14 articles
J.K. Rowling, BBC’s ‘Cormoran Strike’ Series Casts Lead Tom Burke (Exclusive)
4 hours ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
British actor Tom Burke has been cast to star in the “Cormoran Strike” crime-drama TV series for the BBC, based on novels written by Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
The series, set to air on flagship channel BBC One, consists of three-parter “The Cuckoo’s Calling,” two-parter “The Silkworm” and two-parter “Career of Evil.” Each episode will last an hour. They will be produced as three separate event dramas and are set to begin shooting this fall in London. Rowling’s company Brontë Film & TV is producing.
Burke, who most recently starred in BBC’s epic “War & Peace” as Fedor Dolokhov and in “The Musketeers” as Athos, will play Cormoran Strike, a war veteran-turned-private detective operating out of a tiny office in Central London. Though he’s wounded both physically and psychologically, Strike’s insight and background as a military police detective prove crucial in solving three complex cases that have confounded »
- Leo Barraclough
USA's 'Queen of the South' Renewed for Second Season — With New Showrunner
7 hours ago | The Hollywood Reporter | See recent The Hollywood Reporter news »
USA Network is keeping its Queen around for another season, but with a new ruler. The NBCUniversal-owned cable network has renewed drama Queen of the South for a second season and replaced its showrunner, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Based on best-seller La Reina del Sur, the Alice Braga starrer will be back for a second season and see Natalie Chaidez (Syfy's Hunters, 12 Monkeys) take over showrunning duties for Scott Rosenbaum (Gang Related). { "nid": 919769, "type": "list_index", "title": "Summer TV's Winners and Losers: 'Match Game' and 'Stranger Things' vs. 'UnREAL' and 'BrainDead'", "path": "http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/summer-tvs-
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- Lesley Goldberg
One Direction Alum Zayn Malik & Dick Wolf To Produce Boy Band Drama For NBC
7 hours ago | Deadline TV | See recent Deadline TV news »
This is an eye-catching team-up — teen heartthrob Zayn Malik, former member of the hugely popular boy band One Direction, has partnered with venerable TV producer Dick Wolf for Boys, a drama series that has been set up at NBC. It hails from Universal TV, studio-based Wolf Entertainment as well as Len Blavatnik's Unigram and First Access Entertainment. Written by Sherri Cooper Landsman and Jennifer Levin, Boys does mirror some of Malik’s real-life experiences. It follows… »
Melissa McCarthy Developing Comedy Series at Fox
8 hours ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
Melissa McCarthy is expanding her work as a TV producer.
The box office star is developing a family comedy with Fox, Variety has learned. She is attached as an executive producer, along with her husband and producing partner, Ben Falcone. Scribes Jim Cashman and Mitch Silpa are co-executive producers.
The untitled half-hour, single-cam comedy follows an unconventional family that is formed when a successful type-a man and his estranged sister, plus her two children, find themselves not only back in each other’s lives but also living under one roof.
Warner Bros. is the studio behind the series that is currently in development, having nabbed a script deal.
The project marks the first to be created by Cashman and Silpa. Both are actors and writers who have ties to McCarthy, having appeared in smaller roles in her films including “The Boss,” “Bridesmaids,” “Spy” and “The Heat.” Cashman is an alum of “Saturday Night Live” and Silpa has »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
Leslie H. Martinson, Prolific TV and ‘Batman’ Movie Director, Dies at 101
11 hours ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
Leslie H. Martinson, the prolific television director who is best known for helming the 1966 film “Batman: The Movie” has died. He was 101.
His family confirmed the death in a posting that said he died at home on Saturday, Sept. 3 of natural causes.
A native of Boston, Martinson started his career working for the Boston Evening Transcript before he started working as a script clerk at MGM in 1936.
Over the course of his long career, Martinson picked up over 100 directing credits, mostly for TV shows in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. He is responsible for episodes of “Maverick,” “The Brady Bunch,” “CHiPs,” “Diff’rent Strokes,” and many others.
