CBS Mornings was reportedly ordered to ignore Stephen Colbert’s farewell / Hacks creators are hoping to release a full series DVD box set / Samantha Bee to star in a Canadian sitcom
PLUS: Euphoria creator Sam Levinson says “consequences are real” in defending Season 3’s penultimate episode.
CBS Mornings was reportedly ordered to ignore Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show farewell
Turns out there was a reason CBS Mornings ignored Colbert’s final show — even though co-anchor Gayle King posted pictures and video from The Late Show wrap party on Instagram. “The onslaught of media coverage on Friday notably did not include CBS Mornings, which totally ignored the big finale of Late Show,” reports Puck’s Matt Belloni. “No highlights, no anchor discussion, not a single mention of a pretty major event on its own network. And that wasn’t an oversight. I’m told the ghosting was a specific directive from CBS News president Tom Cibrowski, who hated Colbert’s recent bit mocking their failure to secure a China visa for anchor Tony Dokoupil. Colbert ‘kicked colleagues when they were down,’ one source at CBS News told me today. ‘It was unprofessional and unprovoked.’ In the leadership’s eyes, the news unit had been supportive of Colbert and Late Show amid its cancellation by CBS and the swan song season, covering its F.C.C. dustup over James Talarico and inviting him on CBS Mornings. It wasn’t a complete gag order, though: Anchor Gayle King posted a gushing farewell to Colbert on Instagram and hit the finale afterparty on Thursday night.” While ABC’s Good Morning America also ignored The Late Show farewell, NBC’s Today has done many segments on Colbert exiting late-night, including one on his emotional goodbye, one on his Only in Monroe public access appearance and one on The Late Show finale ratings.
CBS suspends takedown notices of Stephen Colbert’s post-Late Show Only in Monroe appearance after online backlash
Colbert’s return to Only in Monroe on Friday night — 11 years after his first appearance ahead of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s 2015 launch — resulted in many bootleg copies on YouTube. But it turns out, Colbert’s Only in Monroe appearance was financed and produced by CBS Studios and was meant to boost Colbert’s new YouTube channel (while also being cross-posted on Only in Monroe and The Late Show’s YouTube channels). Which is why CBS sent takedown notices that prompted online backlash over Memorial Day Weekend. As a result of the outcry, CBS decided to stand down. “As is our regular practice, we send copyright notices to unauthorized websites that post copyrighted content from CBS and our network/studio talent such as Stephen Colbert,” CBS said in a statement. “However, for this episode, we have decided to waive further enforcement of this standard industry practice until additional review.”
Hacks creators are hoping to release a full series DVD box set
Although there are currently no official plans to release the box set, co-creator Lucia Aniello tells Deadline she and fellow co-creators Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky want to give fans something “packed with DVD extras” and deleted scenes. “It’s such an important time for people to invest in physical media because you’re right, things are coming down all the time and it’s like, ‘Oh, I love that movie, I want to see it.’ You just can’t, babe, it doesn’t exist,” says Aniello. “That does really put so much power of the distribution of art in the hands of algorithms and people’s whims and certain executives not liking somebody’s brother, so they take down their movie or show or whatever. It is really scary, the idea of censorship, especially as more and more companies are bought up by other companies.” Aniello adds: “And so, we’re really hoping to make a Hacks DVD box set, for one. We’re trying to make that happen. That’s an exclusive. Please go buy it, not because we make any money off of it. We just want to make sure the show stays in existence for as long as DVD players exist.”
Samantha Bee to star in Canadian sitcom The Ambassador
In the CBC comedy series, the Canadian-born Bee will play Olivia Winters, an actor-turned-scrappy diplomat in Canada’s embassy in Bulgaria, alongside co-star Allana Harkin. The Ambassador will be Bee’s first substantial TV gig since hosting TBS talk show Full Frontal with Samantha Bee from 2016 to 2022.
Euphoria creator Sam Levinson says “consequences are real” in defending Season 3’s penultimate episode
“It was what was exciting about the characters being out of high school,” Levinson tells Esquire. “They’re in the real world, and the consequences are real. There’s no safety net. I like this Wild West, frontier aspect to it where you can make something of yourself, but you’re going to have to live with the consequences.” Levinson adds that he began the writing process by revisiting the classic westerns from Sergio Leone, Howard Hawks, John Ford, and Don Siegel. “I started playing around with, What does a modern western look like today?” Sam says. “And how can I inject some of those themes and ideas into it about individuals, ambition, lawlessness?” ALSO: Jacob Elordi on this week’s Euphoria: “It’s cool to see it all come to what it’s come to.”
