Kenton Allen, CEO of London-based outfit Big Talk Productions, has plenty to be pleased about. For the next two weeks, the company he has headed for over a decade will be dominating the Monday night primetime slot on BBC One in the U.K. First, at 8:30 p.m., with “The Goes Wrong Show,” and then at
Television
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched “Reunited Okay?!,” the fifth season premiere of “Insecure.” For the last few weeks, “Insecure” star and co-creator Issa Rae has been focused on toasting the end of the show, basking in the last few moments when the final season is known only to her and
Not all drug barons are South American. One who managed to stay largely out of the limelight while he built a global empire was southern Chinese-born Tse Chi Lop who was arrested in Amsterdam earlier this year after building a $60 billion empire. Discovery is to launch documentary feature “The World’s Biggest Druglord – Tse
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you haven’t watched “Mass in Time of War,” the second episode of the third season of HBO’s “Succession.” The longest week of the Roys’ lives continues into “Mass in Time of War.” Like the season premiere before it, this episode picks up almost directly where the last left off,
James Michael Tyler, an actor beloved for his portrayal of Gunther on “Friends,” died of prostate cancer on Sunday morning, his manager confirmed to Variety. He was 59. Tyler died peacefully in his Los Angeles home. The actor was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in September 2018. Tyler shared his story earlier this year on
Just 24 hours ahead of the fifth and final season premiere of “Insecure,” creator and star Issa Rae welcomed hundreds of fans gathered at the parking-lot-turned-venue of Hilltop’s Coffee and Kitchen in L.A. for Insecure Fest — a five-hour live musical celebration of the show. “I gotta shout out Hilltop for hosting this in the
Jason Sudeikis reprised the role of Vice President Joe Biden in the “Saturday Night Live” cold open alongside James Austin Johnson’s President Joe Biden. President Biden lamented the “ice cold Psaki bomb” that his recent CNN town hall received very low viewership while his approval rating was down singnificantly. “I don’t understand,” he said. “People
At the premiere of HBO’s inimitable comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm’s,” 11th season, creator and star Larry David dutifully, charmingly performed the requisite press line interviews with nary a hint of his onscreen alter ego’s curmudgeonly agitation, even gamely delivering a “Prettyyyyy, prettyyyyyyy, pretty good” byte to an Australian TV crew. But as he revealed to
George Lopez and his daughter Mayan Lopez are set to star in a multi-cam comedy that has been picked up to pilot at NBC. The series, titled “Lopez vs. Lopez,” originally received a put pilot order at the broadcaster in June. The show is described as a working-class family comedy about dysfunction, reconnection and all
As “Insecure” creator and star Issa Rae stepped onto the teal carpet for the hit HBO comedy’s final season premiere on Thursday night, a fog cloud rolled in — with the mist only adding to the feeling of nostalgia already in the air. The outdoor celebration could best be described as a scrapbook come to
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you haven’t watched the first three episodes of “Invasion,” Apple Plus’ new drama that premiered Friday, Oct. 22. Despite its ominous title, “Invasion” makes a slow burn out of revealing its basic premise. You’d know more about the new drama by reading its logline — “the series follows an
Both ABC and the former top producer of its “Good Morning America” have asked that a sexual-assault lawsuit filed against both of them be dismissed, citing New York’s statute of limitations on harassment claims and alleging the plaintiff in some parts has made charges that are inapplicable. A lawsuit filed in August in the Supreme
When executives at CBS Studios decided to dust off the not-too-distant IP of “The 4400,” a four-season drama about a group of people who were plucked from different places and time periods and returned at once, it was good news for Ariana Jackson. Jackson wasn’t the first producer to tackle such a project — a
Randall Einhorn and his Sad Unicorn banner have moved to Warner Bros. Television with a multi-year first-look deal, Variety has learned exclusively. Einhorn previously had an overall deal at ABC Signature. Earlier this year, he directed the pilot for the upcoming ABC comedy series “Abbott Elementary,” which is produced by WBTV and 20th Television. Under
In Jorge Gutierrez’s Netflix fantasy epic “Maya and the Three,” audiences are transported to a lush world of intricate design and carefully crafted mythology. The series, which dropped Oct. 22, follows Eagle warrior princess Maya of Teca (voiced by Zoe Saldana) as she teams up with three warriors from neighboring kingdoms to trek into the
