Fox‘s Michael Thorn on the End of Pilots, ’Animal Control’ Expectations and Whether a Third ‘9-1-1’ Is In the Works

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Holy DC synergy! “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” stars Dame Helen Mirren and Zachary Levi will pop up on tonight’s episode of “The Masked Singer,” which is being billed as “DC Superheroes Night.” Variety has a first look at their appearance; scroll down to watch. Also appearing will be DC chief creative officer Jim Lee. All three will pop up to offer “superclues” about some of the night’s contestants. Mirren and Levi, who appear remotely on screen and not in person, present clues for two of the night’s contestants, “Gargoyle” and “Wolf,” while Lee presents a clue for “Squirrel.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large After conquering primetime, Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer have their sights on prime beef. (Not to mention chicken, pork and everything else.) The actors are partnering to launch their own barbecue label, AC Barbeque, and will document their quest to perfect the skill of the grill via the new A&E Network series “Kings of BBQ.” The series, which is still being developed under that working title, will follow the pals as they travel the country looking for advice and techniques from barbeque experts. A&E announced the greenlight of the 10-episode unscripted series on Wednesday as part of a flurry of news tied to its upfront meetings with advertisers.

EXCLUSIVE: Fox Entertainment has announced the names of the five Fellows for the 2023 Fox Writers Incubator (FWI), an initiative designed to nurture diverse and creative voices, as well as provide training to five writers of all genres, including comedy, drama and animation.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large As former The CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz gets back into the production business, he has sign on with CAA for representation, the tenpercentary announced on Thursday. Pedowitz has revived his shingle, Pine Street Entertainment, which is represented by CAA as part of the arrangement. Pedowitz announced his departure from The CW in October, following Nexstar Media Group’s acquisition of the network from its previous joint operators CBS and Warner Bros. (Those two entities maintain minority stakes in The CW, but Nexstar is now the majority owner and operator.) In reviving Pine Street Entertainment, Pedowitz is bringing back his independent production company that produced CBS’ “The Crazy Ones” (starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Robin Williams), as well as a number of development projects.

Krapopolis could spawn Fox’s next iconic animated figure to sit alongside Homer Simpson, Bob Belcher and Peter Griffin, according to the network’s President of Scripted Programming Michael Thorn.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 9, episode 3 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired March 1 on Fox. “The Masked Singer” is like a jungle sometimes, it makes you wonder how you keep from going under. On Wednesday’s episode, rap legend Grandmaster Flash was trying not to be pushed, since he was so close to the edge. But despite trying not to, he lost his head. Grandmaster Flash was the latest celebrity to be unmasked on Season 9 of “The Masked Singer,” revealed as the Polar Bear. The hip-hop pioneer sang “Rapture,” by Blondie. And there’s quite a connection there.

Ellise Shafer In an unprecedented move, Fox has renewed Dan Harmon’s upcoming animated comedy “Krapopolis” for a third season ahead of its series premiere. Additionally, the premiere of the show — which was most recently set for May — has now been pushed to the 2023-2024 season. The news was announced by Michael Thorn, president of scripted programming at Fox Entertainment, at the London TV Screenings on Wednesday. “The 2023-24 season is the perfect launching pad for this highly-anticipated and very funny animated comedy, complete with multiple seasons of epic laughs for fans,” Thorn said. “The more we see from production, the more excited we are about their creativity, story arcs, flawless execution, brilliant voice cast and ability to pump out episode after episode of astonishing events and outrageous, unexpected hilarity.”

