Josh Schwartz: Last News

EXCLUSIVE: Apple TV+ has opted not to pick up a second season of crime drama series City on Fire. The news comes a month and a half after Season 1 finished its eight-episode run on the streamer. It is not surprising as the adaptation of the novel of the same name didn’t get a lot of buzz the way other recent Apple TV+ entries like Silo and Hijack have.

Canadian native Stephanie Savage and Rhode Island-born Josh Schwartz know something when it comes to how the young posh set ticks from Orange County, CA to the Upper East Side of New York.

Alison Herman TV Critic Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage cemented their place in TV history with a pair of teen soaps that epitomized the aughts. “The O.C.” and the original “Gossip Girl” imprinted on an entire generation, giving millennials a taste for curated soundtracks, pre-recessionary opulence and side-swept bangs. For their latest project, the showrunning duo return to their comfort zone — or rather, contort their source material until it fits their M.O., whether or not it suits the story at hand. “City on Fire,” an eight-episode limited series on Apple TV+, is adapted from Garth Risk Hallberg’s 2015 novel of the same name. The book, an urban epic that sprawls over 900 pages, traces the fallout from the shooting of an NYU freshman, culminating in New York’s infamous 1977 blackout a few months later. As the title implies, the plot is intimately bound up in a particular time and place. This is the era of “The Bronx Is Burning” and “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD,” where an arsonist group of Hallberg’s invention could seamlessly blend into a background of civic decline and hostile neglect.

California, here she comes! The O.C. alum Ben McKenzie revealed that his 7-year-old daughter, Frances, is now hooked on the teen drama.

Adam Brody is opening up about the adorable story of meeting his now-wife Leigthon Meester for the first time.

Zachary Levi isn’t giving up on the movie followup to his NBC series Chuck, and he says creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak are on board.

These outfits are Blair Waldorf-approved. Leighton Meester showed off her style expertise alongside her husband Adam Brody at the Los Angeles premiere of his new movie, Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

 

Adam Brody.During an appearance on SiriusXM's, the 43-year-old actor discussed what marriage life has been like with Leighton Meester. In a rare interview where he offers insight into their near decade-long marriage, Brody expressed that the idea of tying the knot wasn't some scary ordeal.«I was never scared of the idea of marriage or kids,» he said.

Apple Studios has greenlit the new original drama series The Last Frontier from Jon Bokenkamp (The Blacklist) and Richard D’Ovidio (The Call) with Jason Clarke (Winning Time, Zero Dark Thirty ) set to lead.

EXCLUSIVE: Apple Studios has launched its first-ever Apple Studios Directors Program, described as an inclusive, new initiative focused on expanding opportunities for mid-career directors across the U.S.

HBO Max has given its Gossip Girl revival the boot after just two seasons on the streaming service.The cancellation, which ends hopes of a third season for the drama, was announced on Thursday.Showrunner Josh Safran shared the news in an Instagram post from Thursday morning, in which he said the series was searching for a new home.The new version of Gossip Girl, which featured an entirely new cast, mostly failed to live up to the reputation of the original Blake Lively and Leighton Meester–starring series and was panned by major television critics.  No more gossip: HBO Max announced it had canceled Gossip Girl after just two seasons on Thursday. The show failed to live up to critic's expectations; still from the seriesSafran developed Gossip Girl based on the popular novels by Cecily von Ziegesar, as well as the original series, which aired on the CW for six seasons from 2007 to 2012.The original show was developed by Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz, both of whom served as executive producers on the new version.

Gossip Girl‘s return will not go beyond its current second season. HBO Max has opted not to order a third season of the reboot, with the upcoming Season 2 finale on Jan. 26 serving as a series finale.

In Apple TV+’s City on Fire, which hails from executive producers and showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, a suburban teenager must unravel the mystery of his friend’s murder after she’s shot in Central Park on Fourth of July in 2003.

EXCLUSIVE: Lis Rowinski, executive producer on Nancy Drew, is expanding her relationship with CBS Studios, the studio behind the series, signing an overall deal. Terms of the pact include producing her own projects through her shingle Ship in a Bottle, as well as sourcing material for various creatives at CBS Studios.

EXCLUSIVE: star Grace Duah has been upped to series regular for the show’s upcoming second season, premiering December 1.

star Mischa Barton reunited with her onscreen Cooper family last weekend, posting a selfie with co-stars Melinda Clarke and Tate Donovan in Charleston, South Carolina. “SO THIS HAPPENED! Cooper family reunion!” wrote Barton wrote, who starred as Marissa Cooper from 2003 to 2006 in the series, before it came to an end the next year. Clarke and Donovan played Marissa’s mother and father. A post shared by Melinda Clarke (@themelindaclarke)“Warmed my heart to see these two, @mischabarton and @t8dono, at @tripleellc in Charleston.

We’ve watched a ton of relationships come crashing down in Hollywood so far this year, everyone from Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson to Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet and more. Heck, the last few years have been a pretty brutal time for breakups, largely due to the stress of the pandemic.

Wilson Chapman editor“Tom Swift” has been canceled by The CW after one season, Variety has confirmed.The news comes less than a month after the series, a spinoff of “Nancy Drew,” premiered on May 31. Sources close to the project tell Variety the decision came down to ratings, as the show failed to find an audience via linear TV or streaming.

EXCLUSIVE: Tom Swift has swiftly gotten the boot at CW.

Elizabeth M. Daley, Dean of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, announced today that the school’s First Jobs program has cleared the 1,000 mark for number of recent graduates it has helped place in paid entry-level entertainment industry positions. (The tally is currently at 1,019.) Some 64 alumni already have been promoted from positions they were originally hired for and/or have been hired again with the same employer.