Television

After 11 seasons of drinking, depravity and debauchery, fans showed up for Showtime’s last call for “Shameless,” the premium cabler’s longest-running series to date, this past Sunday. The final episode of the dramedy and 12th episode of Season 11, titled “Father Frank, Full of Grace,” drew a cross-platform total of 1.5MM, up 41% versus the

“Cruel Summer” has set up an intriguing challenge for itself. Each episode of the new Freeform drama series depicts a single day over the course of three years — 1993, 1994 and 1995 — in order to convey the long-tail effects of a kidnapping. It’s both an attention-getting gambit and a limitation: Condensing a story

Hank Azaria has issued an apology for voicing Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu on “The Simpsons,” a controversial role he played for 30 years despite Apu being Indian. “I apologize for my part in creating that and participating in that,” Azaria said. “Part of me feels I need to go round to every single Indian person in

Sharon Klein, most recently executive vice president of Disney Television Studios and FX Entertainment, has been named executive vice president of casting at Walt Disney Television, significantly expanding her oversight to including casting at ABC Entertainment, 20th Television, ABC Signature, 20th Television Animation, Walt Disney Television Alternative, Hulu Originals and Freeform. The new role translates

“She-Ra and the Princesses of Power” alum Lauren Ash has inked an overall talent and development deal with NBCUniversal. Ash, formerly one of the stars of the critically acclaimed NBC comedy “Superstore,” will collaborate with NBCU Television and Streaming to find projects on the network’s entertainment platforms, which includes NBC, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SyFy, Universal

Power agency CAA and its eponymous foundation have launched a new program to help storytellers accurately portray marginalized communities and sensitive social issues. The Full Story Initiative, announced Tuesday, will offer an industry-wide resource to “generate authentic narratives in television and film for a more equitable future,” a mission statement said. As an agency, CAA

Shaquille O’Neal says he turned to The General when he was in college and no one would give him a good price on car insurance. “When I was in college, The General was the only insurance I could afford,” he says in an interview. These days, he’s helping the company win new recruits. Once known

“The Amber Ruffin Show” is swiftly expanding its roster of writing talent, adding Corin Wells and Patrick Rowland to its staff. The hires come after “Amber Ruffin” added three other writers to the mix: Ashley Nicole Black, Ian Morgan and Michael Harriot. “We have ended up being able to work with some of my favorite

Co-general manager of Epix Laura Sher has been tapped to take on the additional role of executive vice president of MGM Scripted Television Operations, where she will work with MGM chief legal officer Lesley Freeman, president of MGM scripted TV and Epix Michael Wright and president of TV operations Brian Edwards to grow the studio’s

On the day it was revealed that soccer superstar David Beckham is in line to star in Disney Plus series “Save Our Squad,” the former mid-fielder turned team owner gave his first in-depth television industry keynote at this year’s MipTV on Tuesday. Nine-time Primetime Emmy-winning director and producer Ben Winston (“Carpool Karaoke,” “Friends Reunion Special”),

Apple TV Plus announced that “Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson,” a new docuseries that will explore groundbreaking technology in music, will premiere on July 30. The six-part series will feature Paul McCartney, Questlove, King Princess, Dave Grohl, Adrock and Mike D from the Beastie Boys, Charli XCX and more. Hosted by renowned DJ, producer

Amazon Prime Video is pushing out a podcast series about the making of “The Boys” Season 2, taking listeners behind the scenes of the superhero spoof — including what went into creating that life-size whale. The eight-episode podcast, aimed at both fans and Emmy voters, will be available for free on Apple Podcasts (at this

Sky Studios, the pay TV network’s production arm, has promoted Gabriel Silver – who oversaw the commissioning of “Chernobyl” – to the role of director of commissioning, drama in the U.K., overseeing a broad slate of ambitious projects. Silver, who is currently senior commissioning editor and executive producer at Sky Studios, takes up his new

Best known is its early decades as a sports broker, services provider and producer of auteur films, from Woody Allen and Roman Polanski to Spain’s Isabel Coixet and Fernando Aranoa, few companies have powered so fast and bullishly into high-end drama series production than Spain’s Mediapro. That drive has seen The Mediapro Studio launch in

Channel 4 format “The Write Offs” is getting local versions in Australia and Denmark, marking the first international deals for the Banijay-sold format. Originally created by Shine TV for Channel 4, “The Write Offs” finds former “Great British Bake Off” host Sandi Toksvig helping a group of adults improve their literacy. Metronome Productions will make

