Michael Longfellow departs SNL after three seasons / Hilary Duff to star in Hulu's Pretty Ugly drama series / ESPN demotes Doris Burke
PLUS: NCIS: Origins taps Adam Campbell to reprise his NCIS Young Ducky role in a tribute to David McCallum.
Michael Longfellow departs SNL after three seasons
Deadline reports that Longfellow, who joined Saturday Night Live with Season 48 alongside Devon Walker, will leave at the same time as Walker, who announced his exit on Tuesday. Longfellow is the third cast member to depart. Emil Wakim announced his departure after one season on Wednesday. Longfellow's exit comes three days after LateNighter reported he screen-tested for the "Weekend Update" co-anchor job alongside SNL writer KC Shornima last May. "Longfellow’s departure is somewhat of a surprise given that he was seemingly being primed to take over the ‘Weekend Update’ desk at some point after some successful stints behind the desk, joking about topics such as TikTok and Real ID," says Deadline's Peter White. "He even appeared on ‘Weekend Update’ on his first ever show (in 2022)." Last season, while appearing on “Weekend Update,” Longfellow joked about his limited time on SNL: “I work like 12 hours a week. When you love your job, it never feels like work. No, I’m just not in that much stuff this season. It’s fine, I walk around, they don’t really keep tabs on your whereabouts here.”
Hilary Duff to star in Hulu's Pretty Ugly drama series
Former Family Guy and Only Murders in the Building writer Kirker Butler created Pretty Ugly based on his 2015 novel of the same name. In Pretty Ugly, "Miranda Miller’s (Duff) mission in life is to make her ten-year-old daughter Bailey the most successful child pageant contestant in the United States. A former teenage pageant queen herself, Miranda dreams of endorsement deals, beauty brands, maybe even a TV show. Bailey, however, wants none of it," per Deadline. "She’s been doing pageants since she was three months old and is burned out."
NCIS: Origins taps Adam Campbell to reprise his NCIS Young Ducky role in a tribute to David McCallum
Campbell will return as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, a role he played over four NCIS episodes between 2014 and 2020. “We wanted to do this episode to honor the memory of our dear friend David McCallum. He was a beloved member of the NCIS family for so many years, and we’re incredibly lucky to have the talented Adam Campbell back to bring the younger version of this iconic character to life once again,” co-showrunners Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North said in a statement. “We even got to feature David’s music in the episode. We’re all very excited and can’t wait for the fans to see it.”
NBC to give Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show a bigger post-Sunday Night Football boost
After Fallon delivered his best ratings of 2024 with a post-SNF Tonight Show, NBC has decided to give The Tonight Show four airings following TV's No. 1 program this fall (after the late local newscast). As the Los Angeles Times' Stephen Battaglio notes, "two of the NFL games will feature the Kansas City Chiefs, which will be pop culture spectacles thanks to tight end Travis Kelce’s engagement to Taylor Swift."
ESPN demotes Doris Burke from its NBA Finals team, replacing her with Tim Legler
As The Athletic's Andrew Marchand notes, Hall of Fame broadcaster "Burke was on the finals team for two years, becoming the first woman in history to serve as an analyst for one of the traditional four major North American sports leagues championships (NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL)." He adds: "ESPN is discussing a contract extension with Burke, whose current contract is set to expire after the upcoming season. She could likely end up on ESPN’s No. 2 broadcast team." ESPN vet Legler will be paired with longtime lead play-by-player Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson for the network’s finals broadcasts.
Let’s Make a Deal and Press Your Luck's showrunner to also become the new boss at The Price is Right
John Quinn is taking on additional duties as the new showrunner of The Price is Right, where he "is expected to incorporate a variety of specially themed episodes in Price‘s new season, including Breast Cancer Awareness, Valentine’s Day, Pet Adoption Week, Mother’s Day, and School’s Out," according to Deadline's Lynette Rice, who adds: "There’s also a brand new pricing game in the works for the CBS game show hosted by Drew Carey."
The Specialist is headed to television
John Shirley’s action-thriller book series The Specialist, which he wrote under the pen name John Cutter, was the inspiration for the 1994 Sylvester Stallone-Sharon Stone movie of the same name. "AR Content has secured rights to all 11 books in the series and the company said it’s planning to bring the material into present day, exploring the moral and tactical complexities of modern, drone-era warfare," according to Deadline. "The company is currently in discussions with showrunners."
The Fort Bragg Cartel series in the works at HBO
Author Seth Harp's recently published bestselling book The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces is being developed for TV. The book investigates narco-trafficking and unsolved homicides within U.S. Special Forces units stationed at Fort Bragg.
