Vanderpump Rules will return with a brand-new cast / John Krasinski and Matthew Rhys team for Amazon series / Thomas Haden Church to play Shane Gillis' dad
PLUS: Jim Abrahams, whose Police Squad! spoof led to the Naked Gun movie franchise, dies at 80.
Vanderpump Rules will return with a brand-new cast
The hit Bravo reality show, which had been put on pause after Season 11, is dumping its regular cast for Season 12 and will feature an entirely new cast, Bravo announced today. “The last 12 years of filming have been an extraordinary run full of laughter, tears and everything in between," said Lisa Vanderpump. "I can’t thank enough those who have shared their lives. How I love you all. In the restaurant business, one shift always gives way to another. Cheers to the next generation of Vanderpump Rules.” News of the cast reboot comes one day after Tom Sandoval and Schwartz announced the closure of their Los Angeles bar, Schwartz & Sandy’s. According to The Hollywood Reporter's Jackie Strause, original cast members Lala Kent, Scheana Shay, Brock Davies and Schwartz will all make appearances on the next season of Vanderpump Rules spinoff The Valley, and the door remains open for the rest of the previous cast — including Sandoval, Ariana Madix, James Kennedy and Katie Maloney — to appear in the spinoff, as well. “What a thrill it is to build on the legacy of this series by doing it all over again,” says Vanderpump Rules executive producer Alex Baskin in a statement. “With profound appreciation for the original group and their iconic run, we can’t wait for the audience to see a dynamic new group of co-workers and friends make their way through life together.” ALSO: Lala Kent and other Vanderpump Rules vets react to the reboot news.
John Krasinski and Matthew Rhys to star in Amazon's serial killer drama series Silent River
Krasinski will reteam with Jack Ryan vet Aaron Rabin on Silent River, which tells its story of "through the lens of two men, whose lives are far more connected than they realize....Silent River explores the cracks of small-town America in the wake of discovering a serial killer among them.” Both Krasinski and Rhys will also serve as executive producers, with Krasinski directing the pilot.
Wendy Williams is “cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated," her guardian declares
An attorney for guardian Sabrina Morrissey wrote in a memo to a judge on Nov. 12 that the popular former daytime talk show's condition has worsened. Williams, said the letter, "an acclaimed entertainer who, tragically, has been afflicted by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated."
Thomas Haden Church to play Shane Gillis' dad on Netflix's Tires
The Emmy winner will star on Season 2 of Gillis' Netflix comedy as “Shane’s wealthy but immature father. A grown-up version of Shane, Phil enjoys owning various businesses in Florida where he resides, throwing back margaritas and flirting with waitresses.”
Jim Abrahams, whose Police Squad! spoof led to the Naked Gun movie franchise, dies at 80
Abrahams, who died Tuesday of natural causes, and his Wisconsin boyhood friends Jerry and David Zucker were the brains behind Airplane!, The Kentucky Friday Movie, Top Secret! and the Hot Shots movie franchise. In 1982, Abrahams and the Zucker brothers created Police Squad! for ABC, starring Airplane!'s Leslie Nielsen as the intrepid, if inept, Det. Frank Drebin. "Though the series was critically acclaimed and scored two Emmy nominations — one for Nielsen and one for ZAZ’s writing, it aired just six episodes before being canceled," says Chris Koseluk in Abrahams' The Hollywood Reporter obituary. "But cable reruns brought it a new following, and The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, directed by David Zucker, made it the big screen in 1988, grossing $78.8 million." The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! was followed by 1991's The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear and 1994’s The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult. Abrahams' death comes as he was executive producing a reboot of The Naked Gun film franchise starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson. In 2023, Abrahams and the Zucker brothers released Surely You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane!, an audiobook oral history featuring contributions from Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman, Bill Hader, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Molly Shannon and more comedy stars influenced by “ZAZ.”
