One of the most interesting sketches from this past weekend’s broadcast of “Saturday Night Live” came not during the show, but rather one of its commercial breaks. Viewers who stuck around during advertisements in the first half of “SNL” no doubt saw cast member Kyle Mooney creating a short video with the use of Google’s
Television
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, “Schitt’s Creek” airs a holiday special and “The Runaways” returns for Season 2
Former ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey is joining Netflix as the vice president of original content, Variety has learned. In her new role, she will report to Cindy Holland, who is also vice president of original content. Dungey is expected to start working at the streamer in February. “We’re delighted to be adding Channing’s expertise, leadership
For as scattered as the Golden Globes can be, there are at least a couple of constants when it comes to the nominations. The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. has proved time and again that its favorite kind of actors to reward tend to come from two extreme sides of the spectrum: talented first-timers and huge
December 17, 2018 9:39AM PT Starz has promoted Marta Fernandez to executive VP of originals programming. Fernandez has been with Starz since 2007. Most recently, she has helped steer the original programming team and leads the company’s inclusion initiatives. Among the shows that she directly oversees are the drama series “Vida” and “American Gods” and
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Down the Rabbit Hole,” the seventh episode of “Outlander” Season 4. “Down the Rabbit Hole” is likely to be a divisive episode, especially for those viewers who have read the books. While the return of Frank was a lovely surprise — Tobias Menzies is
December 15, 2018 10:01PM PT Just hours after “Saturday Night Live” cast member Pete Davidson posted a message on social media that said he “really [didn’t] want to be on this Earth anymore,” he was absent from the final 2018 live sketches of the late-night sketch comedy show. But although Davidson did not take part
The gang was all there for the final 2018 “Saturday Night Live” cold open. Alec Baldwin returned as Donald Trump, Ben Stiller returned as Michael Cohen, Robert De Niro returned as Robert Mueller and episode host Matt Damon returned as Brett Kavanaugh for a look at what the world would have been like had Trump never
UPDATED: “Saturday Night Live” cast member Pete Davidson posted a disturbing message Saturday morning stating he doesn’t “want to be on this earth anymore,” then deleted his Instagram account. In the post, Davidson wrote, “I’m doing my best to stay here for you but i actually don’t know how much longer i can last. all
December 14, 2018 10:12PM PT Disney Channel has severed ties with “Andi Mack” actor Stoney Westmoreland following his arrest for allegedly trying to arrange a sexual encounter with a 13-year-old. “Stoney Westmoreland, an actor working on the series ‘Andi Mack,’ was arrested in Salt Lake City today,” a Disney Channel spokesperson said in a statement
On Friday’s roundup, Netflix announces the premiere date for “Russian Doll” and Benedict Cumberbatch’s “Brexit” film has a premiere date on HBO FIRST LOOKS Showtime has released a new teaser for the upcoming comedy series, “Black Monday,” which will premiere Sunday, Jan. 20 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The series stars and is executive produced by Don
There’s something comforting about the predictability of a period piece novel adaptation in the Masterpiece Theater tradition. Knowing the story, or even just the rhythms of the genre, there are rarely many surprises. The women will toss off witticisms and cry careful, pretty tears; the men will steel their jaws and declare their love, ideally
At this point, a new breaking sexual harassment case at CBS isn’t exactly a surprise. Over and over again, powerful CBS company men from producers to executives to the ex-CEO himself have made headlines for propagating decades of harassment and abuse, with dozens of witnesses affirming that the pattern was business as usual. But as
December 14, 2018 2:15PM PT The 12th season fall finale of “The Big Bang Theory” handily topped all of its scripted competition in the delayed viewing numbers for the week of Dec. 3. In Live+3, “The Big Bang Theory” rose from a 2.1 rating to a 3.3 in adults 18-49, a lift of 57%. In
December 14, 2018 2:00PM PT Willow Shields has been cast in a series regular role in “Spinning Out,” the upcoming ice skating drama series at Netflix. She joins a cast that also includes Kaya Scodelario, who was announced as the series lead on Thursday, taking over the role originally held by Emma Roberts. Shields will
December 14, 2018 12:30PM PT CBS is developing a drama series that hails from James Corden’s production company, Fulwell 73, Variety has learned exclusively. The series is titled “Embody.” In the series, after a mission gone wrong renders her permanently blind, a special agent volunteers for an experimental government program that can temporarily transfer her consciousness
