Mariska Hargitay to host the Emmys / Geena Davis is set to play a serial killer on HBO / Apple TV changes show name to avoid Harlan Coben confusion
PLUS: Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman star Louise Lasser dies at 87.
Mariska Hargitay to host the 2026 Primetime Emmys, becoming the first female emcee in 15 years
The Emmy-winning longtime star and executive producer of Law & Order: SVU will helm the Monday, Sept. 14 ceremony live on her home network of NBC, with streaming on Peacock. Hargitay, the eight-time nominee and winner of the 2006 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama series, will be the first female host of the Primetime Emmys since Jane Lynch in 2011. “Bringing important stories into the light has been the heartbeat of my career. It’s my great honor to host the 78th Emmy Awards — in the 100th birthday year of my beloved NBC — and celebrate this extraordinary community of storytellers,” Hargitay said in a statement. “Whether it’s an actor or a director, a costumer or a sound designer, we are all so privileged to take part in creating television that unites us. Regardless of how, where or when we watch, we are together in our laughter, our tears, our love of stories — and our delighted anticipation to see what happens next.” Jen Neal, NBC and Peacock’s executive vice president of live events and specials, said of tapping Hargitay: “Mariska has earned her place among television’s icons. Few performers have left the kind of mark on television that Mariska has. For 27 seasons, she has brought strength, compassion and humanity to one of the most beloved characters on TV. As NBC celebrates 100 years of unforgettable storytelling, we can’t think of anyone more fitting to help celebrate the incredible legacy of television.” As Variety’s Michael Schneider notes, “Hargitay reps a unique choice by NBC and the Television Academy for hosting the Emmys, which in recent years has stuck mostly with standups, late night hosts or comedic actors. The last time NBC held the Emmys, in 2022, Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson hosted; and in 2018, NBC tapped SNL ‘Weekend Update’ stars Michael Che and Colin Jost as Emmy hosts. Last year, standup Nate Bargatze hosted the telecast for CBS. Not only is Hargitay the first female Emmy host in 15 years, she’s just the fourth this century. Previously, that included Ellen DeGeneres (2001 and 2005), Heidi Klum (who co-hosted with Tom Bergeron, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst and Ryan Seacrest in 2008) and Lynch.”
Geena Davis is headed to HBO to play California’s most notorious female serial killer
The Oscar winner is set to star in Dorothea, an HBO true-crime drama series in development inspired by the real-life story of Dorothea Puente, California’s most notorious female serial killer. Puente was a Sacramento woman who ran a boarding house for the less fortunate in the 1980s, but her seemingly benevolent actions belied her sinister motives, according to Deadline. Written by Joshua Michael Stern, who serves as showrunner, “the project originated with Smallville alum (Michael) Rosenbaum who identified the idea and brought it to Bristol Circle Entertainment, the production company of former Sony Pictures Television Studios President Jeff Frost (Pluribus),” says Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva. “Rosenbaum and his writing partner Whitney developed the series with Stern (Graves) before Davis was attached and the package was taken out, landing at HBO. Davis, Stern, Rosenbaum and Frost executive produce; Whitney is a co-executive producer.”
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman star Louise Lasser dies at 87
Lasser, who died Monday, was Woody Allen’s first leading lady (and second wife) who went on to become star of Norman Lear’s 1976-1977 syndicated satirical soap opera, playing the title role. “With her reserved demeanor, calming voice and toothy smile, Lasser, who was married to Allen from 1966-70, proved to be a perfect balance to his neurotic, nebbish film persona,” Chris Koseluk writes in Lasser’s The Hollywood Reporter obituary. “But what cemented Lasser’s stardom was her lead role on the groundbreaking 1976-77 series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” says Koseluk. “Produced and developed by Norman Lear and created by Jerry Adelman, Daniel Gregory Browne, Ann Marcus and Gail Parent, the show was a low-key yet cutting parody of soap operas that skewered American consumerism. The joke started with its title, to mock the notion that everything in daytime dramas is repeated twice. Released in syndication, the comedy ran five nights a week — unheard of at that time. In general, the industry didn’t know what to make of the program. When Lasser was nominated for an Emmy in 1976, her category was ‘Special Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual Achievement.’ What everyone did know was that it was funny. With a droll, understated approach, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman pushed the envelope, tackling such topics as adultery, homosexuality, venereal disease, exhibitionism, serial killing, religious cults and UFOs. In the midst of it all was Lasser as Mary. With girlish pigtails, a white Peter Pan collared blouse and a blue smock dress, she embodied a mockingly innocent version of an American housewife. Consumed with such mundane matters as Swanson TV dinners and waxy yellow buildup on the floor of her home in Fernwood, Ohio, Mary conveyed the naivete of the 1970s suburban woman, victimized by the ideals of a commercialized culture. Lasser instilled the character with a noble dignity and a quiet sense of desperation that slowly continued to build during the series’ 325 episodes, highlighted by Mary’s meltdown at the end of season one on The David Susskind Show.” In a 2013 interview with Interview magazine, Lasser said of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman: “I always thought it was a really good show because it touched so many aspects of everything. “It’s sort of up and down and in and out, and before you know it, there you are. And then it itched such rich subjects, do you know what I mean? People always say it’s way ahead of its time. I never thought it was ahead of its time. I always thought it was of its time.”
