The Daily Show announces its first microdrama / Amazon finally orders Robocop TV series / Netflix: Kennedy Center cut Whitney Cummings’ Trump joke

PLUS: Ed Harris will return for Dutton Ranch Season 2 after producers responded to his complaints he was “misled” about his “inconsequential” role on Season 1.

Jul 21, 2026

The Daily Show announces its first microdrama, a spoof featuring billionaires “Egon Husk” and “Jiff Davos” in a love triangle
As it celebrates its 30th anniversary on Wednesday, The Daily Show announced today it will become the first late-night franchise with its own microdrama with The Daily Show Presents: Two Billionaires Fight to Dominate the Country… And My Heart! The microdrama will “satirize both the state of U.S. politics as well as the verticals format, which typically uses soap opera-esque plotlines, romance and wild twists to keep viewers hooked,” according to The Hollywood Reporter’s Katie Kilkenny. Here’s the official description: “When the president’s beautiful daughter Alonka announces that her aging father wants to spend more of his Oval Office time sleeping, two filthy rich tech gods — Egon Husk and Jiff Davos — must compete to build a new AI President to help him run the country. But their lust for power, and Alonka, leads to dangerously hot complications.” Comedy Central will release further details, including the stars of the series and a premiere date, at a later date. “While many brands, from Marc Jacobs to the WWE, are currently testing the microdrama waters to engage consumers in new ways, The Daily Show appears to be distinguishing itself by tapping into the format’s comedic possibilities,” says Kilkenny. “With many verticals featuring campy premises and heavy-handed dialogue, and with frequent tropes including vampires, werewolves and “enemies to lovers,” the jokes nearly write themselves.”

Ed Harris will return for Dutton Ranch Season 2 after producers responded to his complaints he was “misled” about his “inconsequential” role on Season 1
In an interview last night on The Dink premiere red carpet, Harris unloaded to Variety on his bad experience filming Season 1 of the Yellowstone spinoff, especially after his singing scene was cut. Harris said he wanted to “void” his contract and told his team to “get me the f*ck out of here.” Harris “may have felt like his complaints fell on deaf ear but they were heeded,” reports Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva. “According to sources, the recent change at the helm of Dutton Ranch, with creator Chad Feehan, who served as Season 1 showrunner, let go ahead of the series premiere, was largely related to how Harris’ character Everett McKinney was utilized — or rather underutilized. Harris is said to have been involved in picking Feehan’s replacement, SWAT Team creator Benjamin Cavell, who was named showrunner last month. Apollo 13 star’s concerns are being addressed, and Everett is believed to be front and center in the upcoming Season 2 of the series, from 101 Studios and Paramount TV Studios, which is now being written, with Harris kept in the loop. According to sources, Harris already has been picked up for Season 2, which is slated to begin production Jan. 15. As he confirmed in the red carpet interview, Harris has a two-year deal for Dutton Ranch, which I hear includes an option for a third.”

Amazon finally orders Robocop TV series
Amazon Prime Video has given a greenlight to the eight-episode Robocop — which, unlike the 1987 movie it is based on, will use a lowercase “c” — from veteran TV writer/producer Jim Ocko and horror producer James Wan. Plans for a Robocop series were first revealed in April 2023 as part of Amazon’s effort to mine MGM’s film and TV catalogue, which has also resulted in the recent Legally Blonde prequel series Elle. Ocko and Wan boarded the Robocop series in September 2024. The original 1987 RoboCop film, starring Peter Weller, directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner, told the story of a crime-ridden Detroit where a fatally injured police officer is rebuilt into a mechanical superhero. Neumeier will serve as an executive producer on Amazon’s Robocop, which has the following description: “Since its debut in 1987, Robocop has endured as one of the most iconic and culturally significant franchises in science fiction. What began as a bold social satire — blending visceral action with a critique of corporate greed, privatization, and the nature of identity — has resonated across generations, spawning sequels, television series, video games and comic books. Its themes of humanity versus technology and the consequences of unchecked corporate power feel more relevant today than ever, making it the ideal property to reimagine for a new era of television.”

ESPN hit with major layoffs after merging with NFL Network
The layoffs come five months after the NFL took a 10% stake in ESPN as part of a deal that made NFL Network part of the Worldwide Leader in Sports. In a memo to staffers Tuesday, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro wrote: “Over the past several months, we’ve made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN. Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources and organizational structure to best position us for the future. As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts that we will be communicating today.”
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Catherine Zeta-Jones thriller Kill Jackie is heading to AMC+
The AMC streamer has acquired U.S. rights to the international series based on Aidan Truhen’s 2018 “gonzo thriller” novel The Price You Pay. In Kill Jackie, “Zeta-Jones is Jackie Price, who has lived a wealthy, luxurious existence for the last 20 years – travelling the world, selling fine art using sophisticated tax loopholes and, above all, trying to stay anonymous after escaping a dangerous past as an international cocaine dealer,” per Deadline. “But just as life starts to feel a little boring, it takes a sudden lethal turn when she discovers The Seven Demons, a squad of the world’s most terrifying hitmen, have been hired to kill her.”

