Justina Machado to star in Netflix's first medical procedural / Rachel Leviss sues Vanderpump stars over revenge porn / Alex Rider to end
PLUS: Food Network orders 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, a 24-hour reality competition.
Justina Machado to star in Netflix's first medical procedural, from Lost's Carlton Cuse
With Grey's Anatomy getting big viewership for years on Netflix, the streamer has finally decided to order a medical procedural of its own. Pulse "is set at Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center as they navigate medical emergencies and revolves around Dani Simms, a young ER doctor who is unexpectedly promoted to chief resident amid the fallout of her own provocative romantic relationship," according to the official description. Machado, who starred last year on Amazon's The Horror of Dolores Roach, is returning to Netflix after starring on One Day at a Time. She'll play Natalie Cruz, a doctor who serves as chair of surgery and emergency medicine. Pulse was created by Hawaii Five-0 vet Zoe Robyn, who will serve as co-showrunner alongside former Lost co-showrunner Carlton Cuse.
Rachel Leviss sues former Vanderpump Rules co-stars Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn
Leviss' 19-page lawsuit filed today accuses Sandoval and Madix of revenge porn, eavesdropping and invasion of privacy. “‘Scandoval’ captured the public’s attention in a massive way, went completely viral, and injected new life into Vanderpump Rules,” states the lawsuit from high-power Hollywood attorneys Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos. “It also caused mayhem in Leviss’s life, culminating in months-long in-patient treatment at a mental health facility and her departure from the show. Fomented by Bravo and Evolution in conjunction with the cast, Leviss was subjected to a public skewering with little precedent and became, without exaggeration, one of the most hated women in America...It is clear that Bravo deliberately sacrificed Leviss for the sake of its commercial interests from its refusal to allow her the opportunity to tell her side of the story and defend herself, which she repeatedly begged for permission to do,” Leviss’ filing exclaims.” Bravo, NBC Universal, Andy Cohen and other Vanderpump Rules producers aren't named in the lawsuit.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood to star in Amazon docuseries Friends in Low Places
Friends in Low Places will follow the husband-and-wife country music icons as they open “the ultimate oasis,” a honky-tonk bar in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee. The series will premiere on Thursday, March 7. Watch the trailer. “This was so much more than I bargained for! With that said, what we have built is far more than just a business,” Brooks said in a statement. “This is by far, the craziest ride I have ever been on.” Yearwood added: “We started down this road fueled by passion, dedication, and a shared vision. I’m really proud of the team that has built the Friends Bar and Honky Tonk. We are excited to share the culmination of everyone’s efforts. It’s even bigger than we dreamed!”
Alex Rider to end with Season 3, on Amazon Freevee
The spy thriller series will return on April 5 with eight episodes that Amazon says “will bring this chapter of Alex’s journey of self-discovery to a shocking conclusion on Amazon Freevee.” Alex Rider premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 2020 and aired its second season on Freevee predecessor IMDb TV in 2021.
Seth Meyers wishes he hadn't gone on an ice cream outing with President Biden
The Late Night host says he was taken aback at being part of the national news Monday night, when Biden used their ice cream outing to announce a possible Israel-Hamas War cease-fire. “It was really strange,” said MSNBC's Joe Scarborough in a clip shown by Meyers. “You think it was strange for you,” an incredulous Meyers asked. “I was standing right next to him. Usually I’m the one taking closer looks at the news. Now I’m in the news, which means it’s time to take a closer look at myself.” Meyers added: “Never before in my life has the Curb Your Enthusiasm music been louder in my head than during this moment," noting that he forgot the first rule of comedy: "When the Middle East comes up, put your ice cream cone down!”
Food Network orders 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, a 24-hour reality competition
Hosted by Food Network stars Michael Symon and Esther Choi, 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing is described as the “most ambitious and grueling culinary competition to date," featuring 24 chefs taking on 24 food challenges in 24 consecutive hours. “The 24-hour competition takes the chefs to the extreme, demanding they display the skills, creativity and stamina needed to be an elite chef," reads the official description. "At the end of the 24 hours, there can be only one true master left standing.”
