Aiming to stand out in a crowded field, broadcasters this season have leaned on the stability of their schedules and the return of established hits. But for many of the same reasons, they’ve also begun to seed the ground for next year’s crop of shows, considering that top performers like “How to Get Away With
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David E. Kelley thought there’d been a mistake. On Sept. 12, 1999, the prolific showrunner was backstage at the Shrine Auditorium, having just accepted the best drama series Emmy for “The Practice,” when he heard his name called again. Kelley immediately figured that the producers were summoning him out again to take the award away
Former Hulu content chief Joel Stillerman is partnering with Endeavor Content on a new television production company. Variety has learned that Stillerman is launching the Endeavor-backed Content Superba, which will be based in Los Angeles. In addition, Shudder and Sundance Now executive Owen Shiflett has joined the company as senior vice president of development and
By many accounts, 1994 was a notable year in the world of media. It was, after all, when Nancy Kerrigan was attacked, the terrorists in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing convicted, OJ Simpson arrested in the murder of his wife and her friend and a Major League baseball strike. But after all of these
Comedy Central has signed a first-look animation producing deal with Donick Cary, best known for his work as a former head writer for “The Late Show with David Letterman” and co-executive producer of “The Simpsons” and other shows. Under the terms of his deal, Cary will develop and produce animation projects across all platforms for
By many accounts, 1994 was a notable year in the world of media. It was, after all, when Nancy Kerrigan was attacked, the terrorists in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing convicted, OJ Simpson arrested in the murder of his wife and her friend and a Major League baseball strike. But after all of these
September 18, 2019 8:24AM PT After a recent ratings slump, NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” bounced back last night to top ABC’s “The Bachelor in Paradise” finale in the ratings. The penultimate episode of season 14 of “AGT,” which saw the contestants give their last performances before Wednesday’s final results, scored an eight-week high 1.6 rating
“Sex and the City” creator Darren Star is set to deliver a Media Mastermind Keynote at Mipcom, the Cannes-set international TV showcase. During a session moderated by Jill Offman, the executive VP of Paramount Network International and Comedy Central International, Star will give his perspective on creativity and is expected to discuss the series he
Sky Studios is set to follow Channel 4’s move to the northern English city of Leeds with the launch of a new Innovation Hub. Sky Studios, the production arm of pay-TV giant Sky, said Wednesday that the new regional hub would focus on talent development, scripted partnerships and new content experiences, creating new original drama,
ABC has cast its next leading man for Season 24 of “The Bachelor.” Peter Weber has officially been named the upcoming “Bachelor.” The announcement was made Tuesday night on ABC’s “Bachelor In Paradise” reunion special. Weber appeared on Season 15 of “The Bachelorette” with Hannah Brown, ultimately becoming the second runner-up. He was a fan-favorite
September 17, 2019 7:03PM PT CBS is cutting ties with “SEAL Team” showrunner John Glenn, Variety has confirmed. Glenn joined the show for its second season, which premiered in October of last year. Christopher Chulack, Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly also executive produced. “Regarding ‘SEAL Team,’ I am proud of the work we did – and greatly
NBC is preparing a new salvo in the streaming-era TV branding wars. As audiences increasingly watch shows like “The Good Place” and “Superstore” on other platforms, the Peacock network has launched a new campaign to remind them that these are, first and foremost, NBC shows. And they’re even enlisting a real-life peacock to convey the
“Saturday Night Live” was looking to shake things up with the casting of Shane Gillis — and it did, albeit unintentionally. According to sources, the long-running NBC comedy show and series mastermind Lorne Michaels were actively looking to cast a comedian for its new season who would appeal to more conservative viewers. This was meant
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix announced the premiere date for Arsenio Hall’s comedy special and a “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” duo (among others) will guest star on “Elena of Avalor.” CASTING “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” stars Rachel Brosnahan and Tony Shalhoub, as well as Auli’i Cravalho (“Moana”), John Leguizamo (“When They See Us”), Taye Diggs (“All American”), Eugenio Derbez
Organized flash mobs and mounting billboards still may not save your favorite shows, as some fan campaigns are finding out. Following Netflix’s most recent decision to stand firm on its cancellation of “The OA,” the question remains, “what will save these shows?” When networks and streamers find that smaller favorites aren’t big cash cows, fans
