Mike Epps to lead Kenya Barris’ CBS post-L.A. wildfires comedy / Fallout going with weekly release / Jillian Michaels threatens to sue over Biggest Loser doc
PLUS: Tim Allen to reunite with Home Improvement co-stars Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn and Debbe Dunning on Shifting Gears Season 2.
Mike Epps to lead Kenya Barris’ CBS comedy set in the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires
Black-ish creator Barris is returning to broadcast television with the potential multicamera sitcom. “In the untitled half-hour, after wildfires sweep through Altadena, two estranged Black brothers — one played by Epps — reunite to sell their late grandmother’s house to private developers,” reports Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. “But when they learn her caretaker now owns part of the home and refuses to sell, they’re forced to live together and confront their differences — and what community, legacy, and family really mean. Altadena, a diverse area known for its strong Black community and culture, was devastated by the January 2025 Eaton fire, which killed at least 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 buildings, with thousands of residents losing their homes and most of their possessions. There had been speculation that Epps and Barris may be playing the two brothers but only Epps is attached as an actor for now.”
Tim Allen to reunite with Home Improvement co-stars Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn and Debbe Dunning on Shifting Gears Season 2
Richardson, Karn and Dunning will appear on the Season 2 premiere of Allen’s ABC sitcom on Oct. 1. "Their characters will support Allen’s character, Matt Parker, in an unexpected way," according to Deadline's Rosy Cordero. "Details regarding who they will play are under wraps." Richardson played Tim’s wife, Jill Taylor, and the mother of their three sons. Karn played Al Borland, Tim’s friend and the co-host of his home improvement show, Tool Time. Dunning portrayed Heidi, the show within a show’s model, from Seasons 3 to 8. Richardson and Karn previously guest-starred on Allen's Last Man Standing.
Fallout reveals Season 2 trailer and December premiere date, announces it will shift from binge to weekly release
New episodes of the eight-episode Season 2 of the Amazon Prime Video video game adaptation will roll out weekly on Wednesdays, starting on Dec. 17.
Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer are officially exiting Netflix for Paramount
The Duffer Brothers will leave their longtime home at Netflix for Paramount in April 2026 after signing a four-year deal to develop shows and movies for Paramount, with an emphasis on “ambitious” and “large-scale theatrical” projects. The move reunites the Duffers with Cindy Holland, Paramount’s new head of streaming, who greenlighted Stranger Things when she was Netflix's TV boss. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be joining the Paramount family,” Matt and Ross Duffer said in a statement. “To be part of that mission is not just exciting – it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. And to do so at a studio with such a storied Hollywood legacy is a privilege we don’t take lightly. We’re also excited to reunite with our friends Cindy (Holland) and Matt (Thunell), who were among the very first to believe in us and an unusual little script we wrote that became Stranger Things. They took a chance on us in 2015, and they’re taking a chance again – we can’t wait to create new stories together.” Holland added: "I’ve had the privilege of knowing Matt and Ross for over a decade and worked with them from their earliest stages through their deserving global success. We have seen firsthand their extraordinary creative vision and exceptional gift for storytelling. We couldn’t be more excited to reunite and welcome them to Paramount.” The Duffers will continue working on their remaining Netflix projects, including Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen and The Boroughs. They also have been working on a Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 animated series and a live-action Stranger Things spinoff series.
Jillian Michaels threatens to sue over Netflix's Biggest Loser documentary
Michaels tells TMZ Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser was out to get her because Netflix's documentary boss Brandon Riegg was previously head of unscripted programming at NBC, overseeing The Biggest Loser. Michaels also posted what she calls evidence to refute allegations made by fellow trainer Bob Harper and the show’s physician, Dr. Robert Huizenga, regarding the controversial use of caffeine pills on the show. Michaels tells TMZ she's meeting with powerhouse attorney Bryan Freedman to plot her next move, which may include going after Netflix, the producer of the documentary, Bob Harper and Dr. Robert Huizenga.
YouTube taps YouTuber Deestroying as a sideline reporter for its first NFL game
The popular YouTube star, with 6.32 million followers, will serve as a sideline reporter for the Sept. 5 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers from São Paulo, Brazil. Deestroying, whose real name is Donald De La Haye, spent a little time as a kicker in the UFL after a playing career at Central Florida. He'll be joined by play-by-play announcer Rich Eisen and analyst Kurt Warner and sideline reporter Stacey Dales.
American Music Awards will stay at CBS with five-year deal
Dick Clark Productions, which produces the awards, and CBS have signed a five-year deal to continue airing the AMAs on the broadcast network, with a simultaneous stream on Paramount+. The new deal comes after the AMAs averaged 4.86 million in their debut in May, up 38% from the previous ceremony on ABC in 2022.
