Piper Perabo Joins Daniel Dae Kim Amazon Spy Series ‘Butterfly’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Joe Otterson TV Reporter CBS has renewed the comedy “Ghosts” for Season 4 and the drama “Fire Country” for Season 3. Both shows launched their new seasons in mid-February due to the impact last year’s dual writers’ and actors’ strike had on broadcast production schedules. “’Ghosts’ and ‘Fire Country’ are proven viewer favorites on both broadcast and streaming thanks to exceptional storytelling, talented actors and an ever-growing fan base,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Gato Grande, an Amazon MGM Studios company, has unveiled the next project from its recently launched English-language division: mystery satire “Miami Spice.” Cuban-American showrunner Art Alamo, best known for his work on “Law & Order,” will be writing and producing “Miami Spice,” which is based on the novel “Mango, Mambo and Murder” from author Raquel V. Reyes’ lauded Caribbean Kitchen Mystery book series.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Muhammad Ali will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024, Variety has learned exclusively. Ali will be inducted during the Hall of Fame ceremony taking place on April 5 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He will be inducted by his widow, Lonnie Ali.

Angelique Jackson “And Just Like That” and The Morning Show” star Karen Pittman is adding to her stacked TV slate by joining Mara Brock Akil’s “Forever” alongside “The Wire” alum and “Creed” franchise stalwart Wood Harris. Brock Akil’s highly-anticipated adaptation of Judy Blum’s 1975 Judy Blume novel “Forever” was originally ordered at Netflix in 2022 under the “Girlfriends” creator’s overall deal.

Karen Pittman (The Morning Show) and The Wire alum Wood Harris are set as leads opposite Michael Cooper Jr. and Lovie Simone in Forever, Netflix’s upcoming drama series from Girlfriends and Being Mary Jane creator Mara Brock Akil.

Based on the cast alone, Steven Soderbergh‘s upcoming spy flick “Black Bag” could be his buzziest feature in a long time. Deadline reports that two more join Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett on the thriller’s cast list: Regé-Jean Page and Marisa Abela.

Last week, the trades revealed details about “The Department,” a new espionage political thriller series based on the critically acclaimed hit French drama “Le Bureau des Legendes.” Michael Fassbender was cast in the lead role, and the series came from George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s Smokehouse Pictures shingle. While early reports said Clooney would direct, a new Paramount+ announcement revealed that he’s just executive producing the project and Golden Globe and multi-BAFTA winner Joe Wright (“Pride and Prejudice,” “The Darkest Hour” and “Atonement”) will direct the series instead.

EXCLUSIVE: Max Greenfield (The Neighborhood, Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story), Uche Agada (Rise) and Dane DiLiegro (Prey, American Horror Stories) have joined Mindy Kaling‘s Netflix series, set in the world of pro basketball, in recurring roles.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large From “Scandoval” to soccer ball. Reality TV uber producer Alex Baskin (“Vanderpump Rules,” “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”) and his 32 Flavors shingle have partnered with tech mogul Alexis Ohanian, soccer star Midge Purce and sports doc producers Box to Box Films (“Drive to Survive,” “Break Point”) to produce the sports docuseries “The Offseason.” National Women’s Soccer League player Purce, who is also a U.S.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Lena Dunham‘s Netflix comedy series “Too Much” has filled out its cast with a star-studded lineup, Variety has learned exclusively. Joining previously announced series leads Megan Stalter and Will Sharpe will be: Richard E. Grant (“Saltburn”), Stephen Fry (“The Dropout”), Janicza Bravo (“Sharp Stick”), Michael Zegen (“The Marvelous Mrs.

Theo James is hitting the red carpet to promote his new Netflix series!

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Nick Offerman and Betty Gilpin have joined the upcoming Netflix historical drama series “Death by Lightning,” Variety has learned. The duo join previously announced series leads Matthew Macfadyen and Michael Shannon in the show, which will tell the story of U.S. President James Garfield (Shannon) and his assassination by Charles Guiteau (Macfadyen).

EXCLUSIVE: James Badge Dale is set for a major recurring role in Apple TV+limited series The Savant, starring and executive produced by Jessica Chastain. Nnamdi Asomugha also stars in the eight-episode series from writer/executive producer/showrunner Melissa James Gibson, Fifth Season and Anonymous Content.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Michael Fassbender is in negotiations to star in “The Department,” an espionage thriller series directed by George Clooney. Set to start shooting in London this spring, “The Department” is based on “The Bureau,” the hit French spy show created by Eric Rochant. It has already been given a straight-to-series order by Showtime.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Alfre Woodard has joined the cast of the upcoming Apple TV+ drama series “The Last Frontier,” Variety has learned exclusively. Woodard joins previously announced series lead Jason Clarke in the show, as well as cast members Haley Bennett, Dominic Cooper, Simone Kessell, Tait Blum, and “Reservation Dogs” alum Dallas Goldtooth.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Former NBC Universal Television Entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin is taking a job as VP of unscripted series at Netflix — reporting to Netflix VP of nonfiction series Brandon Riegg. It’s a bit of a reversal for the two execs: In 2010, Riegg joined NBC as vice president of alternative series & development, reporting to the heads of alternative programming there, who in turn reported to Gaspin.

Streaming channels are often criticized as the place where content comes and goes; streamers sometimes just drop trailers at the last minute for content, and not a lot of care goes into their marketing. Sometimes.

J. Kim Murphy “Masters of the Air” launched with more viewers in its opening weekend than any Apple TV+ series ever has in its first season, according to the streamer. Though an exact number of viewers was not made available, that puts the epic war miniseries launch above other high-profile original titles like “Hijack,” “The Morning Show” and “Severance.” Remarkably, following the premiere of “Masters of the Air,” viewership across all of Apple TV+ climbed by 65% worldwide when compared to the previous seven-day period.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Jean Labadie’s Le Pacte and sales agency Film Factory have joined Spanish pay giant Movistar Plus on the next film from Alberto Rodríguez (“Marshland”), which is shaping up fast with as one of the biggest packages from Spain this year at the Berlinale’s European Film Market. Le Pacte will co-produce the thriller out of France and handle French distribution rights. Film Factory is launching international sales at Berlin.

Daniel Dae Kim is opening up about the end of The Good Doctor.