Television

DeWanda Wise has been cast in the upcoming Showtime series adaptation of the Lisa Taddeo novel “Three Women.” Wise joins previously announced cast member Shailene Woodley. In the series, three women are on a crash course to radically overturn their lives. Wise will play Sloane, a glamorous entrepreneur in a committed open marriage until two

Olympic gold champion Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the gymnastics team final and not defend her all-around gold medal has been praised by both Hollywood and fellow athletes alike. Hitting back at negative criticism from the likes of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk, who branded Biles a “shame to the country,” and Piers Morgan, came

Fans of David Letterman’s iconic “Stupid Pet Tricks,” rejoice — the segment is being revived as its own TV show, hosted by Sarah Silverman on TBS. The network ordered the series, called “Stupid Pet Tricks,” for 10 half-hour episodes. Production will begin in Los Angeles later this year. Each episode will feature a parade of

César Millán, aka the “Dog Whisperer,” has hired Three Six Zero as his global management team. The Mexican American celebrity dog behaviorist, three-time Emmy nominee and New York Times bestselling author is one of the world’s most renowned authorities in the field of canine rehabilitation. The longtime television personality’s shows are broadcast and streamed in

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Love Is Blind: After the Altar,” streaming now on Netflix. Just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic forced isolation and quarantining around the world, Netflix debuted a new reality dating show, “Love Is Blind,” that featured its hopeful romantics meeting potential mates from behind the walls

Over the years, “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” — more than the other installments in the Bravo franchise — has struggled to produce story arcs that aren’t dull and drama-free. Its cast, several of whom are actors who know how to exert self-control, have often been overly guarded, and have abstained from orchestrating the

As it takes a hiatus this year from broadcasting the Golden Globe Awards, NBC is turning to its E! Entertainment sibling to bring another kudocast to primetime. The network announced Wednesday that the 2021 People’s Choice Awards will air simultaneously on both NBC and E! on Tuesday, Dec. 7, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

For more than 30 years, Black families have celebrated occasions big and small with Hallmark’s Mahogany cards, a line designed with those consumers in mind. Now, Mahogany will launch on the small screen, with a quarterly slate of original movies coming to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries in early 2022. While many networks and studios have

Ranger Rick is getting ready to explore a decidedly untraditional path. The nature-focused raccoon, who has for a half century taught children about animals and conservation in magazine pages, is in the midst of learning about what it might take for him to land his adventures on a streaming outlet or kid-focused media channel. The

“Arthur,” the iconic animated children’s series about a lovable aardvark, is ending after its 25th season. The longest-running children’s animated series in the history of American television, “Arthur” will end on PBS Kids, with its final season launching in winter 2022. Original show developer Kathy Waugh broke the news in an interview on the Finding

Just before the start of final-round voting for the 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Variety analyzes the competitive stakes in a dozen key races. Drama SeriesOf the eight drama series nominees, the majority are Emmy veterans in this race, though admittedly their respective success has varied. Netflix’s “The Crown,” which clocked in as one of

The African American Film Critics Association has revealed the winners behind its third annual TV Honors, including CBS’s “The Equalizer,” starring Queen Latifah, as best new show and HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” created by and starring Robin Thede, as best comedy. Also from HBO, “Lovecraft Country” stars Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors were

Television still falls far behind film in depicting characters with disabilities, according to a new study released on Wednesday by Nielsen and the nonprofit org RespectAbility. As an encouraging sign, the report found that content featuring depictions of disability rose more than 175% over the past decade — but that the majority of those roles

Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth have signed on as co-executive producers for this year’s Stand Up to Cancer special taking place Aug. 21. Anthony Anderson, Ken Jeong, Tran Ho and Sofia Vergara have been announced as co-hosts. Common and Brittany Howard are slated to perform. More guests and performers will be announced in the coming

Erik Matti’s new original six-part Philippines series “On The Job” will premiere on HBO GO in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan in September and will also air later on the region’s HBO channel. Select episodes from the series will screen in competition at the Venice Film Festival in September, the only Asian title in

