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17.06.2022 / 00:03

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Connie Britton, Chandler Kinney, Reign Edwards and Sofia Carson Join Women in Entertainment Summit 2022 (EXCLUSIVE)

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe 2022 Women in Entertainment Summit has added several notable speakers to its lineup, including Connie Britton (“The White Lotus”), Sofia Carson (“Feel the Beat,” “Descendants”), Chandler Kinney (“Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin”) and Reign Edwards (“The Wilds”), Variety has learned exclusively.The actresses will all participate in fireside chats at the June 22 event, which marks WIE’s first summit since 2019 and its sixth overall.As Variety first reported earlier this week, the 2022 WIE summit’s panel topics include “how creatives keep a beloved story relevant to up and coming audiences, how media companies are expanding their offerings to meet the needs of today’s consumers, how to negotiate deals within the IP and talent rights space, and much more.” Previously announced speakers for Women in Entertainment Summit 2022 include Paul Feig, Karen Pittman and Alexandra Shipp, among dozens of other executive producers, writers, executives and stars from within the entertainment and media industries.This edition of WIE will be held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California on June 22.Founded by Renee Rossi (Relativity Ventures) and Gretchen McCourt, WIE aims to bring together women and men who are “dedicated to celebrating the empowerment of women in all areas of the entertainment industry.”“Our mission is and always has been to share knowledge from incredible women who have built successful businesses in the world of entertainment and media,” Rossi said when the return of WIE Summit was revealed.

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Nat Geo’s ‘SharkFest’ Celebrates 10th Anniversary by Adding ABC, ESPN and Hulu for Biggest-Ever Programming Lineup (EXCLUSIVE)

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNat Geo’s “SharkFest” is turning 10 and marking the occasion by enlisting sister Disney brands ABC, ESPN and Hulu to help air its largest programming slate ever across the most platforms it has ever been on, Variety has learned exclusively.While “SharkFest” aired during a six-week period last year, making the 2021 edition the longest “SharkFest” ever, that lineup was limited to Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney XD and Disney+.This time around, Nat Geo is putting out nearly 30 hours of new content and 60 hours of “enhanced” programming over four weeks beginning July 10, its most-packed “SharkFest” schedule on record. And that increased content load is spread out not just across Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney XD and Disney+, but also broadcast network ABC, cabler ESPN and streamer Hulu, making it an historic occasion for the decade-old fin-tastic event.

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Paul Reiser Joins ‘The Boys’ Season 3 as Stan Lee Parody ‘The Legend’ From the Original Comic Books

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterAmazon Prime Video’s “The Boys” is bringing another iconic character from the comics to the screen, this time with the help of Paul Reiser.The legendary actor will take on the all-important in-universe role of “The Legend,” which in the original “Boys” comics from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson was a parody version of the late famed Marvel creator Stan Lee.According to Amazon, “Reiser will be introduced as The Legend in this week’s episode titled ‘The Last Time To Look On This World Of Lies,'” which is the fifth episode of “The Boys” Season 3.Prime Video’s “The Boys,” which is executive produced by “Supernatural” creator Eric Kripke along with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, didn’t provide a description for its version of “The Legend” beyond referring to him as “an iconic fan-favorite character fromt he original comic book series,” but the streamer did release a first look photo, which can be viewed above. New episodes of the eight-episode third season of “The Boys” premiere Fridays, with four remaining until the July 8 finale.“The Boys” has already been renewed for a fourth season by Amazon Studios, a decision that was announced soon after the impressive viewership for the Season 3 premiere weekend came in last week.“We’re just really excited.

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Magnolia Network Begins Pre-Production on Another Bake-Off Show as ‘Silos Baking Competition’ Sets Record Ratings (EXCLUSIVE)

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Silos Baking Competition” premiered to record-setting ratings for Magnolia Network Sunday, a turnout Chip and Joanna Gaines apparently saw coming a mile away, as their channel is already in pre-production on another baking competition series, Variety has learned exclusively.That unannounced baking competition is the first of several in the works at the cable channel, according to one source close to production.Simulcast across Food Network and Magnolia Network, a joint venture between the Gaineses and Warner Bros. Discovery, the one-hour premiere of “Silos Baking Competition,” which takes place at Chip and Jo’s Waco-based bakery, Silos Baking Co., drew more than 1.5 million viewers Sunday.

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Vice TV General Manager on Why the Network Is so Into the ’90s Right Now and Plans for a ‘Dark Side’ FAST Channel

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterJune is ’90s month on Vice TV. But based on its recent programming decisions, it could be argued that the cable network is currently in a perpetual state of ’90s month.With the debut of “Dark Side of the 90’s” Season 2 on Tuesday and the July 12 premiere of Nacelle Company’s docuseries “Icons Unearthed: Star Wars,” Morgan Hertzan, Vice TV executive vice president and general manager, tells Variety his team’s goal with this content is to reach the Gen X audience through its seemingly endless love for the era.“Obviously, a lot of media has focused on millennials, a lot of media is focused on the ‘Greatest Generation,'” Hertzan said.

