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Mary Todd Lincoln fans, hold on to your hoop skirts. Cole Escola, the creator and star of the hit Broadway play Oh, Mary! is officially taking their leave. Glow and Emmy Award-nominated actor Betty Gilpin will be taking over the role of Mary Todd in an eight-week limited engagement starting Jan. 21, 2025, the production team announced Tuesday.

“I could not be more excited to see what Betty Gilpin does with the role of Mary,” Escola said in a statement. “She’s a brilliant comedic actress who understands the heart of this...

With the exception of a few soap operas and public affairs programs, no TV show has been on the air longer than NBC’s Saturday Night Live, which will embark on its 50th season Sept. 28. And as we approach the 76th Emmys, which will take place just a few weeks before that, it is the most celebrated show in the history of that event. Indeed, SNL holds the records for most Emmy nominations with 341 (Game of Thrones is second with 159) and wins with 89 (GoT is second with 59). And Lorne Michaels, its creator and overseer for all but five of its seasons, holds the record for most Emmy noms for an individual with 106 (Sheila Nevins is second with 77) and has racked up the second most wins for an individual with 21 (behind only Nevins’ 31).

Given that history, it may be hard to feel sorry for SNL and Michaels when it comes to the Emmys — but this year,...

25 years ago “Strangers with Candy,” currently streaming on Paramount+, premiered on Comedy Central from the brains of Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello, Mitch Rouse, and Amy Sedaris. Sedaris also starred as Jerri Blank, the 46-year-old bisexual junkie returning to high school as a freshman. The sitcom was structured like an after-school special with Jerri rarely learning from her past mistakes as she navigates the lessons of being a teenager all over again. I began watching the show in college, after recognizing it from flipping through the TV channels because Sedaris’ Jerri in passing freaked me out.

Its psychotic humor coupled with my own favorite genre — the high school comedy — was a perfect cyanide comedy cocktail. Aggressively offensive with an earnest heart of gold, “Strangers with Candy” was unlike anything I’d ever seen before and Amy Sedaris became my comedy hero.

It’s, frankly, a miracle that “Strangers with Candy” was made,...

The great shake-up in cable TV continues, with Warner Bros. Discovery’s TruTV the latest channel to be overhauled.

The channel, best known for its comedy and reality shows, will shift its primetime lineup to a new sports slate beginning this coming Monday, March 11.

Moving forward, TruTV will be home to exclusive live games (including games in the upcoming March Madness college basketball tournament and MotoGP races) as well as alternative broadcasts of NBA, MLB and NHL games on TNT and TBS. It will also simulcast some of those games, as well.

Alternative telecasts (like ESPN’s Monday Night Football “Manningcast” or Amazon’s Dude Perfect Thursday Night Football option) have become quite popular in recent years, as sports broadcasters seek to bring in new, younger fans to their live events. Leagues, likewise, support having more coverage of their games.

In addition, TNT Sports will produce a slate of sports studio programming,...

Comedy series “Tacoma Fd” has been canceled at TruTV after four seasons, Variety has confirmed.

The series originally debuted on the basic cabler back in 2019. The show was part of the network’s push into original scripted series, alongside other shows like “At Home With Amy Sedaris,” “I’m Sorry,” and “Bobcat Goldthwait’s Misfits & Monsters.” However, TruTV’s original programming lineup has been winnowed down to virtually nothing in the past few years, with the only original series still on the network being the hidden camera show “Impractical Jokers.”

Likewise, fellow TNets like TBS and TNT — all of which fall under the Warner Bros. Discovery umbrella — have gone from notable rosters of scripted shows to having none. Most recently, the TBS comedy series “Miracle Workers” was canceled after four seasons. That show featured a cast that included Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi.

“Tacoma Fd” was set in a firehouse...

St. Vincent returned to The Tonight Show stage Wednesday night to cover the perennially chill “Glory Box” by English electronic band Portishead. The performance comes ahead of St. Vincent’s appearance at Love Rocks NYC’s God’s Love We Deliver livestream tonight.

The singer was joined by house band the Roots for an expectedly emotional rendition of the hit 1995 song. “Give me a reason to be a woman,” she sang, “I just want to be a woman,” before playing a Hendrix-y, wah-wah-drenched guitar solo. Throughout, she tapped into...

A series adaptation of the beloved Frog and Toad books is coming to Apple TV+. The streamer announced the new series Wednesday, as part of its spring kids and family slate. It’s set to premiere Friday, April 28 on Apple TV+.

The series is based on the Caldecott and Newbery Award-winning four-book series by Arnold Lobel published by HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Per Apple: Frog is a frog. Toad is a toad. They have a lot in common… but they are also very different. Frog and Toad are best friends who know that the true secret to friendship is not only enjoying the things you have in common, but embracing the things that make you different. Our differences are what makes us special, and Frog and Toad celebrate them in what makes them unique.

