Television

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Dead to Me,” streaming now on Netflix.  By the time Liz Feldman’s dark comedy “Dead to Me” completed its 10-episode first season, it took its characters through the stages of grief not only for the deceased loved ones in their lives, but in a

E! has picked up “Very Cavallari” and “Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian” for third seasons, Variety has learned exclusively. Additionally, the network has renewed “Dating #NoFilter” for a second season, with new episodes premiering later this year. “At E!, we continue to build on our successful unscripted slate with fun, edgy and inspiring series led by

The specific ingredients of Jacques Pépin’s Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech at this year’s Daytime Emmys are unknown, but count on a dash or two of modesty. The world-famous chef says he was deeply touched when he was told the honor — the first to go to someone in the cooking genre — was being

Decades ago while Judge Judy Sheindlin was working in family court, she recalls journalist Morley Safer asking her if she thought things would get better in the future. At the time, she says she told him she believed things would actually take a turn for the worse. Every day she was presiding over cases including

In 2008, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) divided the Daytime Emmy Award for talk show into two categories — entertainment and informative. The idea was to ensure that series competed against those that were similar in tone and subject matter. Yet, more than a decade later, there is some crossover. “The

If only doctors, lawyers, cops and crime bosses spring to mind when you think about daytime dramas, you haven’t been tuning in lately. From 20-somethings mesmerized by a charismatic cult leader, to a wannabe influencer using social media to sabotage her boyfriend’s marriage-of-convenience, to an undocumented immigrant, the offspring of some of the most popular

Fox has an intriguing new offer for Super Bowl advertisers: a complete reworking of the gridiron for the game’s glitzy commercials. Fox intends to cut one commercial break from each quarter in its February 2020 broadcast of Super Bowl LIV, according to four people familiar with the matter, a bid to eliminate some of the

May 3, 2019 6:00AM PT People en Español is heading to Los Angeles. The magazine’s Mas Bello party will make its west coast debut on May 23 at the 1 Hotel in West Hollywood. The event will honor the 50 Hispanic celebrities featured in the magazine’s Mas Bellos (“Most Beautiful”) list published earlier week, including

“Cobra Kai” has been picked up for a third season at YouTube Premium, Variety has learned. Season 2 of the series premiered on April 24. The series, a continuation of the story from the original “Karate Kid” film franchise, features William Zabka and Ralph Macchio reprising their roles from the films. In Season 1, Johnny Lawrence

May 2, 2019 4:38PM PT Disney has reached a deal to sell 21 Fox regional sports networks to Sinclair Broadcast Group for about $10 billion, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The deal is expected to be unveiled on Friday, per the Journal. Reps for Disney and Sinclair did not immediately respond

CBS Corp. will spend more than $8 billion on content this year as it looks to bolster its pipeline of programs for in-house platforms and outside buyers. CBS executives touted the company’s investment in high-end content, plans to expand its streaming offerings — including the launch of a local news channel in Los Angeles this

May 2, 2019 3:40PM PT A television adaptation of Scott Turow’s novel “One L” is in “very early” development at Freeform, Variety has learned. The eponymous series “follows five uniquely gifted students who bond as they navigate the perils of their first year of law school and come to terms with who they want to

In today’s roundup, Elizabeth Banks is set to host ABC’s new game show “Press Your Luck,” and HBO’s released the first trailer for its upcoming series “The Righteous Gemstones.” CASTING Elizabeth Banks will now add game show host to her credits as the newly announced host of ABC’s “Press Your Luck” premiering June 12. Produced

ABC has renewed “Black-ish” for a sixth season and has also put out a series order for a prequel to the show titled “Mixed-ish.” The spinoff series, which has been in development since February, focuses on the experience of Tracee Ellis Ross’s character, Rainbow Johnson, growing up in a mixed-race family in the ‘80s. “Black-ish”

Both Jennifer O’Connell and Suzanna Makkos are joining the executive ranks at the WarnerMedia streaming service, Variety has learned. Makkos will serve as executive vice president of original comedy and animation, while O’Connell will be WarnerMedia’s executive vice president of original non-fiction and kids programming. Both will report to Sarah Aubrey, head of original content

