You’re going to have to find something new to bridge the gap with your Lyft driver, your boss, your agent, and your more distant family members at Thanksgiving. After eight years—eight years!—“Game of Thrones” is coming to an end next week. It feels surreal to leave the world of Dothraki-speaking dragon riders, fiery Free Folk,
Television
The message couldn’t have been clearer from the stage at Radio City Music Hall on Monday morning, where NBCUniversal kicked off upfront week with an omnibus presentation covering its broadcast and cable networks. Linda Yaccarino, NBCU’s chairman of advertising sales and client partnerships, told the assembled advertisers and media buyers that NBCUniversal is preparing a
When “Laugh-In” debuted on NBC in 1967, creator George Schlatter could have very well gotten away with murder. The network didn’t often understand what the producer was trying to accomplish with his quick comedic snippets, his fresh-faced cast who often stumbled over their lines (which were sometimes purposely transposed on the teleprompter), or his ragtag
May 13, 2019 11:46AM PT NBCUniversal won’t launch a streaming service until the middle of next year. But it made an effort to win advertising for the venture today. Speaking to advertisers at its annual “upfront” presentation, NBCU ad-sales chief Linda Yaccarino tried to spark conversations about buying commercials in the company’s new slate of
Brian Williams didn’t have much to say when he made an appearance Monday at NBCUniveral’s massive “upfront” programming presentation. But his presence on stage spoke volumes. Four years ago at this time, Williams tenure at the company seemed precarious. He was in the midst of a suspension, and taken off “NBC Nightly News.” Today, he
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, “Game of Thrones” comes to and end on HBO, and “Catch 22” drops
NBCUniversal held its 2019-2020 upfront presentation to advertisers on Monday morning at Radio City Music Hall in New York. In touting its new and returning wares for NBC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, Telemundo, E!, and other networks, here are a few things we noticed: Advertising is good: NBCUniversal opened its 2019 upfront presentation with a montage
With nearly all series orders, cancellations, and renewals complete, the 2019-2020 season is taking shape. Despite the fact that this year’s new series order volume held up surprisingly well compared to last year, it was still a year of transitions and upheaval at the broadcast networks. From significant executive moves to Fox making its presence
May 13, 2019 6:14AM PT Many Super Bowl viewers tune in to see who will sing during halftime. Next year, they can tune in after the show for a little warbling as well Fox Broadcasting said it will air its popular competition program “The Masked Singer” right after its broadcast of Super Bowl LIV, a
Discovery announced the acquisition of Golf Digest from Condé Nast, adding further momentum to the cable programmer’s big multiplatform swing into golf entertainment, which includes a 12-year international rights deal with PGA Tour and an exclusive content deal with golf pro Tiger Woods. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Discovery is paying around $30 million
Amazon has grabbed international rights to CBS All Access’ “Star Trek”-branded series revolving around Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard character. Amazon has picked up the show from CBS Television Studios in more than 200 territories outside the U.S. and Canada. There’s no word yet on a premiere date for the show. Amazon will have episodes of
The “Empire” has fallen. Fox announced Monday that music drama “Empire’s” recently announced sixth season will be the show’s last. “We are turning the final season into a television event,” Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier said. “One of the great benefits of announcing a final season announce have the fans lean in have the finale
Fox’s first primetime schedule since the Disney merger leans heavily on animated, with only two new dramas and one new comedy premiering this fall. Here’s the schedule and descriptions of the new scripted series: FOX FALL 2019-20 SCHEDULE (New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET) MONDAY 8:00-9:00 PM — 9-1-1 9:00-10:00 PM — PRODIGAL
“Game of Thrones’s” penultimate episode built towards a moment in which Daenerys Targaryen, the would-be queen whose will to power has animated the series from its first episode, acted perfectly in character. That may require some explaining, as Daenerys, a believer in a radical, self-designed theology of liberation and justice, had historically worked to free
SPOILER ALERT: Do not keep reading if you have not seen Season 8, Episode 5 of “Game of Thrones,” titled “The Bells.” Episode five of the final season of “Game of Thrones” was carnage from beginning to end. After last week’s episode, fans were wondering how Daenerys would ultimately take the execution of Missandei. The
