Category: TV

EXCLUSIVE: A street shooting disrupted the filming schedule of the CW series All American Friday. According to sources, the drama had production set up in two Downtown Los Angeles locations for today. The unrelated shooting occurred in the vicinity of one of the locations, we hear. No one from the show was hurt.

Sources close to the production tell Deadline that crew members did not feel safe to continue following the incident. After learning about the situation and discussion it with the crew, out of an abundance of caution, All American studio Warner Bros. TV pulled all location work on the show for the day and moved filming back to the WB lot, sources said.

The incident in question is believed to have taken place in the 5800 block of S. Vermont Avenue at 9:04 a.m. According to LAPD, a 48-year-old male was walking in the alley when he was approached from behind by the 34-year-old male suspect. Following an altercation, the suspect shot the victim with a firearm before fleeing on foot—he remains at large. The victim was transported to a local hospital by LAFD and is in stable condition.

Reps for Warner Bros. TV declined to comment.

The series follows Daniel Ezra as Spencer James, a young football player from Crenshaw who is recruited to play for Beverly High School and must navigate his two vastly different worlds as they begin to collide. The series is currently in its fifth season, which finds Spencer in his second semester of college trying to help rebuild the school’s football program after their head coach is exposed for purposefully injuring opposing players.

The series also stars Taye Diggs, Bre-Z, Monet Mazur, Samantha Logan, Cody Christian, Hunter Clowdus, Michael Evans Behling, and Greta Onieogou.

All American, which was the CW’s number one linear series in adult 18-49, was recently renewed for a sixth season becoming the first scripted deal for the CW under its new owner, Nexstar.

Season 5 of the sports drama premiered on January 23 with new episodes airing on Monday nights at 8 p.m.

All American is executive produced by Nkechi Okoro Carroll, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, John A. Norris, Jameal Turner, Mike Herro, and David Strauss.

Nellie Andreeva contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: It was the live trivia game everyone wanted to play. If they could get the app to work.

HQ Trivia became a sensation not long after it was released for mobile platforms in 2017, promising cash prizes to users who could correctly answers a series of timed questions in rapid fire succession (eg. “What was the first successfully cloned animal?” Answer: sea urchin). But it eventually imploded, done in by constant technical problems and infighting among its key personnel.

The CNN Films documentary Glitch: The Rise and Fall of HQ Trivia explores what happened to the app that at one point attracted a million or more people at a time to its trivia contests. CNN Films released a trailer for the documentary today and announced it will premiere on CNN on Sunday, March 5. Glitch will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com and CNN OTT and mobile apps, or CNNgo (where available) and it will be available on demand beginning Monday, March 6, to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN apps, and cable operator platforms.

Glitch: The Rise and Fall of HQ Trivia, produced by Left/Right for CNN Films and HBO Max, is directed by Salima Koroma (Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street).

“HQ Trivia was supposed to ‘revolutionize television.’ But what happens when the people who are running it—’the smartest guys in the room’— don’t actually know what they’re doing?” Koroma said in a statement. “The CEOs who make the Vines and the WeWorks and the Twitters are hailed as the rock stars of our age. But a lot of them are simply emperors with no clothes on. It’s kind of absurd. And I wanted that absurdity to be felt all throughout the film.”

In a release, CNN Films noted, “[T]his timely documentary chronicles the tech-fueled rise and Fyre-style fall of HQ Trivia, the revolutionary ‘game show on your phone’ app that went viral, swept the nation, then crashed and burned. The global live-play game sensation drew millions of daily users to its frenetically fun trivia challenges and cash prizes, attracting celebrity fans including Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Neil Patrick Harris, Jimmy Kimmel, and Kelly Clarkson. But its success was undone by corporate clashes, cast changes, and a tragic death. Told through the eyes of former host Scott Rogowsky and other first-person players from inside and outside the company, the film documents the real-life comedy and tragedy that unfolded in front of and behind the cameras.”
 
Amy Entelis, executive vice president for talent and content development, CNN Worldwide, commented, “HQ Trivia was a national sensation that captured the zeitgeist, disrupting daily habits to an obsessive degree – and then suddenly it was over in a flash. CNN Films has developed a sweet spot for projects that uncover the stories behind the headlines, and we are delighted to work with the talented Salima Koroma to peel back the layers of this key moment in pop culture.”

Ken Druckerman and Banks Tarver of Left/Right serve as executive producers, alongside Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton for CNN Films. Dylan Abruscato and Brandon Teitel are co-executive producers. The film is produced by Olivia Snyder-Spak and Kevin Vargas.

Watch the trailer above. 

