Norway is now entering “Singletown.” Discovery Networks has commissioned Banijay Group-owned Nordisk Film TV Norway for a local adaptation of the ITV2 stripped reality show, sold globally by Keshet International. The show will launch on VOD platform Dplay. Produced originally by Keshet Productions, “Singletown” sees five couples press pause on their relationships and spend one
Television
British television industry event the Edinburgh TV Festival, which runs in a digital format this year from Aug. 24-27, has revealed the first sessions of its lineup, as well as revealing a pre-festival session that will look at how issues concerning race are tackled by filmmakers. The BBC drama “Sitting in Limbo” will be the
Late basketball great Kobe Bryant will be honored with a posthumous Emmy at this year’s Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, the Television Academy announced late Wednesday. Bryant will recieve the 72nd Los Angeles Area Emmy Governors Award, which was selected by the Los Angeles Area Governors Award committee in honor of Bryant’s “philanthropy, community building
The cast and creative team of FX’s “Pose” are speaking out against J.K. Rowling’s comments about transgender identity. “I think she’s speaking from this place of just sheer stupidity,” Indya Moore, who plays Angel on “Pose,” told Variety on Wednesday afternoon. “I mean, it’s just so dumb. She’s not even understanding how much death and
A&E has pulled the plug on “Live PD,” in the wake of ongoing protests against police brutality and concerns over coverage of police activity following the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. “This is a critical time in our nation’s history and we have made the decision to cease production on Live PD. Going forward,
Senator Cory Booker got visibly emotional during a frank interview with Conan O’Brien that is slated to air on the late-night host’s Wednesday evening program on TBS. During the conversation, O’Brien notes that he has deliberately avoided bringing up President Trump as a topic during the show for several episodes, but told the Democratic Senator
Jas Waters, a TV writer who worked on the NBC series “This Is Us,” has died. She was 39. The news was confirmed by the “This Is Us” writers in a statement shared to their official Twitter account on Wednesday. “The entire #ThisIsUs family was devastated to learn of Jas Waters passing,” read the statement.
In today’s TV News roundup, HBO released a trailer for its upcoming docuseries “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” and SeriesFest revealed its line-up for its virtual festival, featuring panel discussions, workshops and screenings. RENEWALS TLC has ordered additional episodes of “Find Love Live!” which will begin airing on June 22 at 11 p.m. New
The day after Bravo announced it was firing four cast members — Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens, and Brett Caprioni — from its show “Vanderpump Rules” for their past racist actions, Lisa Vanderpump and Andy Cohen have separately spoken out about the firings — sort of. Cohen — the host of Bravo’s “Watch What
“Billions” star Asia Kate Dillon, the first gender nonbinary performer to play a nonbinary character on a major TV show, made headlines in 2017 when they asked the TV Academy to clarify its gender distinctions. Dillon has since then entered in the supporting actor category, and has been nominated as best supporting actor in a
The Walt Disney Co. announced Wednesday a proposed July 17 reopening of Disneyland, its flagship U.S. theme park in Anaheim, Calif., amid a months-long closure that occurred as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Its theme parks and resort facilities have been shuttered since mid-March. The company’s parks division has planned a phased reopening,
Nascar said Wednesday that it would ban the presence of the confederate flag at all of its racing events and properties, the latest major sports organization to make sweeping new policies in response to nationwide protests over the treatment of Black citizens in America. The presence of the confederate flag at Nascar events runs contrary
In a competitive situation with multiple outlets bidding, Dakota Johnson is attached to star in and executive produce a mockumentary series currently in the works at Amazon. Titled “Rodeo Queens,” the series follows an ensemble of Rodeo Queen hopefuls as they compete for the coveted crown. A writers’ room for the series will open soon,
The freshman comedy “Perfect Harmony” and the freshman drama “Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector” have both been canceled at NBC, Variety has learned from sources. “Perfect Harmony” wrapped its one and only season in January, while “Lincoln Rhyme” ended in March. NBC declined to comment. More to come…
Both “Harlots” and “Reprisal” have been canceled at Hulu, Variety has confirmed. “Harlots” wrapped its third and final season on the streamer last August, while “Reprisal” aired its one and only season in December. “Harlots” took place in 18th century London and follows the Wells family as they try to run a successful brothel despite strong
