Amid brewing controversy, “The Bachelor” host Chris Harrison is set to have his moment in the hot seat with Michael Strahan on “Good Morning America.” The interview was pre-taped on Wednesday, Variety has learned, and is set to air on Thursday morning. In a cross-synergistic interview (both “The Bachelor” and “GMA” are major ABC properties), Harrison
Television
Apple has ordered a live-action series adaptation of the Korean webtoon “Dr. Brain.” The series will be the first completely Korean-language project at the streamer. Kim Jee-Woon will write and direct, with “Parasite” star Lee Sun-Kyun set to star. The series is currently in production in South Korea and is slated to debut later this
In a world focused on streaming, A+E Networks isn’t turning off the traditional TV. The company, jointly owned by Walt Disney Co. and Hearst, is placing emphasis on original TV series aimed first at linear TV, with a vow to increase original hour of programming by 50%. “Our commitment is to original content and, for
A spinoff of “Bosch” has been ordered to series at IMDB TV. The news comes after it was announced last year that “Bosch” would end with its seventh season, which is slated to air this summer. Titus Welliver, Mimi Rogers, and Madison Lintz will all reprise their roles in the spinoff. The new series will
NBC’s two-day Season 20 debut of “The Voice” at 9 p.m. outperformed all other programs in Niseln Live+Same Day fast affiliate numbers on Monday and Tuesday night. On March 2, the singing competition scored a 0.9 in the adults 18-49 demographic and 6.16 million viewers. CBS’ “NCIS” at 8 p.m. came second in the key
Jenny Lumet has signed a four-year overall deal with CBS Studios. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, the deal is in the eight-figure range. Lumet most recently co-created the CBS drama series “Clarice,” on which she also serves as an executive producer. “I feel genuine support and creative partnership at CBS Studios,”
Cash Rebate of 25-30% on eligible local spend, as determined by a cultural test. Minimum eligible spend of €500,000 ($610,000) for fiction and animation and €250,000 ($305,000) for documentaries and post-production. Total €12 million ($14.6 million) for all projects in a year, with maximum of €4 million ($4.9 million) per project (Note: the management authority
“The Simpsons” has been renewed for a Season 33 and 34 at Fox. At the conclusion of Season 34, slated for 2023, the iconic animated sitcom will have produced 757 episodes total. The landmark 700th episode, “Manger Things,” will air on March 21. “The Simpsons” is the longest-running primetime scripted show in television history, having
For his entire tenure as an Avenger, Anthony Mackie had never been the first name on the call sheet. In a galaxy of stars populated by Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson, the actor was aware of his place in the on-set pecking order, but would never miss an opportunity to make his
Pixar’s “Soul” and Cartoon Saloon’s “Wolfwalkers” may have topped the Annie Award nominations with 10 each, but it was Netflix that walked away with the most nominations overall, picking up 40 across an array of projects. Netflix scored six nominations each for its features “The Willoughbys” and “Over the Moon,” and three for “A Shaun
Cathleen Young didn’t know anything about accounting, fundraising, human resources or running a nonprofit organization when she joined the Humanitas Prize as executive director in 2007. She was a film and TV writer who had been involved with the organization ever since she won a Humanitas kudo for her 1994 Hallmark Hall of Fame telepic
In today’s Global Bulletin, RTL Group buys out Disney’s share in Super RTL, Japanese streaming service Meecha prepares to launch later this month and CPH:DOX announces its 2021 Forum titles. BUYOUT Pan-European media giant RTL Group’s largest business unit, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, has closed an agreement with The Walt Disney Company’s BVI Television Investments for
Apple TV Plus announced the cast and set the premiere date for its genre-bending auditory adaptation of Canal Plus’ “Calls.” Nicholas Braun, Clancy Brown, Lily Collins, Rosario Dawson, Mark Duplass, Karen Gillan, Judy Greer, Laura Harrier, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, Nick Jonas, Riley Keough, Joey King, Stephen Lang, Jaeden Martell, Paola Nuñez, Pedro Pascal,
BBC Studios and producer, distributor and channel operator Blue Ant Media have partnered to launch the BBC First channel in Canada from March 16. The channel will feature premium scripted and factual programming, including BBC original series “Top Gear,” “The Office,” “Death in Paradise” and “The Graham Norton Show,” which will be available at launch.
