Television

Netflix is bringing “The Last Dance” documentary series about Michael Jordan and the ’90s Chicago Bulls team to the U.S. this summer. ESPN’s “Last Dance,” co-produced with Netflix, debuted this past Sunday (April 19) on ESPN networks and on Netflix outside the U.S. The 10-episode series will run for five weeks on ESPN and Netflix

Transatlantic production group Red Arrow Studios has agreed a multi-year contract extension with Hilary Bevan Jones, founder and managing director of Endor Productions, the U.K.-based scripted producer of “Vienna Blood” and “Deep State.” Bevan Jones’s Endor Productions became part of German broadcast giant ProSiebenSat.1’s production subsidiary Red Arrow Studios in 2012. The deal follows a

Content executive Allie Goss has joined Bruna Papandrea’s company Made Up Stories, in the role of executive vice president of development and production in film and television. Goss joins the Culver City-based shop from Netflix, where she served for nearly 15 years in content licensing and later development. “We’re so thrilled to have somebody of

“Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince” airs Tuesday night, four years to the day after the national shutdown began. Strike that… it only feels that way. Actually, as the CBS special is quick to remind you, it arrives exactly four years since the death of Prince — a span of time that feels

In today’s TV news roundup, Freeform announced Season 4 of “The Bold Type” is returning in June, and MTV is bringing back “Club MTV” for a one-night musical event, featuring DJ Derrick “D-Nice” Jones. DATES Freeform has announced Season 4 of “The Bold Type” will return on Thursday, June 11 at 10 p.m. During the

“Black Mirror” creator Charlie Brooker is making a half-hour isolation special of his “Wipe” review series for the BBC, with the working title of “Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe.” Before “Black Mirror,” Brooker rose to fame with the BBC “Wipe” review series, which began in 2006 with “Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe,” and went on to include “Newswipe

Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez would need some deep-pocketed partners to pull off a purchase of the New York Mets. The superstar couple may have identified one of them in Quogue Capital founder Wayne Rothbaum, who is in talks with the engaged former baseball star and his recording artist and actor fiancé about joining their

Onscreen, “Unorthodox” star Shira Haas breaks free of her restrictive upbringing to start a new life as an artist. Offscreen, she’s simply a breakout — as one the year’s most exciting rising stars. The 24-year-old actress, who lives in Tel Aviv, portrays Esther “Esty” Shapiro on the Netflix limited series. She’s playing a story based

The October premiere date for Season 2 of “The Mandalorian” may still feel like it’s far, far away, but pre-production has already begun on a third installment of the wildly popular Disney Plus series, Variety has learned exclusively. Sources close to the production have confirmed that creator Jon Favreau has been “writing season 3 for a

Netflix’s buzzy documentary series “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” has been sampled by 64 million Netflix households worldwide since its March 20 debut. Netflix disclosed its internal viewing statistics for “Tiger King” and other shows as part of its first-quarter earnings release on Tuesday. Dating reality show “Love Is Blind” has been sampled by

Oscar-nominated documentary director Petra Costa is turning her attention to the COVID-19 pandemic for her next project, “Dystopia.” The Brazilian director of Netflix film “The Edge of Democracy” fired off a series of tweets today calling for the public to collaborate on the project by submitting video footage of their lives during the pandemic. The

At one point in the series finale of “Empire,” the Lyon family sits around a table and discuss canceling the premiere of the Lucious and Cookie biopic that they produced because of safety concerns after Lucious’ (Terrence Howard) nefarious dealings have someone gunning for him — literally. It’s a moment that is both quintessential “Empire,”

Chicago is the next stop for ViacomCBS’ streaming-news plans. The media company is today launching a Chicago-focused edition of CBSN, its streaming-video news operation, marking the ninth local version of the service. ViacomCBS owns Chicago’s WBBM and the company has been developing a series of locally based streaming-news outlets in markets where it owns stations.

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched the Season 5 finale of “Better Call Saul,” entitled “Something Unforgivable.” Save for the Season 4 finale of “Better Call Saul,” in which he kills an unsuspecting money wire service employee, Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) has rarely flexed his violent side, although its malevolent potentiality

Apple is bringing back “Fraggle Rock.” Variety has learned that the tech giant’s streaming service has ordered a new iteration of the classic Jim Henson series titled “Fraggle Rock: Rock On!” Each episode will be three to five minutes long, with the first episode of the series available today for free on Apple TV Plus.

