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For hardcore fans, the cancellation of a beloved television show can feel like a death in the family. The ardor is sometimes so great that letter-writing campaigns are organized (like way back in the day with "Star Trek"). Occasionally, outdoor demonstrations are held. Nowadays, social media protests spreading across multiple platforms is a sure-fire way to grab the attention of networks and advertisers. Alas, at the end of the day, sometimes there's nothing to be done because it's strictly a cold, hard business decision that should look good at the next shareholders' meeting.

When series don't inflame viewers' passions, the show is left up to the whims of network programmers who value stability above all else (see: the un-killable franchise that is "Law & Order"). They realize not every series is destined to be a top 10 juggernaut, so they look for solid performance in key ratings demographics that might not show...

Update, with additional casting: Producers have confirmed that Michael McKean will join the cast of Broadway’s upcoming revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross revival, joining the previously announced Kieran Culkin, Bill Burr and McKean’s old Better Call Saul cast mate Bob Odenkirk.

McKean’s casting in the role of George Aaronow was announced exclusively by Deadline in September.

Also new to the cast are Donald Webber Jr. as John Williamson, Howard W. Overshown (The Lehman Trilogy) as Baylen and John Pirruccello, making his Broadway debut, as James Lingk.

The production is set to open on Broadway in the spring of 2025. The complete cast, exact dates, full design team, and Broadway theatre will be announced at a later date. Jeffrey Richards and Rebecca Gold are the lead producers.

Exclusive, Previous Sept. 9: Michael McKean will join the previously announced Bob Odenkirk,...

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Happy’s Place is a comedy series created by Julie and Kevin Abbott. The NBC series follows Bobbie, an old woman who co-inherits her father’s bar with her half-sister she never knew she had. After learning this Bobbie tries to make her sister feel welcome in the family business but their completely different life experiences always get in the way. Happy’s Place stars Reba McEntire, Melissa Peterman, Rex Linn, Belissa Escobedo, Tokala Black Elk, and Pablo Castelblanco. So, if you loved the hilarious comedy, family-like bonds, and compelling characters in Happy’s Place here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Cheers Credit – NBC

Cheers is a comedy series created by James Burrows, Glen, and Les Charles. The NBC series is set in Boston and it follows Sam who runs a bar where people from all walks...

Yelyna De León will star in and direct the romantic comedy “20 Pounds to Happiness” from “Real Women Have Curves” writer Josefina López.

Carlo Mendez and Riley Shanahan co-star in the film, which also features Christiana Leucas, Soledad St. Hilaire, Iyari Limon, Rafael Sigler and Tricia Cruz.

“20 Pounds to Happiness” marks De León’s debut as a feature film director. The movie follows a full-figured Latina in a “Real Women Have Curves” support group who must decide between staying loyal to her girlfriends or risking the loss of her dream man. López and De León serve as producers.

De León’s credits as an actor include “Will and Grace,” “Snowfall,” “Ray Donovan,” “Shamelsss,” “A Better Life” and “East Side Story.” She also wrote, produced and acted in the murder mystery film “Murder in the Woods” alongside Danny Trejo.

Mendez is a Cuban-American actor with television roles in “9-1-1,” “Superior Donuts,” “Parks and Recreation...

Jermaine Fowler will star opposite Tracy Morgan in the upcoming Paramount+ multi-cam comedy series “Crutch,” Variety has learned.

The show was first announced back in May and is said to be set in the same world as the CBS comedy “The Neighborhood.” Per the official logline, “Francois ‘Frank’ Crutchfield (Morgan), who goes by ‘Crutch,’ is a brash, yet beloved Harlem shop owner whose world is turned upside down when his highbrow son (Fowler) and free-spirited daughter move back into the family home.”

Fowler’s character is named Jake. He is described as “an Ivy League educated lawyer who forgoes a high-paying position at a swanky, white shoe law firm to provide low-cost legal aid in Harlem.”

The role brings Fowler back into the Paramount fold, as he previously starred in the CBS multi-cam “Superior Donuts” for two seasons. His other TV credits include the FX limited series “A Murder at the End of the World...

Jermaine Fowler has been tapped as a lead opposite Tracy Morgan in Paramount+ new multi-camera comedy series Crutch, an offshoot from CBS’ long-running sitcom The Neighborhood.

Developed by Owen Smith, who will serve as showrunner, Crutch centers on Francois “Frank” Crutchfield (Morgan), who goes by “Crutch,” is a brash, yet beloved Harlem shop owner whose world is turned upside down when his highbrow son (Fowler) and free-spirited daughter move back into the family home.

Fowler’s Jake Crutchfield is an Ivy League educated lawyer who forgoes a high-paying position at a swanky, white shoe law firm to provide low-cost legal aid in Harlem.

The Neighborhood star Cedric the Entertainer and Eric C. Rhone executive produce Crutch via A Bird and a Bear along with Smith, Aaron Kaplan for Kapital Entertainment; Wendi Trilling for TrillTV; and Morgan. The series is produced by CBS Studios and distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Exclusive: Showtime’s Dexter: Original Sin cast is adding 9 recurring characters to Season 1 to be played by Emmy winner Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos), Brittany Allen (The Boys), Randy Gonzalez (Bloodline), Aaron Jennings (Pure Genius), Raquel Justice (One Day at a Time), Jasper Lewis (V/H/S), Carlo Mendez (The Bay), Isaac Gonzalez Rossi (That’s Amor) and Roberto Sanchez (Palm Royale).

