Television

Outspoken TV presenter Piers Morgan’s remarks about Meghan Markle is the new record holder for most complaints made to U.K. media regulator Ofcom, but the British personality is unperturbed. “Only 57,000? I’ve had more people than that come up & congratulate me in the street for what I said. The vast majority of Britons are

The cast and creator of The CW’s upcoming “Kung Fu” reboot are using their platform to condemn the recent influx in anti-Asian hate crimes. “So much about representation and inclusion is not so much that we as Asians need to see ourselves represented on the screens, but we need to be invited into people’s homes

Lena Headey will star in and executive produce the Spectrum-AMC Networks series “Beacon 23,” which hails from Zak Penn, Variety has learned. The series is described as a sci-fi psychological thriller. It follows two people whose fates become entangled after they find themselves trapped together at the end of the known universe. A tense battle of

Mickey Mouse is back. After a more-than-yearlong closure, Disneyland is set to reopen on April 30, Disney CEO Bob Chapek told CNBC’s “Squawk Alley” Wednesday morning. The Anaheim, Calif. theme park and resort will start out with limited capacity, per state guidelines. Rides such as the new Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, the Incredicoaster

“Chopped,” that Food Network perennial, is getting a few new ingredients. When the Discovery-owned outlet launches two new versions of the long-running series on streaming-video hub Discovery Plus, it will do with an aim to win younger audiences to its cause. “Chopped 420” gives four chefs the chance to incorporate cannabis or cannabis-infused ingredients into

Almost four months after the BBC reformed its television division, the corporation has appointed the two leads for its most prominent channels. Syeda Irtizaali and Jo Smith have been tapped as the two new Portfolio Editors working across BBC One and BBC Two and Four. Irtizaali will take on BBC One, while Smith will manage

The Paris-based European Producers Club (EPC), which represents top independent film and TV drama producers across continental Europe, has issued a so-called Code of Fair Practices for streamers when commissioning content from indie producers. The proposed rules — which the lobby group is hoping will provide a stimulus for an ongoing EU regulatory effort —

“Top Gear” presenter and famed racing driver Sabine Schmitz has died following a battle with cancer. She was 51. Schmitz is best known for winning Germany’s Nurburgring Nordschleife, one of the toughest racing circuits in the world, in 1996 and 1997, the only woman to do so. She is known as the “Queen of the

Michaela Coel’s “I May Destroy You” capped a triumphant edition of the U.K.’s Royal Television Society program awards for the BBC as the broadcaster scored 14 wins. Coel won actor – female, and writer, and the show also won best miniseries. In addition to the 29 competitive categories, three further awards were presented. The Judges’

The U.K. is stepping up its awareness of bullying, harassment and racism in the workplace, with a renewed industry-wide drive to educate employers across the screen sectors of best practice methods. The industry last rallied for these issues following the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements of late 2017 and 2018, when pan-industry guidelines were drawn

Vivendi-owned European film and TV studio Studiocanal has sealed a deal with Shanghai Senyu Media to represent Studiocanal’s “The Adventures of Paddington Bear” animated series in mainland China. Rights are being promoted at the virtual edition of Hong Kong rights market FilMart. The series debuted on Nickelodeon in western markets and has already delivered two seasons.

In its earliest moments, Demi Lovato’s new documentary series looks familiar and even comforting to fans of the genre of backstage concert confessionals. We see Lovato doing a pre-show cheer with her backup dancers, performing framed by massive screens of her own face, sleeping on the jet, racing from quick-change to quick-change. Throughout, she is

Move over, Martha Stewart. Jesse Tyler Ferguson has just released his first cookbook, “Food Between Friends,” with co-author Julie Tanous. The 272-page tome includes recipes for garlicky sorghum chicken stir-fry, gulf coast grouper & grits, hatch green chile mac & cheese and tiramisu tres leches. Hungry yet? “I have so many cookbooks. They’re aspirational,” the

“The Star Wars Holiday Special” is finally coming to Disney Plus … kind of. In the biggest bulk release of “Star Wars” content since the streamer’s launch, several “Star Wars” TV spinoffs from the 1970s, 1980s and 2000s will debut on Disney Plus on April 2. Among them will be the animated short “The Story

In remaking local versions of Thai and Chinese language content Bangkok- and Beijing-based Artop Media may have lucked onto one of the hottest trends of the moment in the Asian TV space. That’s because Thai content is increasingly successful on mainland Chinese streaming networks, and, as multiple speakers have noted in the first two day

