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‘Prison Break,’ ’24: Legacy,’ ‘Lethal Weapon’ and More Trailers From Fox’s 2016-17 Season
47 minutes ago
Fox has released the first trailers for the network’s 2016-17 lineup of shows, including revivals of “Prison Break” and “24,” adaptations of “Lethal Weapon” and “The Exorcist,” the latest musical drama from “Empire” creator Lee Daniels, and more.
Fall:
Based on the hit movie franchise of the same name, “Lethal Weapon” follows iconic cop duo Riggs and Murtaugh, as they work a crime-ridden beat in modern-day Los Angeles. From the moment the brash and impulsive Martin Riggs (Clayne Crawford, “Rectify”) meets prudent, by-the-book Roger Murtaugh (Emmy Award nominee Damon Wayans, Sr., “My Wife and Kids,” “In Living Color”), it seems as if this partnership is doomed. But after their first case together, both realize this arrangement might just work out after all – if Riggs doesn’t get them killed first.
Widely regarded as the greatest horror movie ever made, “The Exorcist” terrified audiences around the world. »
- Laura Prudom
Seth Rogen on ‘Preacher’: ‘It’s Funny, But It’s Also F—ed Up’
47 minutes ago
AMC’s newest comic book adaptation “Preacher,” developed by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and “Breaking Bad” co-producer and writer Sam Catlin, is taking a page from “The Walking Dead” and veering away from a faithful representation of Garth Ennis’ comic book.
“The comic creates a world where anything is possible and anything can happen. It’s very funny, but it’s also f—ed up,” said Rogen.
“Garth was a big advocate of taking a new path, to allow a new audience to discover the show and not strictly adhering to the comics,” added Rogen.
“We were proposing that we do a version extremely similar to the comics and he told us that was stupid,” added Goldberg.
“I think everyone was afraid to say it, and he was the first one to say, ‘You can just do this, you’re not going to get enough episodes. You have to change it, »
- Maria Cavassuto
10 Things We Learned From the NBCUniversal Upfront
2 hours ago
The unmistakable message from NBCUniversal’s first-ever omnibus upfront, encompassing all of its broadcast and cable networks: TV kicks digital’s butt when it comes to advertising effectiveness.
“I don’t care what those Silicon Valley guys say — there is no algorithm for heart-pumping, breath-holding premium content,” said NBCUniversal ad sales chief Linda Yaccarino. Her presentation on the stage of Radio City Music Hall included a bit in which Amazon’s voice-activated digital assistant device Alexa was propped up on a chair and delivered statistics to underscore the importance of TV over digital as as means for sponsor messages.
Over two hours, NBCU execs and talent presented a dizzying array of pitches for shows than ran the gamut of NBC’s new comedies and dramas to E’s latest variations on the Kardashian themes to Telemundo’s gritty crime dramas. The parade of clips blended shows and target audiences by »
- Cynthia Littleton
CBS Cancels ‘Rush Hour’ After One Season
3 hours ago
CBS has cancelled freshman drama “Rush Hour,” Variety has learned.
Based on the film franchise starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, “Rush Hour” starred Jon Foo as a by-the-book detective from Hong Kong and Justin Hires as a maverick Lapd detective who were forced to partner together. Despite the 1998 film and its two sequels grossing nearly $900 million in the U.S. and Canada, the TV adaptation failed to catch on with audiences after bowing at midseason in the Thursday timeslot previously occupied by another odd couple procedural, “Elementary.”
“Rush Hour” held fairly steady following its debut, but was low-rated out of the gate on Thursdays. The series has averaged a 1.1 rating in adults 18-49 and 5.6 million total viewers in Live+3 estimates from Nielsen. Seven episodes of the show have aired so far, and the series may finish airing its freshman run, but will not return for Season 2.
CBS has already »
- Laura Prudom
NBCU Plays Up Ad Strategy Rather Than Emphasizing Shows In Upfront Pitch
3 hours ago
NBCUniversal spent two hours Monday morning pitching Madison Avenue, rather than fans of “Mr. Robot” and dozens of other programs, during a subdued upfront presentation.
To be sure, the company unleashed celebrities, with Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Jennifer Lopez, Miley Cyrus, Kate McKinnon, Mariah Carey Arnold Schwarzenegger and Christian Slater among the luminaries taking to the stage to tout the benefits of advertising with the Comcast-owned media conglomerate. But the ad strategy took center stage this year, even though the company offered a sneak preview of the second season of “Robot,” the cult favorite from its USA cable network and a taste of “Krypton,” the Superman prequel ready for launch at Syfy.
