‘Cops Reloaded’ Acquired by Dan Abrams’ Law&Crime Network (EXCLUSIVE)

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer PlayStation has struck a deal to acquire game developer Firewalk Studios from ProbablyMonsters Inc, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced Thursday. Firewalk, which is currently developing an untitled AAA multiplayer game for Playstation 5 and PC, will collaborate alongside PlayStation brands including Bungie and Haven Interactive Studios to create constantly updated “live service” games for PlayStation consumers. Firewalk marks the 20th studio to join PlayStation Studios. The Bellevue, Washington-based company’s day-to-day operations for its 150-person team will continue to be run by Firewalk’s management, in collaboration with PlayStation Studios External Development team.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “The Good Doctor” has been renewed for a seventh season at ABC ahead of its Season 6 finale. The medical drama, which debuted in 2017, stars Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a young autistic surgeon who has savant syndrome and works in the surgical unit at the prestigious San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. Alongside Highmore, the “Good Doctor” cast includes Hill Harper as Dr. Marcus Andrews, Richard Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman, Fiona Gubelmann as Dr. Morgan Reznick, Will Yun Lee as Dr. Alex Park, Christina Chang as Dr. Audrey Lim, Paige Spara as Lea Dilallo, Bria Samoné Henderson as Dr. Jordan Allen and Noah Galvin as Dr. Asher Wolke.

EXCLUSIVE: LBI Entertainment has signed BAFTA Award-nominated writer, director and producer John Lee Hancock for management, Deadline has learned.

The Anne Rice Cinematic Universe is potentially getting bigger.

Vanderpump Rules alum Billie Lee isn’t picking sides when it comes to Scandoval, ET has learned. The 39-year-old reality star and Tom Sandoval were spotted together several times over the weekend, amid his breakup from Ariana Madix following his cheating scandal with Raquel Leviss. Lee was even photographed Monday morning leaving his home in the same clothes she wore the night before.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” is the most-watched program out of all ABC News launches to ever debut on Hulu, Variety has learned exclusively. According to ABC News, “Pretty Baby” ranks No. 1 in total hours streamed in its first week compared to all previous ABC News premieres on the streamer. Specific viewership data was not provided. Described as a “galvanizing look at actor, model and icon Brooke Shields as she transforms from a sexualized young girl to a woman discovering her power,” the two-part doc debuted April 3 on Hulu, following its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. “Holding a mirror up to a society that objectifies women and girls, her story shows the perils and triumphs of gaining agency in a hostile world.”

“Entertainment Tonight” showed Miller viral memes of herself so she could provide more context. In one instance, the outlet played an old clip of her crying and saying, “I feel like a whore.”“What the situation was is that the producers were asking me to do something, I didn’t want to do it,” Miller explained.She continued: “They said, ‘We’re not going to pay you, you’re going to be fined $80,000 or $10,000,’ And I said, ‘I’m not doing it.'” “They said, ‘Well, we’re going to fine you.’ So I probably did it, and I feel like a whore because I’m getting paid to do things I don’t want to do,” she added.The Post reached out to Lifetime, which airs “Dance Moms,” and Miller for comment.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery finally revealed the plans (and confirmed the long-rumored name) for its new streaming service, Max, which will combine offerings from HBO Max and Discovery+ into one product, during a splashy press presentation on the Warner Bros. Studio lot Wednesday. The event kicked off at 10 a.m. at the iconic Burbank location, presided over by WBD CEO David Zaslav, president and CEO of global streaming and games JB Perrette, HBO and HBO Max CEO and chairman Casey Bloys (who now also has oversight of Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network), and U.S. networks group chairman and chief content officer Kathleen Finch. Variety is on the scene, ready to fill you in on all the details about the new streamer, Warner Bros. Discovery’s direct-to-consumer strategy, the future of HBO and the standalone version of Discovery+.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” Paramount’s “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” HBO’s “The Last of Us” and Netflix’s “Arcane” are just the start of a new wave of movies and TV series based on popular video games and table-top gaming IP.

Jen Psaki spotlighted Sunday the changing talking points, and even hypocrisies, of several Donald Trump-supporting, MAGA Republicans when it comes to defunding the police. The five-minute “Inside With Jen Psaki” segment breaks down how, despite many elected officials rallying around “backing the blue” and heralding “law and order” in the 2020 aftershocks of George Floyd’s murder, the likes of House representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan — and even Florida Gov.

Jamie Lee Curtis is sharing her support and appreciation for Karol G after the singer revealed she felt very uncomfortable with her latest magazine cover, as it was pointed out that she was heavily edited. “I’m so happy that Karol G is bringing awareness to an issue I have been concerned about for a long time,” the Hollywood star wrote.The Colombian artist said she felt “disrespected,” after her “GQ magazine cover was made public,” explaining that she didn’t feel represented by the image, despite having shared her unconformities before it was published.“My face doesn’t look like that, my body doesn’t look like that and I feel very happy and comfortable with how I look naturally.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Fox Nation is moving further into reality TV with the launch of new series “The Real Hatfields & McCoys: Forever Feuding.” Launching April 24 on the Fox News-backed streaming service, the five-episode series “will spotlight the modern-day Hatfields and McCoys whose notoriously violence-ridden relationship has taken a contemporary twist. From the families’ brutal disputes in the 1800s to current 21st century issues, the program, set in West Virginia, highlights their ongoing rivalry.” Per Fox Nation, “Hatfield family members including Nancy Justus (the oldest surviving direct descendent of Devil Anse Hatfield), Missy Lester, Amber Bishop, Chad Bishop and Christopher Champagne will be featured on the program, while the McCoys’ Big Jim, Courtney Quick, Derek DeProspero, Casandra Champagne, James Quick and John Quick will appear.”