A group of philanthropists are banding together in hopes of raising $50 million to help save the most vulnerable PBS and NPR stations
“We believe it’s crucial to have a concerted, coordinated effort to make sure that the stations that most critically need these funds right now have a pathway to get them,” said Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, the president and chief executive of the Knight Foundation, which is among the major backers of the fund and a contributor of $10 million in wake of Trump budget cuts. As The New York Times' Benjamin Mullin notes, "the money is not aimed at PBS and NPR, better-funded national organizations that will survive without government support. Instead, the Knight Foundation and others are focused on the scores of public radio and TV stations that have historically received more than 30 percent of their support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a taxpayer-backed company that announced it would shut down because of the funding cuts. Many of those stations are in rural areas, like remote regions of Alaska and Kansas, where residents don’t have access to alternate sources of news and information."
Palm Royale gets a Season 2 premiere and first look
The Apple TV+ period comedy starring Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, Leslie Bibb and Carol Burnett returns Nov. 12.
Chicago, the city responsible for Siskel & Ebert, will no longer have a full-time film critic
Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips, a successor to the late film critic Gene Siskel, announced he has decided to take a buyout after his newspaper eliminated his job. The news comes six months after the Chicago Sun-Times, the longtime newspaper home of the late film critic Roger Ebert, decided to eliminate its film critic following the departure of former Ebert & Roeper co-host Richard Roeper. "If they tried to make Siskel and Ebert today it would be two empty chairs," tweeted Slate culture writer Sam Adams. "The city that gave the world Siskel & Ebert no longer has a full-time print film critic," added Brian Tallerico, editor in chief of RogerEbert.com. Phillips appeared on TCM and guest-hosted At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper, filling in for Ebert as he went through extensive medical treatments for cancer.
Steven Moffat to tackle 10 Downing Street with Channel 4 political drama series Number 10
London's 10 Downing street, where the British prime minister lives and works, will be the focus of the next series from the Coupling creator, Sherlock co-creator and former Doctor Who boss. Sue Vertue, Moffat's wife and executive producer on Number 10, says the show has been a “passion project” for her husband: “He says there are three famous doors in the world; he’s done 221B Baker Street and the TARDIS — now he’s going to do the real one," she says. “There’s a Prime Minister in the attic, a coffee bar in the basement, and a wallpapered labyrinth of romance, crisis and heartbreak in-between,” reads the synopsis. “Set in the only terrace house in history with mice and a nuclear deterrent, it’s the only knock-through in the world where a hangover can start a war. The government will be fictional, but the problems will be real. We’ll never know which party is in power, because once the whole world hits the fan it barely matters...This is a show about the building and everyone inside. Not just the Prime Minister upstairs, but the conspiracy theorist who runs the cafe three floors below, the man who repairs the lift that never works, the madly ambitious ‘advisors’ fighting for office space in cupboards. Oh, and of course, the cat… Number 10 is all of Britain in a house: it’s British history under one roof. It’s how we all got into the mess we’re in. It’s also our only hope of getting out of it.”
Jean Pierre Melville’s 1969 war movie Army of Shadows is being adapted for TV by Top Boy, MobLand and The Day of the Jackal creator Ronan Bennett
Bennett will shift the story from the French World War II to a near-future authoritarian Britain for his reimagining for Channel 4 and Canal+. "Using the underlying works of Army of Shadows, Bennett’s show is set in a near-future authoritarian Britain," per Deadline. "Under de facto American occupation, a former British army officer builds a covert resistance cell from scratch – navigating betrayal, moral compromise and the tension between patience and action – as young recruits fight to reclaim their country and their futures. The show will follow this British resistance across six episodes from first kills and internal betrayals to propaganda campaigns, internment camps, and a climactic political assassination."
Aubrey Plaza says grieving over husband Jeff Baena's death is a "daily struggle"
"Overall, I'm here and I'm functioning. I feel grateful to be moving through the world. I think I'm okay. It's like a daily struggle, obviously," Plaza said on her Parks and Recreation co-star Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast, likening her mental state to the plot of the 2025 movie The Gorge.
Shari Redstone: Paramount's $16 million settlement with President Trump over 60 Minutes was a "no-brainer"
“This case was never as black-and-white as people assumed,” the former Paramount owner told The New York Times. She also told the paper, “I believed it was always in Paramount’s best interest to settle. We may not like the world we live in, but a board has to do what’s in the best interest of shareholders.”
The Late Show's former warm-up comedian says conservatives rejected being Stephen Colbert's guest "because he’s too good at embarrassing them"
Pete Dominick, who spent six years working for The Late Show, was presented with a statistic from NewsBusters on the Sanity with Alisyn & Dave podcast claiming that 170 liberals were booked as guests as opposed to one conservative — the anti-Trump Liz Cheney. According to Mediaite, Dominick said it was "a bullsh*t statistic...Yeah, it’s bullsh*t. Do you think that Colbert didn’t invite JD Vance and every single crazy right winger on? They don’t come on with him because he’s too good at embarrassing them and it makes no sense for someone." Dominick added: "You think Stephen Colbert is afraid of booking anyone? No. That guy would love — He booked Trump. He would have anyone on that would go on and he would rip them and he would get huge ratings."
