Michael Schneider Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Comedian Taylor Tomlinson has sealed a deal with Netflix for her next two standup specials to premiere on the streamer. Tomlinson is currently touring her latest show, which will tape later this year in Washington, D.C., for a 2024 premiere date. This will rep Tomlinson’s third and fourth specials for Netflix. Her hour-long standup debut, “Quarter-Life Crisis,” premiered on the platform in 2020, followed by “Look at You” in 2022. “That’s a level of security that you don’t get very often in this business,” Tomlinson told Variety. “It’s a huge weight off your shoulders… I feel incredibly grateful and lucky.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 9, episode 6 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired March 22 on Fox. You’d better be ready to, be ready to… Jump! Off of “The Masked Singer.” Actor Holly Robinson Peete, known for “21 Jump Street” among other things, was one of the two more celebrities who unmasked on Wednesday’s edition of “The Masked Singer.” Also out: WWE star Alexa Bliss, who just made headlines this week for revealing that she had been diagnosed with skin cancer, and recently underwent a procedure for it. For Axolotl, panelist Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg got it right, naming Alexa Bliss (real names Alexis Kaufman and Alexis “Lexi” Cabrera). Robin Thicke guessed Nikki Bella. Ken Jeong thought it was Brie Bella. Nicole Scherzinger picked McKayla Maroney.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large It’s “Country Night” on this week’s episode of “The Masked Singer,” and Variety can reveal some of the celebrities who will be revealed. Well, sort of: These aren’t the actual contestants under masks, but they are they stars who will appear to hand out special clues that provide hints to the identities of each player. Among the guest stars on Wednesday night’s episode: Country music star Deana Carter, comedian Bill Engvall and NFL star Robert Woods each deliver a special clue for Macaw, Fairy, and Axolotl (respectively). Next week, when “The Masked Singer” dives into its “80’s Night,”  Young MC busts a move with his hit “Bust a Move,” kicking off the show with a performance. Also seen on the episode are “CHiPs” actor Erik Estrada and “Dallas” star Charlene Tilton; all three guests deliver clues that evening.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Grease” fans hungry for a cool slider (a cool, cool, cool, cool slider) or hopelessly devoted to fries will have a chance to indulge via a pop-up version of the film franchise’s Frosty Palace on Thursday, April 6, and Friday, April 7. Paramount+ has partnered with Popsugar to take over Mel’s Drive-In on Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood for the promotion, timed to the upcoming launch of the new series “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.” It’s unclear whether Danny Zuko’s preferred order (a double Polar Burger with everything and a cherry soda with chocolate ice cream) will be available, but the two-day interactive event will include 1950s-era music and decor, as well as “twists on familiar diner fare” and photo moments. “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” merchandise will also be given away and customized on site.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Amazon Freevee has landed the exclusive first-run U.S. rights to “Casa Grande,” a bilingual limited series that follows the tales of California’s hardworking, often undocumented migrant workforce, as well as the wealthy landowners in Northern California. The series, which consists of five one-hour episodes, premieres May 1 on Freevee. Lauren Swickard (“A California Christmas”) and Ali Afshar created “Casa Grande,” which comes from Afshar’s ESX Entertainment shingle. Series stars include John Pyper-Ferguson (“The 100,” “Suits”), Christina Moore (“That ‘70s Show,” “90210”), Madison Lawlor (“Juniper”), Karen Bethzabe (“Babylon”), Javier Bolaños (“All American”), Raquel Dominguez (“Chicago Med”), James Marsters (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer”), Kate Mansi (“Days of Our Lives”), Daniel Edward Mora (“Coco”), Loren Escandon (“The Baxters”) and Ali Afshar (“He’s Just Not That Into You”).

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Kids, did I ever tell you about the time that my streaming series got a secondary run on a linear cable network? Hulu’s “How I Met Your Father” will make its linear debut next month on Freeform, marking the first time the series has been available off of Hulu. “How I Met Your Father” will bow Tuesday, April 25, on Freeform, starting with the first two episodes, “Pilot” and “Fomo,” at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET, respectively. Episodes will continue to air back-to-back each week, culminating with the season finale on May 23. Hulu will continue to also offer “How I Met Your Father” episodes for streaming as well. “How I Met Your Father” premiered in January 2022; the comedy is currently in the midst of a 20-episode Season 2, having returned earlier this winter.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Roku Channel scripted series head Colin Davis has jumped to Sony Pictures Television Studios as the studio’s new exec VP of comedy development, Variety has confirmed. As part of the exec shuffle, back at Roku, Brian Tannenbaum has replaced Davis as head of scripted on an interim level. Davis will report to Sony Pictures TV Studios co-president Jason Clodfelter and oversee comedy development for all platforms. Davis’ team will include comedy development senior VP, animation VP Frank Ochoa and comedy development manager Jackie Wertheimer. He starts on May 1. At Roku, Davis oversaw the launch of series including the “Reno 911” reboot and Kevin Hart’s “Die Harter,” as well as the greenlight and release of the feature “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.” Davis joined Roku as part of its acquisition of Quibi content; he had previously led scripted at that very brief short-form subscription service. Before Quibi, he handled comedy development at Turner, working on shows such as “Search Party.” His interim replacement, Tannenbaum, also joined Roku from Quibi..

