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‘Better Call Saul’ Q&A: Rhea Seehorn on Jimmy and Kim’s Relationship
6 hours ago
Spoiler Warning: Do not read on unless you’ve seen “Better Call Saul” season 1, episode 7, titled “Bingo.”
One of the biggest mysteries so far on “Better Call Saul” is just what’s up with Kim Wexler? The ambitious legal eagle clearly has a history with down-on-his-luck Jimmy McGill — which causes some conflict with her boss at the powerful firm Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill — and whatever went on in the past between Kim and Jimmy hasn’t been entirely resolved in the present.
In tonight’s episode we learn that Jimmy has a secret hope of partnering up with Kim, in the professional sense, and even found some fancy office space where they could practice elder law together. But Kim has other career plans in mind, and Jimmy winds up helping her out, even though he gets the chance to steal away problem clients the Kettlemans.
Variety spoke with actress Rhea Seehorn »
- Geoff Berkshire
Apple Aiming for Online TV Service by Fall: Report
7 hours ago
Apple is in talks with multiple TV programmers — but not NBCUniversal — about launching an over-the-top TV service later this fall that would charge $30-$40 for about 25 channels including broadcast TV, according to a report Monday in the Wall Street Journal.
Details are scarce regarding the service in question, but it is reportedly able to stream linear channels live to a variety of Apple products including Apple TV, iPhone and iPad. Last week, Apple cut the price of Apple TV from $99 to $69 and got an exclusive window on HBO’s new a la carte network extension, HBO Now.
WSJ reported that NBCU is not negotiating with Apple over the untitled new offering because of hard feelings left over from aborted talk the tech giant held last year with NBCU parent company Comcast. Unless Apple is able to get the largest cable operator in the U.S. back to the table, the »
- Andrew Wallenstein
‘Sherlock’ Special Will Time-Hop to Victorian London
7 hours ago
Back in November, British broadcaster BBC One released a photo of “Sherlock” stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman donning Victorian garb that set off speculations of whether the show would explore time travel or simply be playing dress-up.
Now the show’s co-creator, Steven Moffat, confirmed an upcoming special will travel back to Victorian England. Moffat told Entertainment Weekly that the special is independent from the show’s highly anticipated fourth season, which will likely appear in early 2016.
“The special is its own thing,” Moffat said on Monday. “We wouldn’t have done the story we’re doing, and the way we’re doing it, if we didn’t have this special. It’s not part of the run of three episodes. So we had this to do it — as we could hardly conceal — it’s Victorian.”
Moffat alluded to the high stakes involved with the show’s fourth season at the 2014 Emmy Awards. »
- Seth Kelley
SXSW: Jimmy Kimmel Brings the Latenight Party Down South
8 hours ago
Jimmy Kimmel took his ABC show to Austin, Texas, for the week to celebrate the annual SXSW festival.
Welcomed by an audience of 2,400 of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” fans, including tons of locals who gave the latenight host restaurant recommendations during the commercial breaks, Kimmel launched his first show of the week by telling the audience about his fondness for Austin — and the food the city has to offer.
“We’re here for a whole week because that’s how long it takes to get to the front of the line at Franklins,” Kimmel joked of a popular barbecue house in Austin. He added that, in just his first few days down South, he’s indulged in burgers, queso, banana cream pie and a fair amount of alcohol.
“This town turns you into an animal,” he said.
In the first video sketch of the night, Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo stepped on »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
‘American Horror Story’ Cast Imagines Future Seasons at PaleyFest Closing Night
8 hours ago
The closing night of PaleyFest 2015 was an occasion to get freaky, as the cast of “American Horror Story: Freak Show” gathered with fans to celebrate the success of the past season and to look ahead to “Ahs: Hotel.”
Prior to the panel, Ryan Murphy’s band of merry players walked the red carpet to the tune of hundreds of screaming fans. Some of the stars even revealed which possible season themes would most terrify them.
“I was thinking they should do ‘American Horror Story: Space,’” said Finn Wittrock, who played the twisted rich boy Dandy on “Freak Show.” Why? “Because that’s terrifying. No oxygen, no sound, dead in a second. It would be a short one.”
Sarah Paulson, who has starred on all four seasons of the anthology show, had also given some thought to how she’d live out her nightmare onscreen. She envisioned a »
- Marianne Zumberge
Jack Wagner to Guest Star on ‘Ray Donovan’
9 hours ago
“Ray Donovan” is adding to its high-profile lineup for its third season. The Showtime drama, which is now in production, has cast soap actor Jack Wagner.
