The 11th and final season of AMC Network’s “The Walking Dead” took a ratings hit in its linear premiere compared to its most recent season opener nearly two years ago. But viewership was on par with the Season 10 finale in April, proving there’s life in the franchise yet on linear TV even as more
Television
“American Vandal” creators Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault have landed a series order at Paramount Plus for an eSports mockumentary series called “Players,” Variety has learned. “Players” follows a fictional pro “League of Legends” team as they pursue their first championship after years of close calls and heartache. To win it all, they will need their
“Cobra Kai” has been renewed for Season 5 at Netflix, Variety has learned. The news of the renewal comes before Season 4 of the critically-acclaimed series has premiered. The new season of the series is scheduled to debut in December 2021, with Season 5 set to start shooting this fall in Atlanta. The show, which started
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched “Jacuzzi,” the special animated episode of “Pen15,” streaming now on Hulu. When Anna Konkle was a teenager she took a cruise over one of her vacation breaks. It was a ship that featured a “teen club” on board, which allowed her to experience some freedom
Dave Bautista is making his first foray into series television with a major role in “See” Season 2 at Apple TV Plus. The series takes place in a dystopian future centuries after a deadly virus decimated mankind and has left people without the ability to see. It stars Jason Momoa, whose role on the show
“Kevin Can F**k Himself” has been renewed for Season 2 at AMC. The second season will consist of eight episodes and will debut on AMC and AMC Plus in 2022. The dark comedy series stars “Schitt’s Creek” alum Annie Murphy as Allison McRoberts, a woman we all grew up believing we knew: the prototypical Sitcom
Top European TV fest Series Mania bowed with a bang at Thursday’s opening night in-person gala in Lille, northern France hosting the international premiere of the ITV Studios-sold “Vigil.” Juries and programming were presented to a hugely enthusiastic 1,200 spectator audience packing out Lille’s main Nouveau Siècle theater. The bang, when it came to “Vigil,”
Madrid-based Zeta Studios, producer of Netflix phenomenon “Elite,” is set to co-produce “Picadero,” a neo-noir six-part detective series already set up at Colombia’s Fidelio Films, one of the highest-flying companies in Latin America, and fast-emerging Barcelona-based Amor y Lujo, whose co-founder Almudena Monzú created “Picadero.” Isabel Coixet, one of Spain’s greatest modern filmmakers is attached
An awaited English-language reimagining of Sergio Corbucci’s classic 1966 Western, a favorite of Quentin Tarantino, major European series “Django” has released first-look images as its six-month shoot continues in Romania. Studiocanal, which has worldwide distribution rights, has also drilled down on key creative talent, announcing Friday that David Evans (“Downton Abbey”) and Enrico Maria Artale
Director Spike Lee has edited out the 9/11 truther elements of his HBO docuseries titled “NYC Epicenters: 9/11-2012 1/2,” HBO has confirmed to Variety. The new runtime for the fourth and final episode of the docuseries, slated to air Sept. 11, will be around 30 minutes shorter, and “all the exchange and theories about how
All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Liane Moriarty has made her way back to the screen with another hit show adapted from one of
All Arts unveiled the fall lineup for “The First Twenty,” a new content initiative exploring how the first two decades of the 21st century have impacted American art and culture. “The First Twenty” includes three new specials. Premiering on Sept. 7 is “Afterwards” by playwright Enda Walsh. Jeremy Dennis’ “Ma’s House” premieres on Oct. 11
Veritas Entertainment Group has optioned the rights to the upcoming novel “Dava Shastri’s Last Day” with an eye toward a premium series adaptation as a “Succession”-style dynastic saga revolving around an ultra-wealthy Indian family. The book set for release Nov. 30 by Hachette’s Grand Central Publishing is the debut from Kirthana Ramisetti, a former entertainment
Pop star JoJo Siwa will become part of the first same-sex couple on “Dancing With the Stars” in 30 seasons of the show, ABC revealed at the Television Critics Association gathering on Thursday. The singer, who has become incredibly successful as a singer and merchandizer, will be paired with a female professional dancer on the
“Star Trek: Prodigy,” the latest addition to the expanding universe of “Trek” series on Paramount Plus, is adding sci-fi heavyweights John Noble (“Fringe”) and Jimmi Simpson (“Westworld”) to its series regular cast, the streamer announced on Thursday. Noble will voice the animated series’ lead villain, known as the Diviner, who rules the mining asteroid of