The 10-episode original drama series is set in 1991 Miami and follows Dexter (Patrick Gibson), a student refining his killer skills with the help and support of his adoptive father Harry (Christian Slater). In his dad, he finds solace and understanding, especially as his bloodthirsty urges grow and can no longer be ignored. As his only confidant, Harry teaches Dexter a code that’s designed to help him find and kill people who deserve to die — all while avoiding getting caught by law enforcement. This is a particular challenge for...

Exclusive: Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy), Billy Campbell (Troll), and Rhys Coiro (Hustlers) have joined Sophie Turner in the psychological thriller Trust for Twisted Pictures and Republic Pictures.

Details as to their roles are under wraps. Other new additions set to round out the cast include Peter Mensah (Gladiator 2), Forrest Goodluck (The Revenant), and Gianni Paolo (Power).

In Trust, Turner plays a Hollywood starlet who seeks refuge in a secluded Airbnb following a high-profile scandal, only to find herself at the mercy of hardened criminals on the hunt for a score.

Carlson Young (The Blazing World) is directing from a script by Gigi Levangie (Stepmom), with Twisted Pictures’ Oren Koules producing alongside Miles Koules of Koulest Productions. The film stems from a new multi-picture distribution deal between Twisted Pictures, producer of the Saw franchise, and Republic Pictures. Production commences in Mexico later this month.

Currently starring on ABC’s The Conners,...

Exclusive: Kurt Sutter and Katey Sagal have teamed up for their first podcast, Pie. People. Influences. Experiences. The program will start April 2, available on all podcast players and YouTube.

They describe Pie as an intimate parlor conversation exploring the ingredients that “baked up” each guest. It is a respectful, deep dive into nature and nurture — family, faith, friends, hometowns, schooling, mentors, tormentors, etc. It will be the heart-to-heart chat that gives us some authentic insight into each guest’s personal and professional choices — in the arts, athletics, healthcare, politics, etc.

I can testify that between them, this couple can cover a healthy span of topics. A few years back, I convinced Sutter to co-live blog the Emmys for Deadline. Only when I arrived at their home did I learn that Kurt had been so busy as the writer, director and producer of my fave FX series Sons of Anarchy, that...

Exclusive: Actor-comedian Jermaine Fowler is set to co-write, executive produce and star in an untitled single-camera comedy, which has received a script commitment at Fox.

In the half-hour project, co-written by Fowler and Zack Bernstein, after a self-inflicted fall from grace, a former jiu-jitsu champion’s (Fowler) only shot at redemption is to check his ego at the door and start from scratch at a low-rent strip-mall dojo.

Fowler started Brazilian jiu-jitsu training during Covid.

“When the pandemic hit, I had nothing to do,” he said during a January 2023 interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show. “I was bored, and I always wanted to try martial arts.”

On jiu-jitsu he said, “It’s a beautiful sport. It’s gruesome, but it’s so beautiful.”

At the time, Fowler was a white belt who had won one fight out of four.

The comedy project was originated and brought to Fox by Tooth Hurty Media,...

A remake of the ’90s classic “Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead” is coming to theaters in spring.

Simone Joy Jones, Nicole Richie and June Squibb will lead an ensemble including Jermaine Fowler (“Superior Donuts”), comic Ms. Pat, Olympian Gus Kenworthy, as well as newcomers Donielle Tremaine Hansley, Miles Fowler, Iantha Richardson and Tyriq Withers.

Like the 1991 film, “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” follows 17-year-old girl Tanya (Jones), who plans to vacation in Europe with her friends before heading to college in the fall. But her mom (Ms. Pat) decides to go to a wellness retreat in Thailand, so Tanya is forced to stay home with her siblings. When — as the title suggests — their elderly babysitter (Squibb) unexpectedly dies, Tayna gets a job working for an ambitious woman named Rose (Ritchie). As she juggles work, family and a complicated romance, Tanya navigates adulthood at the cost of her last summer of freedom.

Keith Jefferson, the actor who worked for Quentin Tarantino on Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, has died. He was 53.

Jefferson died Thursday, his rep Nicole St. John told The Hollywood Reporter. He announced in August that he had been diagnosed with cancer.

“Every now and then God will give you a challenge and leave it up to you to fix it,” he wrote then. “When I was first diagnosed with cancer I had to stop, pause, and didn’t want to share with anyone. Not my family nor extended family. Today I’m finally at a place to share because my faith is getting stronger.”

Born on April 7, 1970, in Houston, Jefferson received a Bfa in musical theater from U.S. International in San Diego and and an Mfa in acting from the University of Arizona. He landed his first onscreen role in Boys on the Side...

Exclusive: Deadline has learned that Sorry to Bother You‘s Jermaine Fowler has been cast in Legendary Entertainment’s redo of 1978 horror movie, Faces of Death.

Fowler joins Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery, Josie Totah and Charli Xcx, who are on sent down in Louisiana on the Daniel Goldhaber-directed movie.

