Television

Sony Pictures Television has announced an overall development deal with British historian Dan Jones, author of bestsellers such as “The Plantagenets,” “The Hollow Crown” and “The Templars.” The deal will see Jones develop adaptations of his works for option by Sony Pictures Television’s stable of international scripted production companies, including Left Bank Pictures and Eleven.

The latest Netflix obsession is “Indian Matchmaking,” centering on Sima Taparia, a Mumbai woman who helps Indian singles find potential spouses, with plenty of input from their extended families. The internet is abuzz over the show’s subjects including opinionated Houston attorney Aparna, lovable Austin nerd Vyasar and Mumbai businessman Akshay, who wants to find a

Amazon has come onboard the BBC One series “The Pursuit of Love” from Emily Mortimer. Filming on the series has now begun after it was delayed in the spring due to the coronavirus pandemic. Written and directed by Mortimer, the three-episode series adaptation of the Nancy Mitford novel of the same name is set in

Comcast-backed specialty channel Sky Arts is set to go free-to-air from September, after years of speculation around the delivery of the U.K. arts offering. “It is really timely in a way, particularly because the arts and culture sector is in crisis in many ways,” Philip Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts, told Variety. “Theaters are facing

In today’s TV news roundup, CBS All Access released the premiere date of “Star Trek Discovery” Season 3, and HBO announced the premiere date of “We Are Who We Are.” DATES CBS All Access has announced Season 3 of “Star Trek: Discovery” will premiere Oct. 15 on the streaming service. In the new 13-episode season,

CNN has over the years run all kinds of content: hard-news hours, documentaries, even a quiz show. Now it’s going to try animation. The AT&T-owned cable-news outlet will on Tuesday launch a new promotional campaign for some of its biggest pieces of coverage of the 2020 election. In cartoon-y  vignettes, a donkey and elephant –

“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” has become the subject of an internal investigation by WarnerMedia following numerous accounts of workplace problems on the long-running daytime series, Variety has learned. Executives from show producer Telepictures and distributor Warner Bros. Television sent a memo to staffers last week saying they have engaged WBTV-owner WarnerMedia’s employee relations group and

“P-Valley” has been renewed for a second season at Starz. The premium cabler made the announcement on Monday after just three episodes of the series have aired. “P-Valley” was created by Katori Hall and is based on her play “Pussy Valley.” The hour-long series follows the employees of a strip club in the Mississippi Delta.

A few goodfellas are in the market to get whacked or get made at Showtime. The network is developing an hour-long mob drama from the eye-catching trio of Brian Grazer, Terence Winter and Nicholas Pileggi, Variety has confirmed. Winter will write the as-yet-untitled project, which sources say is in early stages, and is based on

If a fan convention is held on the internet and no one’s there to talk about it, does it make any noise? That was the overwhelming experience with Comic-Con@Home, the virtual fan convention that ran from July 22-26. It was meant to replace San Diego Comic-Con, the massive annual fan gathering that was forced to

HBO has optioned a book proposal about the hunt for a COVID-19 vaccine with Adam McKay onboard as an executive producer, Variety has confirmed. The potential limited series is based on the book proposal “The First Shot” by Brendan Borrell. It tells the story of the global coronavirus vaccine race, following the companies and individuals

Oprah Winfrey has set up an interview series at Apple. “The Oprah Conversation” will debut on the streaming service on July 30. Filmed remotely, the show will feature Winfrey engaging in dialogues with thought leaders and newsmakers from all over the world. In the debut episode, “How to Be an Antiracist,” Winfrey and bestselling author

HBO Max is following in the footsteps of its streaming rivals in making bold viewership claims, while withholding actual data. The streamer has announced that, in a shock to no one, “Friends” is the “No. 1 performing show” on the platform to date. What that means exactly is unclear, as HBO Max doesn’t provide any

Anthony Hemingway, who is set to direct the upcoming Nat Geo series “Genius: Aretha,” has signed an overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. As part of the new deal, Hemingway will develop and direct new projects via his self-titled Anthony Hemingway Productions banner. Aside from “Genius: Aretha,” Hemingway is also attached to helm the

