Holt McCallany returning to Netflix / Punkie Johnson reportedly exits SNL / Suits: L.A. is moving to Los Angeles
PLUS: Tom Cruise is poised to "drop in" for the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony.
Holt McCallany returning to Netflix with Kevin Williamson's The Waterfront
The former Mindhunter star will lead the family drama series from the Dawson's Creek creator. "Inspired by true events, The Waterfront dives into the flawed Buckley family as their attempts to retain control of their crumbling North Carolina fishing empire drive them to increasingly dangerous means to keep themselves afloat," per Deadline. "McCallany will play the patriarch Harlan Buckley who has built up the Buckley fishery business with his dad, even veering into some illegal territory in the 1980s. Since his two heart attacks, Harlan hasn’t changed his lifestyle, but his absence from the family business left it in the hands of his wife, Vicki, and his son, Cane — whose desperate, foolish decisions have left Harlan with no choice but to take the reins once again. Is Harlan a hero? A villain? It’s a hard call. He’s just a man who loves his whiskey." McCallany is best known for starring on two seasons of Netflix's Mindhunter as special as FBI special agent Bill Tench. He most recently starred on AMC legal drama 61st Street.
Punkie Johnson reportedly exits SNL ahead of Season 50
According to LateNighter, Johnson, who joined Saturday Night Live with Season 46 in 2020, announced her exit at a comedy show last night. SNL has yet to confirm her exit. Johnson's announcement comes hours after Maya Rudolph was confirmed to reprise her Kamala Harris role this fall on SNL. Johnson played the vice president once this past season.
Tom Cruise is poised to "drop in" for the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony
The Aug. 11 Summer Olympics handoff from Paris to Los Angeles, home of the 2028 Games, is expected to feature "a major Hollywood production" involving Cruise, according to Deadline. "Already a presence at the Opening Ceremony and at some competitions, the Mission: Impossible star will be dropping in — literally — when the Olympic flag is handed over the 2028 games host city," reports Deadline's Dominic Patten. Cruise was spotted filming part of the stunt at the Hollywood Sign.
Suits: L.A. is moving from Vancouver to Los Angeles
The Stephen Amell-led Suits spinoff will move production to the city of its setting after filming the pilot in Vancouver.
CBS News to replace CBS Evening News anchor Norah O'Donnell with John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois
John Dickerson, a longtime political correspondent and CBS News' streaming anchor, and WCBS New York anchor Maurice DuBois, will take over for O'Donnell when she exits the CBS Evening News anchor role after the presidential election. Additionally, CBS Evening News will return to New York City after relocating to Washington, D.C. for O'Donnell. The new CBS Evening News will be produced by Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes. They'll also be joined by an ensemble team of correspondents, including chief weathercaster Lonnie Quinn and Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan, According to Variety, "Owens intends to create a new show that works to break news and offer more depth, rather than trying to run down dozens of items that surfaced earlier in the day in the space of less than 30 minutes." “We are removing the clutter,” says Owens. “We are not going to be dealing with the things we think people might want to see, and we are going to be about real serious reporting. We are getting back to our beats, listening to our reporters in the field about what they have, not worrying about the headlines online or in the newspapers.” ALSO: Donald Trump mistakes Norah O'Donnell for Margaret Brennan.
Don Lemon sues Elon Musk over canceled X show
According to the lawsuit filed Thursday, Lemon alleges that Musk agreed to pay him $1.5 million a year to produce videos exclusively on X, to give him a share of the advertising revenue from his videos. Musk also agreed to be Lemon's first guest. But Musk canceled the show before its premiere in March after a testy interview with Lemon. Lemon didn't sign a contract, alleging that Musk reassured that there no need to “fill out paperwork." “X executives used Don to prop up their advertising sales pitch, then canceled their partnership and dragged Don’s name through the mud,” Lemon's lawyer said in a statement.
Ramy Youssef inks first-look deal with Netflix
The comedian, writer and actor has signed a deal to develop and create “serialized projects” that Netflix will have the first shot at ordering as part of his Cairo Cowboy production company. Youssef currently works with Netflix on Mo Amer's Mo and he co-created and co-stars with Will Ferrell in the upcoming comedy series GOLF.
Peter Sarsgaard says he won't return for Presumed Innocent Season 2
"I’m not really that interested in sequels. I think I’ve only ever done one season of anything… I think I’m a one-season person," says Sarsgaard, who starred on Season 1 as prosecutor Tommy Molto. It's unclear if any Season 1 cast members will return or if Presumed Innocent will be an anthology with a whole new cast.