Peacock will become available as an add-on for Amazon Prime Video customers as part of a wide-ranging deal between Amazon and Comcast
The agreement will feature ad-free tier Peacock Premium Plus made available via Prime Video’s channels, at a cost of $16.99 per month or $169.99 per year. Peacock joins HBO Max, Paramount+, Starz and Apple TV+ among rival streamers who've added their content to Prime Video. According to The Hollywood Reporter's Alex Weprin, "Peacock has largely eschewed from participating in bundles and channels programs up to this point, but a source familiar with the talks says that the company is likely to become more aggressive in pursuing those sorts of arrangements moving forward, using the Amazon deal as a template."
Jan Ravnik, Taylor Swift Eras Tour dancer, joins Dancing with the Stars as a dance pro
Ravnik, who drew attention among Swifties as one of Swift's backup dancers, has previously also worked with Maria Carey, Paula Abdul and Bruno Mars.
Netflix adds and quickly removes Lifetime's controversial The Gabby Petito Story
The 2022 Lifetime movie that dramatized Gabby Petito's life and killing by her boyfriend was added to Netflix on Wednesday, reports What's On Netflix. But hours later, the movie was gone. No reason was given.
Jennette McCurdy announces her debut novel
The former iCarly star, who authored her 2022 bestselling memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, will make her novel debut with Half His Age, which will be published by Penguin Random House’s imprint Ballantine on Jan. 20, 2026. Half His Age is described as “startlingly perceptive, mordantly funny, and keenly poignant — a sad, funny, and thrilling novel that follows a seventeen-year-old girl named Waldo as she navigates an affair with her teacher, exploring the complexities of desire, power, and self-discovery.”
CBS Evening News names a new executive producer: Kim Harvey
Harvey, who helped launch The Rachel Maddow Show and All In with Chris Hayes at MSNBC, will become the second woman to lead CBS Evening News in its 77-year history. She replaces Guy Campanile, who had served in the executive producer position since January and will return to 60 Minutes. “Kim brings a sharp news sense and terrific track record of producing from across the broadcast and cable networks. She is a well respected newsroom leader and her relationships with our on-air talent, producers and reporters run deep,” CBS News Tom Cibrowski president said in a Thursday statement. “Her career at the CBS Evening News makes her the ideal candidate and I’m pleased to continue working with her on showcasing our extraordinary reporting and storytelling every night.”
Leanne Morgan announces her second Netflix standup special
Leanne Morgan: Unspeakable Things, premiering Nov. 4, comes on the heels of the comedian's sitcom Leanne premiering on Netflix in late July.
Heather Locklear reunites with Spin City co-star Michael J. Fox
“With one of my all time favorites,” Locklear captioned an Instagram photo with Fox taken at Toronto’s Fan Expo over the weekend. Locklear joined Spin City in 1999 with Season 4, which was Fox's final season as a full-time cast member before his departure due to his Parkinson's.
Woman scammed out of $81,000 by a fake A.I. generated videos of General Hospital's Steve Burton
"I'm sickened by it because it went this far," Vivian Ruvalcaba, the daughter of the woman who was scammed, told KABC of the videos that looked and sounded like Burton. "Why didn't I know this? Why didn't I see what was happening? What did I miss?" Ruvalcaba says her mom sent $81,000 in prepaid gift cards, cash and bitcoin and sold her condo because of the A.I. Burton's videos. KABC showed one of the videos to Burton, who made sure his fans know that he doesn't need the money. The case is being investigated by the LAPD.
Adult Swim shares premiere dates for Smiling Friends and Haha, You Clowns
Smiling Friends will return for its third season on Oct. 5. Haha, You Clowns returns as a full-fledged series on Oct. 19.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 3 gets a Hulu premiere date
All 10 Season 3 episodes will drop on Nov. 13.
Fubo is launching a skinny sports bundle
Fubo Sports will offer over 20 sports and broadcast networks featuring national and local pro and college team coverage for $55.99 per month.
Amazon sets a premiere date for Cocaine Quarterback: Signal-Caller for the Cartel
Premiering Sept. 25, the Mark WahlbErg-produced three-part docuseries "follows the rise and fall of Redondo Beach native Owen Hanson, who went from being a walk-on for the 2004 national championship-winning USC football team to global cocaine kingpin," per the official description.
MGM+'s "reimagined" Robin Hood gets a premiere date and teaser
Premiering with two episodes e on Nov. 2, the 10-episode Robin Hood will bring “a modern energy to the classic tale of the roguish outlaw hero who stole from the rich and gave to the poor,” and follow “the epic love story between him and a courageous and daring Marian,” according to its official description.
Watch Mae Martin and Toni Collette in the trailer for Netflix limited series Wayward
Martin created and stars in the thrilling and genre-bending limited series about the eternal struggle between one generation and the next, what happens when friendship and loyalty are put to the ultimate test, and how buried truths always find a way of coming to the surface.