Voice cast includes Nat Faxon (Our Flag Means Death) and Kevin Michael Richardson (The Simpsons) as Frog and Toad,...

The breakout Peacock hit “Girls5Eva” is dialing up the funny for Season 2, adding veteran comedy actors Amy Sedaris and Neil Flynn.

Sitting down at Variety‘s SXSW Studio in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, series creator Meredith Scardino revealed that the beloved Sedaris and Flynn will star as the parents of Busy Philipps’ character Summer Dutkowsky — one of the members of the titular girl group fighting for a comeback.

Sedaris is best known for her iconic Comedy Central series “Strangers With Candy,” as well as dozens of memorable film and TV roles in work like “Broad City” and “Maid in Manhattan.” She was also Emmy-nominated for her crafting series “At Home With Amy Sedaris.”

Flynn co-led the long-running ABC sitcom “The Middle,” which earned him a Critics Choice nomination. He was also a recurring mainstay on “Scrubs.” His film credits include playing Lindsay Lohan’s father in “Mean Girls,” “Major League...

Ex-WarnerMedia executives Chris Linn and Marissa Ronca have inked a development deal with animation studio Bento Box Entertainment through their agency Contrast Media.

Under terms of the agreement, Linn and Ronca will advise on creative strategy and development of animated projects for Fox Entertainment, its free streaming service, Tubi, and third-party platforms. The pair will also advise on Bento Box’s Non-Fungible Token (Nft) studio, Blockchain Creative Labs.

“Chris and Marissa are fantastic executives, whose work we’ve admired for quite some time,” said Scott Greenberg, Co-Founder and CEO, Bento Box Entertainment. “As we continue to grow Bento Box’s output and expand into Web3 with Blockchain Creative Labs, we’re thrilled to be partnering with them, and are eager to create amazing new content together.”

“Scott Greenberg and his team share our passion for comedy, collaboration and fan-favorite content,” added Linn and Ronca. “We look forward to bringing...

Exclusive: Searchlight Pictures’ gourmet dark satire The Menu, which is currently filming in Savannah, Ga, has rounded out its cast with Paul Adelstein (Intolerable Cruelty), Rob Yang (Succession), Arturo Castro (Mr. Corman), Mark St. Cyr (High School Musical: The Musical – The Series), Rebecca Koon (Sharp Objects), Peter Grosz (At Home with Amy Sedaris) and Christina Brucato.

They join the previously announced line-up of the Mark Mylod-directed feature: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau (Elsa), Janet McTeer (Lillian Bloom), John Leguizamo (as Movie Star), Aimee Carrero (Felicity), Reed Birney (Richard) and Judith Light (Anne).

Based on an original screenplay by Seth Reiss (Late Night With Seth Meyers) and Will Tracy (Succession), The Menu follows a young couple, Margot and Tyler (Taylor-Joy and Hoult), who travel to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where Chef...

NBC’s “Annie Live!” has booked Jane Krakowski as Lily St. Regis.

Krakowski reunites with her “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” co-star Tituss Burgess in this live holiday musical, as she will play the sassy and sticky-fingered partner of his swindler, Rooster Hannigan. The character duo will plot to get rich — and duet on “Easy Street.”

The Tony Award-winning Krakowski may be best known for television roles including on the aforementioned “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” as well as “30 Rock” and “Ally McBeal.” She currently stars on Apple TV Plus’ “Dickinson” and “Schmigadoon!” Previous guest performance credits include “At Home With Amy Sedaris,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Drunk History,” “Modern Family,” “Sesame Street” and “Younger.” She has also lent her voice to animated comedies including “American Dad” and “The Simpsons.” Her last live television musical was Fox’s 2017 “A Christmas Story Live,” in which she played Miss Shields.

On stage, Krakowski has appeared in...

The Nowhere Inn: "From real-life friends Annie Clark (a.k.a. Grammy award-winning recording and touring artist St. Vincent) and Carrie Brownstein comes the metafictional account of two creative forces banding together to make a documentary about St. Vincent’s music, touring life, and on-stage persona. But they quickly discover unpredictable forces lurking within the subject and filmmaker that threaten to derail the friendship, the project, and the duo’s creative lives. From first-time filmmaker Bill Benz comes a densely woven, laugh-out-loud funny and increasingly fractured commentary on reality, identity, and authenticity. A story of two close friends who attempt to wrestle the truth out of a complex subject before the hall of mirrors that is their artistic lives devours them completely."

Directed by: Bill Benz Co-Written By: Annie Clark & Carrie Brownstein Starring: Annie Clark, Carrie Brownstein, & Dakota Johnson Music by: St. Vincent Produced by: Carrie Brownstein, Lana Kim,...

