I Will Find You joins Netflix’s Top 10 most popular English-language seasons of all time / Kelly Ripa will miss at least three weeks from Live / SNL Season 52 to premiere on Sept. 26
PLUS: Atsuko Okatsuka is set to star in an Amazon comedy series about modern marriage, from Hiro Murai and Ramy Youssef.
I Will Find You joins Netflix’s Top 10 most popular English-language seasons of all time
The streamer’s latest Harlan Coben limited series adaptation has claimed the No. 10 spot on Netflix’s list of most-watched English-language seasons with 101.9 million views worldwide more than a month after its June 18 premiere. “The limited series starring Sam Worthington and Britt Lower — in which Worthington’s character, David Burroughs, breaks out of prison after learning the son he was wrongfully convicted of killing might still be alive — needed just 39 days to move into the all-time list,” says The Hollywood Reporter’s Rick Porter. “With 7.3 million views last week, I Will Find You also reached the top ranking for the fifth week since its June 18 premiere. It’s the first English-language series to spend five weeks in at No. 1 since season two of Wednesday in September 2025 (the most recent seasons of Stranger Things and Bridgerton topped the charts for four weeks each).” I Will Find You is the second Coben series to make Netflix’s all-time Top 10, after 2024’s Fool Me Once, which has since been bumped down a few spots. “It’s a tremendous thrill. It is never not a thrill for me,” Coben tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It is never not something that I don’t stop and appreciate. I’m ridiculously grateful. And all it does is make me want to work even harder on the next one.” As Porter explains, “since Netflix began releasing global top 10 lists five years ago, shows based on Coben’s works have made the worldwide charts 41 times and reached the top 10 in 93 countries. Since the start of 2023, Coben’s shows have amassed more than 450 million views on Netflix. The steamer, which has a partnership with Coben dating back to 2018, has adapted 13 of his novels as series (in the United States, U.K., France, Spain, Poland and Argentina), with more to come. On deck is Myron Bolitar, based on Coben’s 12-book series about a sports agent (played by Colin Woodell); it started production this week, with David E. Kelley and Kyle Long as co-showrunners.” Asked about changes from his books to the screen, Coben says: “All I care about is what’s going to make the best TV series. One of my favorite quotes comes from James M. Cain, who wrote The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity. An interviewer asked him, don’t you hate what Hollywood has done to your books? And he said, they’ve done nothing to my books. They’re right there on the shelf. Whatever I do in a TV adaptation doesn’t change one word of the books. I think often the worst adaptations are overly worried about fidelity to the book. I don’t really worry about it. The book’s pretty good. It’s a good story, so we’re gonna follow that. But if I have to change something, I will. Also, when I’m writing a book, I don’t think about the TV adaptation at all. I think it’s the kiss of death for a writer to think, ‘Ooh, this is gonna make a really great TV series.’ As a novelist, that’s the worst thing you can do. I don’t mind eventually changing everything. A novel is a singular pleasure. A TV series is a different kind of pleasure.”
Kelly Ripa will miss at least three weeks from Live with Kelly and Mark after undergoing gum graft surgery
Ripa’s husband and co-host Mark Consuelos revealed on Monday that Ripa is “not allowed to talk” after undergoing the procedure, which he said left her in extreme pain in her mouth. EW reports Ripa will take at least three weeks to recover. “Amid Ripa’s absence, numerous cohosts are set to fill across the next eight broadcasts for the 55-year-old, who first joined Live alongside Regis Philbin in 2001. Jonas Brothers musician Kevin Jonas stepped in on Monday and Tuesday, with Mila Kunis, Pamela Adlon, and Scott Foley slated to close out the current week with permanent cohost and Ripa’s husband Mark Consuelos,” says EW’s Joey Nolfi, adding: “Next week’s new episodes will feature another revolving door of guest cohosts, including Sarah Chalke, Jenna Dewan, the resident Live DJ and emcee Déjà Vu, Carrie Coon, and Michelle Buteau, who also recently stepped in to guest-cohost The View after an unexpected number of cohost emergencies led to the absence of three panelists in one day.”
Atsuko Okatsuka is set to star in an Amazon comedy series about modern marriage, from Hiro Murai and Ramy Youssef
The comedian is teaming with Murai, Youssef and former Ramy and Broad City producer Josh Rabinowitz on the potential series. Murai, Youssef and Rabinowitz will serve as executive producers. “Plot details and the show’s title are being kept under wraps, though we’re told it’s a starring vehicle for Okatsuka about modern marriage,” says Deadline’s Matt Grobar.