Emmys to reveal the nominations for Outstanding Variety Series and Outstanding Reality Competition Program on Today early Wednesday morning
The two categories, where broadcast TV is most represented, will once again be revealed early. The two categories will be revealed on Today Wednesday morning between 4:45am PT – 5:20am PT. The Bear’s Liza Colón-Zayas and Widow’s Bay’s Jeff Hiller will announce the nominations, three hours later, at 8:30am PT.
ABC: Government shouldn’t decide if The View hosts are journalists
In a new filing, ABC contends that a “broad and cross-ideological consensus of commenters” backs the editorial independence of The View, amid an FCC investigation into the daytime talk show and whether it should face restrictions on featuring political candidates as guests. “The First Amendment does not permit the government to sit in an editor’s chair,” wrote ABC’s legal team. “Yet that is the seat the Commission now proposes to take— deciding which broadcast programs qualify as legitimate news and, for those it finds wanting, compelling them to surrender their airtime to guests they never chose to feature.” ABC also warned that the government shouldn’t be deciding whether The View is or isn’t a journalistic show. “Requiring hosts to meet a government-approved definition of journalist is fundamentally antidemocratic,” ABC’s legal team wrote. “Where will the Commission draw the line? An undergraduate journalism degree? A graduate degree? Specific work experience? A willingness to express viewpoints the government finds acceptable? The explosion of alternative platforms—YouTube, TikTok, podcasts—has proven that a journalism degree is no prerequisite to interviewing important guests on newsworthy topics.”
Apple TV’s Liev Schreiber, Stephen Graham and Zazie Beetz drama series gets a new title to avoid Harlan Coben confusion
Originally titled Lazarus, based on the 2018 Lars Kepler novel of the same name, the 10-episode drama series will now be titled Nocturne with the new premiere date Oct. 30. “The name change likely stemmed (in part, at least) from the fact that Amazon Prime Video series Harlan Coben’s Lazarus beat it to market (in October 2025). (And Nocturne‘s development may explain by Coben’s name is in the other series’ title.),” says The Hollywood Reporter’s Tony Maglio. Nocturne tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), a former soldier and current homicide detective who, “tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life,” the synopsis reads, adding: “But, as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear.”
Big Brother’s Season 28 cast includes a Drag Race All-Star alum, a rocket scientist, the daughter of a 1980s pop star and an MMA fighter
The 14 new housemates will compete in a “Time Trip” format, where the past, present, and future collide. Contestants include RuPaul’s Drag Race all-star Jason De Puy and MMA fighter Kamuela “Kamu” Kirk. The cast also includes Lyric Medeiros, whose father Glenn Medeiros reached No. 12 on the U.S. charts in 1987 with his cover version of George Benson’s “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You”
Jon Stewart will be off this week as The Daily Show returns tonight from Fourth of July break
Since The Daily Show didn’t have a Monday broadcast, Stewart will return next Monday. Instead, Ronny Chieng will host tonight through Thursday.
Jason Isaacs to lead a scripted series on Britain’s maternity deaths scandal
Based on award-winning documentary Maternity: Broken Trust, the former White Lotus star will play Dr Jack Hawkins, who found himself on the other side of the stethoscope when his daughter Harriet was stillborn in 2016. “What drew me to this project was its sheer scale: this goes far beyond one family or one hospital,” said Isaacs. “It’s about what happens when institutions fail, and the extraordinary people who refuse to stop asking difficult questions and demand justice. With Cuba Pictures building on the remarkable work of the original documentary, I wanted to be part of telling the next chapter of this story.”
Netflix inks a deal to show short videos from Variety, Rolling Stone, People Buzzfeed, Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest and more
The video offerings, which range from three-minute shorts to 20-minute episodes, will be “discoverable directly from the Netflix homepage” beginning Aug. 3, Netflix announced today. They include content from Penske Media’s PMX brands: The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Eater, IndieWire, Rolling Stone and Variety, plus BuzzFeed Celeb’s 30 Questions, Vanity Fair’s Lie Detector, Architectural Digest’s Walking Tour, Harper’s Bazaar’s Burning Questions, Billboard’s 24 Hrs With, Variety’s How Well Do They Know?, People’s My Life in Pictures and Travel + Leisure’s Travel Unfiltered.
Barry Pepper joins Jeremy Strong in Paramount+’s 9/12 limited series
The Emmy-winning actor will play Coach, “a former NYPD police officer and 9/11 first responder suffering from leukemia, a result of his work at ground zero,” per Deadline. “He is reluctant to sue the city but is convinced to become the face of the lawsuit in order to help other victims.”
Shark Tank’s Season 18 guest sharks include MrBeast, J.J. Watt and Mindy Kaling
The Diary of a CEO host Steven Barlett and Nobody Wants This sisters Erin Foster and Sara Foster will also serve as guest judges in Season 18. ALSO: Kendra Scott and Rashaun Williams have been elevated to permanent Sharks.
Check out the first look at Harry Jowsey’s new Netflix reality dating show Let’s Marry Harry
The Too Hot to Handle and Perfect Match alum will look for love in a new dating reality show featuring 20 women, plus the input of his friends Amanda Kloots, Georgia Hassarati and Sonny Henty. Let’s Marry Harry premieres Aug. 5.
50 Cent unveils Fightland’s trailer
“One boxer’s fight for revenge turns out to be the biggest battle of his life,” in the Starz British drama series from Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, premiering July 31.