While Martinson only directed two episodes of the wildly popular 1966 “Batman” TV show, (“The Penguin Goes Straight” and “Not Yet, He Ain’t”) he was asked to direct the movie that same year. He would also helm episodes of other superhero shows “The Green Hornet” and “Wonder Woman.”
Martinson »
- Seth Kelley
Narcos Renewed for Seasons 3 and 4
13 hours ago | TVLine.com | See recent TVLine.com news »
Just days after its sophomore run started streaming, Netflix’s Narcos in one fell swoop has been renewed for Seasons 3 and 4.
José Padilha and Eric Newman will continue to serve as executive producers of the series, which will debut Season 3 sometime in 2017, Netflix announced.
Narcos chronicles the real-life stories of the drug kingpins of the late 1980s and the corroborative efforts of law enforcement to meet them head on in brutal, bloody conflict. »
Australian Classic ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ to Be Remade as TV Series
15 hours ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
Classic Australian period drama film “Picnic at Hanging Rock” is to be remade as a six-part TV miniseries.
The show is being produced by Fremantle Australia with pay-tv group Foxtel the commissioning broadcaster. Federal film and TV support body Screen Australia has also committed to part-finance the production.
Directed by Peter Weir, and featuring a young Jacki Weaver, the film told the story of the mysterious disappearances of three schoolgirls and their governess on Valentine’s Day 1900 and the far-reaching aftermath.
“The 1975 film which was pivotal in establishing the modern Australian film industry. This series, based on the classic novel, will take viewers on a new and in depth journey into this incredibly iconic Australian story,” said Foxtel head of drama, Penny Win.
The show’s executive producers are FremantleMedia Australia’s Jo Porter and Anthony Ellis and Foxtel’s Win. The producer is Antonia Barnard and writers are Beatrix Christian and Alice Addison. FremantleMedia »
- Patrick Frater
Rob Lowe's Comedy Central Roast: 16 Darkest Digs (Mostly at Ann Coulter)
23 hours ago | TVLine.com | See recent TVLine.com news »
Rob Lowe may have been the intended target of the latest Comedy Central roast, but as always, no participant left Monday’s ceremony unscathed — least of all Ann Coulter, who was there for some reason.
PhotosDifficult People‘s TV-iest Takedowns: Scandal, Gaga, Fallon and More
Saturday Night Live‘s Pete Davidson took the first swing, or rather the first three swings, at the conservative pundit: “Ann Coulter, if you’re here, who’s scaring the crows away from our crops? … Ann describes herself as a polemicist, but most people call her a c–t. … Last year, we had Martha Stewart, »
Fox Says It Reaches Settlement With Gretchen Carlson
13 hours ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson has reached a détente of sorts with the network’s parent over charges she was sexually harassed by Roger Ailes, the cable-news network’s former leader and guiding light.
The media conglomerate, controlled by the Murdoch family, said it had reached a settlement with Carlson, who anchored such programs as “Fox & Friends” and “The Real Story” during her time at the outlet. A report in Vanity Fair suggested the amount could total as much as $20 million, and a person familiar with the matter said the report was accurate. A spokesman for Carlson’s attorneys, declined to comment.
More to come….
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- Brian Steinberg
Rizzoli & Isles Boss on Series Finale's 'Laughter and Tears' Mission, Cut Scenes, Meaning of Final Paris Twist
5 September 2016 6:59 PM, PDT | TVLine.com | See recent TVLine.com news »
TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles — as in Jane and Maura, played by Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander — closed their final case together on Monday, before leaving the Boston Pd behind to embark on new, separate adventures.