May 2, 2019 1:18PM PT CBS Corp. said first-quarter operations grew thanks to Super Bowl advertising and an uptick in streaming-video subscriptions, and the company trumped Wall Street’s profit estimates even as it missed predictions for revenue. The New York owner of the CBS television network and the Showtime premium-cable channel said results during the

John Llewellyn Moxey, a prolific TV director who helmed episodes of “Charlie’s Angels,” “Mannix,” “Magnum, P.I.” and “Murder, She Wrote,” died of complications from cancer on April 29 in University Place, Wash. He was 94. The Argentinean-born British director was also known for a long string of 1970s-era TV movies, including “The Night Stalker,” “Panic

In a twist which Julian Fellowes himself might have written, “The Gilded Age,” which hails from the “Downton Abbey” creator, has moved from NBC to HBO. The cabler has handed out a 10-episode production commitment, but is yet to reveal when “The Gilded Age” will finally premiere. After years of gestation, the 1885-set series was

May 2, 2019 10:30AM PT Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy has been cast in the new season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Variety has learned exclusively. The exact nature of Tweedy’s role in Season 10 of the HBO comedy is being kept under wraps. Tweedy is said to be good friends with Jeff Garlin, who stars on “Curb

Twelves years and 279 episodes culminated in one tearful bittersweet day on Tuesday — the taping of “The Big Bang Theory” series finale. Cast members of the longest-running multicamera comedy ever gave emotional testimonials on what that last day on set was like to Variety on the red carpet of the series finale party in

“This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman has signed a massive five-year overall deal that will keep him in the fold at 20th Century Fox Television. Sources tell Variety that the pact is worth somewhere in the $125 million range. Under the new deal, Fogelman will continue to develop drama, live-action and animated comedy projects. Fogelman previously

Discovery Inc. delivered advertising and affiliate revenue growth in the U.S. in the first quarter even as international revenue fell against tough year-over-year comparisons. Discovery on Thursday reported total revenue of $2.7 billion, in line with Wall Street’s expectations and up 17% from the year-ago quarter. However, adjusted for the impact of Discovery’s Scripps Networks

Danish filmmaker Anders Walter, who won the 2014 Oscar for live-action short film with “Helium,” is to adapt French graphic novel “The Quest for the Time Bird” as a TV series. Walter made his feature film debut last year with another adaptation of a graphic novel, “I Kill Giants,” starring Madison Wolfe, Zoe Saldana and

Ariana Grande, who famously skipped the Grammys this year over disagreements about what form her production number would take, found an agreeable partner Wednesday night in the Billboard Music Awards — they let her mail in her characteristically dimly lit performance from a Vancouver concert. (It might’ve been via snail mail; that gig took place

There are precious few TV shows that take thirtysomething women and their thirtysomething problems seriously. Onscreen, women are more often slotted into the roles of sexy teen, sexy and/or hapless twentysomething, and that ambiguous post-40 “of a certain age” designation that somehow encompasses half a lifetime. The thirties timespan, an especially crucial time for women

Hollywood talent agencies are waiting for a “signal” that the Writers Guild of America is prepared to resume negotiations and reach a settlement to the conflict that led to more than 7,000 TV and film writers firing their agents during the past two weeks. That’s the word from UTA chief executive Jeremy Zimmer, who spoke

Lucy Liu became the second Asian-American woman with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and gave thanks to the first recipient, Anna May Wong, for paving the way for representation during the ceremony today. “When I moved to Los Angeles, I actually lived on Vine Street, so it’s thrilling to have Anna May

In today’s roundup, Hulu released trailers for the third season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” and the revival of “Veronica Mars.” FIRST LOOKS Along with a slew of announcements made today, Hulu released the official trailer for Season 3 of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The new footage shows Offred (Elisabeth Moss) managing covert alliances with fellow handmaids and

Ron Howard and “Solo” writer Jonathan Kasdan are in negotiations for a sequel series to Howard’s 1988 feature “Willow” at Disney+, Variety has confirmed. The original fantasy film came from a George Lucas story and was produced by Lucasfilm, so a Disney+ series adaptation would seem like a natural fit, given how many other Lucasfilm projects

May 1, 2019 3:00PM PT Regina King has signed a first-look deal with Netflix, Variety has learned. The multi-year deal will see King’s banner Royal Ties produce both films and series for the streaming platform. Her sister, Reina King, will serve as head of production for the company. King and Royal Ties previously had a production deal