Television

Dubai-based Middle East producer Fadi Ismail, the former general manager of Saudi-controlled broadcaster MBC’s 03 Productions arm, is launching his own company with a slate largely made up of TV projects based on Saudi intellectual properties. Ismail’s new shingle, DKL Studio, is developing a dozen skeins, some of which push the envelope of what is

Haut et Court TV, the successful Paris-based production company behind “The Young Pope” and the original “The Returned,” is tapping into Israel’s vibrant talent pool to partner on ambitious series, including “Possessions” and “Fertile Crescent” which are both currently shooting. “Fertile Crescent,” which just started lensing in Belgium with Melanie Thierry (“Memoir of War”), Félix

June 21, 2019 2:36AM PT Leading Japanese pay broadcaster Wowow unveiled senior management changes on Thursday. Five new members have been appointed to the broadcaster’s board, including three from outside companies. Hideki Tashiro from the TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) network has been tasked with supervising Wowow’s programming and production. Masahiko Mizuguchi from Fuji TV network

Two weeks out from the premiere, Netflix has released a darker trailer for “Stranger Things” season 3. The three-minute long clip almost feels like it’s promoting an action movie, with things clearly set to take a more harrowing turn in the town of Hawkins. All the gang are back once more: Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown),

June 20, 2019 6:28PM PT Randall Christensen, the Emmy-winning costume designer best known for his work on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” died Sunday after a long fight with carcinoid cancer. He was 60. Christensen’s work on the beloved reality show, which spanned 11 seasons since his start in 2006, earned him the moniker “the

Upwards of 20,000 Christians have signed a petition calling for Netflix to cancel the fantasy series “Good Omens.” But the TV series, adapted from Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s 1990 satirical sci-fi novel, is distributed by Amazon Prime, not Netflix. The petition was first launched by the Return to Order campaign, a Christian organization under

In today’s TV Roundup, Showtime drops a teaser for the fifth and final season of “The Affair,” and Kid Cudi and Big Boi join Shudder’s “Creepshow” anthology series.  FIRST LOOKS AMC has released the first trailer for its forthcoming anthology series “The Terror: Infamy.” Premiering August 2, the Ridley Scott-produced show features a cast and

June 20, 2019 3:15PM PT A&E Network has ordered a live stunt series titled “The Impossible Live.” The series, which hails from KEW Media Group’s Essential Media Group, will consist of five two-hour episodes featuring daredevils performing death-defying stunts such as parachute-less jump from a plane onto a speeding train, a motorcycle jump off a

The Monte Carlo Television Festival drew to a close Tuesday with “Escape at Dannemora” winning the Golden Nymph in the limited series and TV movie section, and “My Brilliant Friend” winning best drama series. “The festival is testament to the fact that as the industry adapts and evolves with the times, good storytelling never goes

Moira Rose, the family matriarch of cult classic “Schitt’s Creek,” is known for several things: her pronunciation of the word “bebe,” her love for her TV family (and sometimes Alexis) and her countless vibrant wigs. Played by the always delightful Catherine O’Hara, each episode (and wig) is a joy to witness on screen. “I think

Brandon Flynn has a flourishing Hollywood career. The 25-year-old quickly shot to social media superstardom on Netflix’s hit “13 Reasons Why” with millions of devoted followers and, shortly after, was cast on HBO’s “True Detective.” And yet, the rising star has received just as much attention for his personal life as his professional career. In

June 20, 2019 12:33PM PT Tyler Perry has scored a straight-to-series order at BET for a drama set at the White House, Variety has confirmed. The series, titled “The Oval,” will introduce viewers to the new first family moving into the White House. Ed Quinn will star as President Hunter Franklin, while Kron Moore will play

Spencer and Heidi Montag Pratt, Audrina Patridge, Whitney Port, Justin “Bobby” Brescia, Brody Jenner and Mischa Barton were spotted partying at Les Deux on Wednesday night in Hollywood. If that sentence feels like a throwback, that’s because it feels like it’s 2009 all over again. It’s been 10 years since “The Hills” ended and now

Cinematographer Kira Kelly, who earned an Emmy nomination for her work on Ava DuVernay’s “13th,” feels that her time spent on nonfiction projects over the past two decades has improved her ability to cope with the demands of shooting narrative fare.  The scaled-down resources — often just Kelly and maybe a focus puller or a

When “My So-Called Life” debuted in 1994, there weren’t many portraits of gay teenagers on television. But Wilson Cruz changed that with his depiction of Rickie, a proudly rebellious high school sophomore who was a key member of Angela Chase’s social circle. As a true confidant to Claire Danes’ Angela, Rickie was both a TV

