Ask production designer Maria Djurkovic how she researched period-accurate sets for the late 1970s-set espionage miniseries “The Little Drummer Girl,” which airs on AMC, and she answers: books, the internet, some personal experience. But then she brings up her secret weapon: Philip Clark. “Phil is something like a detective,” she says. “He can respond to
Television
SundanceTV has lined up two unique ways to launch “State of the Union,” its 10-minute series starring Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd. Given its short-form nature, the 10-episode relationship series posed a unique scheduling challenge for the channel. But here’s how the show will unroll: Starting Monday, May 6, and running through Friday, May 17,
March 27, 2019 9:26AM PT Global Screen has picked up international distribution rights to spy thriller “1989 – A Spy Story,” as the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall approaches. Inspired by true events, it tells the story of a female Stasi agent, placed in the U.S. embassy in the 1980s. When
Both the worlds of television and the world of politics have changed a lot in the two years since “Veep” was last airing on HBO. For its seventh and final season, showrunner David Mandel says he wanted to take advantage of that change in politics to inform the storytelling. “If you look back at the
Silex, the up-and-coming Parisian production banner, is producing “Stalk,” a high-concept, contemporary series skewing millennials for France.tv, the streaming service of French broadcasting group France Televisions. The series was co-created, co-writen and will be directed by Simon Bouisson, who previously helmed the critically acclaimed web series “Wei or Die.” Written by Bouisson and Jean-Charles Paugam,
The Alliance, the new partnership formed by leading European pubcasters to counter the growing power of Netflix and other players, is revving up with two new international dramas, “Around the World in 80 Days” and “Mirage.” The Alliance was formed last year by France Televisions, Germany’s ZDF and Italy’s Rai. The partners unveiled their two
LILLE, France — The battle between the world’s global streaming services will be fought over talent. Nothing more appropriate then that Ted Sarandos, chief content officer of Netflix would use his In Conversation keynote at Series Mania to highlight one of Netflix’s banner talent relationships, with “Black Mirror’s” Charlie Brooker and Annabelle Jones. This was
March 27, 2019 3:00AM PT A+E Networks wants to get more advertisers – even smaller ones – under the big-TV tent. The company, which operates cable networks like A+E, History, and Lifetime, unveiled the launch of a new suite of audience-targeting tools tailored for use by small and mid-size advertisers. The company calls the offering
March 27, 2019 2:03AM PT The BBC is adding “LIFE” to its drama lineup. The new series hails from writer Mike Bartlett and producer Drama Republic, the team behind the popular drama “Doctor Foster,” which was a hit for BBC One in the U.K. and also internationally. Bartlett is one of the U.K.’s top writers.
LILLE, France — Ana María Orozco, who broke through to international renown playing the protagonist in the original Colombian “Ugly Betty,” will play one of the female leads in “Perdida,” an Atresmedia Original Series, made with Mediapro’s Madrid-based Big Bang Media, which underscores the ambition of current Spanish scripted content. The series will go into
March 26, 2019 5:26PM PT In today’s roundup, “Million Dollar Mile” releases an exclusive clip and CBS announces premiere dates for three shows. DATES CBS has announced premiere dates for one new series and two returning series. The new action adventure series “Blood and Treasure” will debut with a two-hour episode Tuesday, May 21 at
The dealmakers appear to be getting nowhere. Negotiators for Hollywood agents and the Writers Guild of America have achieved little progress at their seventh session on Tuesday, with a chaotic scenario looming on April 7. “When Guild leadership is ready to move on from their declared threatening phase, we stand ready to work through these
The shocking Jussie Smollett saga took another twist on Tuesday after prosecutors announced they have dropped all charges against the “Empire” star. Smollett had been indicted on 16 counts of filing a false police report, but now that those counts have all disappeared, studio 20th Century Fox finds itself in a sticky situation as to
Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who returned to “The View” on Tuesday to promote her new book, criticized her former co-host Rosie O’ Donnell for recent comments in which she claimed that the two had a mutual crush on each other during their time on the daytime series. O’Donnell’s comments appeared in the upcoming “Ladies Who Punch: The
Like so many other stories these days, the Jussie Smollett legal saga seemed governed not by coherent logic, but by chaos, and, in its absence of narrative, invites any observer to find in it the story they prefer hearing. Smollett, the “Empire” star who had been in legal jeopardy due to allegations of staging a
