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Cartoon Network Renews ‘Mighty Magiswords’ for Season 2
28 minutes ago
Cartoon Network has renewed animated series “Mighty Magiswords” for a second season.
“Mighty Magiswords” tells the story of Prohyas and Vambre, brother-sister warriors for hire who rely on their collection of enchanted swords — cheeseburger sword, dolphin sword and mummy sword among them — to complete tasks during their comic adventures.
The series is produced by Cartoon Network Studios and created by Kyle A. Carrozza (“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water”). In season two, Prohyas and Vambre are set to embark on epic adventures and even more hilarious quests in pursuit of the latest and greatest Magiswords to add to their coveted collections.
Originally developed as a series of interactive short videos on the Cartoon Network Anything app, “Mighty Magiswords” was the first project to be developed as a digital-first property by Cartoon Network, then migrate to the company’s linear cable channel.
Cartoon Network also announced Thursday that it will launch a new “Mighty Magiswords” game, “Surely »
- Daniel Holloway
‘Channel Zero’ Gets Two-Season Pickup at Syfy, Showrunner Gets Overall Deal at Ucp
1 hour ago
Syfy has ordered up two more helpings of creepypasta, Variety has learned. Horror anthology “Channel Zero” will be making third and fourth installments for the NBCU net.
“Channel Zero” brings to the TV screen the online world of creepypasta — user-generated horror stories that can sometimes take on a real life of their own, as was the case with the “Slenderman” collection of stories and memes that inspired two tweens to stab their friend.
The first season of “Channel Zero,” “Candle Cove,” centered on Kris Straub’s story of one man’s obsessive recollection of a mysterious children’s television program from the 1980s. “No-End House,” the second six-hour installment, is set to premiere on Syfy in October 2017. It follows Brian Russell’s story of Margot (Amy Forsyth, “The Path”), a young woman who, along with her friends, visits the No-End House — a bizarre house of horrors consisting of a series of increasingly disturbing rooms.
“We »
- Oriana Schwindt
CBS Orders Crime Drama Pilot ‘Wisdom of the Crowd’
1 hour ago
CBS has given a pilot order to “Wisdom of the Crowd,” a drama from writer and executive producer Ted Humphrey.
Based on the Israeli television series of the same name, “Wisdom of the Crowd” is described as telling the story of a tech innovator who, inspired by the notion that a million minds are better than one, creates a cutting edge crowdsourcing hub to solve his own daughter’s murder, as well as revolutionizing crime solving in San Francisco.
Humphrey is a veteran of CBS drama “The Good Wife” whose other television credits include “The Unit,” “Shark,” “The Nine,” and “Dr. Vegas.”
Also serving as executive producers are Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan of Keshet Media Group, Dror Mishani, and Shira Hadad.
CBS Television Studios is producing in association with Universal Television.
»
- Daniel Holloway
Television Takes on New Meaning in Trump’s America (Column)
2 hours ago
In the third episode of “The Young Pope,” the insinuations of the first two episodes become uncomfortable reality: The newly anointed Pius Xii (Jude Law) is an unstable egomaniac. Lenny — the pope’s name, before he ascended to “His Holiness” — spends the opening two episodes obsessing over his first homily to the public, in a push-and-pull with Vatican leadership and the protocols of the divine office. When he does finally deliver his speech, at the end of the second hour, it so provocatively breaks with tradition that it is deeply destabilizing, for both the public and the Vatican’s status quo.
Lenny revels in it. “I’ve always been uncomfortable with wisdom,” he tells a confidant, basking in the triumph of his upset — both in unruffling the world with his speech, and in beating the odds of the papal conclave to become the next pope. “I don’t care about loving my neighbor as myself. I »
- Sonia Saraiya
Survivors Face New Obstacles in ‘The Walking Dead’ Mid-season Premiere (Video)
2 hours ago
“The Walking Dead” left viewers with a smidgen of hope when it signed off for its traditional mid-season hiatus in December: Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) had decided it was time for Alexandria to throw off the yoke of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his Saviors once and for all. When we rejoin our intrepid newly minted rebels in the mid-season premiere on Sunday, Feb. 12, they’re confronted by obstacles both mental (convincing other communities to join their cause) and physical. AMC has provided us with an example of just such a physical barrier in the clip from the Season 7B premiere:
The gang must plow their way through a mess of cars blocking the highway and move the cars back to avoid letting the Saviors know they were there… And that’s not even half the trouble. Turns out Negan has rigged the road with a tripwire festooned with a large amount of dynamite.
The »
- Oriana Schwindt
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Justin Chambers on Karev’s Fate: ‘He Just Never Seems to Catch a Break’
2 hours ago
Last week’s “Grey’s Anatomy” revealed the fate of Alex Karev (Justin Chambers).
