How to Watch the Limited Series ‘And the Nominees Are…’ Panel With Writers Guild Award Nominees

EXCLUSIVE: In a bidding war that included a number of streamers and networks, FX has closed a deal for development of the six-episode limited series based on Blitz Bazawule’s upcoming debut novel The Scent of Burnt Flowers. Bazawule will write, direct and produce under his newly minted entity Inward Gaze, with Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II attached to star. Abdul-Mateen will also executive produce under his production shingle House Eleven10 alongside Macro Television Studios.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAs production on Season 2 of HBO’s “The White Lotus” continues in Sicily, Italy, the Television Academy has now confirmed that the show’s first season will nonetheless be eligible to compete as a limited series in this year’s Emmy Awards.The ruling comes even though original cast member Jennifer Coolidge is set to return for the seven-episode second installment of the hit series. Even though that would appear to make Season 2 a continuation of “The White Lotus,” and therefore a drama, the Academy ruled that it could still fall under its rules in the outstanding limited or anthology series category.That’s because, according to the org, “In this case, the reappearance in a subsequent ‘season’ of one character from a large ensemble does not prohibit eligibility based on Academy’s main criteria for limited series.” Coolidge, as wealthy hotel guest Tanya, was a supporting character in Season 1 — though, given the large ensemble cast, all of the show’s actors will be submitting in the supporting categories at the Emmys.It may be a bit of semantics, but the TV Academy stipulates that for a show to be considered a limited series, “the story arc must be completely resolved within its season, with no ongoing storyline and/or main characters in subsequent seasons.”Because Coolidge’s character is not a “main” character, it passes that test on a bit of a technicality.

EXCLUSIVE: C.J. Cooke’s supernatural family novel The Lighthouse Witches is set to be adapted into a television series after Studiocanal and The Picture Company landed the rights to the book.

Juliette Lewis has been tapped for a key role opposite Kumail Nanjiani and Murray Bartlett in the Hulu limited series Immigrant (working title), from Pam & Tommy creator Robert Siegel.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me” is a popular idiom dating back to the 19th century – but it couldn’t have foreseen the power of the text message. In 2017, an unprecedented “texting-suicide” trial made national headlines when Michelle Carter was accused of urging her boyfriend Conrad Roy III to end his own life.

BET has set a new four-part original limited series, Carl Weber’s The Black Hamptons, from The New York Times best-selling author of the same name and the executive producers of the popular BET+ original drama, The Family Business.

Celeb Five: Behind The Curtain.Starring the group consisting of prominent comedians Ahn Young-mi, Song Eun-yi, Kim Shin-young and Shin Bong-seon, the trailer begins with the quartet hearing from Song that the group had gotten an offer from Netflix to produce a new comedy show. It soon launches into a sequence of chaotic scenes from the group’s attempts to plan the comedy special supposedly commissioned by Netflix.The upcoming behind-the-scenes mockumentary, follows the four members of Celeb Five as they attempt to brainstorm new material for their next comedy show.

In what comes as no surprise given the running $301M global grossing success of The Batman, HBO Max has given a straight-to-series order to the pic’s spinoff series The Penguin which will see Colin Farrell reprising his villainous role from the pic as one of Gotham’s legendary kingpins.

EXCLUSIVE: Yeardley Smith’s Paperclip Ltd is looking to turn Tom Wood’s forensic science bestseller Ruxton: The First Modern Murder into an unscripted podcast and a limited scripted series.

CNBC anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin will host and produce a limited series for NBC News Now, the latest figure from NBCU’s broadcast and cable networks to provide content for the streaming service.

Hulu has set an April premiere date for FX limited series Under the Banner of Heaven, from Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black. Inspired by Jon Krakauer’s true crime bestseller, Under the Banner of Heaven, starring Oscar nominee Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones, will launch April 28 exclusively on Hulu in the U.S. It will follow on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ under the Star banner in all other territories. The premiere will feature the first two episodes, with a new episode available weekly for the next five weeks. FX also released a first-look photo above.

Sasha Urban editorThe Writers Guild of America, East will hold its annual “And the Nominees Are…” documentary contenders’ panel on March 8, with Variety hosting the livestream.The limited series panel will take place at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT and will be split into two parts, with the second one airing 45 minutes after the first.

EXCLUSIVE: Kal Penn has been tapped as a lead opposite Tim Allen and Elizabeth Mitchell in The Santa Clause, Disney+’s upcoming limited series, from Last Man Standing creator Jack Burditt.

EXCLUSIVE: Jason Winer (The Big Leap) has been tapped to direct Disney+’s upcoming The Santa Clause limited series starring Tim Allen. The Modern Family alum will also executive produce through his Small Dog Production Co. the series, which comes from Last Man Standing creator Jack Burditt.

Michael Douglas recently wrapped his Netflix series The Kominsky Method and he’s getting ready to head back to television right away!

King Richard. He’s been gathering Oscar buzz for months as he has inched closer toward collecting his golden man. He already picked up a Golden Globe for the sports drama, and this weekend he added his first SAG win – making his claim as a frontrunner for Best Actor at the Academy Awards.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMichael Douglas will star as U.S. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin in a new limited series for Apple, Variety has learned.The untitled series is based on the book “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America” by Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff. Kirk Ellis, the writer behind HBO’s “John Adams” series, will write the show for Apple and serve as an executive producer.Emmy-winning director Tim Van Patten will direct and executive produce.

Apple TV+ has officially confirmed a limited event series starring Michael Douglas as Benjamin Franklin. The Oscar winner executive produces the project about the American polymath, from John Adams writer-executive producer Kirk Ellis, TV director, writer and producer Tim Van Patten (Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos), Tony Krantz and his Flame Ventures and Richard Plepler’s Eden Productions under the company’s deal with Apple Studios. Based on Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff’s book A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, the series, which has been casting for the past couple of months, is a co-production between ITV Studios America and Apple Studios.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming Apple limited series “Manhunt” has added Anthony Boyle and Lovie Simone to its cast, Variety has learned.The pair join previously announced series lead Tobias Menzies. The show is based on the book “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer” by James Swanson.