Television

On a night of overwhelming inspiration and the in-person return to Variety‘s Power of Women celebration, host Chelsea Peretti brought some much-needed levity. The stand-up comic and “Brooklyn Nine Nine” star played emcee for the Thursday event, where she loosened up a crowd of honorees including Lorde, Amanda Gorman, Katy Perry, Warner Bros. executive Channing

U.S. TV distributor Dynamic Television has picked up worldwide distribution rights to Australian crime thriller series “Savage River.” The show, about a female ex-con who is accused of a fresh murder, is directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse (“The Dressmaker,” “Stateless”) and stars Katherine Langford (“Thirteen Reasons Why,” “Knives Out”). The 6×57 minute series is co-created by

The creators of “Cobra Kai” and yes Studios have teamed to develop a followup to the Israeli mockumentary series “Red Band,” Variety has learned exclusively. “Cobra Kai” creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald will executive produce the new series, titled “The New Red,” under their Counterbalance Entertainment banner. Counterbalance’s head of development, Dina Hillier,

The FX series adaptation of the James Clavell novel “Shōgun” has rounded out its main cast. Anna Sawai has been cast in the lead role of Lady Mariko, joining previously announced leads Cosmo Jarvis and Hiroyuki Sanada. In addition, the ensemble cast will now also include: Tadanobu Asano, Fumi Nikaido, Tokuma Nishioka, Takehiro Hira, Ako,

Billionaire businessman Marc Lasry, who had just been named chairman of Ozy Media earlier this month, is the latest figure to cut ties with the crumbling organization. In a statement, Lasry said he would continue to be an investor in Ozy, but he felt he didn’t have the skills necessary to steer the company out

MyPillow, the direct-response sleep-support company led by entrepreneur Mike Lindell, has made a new bed for itself on Fox News Channel. A national commercial for MyPillow was spotted on Fox News Thursday, roughly two months after the company disclosed that it had sought to pull all of its advertising from schedules on the Fox Corp.-backed

The “True Lies” pilot at CBS is building out its supporting cast. Omar Miller, Erica Hernandez, and Mike O’Gorman have all joined the drama pilot. Variety previously exclusively reported that Steve Howey and Ginger Gonzaga would star in the pilot, which is based on the film of the same name. Like the film, main character Harry

After finishing a two-decade tenure as an executive at the Sundance Institute, Bird Runningwater has signed a first-look deal with Amazon Studios, where he will produce television and film projects for Amazon Prime Video. A member of the Cheyenne and Mescalero Apache Tribal Nations, Runningwater has been at the Sundance Institute since 2001 as the

“BMF” has been renewed for Season 2 at Starz. The series debuted just four days ago on Sept. 26. Per Starz, it was the number one premiere of the year on the Starz app and also did well on OTT platforms in the early numbers. “BMF” is inspired by the true story of two brothers

IMDb TV released the official trailer for courtroom series “Judy Justice.” The new series premieres Nov. 1 and marks the judge’s return to the televised bench. The reality court program, presided over by Judge Judy Sheindlin, adjudicates real-life cases filed from all over the country. Joining Judge Sheindlin in the courtroom are bailiff Kevin Rasco,

Freeform has ordered a half-hour comedy series called “Everything’s Trash” from executive producer and writer Phoebe Robinson and Jonathan Groff. Robinson, known for her podcast and HBO series “2 Dope Queens” as well as serving as a writer on “Portlandia,” will star as Phoebe, a 30-something podcaster with a messy life who’s trying to figure

In the middle of the night, a young woman grabs her daughter and runs, using what little gas is left in her car to flee her abusive partner. That’s the way “Maid,” a new drama on Netflix, starts, as Margaret Qualley’s Alex runs from her daughter’s brutish father (Nick Robinson). What the show does well,

Fremantle has completed its previously announced acquisition of 12 production labels in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark from Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group). The RTL Group-owned “Got Talent” producer will use their new assets — 12 companies in all across Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark — to form Fremantle Nordics. The Scandinavian NENT Group had its unscripted

U.K. broadcaster BBC Two has pre-bought historical drama “Marie Antoinette,” created and written by Deborah Davis (“The Favourite”). The eight-part series tells the story of the modern and avant-garde young queen, played by Emilia Schüle (“Ku’damm 63”), who was barely 14 years old when she left Austria to marry the Dauphin of France. Growing from

Model and actor Lily Rose-Depp will star in “The Idol,” an HBO drama series co-created by singer/songwriter The Weeknd (Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) and “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson. Per the logline, “The Idol” is about a female pop singer who starts a romance with an enigmatic club owner (who happens to be the leader of a