December 14, 2018 12:00PM PT The latest request from Jimmy Kimmel asks parents to turn off the TV while kids are playing “Fortnite.” The host of Jimmy Kimmel Live explained that he asked parents to prank their kids with a new Youtube Challenge called “Hey Jimmy Kimmel, I turned off the TV during Fortnite.” Parents
December 14, 2018 10:15AM PT Morgan Spurlock has reached a settlement with Turner Entertainment Networks a year after he confessed to a history of sexual misconduct and walked away from a documentary series. Spurlock’s company, Warrior Poets, has agreed to pay Turner $1,173,707, according to a final judgment filed in federal court in Los Angeles
Bristol, two hours west of London and known by toon enthusiasts as the home of Aardman Animations, also happens to be the world center of wildlife filmmaking and home to the top producers, directors and camera pros creating the influx of natural history shows that continue to grow ever more popular on TV screens around
December 14, 2018 9:00AM PT Netflix has renewed “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman” for a second season, Variety has learned. The streamer has ordered another six-episode season of the talk show series, which will debut on the service in 2019. Guests for the season will be announced at a later date. Letterman
CBS Corp. said Friday it would award $20 million that was originally earmarked for severance for its former CEO, Leslie Moonves, to 18 different organizations that work to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace. “These organizations represent different critical approaches to combatting sexual harassment, including efforts to change culture and improve gender equity in the workplace,
Kevin Reilly — a veteran television exec who has led programming at NBC, FX, Fox, and most recently Turner Broadcasting — has been tapped to head content strategy for the still-nascent streaming service that WarnerMedia plans to launch next year. Reilly, who has led programming at Turner brands TNT and TBS since 2015, will serve
Food Network has struck a new multi-year deal with Ina Garten, the celebrity chief behind its signature daytime series “,” the latest in a series of talent pacts being signed by the network’s parent, Discovery, The deal includes new seasons of the program, along with several hour-long seasonal specials, the Discovery-owned cable network said Friday. The
Ryan Kadro, the executive producer of “CBS This Morning,” told staffers of the A.M. program Friday that he would step down from his position in early January, citing a desire to find a new challenge. “Nearly nine years after we created CBS This Morning, I’m stepping aside and leaving it in very capable hands. This
Welcome to “Remote Controlled,” a podcast from Variety featuring the best and brightest in television, both in front of and behind the camera. In this week’s episode, “Dirty John” showrunner Alexandra Cunningham sits down with Variety‘s senior features editor of TV, Danielle Turchiano, to talk about working with Connie Britton to develop a scripted version of
Turner International has ordered the third and final season of the hit German gangster series “4 Blocks,” which world-premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last year and went on to win multiple awards. The third season will comprise six episodes and will be directed by Özgür Yıldırım, who had co-helmed Season 2 with Oliver Hirschbiegel.
December 14, 2018 6:40AM PT “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski apologized on Friday morning for using a gay slur to describe Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The MSNBC anchor was criticized heavily on social media platforms and by President Donald Trump after she mused during Wednesday’s broadcast that Pompeo wanted to be a “wannabe dictator’s
The Television Academy announced new rules for the 2019 Emmys Thursday night, including setting the minimum length for qualifying television movies at 75 minutes. The rules changes also included the addition of an Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Underscore) award, and restructuring the choreography categories as follows: Outstanding Choreography
Eliza Dushku received a $9.5 million settlement from CBS after the actress alleged she was the subject of several inappropriate comments on the set of “Bull,” according to the New York Times. Dushku appeared in the first season of the procedural, initially being brought on for a three-episode arc with plans to make her a
In today’s TV News Roundup, the premiere date is announced for season two of “Star Trek: Discovery” on CBS All Access. FIRST LOOKS “Relics and Rarities,” a new RPG series based on the classic game Dungeons & Dragons, will premiere on subscription service Alpha in February 2019. Hosted by Deborah Ann Woll (“Daredevil,” “True Blood”)