But the stars and luminaries were there in service of ad strategy. NBCU presented programs that might attract fans of reality competition, action-based drama, comedy, sports and more. New dramas and comedies from the company’s flagship broadcast network, »
- Brian Steinberg
#Oitnb Season 4 Trailer Tops Facebook
4 hours ago
“Orange is the New Black” is heating up ahead of its season four release, and this week’s new trailer added new fuel to the fire.
The trailer, which has already racked up 2.7 million views on YouTube, excelled on Facebook, where it generated more than 1.2 million likes, shares and comments, alongside a whopping 28 million views, making it the most-reacted-to Facebook post across all of TV this week. Relative to previous releases, this week’s season four release on Facebook outpaced last year’s season 3 trailer, with 2 million more views and 28,000 more responses on Facebook.
Provided by ListenFirst Media, Dar – TV measures what entertainment content is resonating most across Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube and Wikipedia combined. For more on the methodology behind Dar – TV, scroll to the bottom of the article.
Digital Audience Ratings (Dar) – TV Broadcast Monday May 9, 2016 – Sunday May 15, 2016 Rank Last Week Program Rating(000) 1 1 The Voice 21,354 2 3 Empire 4,468 3 2 America »
- Jason Klein
Comcast Has No Plans to Launch Internet TV Outside Cable Footprint, CEO Brian Roberts Says
4 hours ago
Comcast currently doesn’t plan to follow its satellite-tv rivals — At&T’s DirecTV and Dish Network — into the business of selling broadband-delivered television packages across the U.S., chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said.
“The world always changes,” Roberts told reporters on the floor of the Intx trade show Monday in Boston. But for now, he said, Comcast does not have an over-the-top video service in the works that would be aimed at consumers outside regions where it offers cable TV today.
In the first quarter of 2016 Comcast had the best video-subscriber additions in nine years, Roberts noted. The No. 1 U.S. cable operator added 53,000 video customers in the period, to stand at 22.4 million as of the end of March. “Something is working,” he said. “I’m not sure you need to change it.”
Comcast’s decision for now to not cut the cord on video stands in contrast to Dish, »
- Todd Spangler
‘Odd Couple,’ ‘Code Black,’ ‘Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders’ & ‘Undercover Boss’ Renewed at CBS
4 hours ago
CBS has renewed four more shows for the 2016-2017 season: “The Odd Couple,” “Undercover Boss,” plus freshman dramas “Code Black” and “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.”
“Odd Couple” — a remake of the original series that stars Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon — has done decently in its second season following a nearly one-year break, but is fumbling away about half of its lead-in from “The Big Bang Theory” on Thursdays. Season to date, it’s averaging a 1.8 rating in adults 18-49 an 8.7 million viewers overall in Live+3 estimates from Nielsen.
With “Odd Couple” renewed, CBS is staging a bit of a “Friends” reunion on the network. Last week, Matt LeBlanc’s comedy “Man With A Plan” was greenlit for the 2016-2017 season. Though CBS’s schedule won’t be unveiled until next week during the net’s Upfront presentation in New York City, it seems like a prime programming — and marketing — opportunity »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
‘Mr. Robot’ Season 2 Trailer Promises ‘Control Is an Illusion’
5 hours ago
USA Network has released the first trailer for Season 2 of breakout hit “Mr. Robot,” along with first looks at the cabler’s upcoming drama series “Shooter” and “Falling Water.” The network unveiled the new promos during NBCUniversal’s Upfront presentation in New York on Monday.
“Mr. Robot” Season 2 will premiere Wednesday, July 13 at 10 p.m., and follows Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), a young cyber-security engineer who becomes involved in the underground hacker group “fsociety” after being recruited by their mysterious leader (Christian Slater). In the trailer, the world is still reeling from the group’s last hack — even President Obama is weighing in on fsociety — and Elliot is trying to account for the three days of missing time he experienced after that night.
The drama — which nabbed Golden Globes for Best Drama and Slater’s performance in its freshman season, as well as a Peabody Award — hails from writer and executive producer Sam Esmail, »
- Laura Prudom
Ratings: ABC’s ‘Once Upon a Time,’ ‘The Family’ and ‘Quantico’ Edge Up in Finales
6 hours ago
On a night that produced few fireworks across the board, ABC was the broadcast leader in young adults Sunday with finales of its drama series “Once Upon a Time,” “The Family” and “Quantico.”
According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, ABC was paced Sunday by the two-hour season finale of “Once Upon a Time” (1.2 rating/4 share in adults 18-49, 4.1 million viewers overall), which started at the earlier time of 7. It was down sharply from its year-ago closer from 8 to 10 p.m. (1.8 in 18-49, 5.5 million) but was up a tick week to week to match its best demo score (as well as its largest total-viewer count) in nine weeks.
