Television

CNBC’s Jim Cramer took to social media to defend himself Tuesday after critics derided his use of the epithet “Crazy Nancy” during a Tuesday interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a relatively rare example of the business-news outlet’s on-air personnel getting mixed up in news-cycle politics. Cramer was questioning Pelosi about negotiations for new coronavirus

Charles Dolan has stepped down as executive chairman of AMC Networks, marking the end of an era for the cable industry. Dolan, 93, ranks among the earliest pioneers of cable TV. The telecom entrepreneur had the foresight to wire parts of Manhattan for cable service in the 1960s and in 1971 launch the pay TV

Donald Trump and Joe Biden are getting the puppet treatment. Fox has ordered a satirical special called “Let’s Be Real,” which will cover politics, pop culture and the 2020 election (specifically the two candidates) through puppets, celebrity cameos and remote pieces. The special, set to air Oct. 1 on the network, hails from “Triumph the Insult

Noted “Office” enthusiast Billie Eilish spoke to show stars Steve Carell and Brian Baumgartner about her longtime fandom forthe show. The singer joined host Baumgartner on “An Oral History of ‘The Office‘” podcast for a conversation on its lasting cultural impact and legacy on younger audiences. Eilish shared that her her favorite character is Michael

“South Park” is the latest show to be tackling the coronavirus pandemic. Comedy Central has announced that the iconic animated comedy will return with a one-hour special creatively titled “The Pandemic Special.” The episode in question will air on the cable network on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.  In terms of the plot,

Scout Productions is extending its unscripted programming slate with the launch of a new documentary division. Joel Chiodi, Scout Productions’ senior vice president of strategic development, will oversee day to day development and production of the division. He will report to Scout’s chief creative officer, Rob Eric. Scout has already set two documentary projects under

HBO Max’s Julia Child pilot has been forced to replace one of its key ingredients. David Hyde Pierce, best known for playing  Dr. Niles Crane on “Frasier,” has joined the cast as Julia’s devoted husband Paul Child. The role was initially meant to be played by British actor Tom Hollander, however, he stepped away from

Veteran director Kat Coiro is in talks to join Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney Plus series “She-Hulk” as lead director and executive producer, Variety has confirmed. She will direct the pilot and other episodes of the series, joining showrunner Jessica Gao (“Rick and Morty”). Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige first announced “She-Hulk” last year during the D23

Just before “Fargo” returned to production in August, Noah Hawley — the writer who somehow adapted an eccentric and beloved Coen brothers film into one of the most decorated television series of the past decade — sent a letter to the show’s cast and crew. He wrote about the importance of safety. He wrote about

Apple announced Apple One — a new set of service bundles that will offer a discount to customers — as the tech giant looks to continue to boost revenue from subscriptions. The Apple One bundles, to launch later this fall, will be available in three versions. The Individual plan, priced at $14.95/month, will include Apple

U.K. broadcaster BBC has garnered criticism for the millions paid in salaries to high profile on-air talent such as ex-soccer player and current sport pundit Gary Lineker. Lineker, who hosts popular soccer program “Match of the Day,” and fronts the BBC’s FA Cup and “Sports Personality of the Year” coverage, earned £1.75 million ($2.25 million)

Comcast is poised to deliver a record quarter of broadband subscriber gains as the media giant slowly pulls out of the economic trench caused by the pandemic. Brian Roberts, chairman-CEO of Comcast, said the cable giant is preparing to report net broadband adds for the third quarter of more than 500,000, a record for the

The trailer for Season 2 of “The Mandalorian” has dropped, and it looks like the titular bounty hunter and Baby Yoda are on a road trip. The Mandalorian (played by Pedro Pascal) is tasked with returning The Child, aka Baby Yoda, to his home planet, wherever that may be. “The songs of eons past tell

Cinelytic has agreed with Fandango to incorporate Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer and audience scores into its business intelligence platform, Variety has learned exclusively. “During these critical times when the filmed entertainment business model is experiencing accelerated changes, Rotten Tomatoes’ critic and audience scores will provide users of our platform additional capabilities and insights that will be

