Category: Television

Amazon is in talks to revive Patrick Warburton in ‘The Tick’

Another cult favorite TV comedy could get a second life thanks to the Internet: Amazon is in talks to revive Patrick Warburton’s live-action “The Tick,” which was canceled in 2002.

According to People, the “Rules of Engagement” star has already signed a deal with Amazon and Sony to reprise his role, with creator Ben Edlund, who also created the “Tick” comic book, coming back to write and produce the new version of the show.

While filming on Netfix’s Season 4 of “Arrested Development” began six years after FOX canceled the series, reviving a decade-plus-old production — with original stars and producers attached — is unprecedented.

‘The Sopranos’ finale: Tony Soprano might be dead after all, but stop asking

The internet was abuzz Wednesday (Aug. 27) when Vox published an interview with “Sopranos” creator David Chase in which he seemingly said that Tony Soprano did, in fact, survive the fade-to-black finale that left millions of viewers wondering about the mobster’s fate.

However, Chase would like you all to know that it’s not that simple.

Chase’s representative Leslee Dart has released a statement, saying, “A journalist for Vox miscontrued what David Chase said in their interview. To simply quote David as saying, ‘Tony Soprano is not dead,’ is inaccurate. There is a much larger context for that statement and as such, it is not true.

“As David Chase has said numerous times on the record, ‘Whether Tony Soprano is alive or dead is not the point.’ To continue to search for this answer is fruitless. The final scene of ‘The Sopranos’ raises a spiritual question that has no right or wrong answer.”

Apparently, Schrodinger’s Capo is a conundrum that will haunt TV viewers for years to come.

‘SNL’ vet Rachel Dratch joins ‘Parks and Recreation’ for final season

Another Saturday Night Live alum is heading to Pawnee.

Rachel Dratch will appear in the final season of Parks and Recreation for at least one episode, with a potential to return, EW has learned exclusively.

The SNL vet, whose other credits include 30 Rock and The Middle, will play the nanny to Leslie and Ben’s triplets.

The casting comes on the heels of the news that both Megan Mullally and Natalie Morales will return in the final season.

The seventh and final season of Parks and Recreation is expected to premiere in 2015.

Craig Ferguson close to landing new talk show

Craig Ferguson’s retirement might not last long. The exiting CBS late-night host is close to booking a new talk-show gig—only this time in syndication.

The pending deal is for a daily half-hour series that would air in the 7 p.m. hour on Tribune Broadcasting stations, sources confirm. If finalized, the show is expected to launch next year. It’s an unusual time of the day to launch a talk show, yet perhaps that’s part of the draw—less competition than in the afternoon and late-night hours.

Ferguson is stepping down from CBS’ Late Late Show in December after a decade in the 12:35 a.m. slot. Variety first broke the news and has more behind-the-scenes detail on the pending deal.

‘Community’ to Return for New Season on Yahoo

School’s not out yet, “Community” fans.

On Monday, Sony Pictures Television announced that the cult comedy would be resurrected for a sixth season this fall on Yahoo.

The 13 new episodes, featuring original cast members of the canceled NBC series, will be available exclusively on Yahoo Screen, an ad-supported video platform that is free to users.

Dan Harmon, who created “Community,” will exec produce the new episodes.

“I am very pleased that ‘Community’ will be returning for its predestined sixth season on Yahoo,” Harmon said in a statement. “I look forward to bringing our beloved NBC sitcom to a larger audience by moving it online. I vow to dominate our new competition. Rest easy, ‘Big Bang Theory.’ Look out, Bang Bus!”

The news brings the series closer to its goal of #sixseasonsandamovie, a social media campaign fans backed to bring the show back after NBC cancelled it in March.

Joel McHale, who stars in the series, added: “‘The reports of our cancellation have been greatly exaggerated.’ —Mark Twain (The other version of this quote has been wrong for years). #SixSeasonsAndaMovie is real. Thank you Sony. Thank you Yahoo. Thank you Dan Harmon. And thank you to the greatest f%$#ing fans in the history of the human race. It’s the internet. We can swear now.”