“Batwoman” showrunner Caroline Dries reassured fans on Wednesday that there are no plans to kill off the character of Kate Kane following the exit of series lead Ruby Rose. “As a lesbian who’s been working as a writer for the past fifteen years, I’m well aware of the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope and I have
Spanish production company Weekend Studio (Netflix’s “Hache”) has optioned The Story Lab’s new Spanish podcast “XRey” for adaptation as a TV drama series. A top three staple on Spotify’s list of most popular podcasts in Spain since launching May 19, “Xrey” dives into the details of Spain’s often-mysterious King Juan Carlos de Borbón I who,
Dating shows have always been a guilty pleasure. Ever since the ’60s with “The Dating Game” and “The Newlywed Game,” audiences have been hooked. But in the modern viewing era, only one franchise has stuck in viewers’ hearts. “The Bachelor” debuted in 2002, and nearly two decades later, no other show has managed to break
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin has lifted a ban on film and TV shoots in the city, his office confirmed Wednesday. News of the resumption of filming emerged earlier this week during an online debate running as part of a virtual market for local films and series, the Key Buyers Event. Russia’s deputy minister of culture
Entertainment One has made it official and welcomed HBO vet Michael Lombardo as its president of global television, which Variety first reported exclusively last month. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Michael to the eOne team,” said eOne president of film and television Steve Bertram in a statement. “His incredibly impressive history of success
“The Simpsons” and “Frontline” have been given the Peabody Awards’ top honor, its institutional award. That recognition was announced on Wednesday, along with this year’s 30 Peabody Award winners — programs that include OWN’s “David Makes Man,” Amazon’s “Fleabag,” Hulu’s “Ramy,” HBO’s “Succession” and “Watchmen,” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and “When They See Us.” Those
The actor at the center of a row over alleged racism behind the scenes at British soap opera “Hollyoaks” has quit the show, it has emerged. Rachel Adedeji, who has alleged that she was subject to racist comments while working on the long-running Channel 4 drama, resigned last year, it has now been revealed. However,
It appears that “America’s Got Talent” may be settling into a ratings groove. The NBC talent show scored a 1.3 rating and 8.6 million total viewers, retaining 100% in both metrics from last episode and comfortably winning the Tuesday night ratings race. Its premiere from two weeks back scored a 1.5 rating and around 9.9
In the weeks following the inaugural edition of the Key Buyers Event, a showcase for new Russian productions held in Moscow last fall, Roskino CEO Evgenia Markova reached out to scores of international guests who had made the trip to the Russian capital. After what was largely perceived as a successful event, in which dozens
New distributor Rainmaker Content has secured global rights excluding the U.K. to BBC One lockdown comedy “Staged,” starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen. Launching on BBC One today, the Infinity Hill and GCB Films Production six part series is written by Simon Evans. It features the cast of a play – the cream of acting
ViacomCBS-owned ad-funded streamer Pluto TV has crossed the 100 channel mark in the U.K. with the addition of two new channels, Secret Dealers and Crime Investigation Australia. Pluto TV now has 101 special interest channels in the U.K. True crime channel Crime Investigation Australia’s content uncovers its country’s most horrific crimes. Secret Dealers has programming that features homeowners deciding
Ava DuVernay has called out the mainstream media for “conflating” protestors and looters in covering the mass protests in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police. Speaking during the first part of Oprah Winfrey’s two-night town hall titled “Where Do We Go From Here?” on racism in America, DuVernay
“Days of Our Lives” star Judi Evans revealed this week that she had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and remains hospitalized. According to Evans’ publicist, the actress contracted the viral illness while recovering in the hospital following a horse-riding accident in May which resulted in several broken ribs, fractured leg injuries, two chipped vertebra and a
In today’s TV news roundup, PBS SoCal and KCET announced it’s revamping its upcoming schedule in solidarity with Black community following the death of George Floyd, and the Television Academy Foundation has announced four new members will be joining its board of directors. PROGRAMMING PBS SoCal and KCET have announced a restructure of its upcoming
“Cops” has officially been canceled at Paramount Network. Definitive news that the series won’t return comes only four days after Variety exclusively reported that it had been pulled from the schedule. “‘Cops’ is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return,” a Paramount Network spokesperson said in