President Trump awkwardly gushed on Fox & Friends about Ainsley Earhardt’s relationship with Sean Hannity
While talking about the Russia-Ukraine conflict during a phone-in this morning, the president rambled about Earhardt's engagement to fellow Fox News host Hannity. “There’s a guy named Sean Hannity, he might take a very lovely lady that he knows very, very well to dinner in Washington and they don’t have to, uh, she’s sitting right next to you by the way,” the president said as Earhardt and her fellow co-hosts laughed awkwardly — and tried to change the subject. ALSO: Fox News anchor Bret Baier recalls being pulled over while driving in Washington, D.C.
Jane Lynch reuniting with her Glee co-stars on Celebrity Weakest Link
Max Adler, Dot Marie Jones, Heather Morris, Alex Newell, Chord Overstreet, Amber Riley, Becca Tobin and Jenna Ushkowitz will appear on a special Glee-themed episode of the Fox game show. “Listen up, dorks, I’ll ask you questions one at a time,” Lynch jokes in the trailer. Celebrity Weakest Link premieres Sept. 15.
Harry Potter casts the Weasley children
Twins Tristan and Gabriel Harland will star as Fred and George Weasley, Ruari Spooner is Percy Weasley and Gracie Cochrane is Ginny Weasley in the HBO series. ALSO: Dominic McLaughlin calls playing Harry Potter "a bit surreal to be honest" since it was his "dream role."
Hulu developing bestselling novel The Summer Of Songbirds as a TV series
Kristy Woodson Harvey's novel is being adapted by writer Brennan Peters. According to Deadline, The Summer of Songbirds "is a story about the power of forged family — the family we choose, the family we fight to keep, again and again. It revolves around three girlfriends and their unbreakable bond forged in their childhood summers spent in North Carolina. Now in their 30s, each grappling with the harsh realities of adulthood, they’re forced to confront secrets and betrayals from both the past and present that threaten to unravel their chosen family."
The Penguin creator Lauren LeFranc sets an overall HBO deal
“I am thrilled to continue my creative partnership with HBO,” says LeFranc. “They have been unwavering in their support of my work on The Penguin, and beyond."
Dr. Phil‘s Merit Street Media hit with countersuit for fraud and breach of contract
"In a lawsuit filed in Texas federal court on Tuesday, Trinity Broadcasting accuses Dr. Phil, whose surname is McGraw, of swindling the Christian TV network under a $500 million, ten-year deal in which he failed to deliver a single episode of his flagship talk show," reports The Hollywood Reporter's Winston Cho. "McGraw’s Merit Street Media is in bankruptcy court and simultaneously suing Trinity for breach of contract that the company says led to its downfall. The court has called the dispute anything but ‘routine,’ mainly because McGraw conditioned a loan to Merit Street on the company winning its lawsuit against the network."
ESPN to launch a TikTok-style feed in its app
"Having built the largest TikTok account among U.S. companies, with more than 50 million followers, ESPN will bring all its vertical short-form video knowhow to its own app later this week," reports Sportico's Jacob Feldman. "An in-app feed (with a name to be announced) will offer a mix of highlights, reactions and user-generated content, sitting alongside a daily, personalized (and yes, vertical) version of SportsCenter that will launch as a beta product on Thursday."
BBC: We postponed Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home at the last minute because his family "wishes to wait a bit longer"
"Our sympathies are with the Osbourne family at this difficult time. We are respecting the family's wishes to wait a bit longer before airing this very special film. The new (transmission) date will be confirmed shortly," the BBC said in a statement Tuesday, one day after pulling the documentary hours before its premiere.
Paramount+ announces two true-crime documentaries: Don't Date Brandon and Thirst Trap: The Fame. The Fantasy. The Fallout
Premiering Oct. 28, Don’t Date Brandon is a true-crime series about a modern relationship haunted by deception. Thirst Trap: The Fame. The Fantasy. The Fallout, premiering Sept. 9, examines the rapid rise of 21-year-old TikToker William White. As the young creator gained millions of followers overnight, he sparked an obsession among lovesick fans, and the line between real connection and online fantasy became blurred beyond repair.
Vince Staples copes with death and anxiety in first look at The Vince Staples Show Season 2
The rapper/actor Vince Staples says season 2 of his eponymous Netflix series "will make the world a little bit larger" and put his character into "some very interesting situations" when it returns Nov. 6.
Jason Isaacs says he filmed a second "funnier" full-frontal scene for The White Lotus
"It was funny," he told Jimmy Kimmel Live! guest-host Tiffany Haddish, adding: "The funnier one ... There was a second flashing. The (scene) went on, and I did it again."
Seth Meyers announces the death of his dog Frisbee
“RIP to Frisbee, our OG IG who I was happy to go grey with,” the Late Night host posted to Instagram today. “She was at her best curled in your lap and patient when we dressed her up like a pilgrim. Thanks for 14 amazing years, girl.” Frisbee was best known for feuding with Andy Samberg. As TV Insider points out, last month Meyers and Amy Poehler, on her Good Hang podcast, tried to prank Samberg into thinking Frisbee had died.
Rhea Seehorn is bloody in new Pluribus teaser
"Sorry about the blood," says the teaser, which ends with the following phone number: (202) 808-3981. The Vince Gilligan-created Pluribus premieres Nov. 7.