Richard Lewis' final Curb Your Enthusiasm scene has yet to air
Lewis appeared on the Feb. 18 episode of Curb, nine days before his death Tuesday at age 76, arguing with Larry David about his final will. According to The Hollywood Reporter's Jackie Strause, "Lewis will continue to appear on the season, and had been with the cast and crew to promote the final run." In an interview about the episode before Lewis' death, Curb showrunner Jeff Schaffer recalled Lewis filming Season 12 while dealing with Parkinson's. “He was a champ,” said Schaffer, recalling how they filmed during early morning hours in the cold L.A. winter. “Richard is down to do anything on the show. The will stuff was part of the story, but the sperm fights (laughing) just came out of nowhere. Them arguing about who has more sperm, and then Leon just shutting it down because nobody wants it in powdered milk form (laughing) — there’s a lot of things we put in people’s heads in this episode that hopefully they won’t be able to unsee for a long time.”
ALSO:
Jimmy Fallon remembers Richard Lewis: "I used to impersonate him all the time"
Lewis said he was "doing quite well" in an interview less than three weeks before his death
On Feb. 9, Lewis tweeted of Curb's final season: "I’ll be Larry’s 'best friend from hell' sooner than you think!"
Sportswriters recount conversing with Lewis via Twitter/X DMs
Richard Lewis appeared on Candid Camera twice — the first time as a 16-year-old high schooler
Curb stars Susie Essman and Cheryl Hines didn't discuss Lewis' death last night on Watch What Happens Live because their interview was pre-taped
Miss Scarlet & the Duke is moving on without "The Duke"
The PBS Masterpiece series is returning for Season 5 without Stuart Martin, who has played William “The Duke” Wellington for the first four seasons and who is departing the show. Without The Duke, Miss Scarlet & the Duke will be retitled Miss Scarlet as Kate Phillips returns as Miss Eliza Scarlet. “It has been such an incredible joy to bring Duke to life through (series creator) Rachael (New)’s beautiful, brilliant writing, and to get to play him for the past four years,” Martin said in a statement. “But it felt like the time was right for Scarlet to explore new stories and challenges for now, as the show continues to grow and evolve. I will miss working with my amazing partner in crime Kate and the rest of our brilliant family and team, but I’m excited to continue following Eliza and her escapades as a huge fan and newly enrolled Scarleteer!”
BMF gets an early Season 4 renewal
The Black Mafia Family crime drama series has been picked up for a fourth season ahead of Friday's Season 3 premiere.
Nick Offerman and Betty Gilpin Netflix President Garfield assassination series Death by Lightning
They'll join Matthew Macfadyen and Michael Shannon in the historical drama series, which will tell the story of U.S. President James Garfield (Shannon) and his assassination by Charles Guiteau (Macfadyen). Gilpin will play Garfield's wife, First Lady Crete Garfield. Offerman will play Chester A. Arthur, Garfield’s vice president who succeeds him upon his death to become the 21st president of the United States.
The Sopranos' final scene booth is up for auction
New Jersey’s Holsten’s diner has put the booth where Tony Soprano and his family sat for the polarizing June 2007 series finale for sale on eBay. A note from the sellers reads: “OWN THE FAMOUS SOPRANO’S BOOTH FROM HOLSTEN’S IN BLOOMFIELD, NJ! We are currently renovating our booths at Holsten’s. This is your once in a lifetime chance to own the ORIGINAL booth that the Soprano Family sat in for the final scene of the famous show!”
Keegan-Michael Key and Gina Gershon are visiting Elsbeth
They join previously announced guest stars Stephen Moyer, Jane Krakowski, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Retta, Linda Lavin and Blair Underwood on the CBS The Good Wife spinoff starring Carrie Preston.