May 12, 2019 7:30PM PT SPOILER ALERT: Do not read on unless you’ve seen Episode 5 of Season 8 of “Game of Thrones,” which aired Sunday May 12. Well, that happened. Now — onto the next! HBO dropped the trailer for the final episode of season 8 — also the series finale — at the
Few shows on television feature woman leads that are also people of color — and even fewer in the action drama genre. Jessica Alba, Gabrielle Union, and the showrunners behind Charter’s Spectrum Originals maiden program “L.A.’s Finest” wanted that to change. The new series is a spinoff of the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence franchise
The arrival of television’s annual upfront derby spurs a marathon of dealmaking in the days leading up to the major networks’ fall schedule presentations. This year, the mood among network and studio executives rushing to close talent deals and finalize license fees is described by one veteran as “tense but cordial.” Leadership at each of
Fox has greenlit a second installment of “9-1-1” starring Rob Lowe, Variety has learned. The new entry in the budding franchise is titled “9-1-1: Lone Star.” It follows a sophisticated New York cop (Lowe) who, along with his son, re-locates to Austin, Texas, and must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable
BBC America drama “Killing Eve” was the biggest winner Sunday at BAFTA’s British Academy Television Awards, which were handed out at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The hit show took home three trophies, for best drama series, best actress for Jodie Comer and best supporting actress for Fiona Shaw. The first award of the night saw
May 12, 2019 11:34AM PT “Whiskey Cavalier” has been canceled after one season at ABC. Series star Scott Foley posted a video on Instagram thanking fans for their support of the show, which can be viewed below. Following an emotional breakup, FBI super-agent Will Chase (code name: “Whiskey Cavalier,” played by Foley) was assigned to
Julianna Margulies is back on television and playing a superhero – just not the comic book kind. Margulies stars as Lt. Col. Nancy Jaax in “The Hot Zone,” the Nat Geo limited series based on the 1994 thriller about the first appearance of Ebola virus on U.S. soil. Jaax was part of the team of
ABC is preparing to unveil a third-season pickup for “American Idol” at its 2019-2020 season schedule presentation to advertisers on Tuesday, but the lineup behind the judges’ table is still a work in progress. ABC and FremantleMedia North America have only recently started negotiations on possible new talent deals for “Idol” judges Katy Perry, Lionel
NBC has released a trio of trailers for its new shows which will join the network’s 2019-2020 season lineup. The new drama “Bluff City Law,” which stars Jimmy Smits, will launch this fall alongside “Perfect Harmony” with Bradley Whitford and “Sunnyside” starring Kal Penn. The Peacock has also released an exclusive “This Is Us” clip
May 12, 2019 10:07AM PT “Twin Peaks” and “Mod Squad” star Peggy Lipton died Saturday from cancer, her daughters Rashida and Kadida Jones announced. Lipton had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 2004. Lipton won a Golden Globe and was Emmy-nominated four times for her role as flower child Julie Barnes in “The Mod Squad,”
“This Is Us” has been renewed for Seasons 4, 5, and 6 at NBC. This is not the first time the hit drama series has received a multi-season commitment at the network. After it’s first season kicked off to stellar numbers and critical acclaim, NBC gave it an early pick up for two more seasons,
NBC is unveiling a year-round schedule next season that keeps several of its signature series, including “Will & Grace,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and freshman drama hit “Manifest,” on the bench until midseason. The plan is stability in the fall, as Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays remain unchanged, and Thursdays continue to front a four-comedy lineup. Only
At some point as autumn ends and snowfall appears imminent, you’ve probably heard someone say, “Winter is coming,” perhaps with a joking nudge in the ribs. Or maybe you’ve put on your thickest English accent and imitated the line, “You know nothing, Jon Snow.” Tons of iconic quotes from “Game of Thrones” have made their
May 12, 2019 10:00AM PT Melissa McCarthy has been named host of NBC’s unscripted series “Little Big Shots,” replacing Steve Harvey as emcee of the talent competition for kids. Harvey hosted the previous three seasons of the show, which hails from Warner Horizon Television and Ellen DeGeneres’ A Very Good Production banner. “Little Big Shots”
NBC’s 2019-2020 primetime schedule is heavy on stability with four new dramas and four comedies set to join the Peacock’s lineup. Here’s the schedule and descriptions of the new scripted series: NBC FALL 2019-20 SCHEDULE (New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET) MONDAY 8-10 P.M. — The Voice 10-11 P.M. — BLUFF CITY LAW