After numerous episodes this season dealt with the aftermath of Karev beating up DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti), Alex had decided to accept a plea deal, which would put him behind bars. However, he had gone missing and no one knew what he was up to — until last week when suddenly, he surprised Meredith at home.
The episode last week cut with Karev’s surprise return home, begging the question, how did he get out of jail time? Tonight’s ep will reveal all of those details. But first, Variety chatted with Chambers about what to expect now that Alex is back.
“I think having everything taken from him — I think he learned a lot there, but I think he appreciates being in peace and he’s very good at what he does and he thrives there,” Chambers explains of how the experience will change »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
HBO Developing Comedy From ‘Bob’s Burgers’ Actors, Amy Poehler
2 hours ago
HBO has pacted with Amy Poehler’s Paper Kite production banner to develop a comedy project to star “Bob’s Burgers” actor John Roberts.
The project marks the first collaboration for Poehler’s Universal TV-based shingle with HBO. “Edison” revolves around a 40-year-old real estate broker who dreams of living in New York but is stuck in his hometown of Edison, N.J.
Roberts is writing the script with fellow “Bob’s Burgers” voice actor H. Jon Benjamin. Roberts, Benjamin, Poehler, and her partner in Paper Kite, Brooke Posch, will exec produce with 3 Arts’ Dave Becky.
Paper Kite just nabbed a pilot order for an ABC comedy, “Household Name,” to star Carol Burnett. It’s also the production banner behind Comedy Central’s “Broad City” and Hulu’s “Difficult People.”
(Pictured: Amy Poehler, John Roberts)
»
- Cynthia Littleton
Anthony Anderson Revels in Image Awards Hosting Gig
2 hours ago
Anthony Anderson can’t get enough of the NAACP or its Image Awards.
The “Black-ish” star, who competed in the organization’s Act-so event as a kid growing up in Los Angeles, is hosting the NAACP Image Awards for the fourth consecutive year on Feb. 11, and hopes to do so again for at least two more years.
“I want to take it to their 50th anniversary in two years and really do it big. It means a lot,” he says of hosting, “especially being a product of the NAACP youth movement and a product of their Act-so competition.
“I did that representing Compton and Beverly Hills, and won the national competition when I was 17. So to have it come full circle now and host something that I grew up watching, and always wanted to be a part of, is just a beautiful thing.”
Besides playing Dre on “Black-ish,” Anderson serves as executive producer on the ABC hit »
- Mannie Holmes
NBC in Talks to Revive ‘American Idol’ (Exclusive)
2 hours ago
NBC is in talks with Fremantle Media to resurrect “American Idol,” Variety has learned.
According to sources with knowledge of the discussions, NBC has been pitched a revival of the long-running singing competition by producer Fremantle and is now mulling options for how to integrate the show into its programming slate. One possibility being considered: cutting NBC’s existing singing competition “The Voice” from two cycles a year to one.
Fremantle has been shopping an “Idol” revival in recent weeks, with NBC emerging as the leading candidate to become the new home of the long-running singing-competition series. Sources emphasize that talks are ongoing, and no deal is yet in place.
Representatives for NBC and Fremantle declined to comment.
“American Idol” ran on Fox for 15 seasons beginning in 2002. For eight consecutive seasons, beginning in 2003-04, it was the highest-rated show on television. At its peak in 2006, “American Idol” averaged a 12.4 rating among in the 18-49 demographic and 36.4 million »
- Daniel Holloway
TV Ratings: ‘Law & Order: Svu’ Up in 400th Episode, ‘Arrow’ Steady
3 hours ago
The 400th episode of “Law & Order: Svu” had a decent draw Wednesday night for NBC. The milestone pulled in a 1.6 rating in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and an average audience of 6.84 million viewers, up from previous weeks. Leading into “Svu,” “Blindspot” notched a 0.9 in the demo and 4.6 million viewers. “Chicago P.D.” drew a 1.3 in the demo and 6.29 million viewers.
ABC was the night’s winner in the demo, though, thanks to its solidly performing comedies. “The Goldbergs” kicked off the night with a 1.7 in the demo and 6.11 million viewers. “Speechless” drew a 1.6 and 5.45 million. “Modern Family” brought in a 2.2 and 7.24 million viewers. “Black-ish” brought in a 1.6 and 5.39 million. “Match Game” came in with a 1.0 and 3.57 million viewers.
Fox’s “Lethal Weapon” and “Star” both matched in the demo with a 1.3 rating, though “Lethal Weapon” proved the bigger total viewer draw with 6.24 million to its lead-out’s 4.21 million.
