In this week’s International TV Newswire, “Money Heist’ fanbase heaves with anticipation at Part 3, two prominent European doc fests change directors, All3Media confirms “Dark Money’s” pre-sales credentials; ZFD favorite “Worst Witch” gets an NHK makeover; and Econet Media’s satellite TV biz goes into administration: ‘Money Heist’ Part 3 Anticipation Boils Two weeks out from
Television
Fiction titles “La luna en tu mirada,” “Shine,” “Código Alfa” and “Indie Odyssey” figure among 22 projects selected for development after a first call of proposes by Mediapro Labs, the new talent incubator created by Spanish TV giant The Mediapro Studio. Launched in December, Mediapro Labs aims to identify audiovisual talent worth associating with and
July 5, 2019 3:35AM PT As it continues pulling into the Nordic drama talent pool, HBO Europe has ordered the Norwegian original “Wilderness” (“Utmark” ), an eight-part series created and written by Kim Fupz Aakeson (“In Order of Disappearance”). The award-winning Icelandic director Dagur Kári (“Virgin Mountain”) is helming all eight episodes of the series.
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched Season 3 of “Stranger Things,” streaming now on Netflix. Agents of the U.S. government have been a key part of the first two seasons of “Stranger Things,” but Season 3 of the Netflix series takes things in a very different direction. Last chance to avoid
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched Season 3 of “Stranger Things,” streaming now on Netflix. “Stranger Things” has introduced some very memorable monsters in its first two seasons, but Season 3 just might top them all. Last chance to avoid spoilers. In the third season of the megahit Netflix series, the
July 4, 2019 9:35AM PT Nexstar-owned stations in nearly 100 markets across the country have gone dark on AT&T’s DirecTV as the companies battle it out over a new retransmission consent deal covering dozens of Big Four network affiliates. Nexstar said the stations went down at 11:59 p.m. ET on July 3 after DirecTV rejected
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Culture Shock,” the July 4 installment of “Into the Dark,” streaming on Hulu. When Gigi Saul Guerrero set out to take the helm of the July 4th installment of “Into The Dark,” the director had a very specific vision for the tone. The plot of
July 4, 2019 3:07AM PT “The A List” are set for Netflix in the U.S. and around the world after the streamer picked up the U.K.-produced teen drama. The supernatural thriller series is set in what appears to be an idyllic island summer camp. Mia, played by Lisa Ambalavner, arrives there expecting the holiday of
July 4, 2019 2:19AM PT DRG has taken the international rights to “My Grandparents’ War,” the upcoming documentary series in which Hollywood actors retrace the footsteps of their grandparents in World War II. Kristin Scott Thomas (“The English Patient”) and Mark Rylance (“Bridge of Spies”) have already filmed their stories, which took them to locations
Thirty years after the Velvet Revolution that brought down the communist regime in the former Czechoslovakia, the six-part HBO Europe series “The Sleepers” captures that tumultuous time with a spy drama set behind the Iron Curtain. On the eve of its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, director Ivan Zacharias (“Wasteland”) and actor
To many, the Fourth of July holiday and weekend means indulging in a long sleep, enjoying a beach day, and treating yourself to happy hour. But others, who prefer to cozy up at home, may be in need of a list of shows to start bingeing now that they have a few more out-of-office hours.
Univision Communications has formally put itself on the block after announcing late Wednesday that the Spanish-language giant has hired three banks to advise on a strategic review of its options. Univision’s move is not a surprise. The company, owned by a group of private equity players led by Haim Saban, has struggled in recent years
July 3, 2019 3:53PM PT In today’s roundup, Hulu drops the teaser trailer for “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announces the premiere date for season four of “Greenleaf.” DATES TLC‘s longest-running wedding show “Say Yes to the Dress” will return with a new season on Saturday, July 20 at 9 p.m.