Banijay France has acquired French music entertainment producer DMLS TV as it expands its local footprint. DMLS TV has access to some of France’s top artists and musical entertainment shows, such as “La Chanson Secrète” (The Secret Song), “La Chanson Challenge” (The Celebrity Song Challenge) and “Duos Mystères” (Mystery Duets). The company set up some

Despite soaring revenue in the first half of this year, Carolyn McCall, chief executive of U.K. broadcaster ITV is taking a cautious approach. “We have a global studios business and so restrictions are very different in every part of the world and some are much, much tighter than others,” McCall said in an earnings call

PRODUCTION “The Masked Talent,” a new format from Korea’s MBC, creators of global hit “The Masked Singer,” is currently in production. Unlike the celebrity-driven “The Masked Singer” and spin-off “The Masked Dancer,” where the focus is on who is behind the mask, “The Masked Talent” is a non-celebrity masked audition format concentrating on singing skills

U.K. broadcaster ITV increased external revenues by a strong 27% in the half year ending June 30, 2021, according to financial results released on Wednesday. Total external revenue was up 27% at £1.54 billion ($2.14 billion), compared to COVID-impacted 2020’s £1.21 billion. Production and sales arm ITV Studios’ total revenue was up 26% at £798

“Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday after collapsing on the set of the AMC show, Variety has confirmed. Odenkirk is currently in production on the sixth and final season of “Better Call Saul,” a spin-off of the wildly popular series “Breaking Bad.” Odenkirk collapsed on Tuesday at the show’s set

Comcast-owned British broadcaster Sky has announced a major rebrand of its channel portfolio, including the retirement of its flagship channel Sky One. The long-running channel, which was first launched in 1982, has, over the decades, been home to everything from new episodes of “The Simpsons” to the “Friends” reunion special. But from Sept. 1., Sky

It’s a very happy birthday for TV legend Norman Lear, who gets to celebrate with a bonus present: The new take on Lear’s syndicated 1970s series “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” has landed in script development at TBS. As reported in February, “Schitt’s Creek” star Emily Hampshire is developing a fresh version of “Mary Hartman,” along

“Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” has cast Bailee Madison in a lead role. In the series, a series of tragic events twenty years ago almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in the present day, a group of disparate teen girls — a brand-new set of Little Liars — find themselves tormented by

NBCUniversal hopes its broadcast of the Tokyo Olympics gives American viewers a grand sports spectacle they can watch at any time they like. Advertisers, however, have begun to wring their hands as more people watch the Games at moments of their own choosing. Traditional TV viewing for the Summer Games has declined noticeably, and, a

PBS led all networks in nominations for the 42nd annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards, landing 52 overall — thanks to the strength of signature series “Frontline,” “Independent Lens,” “POV,” “Nova,” “PBS News Hour” and “Nature.” The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced this year’s nominees on Tuesday morning, noting that more than

Cathy Ang, Niall Cunningham, Alexa Swinton and Cree Cicchino have joined the cast of the HBO Max original series and revival of “Sex and the City.” Entitled “And Just Like That…,” the 10-episode TV sequel follows Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) as they navigate the journey from the complicated

Lily Rabe has been cast as Lorena “Hick” Hickok in the Showtime anthology series “The First Lady.” The series is described as a reframing of American leadership, told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House. Gillian Anderson has been cast as Eleanor Roosevelt, with Viola Davis set to play

Dane Joseph will join Hulu Original’s expanding unscripted series team as a director. In his new role, Joseph will oversee the streaming platform’s growing programming slate of unscripted series, from development through production. “It is my great pleasure to welcome Dane to Hulu as we expand our offering of unscripted original series,” said Belisa Balaban

Since 2000, Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch list has been identifying and honoring comedy up-and-comers,  including, over the years, such current superstars as Amy Schumer, Kumail Nanjiani and Wanda Sykes. This year, the honorees will be participating in a virtual panel discussion during the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. For more information on the panel,

It’s safe to say there hasn’t been a whole lot to laugh about over the past 12 months. From a deadly pandemic to political strife and the encroaching doom of climate change, all the way to the quarantine-related closures of comedy clubs, the impossibility of touring, and the stop-start struggle of shooting, it’s been harder