Bert Kreischer to lead Netflix comedy series Free Bert / Marge Simpson is very much alive / Pitch Perfect: K-Pop Idols is in the works
PLUS: Lalo Schifrin dies: The acclaimed composer of the theme songs for Mission: Impossible, Mannix and Starsky & Hutch was 93.
Bert Kreischer to lead Netflix comedy series Free Bert
The perpetually shirtless comedian will play a version of himself in the six-episode Free Bert, "which finds Bert in a sticky situation after his daughters enroll in an elite Beverly Hills private school and his ‘unbridled antics turn his family into outcasts,’ according to Variety. "In order to fit in, Bert decides to finally put on a shirt (both literally and metaphorically, we presume) and suppress his true self." Kreischer will star alongside The Righteous Gemstones vet Arden Myrin and newcomer Lilou Lang. Kreischer co-created Free Bert with Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogul. Since 2018, Kreischer has starred in four specials for Netflix, including Lucky released in March.
Lalo Schifrin dies: The acclaimed composer of the theme songs for Mission: Impossible, Mannix and Starsky & Hutch was 93
Schifrin, who died today of complications from pneumonia, was responsible for some of the most memorable scores in movie history, from Dirty Harry to Cool Hand Luke to Bullitt, earning six Oscar nominations and an honorary Oscar that was presented to him by Clint Eastwood in 2018. Schifrin was also prolific in TV, composing the theme songs and scores for Mannix, Medical Center, Starsky & Hutch and, most famously, Mission: Impossible. “The Mission: Impossible theme earned him two of his five Grammy Awards and three of his four Emmy nominations, and brought him lasting fame, not only for the 1960s TV series but for its use throughout the eight Tom Cruise Mission films that began in 1996,” Jon Burlingame writes in Schifrin’s Variety obituary. “Asked about that theme, written for Bruce Geller’s widely praised 1966-73 spy series starring Peter Graves, Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, Schifrin once said ‘I wanted a little humor, lightness, a theme that wouldn’t take itself too seriously,’ although he chose an unusual time signature because ‘there is something unpredictable about 5/4.’” Schifrin also wrote the themes for Most Wanted and Petrocelli. “His work cannot be easily labeled. Is what he creates jazz?" said Kathy Bates in honoring Schifrin with the honorary Oscar in 2018. "Is it classical, contemporary, popular? The answer is yes, it is all of those things. Lalo is a true Renaissance man: a performer at the piano, a painter with notes, a conductor and composer who has scored some of the most memorable films of the past half-century.”
The Simpsons boss: Marge Simpson is very much alive — her future death depicted in the Season 36 finale is not canon
That’s because, after 790 episodes, “there is no canon,” showrunner Matt Selman tells Variety. “The Simpsons doesn’t even have canon!” For some reason, Marge's death in a flash-forward 35 years in the future in the May 18 season finale made headlines on Wednesday. “Obviously since the The Simpsons future episodes are all speculative fantasies, they’re all different every time,” Selman said. “Marge will probably never be dead ever again. The only place Marge is dead is in one future episode that aired six weeks ago.”
Pitch Perfect: K-Pop Idols is in the works from Joel Kim Booster and Elizabeth Banks
Booster wrote the potential comedy series, which “follows a struggling singer-songwriter whose life completely turns upside down when she finds herself auditioning to be a part of the first all-American K-pop group.” Banks and Max Handelman, producers of the Pitch Perfect film franchise, will serve as executive producers. Pitch Perfect: K-Pop Idols doesn’t yet have a network or streaming home.
Leo Woodall joins Rachel Weisz, playing the title role in Netflix's Vladimir limited series
The Prime Target, One Day and The White Lotus alum will co-star with Weisz on the eight-episode series based in the Julia May Jonas novel of the same name. “As a woman’s (Weisz) life unravels, she becomes obsessed with her captivating new colleague (Woodall)," reads the official description. "Full of sexy secrets, dark humor and complex characters, Vladimir is about what happens when a woman goes hell-bent to turn her fantasies into reality.” Vladimir marks Woodall's second Netflix series based on a book, after One Day.
HGTV bloodbath: Four shows have been canceled in recent days
Jonathan Knight's Farmhouse Fixer, Mike Jackson and Egypt Sherrod's Married to Real Estate, Izzy Battres' Izzy Does It and the Detroit-based Bargain Block have been given the axe in the past week, angering HGTV fans. It’s not all bad news at HGTV, which has renewed Renovation Resort Showdown for Season 2.
Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O'Brien have been invited to become members of the Academy
The two most recent Oscar hosts are among 538 receiving invitations to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which will allow them to vote as part of the Oscars process.
Harvey Guillén and Brenda Song will announce this year's Primetime Emmy nominees
The What We Do in the Shadows alum and Running Point star will announce the major Emmy nominations on Tuesday, July 15 at 8:30 a.m. PT/11:30 a.m. ET from the Television Academy headquarters.
