool J started looking over his shoulder. O’Donnell happened to be reading about a reality TV idea that his buddy Reinout Oerlemans had just pitched. The concept is what would become “Come Dance With Me,” a new family-oriented dance competition

Australian streaming service Stan has struck a television development alliance with Hollywood mini-studio Lionsgate. The deal is in addition to the content supply agreement that the pair hatched last year. Stan and Lionsgate announced the megachurch family drama series “Prosper,” drama series “The Geography of Friendship” and outback comedy crime series “Population: 11” as the

Natasha Henstridge is joining The CW’s “Charmed” in a recurring role, Variety has learned exclusively. Henstridge will appear as Diana. Described as confident, strong, and wry-witted, Diana is another Whitelighter, when it was believed that Harry (Rupert Evans) was the only one left. Diana seeks Harry out in the hopes that he can help her escape

ABC has picked up the new unscripted series “Claim to Fame,” co-hosted by siblings Kevin and Frankie Jonas. The reality show will follow 12 celebrity relatives as they step out from their famous family’s shadows and move into the same house, attempting to keep their identity secret. The cast will form alliances and compete in

Fox Corporation wants Madison Avenue to understand that Fox News doesn’t always mean hard-news content. As the company’s biggest generator of operating profit expands into weather news and lifestyle shows, its ad-tech division is offering new tools aimed at helping advertisers find the exact types of digital content they want to support. Fox Corp. on

Taraji P. Henson’s TPH Entertainment has signed a new overall deal with BET Studios. Under the new pact, Henson and TPH Entertainment will partner with the studio venture, which supplies content to Paramount Plus, Showtime, CBS, Nickelodeon, BET Plus and BET, as well as select third-party platforms. Launched in September 2021, BET Studios was designed

“Is bigger generally better?” was one of the hot button topics being debated at a Series Mania panel on Wednesday and the answer in general was there is always room for growth in a rapidly expanding market, albeit with some caveats. Weighing in on the topic were the heads of Europe-based companies, each of which

Jimmy Smits has signed on to the CBS drama pilot “East New York,” Variety has learned. Smits joins previously announced series lead Amanda Warren in the pilot, along with fellow cast members Ruben Santiago Hudson, Richard Kind, Lavel Schley, and Olivia Luccardi. In the pilot, Regina Haywood (Warren) is the newly promoted deputy inspector of East

The Series Mania TV fest and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) have forged a strategic alliance that aims to deepen already strong existing industry ties between Europe and Taiwan. Under this partnership, Series Mania and TAICCA will jointly organize co-production workshops for project teams to pitch at Series Mania. Conversely, top European TV execs will

On Tuesday, employees of the Walt Disney Company rallied in person and online in protest of the company’s response to a raft of anti-LGBTQ legislation that have either passed or are in the works in several state legislatures across the country. Some Disney employees, however, still had to work, especially those promoting “Moon Knight,” the

“Star Wars” fans are still talking about Luke Skywalker’s return in the penultimate episode of “The Book of Boba Fett,” and they’re still talking about his voice. In the episode, CGI Young Luke trains Grogu the ways of the Jedi. But Mark Hamill did not return to record any dialogue. Instead, Ukrainian company Respeecher was

Veteran sportscaster Mike Tirico will join NBC’s “” booth next fall, pairing up with analyst Cris Collinsworth in the latest shake up among the announcers who call the plays of TV’s most-watched sport. Tirico fills a spot left vacant by the departure of Al Michaels, who is expected to join Amazon to call “Thursday Night

Ticking multiple boxes, and a competition frontrunner,  “Paradys” walked off on Tuesday night with the Series Mania Forum Best Project Award, the biggest industry plaudit at one of Europe’s largest TV festivals. A novel crime drama “Paradys” is produced by South Africa’s Quizzical Pictures and Keshet International, which also handles international distribution. The project was

“The Love Boat” soon will be making another run, promising something for everyone — but this time as a reality dating series. CBS and its sister Australian broadcaster Network 10 have both ordered local versions of “The Real Love Boat,” set to air in the U.S. and Australia later this year. The show is exactly

“All American,” “The Flash,” “Kung Fu,” “Nancy Drew,” “Riverdale,” “Superman & Lois” and “Walker” have all been renewed at The CW. “As we prepare for the 2022-23 season, these scripted series, along with the alternative series we renewed earlier, will serve as the start of a solid foundation utilizing some of our most-watched series for

CBS is restructuring its business affairs operations to expand the duties of Allison Brightman and Jeeun Kim, who currently serve as the executive vice president co-heads of the unit for CBS Entertainment and CBS Studios, to include CBS Sports, CBS News & Stations and CBS Media ventures, Variety has learned. This will put Brightman and

The final episodes of “Grace and Frankie” will premiere April 29, Netflix announced Tuesday. Created by Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris, “Grace and Frankie” stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as the title characters, two very different women who have disliked each other for years, even though their husbands Robert (Martin Sheen) and Sol

SND is teaming up with Easy Riders Films to develop a premium limited series loosely based on “The Family,” Suzanne Privat’s best-selling investigative book on a French cult which has existed for more than 200 years. “The Family” is penned by rising French screenwriter Clémence Madeleine-Perdrillat, whose recent credits include “Nona and Her Daughters,” as