Along with Harmon, Russ Krasnoff (“The Soloist”) also serves as executive producer, along with Gary Foster (“Sleepless in Seattle”) and Chris McKenna (“The Mindy Project”).

Despite struggling ratings, “Community” stayed afloat for five seasons thanks to the show’s loyal fan base. When NBC did cancel the show, fans immediately launched a social media campaign urging Netflix to pick up the show. Netflix, however, denied rumors that they were in negotiations with Sony, the show’s producer, to pick it up.

For his part, Harmon wrote a blog post earlier this year admitting that he was “in the ‘eh’ column” when Sony first asked him about pursuing the show going elsewhere, but would become more enthusiastic with time.

“‘Community’ has an incredibly passionate and loyal fan base who have fought hard to keep this amazing show alive,” said Kathy Savitt, CMO of Yahoo. “We couldn’t be more excited to work with Dan, Joel, and the entire cast, as well as Sony, to deliver a great season 6.”

Zack Van Amburg, president of programming and production for Sony Pictures TV, said “The fans spoke and we listened. Thanks to Yahoo, and the amazing team that makes ‘Community’ great, we’ve avoided the Darkest Timeline yet again and plan to deliver a fantastic season.”

Added Jamie Erlicht, president of programming and production, “You can’t get to six seasons and a movie without a 6th season. Yahoo is the perfect home for the continuation of this journey.”

While Yahoo was seemingly the only digital content player not mentioned as a possible new home for “Community” after much speculation about the likes of Netflix or Hulu stepping in, the move is not totally out of left field.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has been steering the tech giant further in the direction of original programming, having already announced at its so-called “newfront” presentation in May the order of its first two full-length original series.

Paul Feig, the writer-producer behind NBC’s critically acclaimed but short-lived “Freaks & Geeks” and director of hit theatrical “Bridesmaids,” will exec produce “Other Space,” eight half-hour episodes chronicling a misfit group of space adventurers who stumble upon an alternate universe.

Mike Tollin, executive producer of the WB hit series “Smallville” and “One Tree Hill,” is teaming with TV director Bryan Gordon (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) for eight half-hour episodes of “Sin City Saints,” which follows the exploits of a Las Vegas-based pro basketball expansion team.

Savitt had indicated there would likely be a few more series orders made but didn’t specify which ones. It’s unknown whether “Community” was in the cards at the time given NBC hadn’t yet made the decision to forego another season.

But with a known quantity like “Community” in tow, Yahoo is boosting its presence in a game that is already attracting more digital original programmers from Amazon to Microsoft XBox.

Comedy is also a natural extension for Yahoo considering it has dabbled in original programming before with the breakout short-form program “Burning Love,” which graduated to TV with a three-season run on E!, and a library of comedy clips from the library of “Saturday Night Live.”

Getting a broadcast sitcom to continue its run online marks the boldest attempt yet by Yahoo to make a dent in the entertainment business after years of flirtation that reach back a decade, when Terry Semel and Lloyd Braun futilely attempted to inject some showbiz DNA into a company once known previously only for search.

“Community” isn’t exactly the first property Mayer lured over from linear TV. Broadcast veteran Katie Couric was also drafted to serve as “global news anchor” on Yahoo.

“Community” also isn’t the first show to be saved by a digital platform after being canceled on broadcast TV. “Arrested Development” blazed that trail last year, when Netflix picked the deceased sitcom up for a fourth season. It ran on Fox for three seasons in 2003-2006 and, like “Community,” was canceled because of its low ratings despite a cult following.

Chelsea Handler to host new talk show on Netflix

Are you ready for Chelsea Anytime?

Netflix announced Thursday morning that Chelsea Handler has signed a “groundbreaking,” multi-tiered deal with the streaming service, which includes a standup special, four “docu-comedy specials”—and, most importantly, “the first-ever talk show for the global on-demand generation,” which is set to premiere in 2016.

Details about the new show—including its name—are scarce for now, though a release notes that it will feature an “updated format,” as well as at least one talk show staple (guest interviews).

“The Internet has disrupted many of the conventions of traditional television and together with Chelsea Handler, Netflix is looking forward to reimagining the late night talk show for the on-demand generation, starting with the late night part,” Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement.

