Fox And NBCUniversal Upfronts Presenters Take Digs At Netflix And Disney “Paywall”

The head of Netflix is still behind two of the company’s most popular comedians.

Late-night hosts are brought in by networks to provide comic relief at their upfront presentations. But turns out Seth Meyers was only half joking when he told the thousands who had packed Radio City Music Hall for NBCUniversal’s presentation, “What a historic room to be able to tell people you got Covid in.”

Naman Ramachandran Netflix has boarded “Darlings,” headlined by top Bollywood star Alia Bhatt and directed by feature debutant Jasmeet K. Reen.Written by Reen, Parveez Sheikh (“Queen”) and Vijay Maurya (Disney+ Hotstar series “The Great Indian Murder”), “Darlings” is billed as a dark comedy which explores the lives of a mother-daughter duo trying to find their place in Mumbai, seeking courage and love in exceptional circumstances while fighting against all odds.The film is produced by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and Bhatt’s Eternal Sunshine Productions.

Ricky Gervais dropped by “Late Night with Seth Meyers” this week, where the conversation gravitated to future medical technology that could allow someone’s head to be cryogenically frozen and later grafted onto a new body.

Netflix has snagged a very royal reality series!

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeEmmy FYC events are back — and boy, are they ever back. After two years of mostly virtual panels — with some drive-in events in the mix — networks and studios were once again given permission by the Television Academy this year to swing the doors open and hold in-person panels, screenings and experiences.And perhaps tired of watching panels at home while eating food delivery meals, TV Academy members also appear ready to hop in their cars and join the FYC gauntlet in person. They have plenty of choices: Given the sheer volume of Emmy contenders eager for an FYC slot, there can be up to four events per day — two 5 p.m.

Unlike the upfronts themselves, Jimmy Kimmel was not back on-stage live in NYC today for the first time since 2019. Having tested positive for Covid-19 again, the late-night host had to change plans and appear virtually to take a flamethrower to some of Disney’s executives, streaming dreams, and offerings old and new.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorJimmy Kimmel had zingers aplenty for companies across the TV spectrum at Disney’s upfront presentation on Tuesday, even though a positive COVID test kept the late-night host from appearing in person.As always, Kimmel didn’t hold back at his bosses in his 10-minute standup bit that was beamed in live to the event held in a giant tent at Manhattan’s Pier 36. He noted that he’s been doing his much-anticipated comedy bits for 19 years.

Ava DuVernay’s Wings of Fire, an animated series adaptation of the family fantasy books which had been in development at Netflix since 2021, is the latest victim of animation cuts at the streamer, sources close to the project confirm to Deadline. We hear several other projects are not moving forward as well.

A Rhode Island dog whose inspiring story of going from shelter dog to lifesaving police K-9 which became the subject of a recent Netflix movie has been euthanized.

McG, who has been busy producing movies for Netflix, returned to broadcast television this season with three pilots on three different networks for his Wonderland Sound and Vision banner, True Lies, based on James Cameron’s 1994 movie, on CBS; Not Dead Yet starring Gina Rodriguez on ABC; and the Jensen Ackles-produced Supernatural prequel The Winchesters on the CW. Over the last couple of days, all three were picked up to series. Additionally, BET+ just picked up Wonderland’s series Average Joe, created by Robb Cullen and starring Deon Cole.

Every year around this time – Saturday Night Live’s finale is May 21 – the rumor mill starts as to how the venerable comedy variety series will look next year.

When the dust settled after a frantic day today, the CW was left with 11 original scripted series — new and returning — on tap for next season. That is down from from 19 (including Stargirl whose future is unclear) picked up for the 2021-22 season last year.

Canadian unscripted producer Sean Connolly has set up his own production business and tied up a multi-year strategic deal with compatriot firm Great Pacific Media.

Robbie Praw, VP of Stand-up and Comedy Formats at Netflix, announced on Monday that the streamer will be showcasing highlights from the 11-day “Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival” stand-up comedy event held in Los Angeles, including Pete Davidson riffing on Kanye West’s bizarre social media onslaught, Amy Schumer telling a joke she wasn’t allowed to do at the Oscars, and David Letterman commenting on the recent attack on Dave Chappelle.The month-long comedy rollout begins with “The Hall: Honoring the Greats of Stand-Up,” on May 19, which has John Mulaney paying tribute to Robin Williams, Dave Chappelle on Richard Pryor, Chelsea Handler on Joan Rivers and Jon Stewart to George Carlin. The remaining programs are as follows:Also coming up is a Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias special filmed in front of Netflix’s largest-ever audience at a sold-out Dodger Stadium.“These shows represent some of the best work we’ve done at Netflix, with the best comedic talent on the planet. We’re so grateful to everyone who performed, helping to create the biggest comedy festival in U.S.

In “The Gray Man”, Ryan Gosling is playing a different kind of hero.

Amy Schumer broke out some more of the jokes she couldn’t say at the Oscars!