RelatedRizzoli & Isles Sasha Alexander Hails ‘Beautiful’ Series Finale
As the detective and M.E. went about divining who was behind the internal decapitation of an abusive husband, Kent surreptitiously recorded goodbyes from Korsak, Angela and Frankie (whose accidentally spilled the beans about his and Nina’s engagement when the camera was running). At episode’s end, the montage — Jane’s own farewell message included — was »
"Major Crimes" Creator Details "Incredibly Difficult" Decision to Kill Off Longtime Character in Harrowing Shootout
5 September 2016 8:01 PM, PDT | TVLine.com | See recent TVLine.com news »
The following contains major spoilers from this Monday’s "Major Crimes."
Though jailed and in standing trial police custody, serial-killing white supremacist Dwight Darnell killed again this week on TNT’s "Major Crimes," shocking the courtroom by using the gun that had been admitted, packaged and seemingly disabled as evidence to brutally assault chief witness Dr. Joe Bowman and then pump bullets into a bevy of others in and around the gallery — until Raydor gunned down Darnell, who later died from his injuries.
Among those fatally slain by the shooter was Assistant Chief of Special Operations Russell Taylor, played by Robert Gossett since the very first episode of "Major Crimes" predecessor, "The Closer."
The series’ creator, James Duff, shared with TVLine how the tragic turn came about, revisited his “difficult” conversation with Gossett and more.
Tvline | Across 200 episodes of The Closer followed by Major Crimes, where do you rank that harrowing cold open?
I rank it fairly high. The first acts of both these last two episodes, 9 and 10, rank very, very high in the scheme of things. But it’s also because of the changing way in which television delivers. We are more serialized now than we have ever been, and the collective power of the first act of our show depends on the two episodes that preceded it. That never would have been the case on The Closer, and it would not have been the case during the first two years of "Major Crimes," when our serialization was limited to the development of character. So in a technical way, we were allowed a lot more depth in our storytelling field.
Tvline | Was there any back and forth with the network regarding the actual gunplay and the brutality of the shootings.
Not a word. There was absolutely no brake put on us by the network at any time, over any moment of the show. They were 100% behind us in telling this story. Also, we’re in the 10 o’clock hour now, which demands a shift in thinking about what adult storytelling looks like and feels like, and the way law enforcement is besieged right now sort of calls for this kind of episode, this sort of “shaking up” of the tree. A lot of things went into this cold opening.
Tvline | I’ve been saying to you off and on over the years that at some point, a long running character who works in this world should probably die. How difficult was it to actually put that to paper, with Taylor?
It was incredibly difficult, for several reasons. One, I’ve worked with Robert for 12 years and I love him. He is a spectacular human being with great talent and great good will towards all of the people he works with. Gina Rivera [who played Daniels on "The Closer]," she wanted to be on a show where she wasn’t part of an ensemble, so I wrote her out but I didn’t kill her; I just transferred her to Criminal Intelligence. And Kyra [Sedgwick] left ["The Closer"], and Corey [Reynolds] left, and J.K. [Simmons] left, and there was no violence associated with those departures. But it’s become unrealistic to portray law enforcement as living in an office environment where very seldom are they in danger. They are more in danger now than they have been in quite some time. I felt like that was part of the reason why we did it, though not the only part.
The other thing that was staring at me in the face was that we really couldn’t do “balance” as our theme this season without also explaining the balance of power, and I needed to remove the central authority figure in order to make that work, because the next eight episodes are going to be about filling that office. At the time I was designing this run, I didn’t know that we were going to get the other eight [episodes], so I thought I was starting the end of the original 13 episodes’ story, and these three were meant to stand alone.
Tvline | How did the conversation with Robert Gossett go?
That was a difficult conversation, but not as hard as you might think. Robert has been playing this part for 12 years. Robert is also quite an accomplished stage actor, and someone who was chafing a bit, saying, “Gosh, this part is getting smaller. I don’t have as much to do as I used to” — and I couldn’t disagree with him. He had suggested a couple of times that it felt like it might be that his story had played out, and I couldn’t disagree with him on that either.