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large On Sunday, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” appeared to be everything, everywhere, all at once. The film, of course, dominated the 95th Oscars with seven wins — including best picture. Virtually all the stars (except Stephanie Hsu — hey Daniels, can you spare one of your SIX Oscars and share one with her??) received wins, on what was truly a historic night. And an emotional one. As the opening clips of this week’s Variety Awards Circuit Podcast illustrates, family was on the minds of this year’s winners. Listen to our Mega Roundtable edition, in which Clayton Davis, Jenelle Riley, Jazz Tangcay and myself (that’s me, Michael Schneider) recount the show and dissect the winners — from Jimmy Kimmel’s excellent monologue to how every single category panned out:

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 9, episode 5 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired March 15 on Fox. Two more celebrities were unmasked on Wednesday’s edition of “The Masked Singer”: Actor/comedian Malin Akerman and social media star Lele Pons were revealed to be Squirrel and Jackalope, respectively. For Squirrel, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg got it right, naming Malin Akerman. Robin Thicke guessed Heather Graham. Ken Jeong thought it was Katherine Heigl. Nicole Scherzinger picked Kate Hudson. Guest panelist Jennifer Nettles said Anne Hathaway.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Time to get more sand for the hourglass. “Days of Our Lives” has been renewed by Peacock for two more seasons, which means the iconic soap opera will make it to at least its landmark 60th season. “Days of Our Lives” moved to Peacock in September, having previously aired on NBC since 1965. “Days” was NBC’s longest-running drama series before switching to Peacock in 2022. This new two-year deal for Seasons 59 and 60 reps a much swifter and calmer renewal for “Days” than it has experienced in recent years, when deal between NBC and Sony Pictures Television (which distributes the soap) seemed to always come down to the wire. As ratings declined for soaps, that has been a perennial issue at the networks (where the tally on broadcast nets now stands at just three — two on CBS and one on ABC).

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Well all right, all right, all right! “True Detective” and “EDtv” buddies Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are reuniting on screen once again, this time for a new Apple TV+ comedy from creator David West Read (“The Big Door Prize”). And this time, McConaughey and Harrelson are actually playing versions of themselves. In Read’s untitled 10-episode half-hour comedy, McConaughey and Harrelson — along with their families — attempt to live together on McConaughey’s Texas ranch. And of course, those close confines puts this storied friendship to the test. In the logline, Apple TV+ calls the new show “a heartfelt odd couple love story revolving around the strange and beautiful bond between Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Game of Thrones” alum Jeremy Podeswa has signed on to direct the pilot of Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming limited series “Blade Runner 2099.” Podeswa, most recently the DGA Award-nominated director behind HBO Max’s “Station Eleven,” will also serve as producing director and executive producer of “Blade Runner 2099.” A TV sequel to the film “Blade Runner 2049” (itself a sequel to the landmark original “Blade Runner”), the new series comes from showrunner/executive producer Silka Luisa (“Shining Girls”). Ridley Scott is also an executive producer on “Blade Runner 2099,” which comes from Alcon Entertainment and Scott Free Productions. Also joining the writers room is Tom Spezialy (“The Leftovers”), who will also serve as an executive producer. “Blade Runner 2099” has been a long time coming. Scott first revealed the series was in the works in November 2021, while Amazon revealed it was in development in February 2022. The series was officially ordered last September. A plot for the new Prime Video series remains under wraps.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large As he was lifted into the Dolby Theater rafters five minutes before the Oscars were set to begin, Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue still wasn’t locked. It couldn’t be: Several of his gags would involve pop superstar Rihanna — but it all depended on whether she’d be in her seat. “We had two versions of the monologue,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” executive producer (and Kimmel’s wife) Molly McNearney told Variety on Monday afternoon. “One if Rihanna was in her seat, one if she was not in her seat. One if Rihanna had her baby on her lap, which she wanted to do. And one if her baby was not on her lap. A lot of our jokes were kind of at the mercy of people being in their seats.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large OK, that was surreal. Johnny Knoxville, Eric Andre and Gabourey Sidibe re-creating the famous “Ghostbusters” commercial from the 1984 movie, but promoting a hotline for… pranks? But it’s all real, the phone number works (1-855-PRANX4U) and the three of them have indeed gotten into the pranks business via their upcoming ABC series “The Prank Panel.” Scroll below to watch the promo. Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel is one of the executive producers on “The Prank Panel,” which airs this summer. On the show, everyday people pitch pranks targeting family members, friends and co-workers to the prankster panel — Knoxville, Andre and Sidibe. They then help plot the schemes, and serve as mentors and saboteurs as the pranks are carried out (and with the help of celebrity guest stars).

