Charlie Barnett and Natalie Martinez have joined the cast of the NBC pilot “Ordinary Joe,” Variety has learned. James Wolk was previously announced as the series lead. The drama explores the three parallel lives of Joe Kimbrough (Wolk) after he makes a pivotal choice at a crossroads in his life. The series asks the question
Television
“The Republic of Sarah” pilot at the CW is continuing to take shape. Three new players have been added to the cast, namely Izabella Alvarez, Nia Holloway and Hope Lauren, joining previously announced leads Stella Baker and Luke Mitchell. In addition, Kat Candler, whose directorial credits include “13 Reasons Why” and “Queen Sugar,” has been
Bobbie Battista, whose face became synonymous with the cable network known as CNN Headline News, died Tuesday after battling cervical cancer, according to statements from former colleagues and CNN. “Bobbie was the consummate trooper in her struggle with cancer, she was courageous and fearless in her battle and thoughtful for all the others in her
As France prepares for the third stage of its coronavirus outbreak, the impact is already being felt heavily across the entertainment industry. Of France’s 2000 theaters, 40 are now shuttered in the regions of Oise and the Morbihan, which have been hardest hit by the virus. The French government banned indoor gatherings of more than 5,000 people
When we think of very politically active musicians, we often think of those who are raging against the machine, as it were. John Legend is no political rageaholic. You could hardly find a mainstream superstar tripping through the 21st century with a lighter sense of grace or a higher everyday likability factor than this singer-songwriter
Fox Entertainment’s Bento Box Entertainment has brought on board two new executives to help expand its content development and creation goals, naming Brooke Keesling as the newly created role of head of animation talent development and Caitlin Winiarski as creative executive. “With the business continuing to evolve and platforms’ demand for quality animated content expands
Vice has announced that the second season of its popular series “Dark Side of the Ring” will return this month. Season 2 of the show, which goes behind the scenes of some of the most controversial stories in pro wrestling, will debut on March 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The two-hour season premiere will delve
March 3, 2020 5:51AM PT Disney has cancelled its European launch event in the U.K. for its streaming service Disney Plus, citing a number of media attendee cancellations and increasing concerns at the prospect of travelling internationally because of coronavirus. The Disney Plus launch events were scheduled to take place over two days on Thursday
ABC News spends heavily on top anchors like George Stephanopoulos and David Muir. Now it’s investing in the studio that houses so many of them. Just in time for three hours of “Super Tuesday” coverage, the Disney-owned news outlet is unveiling a massive 5,500 foot production space in the heart of its New York City
The organizers of Series Mania have said the international TV drama event will go ahead in France this month, despite the coronavirus threat. Set to take place from March 20-28 in the northeastern French city of Lille, Series Mania said it didn’t fall into the category of gatherings of more than 5,000 people in a
Italy’s Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo, who just scooped screenwriting honors at the Berlin Film Festival for their dark drama “Bad Tales,” are set for their first TV series — a project that will also mark the first Italian original produced in-house under the Sky Studios banner. Details are being kept under wraps of the new
“The Bachelorette” Season 16 is shaping up to be a U.S.-bound production. A source tells Variety that initial plans to shoot parts of the upcoming season — featuring newly unveiled star Clare Crawley — in Italy had to be changed, given concerns over the growing threat of coronavirus. Crawley, a 38-year-old hair stylist from Sacramento, Calif.,
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “The Bachelor: Women Tell All” from Season 24. When the women of Peter Weber’s season of “The Bachelor” gathered in a soundstage in Los Angeles to recount their time on the ABC dating competition program, it wasn’t just details of what happened inside the mansion
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March 2, 2020 5:15PM PT Luke Mitchell has signed on to the CW pilot “Republic of Sarah,” Variety has learned. He joins previously announced series lead Stella Baker. In the show, rebellious high school teacher Sarah Cooper (Baker) utilizes an obscure cartographical loophole to declare independence when faced with the destruction of her town at the