SNL Season 52 to premiere on Sept. 26, its earliest start date since 2012
According to LateNighter, Saturday Night Live is expected to put out nine episodes in the fall, or three blocks of three episodes. Saturday Night Live usually returns at the end of September or early October. The previous early start date was Sept. 15 for Season 38 in 2012.
Hollywood Foreign Press Association files a federal lawsuit against Penske Media, alleging a years-long scheme to control the Golden Globes
“The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has filed a sweeping federal lawsuit against media executive Jay Penske, Penske Media Corporation, the Golden Globe Foundation and Golden Globe Foundation CEO Gregory Goeckner, alleging they orchestrated a years-long scheme to seize control of the Golden Globe Awards and monopolize key sectors of Hollywood’s awards and entertainment media industries,” reports The Wrap’s Daren DeFrank. “The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by the law firm Kasowitz LLP, accuses the defendants of violating federal and state antitrust laws, committing fraud and engaging in unfair competition. The HFPA is seeking more than $150 million in damages, along with treble damages, injunctive relief and the rescission of agreements it claims unlawfully transferred control of the Golden Globes.” The complaint argues that Penske Media’s Golden Globes acquisition is part of a broader effort to consolidate power across the entertainment industry. Penske Media owns numerous entertainment media outlets, including Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Gold Derby and IndieWire.
Republican and Democrat former FCC chairs and commissioners blast FCC chair Brendan Carr’s review of ABC licenses
“This early license renewal proceeding is unprecedented in the history of the Federal Communications Commission and a grave violation of both the Communications Act and the Constitution,” the coalition of officials – including former FCC chiefs of staffs, general counsels and bureau chiefs — wrote in the filing. “Through this proceeding, the FCC seeks to censor Disney’s and ABC’s speech and send a chilling message to all broadcasters: carry speech we don’t like at your peril.” The signees included Mark Fowler, FCC chair under President Ronald Reagan; Alfred Sikes, FCC chair under President George W. Bush; and Tom Wheeler, FCC chair under President Barack Obama.
Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show unveils its own microdrama series, beating The Daily Show
A week ago, Comedy Central put out a press release announcing The Daily Show will produce the “First Micro Series from a Late-Night Franchise,” titled The Daily Show Presents: Two Billionaires Fight to Dominate the Country… And My Heart! Comedy Central didn’t announce a premiere date or cast. On Monday night, The Tonight Show beat The Daily Show to the punch with the microdrama series Who Billionaire? Me Billionaire, featuring Fallon and John Stamos.
Nat Geo greenlights a documentary on 127 Hours mountain climber Aron Ralston
Man on Wire Oscar-winning documentarian James Marsh “will draw upon never-before-seen footage shot by Aron Ralston during the 2003 incident when a boulder dislodged, pinning his right arm as he descended Bluejohn Canyon alone,” according to Deadline. “Ralston faced the extraordinary choice to perish in the canyon or sever his arm to free himself.” Ralston’s story was adapted into the 2010 Danny Boyle film 127 Hours, starring James Franco as Ralston. The film earned six Oscar nominations, including one for Franco.
Mike Flanagan is in talks to join Henry Cavill’s Warhammer 40,000 as an executive producer
The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass creator, who is making his Amazon debut with a new adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie, is set to executive produce the series adaptation of British miniature war-game Warhammer 40,000, starring and executive produced by Henry Cavill. It’s unclear if Flanagan will serve as showrunner.
Rosie O’Donnell says she’d be willing to return to daytime after Jimmy Kimmel Live! guest-hosting stint
Responding to a tabloid report that she’ll return to full-time hosting after filling in for Jimmy Kimmel, O’Donnell wrote on Instagram: “I leave ireland the day I’m done guest hosting for jimmy - where my child starts the 8 th grade – I’m not interested in doing late night – daytime however would be interesting.”
Acorn TV renews Art Detectives for Season 2
The Stephen Moyer-led crime drama is scheduled to return with a two-part special in December, followed by a full six-episode season in 2027. “Great art, rare antiques, expensive collections and a battered satchel — what’s not to love about Mick Palmer? I’m really looking forward to filming these eight new episodes and reuniting with the brilliant Nina Singh,” Moyer said in a statement. “This new season is packed with drama, excitement, tension and surprises. I can’t wait to be back in Belfast, working alongside our wonderful production team again.”
Anna Kendrick-led action thriller series Embassy lands on MGM+ in the U.S.
