Project Runway moves from Bravo to Freeform / Shrinking renewed / NBC's former chief marketer apologizes for Donald Trump
PLUS: Roy Wood Jr. to guest-host BBC's Have I Got News For You after making his debut as host of CNN's American version.
Project Runway moves from Bravo to Freeform with a new host and judges
The long-running fashion reality competition, which ended its 20th season on Bravo in September 2023, has found a new home on Freeform starting in 2025. While producers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz are sticking around, Christian Siriano won't return after serving as host and mentor for the last two seasons. Judges Nina Garcia, fashion designer Brandon Maxwell and journalist Elaine Welteroth also won't be back. The new host and judges will be announced later Cutforth said in a statement that the move will evolve the series “for a new generation," while Lipsitz added that the revamped reality show will “honor our die-hard Project Runway fans” while also introducing new and innovative ideas. "Project Runway is an iconic television juggernaut that perfectly complements the pop-culture spirit at Freeform,” said Simran Sethi, president of scripted programming for Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment. “We are excited to welcome the original series to the Disney family and reignite the fanbase alongside Spyglass (Media Group) and Alfred Street (Industries), giving viewers the chance to once again share in discovering the next generation of exceptionally talented fashion designers." Project Runway launched in 2004 on Bravo with Heidi Klum as host and Tim Gunn as mentor. It aired on Bravo from 2004 through 2008 and on Lifetime from 2009 to 2017 before moving back to Bravo in 2019.
Simon Cowell's Britain's Got Talent postpones auditions in wake of Liam Payne's death
Cowell, who helped bring Payne and his fellow One Direction bandmates together as creator and judge on The X Factor, has yet to comment on Payne's death Wednesday at age 31. "Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, we have decided to postpone the Britain’s Got Talent auditions," Britain's Got Talent said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with Liam’s friends, family and all who loved him."
Shrinking renewed for Season 3
The Apple TV+ therapy comedy from Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, and Brett Goldstein has been picked up for a third season one day after Season 2 premiered on Apple TV+. “I’m so lucky to work on Shrinking with actors, writers and a crew so talented that they all elevate the material,” Lawrence in a statement. “I’m even luckier that they are people I’d want to spend time with anyway. Huge thanks to to Apple TV+ and Warner Bros. for the amazing partnership and support. So grateful we get to keep making this show. Onward!”
Amazon makes Brian Williams' Election Night news special official
The one-night Election Night Live with Brian Williams will deliver election results and analysis starting at 5 p.m. ET on Nov. 5, Amazon announced Thursday. “After 41 years in the business—from local news to network shows to cable news—this feels like the next big thing,” former NBC Nightly News anchor Williams said in a statement. “The global marketplace of Amazon is a natural home for this first-of-its-kind venture.” The special marks the return to the national stage for Williams, who hosted MSNBC's The 11th Hour until the end of 2021.
Tim Walz to make his debut on The View and Jon Stewart's The Daily Show
The Minnesota governor and Kamala Harris running mate will appear on both New York City shows on Monday.
Roy Wood Jr. to guest-host BBC's Have I Got News For You after making his debut as host of CNN's American version
Wood, whose version of Have I Got News For You launched on CNN last month, will guest-host the long-running British version days after the presidential election on Nov. 8. "Thank you to the HIGNFY team for giving me gainful employment as a TV presenter in England, a country that I hear has no issues whatsoever with immigration!" Wood said in a statement. "To seek asylum in England, one must have left their country of origin due to a well-founded fear of persecution. Depending on which way the Presidential election goes in America, I might be hanging around England for a while."
Bret Baier's Fox News interview of Kamala Harris was grievance theater, not political journalism
"Immigrant hatred. Transphobia. And later, Joe Biden’s age. Baier was running through the Fox News greatest hits playlist," says Margaret Sullivan. "This was grievance theater, not political journalism. But Harris got in her licks. She had her moments. Chiming in afterwards in what some saw as corporate damage control, Baier’s colleagues on Fox News gushed their approval. Martha MacCallum termed Baier’s performance 'masterful,' while Dana Perino analyzed the interview as 'super good.' I can’t imagine that too many viewers agreed. If they came to it expecting to learn more about Harris’s policies or get a true sense of her character, they would have been disappointed. That wasn’t the game plan, and it wasn’t the result."
ALSO:
NBC's former chief marketer apologizes for Donald Trump: "I helped create a monster"
"For nearly 25 years, I led marketing at NBC and NBCUniversal," John D. Miller writes in U.S. News & World Report. "I led the team that marketed The Apprentice, the reality show that made Donald Trump a household name outside of New York City, where he was better known for overextending his empire and appearing in celebrity gossip columns. To sell the show, we created the narrative that Trump was a super-successful businessman who lived like royalty. That was the conceit of the show. At the very least, it was a substantial exaggeration; at worst, it created a false narrative by making him seem more successful than he was. In fact, Trump declared business bankruptcy four times before the show went into production, and at least twice more during his 14 seasons hosting. The imposing board room where he famously fired contestants was a set, because his real boardroom was too old and shabby for TV. Trump may have been the perfect choice to be the boss of this show, because more successful CEOs were too busy to get involved in reality TV and didn’t want to hire random game show winners onto their executive teams. Trump had no such concerns. He had plenty of time for filming, he loved the attention and it painted a positive picture of him that wasn’t true. At NBC, we promoted the show relentlessly. Thousands of 30-second promo spots that spread the fantasy of Trump’s supposed business acumen were beamed over the airwaves to nearly every household in the country. The image of Trump that we promoted was highly exaggerated. In its own way, it was 'fake news' that we spread over America like a heavy snowstorm. I never imagined that the picture we painted of Trump as a successful businessman would help catapult him to the White House."