Legendary’s version of the pic is co-written by Isa Mazzei and Goldhaber.

The original film from filmmaker John Alan Schwartz was an early example of viral videos. Although it was staged and fictional, many thought it was real and it often was rented under the counter by older brothers at video shops. The film advertised itself as “Banned in 52 Countries,” though that was simple hype.

Mazzei and Goldhaber’s version brings the original movie’s videos into the digital age.

“Faces of Death was one of the first viral video tapes, and we are so lucky to be able...

This post contains spoilers for the series finale of "Star Trek: Picard."

The final episode of "Star Trek: Picard" -- called "The Last Generation" -- begins in the middle of an action-movie-style crisis. Starfleet has been infiltrated by a Borg brain virus that had assimilated thousands of young people at the same time. Now compromised, hundreds of Federation vessels have their weapons trained on an enormous starbase, ready to kill everyone. Meanwhile, the cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" have gathered on a reconstructed Enterprise-d and charge out to Jupiter where a secret Borg base is hiding. Only once they are able to explode the Borg base, very much the way one might a Death Star, can the brain virus be erased and the assault ended. Also, they would save Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the son of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), and finally slay the evil Borg Queen (voice...

Two highly-anticipated comedy series are hitting streaming platforms this week, the excruciatingly relatable "Beef" on Netflix and the musical prequel series, "Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies" on Paramount+. Meanwhile, there are films like "The Drop" and "Mayhem" available to stream that might help viewers get ready for a series like "Beef." Both flicks are exclusive to their prospective streaming platforms, so hopefully you've got Hulu and Shudder in addition to Netflix. There's also the Netflix series "Julie and the Phantoms" and the oft-forgotten "Grease 2" on Paramount+ to serve as the perfect companion pieces to "Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies." Last-up, there's also the Prime Video series "Paper Girls" which manages to capture the girl-power energy of the new prequel series while boasting a stand-out performance by one of the stars of "Beef."

Beef Is About To Become Your Latest TV Obsession

Where to Watch "Beef": NetflixWhen...

Exclusive: Caitlin Mehner (Dopesick), Darien Sills-Evans (Superior Donuts), and C.S. Lee (Dexter) have joined the cast of CBS’ fall drama East New York in recurring roles.

Mehner portrays Corinne Moynahan, Killian’s (Kevin Rankin) girlfriend. She likes that Killian is protective but chafes when he gets overbearing. Corinne has been working in restaurants for years, both front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house, and is driven to become more independent.

Fall Premiere Dates For New & Returning TV Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming

Sills-Evans portrays Deputy Mayor Raymond Sharpe, the polished and intuitive councilman native to East New York.

Lee portrays Desk Sergeant Jimmy Kee. Jimmy keeps order and decorum in the precinct. He doesn’t tolerate slobs or loudmouths — whether cops or civilians.

Co-written by William Finkelstein and Mike Flynn and directed by Mike Robin, the project centers on Regina Haywood (Amanda Warren), the newly promoted deputy inspector of East New York, an impoverished,...

Beyond Fest Announces Full 2022 Film Lineup, Headlined by ‘Halloween Ends’ World Premiere

Genre film festival Beyond Fest has announced its full slate of films.

The tenth-anniversary showcase is scheduled for Sept. 27 through Oct. 11. The lineup’s 63 features will include ten world premieres, three United States premieres and 25 west coast premieres.

David Gordon Green’s “Halloween Ends” will have its world premiere at the festival to close out its opening night, following two free screenings of Finn Parker’s “Smile.” Additional screenings include special showings of David Bruckner’s “Hellraiser,” with the director and talent from the film slated to join in person. “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” from director Eric Appel is set to have its U.S. debut at the fest.

Beyond Fest will screen in IMAX theaters across the Tcl Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Legion Theatre, Aero Theatre, Los Feliz 3 Theatre and IMAX headquarters. All programming at the...

Exclusive: Gersh has signed actor, writer and producer David Koechner (Anchorman) for representation.

Koechner is perhaps best known for his turn as Michael Scott’s pal Todd Packer on NBC’s The Office, and as the Anchorman films’ Champ Kind. He currently co-hosts A&e’s America’s Top Dog and plays Bill Lewis on ABC’s The Goldbergs, having recently appeared on ABC’s Bless This Mess, CBS’s Superior Donuts, Showtime’s Twin Peaks, Comedy Central’s Another Period and IFC’s Stan Against Evil. Koechner voices recurring characters on Fox’s American Dad, as well as on Netflix’s series F is for Family and The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants. Recent projects on the film side include the dramedy Then Came You with Asa Butterfield, Maisie Williams and Nina Dobrev; Sean McEwen’s dramatic comedy Braking for Whales with Tom Felton and Wendi McLendon-Covey; Roman White...

Exclusive: Comedian Maz Jobrani has teamed with Grom Social Enterprises’ Curiosity Ink Media to develop an original animated sitcom that channels Jobrani’s experiences growing up as an Iranian-American immigrant in the U.S.

