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Thanksgiving is a theme long integrated into the world of entertainment. From movies based on the holiday to sitcoms incorporating it into their plots, there are several sitcoms that have made Thanksgiving a staple setting for their heartfelt and comedic moments. From Friends to Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fresh Off the Boat, and many many more have episodes dedicated around the holiday. Yet, none seems to have captured the chaotic essence of the holiday quite like Cheers does.

Cheers | Credit: NBC

Nestled in the heart of Boston, the bar where everybody knows your name was already iconic for its humor, perfect comedic timing, rich characters, and balanced laughter with emotional depth. Yet, the show reached an even higher height when its perfectly made Thanksgiving episode came out. Now, celebrated as one of the most memorable holiday episodes in the history of television, Thanksgiving Orphans remains a classic.

Just like every other episode of the show,...

Do you need a Thanksgiving-themed episode to add to your watch list this holiday? We’ve got seven wholesome, funny, and memorable Thanksgiving episodes for you.

No Thanksgiving holiday is complete without binge watching some of the best Thanksgiving-themed episodes. This is true whether you are searching for Thanksgiving episodes to stream over the long weekend or you need shows to play in the background as the family gathers around the table. But be warned, these episodes are so fun and wholesome, they won’t be “background TV” for long. Your friends and family won’t be able to help but watch and laugh along to them.

Are you ready to add turkey fun and TV sweetness to your holiday? Here’s a quick list, followed by our top three pick!

The Office season 7, episode 9, titled “Wuphf.com” Gossip Girl season 1, episode 9, titled “Blair Waldorf Must Pie!” New Girl season...

Are you a rom-com fan with a taste for something twisted? Peacock has an early Christmas gift for you.

The streamer has released a full trailer for its self-described “f—ked-up rom-com” Laid, which stars Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and premieres Thursday, Dec. 19, with all eight half-hour episodes.

More from TVLineTVLine Items: Connie Britton's Hallmark Series, a Yellowjackets Promotion and MoreThe Traitors' Alan Cumming Previews 'Murderous' Season 3 in First Trailer - Plus, Get Release DateBased on a True Story EP Breaks Down Season 2's Killer Reveal - and the Setup for a Potential Season 3

Hsu stars as Ruby,...

Stephanie Hsu and Zosia Mamet are superheroes of a different sort, and putting the “ex” back in sexy.

The duo lead Peacock series “Laid,” which is billed as a “fucked up rom-com” about a woman (Hsu) whose exes all seem to be dying in unusual ways.

The official synopsis reads: “Ruby (Hsu) finds out her former lovers are dying in unusual ways and must go back through her sex timeline to confront her past in order to move forward, all with help from her best friend Aj (Zosia Mamet).”

Simu Liu, Kate Berlant, Alexandra Shipp, Finneas O’Connell, Andre Hyland, Olivia Holt, David Denman, Chloe Fineman, Ettore “Big E” Ewen, and John Early guest star. Along with Hsu and Mamet, Michael Angarano and Tommy Martinez are series regulars.

Oscar-nominated “Everything Everywhere All at Once” actress Hsu leads the twisted series about what to do if your exes, ranging from “the guys,...

“After eight long years in prison, they finally let me out,” quips Ray Wise in character as Ian Ward, who has returned to The Young and the Restless as public enemy No. 1. “I paid my debt to society and naturally, I would come right back to Genoa City and reestablish my old relationships.” Wise’s return engagement began when the show’s head writer and executive producer, Josh Griffith, reached out several months ago. “He said, ‘Ray, would you be interested in coming back to stir up things?’ And I said, ‘Well, yeah, I’ve been waiting for this to happen for eight long years!’ ” shares Wise. “In the meantime, I did a series called Fresh Off the Boat for ABC, so I wasn’t exactly out of work, but I wanted to come back to Genoa City because I enjoyed myself so much the first time I was there.

In this week's Staff Picks, TV Writer Saloni Gajjar and Film Editor Jacob Oller offer a little light and dark, with recommendations for a new streaming comedy and a chance to participate in Noirvember.

The Pradeeps Of Pittsburgh (Prime Video)

There’s a chance the trailer for Prime Video’s...

The TV production industry continues to rebound after previous union strike delays, although many series with great hopes, continue to disappear after only one season:

ABC

$100,000 Pyramid, The (renewed)

20/20 (renewed)

American Housewife (canceled; five seasons)

American Idol (renewed)

America's Funniest Home Videos (renewed)A Million Little Things (canceled; after Season 5)Bachelor, The (renewed)

Bachelorette, The (renewed)

Bachelor in Paradise (renewed)

Baker and the Beauty (canceled; one season)

Big Sky (renewed)Black-ish (canceled; after Season 8) Bless This Mess (canceled; two seasons)Call Your Mother (canceled; one season)Card SharksCelebrity Family Feud (renewed)

Conners, The (renewed)

Dancing With The Stars (renewed)

Don't (canceled; one season)Emergence (canceled; one season)

For Life (canceled; after Season 2)

Fresh Off The Boat (canceled; six seasons)

Good Doctor, The (canceled; seven seasons) Grand Hotel (canceled; one season)

Goldbergs, The (canceled; ten seasons) Grey's Anatomy (Season 21)

Great Christmas Light Fight (renewed)

Holey Moley (canceled; after Season 4)

How To Get Away With Murder...