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

Chrissy Teigen is trying to answer the age-old question (well, maybe not that old) is it real, or is it cake? Quibi has ordered another series from Teigen, who already has a second season of “Chrissy’s Court” in the works at the platform, called “Eye Candy.” Based on the popular Japanese game show format “Sokkuri

Unto most every TV-watching generation, a new Muppets show is born. The original “Muppet Show,” which ran from 1976 to 1981, had Jim Henson’s felt puppets take over a vaudeville theater to perform songs, slapstick sketches and more unabashedly cheesy puns than its bewildered guests could count. The “Muppets Tonight” reboot, which ran a single

U.K. non-profit ERA5050 has partnered with Comedy 50:50 to launch TellHerVision, a writers’ room mentorship program exclusively for women working in comedy. The program is supported by ScreenSkills with funding coming from National Lottery funds awarded by the British Film Institute’s Future Film Skills program. Hat Trick Productions and TimesUp U.K. will participate as strategic

Netflix announced “The Witcher: Blood Origin,” a limited series set in “The Witcher” universe, which will tell the backstory of the elven civilization before its fall — and reveal the lost history of the very first Witcher. “Blood Origin,” to be shot in the U.K., will be a six-part, live-action limited series, and a prequel

Netflix/ITV’s hit thriller “Marcella” is set for a French adaptation produced by Elephant and commissioned by TF1. The deal was made by Cineflix Rights which has exclusive worldwide rights to the new series. Hans Rosenfeldt’s “Marcella” was produced by Buccaneer Media and stars Anna Friel who won an International Emmy Award for her role in

HBO Asia has set “Dream Raider” as its first original sci-fi commission. The show is an 8-episode Mandarin language series, produced in Taiwan. Set in the near future, “Dream Raider” features a misfit team of scientists and cops that are trying to get to the bottom of a criminal conspiracy that exploits human consciousness. The series opens

ITV Studios executive Bea Hegedus is joining Vice Media Group as senior VP and global head of distribution. The newly created role comes as Vice looks to maximize its IP internationally, and build new U.S. and international partnerships. Formed in 2017, global production outfit Vice Studios has 130 projects in production and development across all

BBC and ITV-backed streamer BritBox is finalizing plans that will see the service roll out to 25 countries worldwide, with the footprint expanding across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America and Africa. This will build upon the service’s success in the U.S. and Canada, where it has surpassed one million subscribers. The platform launched

RuPaul’s award-winning show “Drag Race” is set for a Dutch makeover by World of Wonder, broadcaster RTL and Vincent TV. “Drag Race Holland” is being produced by Netherlands-based production company Vincent TV Production and executive Produced by World of Wonder, the format’s owners. Set to bow later this year, the series will feature ten Dutch

Joerg Winger, producer and co-creator of the hit three-season “Deutschland” Cold War spy series, has launched a new outfit aimed at developing, producing and distributing high-end drama formats, including English-language and international productions. Berlin-based Big Window Productions, set up between original “Deutschland” producer UFA Fiction and parent group Fremantle, will focus “on a small portfolio

Adult Swim and Crunchyroll are teaming up once again to produce a new anime series. The two WarnerMedia properties are combining to develop “Fena: Pirate Princess,” which is slated to premiere on Adult Swim’s Toonami and stream on Crunchyroll in 2021. News of the series was announced at Adult Swim’s first ever convention, Adult Swim Con.

Regis Philbin was never formally on the payroll of “The Late Show With David Letterman,” but he might as well have been. When Letterman retired in May 2015, Philbin, the TV veteran who died July 24 at 88, emerged as the most frequent guest to joke and spar with Letterman in the guest chair over

An employee at daily entertainment newsmagazine “Access Hollywood” has tested positive for the coronavirus, Variety has learned. The case was discovered through routine testing. According to a person familiar with the situation, the production has not shut down, and contact tracing has been implemented and completed. There are “stringent” safety and testing protocols, in addition

After news broke this afternoon that legendary television host Regis Philbin had died, celebrities took to social media to share their memories and condolences. Philbin, who was 88, was best known for hosting the morning talk show “Live!” as well as the hit game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” He was praised for

Regis Philbin, the ubiquitous TV host best known for his long run on the syndicated morning talk show “Live” and ABC’s primetime hit game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” died of natural causes on Friday night. He was 88. “His family and friends are forever grateful for the time we got to spend