Bomani Jones, the versatile ESPN personality who has gained traction with appearances on shows like “Highly Questionable” and “Around the Horn,” has found a new outlet for his work. But it’s not ESPN. It’s HBO. HBO has ordered a new, weekly late-night series with Jones at its center that will go into production in New
Television
“The Crown” alum Claire Foy will play Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg in a scripted series adaptation based on Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang’s New York Times bestselling book “An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination.” The drama, entitled “Doomsday Machine,” hails from Anonymous Content (“Spotlight,” “Mr. Robot”) and wiip (“Mare of Easttown”),
A fight for answers as to why their children were battling rare cancers forms the crux of “In the Dark of the Valley,” the newest acquisition by MSNBC Films, a nascent unit that hopes to build the cable-news network’s pipeline of longform projects. The documentary tells the story of a mother in southern California who
Steve Carell is set to star in the limited series “The Patient” at FX, which hails from “The Americans” team Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg. FX has ordered ten half-hour episodes of the series. The show is described as a psychological thriller about psychotherapist Alexander Strauss (Carell), who finds himself held prisoner by a serial
Jeff Perry has joined the cast of Tom McCarthy’s upcoming drama pilot at ABC. As Stanley, Perry joins previously announced cast member Hilary Swank, who stars as another journalist who moves to Alaska for a fresh start at a daily metro newspaper in Anchorage after making a big career mistake. Stanley is a fellow journalist
Rashida Jones learned a while ago to live with pressure. At the tail end of the runup to the 2020 presidential election, Jones was the NBC News executive supervising two of the most scrutinized events in a chaotic news cycle. First came a town hall meeting between anchor Savannah Guthrie and then-president Donald Trump, a
The Paley Center for Media has selected the inaugural class for its Peter Roth Internship Program. The program named for the longtime Warner Bros. Television chief aims to help nurture a new generation of television leaders in the spirit of the executive known for his support of innovative storytelling, diverse creative voices and his overall
“Ummm.” Monica Lewinsky takes a long pause. “I know this is going to sound weird. It’s a totally legitimate question. I don’t know how to answer that.” She thinks about it before finally saying: “In some ways, I just feel too close to it.” Lewinsky is speaking about her experience with Bill Clinton, and responding
“Succession” writer Lucy Prebble and “His Dark Materials” and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” writer Jack Thorne did not mince their words while reacting to the proposed rules for ‘Britishness’ in content that were suggested in September. The rules, which were proposed by John Whittingdale, then Minister for Media and Data, just before he
Animation maestro Jorge Gutierrez’s “Maya and the Three” stands out as not only the most ambitious project of his career, but one of Netflix’s most exciting experiments since diving headlong into animation a few years back. One of the streamer’s first announced animated originals, “Maya” will receive high-profile premieres at the Guadalajara International Film Festival
Comcast-owned British broadcaster Sky has unveiled Sky Glass, a new streaming television and “innovation platform.” The almost entirely wireless television is a large screen that can be installed swiftly and only requires an Internet connection to operate — dispensing with the need for a satellite dish or cable box. The service will amalgamate shows and
Dave Chappelle is drawing a growing wave of criticism for his derogatory comments about the LGBTQ+ community in his newest Netflix stand-up special. The special, titled “The Closer,” premiered on the streamer on Tuesday and is meant to serve as a final entry in a series of stand-up routines by Chappelle on Netflix. In the
Fuller Goldsmith, a young chef who competed on Bravo’s “Top Chef Junior” and Food Network’s “Chopped Junior,” has died following a long battle with cancer. He was 17. The news was first confirmed by “Top Chef Junior” production company Magical Elves on its Instagram on Wednesday. “We are devastated after hearing about the loss of
“Better Things” will come to an end with its upcoming fifth season on FX, Variety has confirmed. Pamela Adlon created “Better Things” in addition to starring in, directing, and executive producing the series. Season 5 is currently filming, with its debut slated for 2022. The show tells the story of Sam Fox (Adlon), a single
Daytime TV veteran Talia Parkinson-Jones has been named the new executive producer of the fourth hour of NBC’s “Today” show, placing a new supervisor atop an hour that helps the network reach critical morning audiences. Parkinson-Jones will oversee an hour that is anchored by Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. She is slated to take
Could “Squid Game” beat the most challenging TV contest of them all? The Korean-language survival drama, which has quickly become one of the most-watched Netflix series of all time, is indeed eligible for Primetime Emmy consideration, the Television Academy confirmed to Variety. According to an Academy spokesperson, because “Squid Game” was produced under guidance from
Anders Jensen, the sleek and mild-mannered president and CEO of Nent Group, has transformed the company’s Scandinavian streamer, Viaplay, into Netflix’s biggest European competitor since taking its helm in 2018. Jensen, who describes himself as a “content nerd,” is the recipient of Variety’s Vanguard Award, which will be presented at Mipcom in Cannes this year.