So, it’s hard only because we’re all family here, and letting go of a family member, even under the best of circumstances, is hard to do. Though we just had a big party and Robert was there, so he is still part of our family. But it’s always a difficult conversation to have when you’re killing off a character; I don’t know how they manage it on The Walking Dead! I would be a nervous wreck. But I needed it for storytelling purposes; it wasn’t just, “Oh, let’s kill off a character,” or that the show was too expensive. It was all about dramatizing this theme as thoroughly as we could and stay relevant in a world where police officers are at more risk than ever, and also looking at racism in all of its different variants. We looked at racism last year in our five-parter, and I see no reason to let go of it. It’s a big issue.
Tvline | As far as “shaking things up,” are we to assume that Fritz will hold Taylor’s job temporarily? Will there be a decision Sharon eventually needs to make?
Sharon is going to be in the race for Assistant Chief [of Special Operations], and she will be in that race with Camryn Manheim (see related news story) and an as-of-yet unannounced third actor. And that will be the thrust of the back eight [episodes], which is: “Who will get that job?” — and the changes that come with it. »
Michael Strahan Debuts Full Time on ABC’s Revamped ‘Good Morning America’
15 hours ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
The co-anchors of ABC’s “Good Morning America” had a lot of news to deliver to the show’s early-rising viewers. There were interviews with both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to present and something gossipy to relate about musician Chris Brown. But there were also some headlines about the show itself.
When ABC launched its decades-old morning-show franchise Tuesday, it did so with popular host Michael Strahan alongside Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos – the first tangible on-screen sign of how the program is shifting as it grapples with ratings declines that have threatened its status as the nation’s most-watched morning-news program. Strahan, who previously held sway with co-host Kelly Ripa on ABC’s syndicated “Live!” program and who continues to work for Fox Sports as a football commentator, even got to take part in the voice-overs that start the show, although he was relegated to talking about a sports story, not »
- Brian Steinberg
Mistresses Season 4 Finale Recap: No Beddings and a Funeral
18 minutes ago | TVLine.com | See recent TVLine.com news »
Like a mid-’80s Sade jam, Mistresses has reliably given us the “sweetest taboo” for four straight* consecutive seasons. (*Come now, let’s not use adjectives that suggest raging heterosexuality, given Joss’ sexy, sapphic affair with Japanese bondage-rope afficionado Alex, or that time Karen and Vivian smoked a doobie and binge-watched Extreme Makeover: Sexual Orientation Edition, mmmkay?)
RelatedMistresses Recap (Season 4, Episode 12): A Trip Before Dying?
Still, despite a brief Clorox Bleachable Moment (Tm) between Kate and a guy she doesn’t realize is her nephew, Mistresses‘ Season 4 finale seems more interested in adorable babies, tear-jerking goodbyes and »
Queen Sugar Series Premiere: Are You Sweet on Own's New Family Drama?
18 minutes ago | TVLine.com | See recent TVLine.com news »
Few things bring a fractured family together like a crisis — and Queen Sugar‘s got ’em in spades.
RelatedToo Close to Home: Is Tyler Perry’s TLC Drama Crazy Enough to Work?
Tuesday’s series premiere, written and directed by executive producer Ava DuVernay, introduced viewers to the Bordelon family, whose eclectic members include Hollywood-based sports manager Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner), journalist/activist Nova (Rutina Wesley) and single father Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe), who can’t seem to escape his past as a convict — or give up the destructive behavior that landed him behind bars in the first place. »
ABC Picks Up Fourth Season of ‘Bachelor in Paradise’
58 minutes ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
ABC has renewed “Bachelor in Paradise” for a fourth season.
The network announced the renewal Monday night during an episode of the series’ after-show, “Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise.”
A spinoff of “The Bachelor” franchise, “Bachelor in Paradise” features alumni of both “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” living in a secluded tropical house together in Mexico.
Currently in the midst of its third season, “Bachelor in Paradise” is having its most-watched season yet. Airing two nights per week on both Monday and Tuesday nights, “Paradise” has grown 9% year-to-year from 5.7 million viewers to 6.2 million viewers. This year, the show has ranked as Monday night’s top series in adults 18-34, and the top show on both Monday and Tuesday nights among women 18-34.
