Film Independent has added five television categories to the Spirit Awards, to be held on April 24, 2021 — the day before the Oscars. The TV categories include best new scripted series, new non-scripted or documentary series, male performance, female performance and ensemble cast. The organization also announced on Tuesday that the 2021 show will
Television
NBC has reached a settlement with former “America’s Got Talent” judge Gabrielle Union, following her explosive accusations of rampant workplace toxicity on the talent competition series. “We’ve reached an amicable resolution. NBC Entertainment appreciates the important concerns raised by Gabrielle Union and remains committed to ensuring an inclusive and supportive working environment where people of
Comedian, actor and author Michelle Buteau is busier than ever. She not only stars in BET Plus’ “First Wives Club,” hosts Netflix’s “The Circle” and will lead and executive produce “No Pulling Out Now” for Quibi, but she also recently shot an hourlong stand-up special (also for Netflix) and wrote her first book. Now, at
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has lost the latest round of her ongoing legal battle with U.K.’s Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), publishers of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. Markle sued the group for breach of privacy and copyright infringement after the Mail on Sunday published excerpts from a 2018 letter Markle
Two drama series from “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail and Esmail Corp’s Chad Hamilton are in development with ABC. “Acts of Crime,” described only as a “unique spin on the crime procedural,” is written and directed by Esmail. He and Hamilton are slated to serve as executive producers for Esmail Corp on the series, which
“Dancing With the Stars” twirled its way to the top of the TV ratings charts once again on Monday night, as it faced stiff competition from the Stanley Cup finals on NBC. The ABC dancing show scored a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49 and drew just over 7 million total viewers, as “Tiger King” star
Several episodes of Adult Swim series have been “permanently retired due to cultural sensitivities,” according to the network, including those from “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” and “The Boondocks.” The Daily Beast, which first reported the news, noted that Reddit users had pointed out “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” episode “Shake Like Me” and “The Boondocks” episode
David S. Goyer is coming back to Gotham City to excavate more secrets from the Dark Knight’s psyche. Goyer is the creator of “Batman Unburied,” a new podcast drama exploring “the darker aspects” of Bruce Wayne, to debut exclusively on Spotify in 2021. Goyer, who will executive produce the series, penned the story for 2005’s
Rainmaker Content has picked up worldwide distribution rights from German studio Leonine for Brendan Fraser-starring action series “Professionals.” The project, which was completed during the global pandemic, will be shopped to buyers at next month’s virtual Mipcom market. Commissioned by Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) for streamer Viaplay, the cast includes Fraser (“Trust”), Tom Welling
Netflix has announced a Nov. 15 premiere date for the fourth season of hit show “The Crown.” “Change is coming. 15th November,” Netflix tweeted on Tuesday, as it released four new images from the series. Inspired by the award-winning play, “The Audience,” “The Crown” tells the inside story of the decades-long reign of Queen Elizabeth
Julie Bristow, former CEO and president of Bristow Global Media (BGM), has launched The Content Catalyst Fund (CCF). The initiative will focus on content developed, delivered and designed by women and about women. Based in Canada, with an international reach, CCF will develop and invest in unscripted and scripted content, with an initial focus on
Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the country’s top experts on the coronavirus pandemic, called some of Fox News’ reporting on the virus “outlandish” and added that some media stories are “taken out of context or are actually incorrect.” In an interview with CNN’s Brian Stelter on Monday, Fauci spoke about the news media’s handling of
In today’s TV news roundup, BET announced that “Sacrifice” has been picked up for 10 episodes following the same characters as in the 2019 film. GREENLIGHTS BET announced that “Sacrifice,” the legal thriller film starring Paula Patton, has now been picked up to series. The movie released in 2019 as the first original film on
Female-led caper mini-series “Unusual Suspects” has begin filming in Sydney this week. The four-part series, which also highlights Australia’ ethnic diversity, is being produced for publicly funded broadcaster SBS. Set in the upmarket eastern suburbs of Sydney, the story features the theft of a multi-million-dollar necklace and the women from different walks of life who
