Television

“Modern Family” went out with a ratings bang after 11 seasons on Wednesday night. The series finale delivered a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49 and a whopping 7.4 million total viewers, which represents the show’s largest audience since Jan. 2017. That rating is its highest since the season 10 premiere in 2018. The finale was

While families are stuck at home and looking for ways to entertain children, Disney Plus is offering audiences a new short film based on “The Simpsons.” “Maggie Simpson in ‘Playdate with Destiny,’” which releases Friday, will follow the 1-year-old, pacifier-sucking daughter of the Simpsons family as she finds friendship with a baby on the playground

Even if it was almost 30 years ago in 1992, Wilson Cruz will never forget his first audition for a television series. “They wanted three white boys to play choir boys in this series that Tobey Maguire was starring in,” Cruz say on today’s episode of “The Big Ticket,” Variety and iHeart’s weekly podcast. “It

The NBA season has been suspended, but ESPN and the league have figured out a different way to present live basketball to fans. The Disney-owned sports-media giant sad it would present a tournament built out of a game of Horse and present it on its flagship cable network as well as its streaming mobile app

Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment, Fremantle and Chinese conglomerate Shanghai Media Group have teamed up to produce “The Magnificent Dancer,” a talent show for China. Adapted from Syco’s “The Greatest Dancer” format, the new show will be launched on SMG’s Dragon TV later this spring. The primetime series will involve auditions, challenges and live performances. Dance

Australia’s pay-TV leader Foxtel has made 200 staff redundant, as it struggles to cope with the impact of coronavirus and the changing media landscape. It has also put 140 additional staff, mostly in its Fox Sports division, on leave until June. The company, 65% owned by News Corp. and 35% owned by phone company Telstra,

The prosecution in the Lori Loughlin case on Wednesday denied defense claims that the FBI had entrapped her and other unwitting parents into participating in the college admissions bribery scheme. Last month, attorneys representing Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, argued that the case should be thrown out due to government misconduct. They cited the

After six seasons on the air, audiences said goodbye to the cast of “Schitt’s Creek” on Tuesday with the series finale. The Rose family and other beloved residents of the fictional town head off to new beginnings, with motel manager Stevie Budd (Emily Hampshire) sticking around to help run things. After the finale aired, Hampshire

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will “take a look” into pardoning Joe Exotic, star of Netflix’s hit series “Tiger King,” at a coronavirus press briefing at the White House. The off-topic question immediately drew an outcry on social media. New York Post reporter Steven Nelson asked Trump if he would consider pardoning Joe Exotic

Keke Palmer is giving “work from home” a whole new meaning. After keeping fans entertained and uplifted during the coronavirus pandemic with new content on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram Live, and releasing two new songs, Palmer celebrated the launch of her latest series, Quibi’s “Singled Out” reboot, on Monday. “I think I’m one of those

Keke Palmer has already proven to be a master of modern communication, but with Quibi’s “Singled Out” reboot, the actor/singer/TV host and meme queen is speaking to a whole new generation. “The first thing that shot out to me was that I’d get the opportunity to usher in something a little bit more for the

In today’s TV news roundup, Variety has learned that Lisa Vanderpump will guest star in “American Housewife,” and Amazon Prime Video announced that the second season of “Homecoming” will premiere May 22. CASTING Lisa Vanderpump will guest star on the May 6 episode of “American Housewife,“ Variety has learned exclusively. Vanderpump will appear as herself

Fox has announced that it plans to air a one-hour special on Monday from TMZ that promises new interviews and “never-before-seen footage” on the subjects of Netflix’s breakout hit “Tiger King.” “TMZ Investigates: Tiger King – What Really Went Down?” will explore the “outstanding questions about whether or not Joe Exotic is guilty, an inside

When co-creators Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan decided to set the 11th and final season of “Modern Family” at 18 episodes, they didn’t realize how fortuitous the timing would turn out to be. The series finale of the long-running family sitcom finished filming in late February, mere weeks before the outbreak of the coronavirus would

Within five months of initial launch, Disney Plus has signed up 50 million paid subscribers worldwide, the media company said. In the past two weeks, Disney Plus launched in eight Western European counties including the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. In addition, the streaming service became available last week in India,

Jimmy Kimmel will return to his usual late-night roost – but will continue to share his hour with ABC News’ “Nightline.” ABC, which has been more aggressive than some of its rivals in ceding entertainment slots to news during the coronavirus pandemic, said it would restore “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to its regular 11:35 p.m. start

