Savannah Guthrie pulls out of NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage amid missing mother search / American Idol to stream live on Disney+ / RHONY alums to star in E!'s The Golden Life
PLUS: A Man on the Inside renewed for Season 3, despite smaller Season 2 viewership.
Savannah Guthrie pulls out of NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage amid search for her missing mother
NBC is seeking a last-minute replacement for Guthrie to co-host Friday’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony coverage with Terry Gannon as the Today co-anchor grapples with her 84-year-old mother Nancy Guthrie’s missing person’s case. “Savannah will not be joining us at the Olympics as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time. Our hearts are with her and the entire Guthrie family as the search continues for their mother,” NBC Sports said in a statement Friday. “We will share additional information about our Opening Ceremony coverage plans soon.” Guthrie was scheduled to fly to Italy on Monday before receiving word of her mother’s disappearance. “Guthrie had been expected to co-host the event’s Opening Ceremonies with sportscaster Terry Gannon,” says Variety’s Brian Steinberg. “Mike Tirico, the main primetime host for NBC’s Olympics programming in primetime, is focused on doing play by play for Super Bowl LX on February 8, then flying to Milan once his NFL duties are complete. Tirico will serve as Olympics host after the Big Game ends, talking to viewers from the field at Levi’s Stadium.”
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TMZ says it received an unverified ransom note in Nancy Guthrie missing person’s case: The Harvey Levin-led TMZ announced Tuesday it contacted law enforcement over the ransom note it received this morning that “demands a specific substantial amount of Bitcoin … the amount is in the millions, and the note demands the cryptocurrency be sent to a specific Bitcoin address.” TMZ has verified the Bitcoin address is real and forwarded the note to the Pima County Sheriff Department.
Today show hosts opened Tuesday’s show with a resounding call for support and prayers for Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother
American Idol to stream live on Disney+ for the first time, sets a companion podcast
Starting March 30, Idol will join Dancing with the Stars as live unscripted competition series that simulcasts on both ABC and Disney+. Idol also announced the American Idol Official Podcast. “Each week, the podcast will dive deeper into America’s most iconic music competition series, exploring the performances everyone’s talking about, and offering exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes insights, and expert analysis of the judges’ critiques,” reads the official logline.
A Man on the Inside renewed for Season 3, despite smaller Season 2 viewership
The Mike Schur Netflix comedy series starring Ted Danson has been picked up for its third season 2-1/2 months after its Season 2 premiere. With the renewal, “Netflix is betting on proven creative auspices in Schur and Danson and continuous critical acclaim (92% on Rotten Tomatoes for Season 2 vs. 96% for Season 1) despite smaller viewership,” says Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva. “After a breakout 2024 series debut and quick renewal, Season 2 of A Man on the Inside did not crack Netflix’s weekly Top 10 for English series as it ran into the buzzsaw of Stranger Things‘ final season. (Season 1 spent five weeks in the Top 5 in a less competitive time frame, opening at No.1.)”
Netflix renews Finding Her Edge for Season 2
The figure skating-themed YA series starring Cale Ambrozic and Cale Ambrozic has remained in the Netflix English TV Top 10 since its Jan. 22 premiere.
The Last of Us adds Clea DuVall for Season 3 — Jorge Lendeborg Jr. to take over the Manny role from Danny Ramirez
DuVall will play a seraphite in Season 3 of the HBO video game adaptation. Lendenborg will succeed Ramirez, who was unable to continue the Manny role he began in Season 2.
Real Housewives of New York alums are heading to E! for The Golden Life
Luann de Lesseps, Jill Zarin, Ramona Singer, Kelly Bensimon and Sonja Morgan will star in the Palm Beach-based reality show that will begin filming this spring. “Bound by decades of shared history, fallouts and friendship, this fan-favorite group of New Yorkers are starting fresh together in the Sunshine State,” reads the official logline. “In this new ‘golden’ era of life, the longtime friends are thriving in and around Palm Beach with fabulous second homes and a bustling social scene. With their signature humor and non-stop hijinks, the series will follow the group as they navigate dating, family, and career milestones. Though skies are bright in Florida, unresolved drama looms as they reconnect after years of highs and lows.”
