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Whoopi Goldberg to Return for ‘The View’ Season 21 (Exclusive)
54 minutes ago
Whoopi Goldberg is ready to ring in her 10th anniversary at “The View.” The Oscar-winning actress will return as the moderator for the show’s 21st season this fall, Variety has learned.
Her contract renewal is an important one for ABC, as Goldberg has been the glue that’s kept “The View” together since creator Barbara Walters retired in 2014.
By focusing on political stories under Trump’s presidency, ratings for “The View” this season are at its highest in three years. The show averaged 2.6 million viewers last week, beating “The Talk,” which tends to veer away from politics in favor of pop culture. And “The View” has landed big guests over the last year, such as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.
A spokesperson for ABC declined to comment.
Goldberg joined “The View” in the late summer of 2007, and she’s been at the Hot Topics table for »
- Ramin Setoodeh
‘Mad Men’ Alums Christina Hendricks, John Slattery Join Matthew Weiner Amazon Series
56 minutes ago
A “Mad Men” reunion of sorts is in the works at Amazon.
Christina Hendricks and John Slattery will reunite with “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner as cast members of Weiner’s upcoming Amazon anthology series “The Romanoffs,” Variety has learned.
The new series will consist of eight hourlong episodes, each of which will tell a standalone story with no recurring plot elements or actors. Each episode will tell the stories of people in contemporary times who believe they are descendants of the imperial family that ruled Russia from 1613 until the Bolsheviks seized power in 1917. In addition to Hendricks and Slattery, the series has also cast Academy Award nominee Isabelle Huppert, “Boardwalk Empire” alum Jack Huston, “Togetherness” alum Amanda Peet, and Golden Globe nominee Marthe Keller.
The castings of Slattery and Hendricks come just over 10 years after the series premiere of “Mad Men,” which launched on AMC on July 19, 2007. The series would go on to garner 116 Emmy nominations »
- Joe Otterson
‘Mr. Robot’ Season 3 Gets First Trailer, Premiere Date (Watch)
1 hour ago
USA Network’s hit drama “Mr. Robot” released the first trailer for Season 3 and the season’s premiere date on Friday.
Season 3 will premiere on Wednesday, October 11 at 10 p.m./9c. The premiere date, trailer, and the first image of Bobby Cannavale’s new character Irving were unmasked through a social media scavenger hunt orchestrated by the network. At 10am Et/7am Pt this morning, the first-look photo of Cannavale’s Irving was released across the show’s social platforms. Followers were encouraged to closely watch the show’s Twitter handle in the coming hours for more news surrounding Season 3. An embedded code was hidden in the photo of Cannavale, which led to hidden clues of how to decrypt what was about to happen on Twitter. Over the course of one hour, the show began a tweet storm, revealing clues driving to a private URL where fans were able to watch the yet to be released Season »
- Joe Otterson
With ‘Karate Kid’ Sequel, YouTube Red Targets 18-49 Demo
1 hour ago
YouTube Red’s “Karate Kid” sequel series is part of the subscription video service’s effort to age up.
“We are targeting an 18-49 audience with this,” Susanne Daniels, global head of content for YouTube, said Friday at the Television Critics Association press tour. “That is a part of an evolving strategy for YouTube Red.”
YouTube Red announced Friday a 10-episode series order for “Cobra Kai,” a half-hour comedy series that will reunite “Karate Kid” stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka in the roles from the original film.
The series is part of what Daniels characterized as a programming slate designed to broaden the audience of the subscription service. When YouTube Red launched in 2016, it did so with series primarily built around celebrities endemic to YouTube’s core ad-supported video service, which boasts more than 1 billion monthly users.
“That was an effective strategy,” Daniels said. “While we will continue to work with YouTube stars, I »
- Daniel Holloway
How James Corden and His Team Reinvented ‘Carpool Karaoke’ for Apple Music
2 hours ago
When it comes to singing in the car, few can harmonize like James Corden. He’s made an art form out of “Carpool Karaoke,” turning the late-night sketch into a viral hit.
And now Apple Music is picking up where his “Late Late Show” leaves off, with its own version of the popular segment. But instead of Corden always behind the wheel, the show will feature celebrity pairings singing along to their own playlists. While the first episode features Corden with Will Smith (though their ride of choice is a helicopter), other upcoming pairings include the Cyrus family; Shakira and Trevor Noah; Shaquille O’Neal and WWE star John Cena; “Game of Thrones” stars Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams; Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith; and John Legend, Alicia Keys, and Taraji P. Henson.