CBS’ “Hunted” drew a 1.2 in the demo and 5.34 million viewers »
- Oriana Schwindt
John Larroquette of TNT’s ‘The Librarians’ Didn’t Start Out as an Actor
3 hours ago
Actor John Larroquette didn’t start out in the acting business . In fact, he was a DJ in New Orleans in the 1960s, then worked at a San Diego record label, and it was there that acting drew his passion. He moved to Los Angeles in 1974 and has been steadily employed by the theater, TV, and films ever since. He’s won Emmys, and a Tony for “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” Larroquette can be seen in TNT’s action adventure series “The Librarians.” But in 1974, Larroquette had just arrived in L.A., didn’t have an agent, but landed a role in “The Crucible” at the Odyssey Theater, which launched his own Hollywood odyssey.
What was it like in L.A. in 1974 for an aspiring actor?
There was a casting of “The Crucible” at a theater at Santa Monica and Bundy. Late summer in ’74. It was an open audition and I had just »
- Carole Horst
Michael C. Hall to Play JFK in Season 2 of Netflix’s ‘The Crown’
4 hours ago
Michael C. Hall will be playing JFK when “The Crown” returns to Netflix for its second season.
Hall will be joined by “Quarry” star Jodi Balfour as Jackie Kennedy. Season 2 of the English drama, which doesn’t yet have a premiere date, will segue into the 1960s, as Queen Elizabeth II loses her third prime minister to scandal amidst the illegal use of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces in Egypt.
The series has also added Matthew Goode to the cast as Lord Snowden, husband of Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby).
“The Crown,” produced by Sony Pictures TV’s Left Bank Pictures, is rumored to be the streaming service’s most expensive production, clocking in at over $150 million. The series won two Golden Globes last month — for best drama series and best actress in a drama, Claire Foy. Foy and John Lithgow, who played Winston Churchill, also nabbed SAG Awards for their performances.
“The Crown »
- Oriana Schwindt
Viacom Sets Radical Revamp of Cable Operations, Adapting to Skinny-Bundle Era
4 hours ago
Viacom unleashed a slew of changes for its cable operations on Thursday, all designed to focus the conglomerate’s resources on six core channels that Viacom CEO Bob Bakish hopes will be a must-have for any pay-tv bundle.
In designating a half-dozen of Viacom’s 25 cable channels as “the flagship six,” as Bakish called them, the company is acknowledging the change in the pay-tv marketplace that has put Viacom at a disadvantage because of the size of its portfolio. Bakish, who formerly ran Viacom’s international networks division, on Thursday outlined a vision to investors that the U.S. pay-tv arena, which is undergoing radical changes of its own, will become more like Europe and the U.K. in offering consumers flexibility to buy themed packages of channels — entertainment, news, sports, etc. — rather than big catch-all bundles.
Before that happens, however, Viacom’s leaders have work to do to revitalize channels that have seen significant losses in »
- Cynthia Littleton
Disney Junior Worldwide General Manager Nancy Kanter Upped to Evp
5 hours ago
Disney’s Nancy Kanter has been bumped up to executive vice president, content and creative strategy at Disney Channels Worldwide, Variety has learned.
Kanter will continue in her role as general manager of Disney Junior Worldwide, merely adding on extra duties like the development of original live action and animated programming for kids age 6-14 on Disney Channel and Disney Xd, in addition to all creative content for kids age 2-7 on Disney Junior. She will also oversee strategy for acquired content. Kanter will continue to report to Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer of Disney Channels Worldwide.
“Nancy is a formidable leader with exceptional creative instincts and a personal passion for great storytelling,” Marsh said. “I look forward to her daily partnership in aligning and guiding the creative strategy and content for our animation and live-action storytelling teams.”
“I am excited to work with our multi-talented development and production teams and hope to be able »
- Variety Staff
Bob Costas Passes Olympics Coverage Torch to Mike Tirico
6 hours ago
When the 2018 Winter Olympics begin, Bob Costas won’t be anchoring the primetime coverage from PyeongChang. Those duties will now go to Mike Tirico, the former ESPNer who joined NBC last year.
Costas has served as the primetime host of every Olympic Games broadcast by NBC since 1992. “It has been both a privilege and an incredible personal and professional experience to have been part of NBC’s Olympic coverage all these years,” said Costas, who has the longest tenure of NBC’s sports announcers — a whopping 37 years. “I’m especially appreciative of all the talented and dedicated people I worked for and with on those broadcasts. I always felt that, in a certain sense, I was carrying the ball for them. It’s been a wonderful run, but I just felt now was the right time to step away and I’m grateful that NBC left that decision to me.”
Tirico »
- Oriana Schwindt
Paramount Plans Nickelodeon-Branded Films as Part of Viacom Turnaround Effort
7 hours ago
Updated: Viacom has some Disney envy.