Entertainment One (eOne) has released their findings into claims of racial discrimination and sexual harassment and assault made by Afton Williamson, former star of the ABC series “The Rookie.” A statement released by the company reads, in part, “As a result of the independent investigation, we have concluded that those identified in Ms. Williamson’s allegations
September 17, 2019 2:44PM PT DeVaughn Nixon, best known for his roles in “Prom” and “Marvel’s Runaways” has joined HBO’s untitled pilot about the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s. Nixon will play his father Norm Nixon, a debonair playboy who overcomes insurmountable odds to become the all-star point guard of the Lakers. He expertly maneuvers
The CW is developing a drama based on V.E. Schwab’s “The Archived” book series, Variety has learned exclusively. The project hails from “Jane the Virgin” writer Liz Sczudlo with “Jane the Virgin” creator and showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman executive producing. In the series, the eldest child in a family of ghost hunters, Bex has trained her
Julia Franz has been tapped to become senior vice president of comedy at Fox Entertainment, while Daniel Weidenfeld will be named senior vice president of animation at the network, according to a source familiar with the situation. Franz will lead the charge on all comedy production and development for the network. Weidenfeld will oversee all
September 17, 2019 12:30PM PT Fox is developing a one-hour drama that boasts Sterling K. Brown among its executive producers. Titled “Everyday Insanity,” the series is inspired by the life events of series creator Laura Bensick. It is described as an uplifting drama about three wildly different families who form a “created family” to support
September 17, 2019 12:00PM PT The hour-long drama “Yellowjackets” has been ordered to pilot at Showtime, Variety has learned. In addition, “Destroyer” director Karyn Kusama has come onboard to direct the pilot in addition to serving as an executive producer. The series was created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who will also executive produce and
George Schweitzer has enjoyed a broad career out of a very narrow practice. He finds new ways to get people to watch more TV. Those methods can range wide. He once tucked a paper-thin interactive video player into the pages of Entertainment Weekly so readers could sample new CBS shows. He got supermarkets to use
Timothy Olyphant has been cast in the upcoming fourth season of “Fargo,” Variety has confirmed. Olyphant will appear in a recurring guest star role as a character named Dick “Deafy” Wickware. It was previously announced that Chris Rock would star in the fourth season of the critically-acclaimed anthology series. Other stars of “Fargo” Season 4 are:
June Diane Raphael is best known for her comedic acting work on series such as “New Girl” and “Grace and Frankie,” as well as for lending her voice to animated comedies including “American Dad!” and “Big Mouth.” But now she is changing the conversation around herself, and around many women, with her new book, “Represent:
Casting Sean Spicer on “Dancing With the Stars” doesn’t seem to be having the desired effect on ratings for ABC. The show premiered its new season to a 1.0 rating and just under 8 million total viewers. That’s the same rating as the Fall 2018 season premiere which was watched by 7.7 million viewers. The
September 17, 2019 8:00AM PT Netflix has renewed the multi-generational live action comedy series “Family Reunion” for a second season. Loretta Devine, Tia Mowry-Hardrict, Anthony Alabi, Talia Jackson, Isaiah Russell-Bailey, Cameron J. Wright and Jordyn Raya James will all return for more of M’Dear’s home cooking and McKellan’s dance moves. “Family Reunion” follows the McKellans who
Journalist Cokie Roberts, who was a contributing senior news analyst for NPR, a regular round-table analyst for “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” and a political commentator for ABC News, among many other contributions during a four-decade career, has died. She was 75. Roberts died Tuesday due to complications from breast cancer, her family confirmed. “Cokie’s
NBC has renewed the Dwayne Johnson-hosted competition series “The Titan Games” for a second season. The series features men and women battling opponents in head-to-head physical challenges designed by Johnson. Winners advance to Mt. Olympus, a test of speed, strength, agility and endurance. “When we launched ‘The Titan Games,’ we set out to create an
September 16, 2019 5:45PM PT The new comedy casts Jill Scott, Michelle Buteau and Ryan Michelle Bathe in revivals of the 1996 film’s iconic roles. Launching a series based on a beloved property is harder than it seems. On the one hand, you get the immediate boost of name recognition to lure in preexisting fans.
September 16, 2019 4:30PM PT “Doctor Who” actor Christopher Eccleston has opened up about his anorexia, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts. Eccleston, who played the ninth incarnation of the Doctor, made the revelations in his forthcoming autobiography “I Love the Bones of You: My Father and the Making of Me.” “Many times I’ve wanted to