Ahead of the series’ Aug. 8 debut on Apple Music, Variety talked to Corden, along with executive producers Ben Winston and Eric Pankowski (who »
- Debra Birnbaum
No, the HBO Hack Wasn’t Seven Times Bigger Than the Sony Hack
2 hours ago
Ever since news broke that hackers were able to break into HBO’s computer networks, there have been plenty of comparisons to the Sony Pictures hack of 2014. Some reports have seized on the amount of data stolen to claim that the HBO hack was seven times bigger, or possibly worse, than the Sony hack. That comparison turns out to be meaningless.
First, a quick recap: On Monday, news broke that hackers compromised HBO’s networks, and leaked a handful of unreleased episodes from shows like “Insecure,” “Barry,” and “Ballers.” The hackers also leaked scripts for unaired “Game of Thrones” episodes, as well as the personal information of a senior HBO executive and an assortment of other files.
Altogether, those leaks amounted to around 300 gigabyte of data. The hackers claimed that they stole a total of 1.5 terabyte of data from HBO, and have since threatened to release additional material as early as this Sunday.
That »
- Janko Roettgers
Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt on What Drew Them to Amazon Spoof Series ‘Comrade Detective’
2 hours ago
Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and a number of Romanian actors get together to make a television show. It almost sounds like the beginning of joke, and in a way, it is. Confused? We’ll explain.
Tatum, Gordon-Levitt, and their on-screen counterparts, Florin Piersic Jr. and Corneliu Ulici, premiered their new Amazon series, “Comrade Detective,” Thursday evening at the ArcLight Cinema in Hollywood.
The series is a spoof of classic ’80s cop shows, but with a twist: it takes place in Communist Romania with an entirely Romanian cast. English overdubs are provided by Tatum, Gordon-Levitt, and an eclectic collection of other American actors, including Jenny Slate, Nick Offerman, Jason Mantzoukas, and Chloë Sevigny.
Writer and executive producer Alessandro Tanaka said the inspiration for the series came from his appreciation of 1980s films like “Red Dawn” and “Rocky IV.” “These movies that are like Hollywood entertainment, but also had this fiercely anti-Soviet propaganda angle to them,” he »
- Erin Nyren
‘She’s Gotta Have It’: First Look Photos From Spike Lee’s Netflix Revival
2 hours ago
You’ve gotta have a look at the new photos from Spike Lee’s upcoming Netflix revival of “She’s Gotta Have It.”
The first-look images of the television dramedy feature DeWanda Wise in the central role of Nola Darling. Darling’s friends Clorinda Bradford, Shemekka Epps, and Rachel will be played by Margot Bingham, Chyna Layne, and Elise Hudson respectively. The gallery also showcases Darling’s three lovers: Greer Childs played by Cleo Anthony, Jamie Overstreet played by Lyriq Bent, and Mars Blackmon played by Hamilton’s Anthony Ramos.
The 10-episode series adaptation of Lee’s 1986 debut film follows Darling as an uncompromising, outspoken, and progressive woman in her late twenties struggling to define herself and divide her time among her friends, her job, and her three lovers.
Lee created and produced the show in addition to directing all 10 episodes of the series. Tonya Lewis Lee is executive producing, with »
- Rebecca Rubin
Remote Controlled: Mark and Jay Duplass Discuss Inspiration Behind HBO’s ‘Room 104’
2 hours ago
Welcome to “Remote Controlled,” a podcast from Variety featuring the best and brightest in television, both in front of and behind the camera.
In today’s episode, Variety’s executive editor of TV Debra Birnbaum talks with creative partners and brothers Mark and Jay Duplass about their new HBO series “Room 104,” which is set in one hotel room and features new characters and genres in each 23-minute episode. The brothers conceived “Room 104” around 10 years ago, but, discouraged by their agent to pitch an anthology series, kept it on the backburner.
When “Togetherness” was canceled and the Duplasses decided they were tired of killing themselves writing and directing every episode of a series, HBO was receptive to their pitch of bringing on new filmmakers to direct the series.
“(‘Togetherness’) was rewarding, but we were telling a similar kind of story over and over again, and all these things started to come together and made us feel »
- Erin Nyren
‘Arrow’ Adds Sydelle Noel for Season 6 (Exclusive)
3 hours ago
The CW’s first DC show, “Arrow,” has cast Sydelle Noel in a recurring role for its sixth season, Variety has learned exclusively. Noel will play Samanda Watson, an FBI agent who will be investigating Oliver Queen’s connection to the Green Arrow.