Hosted by Chris Harrison, Next Entertainment produces “Bachelor in Paradise” in association with Warner Horizon Television. Exec producers are “Bachelor” creator Mike Fleiss, Martin Hilton, Nicole Woods and Elan Gale.
This »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
‘Bachelor In Paradise’ Picked Up For Fourth Season On ABC
1 hour ago | Deadline TV | See recent Deadline TV news »
ABC has handed a fourth-season renewal to Bachelor in Paradise, the summer reality series featuring alumni from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. The news was announced tonight during the network’s Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise. Over the course of six weeks, Bachelor in Paradise features twists, surprises, unexpected guests and some of the most unlikely relationships in Bachelor franchise history, says the network. “There's no telling who will find love this… »
Grey's Anatomy Trailer: First Season 13 Footage Hints at Murder Rap for Alex
1 hour ago | TVLine.com | See recent TVLine.com news »
How do you get away with murder on Grey’s Anatomy? You beg your Bff to keep her trap shut.
ABC has dropped the first footage from the medical soap’s Season 13 premiere (Sept. 22, 8/7c), and it reveals that pummeling Andrew took at the hands of Alex not only landed him in the hospital but left him fighting for his life.
RelatedGrey’s Anatomy: Jessica Capshaw Sitting Out First Two Episodes
Cut to Alex waiting in the wings nursing bloody knuckles while Meredith drops truth bombs like, “You think nobody’s going to realize this is you?” and “You could go to jail! »
‘Superior Donuts’: Katey Sagal Joins New Pilot For CBS Comedy
2 hours ago | Deadline TV | See recent Deadline TV news »
Katey Sagal has been cast opposite Jermaine Fowler and Judd Hirsch in CBS' multi-camera comedy pilot Superior Donuts. After the upfronts, CBS ordered a new pilot for the project for midseason consideration, recasting several parts. While the role that Sagal will play is regular, she was cast as a guest star as she is in second position to another CBS comedy pilot, the single-camera Furst Born. That project, from ABC Studios and CBS TV Studios, extended the cast options in… »
Bachelor in Paradise Season Finale: Which Couples Got Engaged?
2 hours ago | TVLine.com | See recent TVLine.com news »
Following Tuesday’s hella emotional Bachelor in Paradise season finale, you can officially add six more names to the list of history’s greatest lovers. (Just squeeze ’em in between “Romeo and Juliet” and “Kermit and Miss Piggy.”)
RelatedThe Bachelor: Nick Viall, Two-Time Runner-Up, Is Your Season 21 Suitor
For the first time in the ABC series’ history — and we’re three whole seasons deep now, mind you — multiple women left paradise sporting sparkly Neil Lane engagement rings.
‘Happily Evan After’ | Let’s start with Evan, an actual erectile dysfunction specialist, who “never thought” he’d find himself engaged again. »
‘Life in Pieces’ Casts Boxer Victor Ortiz & Model Jasmine Tookes in Guest Roles
2 hours ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
“Life in Pieces” has cast two new guest stars for the upcoming second season. Variety has learned exclusively that world boxing champion Victor Ortiz and model Jasmine Tooks will appear in the same episode of the CBS comedy.
Ortiz will play Troy, the boxing trainer to John (James Brolin), who ultimately ends up training 14-year-old Samantha (Holly Barrett) instead due to her natural skills as a boxer. Tookes, a Victoria’s Secret Angel, will play herself in the episode. In her role, she boxes at the same gym as John and Samantha and is very impressed by both of their skills.
The duo joins previously announced “Life in Pieces” guest stars, Megan Mullally and Nick Offereman.
Ortiz and Tookes will both film their scenes tomorrow. Their joint episode does not have an air date yet, but Season 2 of “Life in Pieces” premieres Thursday, Oct. 27 at 9:30 p.m.
The guest gig adds to Ortiz’s growing resume »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
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