In what appears to be a new wave of layoffs, several senior scripted executives have left the broadcast network, including Gaye Hirsch, EVP, Development, who is departing after more than 15 years, and fellow CW veteran and head of department, Michael Roberts, who had been at the network (and its predecessor the WB) for 21 years, sources tell deadline.

Also said to be leaving alongside Hirsch and Roberts are Ellen Rand, SVP of Current Programming and Steve Tao, VP, Current Programming, I hear. The full extent of layoffs is unclear. Reps for the CW did not return calls and emails seeking comment.

The high-profile departures come three months after new CW owner, Nexstar, named former Pop TV topper Brad Schwartz as President of Entertainment.

In his first major executive move, he just hired former NBCUniversal executive Heather Olander as Head of Unscripted, an area that will have a big presence on the network in its new incarnation, along with lower cost scripted originals, acquisitions and live sports.

Olander’s appointment already clashed with Hirsch’s responsibilities as she had previously overseen both scripted and unscripted development.

Most of the CW’s current scripted lineup is not expected to return next season; so far only flagship drama All American has been renewed for next season.

Around 40 CW staffers were laid off in the first wave of cuts Nov.1, just before Schwartz was appointed to the top entertainment post.

Hirsch worked closely with former Chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz to develop series including The Flash, Arrow, Jane The Virgin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Riverdale.

She had overseen all scripted and alternative series development for the network, as well as current alternative series and specials.

Hirsch moved into scripted development at The CW in 2009, after serving in the network’s current programming department, where she oversaw the day-to-day production on CW series, including Gossip Girl. Before joining The CW, she served as a Senior Executive at Cruise/Wagner Productions since 2000 and worked in production at HBO Films.

Hirsch and Roberts’ departures were first reported by THR.

Peter White Contributed to this report.

Doctor Who’s latest regeneration represents “excellent commercial value,” according to BBC Studios boss Tom Fussell.

Sitting down for a wide-ranging interview with Deadline in mid-January, the CEO was describing the attention-grabbing deals his team struck with Bad Wolf Productions and Disney+ that have reshaped the Doctor’s future ahead of their 60th birthday. In short, they represent the future of a more aggressively commercial BBC Studios.

It was announced back in 2021 that BBC Studios would for the first time co-produce Doctor Who, with Bad Wolf joining the fray. As for distribution, BBC Studios has signed a global streaming agreement with Disney+, pulling back from existing territory licensing deals in the process.

The deals highlighted how the BBC Studios led by Fussell and BBC Director General Tim Davie is unashamedly and aggressively focused on generating more income for the UK’s leading public service broadcaster through all types of commercial deals, even for prized in-house IP like Doctor Who. In the past, conservatism has often led strategy.

The Disney+ deal marked an important milestone for Fussell and BBC Director General Tim Davie’s strategy to significantly grow commercial income. Last year at Mipcom, the pair took to the stage to tell delegates BBC Studios was now a “fully global operation.” The company is seeking to double in size by 2027 and last year it posted record profits of £226M ($278.6M) on revenues of £1.6BN ($2BN).

“Tim took on his role in September 2020 and from day one set out the strategy to grow commercial income – the BBC’s ‘Value for All’ strategy – and we own that as an executive,” said Fussell. “We are a BBC company with the BBC’s values at heart and a stamp of excellent of our programs, and we can use that to make money out of them. The BBC’s editorial standards are why people come to us globally.”

The surprise co-production agreement for Doctor Who with His Dark Material maker Bad Wolf included the return of Russell T. Davies, the showrunner who famously rebooted the six-decade-old franchise back in 2005. Davies will oversee the upcoming 60^th anniversary of the show, and Sex Education‘s Ncuti Gatwa has since been unveiled as the new Doctor.

The intrigue deepened last year when it Disney+ was unveiled as Doctor Who’s new international home. That agreement sees the show remain on the BBC network and iPlayer while moving to the Mouse House streamer internationally (excluding the UK and Ireland). The show had played on networks such as the ABC in Australia for decades (in the U.S. it had been on BBC America and HBO Max) but Fussell was clear about the commercial incentive for the new agreements. (He didn’t comment directly on the previous deals but sources within the BBC say the company “hugely values” those relationships and “continues to work closely with them across a range of content.”)

Reports estimated BBC Studios could lose around £40M ($49.3M) in production fees to the Bad Wolf co-production arrangement. Fussell — who took his role officially in October 2021 after an interim spell as BBC Studios CEO — said he said he saw “a lot of articles written at the time” of the Bad Wolf agreement and now offers a counter argument.