July 3, 2019 3:04PM PT “Ransom” is coming to an end after three seasons on CBS. The cancelation hardly comes as a surprise given that “Ransom” was among the lowest-rated shows on broadcast last season. It averaged a 0.26 rating in the key 18-49 demographic and just over 2.3 million viewers per episode throughout its third
July 3, 2019 1:39PM PT Meghan McCain gained wider renown on this season of “The View” as the show focused more intently on politics. But that development may also have made the program’s own internal politics more difficult to bear. ABC News said in a statement Wednesday that it expects McCain to return to the
Comedian and actor Arte Johnson, Emmy-winning star of 1960s and ’70s comedy sketch show “Laugh-In,” died July 3 in Los Angeles of heart failure. He was 90 and had been battling bladder and prostate cancer. On “Laugh-In,” he was most familiar as Wolfgang, the heavily accented German soldier who thought World War II was still
J.A. Bayona has signed on to direct two episodes of Amazon’s upcoming “Lord of the Rings” series. In addition to directing, he will serve as executive producer on the series along with his producing partner Belén Atienza. Bayona most recently directed the blockbuster film “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” which grossed over $1.3 billion at the
Members of the Writers Guild of America West saw their earnings grow 4.2% to $1.56 billion last year thanks to gains in feature films and television. The guild’s newly released annual report notes that the number of writers working in feature films went up last year compared to 2017, while the level of employment for
July 3, 2019 9:01AM PT APC Studios has signed a raft of key deals on the second season of the Nordic thriller “Alex,” the hit series produced by SF Studios and Nevision for Viaplay. The Paris-based company has sold the Swedish show’s second season to Amazon Prime Video (France), Walter Presents for the UK, Australia
“Star Trek,” “The Walking Dead” and “Wheel of Fortune” are more than just iconic TV brands; they’re the intellectual property powering mobile games on course to reach $100 million each. And they’re all produced by Scopely, a Los Angeles-based video game business led by co-CEO Walter Driver, who has made a specialty of adapting from
July 3, 2019 8:46AM PT Yesterday’s Women’s World Cup semifinal, which saw the U.S. team emerge with a hard-fought victory over England, was a ratings score for Fox. The game posted a 5.5 household rating in overnight metered markets, the best rating of the tournament for the network by that measurement. For comparison, Friday’s quarter
July 3, 2019 8:21AM PT England’s dramatic match against the USA in the FIFA Women’s World Cup semifinals saw the Lionesses lose the game, but U.K. broadcaster the BBC win massive ratings. The tournament has captured viewers’ imagination in the U.K. The semifinal in Lyon, France, garnered 11.7 million viewers. That was a 50.8% share
The Writers Guild of America has spurned an offer by Abrams Artists Agency to accept WGA’s key requirements in order to return to representing WGA members again. The agency had proposed that it would stop taking packaging fees and engaging in affiliate production if it could represent WGA members. The offer was conditional, in that
In today’s roundup, Netflix releases the first trailer for the new season of Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” and Showtime gives a sneak peek into the fifth and final season of “The Affair.” DATES Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Orange County” is set to return Aug. 6. Season 14 will bring back series
July 2, 2019 3:58PM PT The Kenya Barris multi-cam comedy series “Unrelated” is no longer going forward at Freeform, Variety has confirmed. After issuing a straight to series order for the show in May 2018, the Disney-owned cabler has decided not to proceed with the project. The script will now be redeveloped. The prospective series centered
President Donald Trump’s unorthodox July 4th event will feature a speech by the Commander-in-Chief, jet planes and even tanks. What it won’t have, most likely, is traditional wall-to-wall coverage from the nation’s news outlets. Fox News Channel is setting aside two primetime hours that can be used to televise President Donald Trump’s “Salute to America,”
July 2, 2019 11:00AM PT “Wynonna Earp” fans can breathe easy. Variety has learned that production on the show’s fourth season is set to begin with the premiere slated for summer 2020. Syfy had previously commissioned two more seasons of the Canadian import, but IDW Entertainment — which produces the show — had run into
ABC has announced its fall premiere dates, including the final season premiere of “Modern Family.” The family sitcom’s eleventh and final season will premiere Wednesday, Sept. 25 in its usual 9 p.m. slot. Later that night, the Cobie Smulders-led drama “Stumptown” will have its series premiere at 10 p.m. Smulders plays Dex Parios, a strong,
July 2, 2019 9:50AM PT International TV industry veteran Justin Bodle has died at his home in the south of France. The British executive was a well-known figure on the international TV circuit having been in the business for over three decades. Bodle suffered a brain hemorrhage, Tuesday. Having served in the British army, Bodle
Despite an all-star cast including Russell Crowe, Naomi Watts and Seth MacFarlane, Showtime’s “The Loudest Voice” premiered to unspectacular figures on the cabler. The premiere averaged 299,000 total viewers during its initial Sunday 10 p.m. broadcast which, for comparison, is just over half the 532,000 viewers which “City on a Hill” managed for its debut