Exclusive: Former Avalon manager Olivia Wingate has launched the solo production company Wingate Media, bringing all her projects and team with her, we hear.

The company will be headquartered in New York, focused on developing, incubating and producing premium and cutting-edge projects aimed toward a worldwide audience, and committed to prioritizing unique and underrepresented artists and perspectives.

A London native, Wingate has been New York based, with a presence in Los Angeles and London, for more than 25 years. Her career has spanned theater, film, comedy, documentary and scripted drama. Wingate Media combines all her experience to incubate and elevate stories that will aim to inspire and provoke debate.

Prior to starting the company, Wingate was SVP Scripted Development at Left/Right, the studio that behind Bobcat Goldthwait’s Misfits & Monsters, Joe Mande’s award-winning Standup Special (Netflix) and more. Before that, Wingate ran Avalon’s New York office and represented clients including Marc Maron,...

“American Housewife” (ABC)

After an untimely exit by one cast member and five seasons under its belt, the Katy Mixon-starring sitcom called it quits.

“Call Your Mother” (ABC)

Kyra Sedgwick’s foray into multi-cam comedy proved short-lived: the network pulled the plug after just one season.

“For Life” (ABC)

ABC pulled the plug on this drama series, but there might be a renewal elsewhere in its future.

“mixed-ish” (ABC)

The Mark-Paul Gosselaar/Tika Sumpter-starring “black-ish” spinoff lasted two seasons.

“Rebel” (ABC)

The cancellation of this decently-rated debut series loosely based on the life of Erin Brockovich was so shocking even its leading lady Katey Sagal had something to say about it.

Absentia (Amazon Prime)

Stana Katic’s “Castle” follow-up proved to not have the same staying power, with its third season being its last.

“All Rise” (CBS)

Another series with some unfortunate mojo, this legal drama eked out...

Awkwafina’s family comedy “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens” will return to Comedy Central for its second season on August 18, with two episodes airing back to back at 10 p.m.

Inspired by Awkwafina’s own childhood in Queens, the show completed its first season in March of last year on a ratings upswing. Awkwafina plays Nora Lin, alongside co-stars Bd Wong as Nora’s dad, Lori Tan Chinn as her grandmother and Bowen Yang as her cousin.

Awkwafina, who co-created the show with Teresa Hsiao, also starred in “The Farewell” (for which she won a Golden Globe) and “Crazy Rich Asians,” and will be next seen on film in Marvel’s forthcoming “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

Season 1 of “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens” streams on HBO Max as part of a deal Comedy Central Productions made with WarnerMedia last summer, and Season 2 will premiere there after its Comedy Central run ends.

Comedian and “Los Espookys” co-creator Ana Fabrega has joined the cast of Warner Bros. and Plan B’s “Father of the Bride” remake alongside star Andy Garcia, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap. The film will be released on HBO Max.

Fabrega joins a cast that includes Gloria Estefan, Adria Arjona, Isabela Merced, Diego Boneta, Enrique Murciano and Macarena Achaga. Details about Fabrega’s role are being kept under wraps.

Gaz Alazraki is directing the film that will revolve around a Cuban-American family. Screenwriter Matt Lopez is writing the script, drawing from his experience of years of attending Cuban weddings.

“Father of the Bride” was a remake of the 1950 original film that starred Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor. The 1991 version of the film starred Steve Martin as George Banks, a doting father who is reluctant to let go of his daughter when he discovers she’s getting married,...

Cole Escola’s favorite movie character as a kid was Mrs. Potts. At five years old, their attachment to the jaunty housekeeper for the Beast’s lair in the 1991 animated classic “Beauty and the Beast” might explain their affinity for playing older women, whether as unhinged homemaker Chassie Tucker in “At Home with Amy Sedaris” or as Chip — née “the Twink” — in the latest season of the HBO Max millennial satire “Search Party.” Well, sort of, as Chip is actually just a psychotic 30-something heir cross-dressing as his wealthy aunt Lyla (Susan Sarandon), and keeping celebrity murderess Dory (Alia Shawkat) trapped in a padded basement. Think of the scenario as “Misery” meets “Room,” with a dash of “Psycho” for good measure.

“It’s funny because now I am getting older, [and] the women that I like to play aren’t really — so slowly the ‘older’ is going to be taken away...

As you’ve likely heard by now, “The Mosquito Coast” is a family affair. The Apple TV+ drama stars Justin Theroux as the rakish patriarch Allie Fox, a character first created by Paul Theroux in his 1981 novel of the same name. Despite pronouncing their shared surname with altered inflections, the series’ executive producers are also nephew and uncle, coming together to retell a 40-year-old story for modern audiences.

