Television

Alexander Payne will no longer direct or executive produce “Landscapers,” the Olivia Colman drama in the works at HBO and Sky. Will Sharpe will replace Payne in the director’s chair. “Landscapers” is being produced by Sister, which previously collaborated with Sharpe on last year’s Netflix-BBC series “Giri/Haji.” According to a spokesperson for Payne, he is

Channing Dungey is stepping down from her role as vice president of original content at Netflix, Variety has confirmed. Her last day at Netflix is today. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, she is leaving to pursue another opportunity. There has been speculation that Dungey could be in line to take over for

Netflix has signed an overall deal with writer and producer Michael Green. The first project under that deal will be the animated series “Blue Eye Samurai,” which has been ordered to series at the streamer. Geeen co-created the series along with Amber Noizumi. They will serve as executive producers and co-showrunners on the show, which

Elf on the Shelf is going Hollywood. Netflix nabbed rights to the Christmas-themed story and will develop original live-action and animated content for the streaming service, catering to young kids and their families. “Elf on the Shelf” originated as a rhyming children’s book that reveals how Santa determines who is naughty and nice. As the

Bhagavan “Doc” Antle – extreme animal trainer and star of Netflix’s “Tiger King” – has been indicted on multiple wildlife trafficking charges following an investigation by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring’s animal law unit. Herring’s office said Antle and Keith A. Wilson, the owner of Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in Frederick County, Va., trafficked lion

Steve Carell is officially returning to “The Morning Show.” Apple has confirmed that he will be back for the series’ upcoming second season, reprising the role of disgraced host Mitch Kessler. The streamer has also announced two additions to the cast in “Russian Doll” alumna Greta Lee and Ruairi O’Connor, whose recent credits include “The Spanish

C-SPAN producer Steve Scully and controversy aren’t usually mentioned in the same sentence, but this is 2020, so anything is up for grabs. Scully – or, perhaps, someone emulating him – raised eyebrows on Friday when his Twitter feed appeared to be asking a question of Anthony Scaramucci, the former Trump White House communications director.

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” streaming now on Netflix. It isn’t just the beginning of a title that “The Haunting of Bly Manor” shares with “The Haunting of Hill House.” The horror anthology from Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy had to carry a tonal

Even if you haven’t seen the 1983 film or read Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book of the same name, chances are you’ve already seen something exactly like “The Right Stuff.” In its retelling of the true story of “The Mercury 7” (i.e. the intrepid group of American astronauts vying to be the country’s first space travelers),

What does life after a weaponized virus decimates the majority of the population look like for the two factions of survivors attempting to go on, amid being on warring sides of good and evil? CBS All Access offers a glimpse in a new trailer for its upcoming nine-episode limited series adaptation of Stephen King’s “The

HBO Max has given out a series order to “Green Lantern,” Variety has learned. Based on the DC Comics property, the show was first announced as being in development last year. Plot details are now available for the first time, however. The show will depict the adventures of a multitude of Lanterns, including Guy Gardner, Jessica

Eccho Rights to represent select Sony Pictures Television titles; ViacomCBS commissions Artemesia Gentileschi series; Channel 4 revives “Changing Rooms”; and Cake sells “Tish Tash.” Sweden-based global distributor Eccho Rights has agreed an exclusive representation deal with Sony Pictures Television that includes 15 titles from all over the world. The titles that are part of this

The life of Germany’s first gentleman will be the focus of a new comedy series currently in development at Berlin-based Readymade Films, maker of local hit “MaPa.” Joachim Sauer, a quantum chemist and professor of physical and theoretical chemistry, is also the husband of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Despite his wife’s international fame, Sauer has

ZDF Enterprises, the highly active international production and sales arm of German public broadcaster ZDF, has sealed a major multi-territory deal with Viasat World’s Epic Drama channel on “Dead Still,” continuing the macabre dramedic mystery series’ rollout in much of the world. Backed by U.S. SVOD service Acorn TV and Irish state TV service RTE,

A behind-the-scenes look at “The West Wing” reunion special airing on HBO Max on October 15. Officially titled “A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote” this theatrical recreation of past episode “Hartsfield’s Landing” reunites Martin Sheen, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, and Rob Lowe with showrunner Aaron

