‘Firefly’ Reunion? Morena Baccarin Would to Love to Appear on ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ With Gina Torres

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterMary J. Blige’s iconic ’90s song “Real Love” is being turned into a Lifetime movie, with the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul executive producing the made-for-TV film.One of her most beloved and memorable tracks, “Real Love” was Blige’s first song to hit the Top 10 and was certified gold two months after its release in 1992.Per Lifetime, in the coming-of-age romantic drama “Real Love,” Kendra sets off on her own for the first time to a college in upstate New York, determined to focus on her studies.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched “Fairytale Wedding,” the Feb. 28 episode of NBC’s “The Endgame.”NBC’s new high-octane crime drama “The Endgame” aired its second episode Monday, revealing many more compelling details about its leading ladies — Morena Baccarin’s international arms dealer/crime boss Elena Federova and Ryan Michelle Bathé’s FBI agent Val Turner — than it did in its week-ago series premiere.In the episode, “Fairytale Wedding,” we saw the titular nuptials go up in flames when the church where Elena and her now-husband Sergey Vodianov (Costa Ronin) were to be wed was blown up with everyone they loved inside.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched “In the Unlikely Event of an Emergency,” the Feb. 28 episode of “9-1-1: Lone Star.”Gwyn Morgan (Lisa Edelstein) went as far as she could with her son, T.K. Strand (Ronen Rubinstein), on Monday’s “9-1-1: Lone Star” before leaving him to go the rest of the way on his own — both in the past and the present.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Euphoria” is now HBO’s second-most-watched show since 2004 behind only “Game of Thrones,” per the pay TV channel.The Zendaya-led drama hit yet another series high with its Season 2 finale episode Sunday, drawing 6.6 million viewers. According to HBO, “Euphoria” Season 2 episodes are now averaging 16.3 million viewers, the best performance for any season of an HBO series other than “Game of Thrones” since 2004.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterMarna Grantham, senior vice president of programming acquisitions at Epix and a longtime TV industry veteran, has died due to complications related to COVID-19. She was 63.“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Marna twice, both at Turner Broadcasting and here at Epix,” Michael Wright, president of Epix and MGM Scripted Television, said in a statement to Variety Monday.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “In Perpetuity,” Friday’s episode of “Severance” on Apple TV Plus.“Forgive me for the harm I have caused this world. None may atone for my actions but me and only in me shall their stain live on.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterFox’s animation house Bento Box Entertainment has signed a development deal with former TruTV executives Chris Linn and Marissa Ronca, and their consulting firm Contrast Media.Under the pact, Linn and Ronca will work closely with Bento Box’s development department, advising on creative strategy, packaging and development of animated projects for Fox Entertainment and ad-supported streaming service Tubi, as well as third-party platforms.Additionally, the WarnerMedia alums — Linn the former president of TruTV and Ronca the cable network’s former executive vice president and head of original programming and development — “will offer support” regarding Bento Box’s NFT studio, Blockchain Creative Labs. “Chris and Marissa are fantastic executives whose work we’ve admired for quite some time,” Scott Greenberg, co-founder and CEO of Bento Box Entertainment, said.

Even with the 2022 Winter Olympics in the bag, NBC continues to dominate primetime.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Red vs. Blue,” Monday’s episode of “9-1-1: Lone Star.”Lisa Edelstein is exiting “9-1-1: Lone Star” after playing Gwyneth Morgan, the wife of Rob Lowe’s Chief Owen Strand and the mother of Ronen Rubinstein’s T.K. Strand, for two seasons on the Fox drama, Variety has learned exclusively.Edelstein’s departure was hinted at in the final moments of Monday’s episode of “Lone Star,” when T.K.

9-1-1 Lone Star's Rob Lowe inspired President Joe Biden's press secretary to return to politics.MORE: 9-1-1 Lone Star's Natacha Karam talks season three's 'personal drama'Jen Psaki appeared on the actor's podcast Literally! and shared that she binge watched his award-winning drama The West Wing in 2011 after she first left politics for public relations.WATCH: The West Wing: Josh Lyman visits Sam SeabornShe had previously been the deputy press secretary for President Barack Obama before he promoted her in 2009 to deputy communications director, the job Rob's character Sam Seaborn held for the first four years on the show.On the podcast she revealed that the show, created by Aaron Sorkin, "inspired so many people that I know to come here and be a part of this town and work in government."MORE: Rob Lowe delivers heartbreaking family news as famous friends reach out MORE: Everything you need to know about 9-1-1: Lone Star actor Rob Lowe's family "I don't know what prompted me to watch it but I binged the entire thing," she added of the decision to watch the show four years after it ended."In a crazy way, it really brought me back to politics.

