Chris Maccarthy Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Season two of Yellowjackets broke records for Showtime!

The Season 2 premiere of Yellowjackets delivered Showtime‘s best debut for a second installment that the network has seen in more than 10 years.

BreAnna Bell “Yellowjackets” has broken a new record with its Season 2 opener. Following its March 26 premiere, the series became Showtime’s most-streamed debut ever, hitting nearly 2 million viewers across platforms according to figures from Nielsen, comScore, and Showtime’s internal streaming data. “Dexter: New Blood” previously held the title. Showtime also boasts that it’s the best Season 2 premiere for the network in more than 10 years and nearly double the series premiere audience. The debut marks a 110% rise in viewership from the series premiere in November 2021 and 40% jump from “Yellowjackets” Season 1 finale in cross-platform viewing.

EXCLUSIVE: Showtime has opted not to renew The L Word: Generation Q for a fourth season. The decision comes two months after the series’ third season ended its run. However, the franchise may continue on the network — The L Word: New York (working title), a reboot of the groundbreaking original series, is in development with the 2004 series’ creator Ilene Chaiken attached, I hear.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent LILLE, France — Paramount+ will be bowing “Drag Race Italia” Season 3 on the streaming service in Italy, followed by the U.S. and Latin America later this year.  The Italian Season 3 follows on the recent announcement of three new “Drag Race” editions in Brazil, Germany and Mexico and a “Global Drag Race All Stars,” which will air on Paramount+ in their respective territories this year, Paramount+ announced Wednesday. “As we expand Paramount+’s global footprint, it was important to recapture ‘Drag Race’ in key international markets and also build an interconnected competition series with a new ‘Global Drag Race All Stars’ – it’s like a global Super Bowl for Drag,” said Chris McCarthy, president-CEO, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks.

Italy has become the latest territory to jump on the RuPaul’s Drag Race hype.

Showtime has been going through downsizing and recalibration since the November ouster of longtime CEO David Nevins and the premium network’s inclusion in Paramount Media Networks President Chris McCarthy’s portfolio. There have been layoffs, series cancellations and an executive restructuring as McCarthy articulated the plans for the network, which will soon be rebranded as Paramount+ with Showtime. They include multiple TV universes built around some of Showtime’s biggest series, including multiple Dexter and Billions offshoots.

“Screw you guys, we’re going to sue,” a Cartman paraphrasing Warner Bros Discovery essentially said to Paramount Global and the series creators today in a scathing lawsuit over South Park streaming rights.

The Paramount Global operation under Chris McCarthy continues to shift finished series to Showtime, which was added to his portfolio in November. The Waco sequel, Waco: The Aftermath, which had been produced for Paramount+, will now be carried by Showtime –debuting on streaming and on demand Friday, April 14, and on-air Sunday, April 16, at 10 PM.

Monday started with a shock and awe campaign at Showtime as the exits of a slew of top executives were announced in short succession. By the end of the day, about 120 people in total had lost their jobs in the layoffs, sources confirm to Deadline. That represents more than 10% of the company’s workforce.

The full extent of the changes at Showtime have started to emerge as the premium cable network has set its new leadership team under Nina L. Diaz with more executives leaving following the corporate restructure.

The changes at Showtime continue, with Co-Presidents of Entertainment Gary Levine, and Jana Winograde stepping down from their posts. The announcement was made this morning by Paramount Global’s Chris McCarthy, who took oversight of the pay cable network in the November restructuring that saw longtime Showtime CEO David Nevins leave the company.

EXCLUSIVE: Uncoupled, has been saved. I hear Showtime is picking up Season 2 (and potentially beyond) of the comedy series, from Emily in Paris creator Darren Star and Modern Family veteran Jeffrey Richman, a couple weeks after the MTV Entertainment Studios-produced show was canceled by Netflix. At the premium network, soon to be renamed Paramount+ with Showtime, Uncoupled is designed to fit into one the three main content lanes recently outlined by new Showtime boss Chris McCarthy, “Metro Cultures”, which spans “culturally diverse takes” like The L Word and The Chi.

Showtime has given a straight-to-series order to The Department (w/t) based on the acclaimed French espionage political thriller The Bureau, from George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s Smokehouse Pictures, MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios. Clooney will direct the series and also executive produce with Heslov through their Smokehouse Pictures. Production is slated to begin later this year.

Chris McCarthy has been speaking about a franchise strategy for Showtime since he took over the network a couple of months ago. That strategy will include expanding successful series with multiple spinoffs in the mold of the Yellowstone universe as the premium cable network starts its integration with Paramount+ and getting a new moniker, Paramount+ with Showtime.

Erin Calhoun, EVP, Communications, Showtime Networks & Paramount Television Studios, has been appointed to a new role as EVP, Communications, Paramount Streaming and Cross-Company Publicity.

The purge of some of Showtime’s less popular series from the network’s streaming service has gotten underway. According to sources, the majority of of the shows impacted lasted one season. As Deadline revealed exclusively earlier today, that includes Let The Right One In and American Gigolo, which have been canceled. Additionally, in the process of being taken off are American Rust, Wakefield, and On Becoming a God In Central Florida, which also ran for one season each, as well as the Jim Carrey starrer Kidding, which produced two seasons, sources said.

Showtime will no longer be a standalone brand.

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Global just announced that Showtime will be integrated into Paramount+ across both streaming and linear later this year. In preparation for the move, the premium network had been reevaluating its programming slate over the past several weeks under its new top executive Chris McCarthy.

