Television

Even with 71 years of history behind them, the Primetime Emmy Awards managed to find a way to still have a first: The first time the number of nominees in key categories wouldn’t be known until the nominations-round ballots were released. This year, due to the steady rise of the number of submissions in certain

Three years ago, Warner Bros. sitcom “Mom” decided to spotlight Planned Parenthood during the Emmy For Your Consideration campaign window. It was a move that came with a considerable cash donation ($250,000) but also increased attention on the health organization, as suddenly its name was splashed in headlines alongside heavy-weight talent such as Chuck Lorre,

In the sixth episode of HBO’s “Watchmen” adaptation, entitled “This Extraordinary Being,” Angela Abar (Regina King) lives inside her grandfather’s memories of how he became the vigilante Hooded Justice. In one harrowing sequence, Angela experiences how a cabal of white supremacists in the NYPD attacked Will (Jovan Adepo) in an alleyway while a haunting love

Sky, the Comcast-owned pay-TV operator in the United Kingdom, has come out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement after it emerged that U.K. public service broadcaster the BBC had ruled that presenters and guests would not be allowed to wear Black Lives Matter badges on air. “Sky Sports is committed to doing more

“Phineas and Ferb” know what they’re going to do this summer: The animated Disney series’ next film, “Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe,” will premiere August 28 on Disney Plus. Executive-produced by “Phineas and Ferb” creators/executive producers Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, “Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe” centers

Claire Danes just wrapped an eight-season run on “Homeland” with her character, Carrie Mathison, seeming in the end to have betrayed her nation — only to reveal a twist in the series’ final moments. It’s a character turn rooted in her deep history with late love Brody, played by Damian Lewis. For five seasons, the

Sebastien Raybaud’s production and financing company Anton, whose credits include “McMafia” and “His Dark Materials,” and Tobi de Graaff, former BBC Studios director of commissioning and co-production, are partnering to launch Beiboot Representation, which will develop, package and finance high-end television, with a focus on European-produced premium content. The London-based joint-venture, fully backed by Anton,

Reed Midem head of television Laurine Garaude joined presenter Justin Crosby on TV industry news review podcast TellyCast where the two discussed the current state of Mipcom, set to be one of the first major global marketplaces to return to an in-person format when it kicks off in Cannes this October. Predictably, much of the

Boutique international streamer Walter Presents has inked a two-year deal with Russian premium SVOD service Start, and will be available in the territory from early July. Walter Presents, which specializes in non-English language programming, will launch on the service with a 100-hour collection encompassing 11 first-run series. This will grow to 400 hours. Shows available

Lesley Manville, Oscar nominated for “Phantom Thread,” will take over from Helena Bonham-Carter in the role of Princess Margaret in the final season of Netflix series “The Crown,” winner of several Emmys. “I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret,” Manville said in a quote on “The Crown” Twitter feed. “The baton is

Creative Artists Agency is shuttering multiple domestic locations through the end of the year, as coronavirus cases explode in the United States, Variety has learned. A late-hitting internal memo to staff informed agents and others that CAA headquarters in Los Angeles, as well as offices in Nashville and New York, will remain closed as the

The score that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed for HBO’s limited series “Watchmen” could be boiled down to this: It was the most Nine Inch Nails of times, it was the least Nine Inch Nails of times. Which is to say, their work on the thoughtful science-fiction drama took them as close to their

When the coronavirus lockdown began in March, WME partner Richard Weitz found himself stuck like so many parents trying to find a way to celebrate his daughter 17th birthday amid the onset of quarantine conditions. Weitz, a lifelong music buff, called a piano player friend from Chicago to serenade Demi and a group of her

“When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month/ Or even your year, but/ I’ll be there for you.” It’s safe to say that, for many, those 25-year-old lyrics to the “Friends” theme song have never rung more true. “Friends” composer Michael Skloff came to the realization amid quarantine, as the coronavirus pandemic took

Music and sports — arguably the two forms of mainstream entertainment hardest hit by the pandemic lockdown — will get some succor on Sunday when ESPN will air its first-ever concert: the Eagles’ “Live from the Forum MMXVIII.” For those whose roman-numeral-translation skills are lacking, the concert dates from 2018, when the group was on an extensive