Kendrick, Sam Heughan and J.K. Simmons star in the six-part series in which she plays an American diplomat named Layla. “When armed mercenaries storm the U.S. embassy in London, Layla, a sharp and resourceful American diplomat, faces an impossible choice: protect the U.S. Ambassador or follow his orders to exfiltrate a high value asset being held at the embassy,” reads the synopsis. “As a larger conspiracy unfolds, Layla must rely on her instincts – and the reluctant help of her ex-fiancé, a British SAS soldier – in the tense hours before extraction.”
Food Network orders Bobby Flay’s The Line
The reality competition series will feature a restaurant cooking line team trying to execute a menu in real time for real diners.
Beauty in Black gets a Season 3 premiere date after surprise un-cancelation
The Netflix Tyler Perry series, which was recently renewed for Season 4 months after Season 3 was announced as the final season, will return for its third season on Aug. 27.
HBO Max adds vertical shorts
“Streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus, and Peacock already offer TikTok-like vertical video feeds to surface content that might be interesting to users, and now HBO Max will have a similar feed of its own,” says The Verge’s Jay Peters. “The feed, called ‘HBO Max Shorts,’ will be accessible from an icon on the bottom navigation menu. It will show you things like trailers, clips, and bonus content from the HBO Max library, and it’s tailored to you based on your watch history. You can jump into a show or movie right from the HBO Max Shorts clip or add it to your list if you want to bookmark it for later. HBO Max Shorts will be tested first with ‘select iOS users’ in the US before coming to more markets and devices.”
Catherine O’Hara is getting the biography treatment from the author of John Candy: A Life in Comedy
Paul Myers, the author of last year’s John Candy: A Life in Comedy and 2018’s The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy, will delve into the life of another Canadian comedy icon. Myers tells LateNighter that House of Anansi has signed him to write a biography of O’Hara following the Emmy-winning Schitt’s Creek star’s death in January at age 71.
Meta Golding joins Memory of a Killer Season 2
The Empire, The Pitt and Rabbit Hole alum has been cast as a series regular opposite Patrick Dempsey in Season 2 of Fox drama series, playing the childhood sweetheart of his character.
ABC News is launching a “20/20 True Crime+” tier on Apple Podcasts
The new podcast subscription, launching today, features ad-free access to all 20/20 content plus exclusive content like What Happened to the McStays? and Burden of Proof: Luigi Mangione. “20/20 True Crime+” costs $2.99/month or $29.99/year.
Twin Peaks cast to tour the U.S. again later this year and into 2027
Twin Peaks: Conversation with the Stars will feature conversations with such Twin Peaks stars as Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Michael Horse, Dana Ashbrook, Kimmy Robertson and Harry Goaz.
Hall of Fame linebacker Luke Kuechly named Netflix’s new No. 1 NFL game analyst
Kuechly will work four of Netflix’s five games this season, first teaming up with Noah Eagle for NBC’s Sept. 10 Rams-49ers game from Melbourne, Australia.
Former Young and the Restless star Brenda Dickson arrested for misdemeanor battery
The 77-year-old Dickson, who starred on Y&R from 1973 to 1987, was taken into custody on July 9 in Hollywood after authorities were told she assaulted someone, reports TMZ. She was released on the same day on her own recognizance.
Dexter Morgan faces a mid-life crisis in the first look at Dexter: Resurrection Season 2
Dexter is “caught between two killers — one notorious and the other terrorizing New York in ways no one ever anticipated — all while battling his greatest enemy yet: a mid-life crisis,” per the logline, referring to Dan Stevens’ Five Borough Killer and Brian Cox’s New York Ripper.
Josh Hartnett battles a sea monster in teaser for Netflix’s Below — which isn’t supernatural like Widow’s Bay
When an “unidentified sea creature” begins terrorizing his small Newfoundland hometown, Hartnett’s stubborn fisherman Calvin Penney “must fight to hold his close-knit community together.” Charlie Heaton and Mackenzie Davis also star in Below, premiering Oct. 8. While Below sounds similar to Widow’s Bay, Netflix’ press materials specify that the series is not supernatural.
Ted Lasso unveils a new Season 4 trailer
The new season, premiering Aug. 5, picks up as Jason Sudeikis‘ Coach Lasso is facing a new challenge: coaching a second division women’s soccer team.
Watch Netflix’s trailer for Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing
Rory Kennedy‘s follow-up to her 2022 documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing premieres Aug. 19.