Oscars’ latest batch of presenters include Dwayne Johnson, Jennifer Lawrence, Bad Bunny, John Mulaney, Regina King and Rita Moreno
Chris Hemsworth, Michael Keaton, Kate McKinnon, Catherine O’Hara, Octavia Spencer and Ramy Youssef are also presenting.
Merrin Dungey among four joining The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3
Allyn Moriyon, John Pirrucello and Philip Anthony-Rodriguez are also joining the Netflix legal series.
Scott Speedman joins Yvonne Strahovski on Peacock's Teacup
They'll co-star in the James Wan-produced horror thriller series, based on Robert McCammon's 1988 novel Stinger.
Jon Stewart slams CNN for describing civilians killed in a Gaza food line as a "chaotic incident"
“Umm…note to CNN…a ‘chaotic incident’ is college kids storming a basketball court, not a massacre at a food line…” The Daily Show host tweeted today. As Mediaite notes: "Multiple CNN anchors also referred to the scene as a “chaotic incident,” including Dana Bash, Jim Acosta, and John Berman, and the phrase was used by the CNN Breaking News social media account."
Tubi nabs Nicola Coughlan-Lydia West comedy series Big Mood
The six-episode series created by Camilla Whitehill "follows best friends Maggie and Eddie (Coughlan and West, respectively) who have lived in each other’s pockets for ten years, through thick, thin and multiple challenging eyebrow trends," per Deadline. "But with the rest of their lives looming, careers hanging in the balance and Maggie’s bipolar disorder making an unwelcome return to form, Eddie begins to question whether this friendship is really in their best interests."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. exits NBC for Amazon Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports
Earnhardt, "the biggest name in NASCAR, is taking this season off before moving to WBD Sports and Amazon for their NASCAR coverage in 2025, reports The Athletic's Andrew Marchand. "The move figures to give WBD Sports and Amazon instant credibility when they start their series," says Marchand. "Each will have five races a season. WBD Sports’ races will be broadcast on TNT, streamed on Max and have a Bleacher Report component. NASCAR complements WBD Sports’ robust NBA, NCAA Tournament, MLB and NHL programming schedule."
Happy 3rd birthday to 30 Rock's Leap Day Williams
"Twelve years ago, the genius writers at 30 Rock gifted NBC’s Thursday evening lineup with an episode I’ve thought about at least once a week ever since," says Nora Biette-Timmons. "'Leap Day' (season 6, episode 9) is straightforwardly titled and its premise is a simple one: In the world of 30 Rock, Leap Day is a widely celebrated national holiday." Biette-Timmons adds: "Like any good holiday, there are songs one can imagine Irving Berlin writing over a shiny grand piano in the 1940s ('God grant you on this Leap Day fair/a calm wind and the ocean air'); different cultural responses to Leap Day (Jack explains that his assistant is taking the week off because 'He’s a Mormon, you know how they are about Leap Day'); and, most importantly, a movie. Leap Dave Williams, a film in the vein of The Santa Clause, stars Jim Carrey and Andie McDowell. Carrey (the titular Dave) is magnificent as a man who keeps turning into Leap Day Williams (who is bald, has gills, and wears a blue suit and matching straw boater); his absurdity is perfectly suited to an obscure holiday movie that runs all day on USA every Leap Day. But my absolute favorite element of this holiday made out of whole cloth is that it comes with its own ethos—the way Love Actually assured us that 'at Christmas, you tell the truth' (a maxim I’ve never heard outside of my annual rewatch, for what it’s worth)." ALSO: 30 Rock writer Luke Del Tredici approached "Leap Day" as a Christmas episode.
Presenting TV's essential Leap Day episodes
Frasier, Parks and Recreation, The Middle, Modern Family and 30 Rock all have episodes devoted to Leap Day.