Vivendi, the parent company of Canal Plus Group and Universal Music Group, has acquired a 10.6% stake in Lagardere, the troubled French media conglomerate helmed by Arnaud Lagardère. “This acquisition is a long-term financial investment reflecting Vivendi’s confidence in the future prospects of the French group, which enjoys international leadership positions in its businesses, and

Monday night saw some pretty significant dips in the TV ratings, as “9-1-1” dropped to a season low and “The Voice” ticked down. The Fox show scored a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49 and 6.6 million total viewers, a season 3 low in the former metric, but not in the latter. Episodes four through nine

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched the Season 5 finale of “Better Call Saul,” titled “Something Unforgivable.” Gustavo Fring, played by Giancarlo Esposito, may have made himself scarce in Monday night’s Season 5 finale of “Better Call Saul,” but he proved crucial in setting off the events leading up to the

Disney Plus is making hit ABC television special “The Disney Family Singalong” available to subscribers of its new streaming platform. The one-hour lockdown special first aired in the U.S. on Disney’s ABC network on April 16, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, and is now available on the Disney Plus service in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland,

ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) has gone into production on “Balcony Stories,” a slate of user-generated, short-form content to mark the ways people are experiencing coronavirus lockdown. The short-form series, produced by VIS in collaboration with Fremantle, is based on content from audiences and talent. Videos will show off people’s new daily routine, with balconies transformed

As multiple production companies lay off crew, French animation studio TeamTO has announced two new hires, both central figures in the huge explosion of French animation over the last two decades, with Clélia Santi being appointed as head of production, and Judith Bruneau to the newly-created position of line producer and talent scout, TeamTO announced

Production of “Neighbours,” the long-running Australian TV soap opera is set to restart later this week, despite the coronavirus outbreak causing much of the country to remain in lockdown. The show’s producer, Fremantle Media said that its filming techniques would be distinctly different from pre-virus practices, and that it would be able to stick within

Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures has enacted a round of layoffs, reaching as high as chief financial officer James Pong, insiders told Variety. In addition to Pong, four creative executives were eliminated, two from the film division and two from television, and two assistants were also let go, according to sources. Those seven employees represent nearly

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 5 finale of “Better Call Saul.” Gus Fring needs to find better assassins. The Chicken Man’s (Giancarlo Esposito) plan to assassinate Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) massively failed as “Better Call Saul’s” Season 5 finale, “Something Unforgivable,” which aired Monday night on AMC,

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the second episode of “The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart.” Week 1 of “The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart” left the mansion in good spirits and even numbers: eight men and eight women remained as they coupled off to avoid elimination. But week 2

“One World: Together at Home,” the two-hour star-studded virtual concert featuring Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson and numerous other artists, drew in nearly 21 million viewers across the 26 networks on which it aired live on Saturday night, according to Nielsen data. The musical event, organized by Global Citizen and the World Health Organization,

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new appreciation for streaming platforms while families are “together at home.” Variety recently reported that the streaming competition depends on strong children’s content. Kids have always needed creative, educational and inclusive stories. But during this time of self-isolation, the streamers have become a conduit to the outside and

Retired baseball star Alex Rodriguez and his fiancé, recording artist and actor Jennifer Lopez, have retained JPMorgan Chase to raise capital for a possible bid on the New York Mets, people familiar with the matter said. The superstar couple is working with Managing Director Eric Menell, the bank’s co-head of North American media investment banking,

“Never Have I Ever” has a keen awareness of the teen comedies that came before it. Its plucky heroine has an overbearing mother, two meeker best friends, a nemesis, and a debilitating crush on a popular jock with a secret heart of gold. All she wants is to stride through her sophomore year of high

An average of 6.1 million viewers tuned in to watch the first two episodes of the much-anticipated documentary series “Last Dance” across ESPN and ESPN 2, a boon to the Walt Disney-owned sports networks as they scramble to maneuver in a climate where nearly all live sports have been canceled. Citing data from Nielsen, ESPN