Melissa Gorga, a veteran of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” has signed with the talent agency Buchwald. Gorga recently wrapped production on the Bravo show’s 12th season. Gorga has been on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” since 2011, when she and her husband, Joe Gorga, joined the cast — much to the anger
Odetta Watkins has been hired by Amazon for the newly created role of head of drama series, the streamer announced Wednesday. In her new role, Watkins will report to Laura Lancaster, head of series for Amazon Studios. She will help shepherd a drama slate that currently includes shows like “Jack Ryan,” “The Wilds,” and “Hunters.”
SPOILER WARNING: Do not read if you haven’t seen Season 1, Episode 9 of “What If…?” currently streaming on Disney Plus. If there were any question of how deep Marvel Studios was willing to dive into its multiverse, then consider the breathless Season 1 finale of the company’s first animated series, “What If…?” In Wednesday’s
Debra Moore Muñoz, a co-executive producer and writer on FX’s “Mayans M.C.,” has signed an overall deal with FX Productions. She will develop new content for FX through her company, Apogee Films, Inc. Muñoz is a first-generation Mexican-American who was born and raised in Los Angeles. She attended Columbia University in New York City, then
Interior designer and television personality Bobby Berk has a new gig at Netflix: hosting the holiday edition of “Blown Away,” Variety has learned exclusively. “Blown Away” Christmas” is a holiday season on the glass-blowing competition series that has aired for two seasons on Netflix. The four-part special will launch on Friday, Nov. 19. Berk is
It’s just a few days before Uzo Aduba begins rehearsals of “Clyde’s,” a new Broadway production from writer Lynn Nottage and director Kate Whoriskey. In the play, Aduba stars as Clyde, the owner of a truck-stop sandwich shop staffed by formerly incarcerated people. “Clyde’s,” with a cast that also includes Ron Cephas Jones, Reza Salazar,
As far as hangout sitcoms go, throwing a misfit group of ghosts from completely different time periods together in one crumbling old house is a smart way to get new mileage out of a time-worn concept. It’s no wonder that CBS, by way of former “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” producers Joe Port and Joe Wiseman, seized
Talent agency WME is restructuring its comedy representation group to put a bigger emphasis on crossover — hustling opportunities for its funny people across touring, TV, film, publishing and endorsements. Mike Berkowitz, an industry leader in the comedy touring space who joined WME from APA in 2018, will co-lead the new group with Allysa Mahler,
CAMPAIGN The U.K. Film and TV Charity launched a year-long campaign on Wednesday to tackle the mental health challenges facing the industry. The “Let’s Reset” campaign is designed to tackle the stigma still associated with mental health by challenging common preconceptions, improving attitudes and behaviors across the industry, and by demonstrating the benefits of healthier,
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched the Oct. 5 finale of “Bachelor in Paradise.” The beach closed and summer came to an end during “Bachelor in Paradise’s” three-hour finale. Eight men and 10 women were left at the top of the episode, and the final pairs were presented with three options
During the season finale of “Bachelor in Paradise,” ABC dropped even more drama: a sneak peek at Season 18 of “The Bachelorette.” The upcoming season will star Michelle Young, a contestant who emerged as a fan-favorite from Matt James’ season of “The Bachelor” in early 2021. Young, a school teacher, was announced as the future
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched “The Long and Winding Road,” the third episode of “The Resident” Season 5. The third episode of the fifth season of “The Resident” finally fully answered how Nic (Emily VanCamp) would be written out of the Fox drama: She was killed off. The actor’s exit
If broadcast network TV is supposed to be dead, no one told Dick Wolf. The procedural maven’s eight shows across NBC and CBS are proving to be a viewership powerhouse for the two networks as the new TV season gets underway, cementing Wolf’s expanding dominance in primetime. It’s also perhaps why NBC felt the time