Co-created by Jobrani and Dustin Ellis Laugh On Lorb (working title), centers on an aspiring teenage comic who is selected to introduce Oprah Winfrey at an appearance at his school. He is mistakenly kidnapped from the stage by alien Lorbs who believe he is Oprah, and then taken back to their planet to meet their princess. After learning that she is on a mission to bring emotion back to Lorb to save it from disaster, he agrees to channel his inner Oprah to help her and, through the eyes of a teenage Iranian immigrant, share his own insight, wit and philosophy of life while learning about comedy – and himself- along the way.

Exclusive: WME has signed writer, actor, and producer Maurice Williams.

Williams is known for his acting roles via various mediums; on the digital side, he co-starred in Broke, created and written by Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson; in film, he has appeared in indies Clemency and Drib; and on TV, he had guest spots on ABC’s Conviction and CBS’s Superior Donuts.

Alongside How To Make It In America’s Ian Edelman, Williams is the writer, showrunner, and executive producer of the upcoming animated series for Netflix, Entergalactic, starring Kid Cudi.

Also at Netflix, Williams — teaming once again with Edelman — is in development on the live-action, half-hour comedy The Vince Staples Show, starring rapper Vince Staples.

Williams got his start as a writer in the Kenya Barris camp. Barris serves as executive producer on both Entergalactic and The Vince Staples Show.

Williams has also appeared on stage, on both coasts,...

The upcoming FX limited mystery series “The Retreat” has added 10 new cast members, Variety has learned.

Clive Owen, Harris Dickinson, Alice Braga, Jermaine Fowler, Joan Chen, Edoardo Ballerini, Raul Esparza, Pegah Ferydoni, Ryan J. Haddad and Javed Khan have all joined the series. They join previously announced cast members Emma Corrin and Brit Marling, with Marling having co-created the series with Zal Batmanglij.

The series follows a gen Z amateur sleuth named Darby Hart (Corrin). Darby and 11 other guests are invited by a reclusive billionaire to participate in a retreat at a remote and dazzling location. When one of the other guests is found dead, Darby must fight to prove it was murder against a tide of competing interests and before the killer takes another life.

Owen will appear as Andy. He is known for his Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning role in the Mike Nichols film “Closer” as well as...

As of now, there is a lot of uncertainty around Covid when it comes to Broadway. Within the past couple of months, several shows had to suspend performances due to positive cases in their casts, some others had to close permanently, and a couple more are taking hiatuses. The American Theatre Wing also hasn’t announced key dates for this year’s Tony Awards yet.

With that being said, we are now about halfway through the Broadway season, and there are currently 11 productions of plays set to open this spring. Could we be seeing any of them contend at this year’s Tonys? Below is an overview of each play as well as the awards histories of their authors, cast, and directors, plus the opening and (where applicable) closing dates.

“Skeleton Crew” (opened January 26; closes February 20)

This new play by Tony nominee Dominique Morisseau is set in 2008 at a small automotive factory in Detroit,...

Exclusive: An animated series based on Robert C. O’Brien’s Rats of Nimh book series is in the works at Fox as the broadcast network further bolsters its animation drive.

Deadline understands that the network has handed a script commitment to Nimh, which comes from Fox Entertainment and MGM’s Orion Television. The animated drama, which is searching for a writer, is based on the trilogy of books that began in 1971 with O’Brien’s Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. It was followed by Rasco and the Rats of Nimh and R-t, Margaret and the Rays of Nimh, both written by O’Brien’s daughter Jane Leslie Conly.

The series follows Mrs. Frisby, a mouse, who in an effort to save her family goes on a spectacular journey through an unfamiliar and underground world to discover a colony of escaped super-intelligent lab rats who help her on a...

Exclusive: Black-ish co-executive producer Robb Chavis has signed an overall deal with CBS Studios. Under the pact, he will develop new half-hour series for the studio.

This marks a return to CBS Studios for Chavis who worked as Executive Story Editor on its CBS comedy series Superior Donuts.

“We really enjoyed working with Robb four years ago and have been intent on getting him back on the lot ever since. He has a unique and impressive resume,” said Kate Adler, EVP of Comedy Development, CBS Studios. “From now on maybe we should require that all comedy writers attend Harvard Law School and pass the Bar.”

After graduating from Harvard Law School in 2001, Chavis practiced law for a decade before switching careers with a job as a segment producer on Bunim-Murray’s pop culture newsmagazine series Brkdwn.

He segued to scripted TV with back-to-back yearlong staff writer stints on the NBC...

Peter Murrieta has signed a first-look deal with Universal Television, Variety has learned exclusively.

Under the deal, Murrieta will develop original content for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. He was previously an executive producer on “Mr. Iglesias” at Netflix and recently co-wrote the Lifetime movie “Feliz Navidad” with his wife Aliza, with Mario Lopez starring. He was also the showrunner and executive producer on the Disney Channel series “Wizards of Waverly Place.” His other credits include “Superior Donuts” and “One Day at a Time.”

“We couldn’t be happier to be working with Peter in this new way,” said Jim Donnelly, executive vice president of comedy development at Universal Television. “Besides being a hilarious writer and all-around great guy, he has an amazing track record of championing and supporting fellow LatinX voices and talent. We look forward to all the great projects we get to collaborate with him on.”

Murrieta...

The current second season of Fox’s Bless the Harts will be its last.