Republican senators accuse Netflix’s Ted Sarandos of having “the wokest content in the history of the world” and pushing left-wing propaganda
“Netflix has long been a left wing company,” Senator Ted Cruz bluntly declared Tuesday as Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos testified to a Senate subcommittee on the Netflix-Warner Bros. deal. “How are people at home ..feel even remotely confident that if this merger happens, the combined entity would not simply be a propaganda outlet pushing one particular political view with much greater market power than you have now,” said Cruz. Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri told Sarandos: “The overwhelming majority of your stuff right now is overwhelmingly woke, and it’s not reflective of what the American people want to see. Both you and Netflix both have made a habit of promoting DEI and wokeness. I’ll just give a few examples, Netflix content is synonymous for the modern phenomenon of race swapping both historical and real and fictional characters.” In response, Sarandos said: “Senator Schmidt, we have a great deal of programming on Netflix for all left, right and center. We have state of the art tools for parents to manage what their kids see on Netflix.”
Disney names Josh D’Amaro as its next CEO, succeeding Bob Iger
The 54-year-old D’Amaro, a 28-year Disney veteran who has overseen Disney Experiences division, will assume his new role on March 18. D’Amaro won the job over Dana Walden, Disney’s top TV executive who served as co-chairman of Disney Entertainment. Walden was Jimmy Kimmel’s personal pick to succeed Iger. Walden will stay with Disney as president and chief creative officer, expanding her duties to oversee film.
Apple TV‘s Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed gets a premiere date, adds Murray Bartlett and Brandon Flynn
The dark comedy thriller series starring Tatiana Maslany and Jake Johnson premieres May 20 with two episodes.
Viewers can customize celebrities with Uber Eats’ Super Bowl ad starring Bradley Cooper, Matthew McConaughey and Parker Posey
Users will be able to download an app with a menu (literally) of celebrities to interact with the three stars, including singer and actress Addison Rae, YouTube star Amelia Dimoldenberg, Severance star Tramell Tillman, NFL stars Sauce Gardner, Jerry Rice, and Pork Chop Womack and San Francisco 49ers mascot Sourdough Sam.
Ritz crackers enlists Jon Hamm, Bowen Yang and Scarlett Johansson for its Super Bowl ad
Hamm and Yang play two salty guys on a Ritz party island, with Johansson showing up on a jet ski to coax them down to the party.
Joy Behar returns to The View after missing 6 shows
Behar returned Tuesday after being absent since Jan. 23 due to illness. Behar actually missed four days, since she doesn’t appear on Mondays.
Conan O’Brien bringing back last year’s producers and writers for his second Oscars-hosting stint
Last year’s writing time of Amberia Allen, José Arroyo, Josh Comers, Dan Cronin, Jessie Gaskell, Skyler Higley, Berkley Johnson, Ian Karmel, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Carol Leifer, Jon Macks, Matt O’Brien, Agathe Panaretos and Mike Sweeney will stay intact, with former Conan writer Todd Levin joining this year.
Jon Bon Jovi and Chris Pratt to introduce Super Bowl LX contenders
Bon Jovi will introduce his New England Patriots, while Pratt will welcome his beloved Seattle Seahawks.
NBC signs Scott Hanson to host Gold Zone for 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics
The NFL RedZone host will continue hosting Gold Zone coverage through 2028.
Breaking Bad house goes down from $4 million to $400,000
After a year on the market, the White family house in Albuquerque is now for sale at the same price as Jesse Pinkman’s house.
Anya Taylor-Joy-led Lucky gets an Apple TV teaser and premiere date
Taylor-Joy, Drew Starkey, Aunjanue Ellis Taylor, Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant, Clifton Collins, Jr. and William Fichtner star in the series based on the book by Marissa Stapley, premiering with two episodes on July 15.
Apple TV teases Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara in Imperfect Women
The limited series that follows a crime that detonates a decades-long friendship between three women premieres March 18 with two episodes.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ Season 2 trailer introduces Titan X
Season 2, premiering Feb. 27, will feature Titan X, a bioluminescent, ocean-dwelling beast whose arrival spells the baddest of bad news for Earth.
Netflix releases a steamy Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2 teaser
The four-episode Part 2 premieres Feb. 26.