‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ Creator Robin Thede Signs HBO Overall Deal

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPat McAfee is staying in business with WWE.The sports entertainment giant has announced that McAfee has signed a multi-year extension of his contract. He will continue to serve as a member of the commentary team on “SmackDown Live” alongside Michael Cole. Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed.“Very few can transition from professional athletics to entertainment the way [Pat McAfee] has,” Paul “Triple H” Levesque wrote on Twitter.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple’s limited series adaptation of “Lady in the Lake” has rounded out its cast.Byron Bowers (“Irma Vep,” “Kimi,” “No Sudden Move,” “Honey Boy”), Josiah Cross-Wiggins (“A Thousand and One,” “King Richard,” “Masters of the Air”), Mike Epps (“The Upshaws,” “Survivor’s Remorse”), Noah Jupe (“Franklin,” “Honey Boy,” “A Quiet Place”), and Pruitt Taylor Vince (“Bird Box,” “Gotti”) are the latest additions to the series. They join previously announced cast members Natalie Portman, ’Lan Noel, Mikey Madison and Brett Gelman, as well as Moses Ingram. The series is an adaptation of Laura Lippman’s novel of the same name.

came out as gay.“I rebelled against it my whole life,” he said at the time. “I thought I’d never, ever come out.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterGet Lifted Film Co. has entered a multi-year overall deal for scripted content at UCP.

Selome Hailu Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams, comedian and creator of “The Ms. Pat Show,” has signed a multi-year overall deal with BET.Under the deal, Ms.

BET has signed comedian, actress and producer Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams to a multi-year overall deal under which she will produce, write and perform in new series and other projects—both scripted and unscripted— across BET and Paramount Global.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBrett Goldstein has signed with WME for representation, Variety has learned. He continues to be repped by Mosaic and Hansen Jacobson in the US, as well as B-Side Management and LARK in the UK.Goldstein is best known to American audiences for his breakout role as veteran footballer turned coach Roy Kent in the Apple sports comedy series “Ted Lasso.” He won the Emmy Award for best supporting actor in a comedy for his work on the show’s first season, with Season 2 also expected to pick up nominations when they are announced next week.Goldstein is also a writer on the show and won two WGA Awards along with the rest of the writing team on the series.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Time Traveler’s Wife” has been canceled after one season at HBO, Variety has confirmed.The series was based on the book of the same name by Audrey Niffenegger. The six-episode first and only season debuted on HBO in May with the finale airing on June 19.“Though HBO will not be moving forward with a second season of ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife,’ it was our privilege to partner with master storytellers Steven Moffat and David Nutter,” an HBO spokesperson said in a statement.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple’s upcoming live-action series about Godzilla and the Titans has added its first five cast members, Variety has learned.Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski have all joined the untitled series, which hails from Legendary Television.In the show, following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are real, one family journeys to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch.Sawai (“Pachinko,” “F9”) will star as Cate, a former schoolteacher and a G-Day survivor. She travels to Japan to settle family affairs but instead uncovers a family secret.

EXCLUSIVE: After parting ways for a brief time, Michael Bay and Brad Fuller are teaming back up with Fuller returning to Platinum Dunes and the producing duo signing an overall deal with Universal Pictures. With more than $2.7 billion in box office grosses since its founding in 2001, the Company’s credits include some of the most iconic genre films in recent history: the reinvigorated Texas Chainsaw Massacre series; the critically and commercially-acclaimed A Quiet Place: Parts I & II; as well as Universal Pictures’ successful The Purge and Ouija franchises. Today’s announcement was made by Universal Pictures President, Peter Cramer.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterKate Winslet is returning to HBO, with the acclaimed actress set to star in a limited series for the network based on Hernan Diaz’s novel “Trust.”The rights to the novel were acquired by HBO in a competitive situation. The series is currently in development with the search on for a writer to adapt the book for the screen.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMelissa Benoist and her Three Things Productions banner have renewed their overall deal with Warner Bros. Television.In addition, Benoist has officially signed on to star in and produce the upcoming HBO Max-WBTV series “The Girls on the Bus.” She was first reported as being in talks for the series back in February.Under the terms of the overall deal, Benoist and Three Things will continue to develop and produce programming across all platforms for WBTV. Benoist runs three things with Sahar Kashi, the company’s vice president of development.“The Girls on the Bus” is inspired by a chapter in Amy Chozick’s book “Chasing Hillary.” Benoist will play Sadie McCarthy, a journalist who romanticizes the original “Boys on the Bus” and who scrapped her whole life for her own shot at covering a presidential campaign for the paper of record.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple has struck a multi-year first-look deal with Animal Pictures, the production company run by Maya Rudolph, Natasha Lyonne and Danielle Renfrew Behrens.The announcement of the deal comes after the premiere of “Loot,” the Apple comedy series in which Rudolph stars and executive produces. Under the terms of the deal, Apple will now have a first-look at all series and digital features developed and produced by Animal Pictures.In addition to “Loot,” Animal Pictures has Lyonne’s second season of “Russian Doll” at Netflix and Rian Johnson’s mystery “Poker Face” and a two-season order of adult animated series “The Hospital” created by Cirocco Dunlap.

EXCLUSIVE: Time to update the Pink Lady Pledge to act cool, look cool, be cool … and snag an overall deal.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMoses Ingram has signed on to star opposite Natalie Portman in the Apple limited series “Lady in the Lake.”Ingram takes over the role of Cleo Sherwood in the series from Lupita Nyong’o, whom Variety exclusively reported had exited the show after production had already begun.This is the latest high-profile TV role for Ingram, who is fresh off her starring turn in the Disney+ “Star Wars” series “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Ingram is also known for appearing in the hit Netflix show “The Queen’s Gambit,” for which she received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actress in a limited series. On the feature side, she has starred in projects like “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (which streams on Apple), “Ambulance,” and “The Same Storm.” She is repped by Innovative Artists, Authentic Talent and Literary Management, Viewpoint, and Fox RothschildAlong with Ingram and Portman, the cast of “Lady in the Lake” includes Y’Lan Noel, Mikey Madison and Brett Gelman.

previous one with WBTV, signed back in 2020.Thede’s current projects include the acclaimed “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” which was renewed for a fourth season earlier this month. Starring, created, showrun, executive produced and written by Thede, the historic sketch series is made entirely by and for Black women, whose skits touch on topics like sex, relationships, religion and social norms.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJosh Richards has entered into a first-look deal with Amazon, Variety has learned exclusively.Under the terms of the deal, he will act as a brand ambassador for the streamer and will develop custom social media for its content, including the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football.” The pro football league signed an 11-year deal with Amazon in 2021 for the rights to the Thursday night games, with this fall’s season being the first under the deal.“We are extremely excited to welcome Josh and his incredible team into the Amazon Studios and Prime Video fold,” said Lee Stimmel, head of influencer marketing for Amazon’s Prime Video. “Josh has an amazing track record of creating engaging content that resonates with his millions of fans.

The Morning Show executive producer and director Mimi Leder is sticking around Apple TV+. The Emmy-winning filmmaker (On The Basis of Sex, ER) has signed a multi-year, overall deal with the streamer.

Robin Thede is staying in the Warner Bros. Discovery family.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMimi Leder has signed a multi-year overall deal with Apple, Variety has learned.Leder is currently an executive producer on the Apple drama series “The Morning Show.” She has also directed multiple episodes of the series, including the pilot. The show was renewed for a third season earlier this year, which is currently in production.