Fox has confirmed that the comedy will finish out its current season in May and will not return to the schedule.

Bless the Harts was the first of the new wave of animated series on Fox as the network, fresh from its break from Disney, doubled down on the genre. It also marks the first of this new crop of show, which also includes The Great North and Duncanville, as well as upcoming series Housebroken, to come to an end.

While the network was happy with the show creatively, it never gained traction in the ratings, which averaged at a 0.5 live-plus-seven in adults 18-49 with 1.4M total viewers and 2M multi-platform viewers.

It will be replaced like-for-like with another animated series in Fox’s Animation Domination Sunday night block next season. Fox has Housebroken, featuring the voices of Lisa Kudrow,...

Exclusive: Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Judd Hirsch and Lab Rats: Bionic Island actor Tyrel Jackson Williams have joined Disney’s feature sequel for Stargirl.

The Julia Hart directed, co-written with husband Jordan Horowitz, follows Stargirl’s (Grace VanderWaal) journey out of Mica into a bigger world of music, dreams and possibility. The script is based on the original character from Jerry Spinelli’s best-selling book of the same name. VanderWaal will write and perform new original music for the sequel. Elijah Richardson plays Evan, the romantic lead opposite VanderWaal.

Hirsch will play Mr. Mitchell, one of Stargirl’s new neighbors while Williams will play Terrell, Evan’s older brother and an aspiring filmmaker. They join Judy Greer, who we first told you plays Ana, Stargirl’s mom; and Uma Thurman who will portray Roxanne Martel, a musician Stargirl admires and encounters on her journey.

Jeanne McCarthy and Nicole Abellera are casting the sequel.

Jermaine Fowler was named one of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch in 2016, and he jokes he wasn’t a fan of lists until then. Since that time, Fowler has made a name for himself as the star and producer of the series “Superior Donuts,” and now he takes on his biggest role yet — in “Coming 2 America,” the long-awaited sequel to the 1988 Eddie Murphy hit. In the new film, hitting Amazon Prime Video on March 5, Fowler plays Lavelle, the illegitimate son that King Akeem (Murphy) never knew existed. Lavelle and his mother (Leslie Jones) are plucked from Queens and transported to Zamunda, where his new royal life awaits.

You were born the same year the first “Coming to America” came out. Do you remember when you first saw it?

I was 8 or 9, and as a kid, when you see something that hits you, it sticks with you forever. It’s...

Jermaine Fowler has already begun making a name for himself in films and TV series. He was the star of the CBS sitcom, “Superior Donuts” and has supporting roles in films such as “Sorry to Bother You” and the recent “Judas and the Black Messiah.” But perhaps the biggest role of Fowler’s career is coming up in the Amazon sequel, “Coming 2 America,” where he plays the long-lost son of Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem.

Continue reading Jermaine Fowler Discusses ‘Coming 2 America,’ His ‘Fifth Element’ Spinoff Idea & His Love Of “Tim Burton Sh*t” [The Playlist Podcast] at The Playlist.

Exclusive: Tyler, The Creator has reteamed with Lionel Boyce and Davon ‘Jasper’ Wilson, two of his bandmates in the Odd Future collective and producers on Adult Swim series Loiter Squad for a new animated comedy at Fox.

The network is developing Shell Beach and has handed the project, which comes from Fox Entertainment and Bento Box Entertainment, a script commitment.

The show follows an overzealous lifeguard named Wally and his very smart, but lazy partner, Tyson, who, along with their unique group of friends, inhabit Shell Beach – the most famous beach town in the world. Wally’s passion to be the best lifeguard often makes very simple problems become much more complex than they ever would need to be.

Boyce and Wilson, two members of the LA hip hop group, are writing and exec producing the project. The pair both co-created, wrote and produced Loiter Squad, the sketch comedy series...

Exclusive: In a competitive situation, Showtime has landed for development a single-camera comedy project created by writers/stand-up comedians Moshe Kasher and Jermaine Fowler.

Written by Kasher and Fowler, the untitled comedy is set in 1997. In South Central Los Angeles, the heart of West Coast gangster rap, a group of teenage social outcasts attempts to solve the mystery of the murder of their hero, Biggie Smalls.

Kasher and Fowler, who will not be acting in the show, executive produce with 3 Arts Entertainment’s Michael Rotenberg and Josh Lieberman for CBS Studios. The comedy duo appeared together in the 2020 stand-up-themed film The Opening Act.

Kasher’s recent writing credits include HBO’s Betty and Apple TV+’s Little America. On camera, he is known for Comedy Central’s Another Period, which he also wrote for; Problematic with Moshe Kasher, which he created; as well as The Endless Honeymoon Stand -Up Special on Netflix.

Exclusive: Fox is going royal with its latest animated comedy development.

The network has handed a script commitment to Price Wawa, an animated comedy from comedians Tim Baltz and Lily Sullivan and exec produced by Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald and Hayden Schlossberg.

The comedy centers around a naive merman prince, voiced by Baltz, who juggles life between the ocean, the only home he’s ever known, and his new life on land with his human mother in the breathtaking metropolis of Tampa, Florida.

