With the second presidential debate leading the “Saturday Night Live’s” Oct 24 show, that meant both Alec Baldwin and Jim Carrey were once again in the spotlight. But, in a fun twist, so were Maya Rudolph and Kate McKinnon. The former cast member now known (and Emmy-winning) for her portrayal of Sen. Kamala Harris took
Television
A federal judge has denied convicted NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere’s second request for a new trial based on his accusation that prosecutors intimidated “Battlestar Galactica” actor Nicki Clyne and another potential witness who would have testified in his favor. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis nixed Raniere’s motion, saying it was filed too late after
William Blinn, the two-time Emmy-winning screenwriter of “Brian’s Song” and “Roots,” died on Thursday, his daughter Anneliese Johnson confirmed to Variety. He was 83. Blinn died of natural causes at an assisted living community in Burbank, according to his daughter. Blinn penned two landmark TV productions of the 1970s, both for ABC. The 1971 TV
In an NBC News exclusive interview, NXIVM founder Keith Raniere apologized for his role in “all of this pain and suffering” as the leader of the cult that made headlines for being charged with sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy and is the subject of HBO’s “The Vow.” Raniere, who has not spoken out publicly since
Jessica Chastain has signed on for a lead role in the upcoming HBO limited series “Scenes From a Marriage” opposite Oscar Isaac, Variety has confirmed. Chastain takes over for Michelle Williams, who exited the series due to scheduling issues. The role reunites Isaac and Chastain, who previously starred together in the 2014 feature “A Most Violent
“Black-ish” Season 7 has received a back order for six additional episodes at ABC. The order means the critically-acclaimed comedy series will have a full seventh season consisting of 21 episodes, despite the fact that its launch was delayed by the production shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Season 7 of “Black-ish” debuted on ABC
NBC’s “This Is Us” usually breaks its audience members’ hearts with emotional drama involving the fictional Pearsons across generations. But this season, it is making its cast members emotional on-set in a special way, too. “The most heartbreaking thing,” series star Milo Ventimiglia said during a virtual panel for the show on Friday, is that
Another Netflix exec is exiting the company in the wake of Cindy Holland’s shock departure and Bela Bajaria’s elevation to TV head just over a month ago. Nina Wolarsky, Netflix’s vice president of original series – drama, is set to leave the streamer after an eight-year tenure, Variety has learned. Wolarsky’s exit was prompted by a
Grant Imahara’s family and friends have formed a new educational foundation in his memory. The Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation, named for the late “Mythbusters” host, will work to inspire and empower underserved youth to become active in science, technology, engineering, art and math. The formation of the nonprofit was announced Friday on what would have
In a very non-traditional news cycle, Lester Holt is holding on to at least one regular habit. Since 2017, Holt has taken viewers of “NBC Nightly News” to meet with Americans on the ground in important areas of the country, part of a series known as “Across America.” His plans to visit people for the
On Wednesday morning, Mike Catherwood spent an hour on a call with Quibi executives for his new animated project, “Rudy.” Then, he went to pick up his daughter from school. By the time he got home, Quibi was dead. “I have to assume that those executives didn’t know,” Catherwood told Variety. “Otherwise they’re really good
The National Comedy Center will lead a preservation effort for comedian Johnny Carson’s archives. On Friday, in celebration of what would have been the former “Tonight Show” host’s 95th birthday, both the National Comedy Center and the Elkhorn Valley Museum announced that they will jointly exhibit documents and pieces from the archived collection. The Elkhorn
NBC has given a put pilot commitment to the Native American family drama “Sovereign,” which boasts Ava DuVernay among its executive producers. The pilot was written by Sydney Freeland and Shaz Bennett from a story by DuVernay. All three will executive produce with Bird Runningwater co-executive producing. Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes of DuVernay’s ARRAY
Donald Trump and Joe Biden clashed for the final time on live television in last night’s second presidential debate, which by all accounts was somewhat more watchable than the first. However, early numbers put it behind the first debate by around 21%. Last night’s debate garnered 21.4 million viewers across ABC, CBS and NBC in
ABC News will elevate Derek Medina to executive vice president, giving him oversight of many of the Walt Disney unit’s business operations and freeing president James Goldston to devote some of his time to broader strategies. “He will be a key partner for me in running our business who will manage our operational efforts and