Dutton Ranch delivers Paramount+’s biggest-ever series launch
The Yellowstone spinoff has generated 12.9 million streaming views in seven days, topping Taylor Sheridan’s previous biggest-ever launch: The Madison in March, which drew 8 million streaming views in its first 10 days.
Off Campus among Amazon Prime Video’s three biggest series launches
“The Amazon-owned streamer says Off Campus, based on Elle Kennedy’s romance novel series, has reached 36 million viewers worldwide over its first 12 days of release (including the Memorial Day weekend in the U.S.),” says The Hollywood Reporter’s Rick Porter. “The key word there is ‘reached’ — that’s ratings-speak for the number of people who have watched at least a few minutes of the series, and it’s the metric Prime Video most frequently publicizes when it releases internal viewer data. The 36 million figure puts Off Campus among the three biggest series debuts in Prime Video’s history over 12 days, according to Amazon. It’s behind only The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Fallout.”
Off Campus star Justin Kohl won’t return for Season 2
Creator Louisa Levy tells TV Guide Kohl’s Josh Heuston will not return next season, “but I love Josh and I would not write him off if I can find a way to bring Justin back at some point.”
Jimmy Kimmel is the only late-night host working Memorial Day week
After taking last Thursday night off for Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show farewell, Jimmy Kimmel Live! will have new episodes today through Thursday. ALSO: Jimmy Kimmel and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. trade barbs on social media over Memorial Day Weekend.
Wil Wheaton joins Stuart Fails to Save the Universe in a return to The Big Bang Theory universe
The former Star Trek: The Next Generation star appeared in new HBO Max sizzle reel featuring Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. Wheaton played a heightened version of himself on 17 episodes of The Big Bang Theory.
Francesca Scorsese slams the online backlash to her casting in Mr. & Mrs. Smith
“It has some of the worst comments I have ever seen about me,” Scorsese, the youngest daughter of Martin Scorsese said in a TikTok video Saturday after she was cast last Tuesday, explaining that while she was used to being criticized over being a “nepo baby,” the hate was on a level she had not yet experienced. “I understand. I know I have doors opened for me,” she said of Scorsese being her father. “Like, I’m still trying to do the work, I’m still going hard and being passionate and creating and doing the work.”
Sherri Shepherd shares a heartfelt video in response to her daytime talk show Sherri ending
“Family!!!! Thank you so much for all of the love and support over these last 4 years. It was a bittersweet end to a life I got to know so well,” she wrote in an Instagram post on Friday, after the final new episode of Sherri aired Thursday. “But here is to new beginnings...if you thought you were sick of me before just you wait.”
Nicolas Cage agreed to star in Spider-Noir after his son convinced him to watch Breaking Bad Season 1
Spider-Noir showrunner Oren Uziel tells Discussing Film says Cage was convinced he could do TV after watching Breaking Bad, “I recently thanked Vince Gilligan for helping me get Nic Cage,” says Uziel.
The Simpsons “Bart to the Future” writer Dan Greaney announces “presidential candidacy”
Greaney, the Emmy-winning The Simpsons and The Office writer who wrote the iconic 2000 episode in which Lisa Simpson is president, announced his candidacy in an Instagram video in which he’s sporting a Nostradamus-esque gray beard a Nostradamus-esque fake gray beard. Greaney says he will fix America if he wins in 2028 with a “progressive Republican” agenda akin to classic politicians like former Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. “Trump, Vance, the billionaires, careerists, and cowards in both parties have turned their backs on (the United States),” he said. “It’s money, power, and security for them, but not for you.”
BTS dominates the American Music Awards
The K-pop boy band returned from their hiatus/military service victorious with two major wins: Song of the Summer and Artist of the Year.
I’m a Virgo creator Boots Riley: I’m not interested in a second season
“The second season happens in your imagination,” he joked to ScreenRant of his 2023 Amazon Prime Video surreal comedy series in which Jharrel Jerome plays a 13-foot-tall teenager. “I think we watch TV too much. So, you tell me what happens.” Riley added: “It’s hard to explain why, but we ended up having to cut 40% of the script. There was a whole penultimate episode that got cut out. There was another 20 minutes after that end that cuts out, and then there was stuff, like he actually did do all this sports stuff. There was more Lower Bottoms folks, there was more of that.” ALSO: Boots Riley says Cannes picked The Idol over I’m a Virgo: “They just don’t like my stuff. All good.”
Outlet apologizes for video that misquoted Outlander star Caitríona Balfe calling a Scotland town an “armpit”
Awards site Gold Derby has apologized and pulled down the video in which Balfe was asked the show’s worst filming location. The original video made it sound like she was dissing the town of Shotts, when she was actually referencing a specific part of Shotts that she described as an “old dump.”
