MGM+ orders a The Magnificent Seven TV series from Tim Kring / Study finds diversity is slipping across TV / ABC News sets a Rob Reiner special
PLUS: FX picks up drama pilot Seven Sisters, starring Elizabeth Olsen, Cristin Milioti, J. Smith-Cameron, Ryan Eggold and Anthony Edwards.
MGM+ orders a The Magnificent Seven TV series from Tim Kring — not Nic Pizzolatto
MGM+ has greenlit Heroes and Crossing Jordan creator Tim Kring’s eight-episode drama series adaptation of the iconic 1960 John Sturges-directed Western film The Magnificent Seven, which itself was a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s iconic 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai. The greenlight comes 2-1/2 years after news that True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto was creating a The Magnificent Seven series for Amazon, which owns MGM+. Pizzolatto’s version is not moving forward and he has no involvement in the new version. Set in the 1880s American frontier, MGM+’s The Magnificent Seven “follows a group of mercenaries who are hired to protect a peaceful Quaker village after it is massacred by a land baron’s hired guns,” per Variety. “As the flawed but gifted mercenaries embed with the Quakers, they must grapple with the question of whether it is acceptable to use violence to defend a people whose faith is based on nonviolence. The series will explore each member of the Seven, exploring what’s at stake and why they chose to take on this mission.”
Nick Reiner to be charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of parents Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer Reiner
Los Angeles County D.A. Nathan Hochman announced today that 32-year-old Nick Reiner will be charged with two counts of murder in the first degree with special circumstances due to multiple murders. The charges carry a maximum sentence of the death penalty or life without the possibility of parole. Hochman said no decision has been made with respect to the death penalty.
Study finds diversity is slipping across TV
According to UCLA’s newly released Hollywood Diversity Report, while diversity went down in 2024, underrepresented stories increased their shares in 2024. The study found that “four out of five leads in the most-watched streaming comedies and dramas were white actors, and white men account for close to 79% of all show creators, an increase from last year’s 77%,” per Variety. “In contrast, nearly all other races and ethnicities were underrepresented as leads in top shows and as show creators; Only 49 of the 222 scripted series studied within the report were created by a female, while creators of color only accounted for 8% of show creators.” Darnell Hunt, executive vice chancellor and provost at UCLA, who co-founded the Hollywood Diversity Report, said of this year’s study: “Unfortunately, this wasn’t unexpected, especially with the election results in 2024. When you shut the door on diversity, you shut out opportunities for more perspectives, collaboration, exploration and growth. Without vigilance and pressure, the industry will continue to invest less and less in these creators and stories to the detriment of their bottom line.”
President Trump to deliver a primetime address on Wednesday
“My Fellow Americans: I will be giving an ADDRESS TO THE NATION tomorrow night, LIVE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, at 9 P.M. EST.,” the president wrote Tuesday on his Truth Social platform. “I look forward to ‘seeing’ you then. It has been a great year for our Country, and THE BEST IS YET TO COME!” ALSO: CBS’ Survivor 49 three-hour finale Wednesday night will take a break for Trump’s address.
President Trump: 60 Minutes has “treated me far worse” under the Ellisons’ ownership
“For those people that think I am close with the new owners of CBS, please understand that 60 Minutes has treated me far worse since the so-called ‘takeover,’ than they have ever treated me before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If they are friends, I’d hate to see my enemies!” Trump’s post comes a week after he lashed out at 60 Minutes over a Marjorie Taylor Greene segment. It is believed that because the Ellison family is close to the Trump administration, it has an inside edge in beating Netflix in acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery.
President Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC was timed before a once-in-decade review of the British broadcaster’s royal charter
The defamation lawsuit over editing in a BBC documentary was filed “just hours before Britain’s government began on Tuesday a once-a-decade review of the broadcaster’s royal charter, which first set out its journalistic mission 98 years ago,” reports The New York Times’ Michael D. Shear. “The timing is hardly a coincidence. Mr. Trump and his conservative allies in Britain have long targeted the BBC for what they call its liberal bias. The broadcaster’s critics, and its commercial rivals, have spent years waging a campaign to put ideological pressure on the news organization and to disrupt its public funding. In his lawsuit, Mr. Trump continued that pressure, saying the BBC ‘intentionally and maliciously sought to fully mislead its viewers around the world by splicing together two entirely separate parts of President Trump’s speech’ on the day that rioters supporting Mr. Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election stormed the U.S. Capitol. The attacks on the BBC’s integrity and credibility contained in the president’s lawsuit are likely to be a difficult backdrop to the organization’s effort to renew its charter for another 10 years. The charter, which is the constitutional basis for the BBC, sets out its mission, purpose and — crucially — how it is financed.” ALSO: BBC vows to defend itself in $10 billion Trump lawsuit.
ABC News sets a Rob Reiner special for tonight
The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy, airing tonight on ABC at 10 p.m., will give updates on the investigation into the killing of Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner. The hourlong special will also delve into their careers.
Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers each had a different way of reacting to Rob Reiner’s death
“In the current era, when virtually everything, including a savage killing that ripped a family apart, is subject to partisan confrontation, late night has been functioning not so much as the town square but rather the underground press room, editorializing to hold the regime to account,” says Bill Carter. “Monday night, four shows made four different choices in how they would deal with topical news this disturbing.” Jimmy Kimmel chose to go after President Trump relentlessly for using Reiner’s killing to attack the director, while Seth Meyers “made a decision to consciously pull back, offering a sobering, muted assessment of Trump’s comments on Reiner, whom Meyers eulogized for his achievements and his personal appeal, based on his own interactions with the actor-director,” says Carter. Jimmy Fallon opted to directly address Rob Reiner’s death without mentioning Trump’s comments, while Stephen Colbert opted to avoid tackling the weekend of bad news because “other people’s tragedies” were “sacred ground.” ALSO: Jimmy Fallon under fire for “disappointing” Rob Reiner tribute.
Wrestling icon Mick Foley cuts ties with WWE over President Trump’s “incredibly cruel” comments about Rob Reiner
“While I have been concerned about WWE‘s close relationship with Donald Trump for several months — especially in light of his administration’s ongoing cruel and inhumane treatment of immigrants (and pretty much anyone who ‘looks like an immigrant’) — reading the President’s incredibly cruel comments in the wake of Rob Reiner’s death is the final straw for me,” Foley wrote on Instagram this morning. “I no longer wish to represent a company that coddles a man so seemingly void of compassion as he marches our country towards autocracy. Last night, I informed WWE talent relations that I would not be making any appearances for the company as long as this man remains in office. Additionally, I will not be signing a new Legends deal when my current one expires in June. I love WWE, will always treasure my time with them, and I am deeply appreciative for all the opportunities they afforded me. But, in the words of Popeye the sailor, ‘I stands all I can stands, and I can’t stands no more.’”
Warner Bros. Discovery to tell shareholders to reject Paramount’s latest offer
Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision “would leave Paramount and its chief executive, David Ellison, to decide whether to sweeten its offer,” according to The Wall Street Journal, adding that WBD plans to tell shareholders to support its existing deal with Netflix.
FX picks up drama pilot Seven Sisters, starring Elizabeth Olsen, Cristin Milioti, J. Smith-Cameron, Ryan Eggold and Anthony Edwards
Seven Sisters follows a large, tight-knit family that begins to unravel when one sister, Adrienne (Olsen), starts communicating with a voice no one else can hear, forcing them to confront long-buried secrets. Odessa Young, Zoë Winters, Meredith Hagner, Bridget Brown, Carolyn Kettig and Philip Ettinger also star.
Snoop Dogg to headline Netflix’s Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings Christmas Day game halftime show
“NFL, Netflix, and your Uncle Snoop on Christmas Day?” Snoop said of his performance at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. “We’re servin’ up music, love and good vibes for the whole world to enjoy. That’s the kind of holiday magic Santa can’t fit in a bag.”
Christina Aguilera lands her own CBS Christmas special
Next Monday, CBS will air Christina Aguilera: Christmas in Paris, a holiday special marking the 25th anniversary of the pop star’s 2000 holiday album My Kind of Christmas.
Seth Meyers reveals SNL UK will premiere in March
Meyers said on The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast that he recently visited London in connection with Sky’s British spinoff of Saturday Night Live. Meyers kept mum on his visit but, per LateNighter, said: “But I will say this: SNL UK is officially happening in March of next year, and it’s really exciting.”
Daniel Stern to star in ABC’s comedy pilot Do You Want Kids?
The Wonder Years and Home Alone star will play the gruff patriarch of the Zilbalodis family in the comedy pilot starring Rachel Bloom and Rory Scovel as a married couple “who in one universe have a baby and the other do not, and the many ways that huge decision alters their lives.”
Boris Kodjoe to star alongside Garcelle Beauvais in Lifetime’s Terry McMillan Presents: Tempted 2 Love
Lela Rochonand Vaughn W. Hebron will reprise their roles from the original film Tempted by Love in the sequel movie premiering Jan. 31.
HGTV orders Wild Vacation Rentals, starring D’Arcy Carden and Sherry Cola
The Nobody Wants This actors will visit the most enchanting, eccentric and downright bizarre rental vacation homes in the U.S. for their new HGTV series.
HGTV renews Zillow Gone Wild and Castle Impossible
Jack McBrayer’s Zillow Gone Wild has been picked up for Season 3, while Daphne and Ian Fig are returning with a second season of Castle Impossible.
A.I. detector: There’s a 99.9% probability SNL used A.I.
As Saturday Night Live continues it silence over social media allegations it used A.I. on Josh O’Connor’s episode, Deadline decided to run a photo from “Weekend Update” that is accused of being A.I. art through Hive’s A.I. detector. The result: a 99.9% probability that SNL‘s image was A.I.-generated.