As Dog the Bounty Hunter makes his way back into the news by chasing down Brian Laundrie — the person of interest after his fiancée, Gabby Petito, was found dead in Wyoming — he’s also plotting his return to TV. Thinkfactory Media, the producers behind WE TV’s “Marriage Boot Camp” and “Mama June: From Not

“The Wire’s” Felicia Pearson and Ed Burns are teaming up to develop a limited series based on Pearson’s life, Variety has learned exclusively. The show is currently titled “A.K.A. Snoop” and would delve into the hardship Pearson endured growing up in Baltimore. Burns and Pearson are co-writing the series. Burns will executive produce along with Philip

HBO Max announced that “Scoobtober” programming will begin Oct. 1 on HBO Max and Cartoon Network, featuring over 17 hours of Scooby-Doo content with new celebrity guests on the animated series including Cher, Sean Astin, Jessic Biel, Terry Bradshaw, Lucy Liu, Jason Sudeikis and Run DMC. The lineup includes new episodes of “Scooby-Doo and Guess

FX announced that the pilot based on Octavia Butler’s 1979 science fiction novel “Kindred” has cast Micah Stock, Ryan Kwanten, Gayle Rankin, Austin Smith, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy and David Alexander Kaplan as series regulars. They join previously announced cast member Mallori Johnson, who will play the lead role of Dana, a young Black writer who finds

“American Crime Story: Impeachment” posed a unique challenge for Monica Lewinsky. The activist and writer had to navigate two different roles on the FX anthology series, which chronicles Bill Clinton’s 1998 impeachment following allegations that he committed perjury and obstructed justice related to an affair in the Oval Office. First, Lewinsky is the subject of

Ginger Gonzaga will star opposite Steve Howey in the “True Lies” pilot at CBS, Variety has learned exclusively. Gonzaga will star as Helen, the role played in the “True Lies” film by Jamie Lee Curtis. Variety previously exclusively reported that Howey would star as Harry, who was played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film. Helen is

Katie Nolan, who captured attention in recent years for her facility with digital sports media, has left ESPN about four years after jumping to the Disney sports outlet from Fox Sports. Nolan on Wednesday released a statement on social media telling followers that “I no longer work at ESPN. I’m really grateful for my time

“La Brea,” NBC’s newest drama series centered on the aftermath of a massive sinkhole mysteriously appearing in Los Angeles, which literally and figuratively tears a family apart, debuted on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. with solid primetime premiere numbers. The show, hailing from Universal Television and written and executive produced by David Applebaum, dragged in

HBO Max has released the trailer and key art for “Love Life,” slated to return for its sophomore season on Oct. 28. Emmy nominee and executive producer William Jackson Harper, best known for his role as Chidi Anagonye on NBC’s “The Good Place,” will lead the anthology series, which had previously focused on the character

Onyx Collective on Hulu has greenlit the legal drama “Reasonable Doubt” starring Emayatzy Corinealdi in their first scripted series order, Variety has learned. The series was originally reported as being in development at Onyx Collective back in July after having previously been in the works at ABC. “Reasonable Doubt” will be executive produced by Kerry Washington

Iberseries Platino Industria guests got a sneak peek at the first episode of “Codigo Implacable,” the first TV series in a production alliance between Sony Pictures TV (SPT) and The Mediapro Studio. Execs from both companies and some members of its stellar cast, led by Paulina Gaitan, presided over the press conference after its screening.

Chilean bio-musical series “Los Prisioneros” had its European debut at Madrid’s inaugural Iberseries Platino Industria on Sept. 28 where it screened in the event’s Chapter One sidebar. Taking place in the mid ‘80s, the eight-episode show kicks off with the titular iconic band Los Prisioneros playing their sardonic protest songs to a rowdy, unappreciative crowd.

In the biggest news to come out of Iberseries Platino Industria, L.A., Miami and Madrid-based Secuoya Studios and Telemundo Streaming Studios are joining forces to co-develop, co-produce and co-finance multiple fiction projects through to 2023. Sequoya Group’s content production arm, Sequoya Studios, leapt to prominence in April 2020 when appointing James Costos, a former HBO

U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has commissioned “Suspect” (working title), an adaptation of Christoffer Boe’s hit Danish series “Forhøret.” The 8 x 30’ drama stars James Nesbitt (“Bloodlands”), Joely Richardson (“The Tudors”), Anne-Marie Duff (“Sex Education”), Richard E. Grant (“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”), Ben Miller (“Bridgerton”), Niamh Algar (“Deceit”), Antonia Thomas (“Small Axe”), Sacha

Anders Jensen, president and CEO of Nordic Entertainment Group, has been selected to receive the Variety Vanguard Award for contributions to the global television business. Jensen will be feted on Oct. 11 at the global content conference and market, which runs Oct. 8 to Oct. 13. Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT) has become one of Scandinavia’s