February 25, 2019 3:24PM PT With the Grammys reigning as the highest-rated and most-watched telecast the week of Feb. 4, CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” was the top scripted program of the week in Live+7. After seven days of playback, “Big Bang Theory” rose 54% in adults 18-49 to a 4.0 rating and 33% in
Television
Cobie Smulders has been cast in the lead role of the ABC drama pilot inspired by the graphic novel “Stumptown” by Greg Rucka, Variety has learned. The project follows Dex Parios (Smulders), a strong, assertive, and unapologetically sharp-witted army veteran working as a P.I. in Portland, Oregon. With a complicated personal history and only herself to
February 25, 2019 1:42PM PT Maipo Film, the well-established Norwegian company behind the critically acclaimed series “State of Happiness,” has unveiled details of “The Fortress,” the eight-part dystopian thriller drama which will be presented at Series Mania’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions. Created and written by John Kåre Raake (“The Wave”) and Linn-Jeanethe Kyed (“Børning 2”), “Fortress”
The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the first mixed-martial arts organization to present the sport in a playoffs and championship format, reached a multiyear deal making ESPN and ESPN+ the exclusive home of the PFL in the U.S. PFL launched its inaugural season in 2018, with an initial TV deal with NBCUniversal’s NBCSN sports network. Investors
February 25, 2019 12:30PM PT Jimmy Smits has been cast in one of the lead roles in the NBC legal drama pilot “Bluff City Law,” Variety has learned. Smits joins previously announced co-lead Caitlin McGee.The project is described as a character-driven legal drama that follows the lawyers of an elite Memphis law firm that specializes in
February 25, 2019 12:00PM PT Hulu has appointed Emmy-winning Casting Director Barbara Fiorentino as its new Head of Talent and Casting, Variety has learned. Fiorentino’s hiring is the first time Hulu have put in place an in-house head of casting. She will oversee casting for all Hulu Originals projects and work closely with the company’s
In adapting Chelsea Cain’s novel “One Kick” into an episodic drama, Matt Lopez had a tall order on his hands. The protagonist of the book, Kit “Kick” Lannigan is a survivor of a childhood abduction and child pornography ring, who, despite never fully healing from her formative years’ trauma, works with the FBI as an
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, “Better Things” debuts its third season and “Leaving Neverland” premieres on HBO. “The
A “Gremlins” animated series is in development at WarnerMedia’s upcoming streaming service, Variety has learned exclusively from sources. The potential series is said to be a period piece that would follow Mr. Wing, the Chinese grandfather played in the films by Keye Luke, as a young man as he goes on adventures with the friendly
Felix Mallard has been cast in a recurring role on the upcoming Netflix adaptation of “Locke & Key,” Variety has learned exclusively. Mallard will plays Lucas Caravaggio, a charming teenager in the town of Matheson whose exposure to magic leads to serious complications. The Australian actor is currently starring in the CBS comedy “Happy Together”
February 25, 2019 7:55AM PT NBC’s new drama takes itself too seriously to be all that interesting. “The Enemy Within” is, painstakingly and obviously, built to scratch a certain itch. NBC’s new drama is for anyone who ever picked up a paperback thriller at an airport, ripped through it in a single flight, and promptly
February 25, 2019 7:17AM PT Walter Presents has launched on Comcast’s Xfinity X1 platform, giving subscribers access to a raft of high-end non-English-language drama. The on-demand service is backed by U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 and offers a lineup of drama from around the world, curated and presented on-screen by Walter Iuzzolino. The a-la-carte service is
February 25, 2019 7:04AM PT The ratings for the 2019 Oscars telecast are up slightly from last year in the preliminary numbers. The awards show, which went without a host this year, drew a 20.1 rating in metered market households, up approximately 6% from the 18.9 last year’s telecast drew. The 2018 Oscars’ household rating
Oscar voters were determined to spread the love around this year, and boy, did they, with each of the eight best picture nominees getting at least one award, and none getting more than four. Nonetheless, there was a clear sweep on the show — by music. In a year where, only a month ago, the
Fremantle, Syco Entertainment and Hunan TV announced a partnership Monday to co-develop a new 13-part series for China based on the “Got Talent” format franchise. The prime time show, whose Chinese name translates to “World’s Got Talent,” will air on Hunan TV in April. The series will bring together memorable and fan-favorite acts from more
