Television

Tribune Media is accusing Charter Communications of dragging its feet in negotiations as the clock ticks down on the New Year’s Eve contract renewal deadline covering 33 Tribune stations and cabler WGN America in New York, Los Angeles and other markets. Tribune asserts that Charter has not been in touch with the Chicago-based TV station

December 30, 2018 8:35AM PT Walt Disney and Verizon have struck a new carriage agreement, avoiding a showdown that might have taken popular ESPN college-football games away from subscribers of Verizon’s Fios service in the first days of 2019. “Verizon and The Walt Disney Company have reached a broad-based distribution agreement. Details will be released

December 29, 2018 3:05PM PT Dame June Whitfield, known for her work on “Terry and June,” the “Carry On” movies and “Absolutely Fabulous” has died. The BBC is reporting that Whitfield passed peacefully on Friday night, she was 93. Whitfield’s career touched just about every part of the entertainment industry from early radio comedies, acting

At first glance, Fox’s “The Masked Singer” sure seems like confirmation that TV’s finally strayed too far from the eyes of God and may S/He have mercy on our souls. In the palpably strained words of host Nick Cannon, the competitive singing show’s “not just a whodunnit, it’s a who SUNG it.” Celebrities hide their identities

It’s possible to nail all the details but miss the feeling entirely. Showtime’s new comedy “Black Monday” — which dropped its first episode online for free Dec. 28 ahead of a Jan. 20 premiere — is crammed with references to its late-1980s setting, from graffiti-choked subway cars to distressed denim to jokes about Nancy Reagan

“Bandersnatch,” the new film released on Netflix Dec. 28, exists in a paradox. (That’s fitting, for a stand-alone entry of “Black Mirror,” an anthology series that thrives on simple enough philosophical conundra.) On the one hand, a branching film with multiple endings, so formally unlike what television generally is, could not be made and broadcast

KTLA anchor Chris Burrous died Thursday afternoon after being found unconscious at a motel in Glendale, Calif. He was 43. Burrous was found unresponsive by Glendale firefighters and died later at a hospital. Firefighters found him “suffering from a medical emergency” in a room at the Days Inn in downtown Glendale, according to the Glendale

It’s hard to imagine a cannier choice of premiere date getting made in 2019 than the one happening on the year’s first day. On Jan. 1 — that day of putting into practice optimistic resolutions and, sometimes, enduring a bit of self-flagellation over the excesses of the night before — Netflix releases the first season

Viewers tuning into the new “Les Miserables” series will see a very new, very modern take on the 150-year-old French classic. The team behind the lavish BBC and Masterpiece television adaptation are sticking to Victor Hugo’s story, but have ignored the famous musical and have embraced an ethnically diverse cast, as well as regional British

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Hell,” the Dec. 26 episode of “Vikings.” When leading man Travis Fimmel exited the fourth season of History’s “Vikings,” his character, Ragnar Lothbrok, left behind five distinct sons who were ready to carry on his legacy, while the series also announced the addition of

CBS, ABC and the CW are having a rough go of it so far as the first third of the 2018-19 television season draws to a close. NBC is hanging tough on a year-over-year Nielsen basis, and it has landed two new dramas — “Manifest” and “New Amsterdam” — in the top 10 in the

Viewers of Disney-owned networks like ABC and ESPN have begun to see messages telling them that the TV outlets may no longer be available to subscribers of Verizon Fios, the latest example of two big media companies clashing over terms of carrying content to consumers. The current contract between Disney Media Networks and Fios is

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, “The Orville” begins its second season and “Escape at Dannemora” concludes. “Alexa &

While actor Gabriel Sloyer has an impressive filmography, with roles in hit Netflix Original Series “Narcos” and “Orange is the New Black,” and more, perhaps his most demanding role to date is that of Javier Escuella of the Van der Linde Gang in the wildly successful “Red Dead Redemption II,” released in October.  With performances

December 24, 2018 6:47AM PT For many people, the holidays bring with them fond memories of video game firsts: time playing with your family, new gaming systems revealed amidst shredded papers and squeals of delight, long snowbound days lounging through a favorite title. Over the summer, we asked Twitter for their favorite memories and were

