Keegan-Michael Key, Johnny Knoxville to Star in Hulu Comedy Pilot From Steve Levitan, John Enbom

Joe Otterson TV ReporterShowtime’s co-presidents of entertainment, Gary Levine and Jana Winograde, addressed moving the “Halo” series to Paramount Plus during a virtual TCA session on Tuesday.“The truth is that [“Halo”] was always a bit of an outlier for us in terms of its fit in the Showtime universe,” Winograde said. “And we did an amazing job of imbuing into the series, the character drama that we’re so well known for.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterShowtime has ordered a drama pilot inspired by the life of Rebecca Bender, a national leader on and survivor of sex trafficking, Variety has learned.The pilot is titled “Coercion.” It hails from Susannah Grant, with Sydney Chandler attached to star.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJenifer Lewis has joined the upcoming Showtime comedy series “I Love This For You.”Lewis joins previously announced series lead Vanessa Bayer and cast members Molly Shannon, Paul James, Ayden Mayeri, Matt Rogers, and Punam Patel.Inspired by Bayer’s own story of overcoming childhood leukemia, the series centers on Joanna Gold (Bayer) who dreams of becoming a host at a home-shopping channel.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSummerSlam 2021 is set to feature a major confrontation between top WWE superstars Roman Reigns and John Cena.Reigns has earned considerable praise of late since turning heel (becoming a bad guy in pro wrestling parlance), while Cena remains one of the top babyfaces (good guys) of all time.“As you know, your villain is only as good as your hero, and your hero is only as good as your villain,” WWE president and chief revenue officer Nick Khan told Variety.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Painting with John” has been renewed for Season 2 at HBO, Variety has learned.Season one of the unscripted series featured musician, actor, director and painter John Lurie ensconced at his worktable, honing his intricate watercolor techniques and sharing reflections on what he’s learned about life.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA series adaptation of “Field of Dreams” has been ordered straight-to-series at Peacock.The television take on the beloved baseball film hails from Michael Schur, who will serve as writer and executive producer under his Fremulon banner. Lawrence Gordon of The Gordon Company will also executive produce along with David Miner of 3 Arts and Morgan Sackett.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRJ Cyler has been cast in a series regular role in the upcoming Issa Rae HBO Max comedy series “Rap Sh*t,” Variety has learned.The series follows two estranged high school friends from Miami, Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion), who reunite to form a rap group. Cyler will play Lamont, an aspiring music producer with a sharp ear for talent.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFX chairman John Landgraf told reporters during a virtual executive session for the Television Critics Association summer press tour that his famous deep dives on the state of the television industry will be much more specific to FX going forward.“One of the things you’ll note is that my presentation today was very focused on the FX brand and FX programming,” Landgraf said. “I think it’s just factually accurate to say that is where I am focused.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“American Horror Stories” has been renewed for Season 2 at FX on Hulu.The series is a spinoff of the popular “American Horror Story” franchise created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The first season of the spinoff series debuted in July, with the seventh and final episode of the season set to drop on Aug.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterChloe Bennet has stepped down as one of the three leads in the live-action CW pilot based on “The Powerpuff Girls,” Variety has learned exclusively.Bennet was set to star as Blossom in the pilot, which is currently titled “Powerpuff.” The show was originally in contention during pilot season earlier this year for a potential fall air date, but The CW made the decision to redevelop and reshoot it instead, with CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz calling the first pilot “a

Well, if you were hoping for a peaceful, loving resolution to the growing rift between Bam Margera and the rest of the Jackass crew… don’t hold your breath.

Jackass co-creator Bam Margera is suing Johnny Knoxville, Paramount Pictures, MTV and others over his firing from the franchise’s upcoming movie.

Bam Margera has filed a lawsuit against Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze and Paramount over his exclusion from Jackass Forever.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterBam Margera filed a lawsuit on Monday against Paramount, Johnny Knoxville and director Spike Jonze, alleging that he was wrongfully fired from the upcoming fourth installment of the “Jackass” film franchise.Margera, one of the stars of the original TV series and the subsequent films, was fired last fall, after allegedly testing positive for Adderall, violating the terms of a “wellness agreement” he signed with the film’s producers.Margera has been in and out of

“Schmigadoon!” star Keegan-Michael Key and and “Jackass” alum Johnny Knoxville are set to star on “Modern Family” co-creator Steve Levitan’s Hulu comedy pilot “Reboot,” TheWrap has learned.Created by Levitan, “Reboot” — which is inspired by the TV industry’s recent slew of comedy revivals — centers on the story of Hulu rebooting an early 2000’s family sitcom, and how its dysfunctional cast is forced back together and now must deal with their unresolved issues in today’s fast-changing

Steve Levitan is headed to streaming. In the first non-network green light for the Emmy-winning Modern Family co-creator, Hulu has formally picked up comedy pilot Reboot, with Keegan-Michael Key and Johnny Knoxville tapped to star.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRamón Rodríguez has been cast in a lead role opposite Aubrey Plaza in the Hulu drama pilot “Olga Dies Dreaming,” Variety has learned.The show is based on the yet-to-be-released novel of the same name by Xóchitl Gonzalez. It was ordered to pilot at the streamer back in April.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHulu has given a series order to the drama “Tell Me Lies,” based on the book of the same name by Carola Lovering. Grace Van Patten will star in the series with Emma Roberts executive producing.The series follows a tumultuous but intoxicating relationship as it unfolds over the course of 8 years.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPoppy Liu has joined the cast of “Dead Ringers” at Amazon, Variety has learned.She joins previously announced series lead Rachel Weisz and recently announced cast member Michael Chernus. The series was announced at the streaming service in August 2020 with a straight-to-series order.