‘Gattaca’ Series, Mandy Patinkin Show ‘Seasoned’ Among Projects Scrapped at Showtime

SAG-AFTRA strike marches on, networks are firming up their plans amid a dramatic downtick in active Hollywood productions with actors on the picket line. While the actors' strike has halted movies and scripted TV shows for the foreseeable future, it doesn't mean everything will be affected. Reality television, for the most part, will largely be unaffected, which will take center stage as the actors (and writers) continue to fight for better compensation, residuals and protective measures against the use of artificial intelligence.In response to the actors' strike, CBS on Monday shored up its fall schedule, relying heavily on supersized episodes of and to take it through the start of fall.

Lainey Wilson wishes "Yellowstone" would just "go on and on and on." The "Heart Like a Truck" singer spoke with Fox News Digital about her love for the Western TV series and how it has affected country music. "If it was up to me, it'd go on and on and on and on and on. I love me some ‘Yellowstone,’" Wilson shared.

"Yellowstone" fans criticized the Emmy voters for ignoring the Paramount Network Western series for a second year in a row. "Yellowstone" did not receive a single Emmy nomination this awards season, much to the dismay of the show's fans. "Succession" led the nominations this year with 27, while "The Last of Us" followed closely with 24.

Morgan Freeman had to skip the U.K. portion of his press tour for his new show this week after he came down with a contagious infection.  The 86-year-old actor was supposed to join co-stars Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman in promoting "Yellowstone" co-creator Taylor Sheridan’s new project "Special Ops: Lioness" about a female Marine recruited by the CIA.

the same thing hadn’t happened last year. Viewership for the soapy Western drama far outstrips anything else on cable or broadcast, but perhaps the ongoing alleged “feud” between series star Kevin Costner and “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan — the latter of the reported “God complex” — had supporters on both sides whispering to each other to slag off the other guy this time around.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Dan Harmon’s new animated series “Krapopolis” has set its long-awaited premiere date at Fox. The series will debut with a special two-episode preview on Sunday, Sept. 24 immediately following the NFL doubleheader that night. Fox has not announced its full fall schedule at the time of this publishing, but the network says that “Krapopolis” will make its regular timeslot premiere on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 8:30 pm ET/PT as part of the network’s “Animation Domination” block. “The Simpsons” will lead into the new show at 8 pm, followed by “Bob’s Burgers” at 9 pm and “Family Guy” at 9:30 pm.

Yellowstone.” It was reported that Costner might not be returning to the show after the conclusion of Season 5. The alleged reason behind this potential departure stems from differences between Costner and the series creator, Taylor Sheridan, concerning the actor’s filming commitments and scheduling conflicts.According to Entertainment Tonight, the ongoing mid-season break of “Yellowstone” has further fueled speculation.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter ESPN Films is working on a docuseries about the legendary Gracie family, Variety has learned exclusively. Titled “Gracie,” the series will delve deep into the family’s history and dissect how they became the founders of Brazilian jiu jitsu, which serves as a major cornerstone of modern mixed martial arts (MMA). The official description of the series states: “Featuring larger-than-life personalities, triumphs and tragedies, deep loyalties, passionate loves and deadly feuds, ‘Gracie’ will explore the essence of family, honor, legacy, and humanity’s innate desire to fight. Told through the eyes of key Gracie family members, the series will dive deep into an epic family saga that takes audiences from Scotland and Japan, to Brazil and America.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Sex Education” will now end with the upcoming Season 4 at Netflix. The final season of the popular series will debut on the streamer on Sept. 21. Netflix has also released the first teaser trailer for the new season, which can be seen below. Series creator, lead writer, and executive producer Laurie Nunn wrote in a letter to fans, “We are incredibly proud of ‘Sex Education’ and feel indebted to our brilliant writers, cast and crew who put so much heart into making every episode. They have worked tirelessly to bring you the final series, and we can’t wait to share it with you.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Insecure” is now officially available to stream on Netflix, the first HBO original to launch on the streamer under a new licensing deal with Warner Bros. Discovery. It was first reported on June 20 that WBD was in talks to license some of their original shows to Netflix. In addition, the streamer has confirmed that “Band of Brothers,” “The Pacific,” “Six Feet Under,” and “Ballers” will be coming to the service at a later date. “True Blood,” which also currently streams on Hulu, will be available to Netflix subscribers outside the U.S. All of the shows remain available to stream on Max (formerly HBO Max) as well. The deal marks the latest shift in content strategy at Warner Bros. Discovery under the David Zaslav regime. In January, Warner Bros. Discovery made licensing moves by partnering with Roku and Tubi to launch free, ad-supported channels with HBO shows. The FAST channels included all seasons of shows like “Westworld,” “Raised by Wolves,” “Legendary,” “FBoy Island,” “The Nevers,” “Finding Magic Mike,” “Head of the Class,” “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and more. In 2014, HBO and Amazon reached an exclusive licensing deal to stream shows like “the Sopranos,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “True Blood” and more on Amazon Prime Video.