“If I was going to continue working in this industry, I knew I had to do something outside the box to keep myself interested,” added Handler in her own statement. “I wanted to sit with the cool kids at lunch so I approached Netflix to make sure they were as cool as I thought they were, and when I confirmed my suspicions, like with any other future lover, I made my move. I’m more excited than I’ve been in awhile, and the team at Netflix is the most forward thinking, alert group I’ve sat down with in ages. No offense to the Shahs of Sunset.”

Handler is best known as the host of E!’s Chelsea Lately, which will end August 26 after a seven-year run. Since word of the show’s imminent finale broke, the comedian’s been at the center of all kinds of rumors about her future plans—including ones that she may be taking over for either David Letterman or Craig Ferguson, both of whom will leave CBS in 2015. Her first Netflix comedy special, based on her “Uganda Be Kidding Me” tour, will tape June 20 in Chicago and premiere on Netflix on Oct. 10; her four Netflix docu-comedy specials will debut in 2015.

BBC to Reunite Genesis for Documentary

The BBC on Monday unveiled an ambitious music strategy, including new shows, partnerships and other initiatives, such as a music awards show.

The U.K. public broadcaster said its plans, which also include a Genesis documentary that will reunite the band’s original members for the first time since 1975 and a celebration of country music, amount to its “strongest commitment to music in 30 years.”

Under the banner of BBC Music, “the strategy is designed to strengthen the BBC’s place as a world leader in music broadcasting and commissioning and enhance the U.K.’s position as a world leader in music creation and performance,” it said.

One key part of the strategy is a new annual extravaganza dubbed the BBC Music Awards on flagship channel BBC One, with the broadcaster overall promising “more primetime music” on the country’s most-watched network.

BBC One, Radio 1, Radio 2 and The One Show will cooperate on the awards that promises to celebrate “the best in popular music from the last 12 months” in London on Dec. 11. It will feature “captivating live performances and collaborations to review and celebrate the year,” the broadcaster said. Awards will include an honor for the British Artist of the Year, International Artist of the Year and Song of the Year.

BBC director general Tony Hall and new director of music Bob Shennan unveiled the music initiatives on Monday.

The broadcaster’s digital on-demand player BBC iPlayer will bring audiences “the best live and on-demand music programs from across the BBC, with more music from your favorite artists, festivals and shows, curated in new ways.” Later in the year, subject to approval from governing body BBC Trust, BBC Radio 1 will launch a branded space within BBC iPlayer offering such things as Live Lounge performances and big guest interviews.

Among other TV plans, BBC Two is working on a series with the working title The Soundtrack of the Twentieth Century for 2016. It will explore popular music’s rise and transformations across the 20th century. “From Caruso to Taylor Swift via Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Eminem and many more, this is the story of 100 years of music as only the BBC can,” the broadcaster said.

It also unveiled plans for a feature-length documentary under the working title Genesis: Together And Apart for BBC Two. It will reunite all original members of the band, Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford, for the first time since 1975.

Meanwhile, this fall, BBC Four and Radio 2 will present Country Legends: Nashville And Beyond, a season of programs exploring the history of country music. The coverage will consist of three films looking at Nashville, Kenny Rogers and Bob Harris and a special concert featuring country music superstar Brad Paisley and his songwriters.

Coinciding with London Fashion Week this September, BBC Four and BBC Radio 6 Music will collaborate on programming on the relationship between music and fashion. Under the working titleOh You Pretty Things!, a three-part series will look at the relationship between British rock and pop music and fashion with interviews with the Sex Pistols’ Glen Matlock and others.

Lorne Michaels: More ‘SNL’ cast changes coming

Lorne Michaels says that Saturday Night Live can expect cast changes before its 40th season begins in September. In an interview with Deadline, the creator and longtime executive producer of NBC’s late-night sketch show said, “We’re still in the middle of rebuilding. So there will be changes this year.”