Food Network revamps SuperChef Grudge Match with new host Laila Ali replacing Darnell Ferguson following his domestic violence plea deal
The Food Network reality competition will return for Season 3 in August as Chef Grudge Match. Ferguson, who was arrested in January and who pleaded guilty to assaulting his estranged wife in May, is out and Ali is in. Here's the description for Chef Grudge Match: "Boxing champion Laila Ali is stepping into the ring once again, this time to host Food Network’s Chef Grudge Match, a single round, winner-take-all culinary battle where elite chefs come to settle long standing disputes and bitter rivalries. From employees who have been wronged by their boss to restaurateurs defending their livelihoods from copycats, competing culinary pros put their favorite knives, and egos, on the line in a bid to put old scores to bed. Each episode features two head-to-head battles where resident judge Jet Tila welcomes a guest judge to help determine who walks out with $10,000 cash, the losing chef’s most coveted knife and bragging rights for life.”
Bill Camp board's Apple TV+'s series based on Lars Kepler’s Joona Linna books
Camp joins previously announced cast members Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, and Stephen Graham in the drama project, which was first reported to be in development in 2023 and officially picked up in May for 10 episodes.
Jake Paul tells Piers Morgan "I don’t give a f*ck about your show, dumba**" before walking off Piers Morgan Uncensored
Paul also fat-shamed Morgan in an interview promoting his boxing match against Julio César Chávez Jr. this Saturday.
Lola Petticrew and Scoot McNairy join Hulu's untitled 1987 Black Widow movie-inspired series from Liz Meriwether
They join the previously announced star Emmy Rossum, who will play an FBI Agent who uses the secrets from a female serial killer’s past to try and find her, in the series loosely inspired by the 1987 movie Black Widow.
Game of Thrones alum Alfie Allen to star in Paramount+'s Baby Doll
Allen and Jill Halfpenny will lead the limited thriller series, based on the novel by Hollie Overton, described as a “gripping exploration of trauma, resilience, sisterhood, and the high cost of reclaiming one’s life.”
Blanks, a comedy about a man's biological clock running out, is in the works at CBS
The single-camera comedy created by comedian Aaron Karo and executive producer e Wilmer Valderrama "follows a serial dater whose life is turned upside down when he learns his biological clock is running out, just as he meets the woman of his dreams, who isn’t ready to settle down yet," per Deadline.
Adam Arkin joins the Jon Hamm-led MGM+ thriller anthology series American Hostage as director and executive producer
"Created by Shawn Ryan (The Night Agent) and Eileen Myers (Big Love), American Hostage is a psychological thriller set in the 1970s that tells the harrowing true story of Fred Heckman (Hamm), a beloved Indianapolis radio reporter who is thrust into the middle of a life-or-death crisis when hostage-taker Tony Kiritsis demands to be interviewed on his popular radio news program," per Deadline. American Hostage is based on the podcast of the same name.
Aisha Tyler breaks down her pivotal Criminal Minds: Evolution episode
Tyler says of showrunner Erica Messer giving her a head's up about this week's episode: "It very close to the beginning of the season. She said, 'We have an episode coming up called "Tara,"' which, you know, you feel a bit trepidatious about that. But ever since we’ve been on Paramount+, they’ve done a very elegant job servicing all the different characters and their backstories and experiences."
CBS leads Night 1 of the News & Documentary Emmys with five wins
ABC News also emerged as a big winner with the top live news program Emmy for World News Tonight with David Muir for the third year in a row.
Reacher replaces Jay Baruchel with Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette in a Season 4 recasting
Barry alum Rodriguez-Marquette will play a small-town policeman after Baruchel had to exit his recently announced role to attend to a personal matter.
Hacks co-Creators Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs ink a new deal with Warner Bros. TV and HBO Max
Under the exclusive new multiyear pact, Aniello and Downs will develop and produce new television projects through their Paulilu Productions. Aniello and Downs co-created Hacks with Jen Statsky, who also serves as a co-showrunner.
50 of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show episodes not seen since their original broadcast are headed to his FAST channel
Shout! Studios' Johnny Carson TV will bring the total number of streaming episodes to 471, according to Vulture's Josef Adalian, who adds: "In addition to interviews with a slew of famous celebrities, from Lucille Ball and Gilda Radner to Mel Brooks and Muhammad Ali, several of the episodes being added will also include their original musical performances — a rarity with classic talk and variety shows on streaming or even linear TV." Watch the trailer.
Hallmark+ and Starz launch a streaming bundle on Amazon Prime Video
Prime Video subscribers can add the new bundle to their account for $13.99/month, saving more than 25% on the combined price of each individual add-on.
Below Deck stars Gael Cameron and Nathan Gallagher welcome their first child
The couple, who met while filming Below Deck Mediterranean, have become parents for the first time after welcoming a baby boy.
Check out photos from Spartacus: House of Ashur
Creator Steven DeKnight explains to EW how the original Starz drama, premiering this fall, "cast a huge shadow over everything," and why Liam McIntyre isn't back as the titular gladiator.
Jude Law-Jason Bateman limited series Netflix limited series Black Rabbit gets a premiere date and first-look images
Premiering Thursday, Sept. 18, and “set against the backdrop of New York City’s high-pressure nightlife scene, Black Rabbit centers on two brothers who are pushed to the brink by their duty to family and their pursuit of success,” according to the official logline.
Watch Amazon's trailer for Surf Girls: International
The second season of the Reese Witherspoon-produced docuseries Surf Girls follows five up-and-coming female surfers representing their home countries as they travel the world competing in the Challenger Series: Ewe Wong, Sophia Medina, Kika Veselko, Jessie Van Niekrek and Sol Aguirre. Surf Girls: International premieres July 17.