What if “It Follows” was a romantic comedy?

That’s something like the premise for the upcoming series “Laid,” which premieres on Peacock this holiday season. The streaming service released a trailer for the sitcom on Wednesday.

“Laid” stars Academy Award nominee Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) as Ruby, who realizes that her former lovers are all mysteriously dying in unusual ways. With the help of her friend Aj (Zosia Mamet), she goes back through her “sex timeline” of exes and past hookups to find out why it’s happening and stop it once and for all. No one has ever been so unlucky in love. “Laid” is described as “a f–-ed up rom-com where the answer to ‘why can’t I find love, is there something wrong with me?’ is a resounding ‘Yes. There is. The problem is definitely you.’”

The series is based on a...

Well, at least Stephanie Hsu wasn’t ghosted…but all of her exes are landing six feet under.

The Oscar-nominated “Everything Everywhere All at Once” actress leads twisted Peacock rom-com series “Laid” about a woman who knows her exes, ranging from “the guys, the girls, the one-night stands, the man she only remembers as ‘Green Day Shirt,’ and John Early” per the logline, are all about to die. And despite ending things, she does feel compelled to warn them…

The official synopsis reads: “Ruby (Hsu) finds out her former lovers are dying in unusual ways and must go back through her sex timeline to confront her past in order to move forward, all with help from her best friend Aj (Zosia Mamet).”

“Joy Ride” star Hsu also executive produces “Laid.” Michael Angarano and Tommy Martinez also star as series regulars, with Finneas O’Connell, Andre Hyland, Olivia Holt, David Denman, Chloe Fineman,...

Nascent UK sales company Rapt Films International has picked up international rights to Ivan Leung and Harrison Xu’s debut feature Extremely Unique Dynamic ahead of the American Film Market (AFM).

The film, described as a “stoner bromantic comedy”, follows two Asian-American best friends who decide to make a movie, and explores the dynamic of their friendship. Leung and Xu also star in the film, alongside Hudson Yang, star of US sitcom Fresh Off The Boat.

Strand Releasing will release theatrically in the US.

Leung and Xu wrote and directed alongside Katherine Dudas, and produced under their Heroic Impact production company with Noel Do-Murakami.

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh is a comedy series created by Vijay Patel. The Prime Video series follows the Pradeeps, an Indian family who move to Pittsburgh, America to start their own business. We see the tumultuous yet humorous events of Pradeeps first two years in America as they are being interrogated for a serious crime that could end in their deportation. The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh stars Naveen Andrews, Sindhu Vee, Sahana Srinivasan, Arjun Sriram, Ashwin Sakthivel, Nicholas Hamilton, Megan Hilty, Ethan Suplee, Pete Holmes, and Romy Rosemont. So, if you loved the entertaining family dynamics, hilarious comedy, and compelling characters in The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Fresh Off the Boat (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – ABC

Fresh Off the Boat is a family comedy series created by Nahnatchka Khan.

If you’ve been on the internet for any length of time since about 2013, you’ve run into the “Florida Man” meme, premised on the idea that, at any given moment, a Florida man is wilding out in a way that’s possibly criminal and definitely irrational. If a man is almost dying getting a lap dance from his housekeeper, snorting coke to hide evidence after fleeing a traffic stop or jogging shirtless in defiance of Hurricane Milton’s imminent landfall, he’s a Florida man. He’s been immortalized in a website, an Instagram feed, a subreddit and quasi-Olympic “Games” where competitors wrestle in muddy water and tussle while holding pitchers of beer. He used to be the subject of a Twitter feed collecting kooky stories, but its curator, Freddie Campion, retired it in 2019. As he told Logan Hill for a piece in the Washington Post that year, Campion shut it down after wondering,...

The TV production industry continues to rebound after previous Covid setbacks and union strike delays, although many series with great hopes, continue to disappear after only one season:

ABC

$100,000 Pyramid, The (renewed)

20/20 (renewed)

American Housewife (canceled; five seasons)

American Idol (renewed)

America's Funniest Home Videos (renewed)A Million Little Things (canceled; after Season 5)Bachelor, The (renewed)

Bachelorette, The (renewed)

Bachelor in Paradise (renewed)

Baker and the Beauty (canceled; one season)

Big Sky (renewed)Black-ish (canceled; after Season 8) Bless This Mess (canceled; two seasons)Call Your Mother (canceled; one season)Card SharksCelebrity Family Feud (renewed)

Conners, The (renewed)

Dancing With The Stars (renewed)

Don't (canceled; one season)Emergence (canceled; one season)

For Life (canceled; after Season 2)

Fresh Off The Boat (canceled; six seasons)

Good Doctor, The (canceled; seven seasons) Grand Hotel (canceled; one season)

Goldbergs, The (canceled; ten seasons) Grey's Anatomy (Season 21)

Great Christmas Light Fight (renewed)

Holey Moley (canceled...

Lionsgate Television has optioned the R.F. Kuang novel “Yellowface” with plans to develop it as a scripted series, Variety has learned exclusively.

