The Bear releases a surprise prequel episode / Mina Kimes to host the Scripps National Spelling Bee / Netflix announces 5-part The American Experiment documentary
PLUS: David Letterman calls CBS “lying weasels,” says The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s cancelation “seemed like a botched holdup."
The Bear releases a surprise prequel episode
Titled “Gary,” the hourlong episode that dropped today features Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Richie and Jon Bernthal’s Mikey on a trip to Gary, Indiana, before the events of the main series. (The episode searchable on Hulu under the episode title.) Moss-Bachrach and Bernthal are currently starring in the play adaptation Dog Day Afternoon on Broadway. “COUSINS! PRIMOS! CUGINI!!! Get ready for GARY!!!! We are so excited to finally share this little adventure with Richie and Mikey,” Moss-Bachrach wrote on Instagram, adding that he co-wrote the episode with Bernthal with The Bear creator Christopher Storer directing. “Making this was a dream come true,” he wrote. “Thank you to the beautiful people of Gary, Indiana and as always Chicago, Illinois.” The Bear’s fifth and final season is expected to premiere this summer, possibly in June.
Mina Kimes to host the Scripps National Spelling Bee
The ESPN Inside the NFL star, who has been appearing on ABC’s Celebrity Jeopardy!, will reteam with Jeopardy! executive producer Michael Davies, who is taking over as producer of the Scripps National Spelling Bee this year. The 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee runs from May 26-28 at a new venue, Constitution Hall in downtown Washington, with 247 spellers competing for a trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. “My goal in this is to give it the big-game feel,” Kimes told The Associated Press. “Any event that requires skill and knowledge and preparation can have that feel if it’s presented with enough care and pride on television.” Davies said of his changes to the Spelling Bee: “We really need to focus the entire broadcast and everything we’re doing around the stakes of the competition and the incredible winning moment, the winning word that happens at the end of the final.”
Netflix to mark America’s 250th anniversary with The American Experiment documentary, featuring interviews with Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Hillary Clinton and Al Gore
Premiering June 24 and directed by Brian Knappenberger, the five-part The American Experiment will “reflect on America’s founding and its future,” Netflix said. “Featuring interviews with former and current lawmakers, former vice presidents and cabinet members, a former Supreme Court justice, historians, tribal leaders and military experts, the film is being marketed as a nuanced take on how America wrestled with some early contradictions in its quest to form a new kind of government,” according to The Hollywood Reporter’s Katie Kilkenny. “Former vice presidents Al Gore, Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, former associate Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer, Senators Ted Cruz, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Rand Paul and Ron Wyden, U.S. Reps. Jamie Raskin and Zoe Lofgren and former U.S. national security advisor H.R. McMaster are just some of the boldfaced names that will appear in the documentary. And à la Ken Burns, the documentary will additionally feature voice actors as iconic historical figures, such as Martin Sheen playing George Washington. According to Netflix, the documentary will cover the Revolutionary War, the drafting of the Constitution and George Washington’s presidency as it poses the question of whether this form of democracy can endure.”
David Letterman calls CBS “lying weasels,” says The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s cancelation “seemed like a botched holdup”
In a New York Times interview with his biographer, Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night author Jason Zinoman, Letterman said he was at first in “disbelief” upon hearing of The Late Show’s cancelation. “They don’t share the books with me,” said Letterman. “All of television seems to have been nicked by digital communication and streaming platforms and on and on. TV may be not the money machine it once was. On the other hand, what about the humanity for Stephen and the humanity of people who love him and the humanity for people who still enjoyed that 11:30 respite? He was dumped because the people selling the network to Skydance said, ‘Oh no, there’s not going to be any trouble with that guy. We’re going to take care of the show. We’re just going to throw that into the deal. When will the ink on the check dry?’ I’m just going to go on record as saying: They’re lying. Let me just add one other thing, Jason. They’re lying weasels.” (CBS told Zinoman that the cancelation was “unequivocally a financial decision.”) Letterman was also asked about Byron Allen — whom he used to write with when Allen was a 14-year-old in 1975 — paying to take over Colbert’s timeslot. “He’s been wildly more successful than any hundred of us,” Letterman said. “I periodically talk to him, and neither he nor I understand how he became a billionaire. God bless him. To hell with CBS. To hell with Skydance. To hell with the Winslow twins or whoever the hell these guys are. But Byron, he’ll still be providing comedy in that time period. I think that’s a valuable bit of resolution here.” Has he talked to Allen since news of him taking over CBS’ 11:35 pm timeslot? “No, I’m hoping if I say enough silly things about him, he’ll call me,” said Letterman. ALSO: David Letterman says he’s open to a reunion with Jay Leno on his Netflix show.
The White Lotus Season 4 has a budget of $120 million — why Helena Bonham Carter wasn’t “boisterous” enough for Mike White
The HBO series’ fourth season is “not the first time the Cannes Film Festival has been filmed — Call My Agent, for instance, shot inside the Palais des Festivals. But it’s never been leveraged so grandly,” reports Variety’s Ella Keslassy. “With a budget of around $120 million, Season 4 is shaping up to be the most ambitious shoot ever to use the festival as its central setting. Production will span roughly seven months and take place across the French Riviera and Paris, with interiors shot at the Château de la Messardière (rebranded White Lotus du Cap), the Hôtel Martinez (White Lotus Cannes) and the Hôtel Lutetia in Paris. Despite its scale, The White Lotus is keeping a low profile. One might expect the south of France to be turned upside down by the HBO production. But while Saint-Tropez’s Château de la Messardière has been fully closed, its 32 acres of gardens sealed off from the public, the gated entrance is guarded discreetly by two production workers in street clothes; the crew vehicles are parked at a nearby beach.” According to Keslassy, White had signed on Helena Bonham Carter to play “a washed-out star who is chasing a comeback.” But after nearly a week of production, Carter departed “over ‘creative differences’; involving White’s demand for a boisterous performance; within days, she was replaced by Laura Dern. (Dern is playing a character White is developing who will fill a similar place within the ensemble. Given Dern and White’s collaborations on the TV series Enlightened and the film Year of the Dog, it may be a more comfortable fit.)”
