Latest news with #20thTV
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Scott Speedman To Headline ‘RJ Decker' ABC Pilot As He Eyes ‘Grey's Anatomy' Return
EXCLUSIVE: Scott Speedman has been tapped for the lead in RJ Decker, ABC's drama pilot from Elementary creator Rob Doherty based on the 1987 novel Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen. Speedman will play the title character in the 20th Television pilot, written by Doherty and directed by Paul McGuigan. The casting expands Speedman's existing relationship with ABC and 20th TV through his role as Nick Marsh on Grey's Anatomy. He has been recurring on the ABC/20th TV medical drama after a Season 18 series-regular stint. The RJ Decker casting is not expected to impact that, and I hear the plan is for him to be able to do both should the pilot go to series. More from Deadline ABC Boss On 'RJ Decker' Fitting In With 'The Rookie', 'Will Trent' & 'High Potential' And Ordering More Pilots ABC Orders 'RJ Decker' Drama Pilot From 'Elementary' Creator Based On Carl Hiaasen's Novel 2025 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming RJ Decker centers on the eponymous RJ Decker (Speedman), a disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con who starts over as a private investigator in the colorful-if-crime-filled world of Carl Hiaasen's South Florida. He tackles cases that range from slightly odd to outright bizarre with the help of his journalist ex, her police detective wife and a shadowy new benefactor — a woman from his past who could be his greatest ally … or his one-way ticket back to prison. RELATED: Speedman's RJ Decker is described as someone who has charm to spare and the owner of a short fuse and a restless soul. Doherty executive produces the pilot alongside Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman of Timberman-Beverly Productions as well as McGuigan and Hiaasen. 20th Television is the studio. I hear Speedman likely would segue to filming appearances on the upcoming 22nd season of Grey's Anatomy after wrapping RJ Decker. At the time of the Season 21 finale in May, Deadline asked Grey's Anatomy executive producer/showrunner Meg Marinis whether Speedman would be back next season. 'Obviously, deals haven't been made yet, but we love Scott, and his character Nick and Meredith are still together,' she said of one of the show's most popular couples, played by Speedman and Grey's star Ellen Pompeo. 'He was also at the star ceremony supporting Ellen, so it was really great to see. Oh, and the fans were so excited to see him there with her.' RJ Decker is the only pilot ordered by ABC in 2025 so far. Greenlighted in May for midseason 2026 consideration, it feels like a good fit for crime shows with a light tone — and a singular lead — on the network such as High Potential, The Rookie and Will Trent. Felicity alum Speedman most recently starred in the Peacock horror series Teacup. He previously was a lead in the TNT drama series Animal Kingdom and had a major recurring role on Season 3 of Netflix's You. In features, he is known for his work in the Underworld franchise. Speedman is repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'My Life With The Walter Boys' Season 2 So Far Everything We Know About The 'Reminders of Him' Movie So Far Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Alert' & ‘The Cleaning Lady' Canceled By Fox
Fox has determined the fate of two bubble shows, canceling dramas Alert: Missing Persons Unit after three seasons and The Cleaning Lady after four. The network had delayed final decisions on its remaining bubble series until after their current seasons had aired. Alert wrapped its Season 3 run on May 27, and The Cleaning Lady's fourth season ended on June 3. More from Deadline 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 2025 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming Ex-'Doctor Odyssey' Crew Members Sue Disney, 20th TV Claiming Sexual Harassment And Wrongful Termination The cancellations do not come as a surprise as Alert, The Cleaning Lady as well as the other two Fox scripted series not picked up for next season, Accused and The Great North, sit at the bottom of the network's 2024-25 season rankings. Animated comedy The Great North also is expected to be canceled once its current fifth season ends later this month. As for anthology Accused, developed and executive produced by Howard Gordon, it might come back in the future for a limited run as an event, Michael Thorn, President of Fox Television Network, said last month. RELATED: 'We love the show and Howard Gordon,' he said. 