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are teaming up on-screen again, this time for a new one-hour game show entitled “Family Game Fight” for NBC. The broadcast network has ordered 10 episodes of the new series that will feature Bell and Shepard as both hosts and competitors. Each episode will see Bell and Shepard be “adopted”
ITV has won the rights to air Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s hotly anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey, Variety can reveal. The U.K. broadcaster edged out rivals such as Sky and Discovery for the coveted CBS primetime special, which marks the couple’s first official sit-down interview since splitting from the British Royal Family a year ago.
Iconic French comic book character Asterix is all set for a new chapter on Netflix along with French director, screenwriter and actor Alain Chabat. The streamer is partnering with leading French publisher Hachette’s Les Editions Albert René to create a 3D animated limited series based on the classic. Chabat will direct and Alain Goldman of
Starzplay has swooped for Russell T. Davies’ hit drama “It’s a Sin” in Germany and Italy. The Lionsgate-backed platform, which has been steadily expanding its global footprint in the last year, has bought the five-part series from All3Media International. Produced by RED and commissioned by U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 with HBO Max, the limited series
Uncharted Territory and Bavaria Fiction are charting a course to the stars with “Orion,” a relaunch of the classic German science fiction series “Raumpatrouille — Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion” (“Space Patrol — The Fantastic Adventures of the Spaceship Orion”). The iconic black and white show, which became known simply as “Raumpatrouille Orion,” had
Oscar-winning director Danis Tanovic (“No Man’s Land”) has boarded the high-end comedy-drama series “Frust,” which is currently being developed by Serbia’s Firefly Prods. and Hungary’s Joyrider. The six-episode series follows a young writer struggling for recognition. The writer suddenly becomes a local celebrity after accidentally shooting a petty criminal who’s been terrorizing his neighborhood. Production
When “Stranger Things” recently returned to Lithuania, where parts of season four of the Netflix supernatural drama were filmed in early 2020, the Baltic winter delivered on its usual promises of frigid temperatures and frosty weather. But it also offered a hopeful sign that 2021 might bring some relief, after the trials of a year
Taiwan production and facilities company Awesomeworks Production has opened a specialist studio in New Taipei City, dedicated to the filming of medical and hospital scenes. The facility is intended to improve the production infrastructure for local productions and to help attract international filming to the island. That dual ambition helped it attract support from Taiwan
Mike Sneesby, currently the head of Australian streamer Stan, has been appointed CEO of its parent group Nine Entertainment. His elevation follows the imminent departure of Hugh Marks and other board room changes at the one of the country’s largest media groups. Marks, who presided over the transformation of Nine from a legacy TV group
Jennette McCurdy revealed on the Season 2 premiere of her podcast, “Empty Inside,” why she’s done with acting. “I resent my career in a lot of ways,” she said. “I feel so unfulfilled by the roles that I played and felt like it was the most just cheesy, embarrassing… I imagine there’s a very different
Geoffrey Scott, an actor known for his roles in “Dark Shadows” and “Dynasty,” has died, his wife confirmed to Variety. He was 79. Scott was also a lauded commercial actor, starring in over 100 commercials such as the “Walk a Mile for a Camel” campaign shot at the Taj Mahal and a Maxwell House Coffee ad
In today’s TV news roundup, Fox announces the premiere dates of “Housebroken” and “Duncanville,” and FX released a trailer for its upcoming documentary “Hysterical.” DATES Fox announced Season 2 of animated comedy “Duncanville” will premiere with two back-to-back episodes on May 23 at 8 p.m., and its new animated comedy “Housebroken” will premiere on May 31
Comedian Chris D’Elia was sued on Tuesday for allegedly soliciting nude photos from a 17-year-old girl. According to the complaint, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, D’Elia sought and received more than 100 explicit images and videos from the girl over the course of several months. The suit also says he had urged the
Alec Mapa has signed on to star alongside Alec Baldwin and Kelsey Grammer in an ABC multi-cam comedy series, Variety has learned. The untitled series revolves around three men who were roommates in their twenties until their warring egos drove them apart. Now, the trio are reuniting decades later for one more run at the lives
The return of Season 20 of NBC’s hit singing competition “The Voice,” featuring celebrity coaches Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Blake Shelton, knocked the Monday primetime crown off of “The Bachelor’s” head, dropping the long-running ABC show in ranks after several weeks of being at the top. “The Voice” drew a 1.1 in the Nielsen
Rachel Lindsay, the first-ever Black star of “The Bachelorette,” is calling out the ABC franchise for staying silent as the ongoing racial controversy involving host Chris Harrison and “The Bachelor” contestant Rachael Kirkconnell continues to spiral. On Lindsay’s podcast “Higher Learning,” which she hosts with Van Lathan, she said the show shouldn’t begin filming “The