“I want to say both sides of the BBC are very happy. We have a brilliant showrunner in Russell T. Davies and a fantastic production partner in Bad Wolf, well known in scripted and in Hollywood,” he said. “The license fee payer still gets the show in the UK, it now has an enhanced budget and editorial value and BBC Studios is making a commercial reward. That ticks all the boxes.”

In particular, the Disney+ deal provides “an excellent commercial outcome for the BBC and BBC Studios.” No financial information has been provided but reading between the lines, the distribution agreement should offset loses elsewhere. It’s believed the show’s budget is set to increase from around £3M ($3.7M) per episode to circa £10M ($12.3M), and Fussell claimed there has been “no fallout whatsoever” from staff at BBC Studios Drama Productions over Bad Wolf.

Overall, industry watchers we’ve spoken to have largely given a thumb’s up to the new arrangement. “It’s progressive and will hopefully give the show a genuine creative refresh,” said one former BBC exec. “I’m sure the finance is off the charts,” added another source.

A fully global BBC Studios

One senior source said BBC Studios’ approach to Doctor Who was representative of a company embracing a more commercial future. Fussell, who has been with the organization since 2016 when he joined as CFO, has indeed been encouraging his staff to find new business lines to exploit.

They are eyeing local and international production acquisitions and talent deals, considering local BBC-branded production hub launches and pushing for more lucrative international licensing agreements such as those struck for Doctor Who and Aussie-made kids hit Bluey, which goes out through Disney+ internationally but is also on the BBC in the UK and the ABC in Australia. More formats deals for the likes of Luther, Ghosts and Doctor Foster, along with unscripted hit Strictly Come Dancing (aka Dancing with the Stars) add another arrow in the quiver.

With expansion in mind, the BBC Studios’ borrowing limit was increased from £350M ($430M) to £750M (£925M) in 2021. “We haven’t taken our debt over £350M yet but we have plans in due course to do so,” said Fussell. “That will be on acquisitions and investment in all areas. The mandate we have is very clear – to grow for the long-term future of the BBC.”

As part of those lofty goals, BBC Studios has been increasing its third-party commissions for the likes of Apple TV+, Warner Bros Discovery and NBCUniversal. It is still relatively nascent in this space, having only had the government go-ahead to make shows for rivals since 2017. More recently, it has launched a Kids and Family production arm that means the BBC can for the first time make shows for third-parties, while continuing to invest in money-making shows such as Bluey. BBC Children’s previously handled kids content production for kids channels CBeebies and CBBC.

Internationally, Managing Director for Scripted Mark Linsey is moving from London to L.A. as part of a plan to increase production business there. Former Fox television chairman Gary Newman has joined the Damon Buffini-led BBC Studios board to open doors in Hollywood.

BBC Studios will also continue buying stakes in independent producers, both in the UK and abroad, and is exploring the launch of BBC-branded bases in new territories. Last year, it invested in ex-Channel 4 content chief Kelly Webb-Lamb’s Mothership and Small Axe co-producer Turbine Studios among others. It also took full control of Killing Eve maker Sid Gentle Films, Firebird Pictures and unscripted company Voltage TV – a deal that marked the BBC’s first ever 100% acquisition. Talent deals were signed with the likes of My Octopus Teacher director James Reed.

BBC Studios Productions COO Martha Brass, a former Endemol Shine International boss, has been exploring options. “We’re doing our diligence,” said Fussell. “There are territories we’re having a look at, where we can grow but also be more successful running our own operations.”

“The main thing when we acquire is cultural fit,” he added. “I’ve learned that in other businesses I’ve been at and it’s a value I share with [BBC Studios Production CEO] Ralph Lee. When we understand the drive of the individuals who run the business and what value we can bring, then we look at a deal.”

Of course, these ambitious plans come at a tricky time. The BBC is under pressure to be a public service for the UK and much more commercially aggressive in the same breath, in a global market where streamers are tightening their belts and economies are shrinking. It’s no easy task but sources who know Fussell, a former Shine Group financial chief and commercial director for publishers Harper Collins UK and Random House, back his business acumen and relationships across the Corporation.

“His experience is more on the business than the creative side, but that might be exactly what BBC Studios needs right now – someone with a trusting relationship with BBC TV, in particular,” said one producer.

For Fussell the strategy is clear. “The key thing for us is the team across the board understands our commercial ambition,” he said. “We’re backed from the top by an extraordinary chairman in Damon Buffini and the board, and we’re uniquely placed to take advantage of that. There will no doubt be pressure on buying around the world, but we’ve already got a strong unscripted pipeline with documentaries and have a sweet spot in scripted.