'As you know, it's anthological, which means it doesn't have the same timetable on renewals as shows that have locked casts. And so right now, we're talking with Howard if there's an opportunity down the line to eventize a return, something that can really work for us and Howard, we'd love to do it. Right now. there's no plan, but there could be down the line.' All four series are Fox Entertainment co-productions with outside lead studios, Warner Bros. TV (The Cleaning Lady), Sony Pictures TV (Alert, Accused) and 20th Television Animation (The Great North). With Sony TV, Fox also has its breakout new medical drama series Doc, which is coming back in the fall for a 22-episode season; Warner Bros. TV is behind Fox's upcoming thriller drama Memory of a Killer. According to sources, Fox explored continuing Alert, possibly with some retooling, as the network brass liked Scott Caan as a leading man and the show's evolution into a buddy-cop show. Ultimately, the ratings were not there. RELATED: The Cleaning Lady, headlined by Élodie Yung, underwent creative retooling heading into this season after the series faced the tragic loss of its male lead Adan Canto to cancer. The drama never regained its footing but maintained a passionate core fan base that is left with loose ends and unresolved issues in the Season 4 finale. Alert: Missing Persons Unit is set in the Philadelphia Police Department's Missing Persons Unit. Each episode featured a search for a missing person headed by detectives Jason Grant (Caan) and Nikki Batista (Dania Ramirez). Together with the MPU team, their job is to find the missing or abducted and reunite them with their loved ones. Adeola Role, Ryan Broussard and Alisha-Marie Ahamed also starred. Carla Kettner served as showrunner and executive producer, with Jon Cowan, Brandon Sonnier, Brandon Margolis, Sean Hennen, John Eisendrath, Jamie Foxx, Datari Turner and Brad Turner also executive producing. RELATED: The Cleaning Lady, the first Southeast Asian-led broadcast drama, centers on Thony De La Rosa (Yung), a Cambodian-Filipino former surgeon who makes a living as a cleaning service worker alongside her sister-in-law, Fiona (Martha Millan). After witnessing a murder, Thony is offered a job both as a cleaner and a doctor within a criminal organization that could pay well enough to help her son and her family. Kate Del Castillo, Santiago Cabrera, Sean Lew, Faith Bryant, and Khalen Roman Sanchez also starred in the series, based on an Argentine format, which was developed for American television by Miranda Kwok. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Comedy TV Writers on the Importance of Filming in Los Angeles, Sharing Soundstages and the Power of the Will They/Won't They Relationship
For 'Nobody Wants This' creator/executive producer Erin Foster, when it came time to figure out where to shoot her Netflix comedy 'Nobody Wants This,' she had some leverage in her back pocket: Star Kristen Bell. 'Shooting in L.A. is hard and really expensive,' Foster told the audience on Thursday at Variety's A Night in the Writers Room event. 'We were only able to shoot in L.A. because Kristen Bell has kids here that are in school here. And she's like, 'I won't shoot anywhere else.'' More from Variety Don't Forget 'Severance' Star Tramell Tillman This Emmy Season Why Nicola Coughlan Is the Soul of 'Bridgerton' and Deserves an Emmy Nomination 'Last of Us' Creator Craig Mazin Reminds Angry Fans That Pedro Pascal Lives On, Even if His Character Doesn't: 'He's Alive and He's in Literally Everything Else' Foster said Netflix and 20th TV, which is behind 'Nobody Wants This,' quickly agreed. 'They're like, 'well, then we're shooting where you want to shoot,'' she told the A Night in the Writers' Room audience. 'We got very lucky that she wants to be home with her kids. She wants to come to work, she wants to live in LA. She picks her kids up from school and it's important to her.' Four of the seven shows on the A Night in the Writers' Room comedy panel shoot in Los Angeles, which was heartening, given how important keeping production in Los Angeles has become a key topic in the industry right now. On Season 4 of 'Hacks,' much of the action was located in Los Angeles — allowing the show the chance to showcase more of the city's landmarks. 'We are very proud that we have shot the show since day one in Los Angeles,' Statsky said. 