“Modern” is a two-sided coin for “The Mosquito Coast.” Plenty of factors separate the book (which was also turned into the 1986 film starring Harrison Ford) from the series, but perhaps most striking about the latest adaptation is how much DNA it shares with popular, modern crime dramas. Anyone familiar with the moral conflicts driving Walter White and Marty Byrde — two family men who involve their kids in a life of crime despite the obvious and imminent dangers — will see similar arcs play out with Allie,...

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and “Promising Young Woman” were named the best adapted original screenplays of 2021 at the Writers Guild Awards, which took place in a virtual ceremony on Sunday.

While “Promising Young Woman” went into the show with a slight edge over “The Trial of the Chicago 7’ for the original-screenplay award,”Borat” was a decided dark horse in the adapted-screenplay category, whose nominees also included “One Night in Miami,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “News of the World’ and “The White Tiger.”

Writers Guild winners in the screenplay categories go on to win Oscars almost two-thirds of the time, although the two awards sometimes differ because the WGA is an award strictly for screenplays for movies that were made under the terms of the guild’s Minimum Basic Agreement, or similar agreements from a number of international guilds.

This year, those restrictions disqualified three Oscar-nominated screenplays: “Minari” in the Original...

The 73rd Writers Guild of America Awards took place on Sunday (March 21) in simultaneous non-televised ceremonies held in Los Angeles and New York. The WGA was the first of the guilds to be heard from in this extra-long Oscar season. But don’t look to these results for any clarity on the screenplay races at the Academy Awards.

The stringent rules of the WGA prohibit non-guild members from competing. This year, three of the 10 scripts nominated by the writers branch of the academy were deemed ineligible here: the adapted screenplays of “The Father” and “Nomadland” (which we predict will win the Oscar) and the original screenplay for “Minari.”

The guild did align with the academy three-for-five in Best Adapted Screenplay, with “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “One Night in Miami” and “The White Tiger” competing at both. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “News of the World” round out the guild nominees. Our...

Late-Night Laughs is Deadline’s weekly look at the business of jokes after dark. We focus on the biggest topics in the world of late-night, the people who make these shows tick and the moments that go viral. Drop me a line at pwhite@deadline.com with tips or suggestions.

This week, we hear from Ziwe Fumudoh about her new Showtime series, her hot take on the state of satire and how she’s the latest figure to join the late-night “renaissance”. We also look at how Jimmy Kimmel Live is quietly creeping up in the ratings and hear from Trevor Noah, who is set to pull double duty with a new weekly show on Paramount+ alongside his daily show.

Ziwe: Pushing Late-night Boundaries

Ziwe Fumudoh is well versed in the world of late-night, having interned on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report to writing on The Rundown with Robin Thede and Desus & Mero.

One of the comedy world’s fastest-rising multihyphenates is just a few months away from adding another entry to her growing resume. “Ziwe” will premiere Sunday, May 9, Showtime revealed as part of its Tuesday panel for the Television Critics Association’s virtual Winter 2021 Press Tour. Announced back in October, the upcoming show will be hosted by Ziwe, taking the skills she’s brought to various online platforms and bringing them to a premium cable variety/sketch series.

In the official pre-panel announcement, Showtime said the upcoming season, spanning six episodes, “will feature interviews, musical numbers, guest stars, sketches and more – including unscripted and unpredictable interactions with everyday people.”

“Ziwe” will draw on its star’s talent as a writer (she previously worked on “Desus & Mero” when hosts Desus Nice and The Kid Mero made jump to Showtime) and a musician (her seven-song debut album dropped at the end of...

The National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards have nominated IndieWire’s head film and TV critics as Critic of the Year in their respective categories, and nominated IndieWire.com as Best Entertainment Website.

In the Film category, IndieWire chief critic and Executive Editor Eric Kohn was nominated for his reviews of “The Irishman,” “Jojo Rabbit,” and “She Dies Tomorrow,” as well as a 25th anniversary reconsideration of “Forrest Gump.”

In the TV category, Ben Travers, IndieWire TV critic and deputy editor TV, was nominated for his reviews of “Mindhunter,” “City So Real,” “Snowpiercer,” and “At Home with Amy Sedaris.”

Critics considered for the honors come from all media platforms including print, broadcast, and online.

“Congratulations to Eric and Ben on their individual nominations, and to the entire IndieWire staff for our nomination as Best Entertainment Website,” said Dana Harris-Bridson, editor-in-chief of IndieWire. “It’s a terrific recognition of our team’s work,...

Just hours after the nominations for the Golden Globe Awards, the Writers Guild of America, West and Writers Guild of America, East announced the latest batch of nominees for the upcoming WGA Awards, including honorees from television, new media, and news.