EXCLUSIVE: Krapopolis has scored a third season renewal before a frame of the animated series has been seen by the viewing public.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Reelz, the small independent cable network behind the live P.D. series “On Patrol: Live,” has landed distribution on Peacock. Reelz’s linear feed will be available to Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus subscribers starting March 1. Some Reelz library content, including next-day episodes of “On Patrol: Live,” will also be available on-demand on the platform. Reelz programming also includes “On Patrol: First Shift,” “Jail,” “Cops,” “Autopsy: The Last Hours of…” and more. The deal means Peacock subscribers will be able to stream “On Patrol: Live” on Peacock as it airs live on Reelz every Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to midnight ET.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large There have been a lot of TV crossover episodes over the years, but this may be the most unique one yet: PBS’ “Finding Your Roots” and host Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. will make a major appearance on Fox’s “The Simpsons” this Sunday. Variety has an exclusive first look at Gates’ appearance; scroll down for more. Gates is a major guest star on “The Simpsons” episode that airs Sunday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. ET. The episode, “Carl Carlsen Rides Again,” centers on Homer Simpson’s colleague at the nuclear power plant (and Lenny’s best friend) Carl, who delves into his racial identity for the first time. On the episode, Carl discovers his background by going on “Finding Your Roots.”

Last year, Fox’s in-person Upfront event at the Skylight venue in New York surprised ad buyers with a largely pre-recorded video led by then-boss Charlie Collier.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Production on Season 3 of HBO Max’s Emmy-winning comedy “Hacks” has paused as star Jean Smart recovers from a heart procedure. Smart revealed on Thursday that she had successfully undergone the procedure and was doing well. “February is American Heart Month — a time when the nation spotlights heart health, so it feels important to share with all of you that I am recovering from a recent, successful heart procedure,” Smart wrote on her Instagram account. “I am fortunate to have excellent professional care and support from family and friends while I continue to recuperate. Please listen to your body and talk to your doctor — I’m very glad I did!”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 9 season premiere of “The Masked Singer,” which aired Feb. 22 on Fox. The Winner Takes It All: “The Masked Singer” paid tribute to Swedish super group ABBA on Wednesday — and unmasked two 1980s icons in the process. Pop ingenue Debbie Gibson, who first hit it big in 1987 as a 17-year-old sensation who wrote and sang her own songs, was unmasked as the Night Owl, while comedian and “America’s Got Talent” judge Howie Mandel — who rose to recognition on the 1980s medical drama “St. Elsewhere” — was revealed to be the Rock Lobster. Gibson was a last-minute addition to the episode after the celebrity who was originally set to appear had to exit after testing positive for COVID. With less than 24 hours to taping, Gibson agreed to step in.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Just days after Warner Bros. announced the cancellation of “Judge Mathis” after 24 seasons, Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group has scooped up the services of Judge Greg Mathis to host a new first-run one-hour strip for fall 2023. “Mathis Court with Judge Mathis” has been given a “firm go” by Allen Media Group, which is now pitching the show for broadcast, cable and distribution platforms.In addition to broadcast syndication, the show will join Allen Media Group’s eight court series are carried on its television network Justice Central, available in more than 50 million U.S. homes. Allen Media Group’s “America’s Court with Judge Ross” (which premiered in fall 2010), as well as “Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez,” “Justice with Judge Mablean,” “Supreme Justice with Judge Karen,” “The Verdict with Judge Hatchett,” “We the People with Judge Lauren Lake” and “Equal Justice with Judge Eboni K. Williams.” (“Equal Justice” also premieres in fall 2023.) “Judge Greg Mathis is an outstanding, charismatic, and iconic television host, and we are extremely confident that our eighth and newest court series with Judge Mathis will be very successful for years to come as he joins our outstanding roster of talent, including Judge Kevin Ross, Judge Mablean Ephriam, Judge Christina Perez, Judge Karen Mills-Francis, Judge Glenda Hatchett, Judge Lauren Lake, and Judge Eboni K. Williams,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group, which produces and distributes globally.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large No lie, “Poker Face” will enter the Emmy awards race as a comedy. The show is an hour-long whodunit but also contains plenty of comedic elements, which is why Peacock has decided to enter it in that lane. News comes as awards consultants across town make the final decision on where to place their programs, as the Television Academy officially opens this year’s Emmy submissions starting Feb. 21. For example, on Friday, Variety exclusively reported that HBO’s “The White Lotus” would submit in the drama space, after the TV Academy ruled that it no longer qualified as a limited series (due to the return of star Jennifer Coolidge) In the case of “Poker Face,” the decision to enter in comedy comes as the show continues earn strong reviews from critics. “Poker Face” is currently “99% certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite its whodunit nature, insiders note that Lyonne is widely seen as a comedic actor — her previous series, Netflix’s “Russian Doll,” also mixed comedy and drama but was entered in comedy categories (receiving nominations in 2019 for best comedy and lead comedy actress, for Lyonne, as well as for two different episodes in comedy writing).