'Our crew is based here, and feel really lucky to be here. It's really important to us to keep production here. And so it was really great to make a season that got to show LA, and got to show the Universal backlot. It was really lovely and important to get to do that.' Shooting in L.A. alongside other local productions also allows for something else a bit unexpected: Surprise crossovers. On Episode 4 of this season's 'Hacks,' Deborah (Jean Smart) is out late partying with her assistant Damien (Mark Indelicato) at a gay dance club — but after hitting her head while dancing in a cage, she's rushed to an emergency room. Eagle-eyed viewers might have noticed that ER looked familiar: 'When Deborah goes to the emergency room, that's the 'St. Denis Medical' set,' 'Hacks co-creator, co-showrunner and EP Jen Statsky revealed. Both Max's 'Hacks' and NBC's 'St. Denis Medical' are Universal TV series that film on the Universal lot, so it made sense to borrow their stage. 'That's an exclusive!' quipped 'St. Denis Medical' exec producer Eric Ledgin. (And it wasn't the only crossover between the two shows this season: 'Hacks' star Rose Abdoo also guested as a nurse on 'St. Denis Medical.') Among other unexpected crossovers revealed during A Night in the Writers' Room: Since they both shot in Toronto, it turns out 'What We Do in the Shadows' executive producer Sarah Naftalis and 'Overcompensating' creator/exec producer/star Benito Skinner shared the same crew. The comedy panel opened with a discussion about the state of the sitcom — and how recent successes like 'Nobody Wants This' and 'St. Denis Medical' were positive signs that the genre still has legs. That momentum really began a few years ago with the success of 'Abbott Elementary' — and EP/co-showrunner Justin Halpern admitted it felt weird to have a hit broadcast comedy in the 2020s. 'We were told network TV was dead when we pitched the show and, you know, we're still on the air,' he said. 'It may be dead, but we're there among the corpses. There's a bunch of people out there who still like writing comedy, still like making comedy, and we've found each other. I always tell the writers it's like the zombie apocalypse and we're in a room where there's food. There's bloody hands going up against the wall, but we've made it so far.' Fellow broadcast comedy EP Ledgin admitted that 'it's weird when you've worked in the business long enough to have been on canceled shows that would be a runaway hit now, by the numbers they got 10 years ago… it was more relief than anything to be like, 'thank God this worked. I'm not insane. I can keep doing this.' I'm grateful, but it also feels like you're in this weird bubble where I almost feel bad and guilty about having steady job!' 'Abbott' produced 22 episodes this season, while 'St. Denis' produces 18 — normal episodic orders for broadcast, but the kind of volume that stunned the producers on streaming series. 'That sounds really hard!' Foster said. 'Sick to my stomach. All I thought was, 'you make so much money than I do,' but it's so much more work!' Comedy is also having a moment because of people are looking for a pleasant escape given the political nightmare currently gripping this nation. Plus, some of these shows boast multigenerational appeal — in particular, 'Abbott,' 'St. Denis' and 'Animal Control.' 'I'll sometimes forget that, and we'll have a racy storyline,' admitted Fox's 'Animal Control' showrunner/EP Tad Quill. 'Then some dad I know will be like, 'Hey dude, I was just watching that with my 7-year-old, that's not cool!' Skinner said his deeply personal Prime Video comedy might not be for everyone. 'People are like, 'I can't watch this with my parents,'' he said. 'I was worried about some of the specificity of it, because this was my experience in the closet… instead, I'm being met with so many messages from people who I think saw themselves in the show and maybe saw themselves not only in my character, but in this nostalgic world of college, and being able to laugh at that cringe time in their life.' Speaking of shows taken from personal experience, Foster wrote 'Nobody Wants This' based on her own experience marrying a Jewish man. The show follows Bell's character Joanne, as she starts dating a rabbi (Adam Brody). It all worked out for Foster and her husband, but will it work out for Bell's and Brody's couple? And how long can they tease that out? 'At some point she has to convert and say yes, and those things have to move forward,' Foster said. Netflix was concerned about that happening too soon, however, because, the thought went, 'then the show is over. But as someone who did convert to Judaism when I got married, there are so many things that come up once you say yes to this. That's just the beginning. Because then all of a sudden you're faced with all of these different philosophies and traditions. I'm excited to tell that next step of the story.' Over at 'Abbott,' bringing Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) together after a few seasons of 'will they or won't they?' meant chronicling what really was their first truly mature relationship. 