AMC’s “Better Call Saul” nabbed four nominations, one in drama series and three in episodic drama, which recognizes scripts from individual episodes of the season. Of particular note from today’s WGA announcement is the notable achievement of both Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” and Hulu’s “The Great” scoring nominations in both new series and comedy series. Both freshman shows also earned a nomination apiece in episodic comedy.

All the nominees will be celebrated at the joint 2021 Writers Guild Awards virtual ceremony, taking place on Sunday, March 21, 2021.

A partial list of nominees is below. A complete list of today’s nominations, including categories for radio/audio and...

Amy Sedaris will not be getting in the kitchen for a fourth season of her variety series At Home With Amy Sedaris.

The series has been canceled after three seasons on WarnerMedia’s TruTV. The news comes as the third season of the show, which ran between May and July 2020, is set to launch on the HBO Max streaming service.

The series, which was co-created by Sedaris and Strangers with Candy’s Paul Dinello, was produced by A24.

Debuting in 2017, each episode touches on a specific theme and features characters, how-to demonstrations and special guests. Topics included preparing for a baby, the do’s and don’ts of travel, how to celebrate Easter, and what to expect on a first date.

It featured Cole Escola as well as recurring guest stars including John Early, David Pasquesi, Matt Malloy, Heather Lawless and Ana Fabrega as well as stars such as Laura Benanti,...

At this point, we’re almost legally obligated to start off TV roundups with some variation on this idea that there’s a lot of TV out there, but it really is impossible to keep up with everything. And calling attention to it doesn’t make it any less true!

So, given that TV time is reaching astronomical heights in 2020, how does one find something to watch, let alone focus on just the best of the best? That’s where we come in.

Keeping track of the dizzying amount of television we’ve reviewed so far in 2020 is a task in and of itself, so we’ve tried to make it as easy as possible. Below, we’ve gathered each of our 2020 TV reviews, each with a season number and the network/service where the new episodes first aired for U.S. audiences. Hopefully, this will help you decide what...

Apple TV+ has unveiled a stellar ensemble cast for its new murder-mystery comedy series The Afterparty. Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, Zoë Chao, Ben Schwartz, Ike Barinholtz, Ilana Glazer (Broad City), Dave Franco, Jamie Demetriou and John Early will star in the series from Chris Miller and Phil Lord, TriStar TV and Sony Pictures TV.

Created by Miller, the eight-episode single camera comedy series is set at a high school reunion afterparty. Each episode will feature a retelling of the same night told through a different character’s perspective, each with its own unique visual format and film genre to match the teller’s personality.

Haddish will play Detective Danner, the eccentric detective assigned to solve the high-profile case.

Apple has assembled an all-star cast for the upcoming murder mystery comedy series “The Afterparty.”

Hailing from Chris Miller and Phil Lord, the series will star Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, Zoe Chao, Ben Schwartz, Ike Barinholtz, Ilana Glazer, Dave Franco, Jamie Demetriou, and John Early.

The eight-episode series, which was exclusively reported by Variety in June, is set at a high school reunion afterparty. Each episode will feature a retelling of the same night told through a different character’s perspective, each with its own unique visual format and film genre to match the teller’s personality.

Haddish will star as Detective Danner, the eccentric detective assigned to solve the high-profile case. Haddish is best known for her stand up career and her breakout role in the film “Girls Trip,” but Haddish has also starred in multiple TV projects in recent years. That includes the animated series “Tuca & Bertie...

After host four nights of the 2020 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on emmys.com, Nicole Byer was primed for, well, primetime. The fifth and final night of ceremonies was moved over to Fxx, for a two-hour broadcast.

When opening the show, Byer commented directly on her long-running stint, noting, “I am getting really good at this! I’ve not only been crushing it, I’ve been making history.”

Byer, of course, was referring to (and specifically called out) the fact that she is the first Black woman to be nominated in the reality host category. while he was in prison, Byer acknowledged that being in such a location is bad, but the “use of plexiglass as PPE is good.”

In the end, she ended up giving the award to her own show, Netflix’s “Nailed It,” though, because these were her awards and she could use her power that way.

The...

Nicole Byer jokingly awarded “Covid-19 Compliance Awards” during the first night of 2020’s virtual Creative Arts Emmys on Monday.

The Creative Arts Emmys (and Nailed It!) host performed a bit themed to the socially-distant ceremony (where acceptance speeches were pre-taped) when she nominated The Masked Singer, among other titles, for the fake prize: “because, honestly, you should know it — we should all be wearing masks,” she explained. Fellow nominees included At Home With Amy Sedaris (“You guys, stay home”) and Big Little Lies because “the use of Plexiglass as PPE is good.”

Byer ended up awarding Nailed ...

Nicole Byer jokingly awarded “Covid-19 Compliance Awards” during the first night of 2020’s virtual Creative Arts Emmys on Monday.