The struggling media giant unveiled a plan on Thursday that it said will help revitalize Paramount Pictures by integrating the studio behind “Transformers” and “Mission: Impossible” more deeply into the fabric of its other brands. Paramount has been hit hard by a string of painful flops such as “Ben-Hur” and “Allied,” while suffering from a creative torpor. On an earnings call with analysts, Viacom CEO Bob Bakish said that the studio’s financial performance was a “significant disappointment.”
It was all about brands, as Viacom tried to impress Wall Street with its ambitions to become a more globally focused, synergistic player. As part of that effort, Viacom said that going forward it will focus on its six flagship properties, a group that includes Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., MTV, Bet, Comedy Central, and Paramount.
“These six brands each have compelling, valuable and distinct brand propositions,” the company said in a filing. “They »
- Brent Lang
Sky 1 Gets More “Delicious,” Announces New Original Productions
8 hours ago
Sky has set two new Sky Original Productions for its flagship channel Sky 1 for broadcast in 2017, the broadcaster announced Thursday.
“Delicious” will return for a second season, with stars Dawn French and Emilia Fox both set to return alongside writer Dan Sefton and director Clare Kilner. The drama, about food, love and infidelity, saw French in a rare dramatic role and proved a ratings winner for Sky when the first season of four episodes was broadcast at the end of December 2016 and through January this year.
Sky has also commissioned new action comedy “Bounty Hunters,” starring comedian and actor Jack Whitehall and Rosie Perez. Written by Whitehall and Freddy Syborn, who previously worked together on TV comedy “Bad Education” and its 2015 feature spin-off, “Bounty Hunters” will be directed by Will Sinclair. It is produced by Pippa Brown and executive produced by Ben Cavey for Cave Bear Productions.
“‘Delicious’ delivered our largest average audience for a Sky 1 original »
- Robert Mitchell
Viacom Unveils Turnaround Plan as Quarterly Profits Drop But Revenue Tops Expectations
8 hours ago
Update: Viacom shares shot up 5% in the first hour of trading Thursday, indicating a positive response from investors to the turnaround plan.
The new regime at Viacom unveiled a turnaround plan for Paramount Pictures and its cable network group as the conglom surprised Wall Street Thursday with better than expected revenue for its fiscal first quarter.
Net earnings and operating income were down year-over-year for the quarter ending in December, however, underscoring the weaknesses that new president-ceo Bob Bakish is vowing to address with a plan to focus more resources on six core cable brands — including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Bet — and more deeply integrate Paramount Pictures with its TV assets.
Viacom’s revenue for the winter quarter came in at $3.32 billion, a 5% gain and ahead of expectations of around $3.18 billion. Operating income dropped 16% to $706 million while net earnings fell 12% to $396 million. Paramount had another rough quarter of red ink, posting »
- Cynthia Littleton
‘Legion’ Recap: The Piper at the Gates of Wtf
15 hours ago
“Something new needs to happen soon.”
Thus says David Haller (Dan Stevens) to his sister (Katie Aselton) four-and-a-half minutes into the premiere of FX’s “Legion.” Like a red windshield scraper protruding from the snow, the line is a marker indicating that something new is indeed on its way. And that little foreshadowing is the most conventional bit of storytelling we get in the first installment of “Legion” — a relentlessly weird, relentlessly intriguing show that manages to stand out from the enormous crowd of the Peak TV era.
From “Fargo” writer and executive producer Noah Hawley, “Legion” tells the story of David Haller, played by “Downton Abbey” vet Stevens. David, as we learn in an opening montage set to The Who’s “Happy Jack,” was a baby, then a little boy, then a troubled teenager with some serious mental-health issues. Also maybe some superpowers.
For the initiated, this is not news. In »
- Daniel Holloway
Former Knicks Player Charles Oakley Arrested at Madison Square Garden
17 hours ago
Former New York Knicks star Charles Oakley was arrested on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden after an altercation in the stands near team owner James Dolan.
The former basketball player was handcuffed and wrestled to the ground by multiple security guards after shoving one of them during the first quarter of the Knicks-Clippers game, which was broadcast live on Espn.
It’s unknown what prompted the incident but Oakley, who used to be an enforcer for the Knicks back in the ’90s, could be heard blaming Dolan for the skirmish.
“Charles Oakley came to the game tonight and behaved in a highly inappropriate and completely abusive manner,” the Knicks said in a statement. “He has been ejected and is currently being arrested by the New York City Police Department. He was a great Knick and we hope he gets some help.”
Have watched this video of Charles Oakley going after James Dolan 10x & dont know who »
- Variety Staff
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