The finales of “The Family” (0.8/3 in 18-49, 3.3 million viewers overall), which ABC opted not to renew for a second season, and “Quantico” (1.0/3 in 18-49, 3.7 million viewers overall) were also up a tenth week to week. “Quantico,” which will return to the Alphabet next season, »
- Rick Kissell
History Schedules ‘Six,’ El Chapo Documentary, Ozzy Osbourne Series for Summer
6 hours ago
History has unveiled its summer lineup, scheduling documentaries on El Chapo, Db Cooper and Alexander Hamilton, plus a new reality series starring Ozzy Osbourne and his son Jack. The cabler has also announced a premiere date for new scripted drama series “Six,” which will bow Monday, July 18 at 10 p.m.
“History’s robust summer slate helps build upon the network’s position as the leader in factual programming, by widening the net of history to include our recent past,” said Jana Bennett, President and General Manager of the network. “This lineup exemplifies the best of historical storytelling about centuries past as well as explosive events of the past few decades.”
As previously announced, History’s remake of miniseries “Roots” will kick off on Monday, May 30 at 9 p.m. On Monday, June 6 at 9 p.m., docu-drama “Barbarians Rising” tells the story of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire from »
- Laura Prudom
Seth Rogen on ‘Preacher’: TV Pace ‘Inspires Everyone to Bring a Different Level of Game’
8 hours ago
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg reaped praise on Saturday as they premiered AMC’s newest show, “Preacher,” at the Regal L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. The dark drama, based on the popular comic book of the same name, tells the story of a small town Texas preacher who becomes possessed by an unnatural spiritual force named Genesis.
Showrunner Sam Catlin noted the difficulties of bringing “Preacher” to television. Shot in New Mexico, he said that they tried diligently to not make the series feel like “a watered-down version” of the comics.
“There’s so much TV out there that’s groundbreaking, but I’ve never seen anything like this show before,” said Catlin. “It’s such a huge world; it feels like it’s made for cable television.”
Executive producers Rogen and Goldberg say that they have been passionate fans of the “Preacher” comic book for many years. »
- Diane Gordon
Toby Jones Cast As Villain in BBC’s ‘Sherlock’
8 hours ago
Toby Jones has been confirmed to star as a villain in the fourth series of BBC One’s “Sherlock.”
The Brit thesp will star alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in the second episode of the upcoming three-part series, which is produced by Hartswood Films.
Episode two will be directed by Nick Hurran, who directed series three “Sherlock” episode “His Last Vow,” which was also nominated for an Emmy.
“I’m excited and intrigued by the character I shall be playing in ‘Sherlock,’” said Jones in a statement.
Co-creator, writer and exec producer Stevan Moffat said: “Delighted to have Toby Jones on board, bringing to life one of Doyle’s finest villains.”
Co-creator, writer and exec producer Mark Gattis added: “We’re thrilled to welcome one of our finest actors to the ‘Sherlock’ family. I know Toby will embrace the part with true relish.”
Last month it was announced that »
- Diana Lodderhose
Smithsonian Channel Names PR Chief
8 hours ago
Joanna Brahim has joined Smithsonian Channel as VP of communications.
Brahim will oversee corporate communications, program publicity and other PR functions for the cabler that is a joint venture of Showtime and the Smithsonian Institution. She reports to Tom Hayden, president of Smithsonian Networks and Trisha Cardoso, exec VP of corporate communications for Showtime Networks.
Brahim signs on as Smithsonian is readying the launch of new streaming options and expanding its programming slate.
“Joanna’s creativity and wide-ranging experience in unscripted and news programming will serve us well as we embark on the next phase of our network’s expansion and branding efforts,” Hayden said.
Brahim comes to Smithsonian from TLC, where she was senior director of publicity. Before that she headed communications and community affairs for Wcbs-tv New York.
»
- Variety Staff
Christian Vesper Joins FremantleMedia Global Drama
8 hours ago
Sundance TV veteran Christian Vesper has joined FremantleMedia as executive vice president, creative director of global drama.
Vesper, who ankled Sundance TV in January after 14 years at the network, will report to FremantleMedia’s director of global drama Sarah Doole, while maintaining a base in both London and New York.
In the new role, he will work closely with FremantleMedia’s production companies as a development partner with a focus on bolstering the international scripted development slate. He will also cultivate his own projects within the company and will have the platform to connect leading international writers, producers, directors and actors with FremantleMedia’s production teams to develop scripted programming of the highest calibre.