John Wells Productions has renewed its ties to Warner Bros. Television with a rich five-year overall deal that will extend the prolific producer’s tenure at the studio to nearly 40 years. The deal, which is said to reach into nine figures, runs through 2024 and calls for Wells’ company to develop a wide range of

Emmy-winning TV producer Krishnendu Majumdar is set to become the next chairman of BAFTA and the first person of color to occupy the prestigious post. Majumdar will begin his two-year tenure in 2020 after the term of the current chair, Pippa Harris, ends. Majumdar has first taken up the post of deputy chair, an appointment

The Writers Guild of America has called off negotiations with the Association of Talent Agents in favor of pursuing individual talks with nine top agencies as it enforces a total ban on packaging fees and affiliated production for agents representing guild members. WGA West president David Goodman announced the guild’s decision to reject the ATA’s

When Jane Curtin began her run as an original member of the Not Ready for Primetime Players on the storied first five seasons of “Saturday Night Live,” it was not unheard of for women working on the show be groped in the hallways of the production offices at 30 Rock. She remembers Milton Berle, the

Globoplay, the streaming platform of Brazilian media giant Globo, is set to bow one of its most ambitious fictional series to date, “Aruanas” (“Sentinels of Nature”). The new series premieres worldwide July 2 on Vimeo-powered platform araunas.tv in more than 150 countries with subtitles in 11 languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Turkish

Spain’s The Mediapro Studio, the recently-launched content production-distribution giant, has teamed with Argentine-based company Non Stop TV to develop a bioseries on Lola Flores, the Spanish flamenco matriarch. The project is backed by The Flores Family, with Lolita and Rosario Flores, Lola Flores daughters, attached as executive producers, alongside Mariola Orellana. The series will recreate

June 19, 2019 4:33PM PT Mark-Paul Gosselaar has boarded the upcoming ABC comedy “Mixed-ish.” “Mixed-ish,” a spinoff of “Black-ish,” focuses on the experience of Tracee Ellis Ross’s character, Rainbow Johnson, growing up in a mixed-race family in the ‘80s. Gosselaar will play the role of Bow’s father, taking over from Anders Holm, who played the

Greg Berlanti is television’s most prolific producer. With a record-breaking 18 series from his production company greenlit for the 2019-2020 season, the openly gay Berlanti is using his power to ensure the LGBTQ community is reflected on the small screen — both in front of and behind the camera. From casting the first transgender superhero

FX’s “Legion” has always drawn inspiration not only from the Marvel “X-Men” comics on which it is based, but also from the weirder corners of pop culture. When creator Noah Hawley cast “Downton Abbey” star Dan Stevens as the lead — David Haller, a mutant whose telepathic powers have been misdiagnosed as mental illness —

In today’s TV roundup, “Dear White People” sets an August 2 premiere and Showtime acquires the six-episode comedy series “Back to Life.” DATES “Dear White People” will return for its third season on August 2. The news was announced in a comedic sketch posted to Netflix‘s Youtube channel, in which the series’ cast members debate

Roger Ailes in 1996 supervised the launch of a multibillion-dollar business few people thought would ever get off the ground. In 2019 he may have a posthumous hand in instigating something equally complex: a ripped-from-the-headlines drama about the media industry, complete with portrayals of people who still help make it run. If that foray is successful, plenty of

June 19, 2019 3:00PM PT Several of Elin Hilderbrand’s novels are being adapted into a Hulu drama series, Variety has learned. The potential series, which is in early development at the streamer, is based on Hilderbrand’s summer romances set in Nantucket, specifically “The Identicals,” “The Blue Bistro,” and “The Matchmaker.” Andre and Maria Jacquemetton will

As CBS Corp. nears a formal acquisition offer for Viacom, the actions of two key players — controlling shareholder Shari Redstone and acting CBS CEO Joe Ianniello — will be closely watched in the coming weeks. Redstone’s moves are under scrutiny because of the potential for litigation surrounding a deal that some have criticized as

June 19, 2019 2:16PM PT The Danish Netflix original drama “The Rain” has been renewed for a third season, which will also be the show’s last. Netflix made the announcement in a tweet sent out Wednesday. The series is Netflix’s first Danish original series and takes place six years after a brutal virus carried by the

June 19, 2019 12:15PM PT Ken Olin has signed an overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television, Variety has learned. Under the deal, Olin will continue to serve as executive producer on the hit NBC series “This Is Us” while also allowing him to develop other projects across platforms. “Ken is a special talent and a terrific