“CODA” and “Little America” director Siân Heder will expand her partnership with Apple, inking a multi-year overall deal to write and develop series exclusively for the tech giant’s streaming platform. Under the terms of the deal, Apple will also have a first look at features penned by the Sundance Grand Jury Prize award-winning writer. Per
Television
This TV genre suffered a scandal in 1950s that nearly wiped it off screens, but endures as one of the most popular programming types today. Now, the history of these shows finally has a physical home of its own. What is… the game show?! The first quiz show launched on radio in 1923; now, nearly
While most of a viewer’s focus is often directed at the leads of a show, supporting characters can make or break a series, offering vital dynamics that uphold central narratives. Successful supporting characters in today’s television landscape must challenge protagonists when they cross boundaries, as well as strive to assert themselves through their own storylines.
Being a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe equips its stars with unique powers both on-screen and off. “We all have a number sign above our heads when we make independent films [for] whether or not we can sell them internationally to help get financing,” says Elizabeth Olsen. “If we want to do that, it
As television explores increasingly sophisticated depictions of fantastical worlds — realms of science fiction, fantasy, super-heroics, horror and other imaginative leaps — supporting actors face a unique challenge: how to craft characters that fit seamlessly into left-of-reality narratives while also resonating with relatable human emotions and motivations. And there is no one-size-fits-all formula to do
When “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” premiered in 2007, production didn’t have the budget to provide hair and makeup. Fast forward through 20 seasons and nine spinoffs that spanned an additional 18 seasons and 440 episodes total, it’s safe to say the Kardashian-Jenners have no problem asking for glam — and whatever else they’d like
When Pedro Pascal and Ewan McGregor sat down for Variety’s Actors on Actors series, they had a lot to discuss. But one unique thing the two of them share is they have both acted with Yoda — or at least, members of Yoda’s species. McGregor was scene partners with the original Yoda when he played
I’m sure when you first heard that TikTok was entering the Emmy race, you wondered, “Wait — is that guy drinking Ocean Spray cranberry juice while skating down the highway and grooving to Fleetwood Mac even eligible?” Well, no. But viral hit “Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical” has been given the green light to submit, and
Public broadcaster KCET once again led all local TV stations in nominations for the Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, announced on Tuesday by the Television Academy. KCET landed 23 nods this year overall, up from 20 last year. It was followed by Telemundo’s KVEA, which boasted 21 noms. After that, with 19 nominations, was relative
The CEO of a reality TV production company has agreed to plead guilty to defrauding a lender out of $2 million, prosecutors said Tuesday. Jonathan Lee Smith, CEO of Hoplite Entertainment, is expected to face a sentence of 33 to 41 months in prison. According to the criminal complaint, Smith used fraudulent license agreements to
NBC has announced that submissions for the new music event series “American Song Contest” are now open. Based on “Eurovision Song Contest,” the world’s largest music event, the series will feature a series of live music performances from American contestants who are in competition to win the country’s vote for best original song. All 50
Wong Kar-Wai’s upcoming TV series “Blossoms” has released its first trailer, giving viewers a peek at the first new work from the auteur in nearly a decade. Though Wong is most often thought of as a Hong Kong director, he was born in Shanghai. The “Blossoms” series is his first of two long-anticipated adaptations of
On “The Big Shot With Bethenny” on HBO Max, Bethenny Frankel — the founder and CEO of the lifestyle brand Skinnygirl, and the most successful graduate of “The Real Housewives” franchise — went searching for a No. 2 for her company. The show was first announced in Feb. 2020, then delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, during
A coterie of 20 big advertisers — General Mills, L’Oreal and Nestle among them — has vowed to spend between 2% and 5% of their annual media budgets on Black-owned media outlets, part of a growing effort on Madison Avenue to raise ad dollars in support of multicultural media venues. The group of marketers, which
Prior to Marvel Studios’ “Loki,” not only had Owen Wilson never been in a superhero project before, but he’d barely ever done television: Just a two-part episode of IFC’s “Documentary Now,” a segment of Comedy Central’s “Drunk History,” and an uncredited cameo on “Community.” “Loki,” however, is uncharted territory for the star of “The Royal
