News

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for Ripley, Civil War and Monkey Man.

Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces premiere

Steve Martin was joined by Selena Gomez, Jimmy Fallon, Diane Sawyer, Richard Kind and Finn Wittrock at the New York premiere of his new Apple TV+ documentary on March 29.

Selena Gomez and Steve Martin Director Morgan Neville, Steve Martin and Jimmy Fallon

Civil War special screening

After debuting Civil War at SXSW, writer-director Alex Garland and stars Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Jesse Plemons and Nick Offerman screened the film in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Alex Garland, Nick Offerman, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Jojo T. Gibbs

Ripley premiere

Andrew Scott and Dakota Fanning joined creator Steven Zaillian at the Los Angeles premiere of their new Netflix series on Wednesday.

Exclusive: The Just For Laughs comedy festival has revealed the participants and gameplan for its 2021 New Faces, its marquee discovery stand-up showcase that over the years has served as a launching pad for up-and-coming talent like Jimmy Fallon, Gabriel Iglesias, Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer, Ali Wong and Pete Davidson to name a few.

It is part of this year’s edition of the festival, which kicks off today and runs through Saturday featuring in-person stand-up shows in its home base of Montreal as well as for the first time shows in Los Angeles and New York City because of travel restrictions due to the pandemic.

New Faces is also adjusting. For the first time since 1996, the New Faces and New Faces: Characters series will be taking place in Los Angeles, while New Faces: Canada will take place in Montreal. All four showcases will be streamed online for all ComedyPRO pass...

The competition series “Gayme Show” is perfectly suited for a streaming service like Quibi, served up in sweet, highly specific morsels of queer excellence. Comedians Matt Rogers and Dave Mizzoni host this goofy twist on a game show where, not unlike “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” everything is made up and the points don’t matter. Right from the start, you are greeted by Rogers and Mizzoni with the name of a pop star or actress, which naturally translates to “Salutations” in the case of Bebe Rexha, or “How is your family” for Dua Lipa. Straights in the audience may be lost at first but gay viewers will quickly feel seen. In each episode, two straight comedians are paired with either a Wise Queer or a Woman Who Gets It in a series of challenges to test their appreciation of gay culture.

SEEQuibi set to storm Emmy Short Form Series field with ‘Most Dangerous Game,...

In today’s TV news roundup, Apple TV Plus released the trailer for its new drama series “Little Voice” and Hulu dropped a teaser for “The Handmaid’s Tale” upcoming fourth season.

Renewals

Quibi has announced that its LGBTQ+ comedy competition “Gayme Show” has been renewed for a second season. Hosted by Matt Rogers and Dave Mizzoni, “Gayme Show” pairs two straight contestants with a celebrity “life partner” to complete challenges in order to be crowned “Queen of the Straights.” “Gayme Show” is produced by Jax Media and executive produced by Rogers, Mizzoni, showrunner Genevieve Aniello, Brooke Posch, Séamus Murphy-Mitchell and Tony Hernandez.

Dates

Netflix announced Jim Jefferies’ fourth streaming stand-up special, “Jim Jefferies: Intolerant,” will premiere July 7. This time, the Australian comedian cracks jokes about things he just can’t tolerate, namely lactose, germaphobes and people with peanut allergies. Watch a trailer below.

Amazon Prime Video announced “World’s Toughest...

In today’s TV News Roundup, CBS All Access unveiled a trailer for Season 4 of “The Good Fight,” and Quibi released trailers for two more upcoming programs.

First Looks

CBS All Access has debuted the official trailer for Season 4 of “The Good Fight.” The series picks up with the law firm Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart navigating a new landscape after losing one of its biggest clients. The first two episodes of the new season will premiere on the streaming platform on April 9, followed by a third episode on April 16. After a one-week hiatus, the season will return on April 30. “The Good Fight” comes from CBS Television Studios in association with Scott Free Productions and King Size Productions. Robert and Michelle King serve as showrunners. Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Brooke Kennedy, Liz Glotzer, William Finkelstein and Jonathan Tolins also serve as executive producers.

Quibi has released a trailer for its upcoming game show “Gayme Show!

Quibi co-founders Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman spent Friday at the Sundance Film Festival wooing filmmakers on what they call the next generation of storytelling. Quibi also offered its first-ever preview of the platform in action, with a VIP cocktail party that allowed guests to preview some of the 175 titles that will be available in the mobile-only streaming platform’s first year.

For the uninitiated, Quibi serves up short-form content — movies broken into chapters and an array of scripted and nonscripted series, all with runtimes of 10 minutes or less — that’s meant to replace scrolling through Instagram in line at Starbucks or falling into the dread of Twitter in the dentist’s office waiting room.

Talent doesn’t need to be convinced. It already seems like everyone has a Quibi show at the company, which has poured millions into commissioning projects that are licensed rather than owned by the platform.

For the past 15 years, the CBS Showcase has been giving shine to up and coming talent in Hollywood. As the title of the yearly event entails, it gives the chance for performers to showcase their acting chops in a comedic space. It’s a fast-paced comedy variety show echoing Saturday Night Live with a hearty helping of musical elements. Last week, the tradition continued as 20 players took the stage at the El Portal in North Hollywood for the yearly CBS Diversity Showcase — but diversity wasn’t always the focus of the showcase.

Tess Paras, who served as director of this year’s show alongside director Stephen Guarino and head writer Tien Tran, was a performer in the 2014 CBS Showcase. She admits that it was once widely known for being problematic and stereotypical in the way it portrayed its performers.

“That was the norm back then and it remained unchallenged,” Paras tells Deadline.

CBS has announced the 20 performers who will participate in its diversity sketch comedy showcase for 2020. The showcase will begin its six-show run on Jan. 14 at the El Portal Theatre in Los Angeles.

Beginning 14 years ago, the showcase was created to spotlight diverse talent, and it has developed into a hybrid comedy show with live performances and original writing. The showcase is attended by executives, showrunners, and casting directors from CBS and other networks as well as talent agents and managers from across the entertainment industry.

To date, 418 multitalented actors have appeared in the showcase, with notable alumni including Kate McKinnon, Tiffany Haddish, Diona Reasonover, Justin Hires, Geoffrey Arend, Nico Santos, Nicole Bayer and Ego Nwodim. Recent performers from the 2018 and 2019 showcases have booked shows such as “All Rise,” “Bob Hearts Abishola” and “Carol’s Second Act.”

Here are the performers in the 2020 showcase:

Aida Osman

Credits: “Wild ‘N Out” (MTV), “Group...

CBS announced Monday the 20 performers selected to participate in its 2020 Comedy Showcase. Their performances will take place during six shows from January 14-17 at the El Portal Theatre in Los Angeles.

Since its inception 15 years ago, the Showcase has turned into a hybrid comedy show with Broadway-style live performances and original, creative writing. The gatherings are attended by executives, showrunners and casting directors from CBS and other networks as well as talent agents and managers from across the entertainment industry.

As previously announced, Stephen Guarino (I’m Dying Up Here) will direct, with Tien Tran (Easy) serving as head writer. Tess Paras is associate director and 11 showcase alumni will make up the writers’ room.

Here are the 2020 players, along with where they’re from and their training:

Aida Osman, Lincoln, Nebraska

Wild ‘N Out (MTV), Group Therapy (Complex)

Caitlin Frain, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Groundlings School, Upright Citizens Brigade (Los Angeles)

Carl Foreman,...