Kurt Sutter exits Netflix's The Abandons / Desperate Housewives turns 20 / The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives officially renewed
PLUS: Criminal Minds alum Matthew Gray Gubler sets CBS return as lead in Einstein pilot.
Kurt Sutter departs Netflix's The Abandons three weeks before the end of filming
The Sons of Anarchy creator, who created and served as showrunner on the Western drama series starring Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson, is out amid filming of the sixth of seven episodes, reports Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. Executive producer/director Otto Bathurst and co-exec producer Rob Askins will oversee the rest of the shoot, but no new showrunner will be named. "The departure is believed to stem from creative differences over the direction of the big-scale production as it is wrapping filming and headed into post," says Andreeva. "I hear an alarm went off at Netflix when the initial cut of the dense first episode, which sets the scene and introduces the large group of main characters, came in at 1 hour and 40 minutes. Cutting that down to an hour proved impossible, so a decision was made for the episode, written by Sutter and directed by Bathurst, to be split into two. That required creating a cliffhanger in the middle of the episode with additional scenes on both ends to wrap the premiere and kick off Episode 2.” This isn't the first time that Sutter has made headlines for exiting a series prematurely. In 2019, Sutter was famously fired from FX Sons of Anarchy spinoff Mayans MC following an investigation into complaints from writers, producers, cast and crew about a hostile work environment on the show. But, reports Andreeva, "besides chatter about friction with top talent on The Abandons, there are no reports of a major discord on the set. I hear the big-scope production did go over budget, with plans to mitigate some of that by shaving off one day of filming on the finale, whose script, written by Sutter, had been approved by Netflix five weeks ago." Reps for Netflix and Sutter declined comment.
Criminal Minds alum Matthew Gray Gubler sets CBS return as lead in Einstein pilot
Gubler, who starred as Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds from 2005 to 2020, will play the title role in the CBS adaptation of the German series Einstein. "In it, brilliant but directionless, the great grandson of Albert Einstein (Gubler) spends his days as a comfortably tenured professor until his bad boy antics land him in trouble with the law and he is pressed into service helping a local police detective solve her most puzzling cases," according to Deadline, adding: "Gubler’s Lew Einstein is a popular professor at Princeton… when he actually shows up for class. Irreverent and misguided, Lew’s genius and famous name weighs heavily on him but using his gift to help solve homicides may– finally– offer his life some direction and purpose." Einstein is from Monk creator Andy Breckmand and his longtime collaborator Randy Zisk. Gubler most recently recurred on Hulu's Dollface.
CNN says it refused Melania Trump's book publisher's request to be paid $250,000
"Nearly two months ago, CNN reached out to Melania Trump’s book publisher to request an interview with the former first lady ahead of her upcoming memoir. After several exchanges about a possible interview, the publisher sent an unusual demand last week: an interview would cost $250,000," reports CNN's Hadas Gold and Pamela Brown. "In an email to CNN, Skyhorse Publishing sent a document labeled, 'Confidentiality and Nondisclosure Agreement' that laid out strict terms for an interview and use of material from the book, titled Melania, due to publish on October 8. On top of that, the agreement stipulated that 'CNN shall pay a licensing fee of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000).' CNN did not sign the agreement." Days later, after a CNN reporter brought up the fee, the publisher said it had sent the payment demand by mistake. “Neither Melania nor anyone from her team knew anything about the NDA and the document that was sent reflected an internal miscommunication,” Tony Lyons, the president and publisher of Skyhorse, told CNN in a statement. “Had CNN signed an NDA, in the normal course of business, we would have approached Melania’s team to discuss (specifics of the interview),” Lyons said.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives officially renewed for Season 2 with production beginning next week
Hulu has ordered 20 more episodes of its hit reality show that premiered on Sept. 6. Production resumes next week, with Season 2 expected to premiere in the spring.
LeVar Burton pays tribute to Roots co-star John Amos
Burton, who shared the role of Kunta Kinte with Amos of the groundbreaking miniseries Roots, said of the late actor on The View: “James Evans, the character that John played on Good Times, was the first Black man as householder on TV. The whole family, the father making it work for the family. When I was coming up Black men were generally portrayed as absent fathers, shiftless, fodder for prison and criminals. And John Amos changed that. May his name forever be blessed.” Whoopi Goldberg responded: "And it will."
Desperate Housewives turns 20
Marc Cherry's hit ABC mystery dramedy series kicked off its eight-season, 180-episode 2004-2012 run on Oct. 3, 2004. "To the start and watch it again for the first time since it ended is to catapult oneself back to an entirely different era," says Rebecca Nicholson, adding: “Desperate Housewives’ sense of humour fixes it firmly to the pinboard of the early 00s. It is jauntily satirical, and unselfconsciously outrageous, in a way that simply would not exist in the current age of discourse. I had somehow forgotten that the whole thing opens with Mary Alice (Brenda Strong) repainting a lawn chair then shooting herself in the head, for reasons so fantastically absurd that it is worth marvelling at how they thought they would get away with it. But it sustained its devotion to excess for 180 episodes, and excess was, mostly, the point. The episodes boomerang between farce and high drama, between tragedy, pratfalls and comic nudity. ‘It’s like my grandmother always said: an erect penis doesn’t have a conscience,’ says Gabrielle, early on, to give a taste of its many bon mots. It is easy to see the problems with it retrospectively, just as Friends, for example, is regularly pulled up for jokes that wouldn’t pass muster today." But, adds Nicholson, "for all of its 'I can’t believe they went there' moments (and there are many of those), it has a lightness of touch. It meanders, it backs itself into narrative cul de sacs and at times it flails around as if the lights have been switched off, but it has the feel of a frothy pleasure."