New drama series projects from the U.K.’s Studio Lambert, Italy’s Indigo Film and Norway’s Maipo Film will be pitched at Series Mania’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions to an industry audience and jury. The latter is presided over by Meghan Lyvers, SVP co-production & development, CBS Studios International. Taking place on March 25, the Sessions are the
People who tune in to ABC’s annual Oscars broadcast do so because of their interest in the movies. So advertisers who interrupted the glitzy ceremony tried to give them more of the same. Walmart peppered Sunday night’s telecast with commercials highlighting behind-the-camera personnel, while Google used intellectual property from movies such as “Deadpool” and “2001:
Young adult, action-adventure TV series “Itch” has begun shooting in Western Australia through indie film and TV producer Komixx Entertainment. The show, to be delivered next year, will be broadcast in Australia by ABC ME, part of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and distributed worldwide by ABC Commercial. The 10-part series is a TV adaptation of
February 24, 2019 6:23PM PT Bette Midler proved a more than suitable fill-in for Emily Blunt (or Julie Andrews) as she informally inherited the role of Mary Poppins for a performance of the nominated song “The Place Where Lost Things Go” at the Academy Awards Sunday night — although no one would mistake her cleavage-baring
February 24, 2019 6:09PM PT Jennifer Hudson went from zero to sixty in nearly record time in the two-minute slot she was given to sing “I’ll Fight,” the first of the nominees for best original song to be performed at the Oscars. “I’ll Fight” came close to not even being part of the Oscars telecast,
February 24, 2019 2:52PM PT Terrence Howard has spoken about his “Empire” co-star Jussie Smollett’s recent arrest for allegedly filing a false police report and staging an assault on himself. Howard shared a video of Smollett on his Instagram page on Saturday evening. The short video shows Smollett holding a baby on his lap, tickling
February 24, 2019 2:02PM PT [embedded content] HBO has offered a sneak peek at footage from the final season of “Game of Thrones,” the “Deadwood” movie reboot, Meryl Streep in “Big Little Lies,” and a slew of new series, including “Watchmen.” HBO unleashed a jumbo-sized two-minute trailer on its YouTube channel and other online platforms,
The Writers Guild of America and Hollywood’s major talent agencies are stepping up efforts to rally TV and film writers as the sides struggle with negotiations on a new guild franchise agreement. The WGA on Saturday afternoon issued a lengthy FAQ to members on the state of the agency franchise talks. The message aimed to
Alan Weisman, a longtime producer for “60 Minutes” known for his work with Morley Safer, died Thursday at his home in New Jersey of natural causes. He was 68. Weisman produced some of Safer’s most memorable “60 Minutes” segments, including the 1984 profile of Jackie Gleason and the 1989 jailhouse interview that brought national attention
February 23, 2019 11:26AM PT The time has come to choose a new Bachelorette, and “The Bachelor” creator Mike Fleiss has hinted that Khloe Kardashian may be in the mix. “I have already been in contact with my dear friend @KrisJenner about @khloekardashian as #TheBachelorette,” he tweeted Friday, after tweeting Thursday that “any decision regarding
The crux of “Whiskey Cavalier” can be found right in its protagonist’s name. “Will Chase” is a purposefully ridiculous wink of a name that tries to be both debonair and very silly all at once, just like the FBI agent (played by Scott Foley) to which it belongs. This isn’t a regular spy drama, “Whiskey
Prominent Los Angeles comedian Brody Stevens died Friday in Los Angeles, Variety has confirmed. He was 48. “Brody was an inspiring voice who was a friend to many in the comedy community,” Stevens’ reps said in a statement. “He pushed creative boundaries and his passion for his work and his love of baseball were contagious.
February 22, 2019 5:06PM PT Malik Yoba, who starred as Detective J.C. Williams in the 90s show “New York Undercover,” is set to reprise the role in the ABC reboot, sources tell Variety. Picking up 20 years after the end of the original series, “New York Undercover” will follow detectives Nat Gilmore and Melissa Ortiz
February 22, 2019 3:01PM PT An investigative report on KTLA anchor Chris Burrous has determined that his cause of death was attributed to methamphetamine toxicity, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. Burrous, 43, was found unconscious at a motel in Glendale, Calif on December 27, and later died at the hospital. The death
February 22, 2019 2:52PM PT Fox’s “The Masked Singer” was the highest-rated broadcast show of the week in both Live+Same Day and Live+3. For the week of Feb. 11, the unscripted singing competition series went from a 2.4 rating in adults 18-49 to a 3.4, a rise of 42%. In total viewers, the show went