The Golden Bachelor unveils a cast of women ages 58 to 77 / John C. McGinley joins Scrubs reboot / NCIS and prequel NCIS: Origins sets a crossover
PLUS: The Paper creators were initially against a binge-release, but Peacock convinced them that many The Office fans had binged the show.
The Golden Bachelor unveils a cast of women ages 58 to 77 after Mel Owens said he would "cut" women over 60
The Golden Bachelor's second lead, who is 66, will have to choose from a group of 23 golden bachelorettes that includes one woman under 60, 18 women in their 60s and four women in their 70s. They include a former model, a yoga instructor, a vineyard owner and a casino VIP host. Owens apologized last month for saying of his bachelorettes, "if they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them. This is not The Silver Bachelor, this is The Golden Bachelor." In an interview with Glamour, Owens said he addressed his controversial remarks on the first night of filming. "I apologized to the women on the show," he said. "When I first walked in, I addressed it. I apologized to them. I said, ';It was unfair, insensitive. I want to earn it back. Just give me the chance.' And hopefully, these last two weeks I earned some of that back." The Golden Bachelor premieres Sept. 24.
John C. McGinley is on board for Scrubs reboot
McGinley will reprise the role of Dr. Perry Cox on the ABC reboot series, reuniting with original cast members Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, and the recently announced Judy Reyes. The Scrubs reboot will mark McGinley's fifth collaboration with creator Bill Lawrence.
The Paper creators were initially against a binge-release, but Peacock convinced them that many The Office fans had binged the show
“For us, I think, we started off agitating for the drop, and partly it was because the original Office was a weekly thing,” co-creator Greg Daniels, who developed the U.S. version of The Office, told The Wrap. He further explained that the idea for a binge release “didn’t come from” him or co-creator Michael Koman. “But then, (Peacock execs) had pointed out that most people who are big Office fans probably binged it because they saw it on Netflix or Peacock. So that argument kind of evaporated...The company is smart and they have a lot of strategic thinking, and (I’m) not sure (of) everything behind it.” Koman added that he preferred to binge through a season. “My personal viewing habits align much more with a binge release,” Koman shared. “I like being able to just decide, especially if I’m into something, I get impatient now.”
NCIS and prequel NCIS: Origins sets a two-part crossover event for November
A logline for the Nov. 11 crossover reads: “Gibbs and team investigate the small-town death of a naval officer in the ‘90s on NCIS: Origins — a case that’s unexpectedly re-opened in the present day on NCIS. The action will kick off on Origins, which will take the 8 p.m. timeslot from the flagship series to introduce the mystery, followed by the new episodes of NCIS.”
The Hunting Wives' Season 2 renewal at Netflix is being held up because of international deals with other outlets
"When the raunchy Texas drama starring Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow made a no-frills domestic debut on Netflix on July 21 as part of a one-year U.S. licensing deal with Lionsgate, The Hunting Wives already had launched on Stan in Australia, Crave in Canada, OSN in the Middle East and HOT in Israel," explains Deadline's Nellie Andreeva, noting that The Hunting Wives was made for and rejected by Starz. "At the time, Lionsgate had sold the series in 10 additional territories, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy and India, with plans to roll out the show in them soon thereafter. (Netflix was not a buyer in any of the countries.) But, despite The Hunting Wives‘ outsized success in the U.S., those plans have been put on hold, with no new international launches for the show since its Netflix debut more than six weeks ago. There is a reason for that — as Netflix is getting deep in negotiations with Lionsgate about a Season 2 renewal for the breakout hit, all of these deals have to be reworked for that to happen, a process that is currently underway, I hear."
HBO is changing the name of HBO2 and five of its other cable channels
HBO2 will become HBO Hits. HBO Signature is now HBO Drama. HBO Zone will change its name to HBO Movies. Warner Bros. Discovery is also reviving the Cinemax name with MoreMAX becoming Cinemax hits. ActionMAX will now be called Cinemax Action. And 5starMAX will be renamed Cinemax Classics.
Jane Krakowski to guest on Brilliant Minds
The former 30 Rock star is returning to NBC as "a high-powered businesswoman who fights her conservatorship despite her family’s growing concerns.”