The Creative Arts Emmys (and Nailed It!) host performed a bit themed to the socially-distant ceremony (where acceptance speeches were pre-taped) when she nominated The Masked Singer, among other titles, for the fake prize: “because, honestly, you should know it — we should all be wearing masks,” she explained. Fellow nominees included At Home With Amy Sedaris (“You guys, stay home”) and Big Little Lies because “the use of Plexiglass as PPE is good.”

Byer ended up awarding Nailed ...

Has variety sketch peaked? This year’s Emmy category got caught in the rule change that limited the number of nominations in proportion to the number of contenders submitted — and with just 14 entries, that meant only three ballot slots. Several of last year’s nominees weren’t eligible in 2020, while “At Home With Amy Sedaris” didn’t make the cut, leaving room for returnees “Saturday Night Live” and “Drunk History,” and newcomer “A Black Lady Sketch Show.” With previous nominees such as “Portlandia,” and winners “Key & Peele” and “Inside Amy Schumer” also long gone, variety sketch could be at a crossroads. NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” is looking for a fourth consecutive win, but keep an eye on upstart “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” from HBO.

The Case for “Saturday Night Live”

“Saturday Night Live” wasn’t much of an Emmy player for most of its run, having landed...

TruTV has canceled the comedy series “I’m Sorry,” Variety has learned. The news comes despite the fact that the show was renewed for a third season last June. Production on the show’s third season was shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Due to circumstances created by Covid, we unfortunately cannot move forward with production on the third season of I’m Sorry,'” a truTV spokesperson said in a statement. “We admire Andrea Savage’s irreverent voice and fresh take on parenthood and are so proud of the show she and her cast and crew created. She was a great partner for many years and we truly wish everyone well.”

The series followed confident comedy writer, wife and mom Andrea (played by series creator Andrea Savage), who comically exposes her inner immaturity and neuroses through unexpected life situations. The series also starred Tom Everett Scott, Olive Petrucci, Kathy Baker,...

The cast of “Nine Perfect Strangers” just keeps on getting more perfect and strange.

Michel Shannon is the latest name to sign on for the Hulu series, joining previously announced cast members Melissa McCarthy, Nicole Kidman, Manny Jacinto, Luke Evans, and Tiffany Boone, among others.

The show, which was received a greenlight from by Hulu over a year ago, is based on the book of the same name by “Big Little Lies” author Liane Moriarty. It takes place at a boutique health-and-wellness resort that promises healing and transformation as nine stressed city dwellers try to get on a path to a better way of living. Watching over them during this ten-day retreat is the resort’s director Masha (Kidman), a woman on a mission to reinvigorate their tired minds and bodies. However, these nine “perfect” strangers have no idea what is about to hit them.

Shannon joins in the series regular role of Napoleon,...

Once again, the Emmy Awards nominations don’t include a ton of TV stars, including past winners Viola Davis (“How to Get Away with Murder”)) and Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), “Ozark” scene stealers Janet McTeer and Tom Pelphrey, and “Outlander” fan favorites Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan.

Below, we enumerate the top 50 Emmys snubs in our estimation. These were the shows and performers that we thought had a strong chance to number among this year’s nominees. Let us know if there are others missing from this list that merit mentioning by sounding off in the comments section.

See 2020 Emmy nominations complete list: All the nominees for the 72nd Emmy Awards [Updating Live]

Comedy

Not Best Comedy Series

“Glow”

“The Great”

“Ramy”

Not Best Comedy Actress

Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”)

Kristen Bell (“The Good Place”)

Elle Fanning (“The Great”)

Not Best Comedy Actor

Steve Carell (“Space Force”)

Larry David (“Curb Your Enthusiasm...

HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show has entered the Emmy race but the sketch category has been decimated to only three nominees.

Robin Thede’s comedy has been nominated in the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series category alongside Saturday Night Live and Drunk History.

It comes as the Emmy rule change means that categories with less than 20 submissions have a sliding scale between zero and four nominations.

While it might increase A Black Lady Sketch Show’s chances against regular winner SNL, it is a blow for shows such as Sherman’s Showcase, At Home With Amy Sedaris, Alternatino with Arturo Castro, The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, Crank Yankers and Astronomy Club.

Two of last year’s nominees, Hulu’s I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman and Showtime’s Who Is America? were no longer eligible. The streamer cancelled Silverman’s show in January 2019, while it...

This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings and monthly guide to What’s on Streaming.

With more than 530 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.

More from TVLineTV Streaming Service GuideWhat's New on Netflix — Plus: Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ and OthersWynonna Earp's Melanie Scrofano Teases an Eventful,...