He’ll play Sandy Patrick, an obnoxious and self-important game show host, opposite Cheryl Ladd, who was previously announced as a hostess. Katie Holmes and Ian McShane have also signed on for major arcs this season.
Wagner also returns as a series regular for season two of Hallmark Channel’s “When Calls the Heart,” which will launch in May.
No air date has been announced yet for the third season of “Ray Donovan,” which stars Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight.
Wagner is repped by Aoa and Shelter Entertainment.
»
- Debra Birnbaum
Robert Durst Officially Charged with Murder of Susan Berman
9 hours ago
Los Angeles prosecutors have formally charged Robert Durst, subject of HBO’s documentary series “The Jinx,” with first-degree murder in the death of Susan Berman.
He was also rebooked under two other charges: convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a weapon with a controlled dangerous substance — a small amount of marijuana.
Durst is eligible for the death penalty.
Berman, a writer and longtime friend of the eccentric real estate scion, was found shot to death at her Benedict Canyon home in 2000. Authorities believe that Durst killed Berman shortly before New York officials could question her about the 1982 disappearance of his wife.
Durst, now 71, was arrested Sunday morning in a New Orleans hotel. He has agreed to extradition to California, according to his lawyer.
On HBO’s series finale of “The Jinx,” Durst was secretly recorded as saying he “killed them all.”
The Lapd’s Kirk Albanese »
- Seth Kelley
NBC Comedy ‘Undateable’ Sets Hourlong Live Episode for May 5
9 hours ago
NBC’s buddy comedy “Undateable” will air a live hourlong episode on May 5.
The multicamera bromance sitcom from Bill Lawrence and Adam Sztykiel returns for its second season on March 17. The plan for the live episode is to stage it twice for the East and West Coast airings at 9 p.m.
The Warner Bros. TV sitcom revolves around a pair of male roommates who live in Detroit and hang out in a bar with their misfit, romance-challenged friends. Chris D’Elia, Brent Morin, Ron Funches, Rick Glassman and David Fynn star.
NBC at present is in the hunt for a new generation of multicam comedies. “Undateable” bowed last spring and had enough traction with younger auds to earn a second-season renewal.
Lawrence, Sztykiel and Jeff Ingold of Lawrence’s Doozer Prods. banner are exec producers.
»
- Cynthia Littleton
Comedy Central to Cut Paul Walker Jokes From Justin Bieber Roast Broadcast
9 hours ago
Comedy Central will be removing several jokes made in reference to the death of Paul Walker at the Roast of Justin Bieber, a representative for the network has confirmed.
“Roasts often push the limits of good taste and we give the participants full reign to try things knowing we have the edit to shape the show,” said a Comedy Central rep in a statement. “Sometimes the line is discovered by crossing it. The Paul Walker references will not be in the telecast.”
During the taping on Saturday, there were plenty of controversial jokes — ranging in topics from Bill Cosby to Isis — but several mentioning Walker didn’t land, eliciting groans instead of laughs from the audience. Ludacris, one of Walker’s “Fast & Furious” co-stars, was one of the roasters. The rapper did not seem to appreciate the jokes, making a “cut” motion after one during the taping.
“‘Move bitch, get out of the way! »
- Alex Stedman
CW’s ‘Arrow’-‘Flash’ Spinoff Will Feature ‘Big’ DC Comics Villain ‘Who Hasn’t Been Used Yet’
10 hours ago
DC Comics’ Justice League may be a few years away from fruition on the bigscreen, but the comicbook publisher is steadily building a powerful roster of superhero shows on TV. The CW’s hit “Arrow” has already spawned an equally successful spinoff in “The Flash,” and now executive producers Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim are looking to further cement their empire with another super-powered offshoot, this time taking characters from “Arrow” and “The Flash” and combining them in an epic team-up series. The spinoff will be produced by the trio, along with Sarah Schechter.
Berlanti — who is also exec producing CBS’ “Supergirl” series with Kreisberg, Schechter and Ali Adler — told Variety that the new show is designed to be “most similar to our crossover episodes, where you feel that ‘event-iness,’ but all the time.”
