Television

As CNN’s many journalists tried to delve into the ouster of Jeff Zucker,  but ran up against one of their biggest professional hurdles: a source who refuses to talk. Some of WarnerMedia’s best-known on-air personalities pressed the company’s CEO Jason Kilar again and again on Monday, asking him to divulge more details around why Zucker

Production in Australia’s Victoria state has begun on “Savage River,” a six-part crime thriller being directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the U.S. distributor Dynamic Television. The show, about a female ex-con who is accused of a fresh murder in her small-town home, stars Katherine Langford (“Thirteen Reasons Why,” “Knives Out”).

Apple has ordered the dark comedy series “Sunny” with Rashida Jones set to star, Variety has confirmed. The 10-episode series is based on the book “Dark Manual” by Colin O’Sullivan. In the half-hour show, Jones stars as Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, whose life is upended when her husband and son disappear in

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. You’ll feel slick as a spy in Hunter’s newest “Killing Eve”-inspired boots. The limited-edition collection was released today ahead of the hit BBC series’ final season, which premieres Feb. 27. The four-piece capsule features

Ashleigh Murray is set to star as Zenzi Fullington in “Tom Swift,” the CW’s upcoming spinoff of “Nancy Drew.” She stars opposite Tian Richards, who plays the titular character as previously announced. Zenzi is described as “efficient and effervescent, but nobody’s fool. She’s been Tom’s best friend since childhood and considers him family – and

I’ve always had difficulty understanding where I fit in Black History Month. What do I represent? What communities do I belong to? And are they reflected in the narrative of the celebration? I think about the many unsung Black women who’ve paved the way throughout history, like Pauli Murray who spoke up for civil rights

Apple TV Plus has greenlit “Mrs. American Pie,” a new comedy series starring Kristen Wiig. Laura Dern executive produces and is eyeing a key role. Set in the early ‘70s, “Mrs. American Pie” follows Maxine Simmons (Wiig) as she attempts to secure her place within the high society of Palm Beach. As she navigates the

Hugh Hefner was revolutionary. Praised for his part in the sexual revolution of the 1960s, the Playboy founder was ahead of his time as an early proponent of gay rights, abortion and birth control. He was progressive with inclusion at his company when racism was rampant. But, according to a new docuseries, Hefner was also

Alex Wagner is returning to MSNBC. Wagner, who anchored a noontime hour on MSNBC before moving out as the network placed new emphasis on covering breaking news in daytime hours, will work as a senior political analyst adn guest anchor for the NBCUniversal-backed outlet. She joins as many big TV-news organizations are gearing up for

The variety game show “That’s My Jam” has been renewed for Season 2 at NBC, Variety has learned. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon, the hourlong music and comedy variety game show draws inspiration from popular “Tonight Show” games. Each episode features two teams of two celebrities competing for a charity of their choice in a series

Singer/songwriter Rita Ora has joined the cast of Disney Plus’ upcoming ‘Beauty and The Beast’ prequel. The news was announced Monday during Disney Branded Television’s session at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour. On the “Beauty and the Beast” (working title) prequel, Ora will star as “a fugitive with surprising abilities who carries with

Nielsen will be shining a light on representation by elevating the visibility of diverse-owned media companies and their influence in local markets with advertisers and agencies via its newly launched Diverse Media Equity Program. In collaboration with Procter & Gamble (P&G), Nielsen has created a reimbursement fund with the National Minority Supplier Development Council that

National Geographic announced a slate of more than a dozen upcoming original programs Monday, all of which are produced by the brand but will debut exclusively on Disney Plus — not on the Nat Geo cable channel. But despite the shift, Nat Geo content president Courteney Monroe promised that it’s not a sign that the

Entertainment Master Class (EMC), established in 2005 as a new platform for peer-to-peer TV industry education, has launched the Showrunner Society, a hybrid online/in-person community for showrunners and media executives. The first face-to-face masterclass is planned for this summer, hosted in Germany with supported from film funding agency Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. Described by EMD

As Americans chow down on buffalo wings, beer, quesadillas, and chips, during the Super Bowl Unilever thinks it’s found a flavor that will help them swallow a serious message. The company is sending its venerable Hellmann’s  mayonnaise back into the Super Bowl ad fray in a second effort to use the Big Game to get