“I’ve been a fan of Sarah Doole and the FremantleMedia team for quite some time,” said Vesper. “I’m impressed by what they’ve done in the drama space to date and can’t wait »
- Diana Lodderhose
Upfronts Diary Day 1: Seen and Heard During TV’s Biggest Week
9 hours ago
Variety‘s TV team brings you all the news and dish from TV’s biggest week of the year.
The 2016 Upfronts officially kicked off Sunday night with UTA’s annual party. Monday, NBC is the first of the major broadcasters to present to ad buyers, and for the first time, all of NBC’s cable networks, plus Telemundo, will be consolidated together for a jam-packed morning at Radio City Music Hall. Fox is up in the afternoon at the Beacon Theater, followed by the network’s annual mega-party at Wollman Rink in Central Park, which this year, is held at the same time as Telemundo’s private Jennifer Lopez concert. Also that night, CAA and Wme will both hold cocktail parties.
Stay in-the-know with our daily Upfronts Diary, and keep refreshing the page for new updates throughout the day and night.
UTA Party, Tao Downtown, Sunday night
Larry Wilmore was »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
Adult Swim Hires Cat Detective To Sniff Out Ad Dollars
9 hours ago
Time Warner’s newest pet does a lot more than cough up hairballs.
When “Cat Dick Mysteries”debuts on the company’s Adult Swim cable outlet this evening during the last hour before midnight, it will feature a grizzled feline detective and his canine assistant, both of whom help spread the word for a sponsor. You won t find the new series on any TV schedule. And yet, the program will appear every evening this week – during commercial breaks on Adult Swim broadcasts of “Family Guy.”
Each 60-second episode of “Cat Dick Mysteries” shows the potentially flea-bitten duo, Cat Dick and Lucky Dog, trying to find out why a web mogul’s digital influencers are all dying. By the end of the week – spoiler alert! – they will discover the culprit to be second-hand smoke. And they will help promote the goals of Truth, the non-profit organization devoted to ending teenage use of tobacco products. »
- Brian Steinberg
BBC Set to Launch Netflix and Amazon Rival Subscription Service
10 hours ago
Brit pubcaster BBC has been given the green light to launch a new paid-for subscription service to rival Netflix and Amazon, according to a report from The Daily Telegraph.
The project, which is understood to have the working title Britflix, could see the Beeb potentially partner with rival ITV and “a number of production companies” to launch the service, including NBC Universal, which owns programs such as “Downton Abbey.” The project is believed to still be in the early stages of development.
The long-awaited White Paper on the future of the BBC was unveiled on May 12 and in it, the corporation was called to develop “some form of additional subscription service,” paving the way for the corporation to provide a mixed-model of licence fee funding. Under the new charter renewal, which unspools in 2017, culture secretary John Whittingdale said that the BBC would for the first time be able to charge »
- Diana Lodderhose
Viceland Hires Series of Execs To Bolster Emea Expansion
11 hours ago
Vice Media has announced a series of executive hires to its lifestyle and entertainment television network Viceland, bolstering its creative and production capabilities ahead of the channel’s U.K. launch in September.
Debi Roach has joined the company as vice president of TV production Emea, Cam Levin as vice president of brand Emea and Dan Louw has been appointed as vice president of development U.K.
Roach boasts a career that spans 20 years, overseeing a raft of multi-award winning productions for leading terrestrial and digital broadcasters across entertainment, scripted comedy and factual entertainment, with credits including U.K. laffers “Peep Show” and “Fresh Meat” in addition to magician Derren Brown’s series and specials. In the newly-created role, Roach will be responsible for overseeing all production output for the channel across the region, including a slate of brand new Vice produced U.K. programming.
Award-winning creative director Cam Levin »
- Diana Lodderhose
ITV Studios Global Ent. Buys Minority Stake in Route 24
12 hours ago
ITV Studios Global Entertainment has acquired a minority stake in fledgling TV drama shingle Route 24.
The newly-established outfit was founded by indie film producer Marc Samuelson and co-directors Robert Cheek and Josie Law. Writer and producer Matt Delray will also work with the team as a consultant development producer.
Route 24 will focus on high-end drama with Itvs Ge exclusively distributing all of its content. The shingle currently has several series in development with broadcasters and has rights to a number of projects with the John Wyndham Estate, providing access to the celebrated author’s IP.
Samuelson has had a career in film production for more than 20 years with credits including Oscar-nominated “Tom & Viv” and “Chico & Rita” as well as Stephen Fry and Jude Law starrer “Wilde” and U.K. clicks “Stormbreaker” and “TT3D: Closer to the Edge.” He also exec produced BBC series “The Shadow Line.”
“Marc has an exciting »
- Diana Lodderhose
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