Peter Scolari, who died Friday at 66, had a long and decorated acting career, with starring roles in “Bosom Buddies” and “Newhart.” But a late triumph — and the performance for which, for many, he’ll be most widely remembered — was his Emmy-winning turn on HBO’s “Girls.” As Tad, Hannah Horvath’s father, Scolari brought rare
NBC revealed a first look at Celina Smith as Annie in “Annie Live!,” which airs on Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. The image sees Smith wearing the titular orphan’s famous white-collared red dress, “holding hands” with the dog who will play Sandy in the production. Smith, who is 12 years old, was cast after NBC’s
Peter Scolari, who rose to stardom on the brilliant-but-canceled “Bosom Buddies” alongside Tom Hanks, died Friday morning at age 66 of cancer, after a two-year illness. His death was confirmed by his manager Ellen Lubin Sanitsky at Wright Entertainment. Scolari was a prolific actor, both on television and on Broadway. He won an Emmy in
The fifth and final season of “Insecure” begins with Issa (played by series co-creator Issa Rae) looking back: Her character chats with a college-era version of herself in the mirror, with young Issa wondering what the future will hold. It’s a clever way to recap how far the character has come since the show began. Her
Fourteen years ago, J.B. Smoove’s Leon moved in with Larry David on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and never looked back. Now, it’s hard to fathom that there was ever a season of that HBO comedy without him. Throughout the six seasons he has been on the show, Smoove brought his swagger and signature splash of improv
Controversial media personality Piers Morgan has quit U.K. broadcaster ITV’s “Life Stories” after 12 years. The show featured interviews with well-known celebrities, “BREAKING NEWS: I’m quitting Life Stories after 12 years and 100 shows. My final one will be with my fabulous friend @kategarraway and she will then present the remaining 3 planned shows of
Jodie Comer has won the Variety Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2021 Edinburgh TV awards. The award is in celebration of her work, which includes acclaimed U.K. dramas “Killing” Eve and “Help.” Channel 4’s critically acclaimed hit “It’s A Sin” and Netflix’s global smash “Lupin” were awarded the national and international drama accolades respectively. The
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched “The Skinner,” the Season 9 premiere of “The Blacklist.” “The Blacklist” has officially moved on from Liz Keen’s death. The NBC drama returned for its ninth season on Oct. 21 with the first episode since the exit of Megan Boone, who starred as the former
“Champaign ILL” featured rising stars Sam Richardson (“Veep”) and Adam Pally (“Happy Endings”) and garnered plenty of critical acclaim when it debuted. The series came from the minds behind popular comedies “Happy Endings” and “Black Monday.” Yet you probably never heard of it. Originally produced for YouTube Premium, the entire 10-episode season was released in
Brian Laundrie, the man wanted for questioning in the murder of his girlfriend Gabby Petito, has been confirmed dead. The Denver Division of the FBI confirmed on Twitter that remains found on Wednesday in Florida match his dental records. “On October 21, 2021, a comparison of dental records confirmed that the human remains found at
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” creators Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna are re-teaming on a comedy series currently in development at Hulu, Variety has learned. Titled “Badass (And Her Sister),” the series focuses on an impossibly badass spy (Bloom) who tires of her life of sexy espionage goes to live with her pushover twin sister (also played
The chief executive of United Talent Agency pushed back against a seeming rebuke by the head of rival Endeavor, noting that that the two could not merge because their cultures would not make for a good match. “We don’t fit the profile of the kind of companies he buys,” UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer said of
Hulu comedy “Dollface” has cast Owen Thiele in its upcoming second season, Variety has learned exclusively. Thiele will appear in the new season as Q, a new Woom employee who becomes the girls’ cooler and younger confidante. Season 2 does not currently have a premiere date, but is expected to debut in 2022. Thiele can currently
“Mythic Quest” has been renewed for Season 3 and 4 at Apple, Variety has learned. “Just like critics and audiences all over the world, we fell in love with Rob and his team’s sharp writing and full-of-heart, relatable characters that make up the world of ‘Mythic Quest,’” said Matt Cherniss, head of programming for Apple TV
CBS has given “Ghosts” a full season order for the 2021-22 broadcast season. The freshman comedy, which just premiered on Oct. 7, follows a young couple (played by Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar) who inherit a country estate and decide to move into it to fix it up to become a bed and breakfast. While