Producers are pegging Samanda as “intelligent and poised with a no nonsense attitude.” She is a woman who won’t rest until Green Arrow’s secrets are revealed. »
- Joe Otterson
Chris Cornell’s Daughter Performs Tribute to Her Father and Chester Bennington
3 hours ago
Toni Cornell, 12, joined OneRepublic live on “Good Morning America” to perform Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” as a tribute to her late father Chris Cornell and the late Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. Cohen himself died last year.
Linkin Park was scheduled to perform on Friday as part of the “Good Morning America” Summer Concert Series before Bennington’s death. OneRepublic, paying homage to their friends, paused their nationwide tour to play in Central Park in place of Linkin Park.
Chris Cornell and Bennington both died earlier this year within months of each other. Bennington died by suicide on what would have been the 53rd birthday of his friend Cornell, whose death was also ruled a suicide. Bennington performed a rendition of “Hallelujah” at Cornell’s private funeral service in May.
In an open letter to the Soundgarden singer on the day of his death, Bennington wrote, “You have inspired me in many ways you could never have »
- Rebecca Rubin
Disney Channel Reviving ’90s Camp Series ‘Bug Juice’
3 hours ago
Disney Channel is bringing back the ’90s camp series “Bug Juice,” Variety has learned.
“Bug Juice,” which aired for three seasons from 1998 through 2001, followed young kids at summer camp. The series was Disney’s first-ever original unscripted show.
The “Bug Juice” revival is currently in production and is set to debut in early 2018.
The modern-day reboot will take place at Camp Waziyatah in Maine where the first original season filmed. The new version of the show will capture the authentic adventures of a group of kids from the ages of 10-12 as they head to summer camp, join in exciting and challenging outdoor activities, establish tight bonds with bunkmates and create unforgettable memories.
“Bug Juice” hails from Evolution Media, the company behind the original series. Executive producers are Douglas Ross, Alex Baskin, Tina Gazzero Clapp and Toni Gallagher, who all worked on the original.
“‘Bug Juice’ took viewers on a journey of adventure and self-discovery. Now »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
2017 TCA Awards: Rookie Shows and Diverse Actors Lead Nominations
3 hours ago
The relationship between those who work in television and those who cover it has always been a tightrope balance. When both are done well, there is a mixture of respect and adoration for each other’s crafts. If things get wobbly or off-kilter, belly flops and tears can ensue — on either side.
Nowhere is this point more proven than the Television Critics Assn., a membership of Visine-dropping, couch-denting TV watchers who make it a point to at least be aware of all new and returning series that, when combined, equate to something that could resemble one of Santa Claus’ naughty and nice scrolls that you see unwind in a children’s animated special — a genre that is also included in the content TCA covers.
The Television Critics Assn.’s annual awards, which are held each summer during one of the organization’s biannual press tours, is meant to reflect all of this. The »
- Whitney Friedlander
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Recasts Owen’s Sister for Season 14
4 hours ago
“Grey’s Anatomy” has cast Abigail Spencer in Season 14, Variety has learned.
The “Rectify” alum will play Owen’s sister, Megan Hunt, as the role previously portrayed by Bridget Regan has been re-cast due to scheduling conflicts.
Owen’s sister has been mentioned numerous times throughout the course of “Grey’s Anatomy” and the character finally made her first appearance last season with Regan playing the part in one episode. Regan is busy on TNT’s “The Last Ship,” in which she coincidentally stars opposite “Grey’s” alum Eric Dance.
There’s no word yet on how many episodes Spencer will appear in, but ABC says the recurring role will be a “multi-episode arc.” Owen’s sister is expected to have a larger storyline this season. The character was presumed to be dead after having gone missing in the army, and now that she’s alive, she’ll be back, but »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
TV Ratings: NFL Hall of Fame Game Easily Tops Broadcast Competition
4 hours ago
The NFL Hall of Fame game easily beat out all of its broadcast competition in the Thursday overnight ratings, according to Nielsen data.
The game, which saw the Arizona Cardinals square off against the Dallas Cowboys, is currently averaging a 2.3 rating in adults 18-49 and 7.8 million total viewers. However, due to the nature of live sports, those numbers are not time-zone adjusted and will likely change later today when the final figures are calculated.
In metered-market results, which are time zone-adjusted, NBC Sports coverage of the game averaged a 5.4 rating. That rating for the first-ever Thursday night Hall of Fame game is the best for a weeknight NFL preseason match in six years, since a 5.7 for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 18, 2011, on Fox.
Top local markets for the Cowboys-Cardinals game on NBC were: Dallas (13.9); San Antonio (13.5); Albuquerque (11.9); Phoenix (11.2); New Orleans (10.9); Austin (10.5); Norfolk (10.1); Richmond (8.9); Tulsa (8.6); and Memphis (8.5).