Among its slate of MipTV presentations, The Wit hosted its first-ever Fresh TV Young Adult Content. After the last series of in-person sessions hosted by The Wit at MipCom, the importance and influence of YA drama was unmistakable, inspiring this year’s MipTV dedicated session hosted by The Wit founder-CEO Virginia Mouseler. “It’s our mission at

“The Crown” executive producer Suzanne Mackie has landed one of the first projects out of her newly formed production banner, Orchid Pictures, scoring the option on author Alice Feeney’s highly anticipated thriller “Rock Paper Scissors.” Feeney is the New York Times-bestselling author behind “His & Hers,” which is also being adapted into a series by

Newen Connect, the distribution branch of Newen, the Paris-based international production and distribution company owned by French’s biggest TV network, the TF1 Group, has boarded a bevy of upscale international drama series, including “Lost Luggage,” “Memento Mori,” Christian” and “Agent K.” The Paris-based company will help finance and sell internationally these shows. “Since creating Newen

Spain’s Black Panther Films and Chile’s Invercine Prods. (“Dignidad”) have joined forces to co-produce a gangster thriller series based on the eponymous bestseller “Matadero Franklin” (“Slaughterhouse Franklin”) by Simon Soto. The first season, starring Chile’s most bankable star, Alfredo Castro (“My Tender Matador”), comprises six episodes while a second season is already in the works.

David Beckham is set to present a new Disney Plus series called “Save Our Squad.” Co-produced by Twenty Twenty and Beckham’s production outfit Studio 99, the series will find the football icon returning to East London football pitches where he played as a child. He will mentor a young grassroots side who are struggling to

Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) has swooped for global distribution rights to International Emmy-nominated series “How to Buy a Baby.” The digital original from Canadian public broadcaster CBC is produced by Toronto-based LoCo Motion Pictures and follows a couple struggling to conceive a baby. The series, created by Wendy Litner, provides a voyeuristic view

“The Nevers,” Joss Whedon’s steampunk brainchild and HBO’s latest original series, drew over 1.4 million viewers across linear telecasts and digital during its premiere on Sunday night. The show scored the best debut for a new original series on HBO Max and surpassed viewership for other popular shows on the streamer, including Misha Green’s horror

NBC has ordered two more drama pilots for the 2021-2022 broadcast season. The first is an untitled project co-created by Nick Wootton and Jake Coburn, with Wootton having written the pilot. The project is described as a high-stakes two-hander featuring two women – a recently captured brilliant criminal mastermind who orchestrates a number of coordinated

Showtime has ordered the anthology series “Cinema Toast” from creator Jeff Baena and executive producers the Duplass brothers. The series is described as a post-modernist reinvention of older movies that turns pre-existing imagery from the public domain on its head to tell brand new unique stories. It will feature the voices of actors like Alison

Michael Cera will star opposite Amy Schumer in the upcoming Hulu comedy series “Life & Beth.” Formerly known as “Love, Beth,” the show received a 10-episode order in July 2019 as part of a first-look deal Schumer signed with Hulu. She will serve as the writer, director, executive producer, and star of the series. In

“Young Sheldon” is set to launch in off-network broadcast syndication this fall, WarnerMedia confirmed on Monday. The comedy, which has already entered cable syndication, will be seen in major markets via the Nexstar station group and has been cleared in more than 90% of the country. Nexstar’s stations include WPIX New York, KTLA Los Angeles

“Powers” alum Sharlto Copley has been cast in “Russian Doll” at Netflix, the latest big-name actor to join the star-studded, award-winning mystery dramedy for its second season. Previously announced Season 2 recurring cast members include Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”) and Carolyn Michelle Smith (“Colony”). The series stars Natasha Lyonne as a New York woman (Nadia)

Here is your first official look at the CW’s “Powerpuff Girls” pilot. The series stars Chloe Bennet as Blossom, Dove Cameron as Bubbles and Yana Perrault as Buttercup. Donald Faison will play their father Professor Drake Utonium, Nicholas Podany will play the show’s version of villain Mojo Jojo named Joseph “Jojo” Mondel Jr. and Robyn

Entertainment news show “Access Hollywood” and its sister talk show “Access Daily” have both been renewed for three more seasons through 2025 in national syndication. “We are thrilled to continue our successful partnership with the NBC Owned stations, bringing the Access brand to local stations for additional seasons,” said NBCuniversal Syndication Studios executive vice president

“Sopranos” star Joseph Siravo, who played Tony Soprano’s father, has died following a long battle with cancer. He was 64. News of Siravo’s death was confirmed online by actor Gary Pastore, who posted an Instagram tribute to the late actor: “RIP my dear friend, who fought an incredible fight. I will miss you. See you