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Gordon Ramsay is looking to find a new culinary entrepreneur to financially back in his upcoming Fox competition “Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars,” and Variety has your first look at the food and drink industry execs who will be competing for the celeb chef’s $250,000 investment. Among those picked as contestants for the series, which debuts May 24 on Fox after the “MasterChef” Season 13 premiere, are the masterminds behind food brands and businesses including Fat Miilk, the Pepper app, Confetti Cakes baking kits, Snow Cone King, Happy Grub, Vegan AF, Pizza Girl, Smart Cups, Luther Bob’s and more. See the full list of competitors for “Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars” Season 1 below.

The reviews are in from the world premiere of Lee Cronin‘s “Evil Dead Rise” at SXSW 2023 last month. And the verdict? Pretty solid all around (although The Playlist’s review didn’t match the consensus).

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Hulu is adding three new titles to its growing lineup of original docs: “Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told,” “Queenmaker: The Making of An It Girl,” and “The Jewel Thief.” “Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told” “recounts the rise and fall of a small Atlanta HBCU picnic that exploded into an influential street party and spotlighted ATL as a major cultural stage,” per Hulu’s description. “Can the magic of Freaknik be brought back 40 years later? Executive producers include showrunner Geraldine L. Porras and director P Frank Williams, as well as Jermaine Dupri, Luther Campbell, Peter Bittenbender and Melissa Cooper for Mass Appeal, Eric Tomosunas for Swirl Films, Terry Ross and Alex Avant. Nikki Byles and Jay Allen are producers.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch could be called upon to testify in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit suit against Fox News and Fox Corp., per a Delaware judge who says he is not against calling upon the media moguls. If the attorneys for Dominion issue trial subpoenas to force a testimony from the Fox leaders, Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis said at a public hearing Wednesday he, “would not quash it and I would compel them to come,” per NBC News. “It would be my discretion that they come,” Davis said. Dominion’s attorneys requested in a letter to the court Wednesday that live testimony be required from Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, as well as Fox board member and former House Speaker Paul Ryan and Fox exec Viet Dinh. Davis approved the request to compel each of them to testify, according to NBC News.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “The Masked Singer” staple Ken Jeong is set to lead a new Fox single-cam sitcom based on Dan Harris’ popular book and podcast “10% Happier,” Variety has learned. Hailing from Lionsgate Television and Fox Entertainment, the comedy, which has a script-to-series commitment at the broadcaster, the centers on a family man and mid-level juice company executive who finds himself in a major life rut. After a panic attack at work, he has an epiphany where he realizes he needs to change everything about the way he lives in order to become…”10% Happier.” Apple’s “Acapulco” and Fox’s “The Cool Kids” writers and producers Michael Lisbe and Nate Reger are penning the script and executive producing alongside Jeong, author Harris, Brett Carducci and The Tannenbaum Company’s Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum and Jason Wang.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Food Network is adding a sixth series to its “Baking Championship” franchise with the launch of new seasonal competition “Summer Baking Championship,” Variety has learned. Currently comprised of “Kids Baking Championship,” “Holiday Baking Championship,” “Halloween Baking Championship,” “Spring Baking Championship” and the spinoff “Spring Baking Championship: Easter,” the franchise will grow by one upon the May 15 premiere of “Summer Baking Championship,” hosted by Palmer and with Duff Goldman, Carla Hall and Damaris Phillips set as judges. In two back-to-back episodes airing at 9 p.m. on Food Network and streaming on Discovery+, ten talented bakers from around the country tackle unique summer-themed baking challenges featuring the flavors, ingredients, and celebrations of the season for a chance to take home a $25,000 grand prize.

No drama here? Tommy Lee’s wife Brittany Furlan shut down rumors that she and Pamela Anderson aren’t on good terms.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Midseason CBS drama “True Lies” has been a solid early performer in both TV ratings and streaming viewership. Per CBS parent company Paramount, the streaming average minute audience (AMA) for the premiere episode of the Steve Howey and Ginger Gonzaga-led series ranks as CBS’s third-largest premiere this season on both Paramount+ and CBS TVE. Ahead of “True Lies” are the premieres for the second season of comedy powerhouse “Ghosts,” which sits at No. 1 on the list of CBS’ streaming debuts of the 2022-2023 season, and freshman drama “Fire Country.” Debuting on CBS March 1, the first season of “True Lies” is averaging 4.6 million total linear viewers across its first four weeks, based on the “most current” data stream from Nielsen, which includes a week’s worth of delayed viewing where available. With two weeks of (mostly DVR) playback, the “True Lies” premiere episode has risen to 5.73 million viewers, up 77% from the episode’s Live + Same Day audience.