If America’s modern space age began in the 1960s, it hit a wall in 1986 with the Challenger disaster, when the U.S. space shuttle by that name exploded during takeoff, killing all seven crew members aboard. The element that took this from sorrowful and tragic error to generation-defining news event was the presence onboard of

ITV Studios has said that 80% of its productions impacted by coronavirus have now resumed shooting or have been delivered, but that international travel restrictions have limited the scope of filming. Broadcaster ITV said in its August earnings call that 70% of the 230 productions impacted or paused by lockdown had resumed. That figure has

ViacomCBS hopes to become a bigger player in the global streaming business with the rebrand of CBS All Access as Paramount Plus early next year. The new name will coincide with another expansion of its original programming efforts and its archive of programming drawn from the newly combined Viacom and CBS Corp. archives. ViacomCBS vowed

U.K. broadcaster BBC has talked up its value in a “tougher than ever marketplace,” in the words of chair David Clementi, in the organization’s annual report for the 2019/20 financial year. The BBC is the most-used media organization in the U.K. with an average 41 million people per day interacting with its services in the

U.K. broadcaster BBC’s new chief content officer Charlotte Moore will be stepping away from commissioning and her role as controller of flagship channel BBC One “in order to focus on the strategy and shape of the new BBC Content division,” the BBC has confirmed to Variety. Beginning Sept. 21, as part of an interim structure,

Ten years ago, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and thousands of their shows’ most loyal fans took over the National Mall to throw their support behind a common cause. Having skewered American politics for years — Stewart with flustered liberal rage, Colbert with a barely hyperbolic spoof of conservative pundits — the pair was fed up

Carole Baskin faced scrutiny on “Tiger King” over the disappearance of her husband Don Lewis in 1997, and Lewis’ family reignited the mystery with a commercial that aired during Baskin’s debut on “Dancing With the Stars.” The commercial aired during the “Dancing With the Stars” telecast Monday night in Tampa and Jacksonville, as well as

The first of five nights of the Creative Arts Emmys began on Monday, with “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “Apollo 11” getting out to an early lead. The first night of the awards focused on the artisans categories for reality and nonfiction programming. “Apollo 11” picked up three awards in total, including a win for best

A rep for “Cheer” star Jerry Harris has denied allegations that he solicited sex from minors. “We categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager,” the spokesperson told Variety in a statement. “We are confident that when the investigation is completed the true facts will be

Will Smith announced on Instagram Sunday that the house from the “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” would be made available for rent on Airbnb. Starting Sept. 29, Los Angeles County residents will be given the opportunity to book a stay at the home in a group of up to two. The five available dates, which

Oscar-nominated Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen (“Mother”) cut his teeth in TV a decade ago before migrating to cinema, co-directing 2013’s “Stockholm” and his own breakout solo feature “May God Save Us,” which marked him as one of Spain’s foremost young crossover talents. Now, he and long-time writing partner Isabel Peña have returned to the small

Movistar Plus, the pay TV division of Telefonica, one of Europe’s biggest telecoms, is scaling up — in series’ ambition, distribution aggression and corporate magnitude — as it seeks preeminence as a producer not only in Spain but also in the world’s dramatically exploding Spanish-language content market. That expansive drive has seen bullish moves in

The CW’s upcoming “Walker, Texas Ranger” reboot is keeping things in the family. Genevieve Padalecki has been cast to star opposite her husband Jared Padalecki in a role which may not require much research: his wife. The series sees Jared Padalecki play Cordell Walker, a widower and father of two with his own moral code,

In today’s TV news roundup, Showtime released a trailer for its docuseries, “The Comedy Store,” and “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team” has been renewed for the show’s 15th season on CMT. RENEWALS The CMT series “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team” has been renewed for a 15th season and is scheduled to premiere sometime

The original pilot for “Game of Thrones” was virtually unrecognizable compared to the one shown to audiences in 2011. Everything from hairstyles to actors to major scenes had to be reconsidered after the initial pilot failed to land with HBO executives in the early stages of the show’s development. Entertainment Weekly published an excerpt from

At this point, there are several things you’re almost sure to encounter when diving into one of Ryan Murphy’s gilded television worlds. No matter where or when it’s set, the show will have impeccable, eye-popping costume and production design. No matter how it unfolds, it will do its damndest to shock and awe, probably by