Television

Gretchen Carlson’s break with Fox News was one of the defining moments in the recent evolution of the much-debated news network. The former “Fox & Friends” anchor sued the network in 2016, claiming sexual harassment by then-chief Roger Ailes, and settled for $20 million and an exceedingly uncommon public apology. It was a seismic shift

Typically, TV shows trying to replicate viral fame is more cringe-inducing than truly funny. The internet’s rapidly shifting whims make guessing the next big thing near impossible, and trying to make already hyperbolic situations even more exaggerated for comedic effect tend to result in flat parodies that only highlight how tricky and unpredictable viral fame

January 14, 2019 2:49PM PT MGM will rollout two half-hour syndicated strips for fall 2019: “The Drama” and “Personal Injury Court.” “Drama” revolves around a cast of experts giving humorous advice to people for problems submitted via social media. “Personal Injury Court” offers a more detailed look at cases involving claims of personal injuries. MGM

Based on Justin Cronin’s best-selling novel, Fox’s new drama “The Passage” has the raw material of a hit: Richly detailed source material, an appealing star in Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and a compelling hook. The show assays a world in which an attempt to cure diseases by harnessing a dark sort of power results in the rise

“The Americans” alum Matthew Rhys has signed on to star in the “Perry Mason” limited series currently in the works at HBO, Variety has learned. The series hails from executive producers Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey under their Team Downey banner, with Team Downey’s Amanda Burrell also executive producing. The project was originally put into development

ABC has given the Heather Graham-led drama “The Hypnotist’s Love Story” a formal pilot order, Variety has learned. Graham will star in and executive produce the project. In the show, after a string of failed romances, successful hypnotherapist Ellen is optimistic about her current boyfriend. But then he reveals a disturbing truth: a stalker ex-girlfriend (Graham)

John Falsey, a television writer best known for his work with co-writer Joshua Brand on the acclaimed television series “St. Elsewhere,” “Northern Exposure” and I’ll Fly Away, died Jan. 3 in Iowa City. He was 67. Falsey’s death was first announced to the New York Times by his brother, James Falsey, who said the death was

NBCUniversal is set to unveil a major shakeup of its top executive ranks as CEO Steve Burke reorganizes his direct reports and the company prepares for the launch of a streaming service next year, according to two people familiar with the matter. Mark Lazarus and Jeff Shell will take on expanded roles overseeing NBCUniversal’s vast

ICM Partners veteran Lorrie Bartlett has been appointed to the company’s board of directors, marking a first for an African-American woman at a major Hollywood talent agency. Bartlett, a partner and co-head of ICM’s talent department, has emerged as a leader at the agency and in the industry. She was among the early organizers of

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, “Star Trek: Discovery” returns for Season 2 and “The Passage” debuts on Fox.

January 14, 2019 10:00AM PT Former Legendary Television exec Edwin Chung has been named vice president of comedy development at 20th Century Fox Television, effectively immediately. “We are thrilled to welcome Edwin to our comedy team at 20th,” said Cheryl Dolins, senior VP of comedy development at Fox. “His taste is impeccable as are his

A remake doesn’t necessarily have to justify its existence in this, the age of too much #content, but it’s always a genuine pleasure when it nonetheless makes a great case. “Roswell, New Mexico” is a canny blend of the two ways that its story — of aliens living on Earth and the humans who may

CBS All Access is officially moving forward on the development of a standalone “Star Trek” series starring Michelle Yeoh, Variety has learned. The series would see Yeoh reprise the role of Philippa Georgiou, expanding on the character’s current position as a member of Section 31, a shadowy intelligence agency operating within the Federation. Yeoh is also set

January 14, 2019 9:00AM PT Propagate has promoted Isabel San Vargas to president of production and operations. The indie studio headed by Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens has ramped up in the past year with a range of production activity in the U.S. and abroad. San Vargas joined Propagate in 2016, months after it

January 14, 2019 7:47AM PT ITV has greenlit a new period drama series based on the novel “Belgravia,” which was written by Julian Fellowes, the creator of “Downton Abbey.” The production company behind that period hit, NBCUniversal’s Carnival Films, is making the new series. Fellowes already has an NBC series, “The Gilded Age,” and other

