Television

March 24, 2020 7:11AM PT UPDATED: Major U.S. stock indices rallied on Tuesday amid hopeful signs that another federal economic stimulus package is coming together to provide relief to workers and businesses jolted by the sudden impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up more than 1,000 points, or 6%, at

March 24, 2020 6:48AM PT Robin Roberts, one of the most familiar faces in morning-TV news, will start to co-anchor ABC’s “Good Morning America” from home, after a doctor recommended she do so due to her medical history and the nation’s continuing struggle with the spread of coronavirus Roberts has no symptoms and is in

The Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo will be postponed for a year, until 2021, Japan’s Prime Minister Abe Shinzo announced Tuesday. The executive board of Tokyo 2020 has scheduled a press conference on Monday that is now expected formally to announce the postponement of the games. The games were scheduled to have started on July

“More than Blue,” the Taiwanese romantic film that was a surprise hit in China and across Asia, is to be adapted as a TV series. Singapore’s mm2 is producing in association with Taiwan’s Goodfilm Workshop. The 10-part series will serve as an origin story and probe the student days of star-crossed characters Chang Che-Kai (K)

A federal judge ruled in favor of Netflix and director Ava DuVernay on Monday, throwing out a defamation suit over a their miniseries about the Central Park jogger case. John E. Reid and Associates, a police training firm, filed the suit last fall, alleging that the series had falsely portrayed the “Reid Technique,” its widely

March 23, 2020 5:59PM PT Find out why tonight’s episode of “Better Call Saul,” “changes it all” for main character Saul Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk, in an in-depth, live interview with the series star on the “Variety After-Show.” After the episode premieres (7 pm PST, 10 pm EST) head over to Variety’s Instagram for

In today’s TV news roundup, Quibi released the trailer of “Survive” starring Sophie Turner, and “The Walking Dead: World Beyond” will no longer debut on April 12.  CANCELLATIONS The Banff World Media Festival has announced they are canceling this year’s event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are not able to gather in person this

March 23, 2020 3:13PM PT The WGA is evaluating its options for conducting contract talks with Hollywood’s major studios that were to have started today until coronavirus prevention measures made it untenable for the sides to hold a face-to-face bargaining session. “Nothing has been worked out as of yet,” a spokesman for the Writers Guild

As France surpasses one full week in lockdown mode, TV audiences have jumped by 30% on French public broadcaster France Televisions. However, while production on newscasts and select talk shows continues despite restrictions on contact, one question begins to emerge — is there enough to go around? French shoots have been halted for new drama

March 23, 2020 2:01PM PT Liz Claman is the latest Fox Business Network anchor to go into self-quarantine as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. Claman appeared briefly on her usual hour, the 3 p.m. “Claman Countdown,” to tell viewers she was six days in to a quarantine process. “I miss you guys,” she said.

Paradigm Talent Agency has signed a new franchise agreement with the Writers Guild of America, allowing the agency to resume representation of its WGA-represented clients for the first time in nearly a year. Paradigm noted that the deal makes it the first major talent agency engaged in television packaging to sign a new franchise agreement

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Streaming online via video presentations from March 25, Series Mania’s experimental Digital Forum will make or break on the quality of its centerpiece, its Co-Pro Pitching Sessions.  This year’s lineup, at least on paper, looks particularly strong. Following, a break-down on the 16 originally selected projects: “The Abduction of Yossele Shuchmacher” (Israel) Co-created and to

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MADRID — Never has a TV Festival re-launched in such extraordinary circumstances, or using such novel means. France’s Series Mania, one of Europe’s two or three most reputed TV events, confirmed on March 11 that it was canceling 2020’s March 20-28 edition, amid inescapable fears of COVID-19 contagion. Six days later, it announced it was

Federation Entertainment has come on board leading Moroccan filmmaker Laila Marrakchi’s “Casa Girls,” a series about four twentysomething single women living in Casablanca. “Casa Girl” is being developed by Lauraine Heftler and Michael Gentile’s The Film, whose credits include Julie Delpy’s films and upcoming series “On The Verge” (working title). Federation Entertainment will be co-producing

MADRID — Argentina’s Pablo Trapero, one of the driving forces behind the renaissance of Latin American cinema, is teaming with El Estudio on two ambitious TV series: an English-language U.S. remake of his 2010 hit movie “Carancho” and true-facts inspired bioseries “Galimberti.” Based out of Los Angeles, Mexico City and Madrid, El Estudio – a

As virtual market initiatives proliferate, Italy’s Nexo Digital, which co-produces and distributes theatrical event content for the global market, has set up a virtual product showcase to make up for the cancellation of the MipTV mart. The MipTV global content market was due to run March 28-April 2 before the coronavirus pandemic forced its cancellation.