How much will the events of 2020 break up a traditionally impenetrable Emmy category? Gold Derby contributing editors Riley Chow and Matt Noble and writer Charlie Bright join me in a new slugfest where we argue how much things will change in the variety categories this year. Chow, Noble and I are all predicting the same five shows to be nominated for Variety Talk Series: “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” “The Late Late Show with James Corden” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” But Bright believes there will be some major turnover, with shows like “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj” and “Desus & Mero” entering the mix, arguing, “There’s going to be a conscious effort on voters to look at diversity.” He adds that this won’t be the only criteria, but, “I think that’ll give...

“Saturday Night Live” had never defended a program Emmy win until 2018, but now it seems like it can’t stop doing it. It’s the favorite to take home Best Variety Sketch Series again for a four-peat.

Despite having been on the air since 1975, “SNL,” the all-time Emmy winner, has surprisingly very few series victories. It nabbed Best Variety Series in 1976 for its first season and in 1993 for its 18th outing, but then entered an even longer drought as late-night talk shows dominated the category for two decades. In 2015, Best Variety Series was split into Best Variety Sketch Series and Best Variety Talk Series, greatly benefiting Lorne Michaels‘ brainchild.

“SNL” has been nominated every year since the variety sketch series category’s creation, losing the first two years to “Inside Amy Schumer” and “Key & Peele.” It garnered its first series win in 24 years in 2017 with its post-election 42nd season and has been unbeatable since.

Another week of quality television and Twilight Zone-y news headlines has come and gone — but we’ll just focus on the quality television for now.

Once again, we’ve compiled the best small-screen dialogue from the last seven days in our Quotes of the Week gallery, featuring one-liners and zingers from broadcast, cable and streaming series.

More from TVLineTVLine's Performers of the Week: Daniel Zovatto and Nathan Lane Should Blue Bloods Reflect Reality? Where Was Fuller House's Jesse? Glee Tell-All Movie, Please?! And More QsRatings: Baker and Beauty Finale Eyes Uptick; Titan Games, The Wall Top Night

This time around,...

Josh and Benny Safdie and Elara Pictures have signed a two year first look deal with HBO, Variety has learned.

The Safdies formed Elara with their long time collaborators Sebastian Bear-McClard and Ronald Bronstein in 2014. Dani Bernfeld is joining the company as partner to produce across film and TV.

A24 will executive produce all projects under the deal and partner with Elara on select projects outside the deal. A24 previously partnered with the Safdies on their critically-acclaimed films “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time.” The company also currently produces the HBO series “Euphoria,” which has been renewed for a second season.

Should anything be produced under the deal, it would mark the Safdies’ first TV project, though they both appeared onscreen in the same episode of the HBO series “Togetherness” in 2016. The brothers are known for their film work, most recently “Uncut Gems.” The film, which starred Adam Sandler as a...

In the spirit of Amy Sedaris’ eclectic truTV comedy, “At Home With Amy Sedaris,” let’s start this review with an activity. Don’t worry — it’s a relatively passive request. I’m not asking you to make mail into paper mâché animals, and my baking skills aren’t ready for publishing. Just take 90 seconds to watch this video:

…did you watch it? Or did you skip to this paragraph, thinking, “I’ve already seen Sedaris’ sketches,” or, “I barely have time to click on this review, let alone watch a video,” or, “Wait, how did I end up here? I meant to click the story about ‘Joker'”? Whatever your reason to skip the clip, really, take the time to watch it.

Now then, other than irritation at being bossed around by some so-called TV critic, how do you feel? Confused, maybe? Intrigued? A little lighter? A little sillier? In...

This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings.

With more than 530 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.

More from TVLineWhat's New on Netflix in May 20202020 Renewal Scorecard: What's Coming Back? What's Cancelled? What's on the Bubble?Supergirl Finale Recap: Did Kara and Lena Make Nice?...

Since Hollywood shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, several show premieres have been rescheduled, and with hundreds of series set to air this year, there is a ton to keep track of. So, for your convenience, Variety has compiled a list of season finales and premiere dates for television shows returning, newly premiering, and/or to be announced for the coming year.

The extensive list below contains premiere dates on broadcast, cable and premium channels, as well as streaming. Take a look to find out when specials such as Jerry Seinfeld’s “23 Hours to Kill” will premiere on Netflix and when shows including “Homecoming” and “Dead to Me” are returning for a second season.

May

May 1

Hollywood: Season 1 (Netflix)

Upload: Season 1 (Amazon)

Trying: Season 2 (Apple TV Plus)

Betty (HBO)

Ghostwriter Season 1, Part 2 (Apple TV Plus)

Into the Night: Season 1 (Netflix)

Reckoning: Season 1 (Netflix)

May 3

Billions: Season 5 (Showtime)

The Real Housewives of Potomac...

In today’s TV news roundup, Hulu released the trailer for “The Great,” and AMC dropped a teaser for “Quiz.”

