Television

Michael K. Williams commanded attention in the purest sense of the term. He didn’t ask for it, nor did he demand it. He simply had it, with a quiet determination and undeniable magnetism that inevitably made him an irresistible center of gravity. When he spoke, whether as himself or one of his indelible characters, people

Irma Kalish, a prolific comedy writer who blazed trails for women in television with a career that stretched from radio to 1980s sitcoms, died Monday in Woodland Hills due to complications from pneumonia. She was 96. Kalish worked on a wide range of series, from “My Favorite Martian” and “Gilligan’s Island” to “All in the

Vice TV had been in active production on Season 2 of Michael K. Williams’ unscripted series “Black Market” when the star was found dead on Monday, and according to insiders, much of it had already completed. The network declined comment on when the season might be ready for air, but is expected to regroup with

As the news broke on Monday that Michael K. Williams had died at age 54 after being found in his Brooklyn residence, stars took to social media to remember the actor who starred in shows like “The Wire” and “Boardwalk Empire.” Director Spike Lee paid tribute to Williams in an Instagram post, featuring a photo

Michael K. Williams, who memorably portrayed Omar Little in “The Wire” and Chalky White in “Boardwalk Empire,” has died at age 54. The New York Police Department confirmed to Variety that the actor was found dead on Monday at 2 p.m. inside of his Brooklyn residence. Williams was a regular on many acclaimed HBO series,

Palatin Media, European Star Cinema and Rocket Rights have teamed up on a new innovative drama series, “The Capelli Code,” which uses state-of-the-art VFX technology to better create localized versions. The technology means the series contains “built-in elements” enabling localized versions to use local stars at an affordable price. Swiss-based European Star Cinema, a production

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read until you have watched “Rick and Morty” Season 5, Episodes 9 and 10, “Forgetting Sarick Mortshall” and “Rickmurai Jack.” There was perhaps no way to know in advance that a couple of crows — appropriately known as “two crows” — would play such a pivotal role in Rick and Morty

British wunderkind Phoebe Waller-Bridge has exited Amazon’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” series. Multiple sources confirmed to Variety that Waller-Bridge, best known for her indie TV hit “Fleabag,” has left the project due to creative differences with fellow star and executive producer Donald Glover. According to those close to the project, Waller-Bridge’s departure is amicable and

When it comes to exploring relationships, Ingmar Begman’s iconic television series-turned-movie “Scenes from a Marriage” is still as relevant today as it was when it first aired almost fifty years ago. Which is why, when showrunner Hagai Levi (“In Treatment,” “The Affair”) was first approached about re-making the series, which plays out of competition at

SOCCER Sky and London’s Tottenham Hotspur, featured in the 2020 edition of Amazon Prime Video’s hit “All or Nothing” documentary series, will work together to make the club’s Sept. 19 fixture against London rivals Chelsea Football Club the world’s first net zero carbon major soccer match, ahead of next month’s UN COP26 Climate Change Conference

“Planet Earth” producer Jonny Keeling has been appointed the new head of the BBC’s Natural History Unit (NHU), Variety can exclusively reveal. He takes up the new role in December. Keeling, who is currently series producer on “Planet Earth III,” will be responsible for all of the NHU’s creative and commercial activity, reporting to BBC

Willard Scott, the longtime weatherman for the “Today” show and the original Ronald McDonald, died on Saturday morning. He was 87. “Today’s” Al Roker confirmed Scott’s passing on “Today” and in a heartfelt Instagram post. “We lost a beloved member of our @todayshow family this morning,” Roker wrote. “Willard Scott passed peacefully at the age

Each episode of “Scenes From a Marriage” opens with a bit of frank reality. The five installments of HBO’s new limited series begin showing one of the show’s stars, Jessica Chastain or Oscar Isaac, getting prepared for shooting — walking to set, receiving makeup last-looks. Then the clapperboard closes and, suddenly, we’re in the scene.

After 20 years and 32 seasons, CBS’ “The Amazing Race” remains one of the gold standards of reality competition TV, having won 10 Emmys in that series category since its inception, more than any other show. Production on “The Amazing Race” currently remains on hiatus, unfortunately, as the world continues to contend with the ongoing

Fran Drescher claimed victory in her race for president of SAG-AFTRA on Thursday night, and vowed to lock arms with her fellow union members and “rise up out of the melee.” Easier said than done. Drescher takes charge of a union that is famously fractious, and more divided than it has been in recent years.

