News

Exclusive: There have been layoffs at The Day of The Jackal and One Day outfit Universal International Studios (Uis).

Deadline is told that redundancies have hit Uis globally in London HQ and in its Australia and L.A. hubs. We haven’t confirmed the number laid off but are told the percentage is in the single digits of overall headcount.

The layoffs come at a time of change for the studio. Execs Kelsey Balance and Rob Howard were recently promoted at Uis while global scripted SVP Tesha Crawford exited. Despite the layoffs, we are told Uis is still looking to replace Crawford. Another recent departure is ex-vp Production Laura Burrows, who is not part of this layoff round and will also be replaced.

Uis is a division of Universal Studio Group. The studio has numerous employees and also owns fabled production outfits like Day of the Jackal maker Carnival, We...

Exclusive: Cori Abraham, who led crime and documentary across NBCUniversal, is joining SpinCo.

Abraham will oversee original unscripted content at the newly spun-off business, which will encompass cable networks including E!, Syfy and USA Network.

Her move comes amid a number of changes across NBCUniversal, particularly on the unscripted side. Deadline revealed yesterday that the company made a number of layoffs with SVPs including Stephanie Steele and Jenny Ramirez exiting the company.

These cuts came as part of a wider set of changes over the last few months that saw the creation of SpinCo and changes to its management structure involving Pearlena Igbokwe and Frances Berwick.

The creation of SpinCo, which may end up being called Spark Media, per Dylan Byers, led to a handful of cuts as well as a number of NBCU executives moving over, including Abraham, on an interim basis.

Earlier this year, SpinCo named Val Boreland,...

Exclusive: NBCUniversal started another round of layoffs earlier Wednesday, as revealed by Deadline.

It appears that its unscripted teams were the hardest hit in this latest round of redundancies, with at least two SVPs on the reality side impacted as well as a number working across NBC, Peacock and Bravo.

Deadline understands that Stephanie Steele, SVP Unscripted Current Production, and Jenny Ramirez, SVP Unscripted Formats, were among those let go today.

Steele, who one source described as “one of the most beloved senior people in our business,” has been with the company for nearly 15 years. She oversaw the team that produces its true-crime shows including Casey Anthony: Where The Truth Lies, Face to Face with Scott Peterson and Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy.

Ramirez joined the company in late 2022, having previously been SVP Unscripted Programming for TBS, TNT and TruTV, where she worked on shows such as Wipeout, Rat in the Kitchen...

Amazon Prime Video has released the official trailer for its upcoming sci-fi series “The Power.” The first three episodes will premiere March 31, with the remaining six episodes available each Friday until the finale on May 12.

Based on Naomi Alderman’s novel of the same name, the new sci-fi series follows as a group of teenage girls who have developed the power to electrocute people — and learn to monitor this newfound gift.

Toni Collette and John Leguizamo star in the series, along with Auli’i Cravalho, Toheeb Jimoh, Josh Charles, Eddie Marsan, Ria Zmitrowicz, Zrinka Cvitešić and Halle Bush. “The Power” is produced by Amazon Studios and Sister, with Raelle Tucker serving as showrunner,

See below for “The Power” trailer.

Also in today’s TV News:

Dates

Peacock’s two-part true crime docuseries “Who Killed Robert Wone?” will premiere March 7. The documentary tells the story of attorney Robert Wone, who was found...

Peacock’s set a March 7, 2023 premiere date for the true crime documentary series Who Killed Robert Wone?. The two-part docuseries, which just released an official trailer, dives into the murder of attorney Robert Wone in August 2006.

“The case of Robert Wone’s is a story that most crime fans may have never heard of, but once they do, they won’t stop talking about it. Through interviews with those closest to the case and friends of Robert’s who knew him well, Who Killed Robert Wone? looks to give the Peacock audience insight into one of the most mysterious murder cases of the 2000s and explore the bizarre events of what happened on that fateful night,” explained Stephanie Steele, VP, Unscripted Current Production, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.

Jared P. Scott (The Great Green Wall) directed and served as an executive producer along with Eric Wetherington, Patrick Reardon, and Paul Epstein.

Exclusive: Peacock is stocking up on more true-crime docuseries.

The NBCUniversal streamer has ordered Who Killed Robert Wone? From Jupiter Entertainment.

The two-part series details the 2006 murder of Robert Wone, a young attorney who was found mysteriously stabbed to death at a friend’s home in Washington, D.C.

The doc will launch on March 7.