Report: SNL opted not to renew Heidi Gardner's contract
After Dana Carvey said on his and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast that "it was not her idea to leave," the New York Post reports that Gardner's contract wasn't renewed after eight years on Saturday Night Live. “It’s time for a new cast,” an insider told The Post. Gardner has yet to comment on her exit that was revealed a week ago today.
SNL writer Steven Castillo announces his exit after a second stint on the show
Castillo, who was responsible for many fan-favorite sketches, announced he won't return for Season 51. Castillo originally joined SNL for Season 43 and departed in the middle of Season 47. Castillo began his second stint toward the end of Season 49. “My 2nd run at SNL was never meant to be long term. I wanted to be a part of the 50th, and I’m so glad I did," he wrote on Instagram. Castillo is the third SNL writer to exit after Season 50, following Rosebud Baker and Celeste Yim.
Jeanine Pirro's Fox News bosses privately called her a "reckless maniac" and "insane"
Fox News executives' private feelings about the now-U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia were revealed in the recently released transcripts from the Smartmatic lawsuit over Fox News' coverage of the 2020 presidential election. "A Fox News executive has called a prominent Trump appointee a 'reckless maniac," says NPR's David Folkenflik. "Another Fox executive said, 'I don't trust her to be responsible.' A third condemned her for the 'tendency to find random conspiracy theories on weird internet sites.' And a Fox corporate board member called a public statement of hers 'insane.' The person they were talking about is Jeanine Pirro, now the United States' top law enforcement official for Washington, D.C. At the time, she was a top-rated star on Fox News itself. Her colleagues made those remarks in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, when Pirro used her platform to amplify baseless claims that victory had been stolen from President Trump."
Netflix animated series Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft will end with Season 2
The second season of the Legendary Television series, starring Hayley Atwell as Lara Croft, premieres Dec. 11, two years after its October 2024 debut.
SAS: Rogue Heroes renewed for Season 3
Steven Knight’s hit World War II drama for the BBC starring Jack O’Connell, Eve Mansour, Sofia Boutella and Dominic West has been picked up for a third season on the BBC and MGM+.
Elsbeth books William Jackson Harper and Annaleigh Ashford
Harper will guest on the CBS drama as the founding director of a New York City poetry journal, desperate for funding. Ashford will appear on the Halloween-themed episode as a murderous suburban housewife.
Disney Entertainment Television launching video podcasts, including a companion podcast for Only Murders in the Building
The Hulu series about podcasters "is about to get an official one of its own," reports Variety's Michael Schneider. "Disney Entertainment Television is embarking on a major push in the video podcast space, launching companion chat series centered on shows like Only Murders, Dancing With the Stars, Paradise, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Murdaugh: Death in the Family, Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” Tell Me Lies and more. Episodes will be avaialable to watch on YouTube, or listen to on various podcast platforms (distributed in partnership with ABC News Audio) including Spotify, Apple Podcast, SiriusXM, iHeart Radio, TuneIn, Amazon Music and Pandora. And subscribers to Disney’s streaming platforms will also be able to watch the shows domestically on Disney+, Hulu and Hulu on Disney+."
Center for American Rights files FCC complaint against Jimmy Kimmel Live! for "unlawful politicking"
The right-wing law firm accused Jimmy Kimmel of "improperly using public airwaves, which are governed by the FCC, to amplify political candidates he has donated to without disclosing his contributions," according to The Wrap's Corbin Bolies. "It requested that the FCC investigate the show, arguing it was the most prominent example of a systemic issue in late-night television...In its complaint, the group points to multiple instances where Kimmel has appeared with Democratic politicians, along with donations he and his staff have made to Democratic candidates and causes. It also cites data collected by the right-wing media watchdog the Media Research Center, which found that Kimmel focused roughly 97% of his political jokes on Republican politicians." The FCC, ABC and Jimmy Kimmel Live! immediately have yet to respond to the complaint.
SNL UK will allow profanity
Sky says its version of Saturday Night Live will get to be profane because, unlike American broadcast TV, British TV allows for profanity after the 9 p.m. watershed. “As a result there is scope for the show to expand beyond what is allowed on their US counterpart,” says Sky.
Kiefer Sutherland on a 24 revival: "Something has been written" that's "really good"
Former 24 showrunner "Howard Gordon has come up with an idea that I like,” Sutherland said in an interview with Montreal Now’s Aaron Rand. “Before, the material had not been written, so I would have to say, ‘I’m not the one that’s in the way.’ (But) something has been written. I think it’s really good. I think it’s really strong.”