Univision and satcaster Dish Network have reached a carriage agreement after a nine-month blackout that marked one of the longest standoffs between a major programmer and distributor. Univision channels went dark on Dish Network’s satellite and streaming platforms on June 30. The sides were at odds over carriage fees that have become increasingly contentious for
March 26, 2019 12:11PM PT Brad Falchuk is joining Ryan Murphy at Netflix. Falchuk and his Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision banner have signed an overall deal with the streamer, which sources say is for four years and worth eight figures. He is currently set up under a deal at 20th Century Fox Television, with that deal
TF1, France’s top commercial network, is joining forces with Netflix for the first time to co-finance “Le Bazar de la Charité,” a high-profile period series inspired by a real-life tragedy and written by Catherine Ramberg (“The Source”) and Karine Spreuzkouski. Co-produced by Quad Télévision and TF1, the eight-part series unfolds in Paris in November 1897
The folklore of Mesoamerica will come to life in Cartoon Network’s colorful new series “Victor and Valentino,” which premieres in the U.S. and Latin America on Saturday, March 30. The series follows the antics of the titular half-brothers as they learn to get along while unraveling the mysteries of the quirky little town of Monte
March 26, 2019 11:00AM PT Emmy-nominated “Hannibal” actor Hugh Dancy will star opposite his wife Claire Danes in “Homeland” season eight, Variety has learned. Dancy will appear in the recurring guest role of John Zabel, a savvy Washington consultant who joins the White House as a new foreign-policy advisor to the President and a formidable opponent
March 26, 2019 10:41AM PT Viacom shares soared 10% on Tuesday after the company reaffirmed financial guidance for its media networks wing on the heels of sealing a hard-fought carriage renewal agreement with AT&T’s DirecTV. The stock gain underscored the importance of maintaining its presence on DirecTV and other AT&T channel bundles. Viacom on Tuesday
March 26, 2019 10:30AM PT FX has renewed Pamela Adlon’s comedy series “Better Things” for a fourth season. The fourth season is slated to air in 2020. “With every season, ‘Better Things’ becomes more vital, engaging and revelatory, cementing Pamela Adlon’s status as one of the most accomplished creative forces in television today,” said John
March 26, 2019 10:19AM PT With new leadership in place at Univision, the network is evolving in ways its fast-growing Hispanic audience in the U.S. might find surprising. Look no further than the broadcaster’s primetime schedule, according to Jessica Rodriguez, CMO of Univision Communications and president/COO of Univision Networks, who relied on audience research to
Ava DuVernay, Toby Emmerich, and Michael Douglas will speak at the Producers Guild of America’s 11th Produced By Conference. The event will be held on June 8-9 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif. Other notable speakers include Netflix executive Cindy Holland; Blumhouse producer Marci Wiseman; “Homecoming” showrunners Micah Bloomberg and Eli Horowitz; Entertainment One
“Fresh Off the Boat” and “Speechless” executive producers Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar have signed a new overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television, Variety has learned. The move marks the third overall the studio has signed since it officially became a part of Disney, after “Pretty Little Liars” producer I. Marlene King and “Daredevil” creator Drew
March 26, 2019 9:48AM PT The news that the charges against “Empire” star Jussie Smollett have been dropped drew strong reactions on both sides of the issue online Tuesday. The official Twitter account of the “Empire” writers’ room celebrated the news, tweeting a photo of the news being announced and the message “See y’all Wednesday.”
March 26, 2019 9:38AM PT Jean-Francois Camilleri is leaving Disney after more than 30 years and will replaced as the head of its French operation by Helene Etzi. Sources said Camilleri’s departure was his own decision. He announced his exit on Twitter, Tuesday, and paid tribute to his team and colleagues at Disney, thanking them
Sal Petruzzi, who has supervised U.S. communications outreach for the Turner suite of media businesses, will step down from the role as the unit, once part of Time Warner, is making a transition under the ownership of AT&T. “There comes a point in your career when it is time to say goodbye,” Petruzzi said in
March 25, 2019 6:00PM PT The CW’s reboot of “Charmed” is changing showrunners. Variety has learned that Carter Covington has stepped down as showrunner on the series, which has already been renewed for a second season. Husband and wife team Craig Shapiro and Elizabeth Kruger have been brought on to helm the series going forward.
Amy Poehler took a moment at the PaleyFest “Parks and Recreation” panel to select who she thinks Pawnee, Ind. resident Leslie Knope would support in the 2020 presidential election. Her top two picks included candidates that hail from the Midwest, Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar and South Bend, Ind. mayor Pete Buttigieg. Watch above.