Karyn Kusama is onboard to direct and executive produce the potential series. Captivate Entertainment, known for the Jason Bourne film franchise, and Constance Wu and Justine Suzanne Jones of Tempo Wubato Productions are also set to produce, with Ben Smith of Captivate executive producing. Adam Docksey, vice president of development at Captivate, is helping to oversee the project for the company. No writer is currently attached.

The official logline states, “After watching friend and literary rival Athena Liu die in a freak accident, June Hayward steals the only copy of Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, passing off the experimental novel about Chinese laborers during WWI as her own. Newly styled as ‘Juniper Song,’ June rides high until the escalating consequences of her con threaten to crash down around her.

On the heels of Colin From Accounts Season 2 landing Stateside, Harriet Dyer has booked a leading role on CBS Dmv comedy pilot.

Based on author Katherine Heiny’s short story, Dmv is a single-camera workplace comedy set at the place everyone dreads going most. “Our quirky and lovable characters are making minimum wage, doing a thankless job where customers are annoyed before they even walk in the door,” says the official logline. “Good thing they have each other.”

More from TVLineCBS Anchor and Saturday Morning Host Jeff Glor Leaving Amid LayoffsRatings: Matlock Is Most-Watched CBS Launch in 5-1/2 Years, Fox's...

Having premiering on September 22, 2004, “Lost” ended its run on May 23, 2010. “Lost” was often imitated, but the industry’s move away from commercially-driven network oversight and toward creatively-autonomous shorter seasons makes it unlikely that there will be such an epic again, especially with its inception being a last-ditch risk by executives who being pushed out the door. 121 episodes aired on ABC; tour through our 20th anniversary photo gallery of the 25 greatest that still hold up decades later.

Co-creator and co-showrunner Damon Lindelof went on to make two of the most acclaimed and inventive shows of the next decade, with “The Leftovers” (28 episodes across three seasons) and “Watchmen” (a single season of nine episodes). Co-showrunner Carlton Cuse spawned a media empire as a prolific producer of successful shows like “Bates Motel” and “Jack Ryan.” Co-creator J.J. Abrams has rebooted film franchises like “Star Trek” and “Star Wars.”

“Lost” was revolutionary in some...

Kale Culley, best known for his portrayal of August Walker on The CW’s Jared Padalecki-led Walker series, has signed with Lbi Entertainment for expanded representation.

The Texas actor played the son of Cordell Walker (Padalecki) over four seasons. As a child actor, Culley’s first gig was in 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain, the sports thriller that starred Josh Hartnett and Mira Sorvino.

That was followed by roles in the CBS family drama Me, Myself and I and working alongside director Matthew Weiner and Diane Lane in Amazon’s The Romanoffs. He also portrayed Little Will in Peel, opposite Emile Hirsch.

Culley’s other TV credits include guest roles on NCIS, Black-ish, Sydney to the Max and Fresh Off the Boat. New to the series regular game, Culley played August Walker until CW cancelled the series.

A reworking of the 1990s series Walker, Texas Ranger, which starred...

When Imagine Documentaries president Sara Bernstein pitched New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams on making a film about her career, even the veteran journalist didn’t understand why Bernstein was interested. “What do you want to make a doc about me for?” Adams asked the “Jim Henson: Idea Man” producer. “Everybody has a documentary. My dentist has a documentary!”

Good line — and she must have a great dentist.

An incomplete list of this year’s celebrity docs includes Simone Biles, Celine Dion, Steve Martin, Roger Federer, Stevie van Zandt, Brian Eno, Frida Kahlo, Devo, Christopher Reeve, Sue Bird, Andrea Bocelli, Elton John, Martha Stewart, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Paul Anka, Pharrell Williams, and Bruce Springsteen.

The appetite seems nearly endless, but producers say it’s increasingly difficult to find famous people whose lives haven’t flashed before our eyes. Said Bernstein, “The challenge today is, who hasn’t had a documentary?...

North American distribution rights to Mena Suvari-starring zombie horror-comedy film “All You Need Is Blood,” have been picked up by Level 33 Entertainment.

The company is planning to launch the film on the Kino Studio app on Oct. 12. Following the Kino premiere, the film will be available across all customary VOD outlets.

The film had its world premiere at last year’s Sitges Film Festival and has been a hit on the genre festival circuit ever since, including winning the Fangoria Award at Make Believe Seattle.

“All You Need Is Blood” is the debut feature of writer/director Bucky Le Boeuf. The story involves Bucky, a 16-year-old aspiring director who dreams of becoming the next arthouse auteur sensation. After a strange meteor crash lands in his backyard and turns his deadbeat father into a brain-eating zombie, Bucky and his friends seize the opportunity to create the ultimate horror flick,...

Even at the height of its power, which was built (in part) on a series of sexual how-to guides and the second-hand credibility of an HBO documentary series, Vice wasn’t big on teaching people anything they didn’t already know. No, Vice was all about access. It was all about telling stories from the inside out, irrespective of journalistic ethics or integrity, in order to seduce the internet generation with the truth of a world too fluid and fucked up for the New York Times to understand.