Lena Dunham will release a new memoir in 2026 reflecting on her Girls fame
The Girls creator's Famesick will be a reflection on how health collided with her rise to fame as the creator and star of her hit HBO comedy. Famesick is a follow-up to her 2014 debut essay collection Not That Kind of Girl.
Jimmy Tatro and Fortune Feimster join Netflix's untitled golf comedy series starring Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon
Tatro will play Lance, the son of Will Ferrell’s character and an incredible pro golfer in his own right. Feimster has been cast as Sam, a new caddie and possible good luck charm.
Stephen Miller calls Stephen Colbert a "sleazy, disgusting, smarmy guy"
“Stephen Colbert is a slimeball. The guy’s disgusting,” the Trump advisor told Sean Hannity on Fox News, per The Daily Beast. “He has no talent, he is not liked. Obviously, he was fired for a reason. He is just a sleazy, disgusting, smarmy guy.” Miller added that “it takes a lot to make me really despise somebody,” he added, before backtracking to say, “Maybe it doesn’t, I don’t know. But Colbert is really a horrible person.” ALSO: Stephen Colbert says “f*ck you” to Trump after the president declared Chicago the “most dangerous” city.
Roku orders This First House, a youth-skewing spinoff of This Old House
According to Deadline, "This First House follows two millennial and/or Gen Z families as they navigate the process of buying their first home and learn essential skills for maintaining and improving their property. Guiding them through this process will be the husband-and-wife team, Zack and Camille Dettmore, alongside their experts from real estate, mortgage, legal, and construction sectors. The show will launch next year." The news comes ahead of the launch of Season 47 of This Old House and Season 24 of Ask This Old House on Roku on Sept. 29. Roku acquired the This Old House brand for nearly $100 million in 2021.
Tracy Morgan's The Neighborhood spinoff Crutch gets a premiere date on Paramount+
Morgan stars as Harlem shop owner Francois “Frank” Crutchfield in the Cedric the Entertainer-produced comedy series that will be binge-released on Nov. 3.
NFL further clarifies that NFL RedZone will feature just four 15-second split-screen ads over seven-plus hours — at least in Week 1
"After NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson went on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday and officially confirmed commercials are returning full-time to RedZone this season, the sports public on social media erupted in complaints, gripes, and barbs at Disney and ESPN, which last month struck an equity deal with the league," says Front Office Sports' Daniel Roberts and David Rumsey. "Here’s what’s actually happening. RedZone began quietly testing ads last December in a two-box style, where ads appeared while NFL action remained on-screen. The NFL says that is how the ads this season will run: exactly as they did during that test. There will be four 15-second ads in the seven-hour edition of RedZone in Week 1, a source tells FOS. That could change later in the season. There will not be full ad breaks, where the football action disappears from the screen."
SiriusXM is "confident" that a new deal with Howard Stern will get done
"I think he’s been core to our platform for over 20 years, so I’m confident we’ll get to the right place," said SiriusXM CEO Jennifer Witz. Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s chief content officer and president, added: “I think he’s been core to our platform for over 20 years, so I’m confident we’ll get to the right place.” ALSO: Howard Stern is currently dealing with the loss of one of his and wife Beth Stern’s cats.
Alan Cumming and David Morrissey to star in Russell T Davies' queer Channel 4 drama series Tip Toe
Cumming and Morrissey will play "Leo and Clive, who have lived next door to each other in Manchester for almost 15 years," according to Deadline. "Just as life should be settling down, the world around them is growing more tense. Davies has previously described Tip Toe as a cross between his cult Channel 4 drama Queer as Folk, which was also set in Manchester, and dystopian BBC series Years and Years."
Fox's Best Medicine adds eight, including a dog
Didi Conn, Clea Lewis, Stephen Spinella, Jason Veasey, John DiMaggio, Carter Shimp, Cindy De La Cruz and pooch Watson will join Josh Charles, Abigail Spencer, Annie Potts, Josh Segarra and Cree on the Fox medical comedy.
Shaboozey to perform Amazon's Thursday Night Football's new opening song
The singer-songwriter has created a new song, “Let ‘Em Know,” that will serve as a show open for Thursday Night Football and Thursday Night Kickoff each week on Prime Video.
Classic Sesame Street episodes to hit YouTube as part of a deal with Sesame Workshop
YouTube has inked a deal to become the largest digital library for Sesame Street content. Hundreds of classic episodes will be uploaded, beginning in July. Sesame Street will also continue to create original content for YouTube.
Bluey is getting a video game
Launching this fall on motion-powered console Nex Playground, the Bluey video game will feature the iconic children’s character as she “uses her limitless energy to play games that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family and the whole neighborhood into her world of fun," per the official announcement. ALSO: Bluey movie sets a 2027 release date.
50 Cent to host Fox Nation true-crime show 50 Ways to Catch a Killer
Premiering Sept. 16, the six-episode series “offers viewers a deep journey inside investigative units as they unravel real-life murder mysteries and uncover critical breakthroughs all leading to the prime suspect and pursuit of justice,” says the Fox News streamer.
Giorgio Armani dies at 91: The iconic Italian fashion designer's only acting credit was a brief cameo on SNL
Armani, the designer to the stars, appeared in a C-SPAN-themed cold open in a 1993 episode hosted by Luke Perry with musical guest Mick Jagger.
Pete Davidson pitches his sock brand on Shark Tank Season 17
"I got sent DoubleSoul (socks) a couple years ago, and I had to meet the team, and I wanted to be involved immediately," Davidson tells the sharks in asking for $500,000.
Ludwig is filming Season 2
The BBC detective dramedy starring David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin is set to return to BritBox after premiering in 2024.
All 74 episodes of Ken Jennings' 2004 Jeopardy! win streak will be available to stream for the first time, along with vintageˆ episodes
Starting next Tuesday, Jennings' Jeopardy! episodes "will be available to stream on-demand, for the first time ever, as part of a library of content coming to Peacock and Hulu (including Hulu accessed through Disney+)," reports Vulture's Josef Adalian. "The arrival of the complete Jennings juggernaut will coincide with another first for Jeopardy! and sibling show Wheel of Fortune: New episodes of both shows will start streaming on the aforementioned platforms the day after they air in syndication. The in-season streaming launch of TV’s two top-rated quizzers and the bonus retro content comes as Wheel and Jeopardy! prepare to start their respective 43rd and 42nd linear seasons on September 8."
Rolling Ray, social media influencer with memorable appearances on Catfish: Trolls and Divorce Court, dies at 28
Ray, whose real name is Raymond Harper, first gained prominence after appearing on the MTV reality series Catfish: Trolls, a spinoff of Catfish, in 2018. He appeared on an episode of Divorce Court the following year, resulting in more viral moments.
AMC's Talamasca: The Secret Order trailer teases supernatural secrets, psychic menace, and danger-filled dark rooms
The cable network's next Anne Rice series premieres Oct. 26.
Landman's Season 2 trailer teases more screen time for Demi Moore, introduces Sam Elliott
The Taylor Sheridan Paramount+ oil industry drama returns Nov. 16.
Kaitlin Olson's Morgan Gillory has more mysteries to solve in High Potential's Season 2 trailer
The ABC crime drama returns Sept. 16.
Marc Maron faces grief, comedy and the end of WTF in the trailer for Are We Good?
Steven Feinartz’s documentary on the popular podcaster/comedian hits theaters on Oct. 3 in New York and Los Angeles.
Charlie Hunnam looks horrific as a serial killer in Netflix's Monster: The Ed Gein Story trailer
The third season of Ryan Murphy's Monster anthology series premieres Oct. 3.
Masterpiece drops the first trailer for The Forsytes
The adaptation of John Galsworthy’s Forsyte Saga novels, offering a sweeping portrait of a wealthy British family in 1880s London, will premiere on PBS next year after its UK debut later this year.
Adult Swim releases Smiling Friends' Season 3 official trailer
The adult animated series returns Oct. 5.
Watch Wizards Beyond Waverly Place's Season 2 trailer
The Disney Channel sequel series to Wizards of Waverly Place returns with two episodes on Sept. 12.
CBS releases the trailer for Boston Blue
Donnie Wahlberg is joined by Sonequa Martin-Green in CBS' Blue Bloods offshoot, premiering Oct. 17.
Eugene Levy keeps challenging himself in The Reluctant Traveler Season 3 trailer
Levy's Apple TV+ travelogue series returns Sept. 19.