Television

Italian prosecutors have indicted Vivendi’s former chairman Vincent Bolloré and current CEO Arnaud De Puyfontaine in a probe over alleged market manipulation stemming from legal wrangling prompted by Vivendi and Mediaset‘s botched 2016 pay-TV deal. Bollore and De Puyfontaine had been placed under investigation in Milan in 2017 after Mediaset filed a suit claiming they

The legendary singer Dionne Warwick tweeted, “Kenan Thompson has been on SNL for as long as I’ve been alive. A very talented and funny young man” in the early evening on Dec. 12, which seemed like foreshadowing that she would turn up on that night’s episode of the NBC late-night sketch comedy series. And that

Eleven months into the COVID-19 pandemic and the FDA approved the emergency use of a vaccine from Pfizer. Just a day later, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” offered its commentary on the situation, using its Dec. 12 episode cold open sketch as an opportunity for Kate McKinnon to portray Dr. Anthony Fauci and Heidi Gardner to

Creating a shows about strippers meant finding the right network willing to tell the story, said Katori Hall, creator, executive producer and showrunner for Starz’s “P-Valley.” In a Variety streaming room conversation, moderated by Variety’s Jenelle Riley, Hall discussed the challenges she encountered while getting the show on its feet. The series follows a group of

In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix unveiled a clip from “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” featuring Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea, and Apple TV Plus released a trailer for “Dickinson” Season 2. FIRST LOOKS Netflix released a clip from Part 4 of “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” that sees Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea reprising their “Sabrina,

The NBC comedy pilot based on the Kevin Hart film “Night School” is not moving forward at NBC, Variety has learned exclusively. The half-hour multi-cam had originally gotten a pilot order in January, but the pandemic shutdown virtually all pilot production in March. The broadcast network then announced in June that it would resume production

AMC Networks president-CEO Josh Sapan has a set a new contract to remain at the helm of the company through the end of 2022. Sapan has headed AMC Networks since its inception in 2011, when the company was spun out from Cablevision. AMC is home to a clutch of prominent cable channels — including AMC,

Gersh Agency principal David Gersh voiced his support for CAA’s position on the role of talent managers in the agency’s larger fight with the Writers Guild of America. In a declaration filed Friday in federal court in Los Angeles, David Gersh asserts that WGA West executive director David Young told him that the guild would

Richard King, a member of the King World Productions family dynasty that build a small syndication firm into an industry powerhouse, died Dec. 7 in Los Angeles after battling heart and lung problems. He was 79. King was one of six children who inherited King World Productions in 1972 after the death of patriarch Charles

Marvel fans are surely still reeling from the onslaught of superhero-sized announcements from Disney’s jam-packed investor day. To kick off the four-hour presentation, Disney’s distribution chief Kareem Daniel announced on Thursday that 10 new Marvel series would be coming to Disney Plus in the next few years, along with previously announced shows like “WandaVision” and

Chris Messina is set for a lead role in the upcoming HBO Max pilot “Verbatim,” Variety has learned. The project is based on Brett Weiner’s New York Times Op Docs Series that screened at Sundance in 2014 and 2016. It is described as an anthology series based on actual events in which all dialogue is taken

Not long after they’ve crash landed on a remote beach with no help in sight, the teen girl castaways of “The Wilds” put their situation into a perspective they can understand. Brainstorming a way to signal for help, pragmatic leader Dot (Shannon Berry) tosses surly athlete Rachel (Reign Edwards) a makeup mirror from one of

“Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” has found more Targaryens. The HBO series has added three more key players to its cast: Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith. Cooke, known from Amazon’s “Sound of Metal,” is set to star as Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Hand of the King Otto Hightower who

After acquiring Canadian medical drama “Transplant” in May for its fall lineup amid a stunted year for U.S. television production, NBC is renewing the show for a second season. “Transplant” centers on Syrian doctor Bashir “Bash” Hamed, played by Hamza Haq, who has fled to Canada with his younger sister and is trying to rebuild

One of the best delights of the current season of “Star Trek: Discovery” is the unexpected presence of iconoclastic filmmaker David Cronenberg — as an actor. In this week’s episode of the CBS All Access series, the director of “The Fly,” “Dead Ringers,” and “A History of Violence” reprises his performance as the mysterious Federation

In the past decade or so, Rita Moreno has received multiple lifetime achievement awards, and would probably receive even more — except that she’s too busy working. The actress, who turns 89 on Dec. 11, is one of the few people to win an EGOT: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. She’s also received the 2004