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large As Showtime prepares to launch Season 2 of its hit thriller “Yellowjackets,” the network is bringing the show to Austin’s South by Southwest festival next month via a three-day interactive popup. “Camp Yellowjackets” will open the first weekend of SXSW, from Friday, March 10 to Sunday, March 12, at the Fair Market in Austin. The installation kicks off with a private opening event on Friday, and then will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT on Saturday and Sunday. The “Camp Yellowjackets” experience will create the look of a 1990s-era summer camp that has been abandoned. Visitors will be able to spot hidden Easter eggs from the show while exploring the campsite. Among the activities on site will be ax throwing, BBQ and specialty cocktails. Fans can sign up to attend at CampYellowjackets.com.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large There aren’t many new print publications being launched in this tough media climate, but the company behind TV Guide Magazine is trying just that. The team behind TV Guide Magazine (owned since 2015 by Michigan-based NTVB Media) have launched a new magazine focused on the TV streaming platforms, hitting newsstands this week. The new monthly magazine, TV Insider, features content from the TV Guide Magazine staff — but jettisons the 70-year-old publication’s listings, instead focusing on more coverage of TV programming. The first issue, which has a March 2023 date, features Kiefer Sutherland (star of Paramount+’s new series “Rabbit Hole,” which premieres March 26) on the cover. Peacock’s breakout hit “Poker Face” star Natasha Lyonne will follow up as the April issue’s cover star.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The DGA Awards are under way at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills. In TV, “Severance,” “Station Eleven” and “The Daily Show” were among the frontrunners (with two nods each), while Steven Spielberg was gunning for his fourth trophy, for the semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans.” But also in the hunt are Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the duo behind the sci-fi comedy “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” At the DGA, Spielberg holds the record for the most nominations and wins, at 13 and three, respectively. The DGA boasts a voting body of around 19,000 members. Over its 75-year history, the DGA Awards has been the most reliable barometer for the Oscars’ best director prize. Only eight DGA winners have failed to walk away with the Academy Award, most recently Sam Mendes (“1917”), who lost to Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) in 2020.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The verdict is in: Syndicated court staples “Judge Mathis” and “The People’s Court” will both end their run at the end of this season, Variety has confirmed. “Judge Mathis” will wrap after 24 seasons, while this most recent iteration of “The People’s Court” wraps after its 26th season. Season 24 and Season 26, respectively.  Both shows come from Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Telepictures Productions and are distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. According to insiders, the decision was made due to the declining nature of the daytime syndication landscape. As local TV stations shrink their syndication dollars and the advertising marketplace shrinks for daytime syndication, first-run syndication has become a trickier landscape. At the same time, station groups have been expanding their local news broadcasts, also in a bid to save money.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Weeks after helping his Kansas City Chiefs team win the Super Bowl in Arizona, tight end Travis Kelce will travel to New York to host “Saturday Night Live” on March 4. A week later followed by breakout “Wednesday” star Jenna Ortega on March 11. But first up, as previously announced, Woody Harrelson will return to the “Saturday Night Live” stage to host for a fifth time on Feb. 25. He leads the next batch of hosts as “SNL” returns at the end of the month for three consecutive weeks. Musical guests for those nights include Jack White (Feb. 25), Kelsea Ballerini (March 4) and The 1975 (March 11). Harrelson will host while promoting the new film “Champions,” in theaters March 10. In the film, from Bobby Farrelly, Harrelson plays a minor-league basketball coach who gets fired and then winds up in legal trouble. As part of a community service requirement, he coaches a Special Olympics basketball team.