Winning Time author: Jerry West depiction was brilliant and inaccurate / House of Dragons renewed / Grace Van Patten to play Amanda Knox
PLUS: MGM+ orders Stephen King adaptation The Institute, starring Ben Barnes and Mary-Louise Parker.
Winning Time author: Our depiction of NBA icon Jerry West "exaggerated him — brilliantly and inaccurately”
In wake of the NBA icon's death on Wednesday at age 86, Jeff Pearlman, whose book on the Showtime Lakers was adapted for the 2022-2023 HBO drama series, writes in The Washington Post that he "loved almost everything about Winning Time....In Winning Time, actor Jason Clarke was brilliant as West. Hell, beyond brilliant. He nailed his slight West Virginia twang, his cocksure strut, his at-all-costs love for the Lakers...Throughout the series, West is often cursing, snarling, snapping, biting. It’s tremendous television. For my money, Clarke carried the show. But, in the real world, West wasn’t a cursing, snarling, snapping, biting guy. He was a burdened, haunted, troubled man who — while certainly capable of a good outburst — primarily internalized his demons. He also was a beloved basketball lifer who embraced the diversity of the sport he cherished. As creator of the source material, but also as someone involved with the show, I often found myself publicly backing Clarke’s version of West by offering up explanations like 'It’s paying homage' and 'This is how the medium works.' But, sitting here today in the aftermath of West’s passing, I am forced to ask myself whether that was me being true to myself or just being a guy with the golden ticket of an HBO show justifying an experience that I simultaneously loved and profited from. The answer: I honestly don’t know." Shortly after Winning Time's Season 1 finale in April 2022, West demanded a retraction and apology, with his attorney calling the portrayal "a deliberately false characterization that has caused great distress to Jerry and his family." HBO responded that Winning Time's "depictions are based on extensive factual research and reliable sourcing, and HBO stands resolutely behind our talented creators and cast who have brought a dramatization of this epic chapter in basketball history to the screen.”
House of the Dragon renewed for Season 3
HBO has ordered a third season of the Game of Thrones prequel series ahead of the Season 2 premiere on Sunday. George R.R. Martin, showrunner Ryan Condal "and the rest of our incredible executive producers, cast, and crew, have reached new heights with the phenomenal second season,” said HBO’s programming and drama series chief Francesca Orsi in a statement. “We are in awe of the dragon-sized effort the entire team has put into the creation of a spectacular season two, with a scope and scale that is only rivaled by its heart. We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three.”
Grace Van Patten to play Amanda Knox in Hulu limited series, replacing Margaret Qualley
The Tell Me Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers alum will star in the limited series “based on the true story of how Knox was wrongfully convicted for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher, and her 16-year odyssey to set herself truly free.” Qualley, who was originally cast as Knox, exited the project in April.
MGM+ orders Stephen King adaptation The Institute, starring Ben Barnes and Mary-Louise Parker
In the eight-episode thriller based on King's 2019 novel of the same name, "when 12-year-old genius Luke Ellis is kidnapped, he awakens at The Institute, a facility full of children who all got there the same way he did, and who are all possessed of unusual abilities," according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. "In a nearby town, haunted former police officer Tim Jamieson (Barnes) has come looking to start a new life, but the peace and quiet won’t last, as his story and Luke’s are destined to collide. Barnes’ Tim Jamieson is a disillusioned ex-cop who takes a job as the night knocker in a small town, withdrawing from the world until Luke’s plight reignites him and gives him something to believe in. Parker, who I hear has a one-year deal, will play Ms. Sigsby, the charming but iron-willed director of the Institute and a true believer in its awful mission. She’s certain history will come to see her as a hero."
Indianapolis 500 is moving to Fox
Fox Sports has picked up the rights to the annual race in a major new media rights deal with IndyCar. The Fox Sports app and FS1 will also televise qualifying races. NBC has been home to the Indianapolis 500 for the past 16 years.
Matthew Modine and Gabriel Sloyer board Amazon's The Better Sister
They are joining Jessica Biel, Elizabeth Banks and Corey Stoll in the thriller series based on the novel by bestselling author Alafair Burke.
Genndy Tartakovsky is developing Safari Heist, an animated robbery-themed musical comedy
In the Samurai Jack and Primeval creator's next series, "the robbers are three brother frogs, control freak James, neurotic Issac, and little George, who thinks he’s brilliant but is actually not," per Variety. "Estranged, they meet up at their father’s funeral, where they are informed that they will only inherit his fortune if they pull off a bank heist, stealing the contents of a bank’s vault numbered 881." It’s not clear if Safari Heist is being made for Adult Swim.