God of War undergoing a shakeup as the Amazon video game adaptation starts over from scratch
Showrunner Rafe Judkins and executive producers Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus have departed the projects. "They had reportedly completed multiple scripts for the series but Amazon and fellow studio Sony Pictures Television decided to go in a different creative direction," per Variety.
FCC proposes fining ESPN $146,976 for six apparent violations of the Emergency Alert System rules
According to the agency, ESPN transmitted (or caused the transmission of) EAS codes during a promotional segment for the start of the 2023-2024 NBA season six times “in the absence of an actual emergency, authorized test of the EAS, or a qualified public service announcement.” ESPN has yet to respond to the proposed fine.
Mayfair Witches gets a Season 2 premiere date and first-look photos
The Anne Rice series returns to AMC and AMC+ on Jan. 5, 2025.
BBC passed on Slow Horses
Apple TV+ Europe boss and BFI chair Jay Hunt revealed that tidbit during a rare Q&A this week. “I think you have to take risks,” said Hunt. “It’s interesting. Slow Horses is a very good example where it was passed on by the BBC. I think one of the reasons that people struggle with shows like that is they’ve got a hybrid tone. So people go, is that show a comedy? Is that show a drama? And so in a weird way, that represents risk.”
Stranger Things' final season will arrive with a slew of "Stranger Season" marketing push
Netflix will roll out Stranger Things tie-ins that include a special Peloton level, Stranger Things-inspired Squishmallows and a comic book collection from Dark Horse Comics called Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons: The Rise of Hellfire. Stranger Things-themed Polly Pocket, ColourPop Cosmetics, Scoops Ahoy Ice Cream and a new novel from Penguin Random House are also in the works.
Phineas and Ferb reveals revival cast, teaser and key art
Vincent Martella and David Errigo Jr. will reprise their respective Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher roles on the Disney revival. Also reprising their roles are Ashley Tisdale, Caroline Rhea, Dee Bradley Baker and Alyson Stoner.
Jane Fonda to be honored with the SAG-AFTRA Lifetime Achievement Award at the SAG Awards
The iconic actress and activist will be the 60th recipient of the honor at the Feb. 23, 2025 ceremony.
ESPN re-signs NBA analyst Monica McNutt
McNutt's new contract comes after she went viral this past year for calling out Stephen A. Smith on First Take and appearing on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to talk about how the media was covering women’s basketball amid Caitlin Clark’s rookie season.
Tom Brady's Las Vegas Raiders minority ownership won't stop him from calling the team's games for Fox
While Brady's co-ownership will severely hamstring him in covering NFL games, he'll still be able to work Raiders games. "The good news is that the Raiders rarely land in the No. 1 spot on any Fox broadcast," says ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio. "But if/when they do, Brady — who owns a piece of the team and might be heavily involved in football operations — will be able to perform in the supposedly neutral and objective role of game analyst."
Jim Rome is launching a FAST channel
The longtime sports commentator's new channel will feature exclusive content plus a fourth hour of The Jim Rome Show.
Lewis Tan among three joining Cobra Kai's final season
The Shadow and Bone and Into the Badlands vet will join Patrick Luwis and Rayna Vallandingham on the Netflix series' sixth and final season.
Snoop Dogg helps Al Roker deliver special weed-themed Today weather report
“Snoop, we’ve prepared a special map,” Roker told Snoop. “All you gotta do: touch the map, and you’ll see some special Snoop cities.” The map included "Mary Jane Falls, Nevada" and "Stoner, Colorado" and "Blunt, South Dakota."
Mitzi Gaynor, Emmy-winning classic film and TV variety show star, dies at 93
The singer, dancer and actress was a movie-musical legend with South Pacific her most famous role. But Gaynor, who died today of natural causes, also became a staple on television with variety shows, including 1968's Mitzi for NBC and six annual specials in the 1970s for CBS, including Mitzi and a Hundred Guys; Mitzi … A Tribute to the American Housewife; Mitzi … Zings Into Spring; and Mitzi … What’s Hot, What’s Not. In 2008, Gaynor won an Emmy for the PBS special Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years.
Virgin River teases Season 6
Check out the first look at Mel Monroe and Jack Sheridan’s long-awaited wedding. Virgin River returns with all 10 Season 6 episodes dropping on Dec. 19.
Netflix's The Lost Children trailer tells the story of four Indigenous children who survive a plane crash and 40 days in the Colombian jungle
Netflix describes The Lost Children, premiering Nov. 14, as "a dramatic story that celebrates human endeavor, teamwork, and Indigenous knowledge, unraveling the mysteries of the Amazon rainforest" telling the story of the survival of the children — ages 13, 9, 4 years, and 11 months — after a plane crash kills their mother and all other adults aboard.