“Schitt’s Creek” bade a teary, emotional farewell, and more than a million people tuned in to watch. The series finale, which aired simultaneously across Pop TV, Comedy Central and Logo, drew 1.3 million total viewers, which represents the show’s highest-rated episode ever. 501,000 viewers tuned in on Pop, narrowly beating the penultimate episode’s audience tally

The first international festival to have taken the virtual route amid the coronavirus crisis, Series Mania’s digital edition has been hailed as a success by organizers with 1,500 participants registered from 40 countries and the equivalent of 106 days of screenings. However, challenges securing some key titles for the platform point to enduring challenges for

Thomas L. Miller, one of the co-founders of Miller-Boyett Productions who produced some of of the most influential sitcoms in television history such as “Family Matters” and “Full House,” has died of complications related to heart disease. He was 79. Miller died on April 5 in Salisbury, Conn., according to his family and longtime partner

Before “The Bachelor,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “American Idol” or any of the other network competition shows, there was “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” The game show was an immediate smash when it premiered in 1999, and was a precursor to the modern unscripted boom. Soon, “Millionaire” was a regular part of the ABC

Even if parents are going batty trying to keep their little ones entertained while cooped up at home during this pandemic, they’re not necessarily plunking the kids in front of the TV — not linear TV at least. Meanwhile, certain streaming services are seeing a lift in interest, underscoring the next generation’s shift in television

Christine Baranski has played lawyer Diane Lockhart for more than a decade, originating the role in Robert and Michelle King’s “The Good Wife” for CBS in 2009 and starring in their spinoff “The Good Fight” for the Eye’s streaming service, CBS All Access, since 2017. The fourth season of “The Good Fight,” which premieres April

Fox is adding another series to “The Masked Singer” universe. The new aftershow “The Masked Singer: After the Mask” will start airing Wednesdays at 9 p.m., following original episodes of “The Masked Singer,” starting April 22. “After the Mask,” which will also be hosted by “Masked Singer” emcee Nick Cannon, will fill the slot vacated

A whole bunch of Netflix’s biggest YA stars are gathering together to discuss the issue of self-care during the coronavirus pandemic. Actors such as Noah Centineo (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”), Joey King (“The Kissing Booth”), and Caleb McLaughlin (“Stranger Things”) will conduct interviews with mental health experts for a weekly, live video

Toyota was the first advertiser to drive into a partnership with the ABC comedy “Modern Family.” Tonight, it will be the last. As viewers watch a tribute to the program in the 8 p.m. hour Wednesday on ABC, they will see an animated commercial showing a Toyota Highlander driving through a series of landscapes that

“Space Force,” Greg Daniels and Steve Carell’s new workplace comedy, will launch May 29 on Netflix with Lisa Kudrow set to play a recurring role in the series, the streamer announced Wednesday. “Space Force” centers on Mark R. Naird (Carell), a four-star general and decorated pilot who dreams of running the Air Force but instead

AMC Networks’ streaming service Sundance Now has acquired U.S. rights to the eight-part Australian drama “Bad Mothers” from distributor Red Arrow Studios International. A hit for Australia’s Nine Network, “Bad Mothers” explores modern motherhood through four different women as they juggle love, family, careers, infidelity — and murder. The drama is produced by Jungle Entertainment in association with Filthy

“Tiger King” has clawed its way into the national psyche to become one of Netflix’s biggest-ever original shows. The docuseries reached a U.S. TV audience of 34.3 unique viewers within the first 10 days of its release (March 20-29), according to Nielsen estimates. That topped season 2 of Netflix hit “Stranger Things,” which had 31.2

Now Netflix title “Caliphate,” produced by the Endemol Shine-owned Swedish production company Filmlance, has smashed all-time viewing records on Sweden’s SVT Play, the catch-up VOD service of public broadcaster SVT, Endemol Shine Group confirmed Wednesday. “Caliphate” was made available globally on Netflix on March 18. The biggest success ever on SVT Play, Endemol Shine said,

Fugitive, the production and financing company run by Anthony Kimble and Merrily Ross, has picked up international distribution rights to four new projects from Rogo Productions, including transgender Jewish drama “Abby” and a high-profile doc series about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Fugitive has also formed an exclusive partnership with the London-based production company, run by Alex