“We don’t make $30M-40M an hour shows but ones that are smaller run, lower risk and uniquely British, like [upcoming HBO co-pro] Rain Dogs,” he added. “They drive new subscribers, so streamers want them around the world, and with a very good UK broadcaster and a tax credit attached, a lot of the budget is done before you start. That, and you get the BBC stamp of quality.”

The ongoing regeneration of BBC Studios is making for a fascinating story.

Finn Wolfhard isn’t holding back on his admiration for castmate Noah Schnapp, who revealed his sexual identity in a TikTok post last month.

“When I saw it, I just had a big smile on my face,” Wolfhard told GQ in a new interview published Wednesday. “I was just really proud of him.”

Wolfhard plays Mike Wheeler in the Netflix series, which is expected to start production on its fifth and final season in May.

“We’re not on everyday-text vibes in any way, and not because…do you text your cousins every day? Probably not. They’re our family. We’ll talk on each other’s birthdays. We’ll talk once in a while.

“But in the same way that family works, if I ever needed anything, they’re there,” he said.

American Cinemas Editors has cut together the nominees for its 73rd annual ACE Eddie Awards, which will be handed out next month. See the list for all 14 categories below.

Vying for the marquee prize of Best Edited Feature Film (Drama, Theatrical) prize are the editors behind All Quiet on the Western Front, Elvis, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick and The Woman King. The Comedy Theatrical race will be among The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Menu and Triangle of Sadness.

RELATED: 2023 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Oscars, Grammys, Guilds & More

Since the turn of the 21st century, the Eddie winner for theatrical drama has gone on to score the Academy Award for Best Editing 13 of 22 times — but none of the past three years. In 2022, King Richard took that ACE trophy, but Dune went home with the Oscar. Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, Everything Everywhere, Tár and Maverick are up for the Editing statuette as the Oscars on March 12.

Elsewhere today, the ACE race for Best Edited Animated Feature will see The Bad Guys, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Turning Red battling for the hardware. The Documentary category will feature All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Fire of Love, Good Night Oppy, Moonage Daydream and Navalny.

The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood is set to receive the 2023 ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, which recognizes a filmmaker who exemplifies distinguished achievement in the art and business of film. Film editors Lynne Willingham and Don Zimmerman are set for Career Achievement Awards.

The 73rd ACE Eddie Awards will be handed out March 5 during a ceremony at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Westwood. Here are your nominees:

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (Drama, Theatrical)

All Quiet on the Western Front
Sven Budelmann

Elvis
Matt Villa, Jonathan Redmond

Tár
Monika Willi

Top Gun: Maverick
Eddie Hamilton

The Woman King
Terilyn A. Shropshire

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (Comedy, Theatrical)

The Banshees of Inisherin
Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

Everything Everywhere All at Once
Paul Rogers

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Bob Ducsay

The Menu
Christopher Tellefsen

Triangle of Sadness
Ruben Östlund, Mikel Cee Karlsson

BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM (Theatrical or Non-Theatrical)

The Bad Guys
John Venzon

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Ken Schretzmann, Holly Klein

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Dean Fleischer-Camp, Nick Paley

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
James Ryan

Turning Red
Nicholas C. Smith

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (Theatrical)

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Amy Foote, Joe Bini, Brian A. Kates

Fire of Love
Erin Casper, Jocelyne Chaput

Good Night Oppy
Helen Kearns, Rejh Cabrera

Moonage Daydream
Brett Morgen

Navalny
Langdon Page, Maya Hawke

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (Non-Theatrical)

The Andy Warhol Diaries: “Collab: Andy & Basquiat”
Steve Ross

George Carlin’s American Dream
Joe Beshenkovsky

The Last Movie Stars: “Luck is an Art”
Barry Poltermann

Luci and Desi
Robert A. Martinez

Pelosi in the House
Geof Bartz

BEST EDITED MULTI-CAMERA COMEDY SERIES

The Conners: “Of Missing Minds and Missing Fries”
Brian Schnuckel

How I Met Your Father: “Timing Is Everything”
Susan Federman

The Neighborhood: “Welcome to the Art of Negotiation”
Chris Poulos

BEST EDITED SINGLE CAMERA COMEDY SERIES

Atlanta: “Andrew Wyeth. Alfred’s World.”
Kyle Reiter, Isaac Hagy

Barry: “710N”
Franky Guttman

Barry: “Starting Now”
Ali Greer

The Bear: “System”
Joanna Naugle

Only Murders in the Building: “I Know Who Did It”
Shelly Westerman, Payton Koch

BEST EDITED DRAMA SERIES

Andor: “One Way Out”
Simon Smith

Euphoria: “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird”
Aaron I. Butler, Julio Perez IV