“For us, first and foremost, with all of [our shows], it’s about ‘how is it its own thing? »
- Laura Prudom
Biz Heavyweights Talk Netanyahu Star Power, U.S.-Israeli Adaptations at Jerusalem TV Conference
11 hours ago
Jerusalem – The second and final day of Intv, Keshet Media Group’s annual confab on innovation in the television industry, kicked off on Monday with a nod to the looming Israeli elections — a conversation about whether real-world politics make for good scripted television.
HBO topper Richard Plepler, Wme’s Rick Rosen, bestselling author Ari Shavit and Arab-affairs journalist and television creator Avi Issacharoff sat down with Israeli journalist Ilana Dayan for the day’s first session, which Dayan opened by asking the men how they would write the smallscreen version of Benjamin Netanyahu’s unfolding political battle.
Israelis will go to the polls on Tuesday morning to cast their ballots in a hotly contested election contest which remained, on Monday evening, neck-to-neck between right-wing leader Netanyahu and the more left-leaning upstart Isaac Herzog.
“Would he make great TV? He is great TV,” Plepler said of Netanyahu. Rosen agreed, saying, “I »
- Debra Kamin
Ryan Seacrest Productions Launches First International Series With ‘Babushka’ (Exclusive)
13 hours ago
Tel Aviv – Ryan Seacrest Productions has linked up with leading Israeli distribution group Armoza Formats and France’s TF1 for the primetime gameshow “Babushka,” which will be launched at the MipTV market next month.
“Babushka” takes the concept of the classic Russian nesting doll and brings it to life in a high-stakes on-air challenge, with contestants having to choose which dolls will reveal up to $500,000 and which will send them packing from the stage.
An empty doll means the player loses all money accumulated up to that point, whereas the discovery of a smaller doll keeps them in the game and on the road to earning more cash.
“Babushka” marks Rsp’s first-ever international production. The concept, says Rsp prexy Eugene Young, is “the next generation of TV programming.”
“We’re looking forward to working with Armoza and TF1,” he added. “The combination of such an engaging and emotional game »
- Debra Kamin
Watch: ‘Community’ Season 6 First Look (Exclusive)
13 hours ago
The Greendale gang is finally back — and the community college is in as much trouble as ever.
In this exclusive sneak peek at the first episode of “Community,” which debuts March 17 on Yahoo, Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) welcomes the students back, including Joel McHale’s Jeff Winger, Gillian Jacobs’ Britta Perry, Abed Nadir’s Danny Pudi — and Alison Brie’s Annie Edison, who realizes with a panic that she’s forgotten to save the school from one last “critical emergency.”
Beware the rooftop Frisbees!
»
- Debra Birnbaum
Endemol Shine North America Reveals New Executive Structure; Ben Samek Named COO
15 hours ago
Endemol Shine North America, the result of a joint venture uniting Endemol, Shine and Core Media and now the largest independent production and distribution group in the world, has announced its new executive management structure.
Ben Samek, who had been COO for Endemol North America, has been named chief operating officer for Endemol Shine North America, reporting to both Charlie Corwin and Cris Abrego, the co-chairmen and co-CEOs of the company.
Eden Gaha, who was previously president of unscripted television of Endemol Shine, will hold the same title for the venture, reporting to Abrego and Corwin.
Corwin and Abrego’s teams oversee a diverse programming lineup including “Big Brother” (CBS), “MasterChef” and “MasterChef Junior” (Fox), “The Biggest Loser” (NBC), “Hell on Wheels” (AMC), “Kingdom” (DirecTV), “Wipeout” (ABC) and the nationally syndicated “Steve Harvey.”
Endemol Shine North America subsidiary production companies include Authentic Entertainment (“Knife Fight,” “Flipping Out”), Original Media (“Ink Master, »
- Debra Birnbaum
Disney Xd’s ‘Lab Rats’ Launches Season 4 With New Title & New Location
15 hours ago
Disney Xd’s “Lab Rats” kicks off its fourth season with a new title: “Lab Rats: Bionic Island.”
Season four of the series, which centers around a group of super-powered teens, also has a new location — a training facility on a remote island. The fresh setting brings higher stakes to the missions undertaken by Leo (Tyrel Jackson Williams), Chase (Billy Unger), Adam (Spencer Boldman) and Bree (Kelli Berglund).
“Lab Rats” creators and exec producers Chris Peterson and Bryan Moore (pictured with the cast) tell Variety that they implemented changes to keep things fresh for their audience.
“By giving our fourth season a new title and location, we can bring our core concept of bionic humans to a whole new world,” the EPs said. “Within that new world, our viewers will meet new characters and discover surprising elements that will affect the overall mythology of our series.”