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The True Story of True Crime’s Unscripted-to-Scripted Evolution and the Genre’s Seemingly Endless Appeal

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThis year marks the 30th anniversary of Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s “Brother’s Keeper,” which, as Berlinger says, is “one of the granddaddies of the true-crime docu movement.”It’s true that the 1992 film about the bizarre murder trial of Delbert Ward, who was accused of the “mercy killing” of his brother in rural upstate New York, was an early entrant in our collective societal obsession with the unscripted true-crime format, which in recent years has crossed over to the scripted side.As one of the founding fathers of the format that has piqued our interest in true crime to the point where limited series including “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” “The Staircase,” “The Dropout,” “Inventing Anna,” “Dr. Death,” “A Very British Scandal,” and several more are all competing in the same Emmys’ cycle, Berlinger has some unique insight into the nonfiction-to-dramatized evolution.

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Why Netflix Is Still ‘Keeping Things a Little Bit Quiet’ on Its Gaming Front

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSince launching its mobile games offering to members seven months ago, Netflix has released a total of 23 titles. While the streamer has just debuted its “Queen’s Gambit” game and revealed plans to make titles based on popular Netflix IP — including “Shadow and Bone,” “Too Hot to Handle” and “Money Heist” — plus a unique “Exploding Kittens” franchise plan that will see both a TV series and new version of the hit mobile game come to the platform, the streamer still hasn’t given much in the way of details about its gaming future.But part of its strategy, for the moment, is not announcing its strategy.“We started in November of last year, so only a handful of months and we’re still intentionally keeping things a little bit quiet because we’re still learning and experimenting and trying to figure out what things are going to actually resonate with our members, what games people want to play,” Leanne Loombe, Netflix’s head of external games, said during a panel at the Tribeca Film Festival on Monday.

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Women in Entertainment Summit Returning in 2022 With Paul Feig, Alexandra Shipp Among Speakers (EXCLUSIVE)

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe Women in Entertainment (WIE) Summit will return with its sixth annual event this June, taking place for the first time since 2019, Variety has learned exclusively.Founded by Renee Rossi (Relativity Ventures) and Gretchen McCourt, WIE aims to bring together women and men who are “dedicated to celebrating the empowerment of women in all areas of the entertainment industry.” Held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California on June 22, the 2022 summit with panel topics including “how creatives keep a beloved story relevant to up and coming audiences, how media companies are expanding their offerings to meet the needs of today’s consumers, how to negotiate deals within the IP and talent rights space, and much more.” The current lineup of speakers for WIE Summit 2022 include:Erika Anderson, West Coast Director, The Slate GroupCasey Kriley, Co-CEO of Magical Elves (Top Chef, Nailed It)Anjali Midha, CEO & Co-Founder of Diesel LabsTeri Weiss, Executive VP, Television Development, DreamWorks Animation;Anastasia Puglisi, Senior Vice President at Wolf Entertainment (FBI: Most Wanted, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)Dana Block, Senior Vice President of Digital Entertainment and Consumer Technology at Metro Public RelationsAlexandra Moore, Global Strategic Initiatives Leader at Amazon MusicJess Kessler, Head of Content & Creator Marketing at AudibleJennifer Brunsweiger, Senior Director of Content Marketing at ShutterstockKaitlyn Powell, VP of Talent at BrightLisa Guerrero, Investigative Journalist at Inside EditionJeanne Mau, Senior Vice President, TV Programming Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at NBCUniversalIram Bilal, Filmmaker (I’ll Meet You There)Zakiyyah Alexander, Executive

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Tony Awards Viewership Up 39% on CBS From Last Year’s Performance Special

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterBroadway returned to broadcast — and streaming — Sunday with the 75th annual Tony Awards. The show’s first ever live coast-to-coast telecast drew 3.86 million viewers for its three-hour portion on CBS, according to special time-zone adjusted Live + Same Day Nielsen data.Like last year’s special edition in September, the four-hour ceremony kicked off with an exclusive start on Paramount+, before CBS joined in. But unlike the fall 2021 show that was just two-hours long on network TV, the 2022 Tonys saw its CBS broadcast restored to a full three hours.

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Disney Branded Television Ups Meredith Roberts to Executive Vice President of Animation

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDisney Branded Television has promoted Meredith Roberts to executive vice president of TV animation, the studio said Monday.The promotion comes for Roberts following “outstanding creative and operational oversight of the Disney Television Animation studio during a period of significant growth,” per Disney Branded TV.Most recently senior vice president/general manager of Television Animation at Disney Branded TV, Roberts has managed the division since 2018, overseeing development and current animated content and production for kids 6-14 and families, including traditional 2D and CG series, movies and shorts distributed on Disney+ and Disney Channel.The studio has 1,200 half-hours of animated content currently in production for Disney’s streaming and linear platforms, and during Roberts’ tenure in 2020, Disney Television Animation earned more Daytime Emmy Award nods than at any other point in its 38-year history. “A leader of incredible vision and a true champion of artistic talent, Meredith has set a new bar for Disney Television Animation, building upon the single greatest animation legacy in the world to lead a team that is creating the most innovative, magical animated storytelling in the business,” Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, said during the announcement at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in Annecy, France on Monday.