Dates

Paramount Network has announced “Yellowstone” Season 3 will premiere on June 21. The series follows the Dutton family and the conflicts that arise along the shared borders of their large cattle ranch. This season welcomes Josh Holloway to the cast that already includes Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Brecken Merrill, Jefferson White, Forrie Smith, Denim Richards and Gil Birmingham.

TruTV has announced Season 3 of “At Home with Amy Sedaris” will premiere on May 20 at 10 p.m. Each week the show touches on a specific theme and features imaginative characters, how-to demonstrations, special guests, and more. Special guests this season include Laura Benanti, Arturo Castro, Michael Cera, Ann Dowd, Rachel Dratch, Bridget Everett, Ana Gasteyer, David Alan Grier, Josh Hamilton, Darrell Hammond, Jackie Hoffman, Richard Kind, David Koechner,...

Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell are taking a bite out of Apple TV+: The streamer has ordered the limited series The Shrink Next Door, headlined and executive-produced by the former Anchorman co-stars.

Based on the 2019 Wondery and Bloomberg Media podcast, the dark comedy explores the bizarre dynamic between charming psychiatrist to the stars Dr. Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf (Rudd) and his longtime patient Martin “Marty” Markowitz (Ferrell). Ike slowly takes over Marty’s life, even moving into Marty’s home and taking over his family business, as the seemingly normal doctor-patient relationship becomes one fueled by manipulation, power grabs and dysfunction.

Exclusive: Quibi has put in development Cancelled, a comedy series from Nikki Glaser, who stars, Cindy Caponera (At Home with Amy Sedaris) and Sara Gilbert and Tom Werner’s sara + tom production banner.

Written by Caponera and Glaser, Cancelled centers on Nikki Reynolds, played by Glaser, arguably the industry’s hardest-working stand-up comedian who is on the verge of getting her own late-night talk show. When a questionable set at the Comedy Store goes viral and her career implodes, she is forced to move back in with her parents in St. Louis to weather the storm, lick her wounds, and heal some old ones.

More from DeadlineQuibi And Vox Media Team For Covid-19 Explainer Series 'Answered'Quibi Orders Adult Animated Comedy Series 'Doomlands' From Josh O'Keefe & Look Mom! ProductionsRapper Dumbfoundead To Front Comedy Inspired By His Life For Peacock

Caponera and Glaser executive produce with Werner, Gilbert and Mandy Summers, sara...

Showtime Networks is bolstering its marketing division, naming Puja Vohra as Evp Marketing and Strategy. Additionally, Garrett Wagner, who began his career at the premium pay cabler, is returning to serve as Svp, Executive Creative Director.

In her new role, Vohra will oversee the company’s renewed focus on performance-based marketing, managing areas such program marketing, media, promotions, digital strategy and social media, as well as a newly formed marketing strategy division. Wagner will have oversight of the company’s creative departments including video, print, design and digital creative.

“By restructuring our organization, we can build from strength, fortifying our legacy of creativity, innovation, and deep, insight-led understanding of our viewer,” said Michael Engleman, Chief Marketing Officer, to whom both Vohra and Wagner will report. “Puja and Garrett are best-in-class leaders in their space. Their skill and ingenuity will help us take Showtime to the next level as a consumer-first premium content company,...

Showtime has made two key appointments in its marketing department.

The network has hired Puja Vohra as its new executive vice president of marketing and strategy, while Garrett Wagner, who started his career at Showtime, is returning in the position of executive creative director.

In her new role, Vohra will oversee the company’s focus on performance-based marketing, managing program marketing, media, promotions, digital strategy and social media, as well as Showtime’s newly formed marketing strategy division. Meanwhile Wagner will have oversight of the company’s creative departments including video, print, design and digital creative. The duo will report to Showtime chief marketing officer Michael Engleman, who was appointed to the role eight months ago.

“By restructuring our organization, we can build from strength, fortifying our legacy of creativity, innovation, and deep, insight-led understanding of our viewer,” said Engleman. “Puja and Garrett are best-in-class leaders in their space. Their...

Sneaking in ahead of next week’s dual announcements of the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, the Writers Guild of America and Writers Guild of America, East announced their own batch of TV nominees, all competing to be deemed the best-written examples of the form.

Some perennial WGA favorites, including Netflix’s “The Crown,” Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Amazon Prime’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and HBO’s “Veep” all made return showings amidst the morning’s nominations, but there was still plenty of room for newcomers as well. It was a particularly strong showing for freshman comedies Hulu’s “PEN15” and Netflix’s “Russian Doll,” both of which earned nominations for Comedy Series and New Series. The same can be said of HBO’s currently airing must-see drama “Watchmen,” which also earned nominations for Drama Series and New Series.

Before anyone starts rousting about with pitchforks,...