Showtime has scrapped a number of greenlit originals including the series remake of Gattaca from Homeland co-creators Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa and Seasoned, a comedy starring real-life husband and wife Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Kevin Bacon is attached to star in a new Blumhouse Television series that has been ordered straight-to-series at Amazon’s Prime Video, Variety has learned. The action series is titled “The Bondsman.” The official logline states that it centers on Hub Halloran (Bacon), “a backwoods bounty hunter who comes back from the dead with an unexpected second chance at life, love, and a nearly-forgotten musical career — only to find that his old job now has a demonic new twist.” Amazon has ordered eight half-hour episodes. Production on the series will not begin until all guild negotiations have been resolved.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Reservation Dogs” will end with its upcoming third season. The FX series airs on Hulu, with Season 3 set to debut on Aug. 3 Series creator Sterlin Harjo made the announcement on his Instagram. “Aho young and old warriors!” he wrote. “Here it is: the coming third season of ‘Reservation Dogs’ will be the final season.” “That’s a difficult line to write and a more difficult decision to make,” he continued. “However, it’s the correct decision creatively for the show. I always knew what the end of this story would be, I just didn’t know when it would arrive. As we continued to break stories and write scripts this season, it became clear to the producers, Taika and me that the season three finale is the perfect series finale. When we came up with the idea for ‘Reservation Dogs,’ I didn’t think the show would ever get made, but thankfully it did.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Starz has released the first full trailer for “Heels” Season 2. The new season of the pro wrestling drama will drop on July 28 at midnight on the Starz App before its linear debut on Starz at 10 p.m.ET/PT that same day. In the trailer, Jack Spade (Stephen Amell) is dealing with the fallout from the events of the Season 1 finale, including a complete breakdown of his relationship with his brother Ace (Alexander Ludwig) as well as with his wife Staci (Alison Luff). Meanwhile, Crystal (Kelli Berglund) is itching to defend the DWL championship in the ring, while Charlie Gully (Mike O’Malley) is out for revenge against Jack and the DWL.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “From” has been renewed for Season 3 at MGM+. The news comes just four days after the Season 2 finale. The third season will consist of 10 episodes, like the previous two seasons, and is expected to premiere in 2024. Per MGM+, “From” is the second-most watched series in network history, behind only “Godfather of Harlem.” “The first two seasons of ‘From’ captivated critics and terrified and engaged fans, who have formed a thriving online community that is trying to put the pieces together week by week as the secrets of the nightmarish town—and possibly beyond—are slowly revealed,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “We can’t wait for fans to see the surprises ahead in Season Three, which promises more scares and mysteries, but also more answers.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Squid Game” Season 2 at Netflix is rounding out its cast, with the addition of eight new cast members. New additions to the second season of the international hit series are: Park Gyu-young (“Sweet Home”), Jo Yu-ri, Kang Ae-sim (“Be Melodramatic,” “Move to Heaven”), Lee David (“The Fortress,” “Svaha: The Sixth Finger”), Lee Jin-uk (“Sweet Home,” “Miss Granny”), Choi Seung-hyun (“Tazza: The Hidden Card,” “Commitment”), Roh Jae-won (“Missing Yoon,” “Ditto”), and Won Ji-an (“D.P.”). A picture of the new cast members can be seen below. Netflix previously announced that Yim Si-Wan, Kang Ha-Neul, Park Sung-Hoon, and Yang Dong-Geun would also be joining the new season alongside returning cast members Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Gong Yoo, and Wi Ha-jun.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Gillian Anderson has signed on to star in Kurt Sutter’s upcoming Netflix Western series “The Abandons,” Variety has learned exclusively. Anderson joins previously announced star Lena Headey in the show, which was first picked up to series at the streamer in October 2022. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, Anderson’s deal was in the works prior to the beginning of the writers’ strike but only recently closed. The official series description states: “As a group of diverse, outlier families pursue their Manifest Destiny in 1850s Oregon, a corrupt force of wealth and power, coveting their land, tries to force them out. These abandoned souls, the kind of lost souls living on the fringe of society, unite their tribes to form a family and fight back. In this bloody process, “justice” is stretched beyond the boundaries of the law.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter An “Among Us” animated series is in the works at CBS Studios, Variety has learned exclusively. The studio, via CBS Eye Animation Productions, has partnered with Innersloth, the independent game studio behind “Among Us,” to develop the series. Owen Dennis will serve as creator and executive producer on the project under his overall deal with CBS Studios. Per the official logline, the series is based on the premise of the game, namely, “Members of your crew have been replaced by an alien shapeshifter intent on causing confusion, sabotaging the ship, and killing everyone. Root out the ‘Impostor’ or fall victim to its murderous designs.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter WWE is expanding its relationship with broadcaster Jackie Redmond. The sports entertainment giant will now have Redmond serve as a backstage interviewer for “Monday Night Raw” alongside Byron Saxton, Variety has learned exclusively. In addition, Redmond will now serve as co-host of WWE’s premium live event kickoff shows alongside Kayla Braxton, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, and Pete Rosenberg. She will continue to do studio work for WWE, as she has with “Raw Talk” and “Talking Smack,” throughout the year. During the hockey season, Redmond will continue to work for NHL Network and WBD Sports. Cathy Kelley will now move to “SmackDown,” where she will join Kayla Braxton as a backstage interviewer. Megan Morant will host “Raw Talk,” “SmackDown LowDown,” international shows for television, and digital shows including the “Monday Night Raw” sidecast on Twitch.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “The Game,” “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies,” “Star Trek: Prodigy,” and “Queen of the Universe” have all been canceled at Paramount+. In addition, all four shows are set to be removed from the streaming service in the coming days. “The Paramount+ series ‘Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies,’ ‘Star Trek: Prodigy,’ ‘Queen of the Universe’ and ‘The Game’ have completed their runs on Paramount+ and will not be returning to the service,” a Paramount+ spokesperson said. “We want to extend our thanks to our tremendously talented cast and crew and our producing partners for their passionate work and dedication on these programs, and we wish them all the best on their future endeavors.”