Things got pretty hot in the season finale of “Chicago Fire,” and the ratings for the NBC drama were equally on fire. Last night’s finale scored a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49 and 9.3 million total viewers, which equals the series’ largest ever Live+Same Day audience, matching an episode from way back in 2013. The
Television
How do you show people how to remake a bathroom or upgrade a kitchen when you can’t leave your own home? HGTV is testing a workaround. The Discovery-owned home-improvement network employs an arsenal of home-arts experts, but at a time when a pandemic is keeping people in their homes, none of them can get out
U.K. commercial broadcaster ITV’s summer juggernaut “Love Island” is eyeing a late summer transmission this year, as the country’s coronavirus outbreak brings plans for May production to a halt. Variety can reveal an August to September broadcast is on the cards for the program, as prospects for “Love Island’s” traditional June-July outing seem virtually impossible
“Riverdale” is nothing if not a wicked little town so quite fittingly, in Season 4, the cast tackled “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” for its musical episode. And once again, Kevin Keller, played by Casey Cott, took center stage, this time in full Hedwig drag, a process Cott called “incredible.” “It was very humbling to
Asacha Media Group, a multinational partnership of content creators and producers, launched Thursday, with backing from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management. With headquarters in Paris, Asacha brings together several experienced executives with strong track-records in their respective markets, who will be investing in the group alongside core leadership, while retaining a significant minority stake
“Saturday Night Live” star Michael Che has committed to paying one month’s rent for 160 residents of a New York City public housing building as a tribute to his grandmother, who died last week of coronavirus-related complications. Che disclosed his decision on Instagram in a post that called on New York City Mayor Bill de
AMC Networks said it would offer free production and creative services to advertisers who signed up to use a new suite of branded-content offerings, a new sign of how the coronavirus pandemic has strained the flow of advertising to traditional media outlets. AMC Networks had intended to launch a new “Content Room” as a means
Former Kew Media Distribution sales boss Jonathan Ford has launched new distribution company Abacus Media Rights (AMR) in partnership with Amcomri Media Group. Amcomri, whose other entertainment investments include 101 Films, 101 International and Hollywood Classics, has provided Abacus Media Rights with a funding line to support rights acquisitions. Ford left KMD, the profitable British
Comcast-owned pay-TV broadcaster Sky is to launch its new factual channels, Sky Documentaries and Sky Nature, on May 27. The two new channels will launch alongside Sky History, a co-branded venture between Sky and A+E Networks that was previously known as History. Sky announced its intention to launch the new channels back in January. They
Comcast-owned pay-TV broadcaster Sky is to donate £500,000 ($624,000) to the emergency relief fund recently established to support the U.K.’s creative community in the wake of Covid-19. The donation to the new Covid-19 Film and TV Emergency Relief Fund, set up by the Film and TV Charity in partnership with the BFI, adds to initial
NBC’s new streaming service Peacock released several teasers for their upcoming shows, including the revivals of “Saved by the Bell,” “Punky Brewster” and more. “Saved by the Bell” was the first teaser Peacock dropped, and it showed new looks at some of the original Bayside cast members all grown up. Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley
If you’re having trouble falling asleep, Tom Hardy will help you doze off with a bedtime story. The actor will be reading nighttime tales on “Bedtime Stories,” the long-running series on the BBC Children’s channel CBeebies. The episodes will run from April 27 through May 1. Hardy made a previous appearance on the show back
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who was diagnosed with coronavirus last month, revealed that his wife Cristina Greeven Cuomo has tested positive for the disease. Cuomo made the announcement on his show “Cuomo Prime Time” on Wednesday night while speaking with his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “It’s very rare for a family to be
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 3, episode 12 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired April 15 on Fox. “The Masked Singer” took a breather this week, airing a special sing-a-long edition featuring performances by the show’s “Mighty Seven” finalists. That means, at least for this week, that none
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix released the official trailer for “Never Have I Ever,” and the streamer also announced the launch date for the interactive “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” special. CASTING Quibi announced that “Saturday Night Live” featured player Bowen Yang has joined the series “Trip,” a modern-day comedic take on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”