2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The nation has continued to process the terrorist event over the past two decades in many ways, including through television specials, documentaries and dramatized retellings. On and before the anniversary, networks will air content unpacking the politics of the event, commemorating the victims, speaking with

Kaan Müjdeci’s “Hamlet” reskins Shakespeare’s darkest tragedy in a modern retelling of family betrayal and horse carriages. When Kedir Kesmeci murders his brother in secret, his niece Hazar must find the courage to expose him. Indeed her sorrows “come not single spies,” and there on the island of Büyükada, off the coast of Istanbul, she

Maura Tierney is known for a slew of great television dramas that run the gamut from medical (“ER”) to complicated marriages (“The Affair”). But her two most recent series took on the timely topic of justice, and more specifically how far one might go to save a loved one from having to pay for his

The past year and a half has been tumultuous for the television industry and world at large: The global COVID-19 pandemic caused production shutdowns that shifted series orders and release dates. Additionally, social unrest around the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others last summer, as well as the Jan. 6 riot at the

HBO Max has ordered a pilot for a potential “Dead Boy Detectives” series, Variety has learned exclusively from sources. Based on the DC Comics characters created by Neil Gaiman, the one-hour series would follow the Dead Boy Detectives — Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine — who decided not to enter the afterlife in order to

The Showtime anthology “Super Pumped,” the first season of which will chart the rise of Uber, has cast Bridget Gao-Hollitt, Variety has learned exclusively. Gao-Hollitt joins previously announced cast members Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kyle Chandler, Kerry Bishé, Babak Tafti, Mousa Hussein Kraish, Jon Bass, and Hank Azaria. Planned as anthology, the first season of “Super Pumped” is

Erik Barmack’s Wild Sheep Content, the new L.A.-based company of the former Netflix VP, has boarded “Cromosoma 21,” an original crime mystery series created and directed by Chile’s Matías Venables Brito which adds major twists to a classic murder witness narrative. Executive produced by Nico Martínez Bergen, Barmack and Venables, and shooting in Chile from

Asked for the umpteenth time why she’s famous for a new Hulu docuseries about her life, 16 year-old Charli D’Amelio rolls her eyes. She’s thought about this question a lot, but still doesn’t have a great answer for her outsized TikTok notoriety. Maybe, she suggests, it was the shared boredom of COVID-19 quarantine, during which

ACQUISITION Abacus Media Rights (AMR) has picked up global distribution rights to BBC Two’s Joan Collins documentary, produced by Salon Pictures and commissioned by Mark Bell at BBC Arts. Promising to tell the life story of the Hollywood actor from her point of view, the 90-minute documentary will be narrated by Collins herself. Clare Beavan

RTL-owned production and distribution giant Fremantle, which has two films in competition in Venice, has entered exclusive negotiations to buy Italy’s Lux Vide, the prominent TV production company behind, most recently, the high-end “Medici,” “Devils” and “Leonardo” skeins. Sources have confirmed to Variety a report in Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore that Fremantle,

TVNow, RTL Deutschland’s streaming service, high-flying Berlin-based production house X Filme Creative Pool and production-distribution powerhouse Beta Film are partnering on what looks like one of the biggest German drama series productions of 2021: “House of Promises,” (a working title). Beta Film is handling world sales and will present first moving images of the series

The Chinese government’s crackdown on the tech and entertainment sectors has now turned to “sissy idols,” “effeminate men” and all things “overly entertaining.” The measures were sketched out in an eight-point plan on Thursday by the National Radio and Television Administration. It called for “further regulation of arts and entertainment shows and related personnel.” Announcing

Kate Walsh — who made her “Grey’s Anatomy” debut as Dr. Addison Montgomery in the show’s Season 1 finale in 2005, and later was the star of spinoff “Private Practice” — will return to the medical drama for a multi-episode arc in its upcoming 18th season. Representatives from ABC confimed Walsh’s return, but did not

Patton Oswalt announced he is cancelling his comedy tour dates in Florida and Salt Lake City due to the venues’ refusal to require COVID-19 vaccinations and recent negative tests for audience members. In an Instagram post, Oswalt said he asked venue to require the audience members show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or proof of

“Reservation Dogs” has been renewed for Season 2 at FX on Hulu. The critically-acclaimed comedy series is still airing its first season, with the sixth episode set to debut on Sept. 6. The Season 1 finale will drop on Sept. 20. Season 2 will premiere in 2022. The series stars D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Paulina