That truth was typically facile and/or exaggerated, but the illusion of extreme reporting played to the strengths of a brand that had always profited from selling freaks to squares, and supercharging that brand with the strength of traditional media turned it into an empire once valued at six billion dollars. I mean, it’s not like CNN could have — or would...

The title of Eddie Huang’s new documentary says it all: “Vice Is Broke.” The media company that defined counterculture sensibilities filed for bankruptcy in 2023. And Huang — the multitalented author, on-camera personality, and documentarian — began his new film with a grievance.

First, Huang says in an interview, he had a personal falling-out with controversial Vice executive Shane Smith, the face of the brand and the mastermind of the company’s scaling-up beyond what was sustainable. (Huang declines to go into the nature of the offense.) Then, he noticed that he was owed money for his on-camera work for Vice, including the TV series “Huang’s World,” in which he traveled and experienced other cultures in the style of his role model and late friend, Anthony Bourdain.

“I had been asking for an accounting since 2018,” Huang says. “They kicked the can down the road and never paid me my residuals. The bankruptcy...

The TV production industry continues to rebound after previous Covid setbacks and union strike delays, although many series with great hopes, continue to disappear after only one season:

ABC

$100,000 Pyramid, The (renewed)

20/20 (renewed)

American Housewife (canceled; five seasons)

American Idol (renewed)

America's Funniest Home Videos (renewed)A Million Little Things (canceled; after Season 5)Bachelor, The (renewed)

Bachelorette, The (renewed)

Bachelor in Paradise (renewed)

Baker and the Beauty (canceled; one season)

Big Sky (renewed)Black-ish (canceled; after Season 8) Bless This Mess (canceled; two seasons)Call Your Mother (canceled; one season)Card SharksCelebrity Family Feud (renewed)

Conners, The (renewed)

Dancing With The Stars (renewed)

Don't (canceled; one season)Emergence (canceled; one season)

For Life (canceled; after Season 2)

Fresh Off The Boat (canceled; six seasons)

Good Doctor, The (canceled; seven seasons) Grand Hotel (canceled; one season)

Goldbergs, The (canceled; ten seasons) Grey's Anatomy (Season 21)

Great Christmas Light Fight (renewed)

Holey Moley (canceled...

Sitcoms have been around for nearly as long as television itself. As television sets became the most beloved household item entering the 1950s, viewers embraced the intimacy of bringing visual media into their homes. As more and more people tuned in, networks needed content to air, and the rise of comedy coincided perfectly. The term sitcom (or situational comedy) was coined in 1944 and by the early 1950s the sitcom was dominating the prime-time circuit. The genre began flourishing decades ago, yet it still remains among the most popular genres today. So, how did the sitcom achieve this incredible feat?

Varying Situations, Constant Comedy The evidence that the sitcom would be here to stay comes from the name itself. The situational comedy lends itself perfectly to being constantly edited and adapted to modern times and audiences. It’s a simple format - a group of regular, recurring characters are placed in a humorous situation.

Exclusive: Jaeden Martell (Y2K) and Luna Blaise (Jurassic World Rebirth) are set as the young leads for Dirty Finger Nails, a gritty parable set on New York City’s Lower East Side, which marks the feature debut of 28-year-old writer-director Kevin Lombardo.

Shooting in NYC in October, the indie sees lives of three young guys, a homeless man, two cops, a cleaning lady and two best friends become intertwined by means of a mysterious chair. Touching on themes of morality, temptation, and consequence, the film challenges the audience to confront their own ethical and moral dilemmas in a world where we all crave certainty.

Keith William Richards (Uncut Gems), Luca Fersko, Dwyer Hall and Jabari Yusuf co-star. Shoichi Murphey and Toby Bird are producing for Harapeko Productions, in close collaboration with exec producers Tina Baione and Matt Baione from Keep Good Company LLC, with assistance from associate producers Antoine Laurient and Kevin Wang.

The Off Broadway world premiere of the new Robert O’Hara play Shit. Meet. Fan. will feature a cast headed by Garret Dillahunt, Billy Magnussen and Debra Messing, McC Theater announced today.

The play, which will also star Tramell Tillman and Constance Wu, begins previews Thursday October 10, at McC Theater’s Newman Mills Theater, with an opening night on Monday October 28. The limited engagement runs through Sunday November 17.

O’Hara will direct his play, which is based on Paolo Genovese’s 2016 Italian comedy-drama Perfect Strangers. The movie holds the Guinness record for most remade film in cinema history, with more than 24 remakes in different languages.

Also in the cast will be Genevieve Hannelius, most recently seen in the Netflix original film Along for the Ride and the Netflix original series American Vandal. She is perhaps best known for starring on the three-time Emmy-nominated Disney Channel series Dog with a Blog.

Additional casting will be announced shortly.

Exclusive: Tasha Smith (Bad Boys: Ride or Die), Chris Perfetti (Abbott Elementary), Francois Arnaud (Yellowjackets), Susan Park (Shining Vale) and Cree (Turtles All the Way Down) are the newest additions to the cast of Twinless, the dark comedy that James Sweeney wrote and is directing for Republic Pictures.