The cast of the original “Wonder Years” will guest star across ABC sitcoms on the night of the reboot’s premiere, Sept. 22. First, Dan Lauria, who played patriarch Jack Arnold on the late-1980s and early-’90s family sitcom, will appear on “The Goldbergs,” which airs at 8 p.m. on the Alphabet network. That will be followed
Amazon Prime Video has had a presence in Europe for a number of years now, but its regional originals boss Georgia Brown says it is finally “off to the races” with dedicated content and business affairs executives on the ground — not to mention the forthcoming production of one of television’s most ambitious originals to
The City of Atlanta and Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Film & Entertainment have launched the Set South Production Assistant Training Program, a partnership with United Way of Greater Atlanta, and The Georgia Film Academy (GFA), with guidance from Bloomberg Associates, a pro-bono municipal consulting firm founded by Mike Bloomberg. The free, full-time training program, set
The FX on Hulu series adaptation of “Under the Banner of Heaven” has set its main cast. Sam Worthington (“Avatar,” “Clash of the Titans”), Denise Gough (“Andor,” “Angels in America”), Wyatt Russell (“The Falcon and the Winter Solider,” “Lodge 49”), Billy Howle (“The Serpent,” “Outlaw King”), Gil Birmingham (“Yellowstone,” “Hell or High Water”), Adelaide Clemens
Peacock is developing a one-hour drama series about millennial nuns from “The Thing About Pam” creator Jessika Borsiczky, Variety has learned exclusively. The series is titled “Called” and is based on the Huffington Post article “Behold, The Millennial Nuns” by Eve Fairbanks. The series will follow three young women at a convent, each on their own
The second season of “The Other Two” has been a long time coming for actor Heléne Yorke. The comedy, centered on adult siblings of a teen pop star, premiered on Comedy Central in 2019, with Season 2 beginning to film in February 2020. But like so many productions, it had to shut down amid the
Gemma Arterton (“Black Narcissus”) will headline “Funny Girl,” a series adaptation of Nick Hornby’s bestselling novel for Sky and NOW. Arterton stars as Barbara Parker, a force of nature who takes London by storm during the cultural explosion of the 1960s. The series follows the character’s journey from Blackpool beauty queen to comedy superstar and
The silence about Noel Clarke’s alleged misdemeanors was part of a “cultural issue,” something which is being actively redressed, says Zai Bennett, MD of content, Sky U.K. and Ireland. As revealed by Variety, “Bulletproof,” starring Clarke, was canceled at Sky after multiple sexual misconduct allegations emerged about him. Clarke has vehemently denied all allegations. Speaking
Producer and broadcaster JTBC has such a strong track record of making attractive and successful Korean TV drama series from tales of everyday lives that almost everything it does is likely to attract attention. Adding the presence of Son Ye-jin, star of Studio Dragon and Netflix hit “Crash Landing on You,” makes “Thirty-Nine” potentially one
Entertainment One executives Polly Williams and Arielle Gottlieb have departed the company to set up the U.K. office of European production studio Federation Entertainment. The outfit will be based in London with Williams as managing director and Gottlieb as creative director. They will also be partners in the operation. Their remit will be to work
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Cape Fear” and “Pale,” the two episodes that aired as the “American Horror Story: Double Feature” premiere on Aug. 25. It has been nearly two years since the last season of “American Horror Story,” which took everyone on a journey through 1980s slasher movie
Netflix and the BBC will work together, in an unprecedented move, to promote disabled creatives on and off screen. The streaming giant and public service broadcaster have joined forces to develop and fund new dramas showcasing disabled voices over a new, five-year partnership. The two companies will “consider projects from U.K. producers that have been
With one day of filming under his belt and a mere nine days as “Jeopardy!” host, Mike Richards outdid even former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci in brevity oftime served in a high-profile role. The only possible consolation for Richards: No less a comedic giant than Jackie Gleason hosted a game show so bad
Rob Weiss is set to executive produce and direct multiple episodes of “Hold On for Dear Life,” the first-ever scripted television series centered on modern cryptocurrency culture. The series follows a young tech founder, Mel, as she launches a non-fungible token (NFT) named after her best friend, Aveer, who disappeared. Along with a squad of
Michael Nader, the actor known for his performances as Dex in the original “Dynasty” series and Dimitri Marick in “All My Children,” died Monday in Northern California of cancer, his rep confirmed. He was 76. Fairman’s wife Jodi Lister gave a statement to Michael Fairman TV, saying, “With heavy heart, I’m sharing the news of