It will explore how on the night of August 2, 2006, Victor Zaborsky calls 911 to report an intruder stabbing a friend at the D.C. home he shares with Joe Price and Dylan Ward. First responders arrive to find attorney Robert Wone already dead in the guest room. With little blood at the scene and no signs of struggle or robbery, suspicions heighten after police interview the three housemates. Believing the men know more than they are revealing, the investigation soon uncovers more questions than answers.

The murder left friends questioning how well they knew the three...

Shari Levine is stepping down from her longtime position as NBCUniversal’s president of unscripted current production and will be instead moving into a non-exclusive consulting role, TheWrap has confirmed.

In her new role, Levine will continue to work on some of the programming she previously oversaw, including “Below Deck.” She will also pitch new ideas across the company’s networks.

In her stead, Noah Samton will step into an extended role as the head of East Coast for unscripted lifestyle current production. Kathleen French and Ryan Flynn will split oversight of the West Coast current production team. All three will report to NBCU’s television and streaming head of unscripted, Rod Aissa.

Also Read:

NBCUniversal to Lay Off 37 Staffers Amid E! Restructuring

Aissa announced Levine’s departure in a staff memo this week, which was obtained by TheWrap. You can read below.

As many of you know, Shari Levine...

NBCUniversal’s longtime executive vice president of unscripted current production, Shari Levine, is stepping down from her role and shifting to a non-exclusive consulting position, Variety has learned exclusively.

Following her exit, Noah Samton will expand his purview as the new head of East Coast for unscripted lifestyle current production across all platforms, while Kathleen French and Ryan Flynn will divide up overseeing the West Coast current production team, with all three reporting directly to NBCU television and streaming’s head of unscripted content, Rod Aissa.

With a focus on Bravo programming during her more than two decades at the Comcast-owned company, Levine has overseen franchises like “The Real Housewives,” “Below Deck and “Million Dollar Listing,” as well as the original run of “Project Runway.”

In her decision to exit her current role and move into a non-exclusive consulting capacity, Levine will be transitioning off working on “Housewives,” but will continue on “Below Deck.

The Hillside Strangler: Devil In Disguise, a four-part docuseries premiering August 2 on Peacock, offers a new, in-depth peek inside the minds of notorious serial killing cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono who allegedly impersonated off-duty police officers to lure unsuspecting victims to their deaths before leaving their bodies to be found on the hillsides of East Los Angeles during the 1970s. In 1979, in Bellingham, Washington, at the time of his arrest for the murders of two local women, Bianchi was not a suspect in the hillside killings. However, due to similarities in both the Washington and California murders, not to mention Bianchi recent departure from Los Angles, investigators began to consider his connection to the cases. When questioned, Bianchi flip flopped back and forth, alternately denying and confessing to multiple killings in the LA and Washington areas. During his confessions, Bianchi purported to have a split personality and claimed some...

Click here to read the full article.

NBCUniversal is promoting one of its unscripted executives.

Benny Reuven has been upped to senior vp entertainment unscripted content at NBCU Television and Streaming. The former Oxygen executive reports to Stephanie Steele, senior vp entertainment unscripted production and development.

In his new post, Reuven will take on oversight of development for select documentary and lifestyle programming for NBC, Peacock and the cable properties under the NBCU Television and Streaming umbrella.

During his time at Oxygen, Reuven was a key player in rebranding the network as Oxygen True Crime and developing several of its series, including Homicide for the Holidays, Mark of a Serial Killer and Killer Siblings. He’s also the executive in charge of production for Peacock’s Hart to Heart, Olympic Highlights With Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg, WWE Evil and other shows.

Reuven has been with NBCUniversal since 2014, when he...

Stephanie Steele is expanding her responsibilities at Oxygen Media with a promotion to Senior Vice President Production and Development from her previous VP role.

In her new position, Steele is charged with overseeing the network’s true-crime programming slate including the second season of Dick Wolf’s Criminal Confessions and top-rated Unspeakable Crime: The Killing of Jessica Chambers. Steele is based in Los Angeles and reports to Rod Aissa, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Development.

Steele recently launched several of the network’s high rated documentary specials including Aaron Hernandez Uncovered, Dahmer on Dahmer and The Turpin 13: Family Secrets Exposed.

In her previous role as VP of Current Production, Steele served as the executive in charge of series including the long-running Snapped franchise and spinoffs Snapped: Notorious and Killer Couples as well as Buried in the Backyard, Mysteries & Scandals with Soledad O’Brien and In Ice Cold Blood hosted by Ice T.