On CBS, “Big »
- Joe Otterson
At&T Opens New Advertising Unit In Advance of Time Warner Merger
5 hours ago
At&T said Friday it would launch an advertising and analytics unit led by a senior Madison Avenue media-buying executive – the latest hint of the plans the telecommunications giant has for its pending $85.4 billion purchase of Time Warner Inc.
At&T said it hired Brian Lesser, the chief executive of the North American operations of Wpp’s large GroupM consortium of media-buying agencies, to serve as chief executive of the new unit. Lesser will report directly to At&T Chairman and Chief Executive Randall Stephenson, and is charged with building and leading “an advertising and analytics business using the company’s unique customer data and growing content assets.”
It remained unclear whether various ad-sales executives at Time Warner’s operations, which include the large suite of ad-supported Turner cable networks, would eventually report to Lesser. An At&T spokesman declined to offer more specific details about the hire or the new advertising unit. At »
- Brian Steinberg
Maria Elena Salinas Will Step Down from Univision News
5 hours ago
María Elena Salinas, one of the best known anchors in Spanish-language TV broadcasting, intends to leave Univision News at the end of 2017, after an on-air tenure of more than three decades.
“I am grateful for having had the privilege to inform and empower the Latino community through the work my colleagues and I do with such passion at Univision every day,” said Salinas, in a statement. “I thank our audience for their trust and loyalty through the years, and want them to know that as long as I have a voice, I will always use it to speak on their behalf. I am excited to begin a new stage in my career, and look forward to new projects to reach new and diverse audiences on multiple platforms.”
Univision said it would unveil plans “in the coming months” for an anchor Jorge Ramos on its flagship newscast, which regularly reaches two million viewers, as »
- Brian Steinberg
‘Karate Kid’ Sequel Series With Ralph Macchio, William Zabka Greenlit at YouTube Red
6 hours ago
A sequel series to the classic film “The Karate Kid” is set to launch on YouTube Red.
Currently titled “Cobra Kai,” the series would reunite original film stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka. The 10-episode, half-hour series, coming to YouTube Red in 2018, picks up thirty years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. A down-and-out Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo, reigniting his rivalry with a now successful Daniel Larusso (Macchio), who has been struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi.
“The minute I heard about this project, I knew we had to have it. ‘The Karate Kid’ became an instant classic in the 1980s, and still resonates with audiences around the world and on YouTube today,” said Susanne Daniels, global head of original content for YouTube. “We’re thrilled to partner with Sony TV, Overbrook »
- Joe Otterson
‘Game of Thrones’ Unaired Episode Leaks Online, Not Connected to HBO Hack
6 hours ago
This Sunday’s episode of “Game of Thrones” has been stolen and posted on the internet — but the leak isn’t related to the massive hack of HBO’s systems disclosed earlier this week.
Links to the fourth episode of “Game of Thrones” season 7, set to premiere Aug. 6 on HBO, appeared on a discussion board on Reddit, as first reported by the Verge. The pirated copy of the episode, titled “The Spoils of War,” was available via Google Drive, according to the report.
Shortly after the link to the “Game of Thrones” episode was posted on Reddit at 8:12 Am Et Friday, the post was updated with this message. “The file has been taken down for violating GoogleDrive’s [terms of service]. You can no longer view it.” However, according to reports, the episode has since begun circulating on torrent-based file-sharing piracy sites including the Pirate Bay.
It’s not the first time “Game of Thrones” — believed to be the »
- Todd Spangler
AMC’s Shudder Takes TNT’s German Thriller ‘The Valley’ for U.S. and U.K.
8 hours ago
German six-part thriller “The Valley” has been picked up by Shudder, the horror Svod service run by AMC Networks.
The show was the first original one-hour drama for TNT Serie in Germany, as the Turner channel pushed into local production.
The deal will see the thriller carried on Shudder in North America and the U.K. “The Valley” follows events after a girl’s body is discovered and then disappears. Friedrich Muecke (“Friendship”) plays the lead.
The series was produced by Bantry Bay Productions and Twenty Four 9 Films. Germany’s Beta Film distributes the drama and struck the Shudder deal.
Critical Content, which was formed out of Relativity Television, has the remake rights to the show and is looking to set up local versions in the U.S. and internationally.
German drama is travelling increasingly well in the wake of shows such as “Deutschland 83.” The upcoming drama “Babylon Berlin,” set »
- Stewart Clarke
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