Details as to the newcomers’ roles are under wraps. As previously announced, Dylan O’Brien, Aisling Franciosi, Lauren Graham and Sweeney will also star in the film, which follows two young men who strike up an unlikely bromance after meeting in a twin bereavement support group.

David Permut and Sweeney are producing, with O’Brien and Miky Lee serving exec producing. Three Point Capital is financing the pic with Ali Jazayeri, David Gendron and Liz Destro also serving as executive producers. Alex Astrachan, Director of Development at Permut Presentations, is co-producer. Casting Director is Jessica Munks. Republic Pictures has worldwide rights to the film.

The TV production industry continues to rebound after previous Covid setbacks and union strike delays, although many series with great hopes, continue to disappear after only one season:

ABC

$100,000 Pyramid, The (renewed)

20/20 (renewed)

American Housewife (canceled; five seasons)

American Idol (renewed)

America's Funniest Home Videos (renewed)A Million Little Things (canceled; after Season 5)Bachelor, The (renewed)

Bachelorette, The (renewed)

Bachelor in Paradise (renewed)

Baker and the Beauty (canceled; one season)

Big Sky (renewed)Black-ish (canceled; after Season 8) Bless This Mess (canceled; two seasons)Call Your Mother (canceled; one season)Card SharksCelebrity Family Feud (renewed)

Conners, The (renewed)

Dancing With The Stars (renewed)

Don't (canceled; one season)Emergence (canceled; one season)

For Life (canceled; after Season 2)

Fresh Off The Boat (canceled; six seasons)

Good Doctor, The (canceled; seven seasons) Grand Hotel (canceled; one season)

Goldbergs, The (canceled; ten seasons) Grey's Anatomy (Season 21)

Great Christmas Light Fight (renewed)

Holey Moley (canceled...

Exclusive: After partnering with Live Nation on one of the largest comedy tours in 20+ years, comedian Matt Rife is expanding his relationship with the company with a second world tour, as well as a new feature project.

Rife will be among the leads of Rolling Loud, an R-rated comedy co-produced by Live Nation Productions, which will film at the hip-hop festival of the same name this winter, as its 10th edition takes place in Miami from December 13-15. The deal reflects Rife’s longtime drive to bolster his acting career amid his busy touring schedule. It’s the second high-profile project he’s taken on recently, on the heels of a gym-set workplace comedy currently in development, which he’ll write and star in for Netflix, as we told you first.

Rolling Loud is inspired by the true story of an overprotective father who makes the worst parenting decision of...

The Toronto Intl. Film Festivals folks are slowly coming to the end of their selection announcements (we are still expecting them to announce some heavyweight last-minute entries) and in today’s batch it was Thom Powers’ turn to drop the Docs Programme. We have a good mix of world premieres and some film fest musts in the twenty-one films selected and if we had to cherry-pick a trio of world premiere musts we ‘d point to the films by Eddie Huang, Steve Pink and the Jen Gatien and Billy Corben tandem.

Huang known for ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, will open the section with Vice is Broke — which chronicles the events leading up to Shane Smith‘s Vice Media, a once scrappy media player valued at $5.7 billion, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023, paving the way for the company’s sale.…...

Eddie Huang, creator of ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat comedy, is set to open the Toronto Film Festival’s TIFF Docs sidebar with a world premiere for Vice is Broke, a documentary about the rise and fall of Vice Media.

Huang will chronicle events leading up to Shane Smith’s Vice Media, a scrappy media player once valued at $5.7 billion, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023 to open the way for a sale of the company.

There’s also world bows in Toronto’s documentary strand for Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story, directed by Sinéad O’Shea, who did hours of interviews with the legendary Irish novelist in the last year of O’Brien’s life; Jen Gaiten and Screwball doc maker Billy Corben bringing Men of War, about a former U.S. Green Beret caught up in a failed 2020 coup to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro; and...

Ex-gop Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a prominent critic of Donald Trump, will get a major platform at the Toronto International Film Festival just weeks before the U.S. presidential election.

TIFF announced its full documentary lineup this morning and among the standouts is The Last Republican, about Kinzinger’s vigorous repudiation of the former president after the January 6 insurrection. It’s a world premiere at TIFF, directed by Steve Pink – best known for the comedy Hot Tub Time Machine.

“That’s probably not a director you expect to see in TIFF docs,” admits Thom Powers, the festival’s chief documentary programmer. “Kinzinger served on the January 6th Congressional Committee alongside Liz Cheney, chose not to run again as a congressman because he could see the political writing on the wall. But he chooses to give access to a Hollywood left winger in Steve Pink to tell his story. And why does...