Costume designer Gersha Phillips has been designing the look of “Star Trek: Discovery” for three seasons. Laser cutting, bonding and 3D printing are the “futuristic” tools she has been using to craft the costumes of the series, hoping the costumes look “modern” for the 32nd Century using 2020 technology,” she explains. The third season has

In today’s Global Bulletin, WarnerMedia appoints Vanessa Brookman as head of kids for EMEA, Discovery commissions two new unscripted series while Channel 5 gets a pair of dramas and the Göteborg Film Festival selects “Tove” as its opening film. APPOINTMENT WarnerMedia has announced that Vanessa Brookman will be promoted to the newly created position of

Time magazine has named Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, President-elect and Vice President-elect, as its 2020 Person of the Year. Biden and Harris, were selected from a shortlist that included Donald Trump, frontline health care workers with Dr. Anthoney Fauci, and the movement for racial justice. “The Biden Harris ticket represents something historic,” said Time’s

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the Dec. 10 episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.” As one of the last remaining original cast members on “Grey’s Anatomy,” Chandra Wilson has been playing Dr. Miranda Bailey since the show premiered in 2005. Tonight, Wilson’s character narrates the latest episode — a task usually done

Tommy “Tiny” Lister, who appeared in “Friday” and “The Fifth Element” and was also a professional wrestler, died Thursday, his manager Cindy Cowan confirmed. Cowan said he was found unresponsive in his apartment in Marina del Rey, Calif. after displaying symptoms of COVID-19 in recent days. He had been working on a film and had

Part razzle dazzle, part corporate flex, the Walt Disney Company’s four hour-long investor day presentation unleashed a torrent of announcements, including a slew of upcoming “Star Wars,” Marvel and Pixar series, and news that Disney Plus had surpassed 86 million subscribers. For fans, the message was clear: Make room in your wallets for a Disney-branded

Marvel Cinematic Universe stars Mark Ruffalo and Don Cheadle will both appear in upcoming Marvel TV shows on Disney Plus. Ruffalo will appear in “She-Hulk” opposite Tatiana Maslany, reprising the role of Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Incredible Hulk. Cheadle will star as James Rhodes, a.k.a. War Machine, in the standalone series “Armor Wars.” In addition,

Bucky Barnes will always have an attachment to Captain America, no matter who holds the title. In the new trailer for “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” released by Marvel Studios at the Disney Investor Day, Sebastian Stan’s character works alongside the newest Captain America: The Falcon. Played by Anthony Mackie, the Falcon received the

Disney is developing an animated series based on the feature film “Moana.” The new project, titled “Moana: The Series” is set to premiere in 2023. Disney also announced a number of new series from feature animation studios Walt Disney Animation and Pixar. • Disney Animation’s first original series, “Baymax,” will follow the medical robot from

A “Swiss Family Robinson” series is in development at Disney Plus. The series hails from Ronald D. Moore and Jon M. Chu. It is based on the novel of the same name by Johann David Wyss, which was first published in 1812. The novel has been adapted into numerous forms over the years, including the

In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix set a December premiere date for “The Netflix Afterparty,” and CBC and BET Plus greenlit an original series, “The Porter.” DATES “The Netflix Afterparty: The Best Shows of the Worst Year,” an end-of-year special featuring talents from the streamer’s hit series, is set to premiere on Dec. 13. The

Martin Luther King Jr. will be profiled in the upcoming fourth season of National Geographic’s “Genius.” National Geographic exec Courteney Monroe announced the programming move Thursday during the Walt Disney Company’s investor relations day presentation. Monroe also revealed that, beginning with Season 4, “Genius” would be available exclusively on Disney Plus. Seasons 1 and 2

Presaging a massive expansion of Disney Plus programming, Disney announced on Thursday at least 35 new titles from Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Disney Animation and Pixar Animation will be coming to the streaming service starting in 2021. Kareem Daniel, Disney’s new distribution chief, announced during the Disney Investor Day presentation that 10 “Star Wars” series, 10

With COVID still forcing lockdowns in countries around the world, the role of the Assn. of Film Commissioners Intl.  has never been more important to the production community.  The professional organization continues to attract more members, recently adding Film Coop, the Cooperstown, Oneonta and Otsego Film Partnership, Canada’s London Economic Development Corp. and the United