Chris Matthews is abruptly stepping down from MSNBC’s “Hardball” amid scrutiny of recent on-air remarks as well as speculation about behind-the-scenes behavior. The veteran anchor and political operative said on his program Monday night that he was leaving the cable-news outlet, putting an end to a long-running show that was featured on three different networks
March 2, 2020 3:49PM PT In today’s TV News Roundup, HBO announced the premiere date for “I Know This Much Is True” and CNN launched a new podcast focusing on coronavirus. DATES HBO has announced that “I Know This Much Is True” will premiere on April 27. Based on Wally Lamb’s bestseller of the same
March 2, 2020 3:33PM PT The Nantucket Film Festival announced on Monday that writers, producers and directors Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino will be honored with Variety’s Creative Impact in Television Award at the 25th anniversary event. Sherman-Palladino is the creator of popular television series “Gilmore Girls,” “Bunheads” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” She has
“Almost Family” will not be returning for a second season on Fox. The series starred Timothy Hutton, against whom an allegation of rape has recently come to light, as a fertility doctor who used his own sperm to conceive more than 100 children over the course of his career. Fox had moved the series to
March 2, 2020 3:02PM PT Former “Veep” star Reid Scott is going from a comedic role to a dramatic one. Variety has learned that Scott has been tapped for one of the lead role in the NBC drama pilot “Echo.” The project is a procedural revolving around a team of investigators who solve the highest-profile crimes
Kether Donohue and Sara Rue have both been cast in the CBS multi-camera comedy pilot “B Positive.” They join previously announced series co-lead Annaleigh Ashford. In the show, faced with finding a kidney donor, newly divorced dad Drew (not yet cast) is at the end of his rope when he runs into Gina (Ashford), a
It’s that special time of year again when studios and networks put forth their Emmy-hopeful series and talent. With more than 500 scripted shows alone vying for Television Academy FYC event slots, some opt to build out their own spaces and present activations and stunts to capture additional voters’ attention. (Remember “‘Maisel’ Day”?) But for
The NBC drama pilot about a young Robert Langdon has found its lead actor. Ashley Zukerman has been cast in “Langdon,” which is based on Dan Brown’s best-selling book “The Lost Symbol.” The series follows the early adventures of famed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Zukerman), who must solve a series of deadly puzzles to save
Marg Helgenberger, Norah O’Donnell, Jessica Camacho and Carrie Ann Inaba will be among those taking part in a continuing effort by ViacomCBS to press for more accurate portrayals of women and girls in advertising, marketing, media, and entertainment, an initiative led by the Association of National Advertisers’ “See Her” initiative. “We have more than a
Jason Isaacs has been tapped for a lead role in the CBS medical drama pilot “Good Sam,” Variety has confirmed. He joins previously announced series lead Sophia Bush. In the show, talented yet stifled heart surgeon Sam (Bush) embraces her leadership role after her renowned and pompous boss (Isaacs) falls into a coma. When he awakens
Welcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV. Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. This week, “Dave” premieres on FXX and the Hillary Clinton docuseries launches on Hulu. “Breeders,” FX,
March 2, 2020 11:30AM PT Jeremy O. Harris, the actor and playwright best known for penning the Broadway sensation “Slave Play,” has signed a two-year overall deal with HBO. The deal includes a discretionary fund for Harris to continue building working in the theatrical space, and the writer is also currently developing an untitled pilot
Three international film festivals canceled or postponed their upcoming editions Monday. Switzerland’s International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) and Think Cinema Lausanne (a.k.a. Rencontres 7e Art) have been canceled, and Greece’s Thessaloniki Documentary Festival has been postponed as concern intensifies in Europe about the spread of coronavirus. FIFDH said its cancellation followed
Suddenly, the most-watched personality in daytime TV is a free agent. Judith Sheindlin, better known as “Judge Judy,” surprised the industry with the news that surfaced Sunday evening that she is ending her run on the top-rated court show after the 2020-21 season, which will mark her 25th year on the show. Sheindlin now plans
James Lipton, who created, hosted and executive produced the Bravo series “Inside the Actors Studio” and served as dean (and then dean emeritus) of the Actors Studio Drama School at New York City’s Pace University, has died. He was 93. “Inside the Actors Studio” had run for more than two decades and more than 240