After 10 irreverent, often wildly weird episodes, “Star Trek: Lower Decks” concluded its inaugural season as the first animated “Trek” series in 47 years with two striking salutes to “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” (Warning: The rest of this story contains spoilers.) The first “TNG” callback: The crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos run afoul of

SAG-AFTRA is cutting its workforce for the third time this year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will leave it with about 400 employees. The performers union announced the cuts Thursday, explaining that the reductions in workforce are taking place across most operations and locals which will include a combination of early retirements

In February, Judith Light was in Los Angeles supporting her husband, Robert Desiderio, at a launch event for his novel “The Occurrence: A Political Thriller” when she was stopped by a woman who wanted to share how much one of Light’s roles meant to her. “She came up to me and she said, ‘I am

Oscar nominee and BAFTA-winning British actor Helena Bonham Carter (“The Crown”) will narrate animated Christmas special “Quentin Blake’s Clown” for U.K. broadcaster Channel 4. Inspired by the eponymous book by one of Britain’s best-known authors/illustrators, Quentin Blake — who illustrated Roald Dahl books — “Quentin Blake’s Clown” is a half-hour animation bringing to life the

“Supernatural” star Jensen Ackles and his wife and fellow actor Danneel Ackles have formed a new production company and entered into an exclusive, multi-year overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group, Variety has learned. The duo has also tapped former DC creative executive Renee Reiff as head of development for the company, named Chaos Machine

In today’s TV news roundup, TNT announced “Snowpiercer’s” second season premiere date, and Epix set the premiere date for docuseries “By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem.” CASTING Natalie Zea will join the cast of “The Unicorn” alongside Walton Goggins, with whom she appeared on “Justified,” for an extended run, CBS announced. The series follows a widower

Amazon Prime Video revealed a first look into “Invincible,” the upcoming animated superhero series based on Kirkman’s second-longest comic book series. As part of creator Robert Kirkman’s New York Comic Con conversation, viewers are introduced to Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), a teenager forced by circumstance to live in the shadow of father, who happens to

Mark Ruffalo has a clear recollection of the first time he walked into the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Los Angeles. “I was living in San Diego and basically just surfing and smoking weed and going nowhere really fast,” Ruffalo tells Variety. “Someone told me I should go study there so out of my

Nancy Grace shifted her dreams from Shakespearean literature to law following the death of her fiancé Keith Griffin’s murder in 1979. Since then, she’s served in a district attorney’s office, covered cases on television and investigated unsolved crimes. On Sept. 22, she released “Don’t Be a Victim,” a book giving guidelines on how to increase

WarnerMedia is expected to enact a new round of layoffs amid the AT&T-owned company’s ongoing restructuring. According to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news, the company is looking to cut costs by as much as 20% and lay off thousands in the coming weeks. That would follow the hundreds of layoffs made

Apple is giving customers who are getting the Apple TV Plus streaming service for free a few more months gratis. The company said Thursday that for Apple TV Plus customers whose free 12-month free subscription is scheduled expire between Nov. 1, 2020, and Jan. 31, 2021, they will continue have free access to the service

Fight back tears as the original cast of Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing” reunite for charity. Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, Bradley Whitford and several other cast members have returned to film a theatrical staging of the “Hartsfield’s Landing” episode in hopes of getting the vote out. The

The foundation of the presidential debates, long a feature of an election year, is buckling. ABC News said it intends to hold a town hall with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday October 15 – the same night the former Vice President was slated to have taken part in a debate with President Donald

Eboni K. Williams has joined the cast of “The Real Housewives of New York City” for its upcoming 13th season, Variety has confirmed with Bravo. Williams — a journalist, TV host, attorney and author — marks the first-ever Black cast member to join the New York franchise. “NYC is filled with successful and dynamic Black women.

For its upcoming virtual induction ceremony, to be telecast on HBO Nov. 7, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced an extremely wide-ranging slew of guest stars, which is fitting, given this year’s extraordinarily eclectic cast of inductees. Dave Grohl will begin the show by introducing the class of 2020, to be followed