Chicago Fire's Kara Killmer: "I had a lot of time to process Sylvie’s exit"
Killmer's paramedic character Sylvie Brett said goodbye Wednesday night after 10 seasons. "I had a lot of time to process Sylvie’s exit," she tells The Hollywood Reporter. "And so these last six episodes, and certainly the last episode, all felt like bonus to me. I feel like I probably spent more time just savoring it and having fun, rather than necessarily doing a lot of grieving. It’s just such a fun place to be and it was a blast! I went out with a bang!" Killmer also left the door open to her return. "Listen, the door is wide open for me!" she said. "You know Firehouse 51 has a habit of getting into all sorts of trouble, and if they need Sylvie to come back and straighten them out, I’m more than happy to show up anytime." In an interview with Variety, Killmer added: "It’s a miracle and a privilege to have been on a Dick Wolf show specifically for 10 years. Nothing else is going to be able to compete with that. But I am really excited about new projects and kind of bringing the magic that I’ve learned on Fire to new sets.”
Investigation Discovery renews On the Case With Paula Zahn for Season 27
Paula Zahn's long-running newsmagazine will return for eight new episodes on March 6.
Lauren Holly and Bruce Boxleitner to star in a Great American Family Christmas movie
They’ll co-star in Aurora Christmas opposite network mainstays Jill Wagner and Jesse Hutch.
Kevin Conroy's Batman and Mark Hamill's Joker will reunite one last time, on the big screen
Conroy, who died in November 2022, will posthumously voice Batman alongside his Batman: The Animated Series co-star Hamill on in Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part 3.
Check out the first look at Hacks Season 3
Co-creator Lucia Aniello says that the show’s writers spent a lot of time brainstorming how to get Ava and Deborah together again for Season 3 in a way that wouldn’t feel clichéd.
Outer Banks adds Pollyanna McIntosh, Brianna Brown and Rigo Sanchez
J. Anthony Crane and Mia Challis are also joining the Netflix drama series' cast for Season 4. All five will be recurring guest-stars in Season 4.
Pat McAfee admits "there were nights I couldn't sleep" amid the Aaron Rodgers-Jimmy Kimmel controversy
“The block got real hot for about three weeks,” McAfee joked of last month’s controversy on the All The Spoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, according to Mediaite. McAfee said he sought Shannon Sharpe's advice. “So, I asked Shannon about that," said McAfee. "I’m like, ‘Shannon, do you feel like whenever something’s being said that you don’t know if it’s right or not, how much blame are you putting on yourself?’ Because there were nights I couldn’t sleep. I’m like, ‘Maybe I am fucking this up completely.'”
MTV EMAs to air from Manchester for the first time
The MTV Europe Music Awards will celebrate its 30th anniversary in Manchester, England on Nov. 10.
Comedian Brian Simpson sets his first Netflix special
Brian Simpson: Live from the Mothership, premiering March 19, will feature the up-and-coming comedian performing The Comedy Mothership, the premier Austin, TX comedy venue owned by Joe Rogan. Simpson previously appeared on Netflix's The Standups and That’s My Time with David Letterman.
Andy Herrera takes over as captain in Station 19's Season 7 trailer
The logline for the Season 7 premiere on March 14 reads: “Andy steps into the station’s captaincy as Jack’s life hangs in the balance. The team is called to a hostage situation. Natasha fights for her career, and Maya and Carina make a choice.”
Watch Hulu's trailer for Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told
From executive producers Luther "Uncle Luke" Campbell, Jermaine Dupri and 21 Savage, Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told premieres March 21, telling the history of the iconic Atlanta street party that drew hundreds of thousands of people in the 1980s and 1990s.
9-1-1 unveils its Season 7 trailer
The longtime Fox procedural makes its ABC debut on March 14.
Max delves into Nashville's criminal justice system in the trailer for Justice, USA
The six-episode docuseries, premiering March 14, provides a " 360-degree insider's view" of Nashville's criminal justice system, offering unprecedented access to the men’s, women’s, and juvenile jails, as workers and inmates confront issues of incarceration, mental illness and addiction.
FX releases the trailer for Spermworld
The documentary on the black market for unregulated sperm donors, based on The New York Times article "The Sperm Kings Have a Problem: Too Much Demand," premieres March 29.