PARALYMPICS U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has revealed a disabled presenting team for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, who will present on the ground in China. Award-winning presenter Ade Adepitan will front the daily highlights show, with former rugby player Ed Jackson and Paralympic champion triathlete Lauren Steadman presenting the “Breakfast Show.” Recently retired Paralympic

The future of long-running Australian soap opera “Neighbours” is in question following its cancellation by ViacomCBS-owned U.K. broadcaster Channel 5. The soap, produced by Fremantle and now in its 37th season, is watched by 1.5 million viewers a day in the U.K. but Variety understands that its Australian audience is on the wane. Although “Neighbours”

The Edinburgh TV Festival is set to return with a live edition for the first time since 2019. The popular TV event confirmed on Monday that it’s planning for an in-person festival from Aug. 24-26. Sponsored by YouTube and Screen Scotland, the Edinburgh confab is one of the key dates in the U.K. TV industry

Leading entertainment format producer Claire O’Donohoe has joined Banijay U.K. as director of programs. O’Donohoe will work closely with her long-time creative collaborator Natalka Znak, the newly appointed CEO of group companies Remarkable, Initial, and ZnakTV, a company Znak set up in 2021 after departing Sky-backed outfit Znak & Co. O’Donohoe has some two decades

Australian streaming service Stan has renewed its exclusive content partnership with Hollywood studio MGM. The deal covers series and film titles. First-run MGM series featured covered by the agreement include: “Billy the Kid,” an epic romantic-adventure series from MGM’s U.S. cable network Epix; “The Box,” a supernatural psychological thriller starring Anna Friel; and the French-Riviera-set

Julian Fowles, a film and television producer who worked at KCET and Esparza/Katz Productions, died in a hospital in Miami, Flor. on Saturday while recovering from a stroke. He was 76 years old. Fowles’ death was confirmed to Variety by his colleague William Immerman. Before operating in entertainment, Fowles graduated from Harvard Law School and worked as

Versatile Finnish helmer A.J. Annila (“Sauna,” “Shadow Lines,” “Peacemaker”) is on board to direct the thriller series with a working title of “ID” which marks HBO Max’s first commission of a Finnish premium TV show. Set in the art fraud world, the six-part series is co-created by seasoned writer Aleksi Bardy (“Tom of Finland,” “Moscow

Shaun White has announced his official retirement from competitive snowboarding, with Beijing 2022 marking not only his last time on the Olympic stage, but also in any official competition. “It will be my last competition, which is pretty special,” White told a news conference in Zhangjiakou, China on Saturday, according to the official Olympic website.

NBC Sports says 16 million viewers tuned in to watch the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday, an all-time low for Olympic ceremonies on linear television. That’s around 43% down compared to the 28.3 million viewers that watched the PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony in February 2018. Friday’s torch-lighting in Beijing aired live

After years of airing on BET, the annual “Super Bowl Gospel Celebration” special will be available this year on streaming platforms Amazon and IMDB TV as well as broadcast channels Bounce and ION TV. Now in its 23rd year, the special offers NFL players the opportunity to talk about their spiritual lives, in addition to

CBS has given out a pilot order to a drama about convicts that fight wildfires in California. Titled “Cal Fire,” the potential series focuses on young convict Bode Donovan. Seeking redemption and a shortened sentence, he joins a firefighting program that returns him to his small Northern California hometown, where he and other inmates work

Spoiler alert: This piece contains spoilers for Part 1 of Season 4 of “Ozark,” currently streaming on Netflix. As “Ozark” barrels toward its bloody conclusion, the drama series introduced a new and terrifying antagonist for Marty and Wendy Byrde (Jason Bateman and Laura Linney), the money-laundering couple at the center of the show’s criminality and

NBC has placed drama pilot orders for “The Brave” creator Dean Georgaris’ “Blank Slate” and an adaptation of the novel “Predictably Irrational.” Written by Georgaris, “Blank Slate” follows Special Agent Alexander McCoy, a legend in law enforcement, the agent we all hope is out there, the agent we’d all like to be, per the project’s

The Church of Scientology has argued that a California appeals court made a mistake when it granted members a “sweeping and unbounded” right to leave the church. The California Court of Appeal ruled on Jan. 20 that church members cannot be bound to a perpetual agreement to resolve disputes before a religious arbitration panel after

The new “Goosebumps” TV series has been picked up by Disney Plus, Variety has learned exclusively. The new series version of the beloved R.L. Stine books was first reported as being in the works in April 2020. Disney Plus has given the show a 10-episode order. The series follows a group of five high schoolers who