Euphoria: “The Theater and Its Double”
Laura Zempel, Julio Perez IV, Nikola Boyanov

Severance: “In Perpetuity”
Geoffrey Richman, Erica Freed Marker

Severance: “The We We Are”
Geoffrey Richman

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (Non-Theatrical)

Fire Island
Brian A. Kates

Hocus Pocus 2
Julia Wong

A Jazzman’s Blues
Maysie Hoy

Prey
Angela M. Catanzaro, Claudia Castello

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Jamie Kennedy

BEST EDITED LIMITED SERIES

Gaslit: “Year of the Rat”
Joe Leonar

Obi-Wan Kenobi: “Part VI”
Kelley Dixon, Josh Earl

Station Eleven: “Unbroken Circle”
Anna Hauger, David Eisenberg, Yoni Reiss, Anthony McAfee

The White Lotus: “Abduction”
Heather Persons
The White Lotus: “Arrivederci”
John M. Valerio

BEST EDITED NON-SCRIPTED SERIES

Deadliest Catch: “Sailor’s Delight”
Isaiah Camp, Joe Mikan, Alexander Rubinow

Formula 1: Drive to Survive: “Hard Racing”
Cassie Bennitt, Matt Rudge, Duncan Moir, Nic Zimmerman, Jack Foxton, Neil Clarkson

Vice: “Killing for Success & Marcos Returns”
Paula Salhany, Brandon Kiefer, Andrew Pattison, Catherine Lee, Victoria Lesiw

BEST EDITED VARIETY TALK/SKETCH SHOW OR SPECIAL

A Black Lady Sketch Show: “Save My Edges, I’m A Donor!”
Stephanie Filo, Bradinn French, Taylor Mason, S. Robyn Wilson

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: “Police Interrogations”
Anthony Miale Ryan Barger

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman: “Volodymyr Zelenskyy Special”
Cori Wapnowska, Jon Higgins

BEST EDITED ANIMATED SERIES

Big Mouth: “Dadda Dia!”
Felipe Salazar

Bob’s Burgers: “Some Like It Bot Part 1: Eighth Grade Runner”
Jeremy Reuben

Love, Death & Robots: “Bad Travelling”
Kirk Baxter

ANNE V. COATES AWARD FOR STUDENT EDITING

Adriana Guevara, New York University
Jazmin Jamias, American Film Institute
Tianze Sun, American Film Institute

The possibility of a writers’ strike is one of the conversations dominating Hollywood right now, but Adam Conover, creator and star of truTV’s Adam Ruins Everything and a WGA West board member, has urged members to filter out “misinformation” and “provocative claims” ahead of talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

In a video posted to the WGA West’s YouTube page (see below), Conover, who also created Netflix’s limited series The G Word with Adam Conover, broke down what’s going to happen over the next few months ahead of May 1, when the guild’s basic agreement expires.

“For the past three years, our staff has been researching and analyzing industry trends and working with the board members and officers you elected to track member concerns. We do this through one-on-one conversations with members, organizing meetings, show visits and our member survey, every response to which is read by multiple staff and elected board members so that we know what you the members say your needs are,” he said.

The negotiating committee, on which he sits alongside the likes of David Simon, David Shore, Kay Cannon and Mike Schur, has been meeting since December to “sort through all this information to discuss potential bargaining proposals and to craft a set of broad objectives that reflect what members have been telling us they need”.

This is known as the Pattern of Demands. The last time there was a strike – in 2007/08 this was unveiled in May ahead of talks in July.

“However, the pattern is just a broad set of objectives. We need your feedback to make sure the specific proposals we’re crafting reflect your priorities, and we get that feedback at member meetings. As many of you already know, attending these meetings is one of the most powerful ways you can participate in our guilds’ democracy,” he added.

Conover revealed that writers’ meetings will begin in February.

After this, the negotiating committee will deliberate and finalize its proposals and send them to the AMPTP ahead of talks.

“Now be prepared, the AMPTP’s initial proposals always consist almost entirely of rollbacks and cuts to our compensation and other important protections and benefits,” he said.

As networks already start preparing for the worst-case scenario, such as NBC’s decision to hand an early renewal, and likely last season, to drama series La Brea, Conover said that the best way for writers to “avoid misinformation and to learn what’s actually happening is to stay in contact with our guild”.

“But the most important thing to remember is that we will not accept a deal or walk away from one without your vote and your input. We do these things together and we can’t do them without you,” he added.