, titled «The ATX-Files,» Owen (Rob Lowe) and Judd (Jim Parrack) take Wyatt (guest star Jackson Pace), Judd's teenage son he only recently found out about, alien hunting. But their search takes a different turn when they find two dead bodies.In the exclusive sneak peek, Judd goes to Owen and breaks the news to him that he has a son. Owen's reaction is of stunned silence as he asks for clarification.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Los Espookys” co-creator Julio Torres has signed a two-year first-look deal with HBO and HBO Max.Torres has two new projects already in development under the pact, “Little Films” (working title) and “Lucky,” the former of which he’s set to star in and is produced by Emma Stone.In “Little Films,” which has a production commitment at HBO, the former “Saturday Night Live” writer stars as himself. The potential show follows this version of Torres as he tells the tale of when he lost a golden oyster.

Chris Willman Music WriterThe maxim “everything’s bigger in Texas” most definitely applies when it comes to having an outsized per capita concentration of brilliant songwriters. So, it’s almost surprising to realize that it took until 2005 for a Texas Heritage Songwriters Association to be formed, for the purpose of finally founding a Hall of Fame.One key figure in its origins was a beloved Texan not everyone realizes had a reputation as “a lover of the song, and a friend to songwriters”: University of Texas football coach Darrell K.

Figure skater Nathan Chen brought glory to the United States on the ice during Monday’s primetime coverage of the 2022 Winter Olympics, shattering the world record in the men’s short program at the Beijing games. Nabbing 113.97 points, Chen brought in the highest short program score in figure skating history. Monday saw new highs for Chen and the winter sport, not for NBC’s fifth night of coverage, or at least in early numbers.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNBC says it has “resolved” a “third-party error” that was inhibiting Leslie Jones’ social media commentary on the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.“This was the result of a third-party error, and the situation has been resolved,” an NBC spokesperson told Variety on Tuesday. “She is free to do her social media posts as she has done in the past. She is a super fan of the Olympics, and we are super fans of her.”Some of the comedian’s posts were blocked because of restrictions on sharing recorded video on social media, with NBC’s rights to the Olympics — which cost them $7.75 billion through 2032 — being very strictly observed.Jones, an Olympics live-tweeter since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and a guest of NBC’s in Rio and at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, said in a statement tweeted Monday that she is “starting to feel like this should be my last Olympics I live-tweet.” “I know I know, another celebrity bitching.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Child Care,” Monday’s episode of “9-1-1: Lone Star.”Baby made three for Judd (Jim Parrack) and Grace (Sierra McClain) on last week’s “9-1-1: Lone Star” — and on Monday’s episode, an estranged teen son and his mother made five. Totally unbeknownst to Judd and Grace, he had a son Wyatt (Jackson Pace) with Marlene Harris (Robyn Lively), a barrel racer he can hardly remember having met at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo in 2005.On Monday’s “9-1-1: Lone Star,” that boy comes to find Judd with the help of an online DNA ancestry website and Judd and Grace, just getting the hang of taking care of newborn daughter Charlie following her birth at the tail end of the Fox drama’s weeks-long ice-storm plot.

9-1-1: Lone Star actor Jim Parrack, who plays Judd, broke down the crucial turning point in the firefighter's life, how he moves forward now that he is the father to children and what's next. My first thoughts were, «Man, that's good writing,» mostly because of the timing. Everybody just saw us welcome our daughter into the world and now it's almost immediately time to throw a wrench into all that and come up with some new problems to figure out.Yeah. Judd's first thoughts are of Grace and Charlie.

Former Fox Entertainment Head of Drama Charlie Andrews has joined Disney Branded Television as EVP, Live-Action and Alternative Television. He will be the No.2 on the creative side to Ayo Davis, President, Disney Branded Television, to whom he will report.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterAmazon significantly beat fourth-quarter 2021 earnings estimates but narrowly missed on revenue, reporting Thursday a profit gain of almost $12 billion thanks to its investment in electric car company Rivian.Net sales for the quarter were up 9% to $137.4 billion. After some favorable adjustments that excluded the $1.3 billion impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales increased to 10%.The tech giant revealed in its Q4 earnings results that it is hiking the price of its Prime service from $12.99 to $14.99.The company said: “With the continued expansion of Prime member benefits as well as the rise in wages and transportation costs, Amazon will increase the price of a Prime membership in the U.S., with the monthly fee going from $12.99 to $14.99, and the annual membership from $119 to $139.” Click here to sign up for Variety‘s free Strictly Business newsletter covering earnings, financial and investment news, and more.Wall Street analysts forecast earnings per share (EPS) of $3.58 on $137.56 billion in revenue, per Refinitiv data.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“9-1-1” and spinoff “9-1-1: Lone Star” will be reunited on Fox’s Monday primetime lineup when the O.G. show comes back from hiatus in March. When the two are once again airing in the back-to-back 8 and 9 p.m.