The TV production industry continues to rebound after previous Covid setbacks and union strike delays, although many series with great hopes, continue to disappear after only one season:

ABC

$100,000 Pyramid, The (renewed)

20/20 (renewed)

American Housewife (canceled; five seasons)

American Idol (renewed)

America's Funniest Home Videos (renewed)A Million Little Things (canceled; after Season 5)Bachelor, The (renewed)

Bachelorette, The (renewed)

Bachelor in Paradise (renewed)

Baker and the Beauty (canceled; one season)

Big Sky (renewed)Black-ish (canceled; after Season 8) Bless This Mess (canceled; two seasons)Call Your Mother (canceled; one season)Card SharksCelebrity Family Feud (renewed)

Conners, The (renewed)

Dancing With The Stars (renewed)

Don't (canceled; one season)Emergence (canceled; one season)

For Life (canceled; after Season 2)

Fresh Off The Boat (canceled; six seasons)

Good Doctor, The (canceled; seven seasons) Grand Hotel (canceled; one season)

Goldbergs, The (canceled; ten seasons) Grey's Anatomy (Season 21)

Great Christmas Light Fight (renewed)

Holey Moley (canceled...

Level 33 Entertainment has secured North American distribution rights to “The Shade,” a supernatural horror film starring Chris Galust and Tony Award-winner Laura Benanti.

The indie thriller is set for a theatrical release on several hundred screens across the U.S. and Canada this fall, followed by a digital platform rollout.

“The Shade” marks the feature directorial debut of Tyler Chipman, who also wrote the script. David Purdy produced the film for Red King Cinema.

The film explores themes of mental health, family dynamics and generational trauma. It follows Ryan Beckman (Galust), a 20-year-old grappling with his father’s recent death. As Ryan struggles to support his mother Renee (Benanti) and younger brother James (Sam Duncan), an ominous presence begins to haunt his older brother Jason (Dylan McTee), a college athlete who has unexpectedly returned home.

The distribution deal was negotiated by Purdy for the filmmakers and Andreas Olavarria, president...

Exclusive: Stephen Oyoung (Twisters) is the newest addition to the cast of the eighth Mission: Impossible film from Paramount Pictures and Skydance, Deadline can exclusively reveal.

Details as to the plot of the latest spy actioner in the series remain under wraps, as does Oyoung’s role. But the film follows up Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, which grossed over $567Mm worldwide last summer and landed a pair of Oscar nominations for Best Sound and Visual Effects.

The Mission: Impossible films center on Cruise’s Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt, who with his team, has embarked on assorted globe-trotting missions to avert global disaster. In addition to Cruise, returning cast will include Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Vanessa Kirby, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell and Frederick Schmidt. Others making their Mission: Impossible debut in the eighth installment include Holt McCallany,...

The Oaks cul-de-sac in Holidazed on Hallmark+ [Image Hallmark Channel on YouTube]

Hallmark Media has announced a new, original limited series, Holidazed, set to air during the holiday season exclusively on Hallmark+.

The fun series features six diverse families living in one cul-de-sac and their varying holiday traditions. As in real life, not everything is perfect during the holidays as each family faces its own challenges. Read on to find out more about Holidazed and its fan-favorite cast members.

Hallmark+ to release new limited series Holidazed Six families living in the same cul-de-sac celebrate the holidays in Holidazed on Hallmark+[Image Hallmark Channel on YouTube]

As the undisputed leader in holiday content, Hallmark Media keeps growing its offerings. The latest is a new limited series Holidazed, starring a fan-favorite cast. The eight-episode limited series is set to air on Hallmark+ during the holidays and features the humor, love and family feelings between six families,...

Speakers including Fresh Off The Boat’s Hudson Yang, Beach House Pictures’ Donovan Chan and Joonsuh Park from Korean drama producer Jtbc-sll are among the speakers confirmed for the second edition of the East By Northwest (Exnw) Summit in Vancouver (July 26-28).

Organized by Canada’s Racial Equity Screen Office (Reso) in association with Gold House, the event is designed to foster business and creative ties between the content industries in Canada and East Asia.

Exnw organizers said the event would also address wider issues in the Canadian screen industry, including policy reform, education, financing, distribution and talent development. They also noted that initiatives by the Canadian industry to promote Indigenous storytelling, diversity and digital innovation “are gaining momentum”.

The panel line-up includes a session on co-production and global audiences, with speakers including Jtbc-sll’s Joonsuh Park, former Amazon and Netflix Asia content exec Erika North, Third Culture Content’s...

Exclusive: The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment reveals the inaugural class for its latest program, the Cape Showrunners Incubator, powered by Starz #TakeTheLead.

They are Kiel McNaughton, Chris Bessounian, Johanna Lee, Aaron Ho, Oanh Ly, Tianna Majumdar-Langham, Lauren Moon and Kyle Lau.

Building on more than a decade with the Cape New Writers Fellowship for emerging TV writers, the Showrunners Incubator focuses on the other end of the TV writing spectrum. Asian and Pacific Islander TV writers on the brink of showrunning are offered the opportunity to receive exclusive mentorship and real-world training and education.

Among the mentors, speakers and contributors participating are Albert Cheng, VP, Head of Prime Video U.S.; Alex Tse, showrunner, Wu-Tang: An American Saga; Jessica Gao, head writer, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law; Dana Ledoux Miller, co-showrunner, Thai Cave Rescue; Monica Macer, showrunner, Macgyver and Gentefied; Christian Bustamante, casting director, The Accidental Getaway Driver; and Talha Asad,...

“Extremely Unique Dynamic,” a comedy drama film that plays at the Frameline Festival in San Francisco, is set for release later this year in North America.