Last season, which was the first since 2002 without stalwarts Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, or Jason Sudeikis (Seth Meyers also left in February), the show struggled with audiences. Many longtime fans complained that some of the new Not Ready For Prime Time Players weren’t ready for SNL, period. “It was a hard season,” Michaels conceded. “We put a lot of pressure [on] a lot of new people.”

The question remain: How big will the changes be? Nasim Pedrad recently announced that she doesn’t expect to be back, but that’s primarily because she’s moved to Los Angeles to co-star in former SNL writer John Mulaney’s new sitcom. But other young members of the cast who didn’t immediately find their stride, like Brooks Wheelan and John Milhiser, can’t be breathing easy as they wait for word if they’ll be invited back for the anniversary season.

Next February, the network will air a three-hour prime-time special that will surely bask in the glow of its most famous alumni. Certainly by then, Michaels would like a current cast that deserves to be in that same room.

Corner Gas movie starts shooting in Saskatchewan next month

It’s been rumoured for weeks and now it’s confirmed — Corner Gas the movie starts shooting in Saskatchewan next month.

The popular TV sitcom starring Tisdale native Brent Butt ran for six seasons, airing its last episode in 2009.

On Tuesday, producers said filming of a 90-minute feature will begin June 23 in Rouleau, Sask., the town that had previously been used in the show as the fictional Dog River.

“Y’know, right from the time that I decided it was time to wrap up the TV show, I always knew that I wanted to come back one more time,” Butt told CBC News. “I always thought it would be great if we could get together one more time and do a movie.”

The movie will hit an undetermined number of theatres in December before being broadcast on TV and eventually released as a collector’s DVD.

The original cast, including Butt, Gabrielle Miller, Eric Peterson, Fred Ewanuick, Janet Wright, Lorne Cardinal, Tara Spencer-Nairn, and Nancy Robertson, will return.

There isn’t much information on the story, but producers say the show will pick up five years later. Butt said it would deal with a town fighting for survival.

Crews from Ontario and Saskatchewan will work on the show.

A Kickstarter campaign has been launched in connection with the movie, although the film production itself is already financed. The funds raised through Kickstarter will earn backers special rewards.

It’s one of the biggest movie announcements in Saskatchewan since the provincial government ended its film tax credit program in 2012.

At the time, people working in film and television in Saskatchewan predicted the loss of the subsidy would devastate the industry.

The Corner Gas movie is getting financed by Bell Media and Telefilm Canada, but also from Tourism Saskatchewan, Creative Saskatchewan, Cineplex, the Canada Media Fund and the Ontario Film Tax Credit.

The movie has a budget of $8.5 million. About $2 million of that will come from the Saskatchewan government.

Dave Grohl to Tour Recording Studios in New HBO Show

In an effort to presumably battle Questlove for Busiest Musician title, Dave Grohl will host and produce a documentary show for HBO set to premiere later this year.

Paul Brannigan, author of the Dave Grohl biography This Is a Call: The Life and Times of Dave Grohl, announced the news on Classic Rock magazine, noting that the series will find Grohl visiting and recording music at various studios around the world. The Foo Fighters frontman and Hall of Fame inductee will also interview select artists at each studio, including Kiss’ Paul Stanley, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, the Eagles’ Joe Walsh and Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye.

Brannigan didn’t reveal the full list of studios documented in the as-yet-untitled series, but noted that Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio, Don Zientara’s Inner Ear studios in Washington, D.C. and Rancho De La Luna — the California studio frequented by Queens Of The Stone Age and Arctic Monkeys — will all appear.

The show builds on Sound City, the 2013 documentary directed and produced by Grohl that focused on the famed Los Angeles recording studio of the same name. Asked last year if it was hard to teach himself to be a director, Grohl told Rolling Stone, “No. This movie was not hard to make. Apocalypse Now – probably. The Sound City movie was really getting together with friends and digging deep into what music means to each one of us, telling the story of a studio that’s very close to me, and trying to give the viewer something that will inspire them to fall in love with music like I did.

“Sound City is about having kids see this film and be inspired to go to a yard sale and buy a guitar and start a band and play in the garage and then take over the world. Because that can still happen. It happens all the time. To me, personally, it’s the most important thing I’ve done because it’s not for me.”