Kevin Hart action-comedy series “Die Hart” has officially been renewed for a second season — again. Roku announced that it has ordered Season 2 of “Die Hart,” which naturally will be titled “Die Harter,” as an exclusive for the free, ad-supported Roku Channel. “It’s been great to see the incredible response to ‘Die Hart’ on
The adage “think locally, act globally” has never applied more to a Hollywood programming executive than it does to Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s global head of TV. A big part of her job overseeing content for Netflix’s more than 200 million subscribers in 190-plus countries is “allowing storytellers all around the world to export their stories,”
The past few years have seen a host of Russian streaming services enter the market, and as in other countries around the globe, the pandemic was a boon to the industry, which grew by 66% in 2020 to reach a value of 27.8 billion rubles ($384 million), according to TMT Consulting. No company has benefited
Leading Russian animation company Riki Group has closed a content package deal with the U.S. on-demand kids entertainment service Toon Goggles. The company has also sealed a deal with Good TV for its flagship series “The Fixies,” and shared an exclusive trailer for its upcoming season exclusively with Variety. Both deals were announced during the
“Hacks” has been renewed for Season 2 at HBO Max. The series, which will wrap up its first season on June 10, follows Jean Smart as veteran Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance and the dark mentorship that she forms with an outcast 25-year old comedy writer (Hannah Einbinder). “I am absolutely thrilled we are picked
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY has earned the Peabody Institutional Award, with the honor presented by Oprah Winfrey. DuVernay and Winfrey collaborated on 2014’s “Selma” and 2018’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” and among other projects, the duo also executive produce “Queen Sugar,” which DuVernay created for Winfrey’s OWN network. Selected by the Peabody Board of Jurors, the
As a kid in London, Emilia Clarke got a distinct vibe from her local comic book shop: “No girls allowed.” The Emmy nominee and lead of the HBO pop culture juggernaut “Game of Thrones” was therefore doomed to spend her adolescence reading hand-me-down comics from her older brother and meeting caped crusaders on the big
Jack Black has been booked to serve as Conan O’Brien’s farewell guest in late night — at least for now. As his TBS show “Conan” ends its run with an hour-long finale on June 24, O’Brien isn’t expected to launch another late night show anytime soon, but instead is focusing on a new series for
“Mom” co-creator, writer and producer Gemma Baker has signed an overall deal with Universal Television to develop and produce projects for broadcast and streaming platforms. In addition to helming the Allison Janney and Anna Faris headliner for CBS with Chuck Lorre and Eddie Gorodetsky, Baker also served as co-showrunner with Nick Bakay on seasons six
Netflix released a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at the upcoming dark fantasy series “The Sandman.” Based on the comic book series created for DC by Neil Gaiman, “The Sandman” is a rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven. The story follows the people and
During their conversation for Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Elizabeth Olsen told Kaley Cuoco that she’d been playing Wanda Maximoff for two years straight, having gone from the Disney Plus series “WandaVision” straight into the upcoming Marvel Studios movie “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Cuoco’s first reaction was, “I was like, ‘What’s it
ADAPTATION U.K. broadcaster BBC has announced a raft of documentary commissions at the ongoing Sheffield Doc/Fest, including an adaptation of the bestselling book “Natives” by BAFTA and MOBO award-winning hip-hop artist, bestselling author and social entrepreneur Akala‘s The series “Akala: Race, Class and Empire” (working title), a BBC Three commission, will combine the story of
It may not have been a full Broadway production, but the Roundabout Theatre Company nonetheless knows how to welcome live theater back to New York City. The 56-year-old performing arts organization hosted its 2021 gala, “Curtain Up, Light the Lights!,” in Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield on Monday night. It marked one of the first large-scale
Netflix announced that “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson” will return for Season 2 on July 6. The sketch comedy series, which delivered some of TV’s most memeable moments, brings Robinson’s absurdist humor to life’s most bizarre and mundane situations. “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson” is created and written by
Currently in production on the second season of “To the Lake,” a dark depiction of a world affected by a mysterious virus, which has gained worldwide popularity on Netflix, Moscow-based 1-2-3 Production is only just getting started. As Variety found out, the second season of “Call Center” is also in active development, with “Dreams of