Entering season four, »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
Betty White to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Daytime Emmys
15 hours ago
America’s geriatric sweetheart Betty White will be awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced Monday.
White has collected seven Emmy awards throughout her career, which has spanned more than seven decades. This special Emmy will round out her already-impressive haul of career achievement awards, which include a Career Achievement Award from the Television Critics Association, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jane Goodall Institute, a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award in Acting from the American Women in Radio and Television, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame.
“Betty White is an American institution,” said NATAS president Bob Mauro. “Betty’s career as a female pioneer has followed television from literally the beginning of the medium, winning her first Emmy Award in 1952, to the digital-streaming future, »
- Marianne Zumberge
Dan Castellaneta of ‘The Simpsons’ Remembers Sam Simon
15 hours ago
Sam Simon left a big impression on those he worked with during his long run as a comedy writer, director and producer.
The co-creator of “The Simpsons” also made sure that his legacy would endure well beyond the screen, thanks to his well-documented effort to give away most of his fortune after he was diagnosed with terminal colorectal cancer in 2012. Simon died March 8 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 59.
Dan Castellaneta, a stalwart of “The Simpsons” as the voice of Homer and many other characters, also worked with Simon on three other series: Fox’s “The Tracey Ullman Show” and “The George Carlin Show” and ABC’s “Sibs.” Here Castellaneta shares memories of the writer-producer he credits with changing the course of his career. — Cynthia Littleton<
“I first met Sam while we were doing “The Tracey Ullman Show.” My first memory of him from those days was that »
- Dan Castellaneta
Ratings: ABC’s ‘Once Upon a Time’ Down, Still Leads in Demos on Quiet Sunday
16 hours ago
ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” fell off some last night but remained the top young-adult draw for the broadcasters on a rare Sunday when none of their series could achieve as much as a 2 rating in the 18-49 demo. Viewing levels overall continue to dwindle during Daylight Saving Time, contributing to declines for Fox’s “Last Man on Earth” on ABC’s “Secrets and Lies” in their third weeks.
With warmer weather keeping Americans outside longer, Nielsen estimates that roughly 30.7% of adults 18-49 were watching television during the 8 o’clock hour last night — down 4% from last week (31.9%) and 14% lower than the final Sunday before the start of Dst (35.6% on March 1).
According to affiliate-based preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, ABC was the No. 1 broadcaster in 18-49 and its “Once Upon a Time” (1.8/6 in 18-49, 5.8 million viewers overall) was the top broadcast in both 18-49 and 25-54 (2.1 rating, tied with “60 Minutes »
- Rick Kissell
‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Alums Travis Wall, Twitch To Mentor in Season 12
17 hours ago
“So You Think You Can Dance” will be bringing two of its alumni on board when it returns this summer for season 12. Travis Wall and Stephen “Twitch” Boss will join the competition dance series as mentors to the top 20 finalists.
The two join new judges Paula Abdul and Jason Derulo, as well as returning judge Nigel Lythgoe and host Cat Deeley.
The series previously announced that in this year’s dance-off two teams will be created: stage dancers and street dancers.
Wall, who was the first runner up in “Sytycd’s” second season, will mentor stage dancers, trained in contemporary, ballet, jazz or tap styles, while Twitch will mentor street dancers, skilled in hip-hop, animation or breaking. Twitch was a competitor during the show’s fourth season.
Both dancers have returned to choreograph or guest judge on the series. Wall has gone on to choreograph for “Dancing With the Stars” and the 82nd Academy Awards, »
- Shelli Weinstein
Upfront 2015: Time May Be Running Out for Primetime TV
18 hours ago
Madison Avenue and the nation’s biggest media companies are about to go to war over something that may not exist in its current form just a year from now.
Advertisers tend to commit between $8 billion and $9 billion to broadcast primetime TV advertising, and another $9 billion to $10 billion every year as part of a grueling haggle known as the “upfront.” They try to lock up the best TV has to offer, which for decades has been commercial space attached to programs that run between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. That three-hour block, commonly known as primetime, has long been recognized as the best opportunity to reach the most viewers. Marketers may well submit themselves to the same process in 2015.
What happens next year, however, is anyone’s guess.
Senior executives at both TV networks and some of the industry’s biggest ad-buying firms see a time looming when primetime TV »
- Brian Steinberg
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