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CAA Partners With Global Sustainability Company Aspiration to Offer Carbon-Reduction Services (EXCLUSIVE)

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterCAA’s strategic consulting service CAA Social Impact has struck a partnership with global sustainability company Aspiration to provide sustainability services, carbon reduction services and customer-centric climate impact solutions to corporate, sports and entertainment industry brands, Variety has learned exclusively.Per the companies, “CAA Social Impact and Aspiration recognize the importance of sustainability as a winning business strategy and the opportunity for sports and entertainment to play a critical role in influencing culture, to build public will for solutions in the face of a deepening climate crisis.”With an increase in companies’ awareness and focus on their sustainability efforts, “the partnership enables CAA Social Impact and Aspiration to combine their expertise and resources to develop sustainability and carbon mitigation strategies for leading brands and organizations.” Additionally, Aspiration is working closing with CAA on its own carbon reduction efforts. Run by Aubree Curtis and Judee Ann Williams, CAA Social Impact has led philanthropic work for companies including KPMG, Walmart, PGA TOUR, Continental (Germany), Volvo (UK), and AppHarvest, and helped shape strategies for organizations including The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Alzheimer’s Association.“Businesses urgently need clear and comprehensive solutions to curb their emissions and improve their impact on the planet,” Curtis said.

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‘The Boys’: Jack Quaid and Showrunner on Hughie’s ‘Really Embarrassing’ Enhancement and Soldier Boy’s Powers

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Glorious Five Year Plan,” the June 10 episodes of “The Boys.”The week’s episode of “The Boys” Season 3 was all about super powers — yes, more so than any standard episode of the Amazon superhero series. That’s because it delved into people getting them (Jack Quaid’s Hughie), people losing them (Karen Fukuhara’s Kimiko), people confessing they have acquired them (Karl Urban’s Butcher) and people showing off the bonkers new ones bestowed upon them by the Russians who experimented on them (Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy).Let’s start with Hughie, who upon learning that Butcher has been shooting up Temp V decided he needs to protect Annie (Erin Moriarty), despite the fact Starlight is more than capable of taking care of herself, and takes some of Butcher’s V and uses it to give himself some 24-hour super powers.

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‘Made for Love’ Canceled at HBO Max After Two Seasons (EXCLUSIVE)

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Made for Love” has been canceled at HBO Max after two seasons, Variety has confirmed exclusively.“We are tremendously grateful for the truly spectacular journey of these past two seasons, courtesy of Alissa Nutting, Christina Lee, Cristin, Billy, Ray and the entire ‘Made for Love’ cast and creative team – especially Zelda the talking dolphin and everyone’s favorite synthetic love interest, Diane,” representatives for HBO Max said in a statement Friday. “Like a Gogol chip, the series will always be on our minds.”The cancellation of the Cristin Milioti-led Max original comes on the heels of one of the streamer’s other titles, Ridley Scott’s “Raised by Wolves,” getting the axe earlier this week amid ongoing shakeups at HBO Max’s new parent company, Warner Bros.

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Creators of ‘Abbott Elementary,’ ‘Cobra Kai,’ ‘Ghosts’ and More Talk Broadcast Comedy Comeback and Honoring IP

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterEleven of the TV industry’s top comedy creators and showrunners came together to talk about the so-called return of the broadcast sitcom, the daunting task of reshaping and adhering to beloved IP and why the workplace comedy is still a tried-and-true format during Variety‘s “A Night in the Writers’ Room” event Thursday.During the comedy roundtable, TV editor Michael Schneider chatted about these topics and more with Jenny Bicks (“Welcome to Flatch”), Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Dave Burd (“Dave”), Greg Daniels (“Upload”), Chris Miller (“The Afterparty”), Tracy Oliver (“Harlem”), Saladin K. Patterson (“The Wonder Years”), Joe Port (“Ghosts”), Issa Rae (“Insecure”), Meredith Scardino (“Girls5eva”) and Hayden Schlossberg (“Cobra Kai”).

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‘The Boys’ Renewed for Season 4 at Amazon

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterOne week after exploding genitalia in its Season 3 premiere and increasing viewership by 17% from Season 2’s debut, “The Boys” has been renewed for a fourth season at Amazon.While “The Boys” star Karl Urban previously spilled the fourth-season beans when he said at Variety‘s SXSW Studio on March 12 that he was “shooting ‘The Boys’ through the end of the year,” well after production had already wrapped on Season 3, Friday’s renewal marks the official Season 4 pickup from Amazon.Of course, giving “The Boys” a fourth season was always a no-brainer for Amazon, as the Eric Kripke-created show is at the center of the streamer’s first real multi-series franchise, which now includes animated anthology spinoff “The Boys Presents: Diabolical” and the currently in-production untitled spinoff, which is set at America’s only college exclusively for young-adult superheroes.