'I think it was fun for us to be able to just write stories about, how do you exist in these relationships?' he said. 'Janine had only ever had sex with one person before she was with him. We make a big point of that in the show. She really has no life experience.' 'Animal Control' has juggled two 'will they or won't they,' while on 'Hacks,' it's been a question of whether Deborah and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) will ever truly be pals. 'It's a 'will they or won't they' in terms of, will Deborah allow herself to have one friend?' Statsky said. On 'Overcompensating,' the question becomes, can Benny (played by Skinner) figure out how to be true to himself? 'In telling a coming out story, I also thought, it's TV so we have some time — but not that much time,' Skinner said. 'I liked that I could finally show just how confusing this felt for me and also have people who are not queer come to it and be like, 'that feels very similar to an experience of trying to find myself.'' As for 'What We Do In the Shadows,' if the question was whether the show's vampires would ever learn anything or exhibit any sort of growth, the series finale proved it was a resounding no. But that was the perfect way to end the show as well. 'How do you end a series about people who literally don't give a shit whether things continue or not? That lowers the stakes,' Naftalis said. That's when they came up with the idea of the show's documentary crew — the one that had been documenting the characters for the past six years — deciding to pack it up. 'We felt like having the documentary end gave us an opportunity to essentially work through all the things we as writers were feeling about the show ending. 'The conceptual joke of the whole series is they're making a documentary about an entire lifestyle that's supposed to be hidden,' she added. 'It felt like in the final season you sort of had to deal with that. We really wanted the finale to feel like we were just starting any old episode, and have it feel abrupt and remind the viewer that you have been watching a documentary the whole time.' The reviews for the finale were strong — and Naftalis said 'we feel really good about it.' Watch the full panel above. Best of Variety Emmy Predictions: Documentary Programs — Nonfiction Races Spotlight Pee-wee Herman, Simone Biles and YouTube Creators 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Disney Layoffs Hit TV Development & Casting Executive Ranks
Names of Disney TV executives impacted by today's sweeping layoffs are starting to emerge. As Deadline reported exclusively earlier today, several hundred employees are being laid off globally, with Disney Entertainment's film and television marketing as well as television publicity, casting and development, among the main targets. According to sources, leaving is Eric Souliere, VP Casting for 20th Television who had been working on Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story and 9-1-1 series. He is not going far though as the former casting director will be transitioning to casting on the new 9-1-1 spinoff, Nashville, I hear. More from Deadline Ex-'Doctor Odyssey' Crew Members Sue Disney, 20th TV Claiming Sexual Harassment And Wrongful Termination Marvel Skipping Comic-Con's Hall H This Year 'Lilo & Stitch': All The Box Office Records Broken Also said to be departing is Tony Tompson, VP Content Development at Hulu Originals who had been at the streamer for more than six years. He already is pursuing new opportunities and has been meeting for jobs. Lower level development executives, including a manager of drama programming, ABC Hulu, also have been affected. There has been some confusion today as several Disney TV executives are leaving or have just left though their exits are not part of today's layoffs. That includes SVP Casting Dylann Brander Gunning who departed after her contract was up last month, I hear. She was head of casting at ABC Signature before the casting departments of 20th TV and ABC Signature were merged in August under 20th TV Head of Casting Stephanie Levinson, with Gunning reporting to her. Also no longer part of Disney is Crystal Holt, VP Series for 20th TV, as well as Collin Sapera, VP Drama Development, ABC Hulu, whose contract was up. Other recent Disney departures include Ashley Chang who left as Hulu VP Content Development to join Amazon MGM Studios. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'Stranger Things' Season 5 So Far 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