Kate Mansi exits General Hospital after three years
The actress behind fan-favorite character Kristina Corinthos-Davis opted not to renew her contract after three years, as first reported by Soap Opera Network. “I’ve made the very difficult decision to leave General Hospital,” Mansi tells SoapSteph’s Daytime Dish. “I have a few new projects that require my full attention and with my husband (Matt McInnis) currently producing a series filming primarily abroad, I needed the flexibility to travel while continuing to develop and work in Los Angeles.”
Kevin Hart defends Tony Hinchcliffe over controversial The Roast of Kevin Hart jokes
Hart said on The Breakfast Club he didn’t consider Hinchcliffe’s roast jokes, including one about George Floyd to be racist. “Yes! I mean, that’s why you’re there. And I hate to say this, but I’m going to because we’re being honest — people are talking about that joke. Talk about his set! Tony Hinchcliffe arguably had the best set, or one of the best sets,” Hart said, adding: “Would I tell those jokes? No. But do I get why they’re being told? Yes!”
Heisman Trophy ceremony fears being diminished by College Football Playoff expansion — as it tries to become Oscar-like
Currently, the Heisman Trophy ceremony airs on ESPN in primetime with no college football competition on the Saturday after the regular college football season is over. But that could change if the College Football Playoff expands to 24 teams and the Heisman Trophy ceremony takes place on the same day as playoff games. “The fear is that the players will say ‘Oh, I can’t make it. I’m just going to accept my award in the living room of my apartment.’ We don’t want that,” says 2001 Heisman winner Eric Crouch. ESPN currently has a “long term” deal to broadcast the Heisman ceremony. Meanwhile, the Heisman ceremony is being revamped to include a Friday night event dubbed “Heisman Live,” “which will include a fireside chat with the four finalists,” reports Sports Business Journal’s Ben Portnoy. “Saturday night will also bring with it a new-look red carpet show leading into the ceremony that ESPN will produce in an effort to create college football’s version of the Oscars or Emmys.” New Heisman CEO Jeff Price adds: “The idea of bringing the four finalists together and whether that’s in New York or in another location, is certainly something that we can work through. But for 90 years, that visit to New York and the ability to bring the winners together has made the Heisman what it is today. We’ve said over the last six months, we very much want to respect tradition, but also drive innovation. We understand that the landscape is changing, but it shouldn’t be to the detriment of some of those iconic aspects of college football like Army-Navy and the Heisman weekend.”
Ninja Warrior-style obstacle racing is coming to the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics
The Japanese obstacle racing format “Sasuke” that has been adapted by various versions of Ninja Warrior, including American Ninja Warrior, is coming to the Olympics.
CBC renews Saint-Pierre for Season 3
The cop drama starring Allan Hawco and Jósephine Jobert will begin filming its 12-episode third season in Newfoundland and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon in July.
NBC News correspondent Julie Tsirkin responds after she was spoofed with memes for saying “What is that?” during Saturday’s White House shooting
“Thanks for the memes, internet! Hope you’ll stick around for the reporting,” Tsirkin said in a video posted Sunday on X.
NewsNation announces podcast push
Podcasts including NewsNation’s Unreported with Meagan Medick and Batya Ungar-Sargon’s Prove It with Batya! aim to expand the cable news network’s reach. “It’s a remarkable new frontier,” Michael Corn, president of NewsNation’s specials and programming, tells Variety. “There is so much opportunity there and there’s a vast, vast audience and it’s completely complementary to what we are doing on TV.”
Marshals’ season finale pays tribute to late prop master Leonard “Lenny” E. Hancock Jr.
Hancock, the CBS Yellowstone spinoff’s prop master, died in December in the Lake Havasu neighborhood of Arizona as a result of a crash involving an off-road UTV.
Stephen Amell shares Baywatch’s first teaser
“I dream in slow motion,” Amell, who plays original series character Hobie Buchannon, captioned the brief promo for the Fox reboot.
HBO Max trailer features The Gilded Age Season 4, Harry Potter and more
Conan O’Brien Must Go Season 3, Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, Monsters of God, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe and The Man Will Burn are also featured in the HBO Max sizzle reel.
Adult Swim shares the first teaser for Rick and Morty spinoff President Curtis
In the video, Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith are channel surfing when they notice Keith David’s President Curtis delivering a speech from the White House. They tease how the leader of the nation is “doing his own thing,” with Rick noting how the character is doing “X-Files stuff in the new series.” President Curtis premieres in July.