Paul Wesley to star in Unspoken, a Ukrainian War thriller series
The Star Trek: Strange New Worlds star and The Vampire Diaries alum will lead the six-episode limited series. "Set against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the series follows the journey of Paul (Wesley), an ex-soldier turned taxi driver in Poland," according to Deadline. 'After receiving a desperate call from his wife in Kyiv on the day of the invasion, he races against time, crossing borders to guide his family to safety amid chaos and unimaginable terror. Over the phone, he leads them through a landscape of fear and violence, intensifying the sense of urgency as they grapple with survival in the face of insurmountable odds."
SNL Season 50 is the No. 1 entertainment show in the key 18-49 demo
After ending Season 49 as No. 1 in the 18-49 demo, Saturday Night Live's 50th season viewership has actually grown through seven episodes.
Netflix greenlights another Harlan Coben series: I Will Find You
On Monday, Netflix released the trailer for Coben's limited series Missing You. On Tuesday, Netflix announced another series from the prolific author. The eight-episode limited series I Will Find You revolves around an “innocent father serving life for the murder of his own son receives evidence that his child may still be alive — and must break out of prison to find out the truth,” per the show’s logline.
MSNBC says it was "unaware" Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign contributed $500,000 in donations to Rev. Al Sharpton’s non-profit organization
“MSNBC was unaware of the donations made to the National Action Network,” the MSNBC spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon’s Chuck Ross, who first reported the donations. Sharpton didn't disclose the donation to network executives, the spokesperson said.
CNN officially announces Kaitlan Collins is adding chief White House correspondent to her primetime duties
Collins, who in 2021 became the youngest chief White House correspondent in CNN history, will continue to host her primetime show The Source with Kaitlan Collins. She'll become the first CNN primetime anchor to simultaneously serve as its top White House reporter. Collins will split time between New York City and Washington, D.C.
Rosa Salazar joins CBS Einstein pilot starring Matthew Gray Gubler
The former Undone star will play the female lead in the CBS procedural inspired by Albert Einstein. "In Einstein, a drama with comedic undertones based on the German series of the same name, brilliant but directionless, the great grandson of Albert Einstein (Gubler) spends his days as a comfortably tenured professor until his bad-boy antics land him in trouble with the law and he is pressed into service helping a local police detective (Salazar) solve her most puzzling cases," according to Deadline.
Nickelodeon announces Henry Danger: The Movie
The feature-length original movie based on the hit 2014-2020 hit live-action series will stream in the U.S. on Paramount+ Friday, Jan. 17, and stream on Nickelodeon on the same day at 7 p.m. In Henry Danger: The Movie, "Henry Danger (Jace Norman) meets a superfan—eager to fight crime with Kid Danger—who comes into possession of a device that can open up alternate realities," per Deadline. "Facing a wild ride, Henry will need his best friend Jasper (Sean Ryan Fox) and his new superfan sidekick to find his way out or be stuck in another dimension forever."
The Talk sets its final episode after 15 seasons
Hosts Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell and Sheryl Underwood will kick off their final week of the CBS daytime show on Monday, Dec. 16 with the finale scheduled for Friday, Dec. 20. The Talk has been a staple of CBS' daytime lineup since October 2010.
The Traitors: Live Experience is coming to London
The immersive experience launching next year will enable fans, at a cost of $37 each, to take a seat at The Round Table, have a go at missions and attempt to uncover the Traitors in their midst.
Kari Lake is poised to join Newsmax
The Republican former Arizona TV news anchor, who unsuccessfully ran for Arizona governor in 2022 and U.S. Senator from Arizona this month, is in “active negotiations” to join the conservative network, according to Mediaite.
Étoile adds David Haig
The British actor and Killing Eve alum will star in Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino‘s upcoming ballet drama for Amazon Prime Video. His role is being kept under wraps.
Succession composer Nicholas Britell is releasing a vinyl box set featuring music from all four seasons
The set, which will be available on Friday, features all 95 of the Emmy-winning composer's tracks from all four seasons of the HBO series.