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s widow sues his mother for $1.2 million
On Monday, the one-year anniversary of the late Cosby Show star’s drowning death at age 54, Warner’s widow, Tenisha Warner, filed a lawsuit in DeKalb County Superior Court against his mother, Pamela Warner, who is the successor trustee of the Warner Family Trust the actor set up in 1996, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Tenisha Warner alleges the family trust failed to honor their prenuptial agreement and provide her with $1.2 million.

Netflix: Kennedy Center cut Whitney Cummings’ Trump “sex traffic” joke from Bill Maher’s Mark Twain Prize ceremony
“While it’s our preference not to cut jokes from anyone’s set, The Kennedy Center has the contractual right to do so,” Netflix said in a statement after Cummings alleged on the Good For You podcast that the streamer cut her Trump joke. Cummings’ joke — “I actually heard Trump may come tonight, but he couldn’t make it. He got caught in sex traffic” — is notable because it went viral after Maher’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony was taped on June 28.

Corey Stoll, Ralph Ineson and Nyasha Hatendi join Wyatt Russell-led Apple TV Monsterverse series
Their characters are being kept under wraps in the untitled series in which Russell reprises his role from Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

20/20 is coming to Britain with its first international version
Disney+ has greenlit the first ever non-U.S. version of the 50-year-old ABC News show that will premiere in the UK next week. “Titled 20/20 Britain’s Most Notorious Crime Investigations, the series will reopen six cases including Jane Andrews, the Duchess of York’s former aide and dresser who was convicted of murder, Ben Field, the charming young churchwarden accused of seducing older people into signing over their estates, and Joanna Yeates, who went missing on a freezing night in Bristol,” per Deadline. “These are some of the most high-profile cases in the UK. All three have been made into successful TV dramas: The Lady, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies and The Sixth Commandment.”

Amazon rounds out its Sex Criminals cast with Joseph Lee and Sunita Mani
The Beef alum and the His & Hers vet join leads Imogen Poots and John Reynolds and previously cast Pamela Adlon, BD Wong, Ayden Mayeri and Ashleigh Cummings in the series from Tze Chun, Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, who also recurs.

Scott Baio teases role on Taylor Sheridan’s Frisco King
“I’m finally back home! #FriscoKing Coming Soon!” Baio posted to Instagram Monday with hashtags for lead Samuel L. Jackson and Sheridan, creator of the Tulsa King spinoff series. The former Happy Days and Charles in Charge star hasn’t had a regular series role since starring in Nick at Nite’s See Dad Run from 2012 to 2014.

Lego unveils a 1,478-piece The X-Files set featuring Mulder and Scully minifigures
The X-Files Lego set includes a detailed replica of FBI Agent Fox Mulder’s office, along with a forest clearing scene and a hovering UFO. Gillian Anderson filmed a video to promote The X-Files Lego set.

Netflix announces a Stamptown variety show special from Zach Zucker
The comedian and actor is bringing his popular variety show to the streamer in a special taped over three nights at Netflix Is a Joke fest. “Described as a raunchy and chaotic fever dream, Zucker’s Stamptown special is a love letter to everyone who ever helped him and his collaborators along the way,” says Deadline. “Everyone who welcomed them into their homes, all venue bookers, cities, festivals, and all of those who have come to see them over the past decade.”

World Cup led to 2.8 million new Fox One subscribers
The streaming service, which launched last August, had its best-ever sign-up period during the World Cup, including 400,000 on the tournament’s opening day on June 11.

Conan O’Brien fans are baffled by his new “Greaser Conan” hairstyle
Conan’s hair, normally a towering wave, was slicked back for his interview Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend interview with Molly Shannon. Many commenters were puzzled why his new hairstyle wasn’t brought up during the interview.

Kaylee Hottle, a deaf actress who appeared on Magnum P.I., dies in a car crash at age 18
The actress, best known for playing Jia in the Godzilla vs. Kong movie franchise, was killed early this morning when the car she was a passenger in veered off the road in Ijamsville, Maryland. The driver and another passenger survived. Hottle had three acting credits, including for two Godzilla vs. Kong films. She also appeared in a 2021 Season 4 episode of Magnum P.I. opposite Bobby Lee, who spoke to her using sign language.

Disney unveils Camp Rock 3 trailer
“When Connect 3 loses their opening act for a major reunion tour, they return to their beloved Camp Rock to discover the next big thing,” reads the description for the TV movie premiering on Disney Channel on Aug. 13 and Disney+ on Aug. 14. “As campers vie for the chance to open for their favorite band, tensions rise and friendships are tested - leading to unexpected alliances, revelations, and romances.”

Watch Apple TV’s Women in Blue Season 2 trailer
The crime drama series on Mexico’s first female police force returns Aug. 12.

Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks get the Hard Knocks treatment in the trailer for Season 27
HBO’s Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Seattle Seahawks premieres Aug. 4.

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