Gerry Turner finalizes his Golden Bachelor marriage to Theresa Nist
TMZ reports Turner reached a settlement with Nist over their marriage that aired live on ABC in January. "The details of the settlement haven't surfaced yet -- but there's a few more tidbits we can see from the paperwork that is available ... including how much it cost Gerry to get through his divorce in court fees," says TMZ. "All in all ... he spent a whopping $157 when he first filed."
Adult Swim renews Smiling Friends for Season 3 as its creators promise the show will never become serious
“A lot of comedy shows, like you say, tend to get serious,” co-creator Zach Hadel said alongside Michael Cusack at the Annecy Animation Festival, where the renewal was announced. “I don’t think Charlie and Pim could cry and anybody would care. It would just be annoying. So it would probably end before it gets to that point. “This show is hopefully kind of an escape. We always think about when we worked minimum-wage jobs, we would get home and just want to watch YouTube cartoons and South Park and (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). There’s something nice about being a little comedy thing, and that’s it.”
Kathy Griffin reveals she underwent a second vocal cord surgery
"It will be worth it if I get some of my voice back," the comedian captioned an Instagram post.
Friends Experience is coming to Las Vegas
The attraction is opening in the midst of the 25th anniversary of Friends' Las Vegas episodes, when Ross and Rachel drunkenly got married.
Adult Swim orders Oh My God, Yes! and Ha Ha You Clowns
Oh My God, Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances is inspired by creator Adele “Supreme” Williams' book of a similar name and follows three friends who navigate the worlds of sex, dating, and womanhood in the year 2102. Ha Ha You Clowns, from creator Joe Cappa, will follow three jacked, surprisingly kindhearted brothers who are accompanied by their loving and similarly swole father as they engage in a series of adventures to bond after their mother’s passing.
Time magazine names The Boys' Homelander "Superhero of the Year"
"Don’t get me wrong, you’ve got a great magazine," Homelander says of the honor. "Of course I’m honored, but accolades like this … Let’s just say they aren’t what gets me out of bed in the morning. Think about it—if I don’t save people, who will? Without me, the world would burn. Literally. Fire and blood."
John Leguizamo's The Green Veil renewed for Season 2 by new independent, ad-supported streamer The Network
The drama series tackling the history of oppression in America — specifically against the Indigenous community — stars Leguizamo as as a brutal FBI agent “tasked with an unraveling secret mission that threatens to expose deeper secrets.” Season 2 will be set “amidst the women’s rights movement and the occupation of Alcatraz by Native Americans in 1969.”
Seth Meyers recruits Will Ferrell, John Oliver, Bowen Yang and Rachel Dratch to re-create a Ferrell-led SNL sketch that never made it to air
Watch Ferrell as a Welcome Back, Kotter superfan in the latest edition of Late Night's "Second Chance Theatre."
Taylor Swift reunites Fleabag co-stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Andrew Scott
Swift had sinner with Waller-Bridge and Scott in London's Notting Hill Tuesday night. Also present were Kate Moss, Stella McCartney, Este and Danielle Haim, and The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, Cara Delevingne and Lena Dunham.
Louis CK's accusers have the last laugh in the trailer for the documentary Sorry/Not Sorry
"Sorry/Not Sorry is ostensibly about C.K.’s ongoing (and largely successful) attempts at a comeback after getting 'canceled' in the fall of 2017," Matt Wilstein says of the documentary from directors Caroline Suh and Cara Mones that is set to hit theaters and video on demand on July 12. "But more than that, as evidenced in the exclusive trailer below, it is a chance for the women who first spoke out against him to tell their stories with more time and space (and humor) than they were ever given at the height of the #MeToo movement."
Elite's eighth and final season gets a premiere date and teaser
The Spanish teen drama’s final season drops on July 26, featuring the return of original cast member Mina el Hammani.
Netflix unveils the trailer for Receiver
The NFL wide receiver docuseries spinoff of Quarterback features Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson, San Francisco 49ers' George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, Detroit Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown and Las Vegas Raiders' Davante Adams. Receiver premieres July 10.
Watch Nicco Annan in the trailer for Down in the Valley
The docuseries spinoff of P-Valley premieres July 5.