Taylor Sheridan’s latest installment in the Yellowstone universe, headlined by Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, has set a new benchmark for the prolific creator — and for Paramount+.

EXCLUSIVE: A year ago, Yellowjackets got an early Season 2 renewal five episodes into its freshman run. The Showtime series delivered on the vote of confidence with seven Emmy nominations and over 5 million weekly viewers, and now it’s getting an ever earlier Season 3 renewal. More than three months ahead of Yellowjackets’ March 26 Season 2 premiere, the network has picked up a new installment of the show from creators/executive producers/co-showrunners Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, exec producer/co-showrunner Jonathan Lisco, eOne and Drew Comins’ studio-based Creative Engine.

Drag Race is expanding again. Three new editions are planned for Brazil, Germany and Mexico that will air on MTV/Paramount+ in their respective territories. As part of the expansion, RuPaul’s Drag Race heads to MTV for its 15th season in January, while RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race will return for season 3 in 2023 on VH1.

 Sylvester Stallone’s mob boss is staying in Tulsa.

EXCLUSIVE: Big news from the Dutton ranch: the season five premiere of Yellowstone averaged nearly 16 million viewers, making it the most watched show across all of TV in 2022, according to L3 results from Nielsen.

The restructuring of Paramount Global’s TV operations continues with another realignment of the company’s linear cable networks. VH1 will move into the BET Media Group, which includes BET, BET+, BET Her, BET Studios and BET Digital and is run by BET CEO Scott Mills. The announcement was made by Paramount Global President and CEO Bob Bakish in a company memo, a copy of which was obtained by Deadline.

Country music drama limited series George & Tammy, starring Oscar winner Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye) and Oscar nominee Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals), is headed to Showtime. 

Showtime has pushed the premiere date for Season 2 of Your Honor to January 2023. The 10-episode second season starring Bryan Cranston will now bow on demand and on streaming Friday, January 13, 2023, and on-air on Sunday, January 15 at 9 pm. It was initially scheduled to premiere on streaming/on demand on December 9 and on linear December 11.

The end has come for City On A Hill. Showtime has canceled the drama series after three seasons, Deadline has confirmed. The Season 3 finale will now serve as the series finale. The third season launched in September.

Comedy Central has revealed the date of Trevor Noah’s final appearance as host of “The Daily Show”.

Trevor Noah will depart “The Daily Show” on Dec. 8, Comedy Central announced Wednesday.In the buildup to the comedian’s last day hosting, “The Daily Show” will celebrate and look back on his seven year tenure as host.“Trevor is an incredible talent who has left an indelible mark on The Daily Show and we’re grateful for his creative partnership over the past seven years,” said Chris McCarthy, president & CEO, Paramount Media Networks and MTV Entertainment Studios.Noah announced his departure at the end of the taping for the episode that aired Thursday, Sept. 29.

Trevor Noah has set his exit date.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Trevor Noah’s days at Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” are numbered. The comedian, who is in his seventh year of hosting the signature program of the Paramount Global network, is set to depart after a final appearance on the program on Thursday, December 8th. The timeline gives Noah a chance to anchor the program as its cast makes its way to Atlanta for a midterm-election special, and to look back at his tenure on the series. Comedy Central will place the show on hiatus after Noah’s farewell, and plans to bring it back on Tuesday, January 17 as part of what the network called a “reinvention.” Comedy Central did not name a successor for Noah, but is believed to be considering some of the show’s correspondents as part of its deliberations.

The departure today of David Nevins as Chairman and CEO, Paramount Premium Group and Chief Creative Officer, Paramount+ Scripted Series, as well as Paramount Global’s restructuring unveiled alongside it, created a lot anxiety in the operations impacted by Nevins’ exit.

Chris McCarthy, Tom Ryan and George Cheeks are all seeing their portfolios expand at Paramount Global after the departure of David Nevins.

MTV Video Music Awards. Since MTV launched in 1981, the silver trophy – originally named the “Moonman” – has depicted an astronaut planting a flag with the MTV logo on the moon’s surface. While the iconic statue has received few makeovers over the years, it was recently given a more gender neutral name.

Chris Rock has finally given fans what they have been waiting for – a TV comeback!MORE: Chris Rock makes huge career announcement after Will Smith Oscars altercationOn Tuesday, it was announced that the comedian will give fans a further look into his personal life in "a reimagined animated version" of his popular award-winning autobiographical family comedy Everybody Hates Chris, which aired from 2005 to 2009.WATCH: Will Smith apologizes to Chris Rock for Oscars slap in emotional video Chris will executive produce the new series, titled Everybody Still Hates Chris, and narrate stories inspired by his experiences growing up in a working-class family in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, in the late 1980s."Chris Rock is one of the most gifted comedians of all time and we're excited to partner with him, 3 Arts and CBS Studios to bring this to life and welcome it as the next big hit," Chris McCarthy, President/CEO, Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement.MORE: Jada Pinkett Smith criticized for 'self-righteous' remarks about Will Smith's Oscars slapMORE: Chris Rock speaks about bruises following Will Smith slap The actor is currently on his Ego Death World Tour through November, and on Friday, he referenced Will Smith's apology video just hours after the King Richard actor publicly apologized for slapping Chris at the Oscars after four months of silence. Will slapped Chris on stage at the Oscars in MarchIn response, Chris referenced the actor as part of a monologue, telling the audience that "everybody is trying to be a [expletive] victim"."If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims.