Television

Former NBC Universal Television Entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin is taking a job as VP of unscripted series at Netflix — reporting to Netflix VP of nonfiction series Brandon Riegg. It’s a bit of a reversal for the two execs: In 2010, Riegg joined NBC as vice president of alternative series & development, reporting to the

Nic Pizzolatto, the original creator of HBO’s “True Detective” franchise, published a bizarre Instagram post amid controversy generated in the aftermath of the show’s fourth season finale. “True Detective: Night Country,” starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, ended it six-episode run on Feb. 18. Pizzolatto found himself in hot water after reposting comments to his

In the world of “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” a sky bison makes for the best nap spot, the young cast soon learned. Gordon Cormier, who plays the show’s main character Aang, shared that he and fellow co-stars Kiawentiio and Ian Ousley, who play siblings Katara and Sokka, bonded on set by napping on Appa, Aang’s

The BBC have unveiled a new slate of star-studded dramas including the TV adaptation of James Graham’s football play “Dear England” starring Joseph Fiennes, a new co-pro with “Euphoria” producer A24 and the screenwriting debut from “Sex Education” star Aimee Lou Wood. Director of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt revealed the 12-strong slate – which adds

“Oppenheimer” has achieved the most-watched launch for a pay-one film in Peacock‘s history. That puts it ahead of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which previously held the record for highest opening weekend viewership among films that landed on the streamer through its pay-one deal with Universal Pictures. An exact number of viewers, however, was not

Piper Perabo has been cast in the upcoming Amazon Prime Video spy series “Butterfly,” Variety has learned exclusively. Perabo joins previously announced series lead Daniel Dae Kim in the series along with cast members Reina Hardesty, Park Hae-soo, Kim Tae-hee, and Nayoon Kim. The show was originally ordered to series in May 2023 with a

“Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” may be the biggest original TV series premiere Canada has ever had. That means, when that famous “dun-dun” opens the series on Feb. 22 via Citytv, the pressure is on. It’s notoriously hard to get a show greenlit in Canada. Funding challenges, market size and competition from U.S. acquisitions

“Hacks” has promoted both Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs to series regular status for Season 3, Variety has learned exclusively. Downs plays Deborah and Ava’s manager, Jimmy Lusaque Jr., while Stalter plays Jimmy’s assistant, Kayla Schaeffer. Both have appeared on the show since Season 1 of the Max comedy series. The promotion expands Downs’

Netflix has picked up an untitled documentary about the Montreal Expos and the events surrounding the Major League Baseball team’s departure in 2004. The doc, which the streamer has confirmed exclusively to Variety, reps Netflix’s next original project out of Canada. The doc is the first greenlit under Netflix’s new creative partnership with Montreal-based Attraction. Netflix

TelevisaUnivision has more to offer than just the usual advertising jargon and programming notes for its 2024 upfront showcase. The Spanish-language media giant plans to open what it calls “Casa Cultura” on May 14 at New York’s HK Hall, where it will invite advertisers, media buyers and other attendees to an experiential presentation that will

From Namibian western to animated revenge thriller, from Bosnian family saga to a lesbian vampire breakup story, 10 upscale scripted TV projects were spotlighted at the Berlinale Series Market’s Co-Pro Series on Tuesday morning, representing “unique and bold choices with regard to genre and perspective, on top of great storytelling,” Martina Bleis, Head of the

Actor and comedian Ewen MacIntosh, best known for playing Keith Bishop in Ricky Gervais’ original U.K. series of “The Office,” has died. He was 50. “It is with a heavy heart I can confirm the very sad news of our client Ewen’s passing,” his management company said in a statement to Variety. “Ewen was a

In early Series Mania business, Europe’s Beta Film has pounced on international distribution rights to “30 Days of Lust,” a half-hour dramedy from Munich’s Trimafilm, in which a couple, high-school sweethearts but now knocking 30, experiment with 30 days of free sex.  Beta Film has also shared in exclusivity with Variety a first clip from the eight-part

French TV giant Banijay is losing its chief commercial officer. The company confirmed to Variety that Owain Walbyoff is stepping down from his role, adding that the London-based exec — who was formerly at Endemol Shine Group and was hired in August 2020 following Banijay’s $2.2 billion acquisition — would be leaving on Feb. 29. The

Jon Stewart‘s old desk is happy to have him. On Monday night, 1.3 million viewers tuned into Comedy Central to see Stewart host “The Daily Show” for the second time since the surprise announcement of his return. That marks the highest viewership the show has seen on its home network since Stewart’s final episode in