The European Commission is in talks with the entertainment industry and national authorities to finalize the details of its European content quota for on-demand players. Amazon and Netflix, the biggest streamers in the European Union, are bracing for the introduction of the 30% quota, but their planning for the new rule is being hampered by

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Family Separation Part 1,” the fifth midseason finale of “Madam Secretary.” There are few shows on television that tackle sensitive topics such as nuclear power, climate change, or the 25th amendment with vigor in each episode, let alone one that also often opts for

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched, “Wilmington,” the eight episode of the fourth season of “Outlander.” After a season that started by depicting slavery up-close-and-personal, “Outlander” once again waded into a controversial subject matter with its latest Season 4 episode, “Wilmington.” In it, Brianna (Sophie Skelton) was brutally assaulted in a

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Wilmington,” the eighth episode of “Outlander” Season 4. The latest “Outlander” episode picked up with both Roger (Richard Rankin) and Brianna (Sophie Skelton) finding themselves in Wilmington, N.C. Brianna’s entire sea voyage was skipped, but nothing terribly important happened during the voyage in the

Though it had plenty of competition, one of the most irritating reactions to Donald Trump’s presidential victory was, “hey, at least it’ll be great for artists.” The reasoning, so far as “reason” even exists anymore, was that hard times can beget great art by inspiring creative people to find ways out of tight corners with

NBC has pulled the plug on drama “Midnight, Texas” and comedy “Marlon. A Universal Television, “Midnight, Texas” revolves around supernatural activity in a fictional Texas town. It was based on the book series by “True Blood” author Charlaine Harris. The series bowed in 2017 and is set to wrap its nine-episode second season on Dec.

December 21, 2018 3:38PM PT In today’s TV news roundup, Fox released a new trailer for the last season of “Gotham,” as well as key art for its upcoming live version of “Rent,” and Deborah Ayorinde is joining NBC’s upcoming ensemble drama “The Village.” FIRST LOOKS Fox released a new, film-style trailer for the fifth and final season of

As headlines roll out on CNN in the hours leading up to New Year’s Eve, so too will Farmer’s Insurance. The insurer’s logo will be spotted rotating on an on-screen CNN countdown clock slated to appear multiple times on December 31, says Michal Shapira, senior vice president of news content partnerships for Turner Ignite, part

As much of the media business shifts focus to building global platforms, the CEO of the company that is about to become the largest owner of TV stations in the country is passionately preaching the gospel of local. Perry Sook, president and CEO of Texas-based Nexstar Media Group, is a seasoned broadcast TV executive who

Shari Cohen, one of Madison Avenue’s most powerful and influential media buying executives, will retire at the end of the year, extending the parade of veterans leaving the business at a time of extreme flux. Cohen, executive director of media investments at WPP’s powerful GroupM, helped weave Sears into ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” one

December 20, 2018 6:02PM PT Some of the original “Beverly Hills, 90210” team may be reuniting soon, as CBS Television Studios is shopping another reboot of the 1990s teen soap franchise. Actors Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, Jason Priestley, Ian Ziering, Brian Austin Green, and Gabrielle Carteris are said to be on board for the new edition,

A television staple since it premiered in 2007, “The Big Bang Theory” is finally coming to an end after 12 years on the air (stream, $2.99 on Amazon). What started off as a show beloved by fans for its nerdy humor and subculture references has become a global phenomenon that’s resonated with audiences young and

December 20, 2018 4:10PM PT Bravo reveals the premiere date for Season 9 of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” and Johnny Weir is among new cast members for Netflix’s “Spinning Out.” DATES Bravo Media’s “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” returns for Season 9 on Feb. 12 at 9 p.m. Erika Girardi, Dorit Kemsley, Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave, Kyle

The stock market’s steady decline during the past few weeks has nerves on edge about the onset of a bear market and possible economic downturn to come. Aryeh Bourkoff, head of media-centric investment bank LionTree, sees the recent swings in key indices as a “healthy correction” and emphasizes that business fundamentals across corporate America remain

“Friends” — which last aired on broadcast TV 14 years ago — was the most binge-watched television show of 2018 thanks to the full run being on Netflix, according to a new study. The sitcom about twentysomething New Yorkers nabbed the highest share of binge sessions over the course of the year, according to TV