Jimmy Kimmel is reportedly pushing for Anthony Anderson to succeed him as Oscars host
The former Black-ish star, who won raves hosting the Primetime Emmys is January, has been Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s go-to guest-host, having filled in for Kimmel 20 times. “Anthony is well-liked across the network both as an actor and entertainer," an ABC insider tells The Sun. "He is respected, considered easy to get on with, a great collaborator and is friendly with many major Hollywood stars. He is on the shortlist to present the Academy Awards, especially after his performance at the Emmys."
Nielsen records its biggest week ever with 10 titles surpassing a billion viewing minutes for Fourth of July week
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F led all streaming titles for the week of July 1-7, followed by Suits, House of the Dragon, Your Honor, The Bear, Dexter, The Boys, Bluey, A Family Affair and Grey’s Anatomy. All 10 titles had at least 1 billion viewing minutes.
Gillian Anderson to lead British drama series Trespasses for Channel 4
Anderson will be joined by Lola Petticrew and Tom Cullen in the 1975 Belfast-set series based on Louise Kennedy’s award-winning novel of the same name.
American Idol officially names Carrie Underwood as Katy Perry's replacement
“I went from nobody knowing my name to tens of millions of people watching the show,” the Season 4 Idol winner said in an video announcing the big news. “I’m proud of everything that I was able to accomplish on this show and I’m so proud of everything that I’ve accomplished since.”
Fox News is willing to mute mics to host of a Donald Trump-Kamala Harris debate
Muted mics seemed to be key to getting Trump and President Biden to debate on CNN in June. “It seems as if they liked it,” Jay Wallace, president and executive editor of Fox News Media, wrote in a letter to both campaigns. Fox News wants to host a Trump-Harris debate on Sept. 17, one week after the reserved date for the now-scrapped Biden-Trump debate that was scheduled for Sept. 10.
ESPN-Fox-Warner Bros. Discovery streaming bundle Venu Sports will cost $42.99 per month
The streaming bundle will feature 14 sports networks, including ESPN, Fox and TNT. But the bundle won't allow subscribers to watch every college football or NFL game.
50 Cent is getting his own FAST channel
Lionsgate has inked a deal with rapper and TV mogul to launch a free ad-supported channel called 50 Cent Action, which will include the 50 Cent-produced Power and popular movies like The Expendables, The Hitman’s Bodyguard and Rambo.
Courtney Thorne-Smith to star in Lifetime movie He Slid Into Her DMs
Thorne-Smith will star alongside Stella Gregg — Clark Gregg and Jennifer Grey's daughter — in the social media-themed TV movie.
KaDee Strickland is headed to Chicago Fire
The former Private Practice star will recur in Season 13 as the estranged wife of Dermot Mulroney's new fire chief Dom Pascal.
John Magaro joins Showtime's The Agency
The Orange Is the New Black alum will play an operations officer and agent handler in the espionage drama starring Michael Fassbender, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jeffrey Wright, Katherine Waterston and Richard Gere.
Ron Howard's Jim Henson Idea Man to air on ABC's Wonderful World of Disney
The most-nominated documentary at this year’s Emmys will make its broadcast debut on Aug. 11 after premiering on Disney+ in May. Jim Henson Idea Man tells the story of the man behind the Muppets with the cooperation of Henson's family.
Christopher Meloni says he's writing a Law & Order: Organized Crime episode that will feature Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson
“It is awesome,” Meloni says of writing an episode. “But it's responsibility so I don't want to mess it up." Meloni also teased that the episode will feature his former SVU co-star.
Fire Country adds Leven Rambin
The True Detective and Grey’s Anatomy vet will recur on the CBS drama as a former fire camp inmate.
Check out Futurama's Squid Game-themed episode
“We have some Squid Game fans in the writers room, including myself, obviously,” showrunner David X. Cohen says of the "Quids Game" episode. “(But) we like to take everything and make it one step removed. So we’re not going to say this is a memory of Squid Game or something. We’ll do our sci-fi version of it so that people who are not familiar with the original, or if 10 years (have) passed and people (don’t get the reference), they’ll still enjoy the show. So it requires no background knowledge in Squid Game.”
See Joshua Jackson as a luxury cruise doctor in ABC's first trailer for Doctor Odyssey
The Ryan Murphy-produced drama series premieres Sept. 26.
Watch Ella Purnell in Sweetpea teaser
In her upcoming Sky and Starz series, the Fallout star plays Rhiannon Lewis, "who doesn’t make much of an impression – people walk past her in the street without a second glance, she’s continually overlooked for a promotion at work, the guy she likes won’t commit, and her dad is really sick. But when she’s pushed over the edge and loses control, the wallflower is gone, replaced by a young woman capable of anything."
Paramount+ releases the trailer for RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars
The Paramount+ reality series competition premieres with two episodes on Aug. 16, with RuPaul joined by Michelle Visage and Jamal Sims.