True crime network Investigation Discovery has named Kathryn Vaughan to the post of senior vice president, head of production. Vaughan will be based in New York and report to Jason Sarlanis, president of Turner Networks, Investigation Discovery and HLN, linear and streaming. “I am thrilled to welcome Kathryn to our team,” said Sarlanis in a

Original “True Detective” creator Nic Pizzolatto is once again making headlines for seemingly bashing the show’s fourth season, “True Detective: Night Country,” which was the first not to be created by Pizzolatto himself. “Night Country” hailed from Issa López, who directed and co-wrote all six episodes. Pizzolatto was still an executive producer on the show,

Fubo, which bills itself as a sports-first TV subscription streaming service, is suing Disney, Fox Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery over the trio’s plans to launch a sports streaming bundle. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, New York-based Fubo alleges that Disney, Fox and WBD, together with Disney’s ESPN and Hulu, have “engaged in a years-long

Both Sydney Sweeney and Josh Brolin are set to host upcoming episodes of “Saturday Night Live.” Sweeney will make her hosting debut on the long-running NBC sketch comedy series on March 2. She will be joined by musical guest Kacey Musgraves, who will be appearing on the show for the third time. Sweeney recently starred

Kevin Kart’s Hartbeat has appointed Jay Levine, who previously spend more than a decade at Warner Bros. and WarnerMedia, as CEO. Levin takes over the chief executive role from Thai Randolph, who exited Hartbeat last fall after seven years with the company. As Hartbeat’s CEO, Levine will oversee all aspects of the multiplatform entertainment company’s

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Broadway legend and “Gilmore Girls” matriarch Kelly Bishop is ready to spill all the tea (or in this case a perfectly prepared pitcher of martinis) about her time on the set of Stars Hollow.

Porn icon Rocco Siffredi claims that after making roughly 1,400 hardcore films — with titles like “The Ass Collector” and “Rocco’s Perfect Slaves” — over the past four decades, he has finally found “the peace of his senses.” “I could crack a bad joke and say I can’t get it up anymore,” says Siffredi, 59, speaking on

“Vanderpump Rules” star Tom Sandoval has already stuck his foot in his mouth several times on the new season of the realty show. After all, it’s the first episodes back since he gained infamy for “Scandoval,” in which he cheated on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, with one of her best friends, Rachel Leviss. But

42, the L.A.- and London-based management and production company behind titles including “The Silent Twins,” “The Girl Before” and “The Flatshare,” has appointed former Universal International Studios exec David O’Donoghue to the position of chief operating office with immediate effect. O’Donoghue will run the company’s operations and business development globally, in addition to having oversight

The “Money Heist” spinoff series “Berlin” has been renewed for Season 2 at Netflix. The second season will once again see Pedro Alonso returning as the title character, along with fellow cast members Michelle Jenner as Keila, Tristán Ulloa as Damián, Begoña Vargas as Cameron, Julio Peña Fernández as Roi, and Joel Sánchez as Bruce.

Alan Cumming and Jane Lynch have boarded the cast of Hulu’s  “The Bravest Knight,” joining returning stars T.R. Knight, Christine Baranski and Bobby Moynihan for the recently-greenlit second season of the trailblazing animated series among the first to foreground LGBTQ+ protagonists and to celebrate Queer families in the all-ages space. Produced by Big Bad Boo

While medical dramas have long been a favorite staple on German TV, a new series helmed by Alex Schaad, director of the award-winning fantasy romance “Skin Deep,” and penned by British writer Samuel Jefferson looks set to give the genre a bold, modern take. “KRANK Berlin” is an eight-part series that follows a young team

Fremantle has inked a deal to acquire Asacha Media Group from Oaktree Capital Management L.P. Paris-headquartered Asacha houses eight labels in the U.K., France and Italy including Stand By Me, Arrow Media and Kabo Family. Co-Founder and group CEO Gaspard de Chavagnac will continue to run the company, reporting to Fremantle’s group COO and CEO

Argentina’s Daniel Burman’s international spy thriller “Witness 36” has won the coveted Series Mania Award at Co-Pro Series, the Berlinale Series Market’s annual project pitching event. The prize consists of an invitation to the production’s team to present again at the industry centrepiece at next month’s Lille-based get-together, the Series Mania Forum’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions.

Leading European distributor Global Screen, part of Westbrook’s Telepool, has sold premium spy drama series “Davos 1917” to North America and to additional free-to-air broadcasters in Europe. Global Series Network picked up the series for its innovative SVOD feed Walter Presents in North America. National broadcaster RTP in Portugal has also acquired the series, as