Lorne Michaels’ Schmigadoon! musical dominates the Tony Award nominations
Co-creator Cinco Paul’s musical adaptation of his Michaels-produced Apple TV series tied with The Lost Boys with a leading 12 nominations. Michaels and Apple TV are credited among the producers. ALSO: SNL alums Rachel Dratch and Ana Gasteyer earn Tony nominations.
The Night Agent adds Abigail Breslin, David Denman and Annabeth Gish
Breslin and Denman will become series regulars on the fourth and final season of the Netflix action series. Gish will have a major recurring role.
Larry the Cable Guy to host syndicated clip show American Mayhem
The first-run syndication series from producer V10 Entertainment and syndicated by CBS Media Ventures has the following logline: “Comedian Larry The Cable Guy brings his signature heartland humor to a fast-paced collection of the funniest and most relatable clips from across the country. With his blue-collar sensibility and deep roots in American culture, Larry brings instant authenticity and comedy to every clip—turning everyday chaos into a celebration of real people, real places, and real American mayhem. From backyard mishaps and weekend DIY disasters to pets stealing the spotlight and celebrations that don’t go quite as planned, Larry guides viewers through the lighter side of life — turning everyday moments into shared laughter.”
King of the Hill sets Season 15 premiere date
Hulu will drop all 10 episodes of for Season 15 on July 20.
Jimmy Kimmel wasn’t surprised he was blamed for Rudy Giuliani’s hospitalization
The former New York City mayor’s hospitalization in critical condition with pneumonia over the weekend led to the MAGA resurfacing of a joke Kimmel told last Tuesday that Giuliani “rose from the grave.” On Monday night, Kimmel insisted he doesn’t have psychic abilities. “Every day in the morning, I wake up, I make coffee, and then I look into the future to see which events have yet to occur and then we write jokes we know are going to make trouble,” he said, per LateNighter, adding: “For the record, I hope Rudy Giuliani lives another 100 years.”
HBO Max to release a Harry Potter podcast revisiting all eight original films
Ahead of HBO’s Harry Potter series, HBO Max will unveil the 16-hour Harry Potter: The Official Film Podcast. The podcast will be timed to the first film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’s 25th anniversary.
Netflix currently has no plans bring back Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney for Season 2
It’s been nearly a year since Mulaney’s Everybody’s Live wrapped the first of a two-season order of his weekly variety show. But asked by Variety if Everybody’s Live will come back, Netflix standup boss Robbie Craw responded: “We don’t think so, no. John is on a big tour. There’s no talk of him doing that right now.”
The Boys series finale to screen in in movie theaters using 4DX technology
“In two weeks, we’re going out with a bang,” The Boys announced on social media. “Literally, because ya might vibrate watchin’ the series finale in 4DX. Get yer mitts on a seat with the purchase of a concession voucher, which is good towards sweets or soda the day of. See ya May 19 at 9:30 p.m.”
Matthew Rhys to play iconic British journalist Harold Evans in BBC’s Dragon Slayers
The Americans alum and Widow’s Bay star will play the late British-American journalist, who died in 2020 at age 92. Dragon Slayers “will act as a potted 20th century history of UK investigatory work including when Evans’ team fought for the victims of Thalidomide, uncovered the truth behind the DC-10 crash – then the world’s worst air disaster – and they faced down treason charges in exposing Kim Philby as one of the most successful spies of the 20th century,” per Deadline. “Set in the 1970s and penned by Peter Bowker (The A Word), Dragon Slayers will be based on research, published accounts and interviews with those who knew and worked with Evans – including his widow, editor, author and journalist Tina Brown, and the Evans family.”
Netflix reveals key art and premiere month for The One Piece anime remake
The anime remake of the original One Piece series is set to premiere in February 2027.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Nicholas Brendon’s cause of death revealed
The Putnam County Coroner’s office announced that Brendon’s death on March 20 at age 54 was natural and that he died of atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
Storage Wars star Darrell Sheets’ death officially ruled a suicide
The Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office in Arizona confirmed Sheets died last month by suicide at age 67 after reports stated that he from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Rip and Beth find new trouble in Texas in Dutton Ranch’s full trailer
The Yellowstone characters appear to risk it all to save their new ranch in the full trailer for Dutton Ranch, premiering on Paramount+ on May 15.
Netflix unveils the trailer for The Boroughs
Premiering May 21, the Duffer Brothers-produced sci-fi series stars Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Bill Pullman, Clarke Peters and Denis O’Hare.
Watch the trailer for Netflix’s Kylie Minogue docuseries Kylie
The three-part Kylie, premiering May 20, follows the Australian from soap star to global superstar.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder gets a Season 2 premiere date and trailer
The Netflix British mystery thriller series returns May 27.
Amazon reveals the trailer for Kyle Larson vs. The Double
Premiering May 21, the documentary follows the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion in his two-year quest to complete one of auto racing’s most demanding challenges.