North American rights to the picture were acquired by distributor Strand Releasing, which says it plans a late fall theatrical release.

The U.S.-produced film chronicles “two best friends who test the limits of their relationship while making a triple-meta movie.” It had its debut in March at the Sonoma International Film Festival and followed that with appearance at Inside Out and CAAMFest.

The film is directed by Ivan Leung and Harrison Xu and stars Leung (“The Tender Bar”), Xu (“Last Summer of Nathan Lee”), Hudson Yang (“Fresh Off the Boat”) and Nathan Dean (“Ginormo”). Cinematography is by Steven Shulgach, editing by Michael Scotti Jr., sound design by Nikola Simikic and the original score by Ian Mackley.

The film was produced by Leung...

Josh Gad is attached to produce and star in a Spaceballs sequel in early development at Amazon MGM Studios, which Mel Brooks will also produce, Deadline can confirm.

Amazon declined to comment.

Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) will direct from Gad’s script written with Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez (Detective Pikachu). Details as to the plot are under wraps. Kevin Salter will serve as executive producer on the project.

Directed by Brooks, the original Spaceballs was a send-up of the sci-fi genre released by MGM in 1987. The film’s plot revolves around the evil Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) and President Skroob (Brooks), who attempt to steal the atmosphere of the peaceful planet Druidia, only to be thwarted by the hero Lone Starr (Bill Pullman), his sidekick Barf (John Candy), and the Druish princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga).

Others in the cast included Joan Rivers and Dick Van Patten.

The TV production industry continues to rebound after previous Covid setbacks and union strike delays, although many series with great hopes, continue to disappear after only one season:

ABC

$100,000 Pyramid, The (renewed)

20/20 (renewed)

American Housewife (canceled; five seasons)

American Idol (renewed)

America's Funniest Home Videos (renewed)A Million Little Things (canceled; after Season 5)Bachelor, The (renewed)

Bachelorette, The (renewed)

Bachelor in Paradise (renewed)

Baker and the Beauty (canceled; one season)

Big Sky (renewed)Black-ish (canceled; after Season 8) Bless This Mess (canceled; two seasons)Call Your Mother (canceled; one season)Card SharksCelebrity Family Feud (renewed)

Conners, The (renewed)

Dancing With The Stars (renewed)

Don't (canceled; one season)Emergence (canceled; one season)

For Life (canceled; after Season 2)

Fresh Off The Boat (canceled; six seasons)

Good Doctor, The (canceled; seven seasons) Grand Hotel (canceled; one season)

Goldbergs, The (canceled; ten seasons) Grey's Anatomy (Season 21)

Great Christmas Light Fight (renewed)

Holey Moley (canceled...

The Jurassic Park / Jurassic World franchise is continuing – and it’s doing so without any of the leads from the previous movies. The new film in the series is aiming for a July 2, 2025 theatrical release, and when it reaches the screen, it will be introducing us to a new batch of characters. Those played by Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern are out, as are the ones played by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. So far, we’ve heard that the new Jurassic World movie is set to star Mahershala Ali (Green Book), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), Rupert Friend (Anatomy of a Scandal), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer), and a bunch of hungry dinosaurs. Now Deadline reveals that the cast is being rounded out with the addition of Luna Blaise.

Blaise is best known for playing Olive Stone on 62 episodes of the TV series Manifest.

Exclusive: Luna Blaise is set to round out cast of Universal and Amblin Entertainment’s new Jurassic World movie. Scarlett Johansson, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey and Rupert Friend are also set to star. Gareth Edwards will direct.

The studio recently dated the pic to bow on July 2, 2025 and moved fast to find a director in Edwards. The new movie will be a fresh take, with Jurassic World cast members Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard not expected to return, and neither will original trilogy’s stars Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern and Sam Neill. David Koepp penned the new script.

The film will be will be executive produced by Steven Spielberg through Amblin, and Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley through Kennedy-Marshall. EVP Production Development Sara Scott and Creative Executive of Production Development Jacqueline Garell will oversee for the studio.

Spielberg’s groundbreaking Jurassic Park redefined the summer blockbuster when...

8 Comedy Shows To Watch If You Loved Young Sheldon (Photo Credit – IMDb)

Though several TV series have featured intelligent children, not many have attained the same caliber as Young Sheldon. Young Sheldon, which debuted in 2017 on CBS, was a prequel to the hugely successful sitcom Big Bang Theory, focusing on the early years of Sheldon Cooper. It gave fans an explanation for why Sheldon evolved into the character he would play on Tbbt while also battling to maintain his continuity.

Even if the finale of Young Sheldon may have made many people nostalgic, there are still a lot of family comedy shows that have the same happy-go-lucky atmosphere. Nothing could quite take the place of Young Sheldon, but viewers will love these wholesome and endearing programs, from Modern Family to Atypical, which will take place in viewers’ hearts that The Big Bang Theory spin-off is leaving.

1. ‘Fuller House’

A sequel to the show Full House,...

On Wednesday May 29, CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King talks to actor and author Constance Wu about her memoir Making a Scene. Wu, known for her roles in Crazy Rich Asians and Fresh Off the Boat, writes about her childhood, young love, and sexual assault and harassment. She also discusses her experiences of being Asian […]

CBS Mornings: Constance Wu, Family of Nicole Brown Simpson...