January 14, 2019 5:17AM PT Hugh Grant has appealed for the return of a script that was stolen by thieves who broke into his car. “In the unlikely chance that anyone knows who broke into my car tonight and stole my bag, please try and persuade them to at least return my script,” the star

Eccho Rights, the Stockholm-based rights-management and sales company, has come on board political drama-thriller “Invisible Heroes” in the run-up to NATPE. Inspired by true events, “Invisible Heroes” follows the remarkable exploits of a rookie Finnish diplomat, Tapani Brotherus, who risked everything he had to secretly help secure asylum in Europe for more than 2,000 Chilean

January 13, 2019 6:08PM PT [embedded content] The final season of “Game of Thrones” finally has a premiere date. HBO announced that the megahit series will debut its eighth and final season on April 14. The announcement was made in a video released just ahead of the “True Detective” Season 3 premiere on Sunday. The

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “If Not For Hope,” the eleventh episode of “Outlander” Season 4. The thrust of the action of “If Not For Hope,” the eleventh episode of “Outlander’s” fourth season centered on Brianna (Sophie Skelton) cooling her heels at River Run after the rest of her

Members of the Broadcast Film Critics Assn. and Broadcast Television Journalists Assn. are handing out honors at the 24th annual Critics’ Choice Awards this evening in 25 film categories and 17 television categories. Leading the way with film nominations was Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite.” FX’s “The Americans” and “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime

CBS News has come under fire for a lack of African-Americans among its core team of on-the-ground reporters and producers set to cover the 2020 presidential campaign cycle. Criticism of CBS News began to build during the weekend after associate producer Ben Mitchell tweeted a title card featuring images of CBS News’ “political embed unit,”

January 13, 2019 3:51PM PT “Pose” producer Our Lady J gave an update Sunday after she called out the Los Angeles Times for putting her on its Golden Globes worst dressed list in an Instagram post last week. In the post, J called out the publication for “body-shaming” her on a “night celebrating the talents

Anthony Scaramucci better hope his stint in the “Big Brother” house is longer than his one in the White House. Donald Trump’s former director of communications, who held that job for all of 10 days in 2017, will now follow his ex-boss into the world of reality TV — as one of the contestants this

Whaddyuh you lookin’ at? “The Sopranos” is enjoying a bada-boost from its 20th anniversary, as on-demand viewing of the classic HBO series has greatly increased in recent weeks. All the hype surrounding the show, which launched on Jan. 10, 1999, has led fans to re-binge the series — and perhaps a few new viewers to

Megyn Kelly’s NBC program ended in October, but she has now truly signed off from the network. The colorful anchor and NBCUniversal have officially come to terms on her exit from the company, ending a frenetic chapter in TV-industry history and starting, perhaps, a new round of speculation about what she might do next. “The

January 11, 2019 6:10PM PT NBC has ordered pilots for dramas “Emergence” and “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.” ABC Studios’ “Emergence hails from writers and executive producers Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters. The project is described as a character-driven genre thriller that centers around a sheriff who takes in a young child that she finds near the

January 11, 2019 5:41PM PT CBS and Nielsen have come to terms on a new contract to use the media-measurement company’s services to count CBS audiences, ending a pricing showdown that had been in effect since the start of the year. The companies declined to offer financial terms of the new arrangement, but it was

January 11, 2019 3:26PM PT In today’s TV news roundup, Showtime released a new trailer for season four of “Billions,” and Fox announced a new premiere date for “Masterchef Junior.”  DATES  “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will broadcast live on CBS following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, Jan. 29

January 11, 2019 3:13PM PT [embedded content] An episode of a 1950s Western drama may have foretold America’s current border wall crisis more than 60 years ago. Politics today and the show both feature men named Trump with a wall that is promised to protect every citizen from danger. “Trackdown” aired on CBS between 1957

On the heels of Disney’s historic deal to buy 21st Century Fox, Disney chairman-CEO Bob Iger saw a big increase in compensation last year thanks to stock awards he received after extending his contract in late 2017. Iger’s total compensation for Disney’s fiscal 2018, which ended Sept. 30, reached $65.6 million, up from $36.2 million