In today’s Global Bulletin, Bill Gates will participate in this year’s World Congress of Science and Factual Producers as keynote speaker, Netgem and France Channel co-create a new French content streaming platform, Storyglass announces an arts-themed podcast, “Stath Lets Flats” gets a third season at Channel 4, Damian Kavanagh leaves Tiger Aspect and James Purnell
Sara Curran’s Tricycle Talent has taken a minority stake in up-and-coming Los Angeles-based talent firm Moondust Management. Launched by former YMU Group executive Kamla Pande (pictured, left) earlier this year, the outfit represents a variety of emerging and established digital-first entrepreneurs and personalities, and specializes in brand sponsorship and endorsements, product development and licensing, as
TV’s “upfront” sales session is more or less over. But that doesn’t mean A+E Networks has closed the sales window. The company, which operates A&E, History, Lifetime and several other cable networks, plans to hold a half-hour showcase to highlight its 2021 programming. The preview will be made available between October 27 and 29, and
After churning out several successful Arabic originals, Dubai-based MBC Studios is entering the international TV dramas arena with a high-end English-language doc and series about Carlos Ghosn, the French-Lebanese-Brazilian former CEO of automakers Nissan and Renault, who jumped bail and absconded to Beirut while on trial in Japan for alleged financial misconduct. “It’s not very
Whatever your opinion of Donald Trump, there’s no denying that he has a sixth sense not just for lowering the bar but for keeping it low, for taking previously unacceptable levels of presidential bad behavior and normalizing them, for turning rage, chaos, and lies into everyday reality. The latest example might be the way that
Apple has officially announced the cast for its “Pachinko” series, with Korean superstar Lee Min Ho among those starring in the series. Set to begin production on Oct. 26, “Pachinko” is an adaptation of the Min Jin Lee novel of the same name. It chronicles the hopes and dreams of four generations of a Korean
In today’s TV news roundup, Chris Grismer will join Fox’s “Prodigal Son” as co-executive producing director, and Audible unveiled a multi-project deal with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The SpringHill Company. DATES Apple TV Plus’ “Servant,” executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, will return for its second season Jan. 15. Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under”),
It’d be easy to glance at “Truth Seekers” and mistake it for a satirical farce. The new Amazon series comes from Nat Saunders, James Serafinowicz and the vaunted duo of Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, who have collaborated on genre comedies like “Shaun of the Dead” and “The World’s End.” Starring Frost as a wireless
Melissa Francis, a longtime business-news reporter who has been with Fox News Media since 2012, has been off the air since early October after approaching the company earlier this year with claims of pay disparity based on gender discrimination, according to reports in The Los Angeles Times and from social-media journalist Yashar Ali. Francis, who
Well before Quibi debuted, it seemed inevitable that the service was doomed. Sure, it didn’t help that a streaming platform dedicated to short-form videos had the incredible misfortune to drop during a global pandemic that confined millions to their homes with way more time than they knew what to do with. But it only took
NBC News pushed back Thursday against Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson, who it says “encouraged harassment” of journalist Brandy Zadrozny in a segment on his Wednesday-night broadcast. During the program, Carlson talked to Darren Beattie, a former speechwriter for President Trump who left the White House in 2018 after CNN reported that he had
It may not be quite as momentous as taking home nine total Emmys, but “Schitt’s Creek” has another reason to celebrate. The lauded comedy series has broken into Nielsen’s list of top 10 most-streamed shows for the first time. For the week of Sept. 21, viewers watched the show for a total of 839 million
A new “Addams Family” live-action TV series could soon be coming to television. Variety has confirmed with sources that MGM Television is developing a new series about the spooktacular family. “Into the Badlands” creators Alfred Gough and Milles Millar are attached to write the new series, while Tim Burton is in negotiations to direct and
“Saturday Night Live” is adding one more episode to its 46th season, and the timing will likely turn a few heads. The long-running sketch show will air a sixth episode of the season on Nov. 7, right after the presidential election. Precisely who will host that episode (which will likely be a raucous or somber
AMC Networks urged a Georgia appeals court on Thursday to erase an $8.6 million jury verdict in the death of “The Walking Dead” stuntman John Bernecker. Bernecker died in July 2017 after a 21-foot fall from a balcony. Last December, a jury found AMC’s corporate entity, TWD 8, and its production company, Stalwart Films, liable