In today’s TV News Roundup, HBO announced the premiere date for “Lovecraft Country,” and Tubi announced it will add 30 seasons of Bob Ross’ “The Joy of Painting” to its streaming library. DATES HBO has announced its upcoming drama series “Lovecraft Country” will debut on Aug. 16 at 9 p.m. and be available to watch

CBS veteran Chris Ender has been tapped as the top communications exec at CBS Entertainment Group. He will replace Dana McClintock, who left CBS on June 30 following the appointment of George Cheeks as CEO. Cheeks made the announcement via a memo (shared below), and Ender will report directly to him, while remaining based on

Quibi is making a series about fake news and its impact on the 2016 presidential election. The short-form content platform has issued a series order for “Clickbait” (working title), which tells the true story of a group of Macedonian teenagers who made a fortune creating fake news in the run-up to the 2016 election. “Clickbait”

When Darren Criss was filming “Hollywood,” he was also shooting his Quibi series “Royalties” and traveling to Las Vegas for a series of concerts he was headlining with Steve Aoki. “There was, like, a Sprinter van with an editing bay in it that would come to set on ‘Hollywood,’ to where I’d be shooting a

Since late March, Samantha Bee has been filming TBS’ “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” — her topical comedy show — from the woods outside of her house in upstate New York. Her last taping of the show in its Manhattan studio was on March 11, the week that productions shut down because of the coronavirus

The story of Devi Vishwakumar and her awkward high school experiences will continue. Netflix has renewed Mindy Kaling’s coming-of-age comedy series “Never Have I Ever” for a second season. The news comes just over two months after the show launched to critical acclaim. Season 2 will of course see newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who beat out

For a new streaming service, Apple TV Plus made some pretty sharp music choices from the start, tapping Carter Burwell to score “The Morning Show,” Atli Örvarsson for “Defending Jacob,” Michael Brook for  “Little America” and Drum & Lace and Ian Hultquist for “Dickinson.” Two-time Oscar nominee Burwell (“Carol,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) had

When Tina Fey announced that “30 Rock” would remove four episodes featuring blackface (or what she called “race-changing makeup”) from streaming services, she said that it was because she wanted to “do the work and do better in regards to race in America.” Soon thereafter, episodes featuring approximations of blackface from “Community,” “Scrubs,” and “The

Chris Parnell is leaving Sony Pictures Television Studios, where he most recently served as co-president alongside Jason Clodfelter. Parnell will join Apple TV Plus in a senior programming role on the domestic development team, reporting to Matt Cherniss, Apple’s head of scripted development and current programming. In his new role, Parnell will help drive development

Rarely in recent memory has a TV show been so propitiously timed as “The Last Dance.” The 10-episode documentary series about the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls premiered in May, weeks after the coronavirus pandemic caused the shutdown of all major live sports events, leaving fans bereft. Into that void slipped “The Last Dance,” turning five

With coronavirus stay-at-home measures extending into their fourth month, people have been cooking more than ever. Here, six celebrity chefs recommend staples that everyone needs in their pantry. Alton Brown Dried beans. You can feed a family of four for six months on different kinds of beans. Beans are cheap. They’re plentiful. They’re incredibly nutritious.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how the major Emmy categories should consider expanding their nominations to 10, given the sheer number of viable contenders in this age of peak TV. Indeed, that’s true for the comedy, drama, limited series and competition races, in which there will absolutely be a ton of snubs when

Mark Duplass is a man of many hats — he’s a writer, director, producer and actor. One of his most high-profile gigs in front of the camera as of late is Chip Black, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon’s producer boss on “The Morning Show,” the Apple TV Plus series about a morning news show that

The Writers Guild of America and the major Hollywood studios have set the broad outline of a new master film and TV contract, quieting concerns about labor strife adding to the industry’s struggle to relaunch production amid the turmoil of the pandemic. Multiple sources said the three-year contract agreement was essentially settled in the wee

Russell Crowe asked Jared Kushner for advice on playing the former head of Fox News Roger Ailes in the Showtime limited series “The Loudest Voice.” In an interview with Variety‘s Actors on Actors issue, Crowe revealed to Nicole Kidman that he approached Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior advisor, at Hugh Jackman’s 50th birthday party