Heidi Gardner, Anna Camp, Ronny Chieng and Corbin Bernsen join Tracy Morgan’s The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins
They’ll guest star on the NBC football comedy series from 30 Rock vets Tina Fey, Robert Carlock and Sam Means. ALSO: There will be plenty of 30 Rock Easter Eggs on The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.
Amazon orders a series adaptation of YA romance novel The Probability of Miracles
Author Wendy Wunder’s 2011 novel is being adapted as a limited series. The Probability of Miracles “follows Campbell Cooper, a sharp-tongued teenager dying of cancer who, after receiving a terminal diagnosis, moves with her Mom and sister to a town called Promise, where miracles are said to happen,” per Variety, “she spends her summer in this quirky, mystical town, she discovers that miracles — and falling in love — are still possible, no matter how improbable they may seem.” Cam does not believe in miracles, but, according to the logline, “as she spends her summer in this quirky, mystical town, she discovers that miracles — and falling in love — are still possible, no matter how improbable they may seem.”
Instagram is launching an app on Amazon Fire TV
“Today we’re excited to start testing Instagram for TV, bringing reels from your favorite creators to the big screen so you can enjoy them with friends,” Instagram announced today in a blog post, adding: “We’ve heard from our community that watching reels together is more fun, and this test is designed to learn which features make that experience work best on TV. Reels are grouped into channels that match your interests, including new music, sports highlights, hidden travel gems, trending moments, and more. Over time, we’re exploring new features, including using your phone as a remote, intuitive ways to channel surf, shared feeds with friends, and making it easier to keep up with your favorite creators in one place.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race bringing back Bianca Del Rio as host of The Pit Stop YouTube recap series
The Season 6 winner will review weekly episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18 alongside a new special guest each week, with new episodes premiering Saturdays.
Hulu and Disney+ renew The Worst Trip Around the World for Season 2, with Juanpa Zurita returning to host
The Disney+ international series “follows Zurita as he attempts to circumnavigate the globe in a single-engine plane (with no bathroom) alongside record-breaking pilot Matt Guthmiller, inviting his influencer friends to join him in crazy and extreme adventures in each country he lands on,” per Deadline. “His guests included Chinguamiga, Facundo, Lele Pons, Esen Alva, Daniela Rodrice, Jair Sánchez, Harold Azuara, and Daniel Sosa.”
How The Tonight Show did and didn’t censor Stranger Things’ “Dipsh*t Derek”
On TV, Jake Connelly’s character was labeled “Delightful Derek.”
See Matthew Rhys in the first look at Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay
The horror comedy series, premiering April 29 with three episode stars is set in “a quaint island town 40 miles off the coast of New England. But something lurks beneath the surface,” per the official description. “Mayor Tom Loftis (Rhys) is desperate to revive his struggling community. There’s no wifi, spotty cellular reception and he must contend with superstitious locals who believe their island is cursed. He wants these people to respect him. They don’t. They think he is soft and cowardly. And he is. But Loftis is determined to build a better future for his teenage son and turn the island into a tourist destination. Miraculously, he succeeds: tourists are finally coming. Unfortunately, the locals were right. After decades of calm, the old stories that seemed too ludicrous to be true start happening again.”
Rebecca Lowe signs on for her seventh Olympics for NBC Sports as daytime host
Lowe, who will host daytime coverage of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, is closing on Bob Costas’ 11 Olympics.
Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios is moving from YouTube to Tubi for Season 2
The tennis bad boy’s Naomi Osaka-produced video podcast will be a part of Tubi, starting on Monday.
Netflix adding exclusive iHeartMedia video podcasts, including Charlamagne tha God’s The Breakfast Club, Chelsea Handler and Workaholics stars
With iHeartMedia’s video-exclusive Netflix deal, video versions of the full podcast episodes will no longer be distributed on YouTube. They include Handler’s Dear Chelsea, Workaholics stars Adam Devine, Anders Holm and Blake Anderson’s This Is Important and Bobby Bones Presents: The Bobbycast.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Whitney Leavitt to make her feature film debut
Leavitt, fresh off starring on Dancing with the Stars and being cast as the lead in Chicago in her Broadway debut, will star in the holiday big-screen romcom All For Love.
Netflix’s The Perfect Neighbor makes the Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary Feature
The buzzworthy true-crime documentary is one of three Netflix films to make the Best Documentary Feature Oscar shortlist. Netflix’s Seymour Hersh documentary Cover-Up and Apocalypse in the Tropics, a documentary on Christian Nationalism in Brazil, also made the shortlist.
The Pitt Season 2 trailer promises an even more unrelenting look at America’s healthcare system
The Fourth of July-set Season 2, premiering Jan. 8, will feature some very American-centric problems to overcome.
Donna Kelce says “Show me the money” in The Traitors Season 3 trailer
Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Porsha Williams is heard calling out someone with a mission of “hauling out the Housewives” in the trailer for Season 4, premiering with three episodes on Peacock on Jan. 8.