Germany’s Beta Film, a prime mover of this and next week’s virtual TV marketplace, has sold “Cryptid,” produced by Dramacorp for the Nordic Entertainment Group’s Viaplay SVOD service, to Joyn, the new German AVOD venture launched in 2019 by Discovery and ProSiebenSat.1. Underscoring  how regional and big national streaming services are now energizing production and

Discovery Channel is preparing to launch “Deadliest Catch: Bloodline,” a spinoff of the network’s hit unscripted series “Deadliest Catch.” “Bloodline” follows Josh Harris, the son of legendary Bering Sea captain Phil Harris. Josh, along with his business partner Casey McManus, discover a trove of Hawaiian fishing charts scribbled with Captain Phil’s handwriting. Josh takes the

Online screening portal ProgramBuyer will launch a free digital service uniting buyers and sellers affected by the cancellation of MipTV. From March 30, those now unable to meet physically will be able to access the new “Mip Releases” section on the ProgramBuyer portal. Any distributor, including ProgramBuyer subscribers and non-subscribers, will be able to access

Several economists, academics and directors of research institutions from around the world have written to Rishi Sunak, the U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer, asking the government to extend support to the self-employed. In a letter published in The Times newspaper on Monday, the signatories wrote: “We welcome the support for the employed, but the self-employed

U.K. broadcaster ITV is reducing its program budget by £100 million ($116 million) in the wake of restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. In a trading update on Monday, ITV said: “This reflects savings from sport including the postponement of Euro 2020, the late delivery of commissioned programming and active decisions to reduce our spend.”

Japanese pay-TV group, Wowow has greenlighted a third season of its local adaptation of U.S. hit series “Cold Case.” It is expected to premiere in winter 2020. The announcement follows agreement with licensor Warner Bros. International Television Production. The company said that the success of “Cold Case” helped usher in a trend of Japanese networks

“The Rosie O’Donnell Show” is back. O’Donnell’s talk show returned for one night only on Sunday to serve as a fundraiser for The Actors Fund, an organization that provides numerous services for people in need in the performing arts and entertainment business. The evening raised more than $500,000, which included $100,000 from O’Donnell. The 3

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “The Walking Dead” Season 10 Episode 13, titled “What We Become.” “The Walking Dead” said goodbye to another longtime cast member in this week’s episode, with Danai Gurira officially exiting the series after seven seasons of playing Michonne. It was first announced last year

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the second episode of “Westworld” Season 3. After a Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) and Caleb (Aaron Paul)-centered premiere, Episode 2 of “Westworld” Season 3 brought the show back to the park and to everyone’s favorite brothel madam-turned-ruthless killer, Maeve (Thandie Newton). Newton was reunited with

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the second episode of “Westworld” Season 2. Yes, that really did happen. On Sunday night’s episode of “Westworld,” Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) and Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth) sneak back into the park’s tech corridors to investigate why Maeve (Thandie Newton) has gone missing. Instead, they discover that

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the sixth episode of “Outlander” Season 5, entitled “Better to Marry Than Burn.” It’s no secret that Maria Doyle Kennedy is a talented actress — but if anyone didn’t know before, they do now after watching “Outlander’s” latest episode, “Better to Marry Than Burn.”

The Creative District Improvement Company has teamed up with property developers Quinn Estates to invest £250 million ($292 million) in Ashford International Studios, a new film and TV studios in Ashford, South-East England, which they say will create 3,000 jobs. The 15-acre site was formerly a locomotive manufacturing plant until the early 1980s. The companies