Exclusive: Paramount has rounded out the cast for its untitled Naked Gun reboot with four additions: Liza Koshy (Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts), current WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes, Cch Pounder (Rustin) and Busta Rhymes.

No word on the roles they’re playing, but we’re told Rhodes will only be making a cameo. As previously announced, Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand and Danny Huston will also star. Neeson plays Detective Frank Drebin, with Hauser as his partner Ed. Roles for Anderson and Huston haven’t yet emerged, though it’s understood that Durand will be playing the film’s villain.

Akiva Schaffer is directing and exec producing the comedy, slated for release on July 18, 2025. Dan Gregor and Doug Mand wrote the draft script along with Schaffer. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing via Fuzzy Door, with Daniel M. Stillman also serving as EP.

Known...

Exclusive: 5X Media, an international production studio, talent management and TV/film sales company, announced the signings of actor-writer-director Makrand Deshpande (Monkey Man), and actor, TikTok and social media influencer Rami Zeinn.

Deshpande, who most recently co-starred in Monkey Paw production, and Dev Patel’s directorial debut film, Monkey Man. Over his nearly four-decade career in Indian cinema and theater as an actor, writer and director, he has built a massive body of work. After working across six languages, Monkey Man marks his English-language debut.

Zeinn, 23, a social media star sharing his unique take on style, food and comedy, has turned his focus to his onscreen endeavors. The Missouri native, raised in Virginia and Dubai, studied acting at Pace University and established himself as an actor/influencer while living in New York before moving to Los Angeles, where he is ready to grow his brand in Hollywood and apply his talent to the performing arts.

The TV production industry continues moving along after previous Covid setbacks and union strike delays, although many series with great hopes, continue to disappear after only one season:

ABC

$100,000 Pyramid, The (renewed)

20/20 (renewed)

American Housewife (canceled; five seasons)

American Idol (renewed)

America's Funniest Home Videos (renewed)A Million Little Things (canceled; after Season 5)Bachelor, The (renewed)

Bachelorette, The (renewed)

Bachelor in Paradise (renewed)

Baker and the Beauty (canceled; one season)

Big Sky (renewed)Black-ish (canceled; after Season 8) Bless This Mess (canceled; two seasons)Call Your Mother (canceled; one season)Card SharksCelebrity Family Feud (renewed)

Conners, The (renewed)

Dancing With The Stars (renewed)

Don't (canceled; one season)Emergence (canceled; one season)

For Life (canceled; after Season 2)

Fresh Off The Boat (canceled; six seasons)

Good Doctor, The (renewed)

Grand Hotel (canceled; one season)

Goldbergs, The (renewed)

Grey's Anatomy (Season 18)

Great Christmas Light Fight (renewed)

Holey Moley (canceled; after Season 4)

How To Get Away With Murder...

A new study from McKinsey & Co. and non-profit organization Gold House found that while Asian and Pacific Islander representation in the entertainment industry has made significant gains over the past several decades, most Api consumers do not perceive Api representation in film and television as authentic or reflecting their own stories.

The report states that accurate Api representation in media could potentially lead to an additional $2 to $4.4 billion increase in industry revenues, as half of Api consumers would be willing to spend more money and time on films and television shows that more authentically represent their experiences.

Despite the abundance of content from the U.S. and abroad featuring Api characters and storylines, more than two-thirds of Api consumers are dissatisfied with the authenticity of their representation on screen; less than 30% feel properly represented in film and television. Additionally, projects focused on Api characters and storylines are less likely to...

“East Bay,” a dark comedy film starring “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Crazy Rich Asians” star Constance Wu, has been picked up for North American distribution and world sales by Level 33 Entertainment.

The film won the audience award last year at the Cinequest Film and Creativity festival in San Jose. Level 33 plans to release it next month in North American theaters, ahead of a later digital outing.

Wu portrays the close friend of a man who feels he has let down his immigrant parents and, after a string of personal and professional humiliations, is forced to accept that he is a failure. His friends, an arts administrator, a guru and computer programmers, each have issues of their own and struggle with pressure to be happy and successful. As the man tries to get back on track, he has hallucinations that make him question reality.

“East Bay” is written directed and produced by Daniel Yoon,...

Exclusive: UTA has signed comedian Matt Rife for representation in all areas, with an eye toward expanding his opportunities in film and TV and beyond.

Currently on his “ProbleMATTic World Tour” — one of the largest comedy tours in over 20 years, which sold over 600,000 tickets in under 48 hours — Rife has recently exploded to become one of the biggest comedians in the world through his top-performing Netflix special and remarkable engagement on social media, where he has amassed over 18 million followers, and more than two billion views globally.

Recently selling out four shows at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Rife is set to return to Los Angeles on May 8, when he’ll become the youngest comic ever to headline the Hollywood Bowl.

From a small town near Columbus Ohio, Rife started performing at the age of 15 and moved to Los Angeles two years later in pursuit of a career in Hollywood. Self-releasing his first one-hour special,...