Emmy award-winning television producer Kevin Burns, known for his work on the 2006 “Poseidon Adventure” remake and the “Lost in Space” reboot died Sunday of cardiac arrest, Prometheus Entertainment confirmed to Variety. He was 65. In a statement to Variety, Prometheus Entertainment vice president of marketing and development Derek Thielges said all members of the
After more than two and a half years of public jousting and legal jockeying, WME and CAA are ready to capitulate on the battle over the rules for talent agents representing writers. But the WGA isn’t in a rush to declare final victory. Multiple sources at the industry’s superpower agencies say there is growing frustration
Bill Maher and his “Real Time” talk show will be back for at least two more years. HBO has renewed “Real Time” through 2022, taking the show to its twentieth season. The pick up was announced by HBO programming EVP Nina Rosenstein. “For 18 seasons, Bill Maher and the talented team at ‘Real Time’ have
Welcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV. Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. As many across the country continue to practice self-isolation due to coronavirus, why not while away
“The Simpsons” premiered its record 32nd season on Sunday night to big numbers, mainly thanks to a strong NFL lead-in. The return of Homer, Marge and co. delivered a 2.0 rating among adults 18-49 and drew 5.5 million total viewers. That’s more than double the previous season premiere on both metrics, with the caveat that
In a crucial moment for any TV network that wants to stay in the business of broadcasting NFL football games, ESPN this evening is calling in some big guns. Before kickoff on tonight’s “,” the sports-media giant will feature an opening segment designed with help from colleagues at Disney sibling Marvel. The montage looks similar
In today’s Global Bulletin, Fremantle passes 130 territories sold for Samuel L. Jackson’s “Enslaved,” Lineup Industries is set to license NHK’s formats slate, Red Sea International awards more than $1 million in grants, and Walter Presents nabs five Nordic series. DISTRIBUTION Samuel L. Jackson’s Epix docuseries “Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade” will
What will it take to get movie studios to start running TV ads again? Maybe the 2020 election. Big movie backers have in recent months largely stopped running their glitzy trailers on TV. Most significant releases have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the Hollywood advertisers see little reason to bombard a national
Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, a medication used in combination with misoprostol to safely and legally end an early pregnancy. The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether people seeking an abortion can obtain mifepristone without visiting a doctor’s office or clinic. The recent death of Supreme
In an unprecedented move, the U.K. television industry is uniting to hold quarterly discussions around working practices for freelancers. The TV Coalition for Change brings together broadcasters such as BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky, as well as union Bectu and producers’ body Pact, among other orgs, in a series of meetings that kick off
“Dive Club,” a 12-episode teen mystery drama will start filming in Queensland, Australia, from next month. The show will play on global streaming platform Netflix, and on a local Australian commercial broadcaster from 2021. “Dive Club” follows a group of skilled teenage divers as they strive to uncover a mysterious disappearance that will change their
In a near-perfect twist of fate, SZA will perform her hit track “Drew Barrymore” on the actor’s new daytime talk show on Oct. 1. Following the performance, the artist will sit down with the host for an interview on “The Drew Barrymore Show” on CBS. The music video for “Drew Barrymore,” from SZA’s 2017 breakout
Hollywood insiders expressed deep concerns on Saturday as President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death this month of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As a federal judge and as a legal scholar, Barrett has a track record as a social conservative who stands in staunch opposition
“The Witcher” has recast the upcoming role of Eskel with actor Basil Eidenbenz, Variety has confirmed. In February, Netflix originally announced that actor Thue Ersted Rasmussen would be taking on the role of the fellow Witcher in the Henry Cavill-starring series. However, Rasmussen had to drop out of “The Witcher” due to rescheduling conflicts caused by
The cast of “Veep” is reuniting to help get former veep Joe Biden back into the White House. Julia Louis-Dreyfus took to Twitter today to announce the virtual reunion, which is a fundraiser for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. The reunion will take place on Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. CST and will feature “Veep”
“Once and Again,” created by Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz — those experts in the emotional lives of sensitive, upper-middle-class white people, as evidenced by their other shows, “thirtysomething” and “My So-Called Life” — was a family drama that ran on ABC from 1999 to 2002. It revolved around the lives of two divorced people,