Roy Wood Jr. to host ESPN's 30 for 30 15-year celebration
30 for 30. 15 Years of 30 for 30, airing Sunday on ESPN2, will feature a countdown of the top sports documentaries aired since 30 for 30 launched on Oct. 6, 2009.
The Perfect Couple tops Nielsen's streaming charts
The murder mystery limited series starring Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber and Dakota Fanning had 1.91 billion viewing minutes for the week of Sept. 2-8. That’s the fifth highest total for any original series premiere week on the streaming charts this year, behind Fool Me Once, Fallout, Bridgerton and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
The Simpsons spoofs The White Lotus with "The Yellow Lotus"
Sunday's episode will offer a full-on spoof of Mike White's hit Emmy-winning HBO series, starting with the opening credits.
Brian Williams' potential Election Night Amazon special adds James Carville
Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, the Emmy-winning duo behind various Oscars, Tonys and Super Bowl halftime ceremonies, are expected to oversee the special on Amazon Prime Video on Nov. 5, reports Puck News’ Dylan Byers. Though the election special isn’t official, Williams’ deal to host is “effectively done,” reports Byers.
Better Call Saul nearly had Saul Goodman working at Hot Topic
Better Call Saul co-creator and showrunner Peter Gould posted an early draft of Breaking Bad's penultimate episode to Bluesky. In the episode that aired, Saul tells Walter White that if he's "lucky, a month from now, best case scenario, I'm managing a Cinnabon in Omaha." In the early script, Saul says: “From here on out, I’m Mr. Low Profile — just another douchebag with a job and three pairs of Dockers. I mean, a month from now, best case scenario, I’m managing a Hot Topic in Omaha.”
Check out the first look at Nicolas Cage on the set of Amazon's Spider-Noir
According to JustJared, the 60-year-old Cage "was photographed on the set of the new series on Wednesday morning (October 2) in Los Angeles. His character appeared to be knocked over by something in the scene."
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog goes behind the scenes of the vice presidential debate for The Daily Show
Watch Robert Smigel's puppet impersonate Hulk Hogan and J.D. Vance's "meemaw" while mixing it up with CNN's Jake Tapper.
Mariska Hargitay: There's one role every Law & Order: SVU guest-star wants
“All the famous people, you know what they want? To be a dead body,” she said on Late Night with Seth Meyers. “It’s so weird.”
Days of Our Lives adds even more alums for its 60th anniversary celebration
According to TV Insider, "Peter Reckell (Bo Brady) and Kristian Alfonso (Hope Williams Brady) aren’t the only big names set to appear on Days of our Lives in 2025. A host of other popular faves recently returned to the studio to shoot episodes that will air next June. Included in the comeback group are Matthew Ashford (Jack Deveraux), Christie Clark (Carrie Brady), Leann Hunley (Anna DiMera), Victoria Konefal (Ciara Weston), Chandler Massey (Will Horton), Thaao Penghlis (Tony DiMera), Melissa Reeves (Jennifer Horton) and Charles Shaughnessy (Shane Donovan, also known as The Nanny’s Mr. Sheffield)."
Matthew Broderick explains why he didn't join wife Sarah Jessica Parker on Sex and the City
“Whenever there was a part that I could do, I couldn't do it is really all that happened,” he said on James Corden's This Life of Mine show on SiriusXM. “But also sometimes, it was like, ‘Do you want to do two days as the premature ejaculator?’ And I'd be like, ‘You know, I don't know, it’s just kind of embarrassing.’”
Matthew Modine officiated Stranger Things daughter Millie Bobby Brown's wedding to Jake Bongiovi
Modine reunited with his Stranger Things co-star for her Sept. 2 wedding to Bongiovi, son of Jon Bon Jovi.
Hulu reveals Family Guy's Halloween special trailer, featuring Glen Powell as a pumpkin-carving champion
The 25th anniversary Halloween special premieres on Hulu on Oct. 14.
Netflix's Simone Biles Rising Part 2 trailer looks back at her historic 2024 Olympics
"See the tears, the perseverance, and the moments behind her status as one of the greatest athletes of all time and cementing her incredible legacy at the 2024 Paris Olympics," Netflix says of Part 2, which premieres Oct. 25.
What We Do in the Shadows unveils its final season trailer
The FX vampire returns for its sixth and final season on Oct. 21.
Ali Wong says 40 is the "perfect" age in her trailer for Netflix special Single Lady
Wong's fourth Netflix special, premiering Oct. 8, features musings on her post-divorce life.
Watch the trailer for Amazon's The Pasta Queen
Social media pasta influencer Nadia Caterina Munno, the self-proclaimed "Pasta Queen," will travel through Italy and offer her own tips as she delves into the world of pasta. The Pasta Queen premieres Oct. 24.