Lester Holt is about to discuss hard news with a softer touch. The “NBC Nightly News” anchor will lead an experimental version of NBC’s flagship newscast aimed specifically at children and teens. The first edition of “Nightly News Kids Edition” streams this evening on YouTube and the show, and viewed as a test within NBC
Walt Disney Co. has elected Bob Chapek, the company’s newly appointed chief executive, to its board of directors, less than two months after the surprise announcement that he would succeed Bob Iger in the top spot. “Bob Chapek has demonstrated remarkable leadership in the face of unprecedented challenges that were unimaginable when he became CEO
Fox has ordered a reality show about a woman on the hunt for a man with whom she can father a child. “Sex and the City” alum Kristin Davis will host “Labor of Love,” which will bow on the broadcaster on May 21. Former “Bachelor” contestant Kristy Katzmann will be the subject of the eight-episode
It may have aired on April 1, but “The Masked Singer” wasn’t fooling around in the ratings that week. The Fox series dominated the delayed viewing charts in the absence of “This Is Us,” ending up almost a full ratings point ahead of its competitors with a 3.4 among adults 18-49 (slightly above its 3.3
Sal Petruzzi, a media-industry communications veteran who previously supervised many areas of business outreach for the Turner division of the former Time Warner, haw been named a senior vice president of communications at Fox Corporation, where he will lead communications strategies for the company’s ad-sales efforts. Petruzzi will report to Marianne Gambelli, Fox’s president of
Charter Communications subscribers who get HBO are about to receive something else: HBOMax,. The WarnerMedia streaming-video service will be made available to all of Charter’s existing HBO subscribers, the two companies said Wednesday. There will be no additional charge for the new package, but customers will have to sign in to the HBOMax app. Other
George Schweitzer remembers the time he had to break the news to CBS founder William S. Paley that the Tiffany Network had struck a promotional deal … with the not-so-Tiffany department store chain Kmart. “I was scared to death,” says Schweitzer, the CBS marketing head who officially retires on April 15. “He was the chairman
Every Friday evening, Steve Hartman takes “CBS Evening News” viewers “On The Road,” in an end-of-show segment that was originally devised by the legendary Charles Kuralt that has the correspondent journey around the country. These days, Hartman can’t even get out his front door. The spread of the coronavirus pandemic means travel is limited, even
U.K. regional funder Liverpool Film Office has launched a £250,000 ($312,000) single project development pot to support local talent during the coronavirus crisis using funds repurposed from its existing production fund. The new Liverpool City Region Film & TV Development Fund will support feature film and TV content, including both scripted and factual programs, with
Paramount Television Studios has acquired the television rights to the book “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides in a competitive situation, Variety has learned exclusively. The book was first published in 2002 and has gone on to sell more than 4 million copies. It also won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2003. It was previously in
“Better Call Saul” and “Breaking Bad” star Bob Odenkirk is launching a new production company, Cal-Gold Pictures, and has signed a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television. The company’s mission is to develop stories that are compelling and unique, with dynamic characters and social relevance. “I started in this grand charade called showbizness as a
Disney Plus is trying is saying “May the fourth be with you” with some new behind-the-scenes “Mandalorian” content. On May 4, known of course as Star Wars Day, the streamer will premiere an eight-part docuseries on the making of the popular series which spawned Baby Yoda and has been a driving force behind the platform’s
After years of making a name for himself in New York theater, Mark Ruffalo was on the cusp of breaking in to high-profile movie roles when television came calling. In 1999, Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson had been handed a 13-episode order from UPN for a cop drama “The Beat.” Fontana and casting director Alexa
As the scope of the coronavirus lockdown became clear last month, ABC was faced with a dilemma over what to do with “American Idol.” The network was counting on the show to fill many hours on ABC’s Sunday and Monday night schedule. Rob Mills, ABC’s senior VP of series, specials and late-night, said the “Idol”
The Writers Guild of America East is accusing NBC News of union-busting. The organization has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board accusing NBCUniversal of undermining the union that was in place at the now shut-down Peacock Productions, an in-house non-fiction production unit. WGAE wants the collective bargaining agreement that applied to Peacock