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Charles Dance was never a big Twitter or Facebook user. But now that he stars in Paramount+’s new Kiefer Sutherland thriller “Rabbit Hole”? “It’s made me more determined to have absolutely nothing to do with social media at all,” he said. “I mean, I never did anyway, but I’m certainly not going to do so now!” Paramount+’s “Rabbit Hole” stars Sutherland as John Weir, described as “a master of deception in the world of corporate espionage, is framed for murder by powerful forces who have the ability to influence and control populations.” A packed Stateside Theatre audiences watched the first two episodes of “Rabbit Hole” at the South by Southwest festival on Sunday, and left with as many questions as they had answers. Who’s on what side? What’s going on? That’s by design, and creators/showrunners John Requa and Glenn Ficarra told the audience that even after two episodes, they shouldn’t be comfortable with thinking they know what’s happening.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Jake Johnson describes his new film “Self Reliance,” which he wrote and directed, as “‘Jacob’s Ladder’ with some laughs.” The film is a comedy with real stakes: Johnson stars as a man who winds up in a game where he’s trying to win a million dollars while hunters try to kill him. The twist is he discovers that the hunters can only attack him when he’s alone. But when none of his friends or family believe the game is real, Johnson’s character must figure out how to survive on his own. There are scary moments, but more often it’s also really funny. And the audience screening it on Saturday night at the South by Southwest festival in Austin rocked the Paramount Theatre with big laughs throughout the film’s tight 85 minutes.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large We’re living in a true crime boom in both scripted and unscripted television — but “Love & Death” director and exec producer Lesli Linka Glatter said she hopes her new HBO Max series will be seen as much more than that. Sure, the series involves the true story of accused (but acquitted) axe murderer Candy Montgomery, played by Elizabeth Olsen. “There is a horrible true crime at the core of this, but we didn’t want it to be just a true crime story,” Glatter said Saturday in a panel discussion after the premiere of “Love & Death” at the South by Southwest festival. And the show doesn’t shy away from Montgomery’s actions. But “it’s really, things are not what they appear to be. You have to go deeper to see what’s really going on. We really tried to look at the ‘how’ and ‘why’ rather than the ‘what.’ How could this happen?”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Priyanka Chopra Jonas has been acting for two decades, yet she says her new Amazon Prime Video series “Citadel” represents the first time she’s had pay parity with a male co-star. Chopra Jonas stars with Richard Madden in the new series, which launches next month. Chopra Jonas was at Austin’s South by Southwest Festival in a keynote conversation with Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke about her upcoming action spy series for the streamer. She said on stage that she wondered whether the pay parity came out of the fact that Amazon Studios is led by a woman. “I’ve been working in the entertainment industry for now 22 years and I have done about almost 70-plus features,” she said. “I’ve done two TV shows. But when I did ‘Citadel,’ it was the first time in my career that I had pay parity with my male co-actor. The first time in 22 years. And I wonder that did that happen? 

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large It all comes down to this weekend. Variety’s Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Jenelle Riley and Michael Schneider dissect the Oscar categories one last time and share final predictions on this week’s edition of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit podcast. It’s a Mega Roundtable of the podcast, as the team goes through every category and offers up their final thoughts. Will “Everything Everywhere All at Once” sweep the night? Or are some surprises in store? Listen along as you fill out your office Oscars pool: Here are some of the potential wins that the team is rooting for:

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.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Production on “Hacks” Season 3 will resume the week after next, series producers Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky revealed to Variety on Sunday. Downs, Aniello and Statsky were at the WGA Awards in Century City, where the trio picked up the win for episodic comedy (for the Season 2 finale “The One, The Only”). “She’s doing great,” Downs said. “She actually said to me recently that she’s better than ever, which I believe because she is Jean Smart. She’s at home. Obviously, not out on the town tonight. But she’s doing really well.” Production on Season 3 of the Emmy-winning HBO comedy was put on hold late last month after Smart revealed via Instagram that she had successfully undergone a heart procedure.

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.

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.

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 Axe is back. Damian Lewis, who departed Showtime’s “Billions” at the end of Season 5, will return to the series in time for Season 7, the network announced late Monday. Lewis, who stars with Guy Pearce in next month’s MGM+ series “A Spy Among Friends,” will return for six of the 12 episodes of “Billions” set to air next season. Lewis is back as Bobby “Axe” Axelrod opposite Paul Giamatti, Corey Stoll and Maggie Siff. The show is currently in production in New York, and Lewis’ return had already been leaked via paparazzi photos that showed him, in character, back with his old “Billions” co-stars. Here’s the logline for next season via Showtime: “In season seven, alliances are turned on their heads. Old wounds are weaponized. Loyalties are tested. Betrayal takes on epic proportions. Enemies become wary friends. And Bobby Axelrod returns, as the stakes grow from Wall Street to the world.”

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.”

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 There will be no dragons before it’s time. With production on Season 2 of the “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” just getting underway, HBO and HBO Max content CEO Casey Bloys confirms that sometime in 2024 “is a good guess” for the hit series’ return — although he’s mum on the exact time of year. But, here’s a hint: Bloys also says it’s “a good guess” that the show won’t be eligible for the 2024 Emmy season (which ends its eligibility period on May 31, 2024) — so expect a likely return in summer 2024. Is Bloys focused on one “Thrones” series at a time?

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.