Baltz, who stars in HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones, and Sullivan, who appeared in Netflix’s sketch show I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, will write and exec produce Prince Wawa.

Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg will exec produce via their production company Counterbalance Entertainment along with Counterbalance head of development Dina Hillier.

It comes from Sony Pictures Television, where Counterbalance has an overall deal,...

ABC has confirmed that it is picking up a new multi-camera comedy pilot, “Bucktown,” hailing from ABC Signature studios and written and executive produced by Emily Wilson, co-executive producer of “The Conners.”

“Bucktown” centers on a protagonist named Amy, who, after being dumped by her boyfriend and kicked out of her apartment on the eve of a big promotion, finds refuge at her mom’s house in the blue-collar neighborhood she grew up in. Amy reconnects with her teenage niece living there due to her sister’s latest rehab stint and resolves to stay when she realizes that her mom and niece aren’t entirely equipped to go it alone.

Wilson is also known for her work on “The Kids Are All Right,” “Superior Donuts,” The Muppets” and “Cougar Town.” Also attached to executive produce “Bucktown” are longtime collaborators Tom Werner and Sara Gilbert, who will be joined by executive...

ABC has put in development Dugout Moms, a single-camera comedy from Jacque Edmonds Cofer (The Unicorn), Damon Wayans Jr. and his Two Shakes Entertainment, Picture It Productions and CBS Studios, where Wayans Jr. is under a deal.

Written by Cofer, Dugout Moms is inspired by the life of actress-writer Dawntavia Bullard (Brownsville High). It centers around a struggling but resilient single mom Who finds support and sisterhood from a group of Little League parents after she and her son move to an exclusive Atlanta suburb.

Cofer executive produces with Wayans Jr. and Kameron Tarlow for Two Shakes Entertainment, and Lance Krall, Peter Siaggas and Peter Stathopoulos for Atlanta-based Picture It Productions. CBS Studios is the studio.

Cofer recently wrapped her second season as a co-executive producer on CBS’ The Unicorn. She previously created and served as showrunner on comedy Let’s Stay Together, which ran for four seasons on BET. She...

Exclusive: NBCU streamer Peacock is growing its slate of stand-up specials with a new laugher from A Simple Wedding and Superior Donuts actor Maz Jobrani.

The comedian is bringing his Pandemic Warrior special to the service exclusively from January 28.

The special was filmed in Dubai in 2019 and features Jobrani tackling topics such as politics, parenting and social issues. He has added bonus material from his days under the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

Jobrani was born in Iran and relocated to Tiburon in the San Francisco Bay Area after his family was forced to flee during the Islamic revolution. He has featured in films including Sydney Pollack’s The Interpreter, Descendants and Ice Cube’s Friday After Next and most recently starred opposite Rita Wilson in A Simple Wedding. On the TV side, he was a regular on CBS comedy Superior Donuts and appeared on Hulu’s Taste the Nation.

It is...

Rlje Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, will release The Opening Act on December 15, 2020 on DVD and Blu-ray. Here’s the trailer:

Now you can win the Win the DVD of The Opening Act . We Are Movie Geeks has three to give away. Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite comedy movie so far this year. (mine’s Borat Subsequent Mmovie Film. It’s so easy!)

1. You Must Be A US Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To US Addresses. No P.O. Boxes. No Duplicate Addresses.

2. Winner Will Be Chosen From All Qualifying Entries

Written and directed by stand-up comedian Steve Byrne (Always Amazing) and produced by Vince Vaughn (The Internship, Couples Retreat) and Peter Billingsley (Ironman), the comedy stars Jimmy O. Yang (“Silicon Valley”), Alex Moffat (“Saturday Night Live”), Cedric The Entertainer (“The Neighborhood”), Neal Brennan (Get Him to the Greek), Debby Ryan (“Insatiable...

Iron Man 3 writer and director Shane Black is moving into animation with a new comedy project at Fox. Black, who also wrote the first two Lethal Weapon movies, is developing Crag Banyon P.I., based on James Mullaney’s book series.

Black and Mullaney will write and exec produce the project, which will also be exec produced by Stampede Ventures’ David Silverman, Greg Silverman and Paul Shapiro; Greenlit’s David Greenblatt; and Vinson Films’ Tripp Vinson.

If the project receives a presentation order at the network, David Silverman, who helmed The Simpsons Movie, will direct. It currently has a script commitment with Fox Entertainment as the studio with Bento Box producing the animation.

Crag Banyon P.I follows the supernatural adventures of Banyon, an alcoholic ex-cop and current private investigator, as he solves cases in an alternate noir, otherworldly reality. Mullaney has written seven books in the series including...

Exclusive: Circle Of Confusion is almost doubling its number of partners with the promotion of Josh Adler, Charles Mastropietro and Susan Solomon-Shapiro. This is the first time in more than five years that the management/production company is expanding its partner ranks following the elevation of Brad Mendelsohn in 2015.

Adler, Mastropietro and Solomon-Shapiro’s client list span both the lit and talent side of the business. It includes such actors, writers/showrunners and filmmakers as Natalie Chaidez (Queen Of The South), Emma Corrin (The Crown), Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse), Neil Goldman, Derek Kolstad (Creator of the John Wick franchise), Ben Lustig & Jake Thornton, Mike Makowsky (Bad Education), Ashley Miller, Rachel Morrison, Richard Naing, Molly Parker (Lost in Space), Noah Reid (Schitt’s Creek), David Schwimmer (Friends), Kit Steinkellner (Sorry for Your Loss...

Exclusive: Fox is continuing to double down on animation – adding hybrid animated-single-cam project Demi-God from Bella and the Bulldogs writer Katie Greenway to its development slate.

The network has handed the project, from writer and exec producer Greenway, a script commitment and is developing the project internally via Fox Entertainment.

Demi-God follows a powerless fast food employee who escapes into a fantasy world she’s created in her favorite video game – only to have it turn against her when the virtual townspeople are granted sentience in the game’s latest upgrade.

Greenway previously worked on Nickelodeon comedy Bella and the Bulldogs and wrote the script for Townies, a multi-camera comedy exec produced by Green Eggs and Ham writer/executive producer Jared Stern that was in development at CBS during the 2018 season.

It is the latest animation project for Fox, which has been expanding aggressively into this space. It recently set...

Exclusive: NBC has put in development Uncivil, a comedy from Roast Battle creator Rell Battle; Mideast Minute creator and star Pardis Parker; Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner’s Hazy Mills; and Universal TV, where Hazy Mills is based.

Written by Battle and Parker, Uncivil revolves around a pair of friends – a city prosecutor and public defender – who find that their personal squabbles spill into the courtroom and their professional disputes follow them home.

Battle and Parker executive produce with Hayes and Milliner via Hazy Mills, and Bradley Gardner, former development executive and producer for Hazy Mills and now SVP of Orion Television. Universal TV is the studio.

Battle, an alum of Fox’s Diversity showcase, created Roast Battle, an energetic live show that subsequently was adapted for TV and aired on Comedy Central, with Battle as executive producer. He also wrote on Comedy Central’s Hood Adjacent and since has...

Former Superior Donuts star Jermaine Fowler has sold a semi-autobiographical animated comedy project to Fox.

The Untitled Jermaine Fowler Project, created, written and executive produced by Fowler, is loosely based on his formidable years growing up in a working class town in Prince George’s County, Maryland, with his family.

Fox Entertainment is the studio.

The project marks Fox’s latest development in the animation space – an area that the network has increasingly been moving into over the past couple of years.

Fowler will next be seen as one of the leads in Paramount’s Coming 2 America sequel set for release in December. He previously starred as Franco Wicks on CBS’ Superior Donuts alongside Judd Hirsch, Katey Sagal, David Koechner, Maz Jobrani, and Rell Battle, which aired for two seasons. He most recently starred opposite Zoey Deutch in Buffaloed which premiered at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival. His...

Yet another animated comedy could be coming to Fox.

The network has put an untitled project from comedian Jermaine Fowler into development, Variety has learned.

The prospective series is loosely based on Fowler’s formidable years growing up in a working class town in Prince George’s County, Maryland, with his family.

Fowler will serve as creator, writer and executive producer on the project, which hails from Fox Entertainment. He is arguably best known for his two-season performance as Franco Wicks on the CBS sitcom “Superior Donuts.” Since then, he has starred in Pete Holmes’ HBO comedy “Crashing,” and voiced the character of Pete Repeat on Netflix’s “BoJack Horseman.” His TV credits also include “The Eric Andre Show.”

On the film side, Fowler will appear next year opposite Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield in “Judas and the Black Messiah,” a biopic about the assassination of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton.

Days after Greenleaf wrapped its five-season run on OWN, the network has given a formal straight-to-series order to drama Delilah from the same creative team, Greenleaf creator Craig Wright, Warner Bros. Television and Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films. Maahra Hill is set for the title role in the series, executive produced by Charles Randolph-Wright (Greenleaf) and Winfrey. Also cast in the drama are Jill Marie Jones (Girlfriends), Susan Heyward (Orange is the New Black) and Ozioma Akagha (Marvel’s Runaways).

Randolph-Wright and Cheryl Dunye are set to direct the series; Dunye will direct the pilot episode. Delilah, produced by Warner Bros. Television and Harpo Films, will air on OWN in 2021. Its order had been in the works at OWN since before the pandemic.

2020 OWN Pilots & Series Orders

The series centers around Delilah Connolly (Hill), a headstrong, highly principled lawyer in Charlotte,...

Exclusive: Amazon has put in development Ricky & Cricket, an animated comedy from Mr. Iglesias writer-producers Peter Murrieta and Isaac Gonzalez and Erik Rivera (Super White).

Written by Murrieta, Gonzalez and Rivera, Ricky & Cricket revolves around nice guy Ricky, a down on his luck Mexican-American actor, who starts taking control of his life with the help of Cricket — a brash, foul-mouthed guardian angel from the east side of heaven.

Murrieta, Gonzalez and Rivera executive produce, along with David Miner of 3 Arts.

Murrieta is co-executive producer on Netflix comedy series Mr. Iglesias, which will premiere its second season this year. The 2018 recipient of the Norman Lear Writer’s Award at the Imagen Awards, Murrieta shared in two Emmy awards as showrunner of Wizards of Waverly Place, and has served as a Co-ep on multiple series, including One Day At A Time for Netflix and Superior Donuts for CBS. Murrieta created the autobiographical...

Exclusive: Publicist Kasey Kitchen has launched Marque (pronounced mark), a boutique public relations and marketing agency that specializes in branding and digital strategy. Joining her is Junior Publicist Jennifer Lee (entertainment), New York based Junior Publicist Carly Long (hospitality/luxury brands), and Lindsay Luv, a celebrity DJ, influencer and branding agent who will serve as Director of Social Media Management and Digital Brand Partnerships. Los Angeles will serve as a home base for Marque, with a counterpart in New York City.

Kitchen brings with her The Cameron Boyce Foundation, Peter Facinelli (Twilight/Nurse Jackie), Isaiah Mustafa (It: Chapter 2), Maz Jobrani (Netflix’s Immigrant/Superior Donuts), Daniella Monet (Victorious), Jae Suh Park (Friends From College), Jenn Lyon (Claws), Aleks Paunovic (Snowpiercer/Van Helsing), Patrick Gilmore (Travelers), Jennifer Cheon Garcia (Van Helsing/The Wheel of Time) Nathaniel Potvin (The Prom), Susie Abromeit (The Purge/King Richard), Bella Podaras (Netflix’s The Expanding...

Exclusive: Julian Gant (Superior Donuts) is set as a series regular opposite Mayim Bialik in Call Me Kat (fka Carla), the network’s multi-camera straight-to-series comedy, from The Big Bang Theory alums Bialik and Jim Parsons and Warner Bros. TV. Gant also joins Leslie Jordan, Swoosie Kurtz, Kyla Pratt and Cheyenne Jackson in the project based on Miranda Hart’s BBC series Miranda. Additionally, Saturday Night Live alum Beth McCarthy-Miller has been tapped to direct and executive produce.

Written by Darlene Hunt, Call Me Kat centers around Kat (Bialik), a 39-year-old woman who struggles every day against society and her mother Sheila (Kurtz) to prove that you can Not have everything you want — and still be happy. Which is why she spent her life savings to open a Cat Café in Louisville, Ky.

Gant will play Carter, who manages a piano bar, The Middle C, in a trendy area of Louisville.

Exclusive: Darien Sills-Evans (Superior Donuts) and Mike Lane (American Princess) are set as series regulars opposite Jim Jefferies in his NBC comedy pilot Jefferies, from writer-producer Suzanne Martin, Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner’s Hazy Mills and Universal TV.

Written by Jefferies and Martin, Jefferies stars the veteran comedian as a fictionalized version of himself – a comedian with a unique and often controversial take on modern life, relationships and co-parenting with his best friend. In addition to Jefferies, they join previously announced Betsy Brandt.

Jefferies and Martin executive produce with Hayes and Milliner for Hazy Mills, along with Tim Sarkes and Alex Murray for Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

2020 NBC Pilots & Series Orders

Sills-Evans’ credits include the series regular role of James Jordan in CBS’ Superior Donuts. He’s repped by Jc Robbins Management and Artists & Representatives.

Lane’s most recent credits include a recurring role on American Princess. He’s repped by 3 Arts,...

Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy) has been cast as the lead in Rebel, a potential ABC drama series inspired by the life of Brockovich, as reported by our sister site, Deadline.

Created by Krista Vernoff (Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19), Rebel follows Annie “Rebel” Bello, a blue collar legal advocate without a law degree who is “a funny, messy, brilliant and fearless woman who cares desperately about the causes she fights for and the people she loves. When Rebel applies herself to a fight she believes in, she will win at almost any cost,” according to the official logline.

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Katey Sagal has signed on for the title role in Rebel, a drama inspired by the life of activist Erin Brockovich today, which has received a pilot order at ABC. Executive produced by Brockovich, Rebel hails from Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 executive producer/showrunner Krista Vernoff, Davis Entertainment, Sony Pictures TV and ABC Studios.

Sagal had been the most sought after actress at ABC in the early stages of 2020 pilot season. The network had been high on the Sons of Anarchy and Married… with Children alumna since last season when it ordered her comedy starring vehicle Nana to pilot. The project did not go but ABC remained in business with Sagal, tapping her for arcs on Grand Hotel and The Conners. And this month, I hear ABC brass sent Sagal virtually all of their hottest scripts for her to choose from. She picked Rebel.

The Erin Brockovich drama, which had a put pilot commitment,...

CBS has named the creative and writing team that will lead the studio’s actors showcase in 2020, formerly known as the CBS Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase. The event, intended to highlight diverse talent, is attended by senior CBS network execs, showrunners and casting directors on CBS series, as well as talent agents and managers.

Returning to direct Showcase, as it is now known, is Stephen Guarino, an actor-writer-director known for “EastSiders” and “I’m Dying Up Here,” while Tess Paras is joining as associate director. Tien Tran, who has appeared on “Easy” and “Hot Date,” will serve as head writer of the writers’ room of 11. Guarino, Paras and Tran are all Showcase alum.

“Showcase is one of my favorite events and one I look forward to year after year,” said Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i, CBS’ executive vice president of entertainment diversity, inclusion and communications. “I’m excited for the entertainment community to...