In today’s TV news roundup, HBO Max ordered a new streetwear competition series, and Variety has an exclusive first look at Carey Mulligan in “My Grandparents’ War.” CASTING Angela Bassett will narrate Fox’s “Malika the Lion Queen,” a two-hour wildlife documentary that will air April 4 and be available on Tubi beginning April 18. Bassett

Showtime has ordered a drama series about Zulu king Shaka, with Antoine Fuqua onboard to direct and executive produce, Variety has learned. “Shaka: King of the Zulu Nation” hails from writers and executive producers Olu Odebunmi and Tolu Awosika. Rooted in actual events, the series chronicles Shaka’s unlikely rise to power, uniting multiple tribes across vast

CBS is extending its hiatus of “The Talk,” canceling its live shows for the rest of the week until Tuesday, as it conducts a review related to a recent heated exchange between hosts Sharon Osbourne and Sheryl Underwood. Friday and Monday’s shows had already been pre-empted by the NCAA tournament, but on Sunday, the daytime

Michelle Selene Ang has signed with Buchwald, Variety has learned exclusively. Ang is best known for her role on the popular Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.” During her time on the show, she played the role of Courtney Crimsen, who is one of the titular reasons that Hannah (Katherine Langford) commits suicide in Season 1 after

Elliot Page has opened up for the first time in a Time cover story after publicly coming out as transgender in December 2020. In his Dec. 1 Instagram post, Page announced “Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my name is Elliot. I feel lucky

Daniel Kaluuya and Carey Mulligan are set to make their “Saturday Night Live” hosting debuts on April 3 and April 10, respectively. Kaluuya will be joined by musical guest St. Vincent, while the April 10 musical guest will be Kid Cudi. All four of these performers are making their “Saturday Night Live” debuts with these

Natasha Lyonne will star in a mystery series for Peacock that hails from Rian Johnson. Johnson will serve as writer, director and executive producer on the one-hour series, which is titled “Poker Face,” with Lyonne executive producing in addition to starring. Peacock has ordered 10 episodes. “I’m very excited to dig into the type of

Anthony Boyle has signed on to star in in Apple’s World War II drama “Masters of the Air,” a continuation of the “Band of Brothers”/”The Pacific” franchise from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Boyle joins previously announced cast members Callum Turner and Austin Butler. Based on the book of the same name by Donald L.

Adrien Brody will play legendary basketball coach Pat Riley in HBO’s upcoming drama series about the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s, Variety has learned.  The untitled series was ordered at HBO in December 2019. It is described as chronicling the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of sports’ most

MTV’s long-running reality competition program “The Challenge” will debut an “All Stars” season on ViacomCBS’ new streaming service Paramount Plus on April 1. Additionally, this upcoming new season will also bring after show “The Challenge: Aftermath,” which is set to provide a behind-the-scenes look at everything from the challenges to eliminations and inside-the-house drama. This

Verve has promoted TV lit agent Chris Noriega to partner. He is now the ninth partner at the agency, alongside founders Bryan Besser, Adam Levine and Bill Weinstein, and, Amy Retzinger, Adam Weinstein, David Boxerbaum, Felicia Prinz and Sean Grumman. “We launched Verve over a decade ago with a goal of creating an environment in

Real-life couple JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers, who met on “The Bachelorette,” will host a new dating show called “The Big D” on TBS. The cabler has greenlit 10 hourlong episodes of the dating competition series, which is explained as a social experiment that follows recent divorcees — hence the show being titled, “The Big

In an internal memo to Fox Corporation employees Tuesday morning, CEO Lachlan Murdoch told staff that the company is deferring its next possible phase one reopening date to “no earlier than September 7, immediately after Labor Day.” The company had previously set a return-to-work date no earlier than April of this year, amid the ongoing

Starzplay has unveiled plot details, casting and a first-look image for “Express,” an original co-produced with Spanish production giant The Mediapro Studio and U.S. streaming platform Pantaya. “Express” is Starzplay’s first local language Spanish production, but one of several announced in August of last year. Each will be available on the Starzplay platform in Spain

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read until you’ve watched the March 15 episode of “The Bachelor” entitled “After The Final Rose.” Usually, it’s “Bachelor” host Chris Harrison putting contestants in the hot seat on the “After The Final Rose” post-final episode of the ABC dating competition series, but following real-life scandal, he was the subject of tonight’s