Producers Guild to Honor Greg Berlanti With Norman Lear Achievement Award

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeSAG Awards executive producer Kathy Connell, who helped launch the awards show 28 years ago and has been with the show ever since, has confirmed that this weekend’s ceremony will be her last.“I am retiring,” she tells Variety. “It’s been 28 wonderful years. Well, last year was sort of interesting, but 27 wonderful years.

Melissa Benoist is in talks to star in the upcoming HBO Max drama series The Girls on the Bus.

Coming off six seasons as the lead of Supergirl, Melissa Benoist is poised to reunite with Berlanti Productions on another series. Benoist is in negotiations to headline The Girls on the Bus, which just received a straight-to-series order at HBO Max, I have learned. Benoist also is expected to serve as a producer on the drama series, an adaptation of Amy Chozick’s best-selling book Chasing Hillary, from Julie Plec, Chozick, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. TV. Reps for HBO Max and WBTV declined comment.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMelissa Benoist could soon be returning to the Berlanti-verse.Variety has confirmed with sources that Benoist is in talks to star in the series “Girls on the Bus” at HBO Max, which is executive produced by Greg Berlanti. Berlanti previously executive produced The CW series “Supergirl,” which starred Benoist in the title role.Reps for HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television declined to comment.It was announced on Thursday that “Girls on the Bus” has received a straight-to-series order at HBO Max after previously having been set up at The CW and Netflix.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticThe CW’s “All American” has had a successful run — a notably successful one, on a network dominated by superhero programming — taking on stories about high school football. Now, a spinoff shifts the action to college baseball and tennis, but keeps the source material’s focus on Black youth.

EXCLUSIVE: Christian James (Cerebrum) is set for a key recurring role opposite Daniel Ezra, Samantha Logan and Michael Evans Behling in CW’s All American.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJulie Plec and Amy Chozick’s “The Girls on the Bus” is on the move again, this time to HBO Max.The streamer has given the drama series a straight-to-series order. It was most recently set up at The CW for development, having moved to the broadcaster from Netflix. Netflix had originally given the show a series order back in 2019, but it was previously reported that they had dropped the show after the pandemic pushed back the start of production.“The Girls on the Bus” is inspired by a chapter in Chozick’s book “Chasing Hillary.” The show is described as a comedic character-driven drama that chronicles four female journalists who follow every move of a parade of flawed presidential candidates, while finding friendship, love, and scandal along the way.

HBO Max has set premiere dates for three movies: Moonshot, Father of the Bride and the New Line reboot of 1990s comedy House Party. 

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeIf you’ve forgotten where “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” left off at the end of Season 3, you can be forgiven: So have executive producers Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino.“It’s been so long, we don’t remember what the season was about. I think they’re still Jewish,” Sherman-Palladino quips.

Emily Longeretta Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello, the creators of HBO Max’s massive hit “Hacks,” will receive the inaugural Variety Showrunner Award at the 10th annual SCAD TVfest.The series, which follows the relationship between a comedy legend (Jean Smart) and a young writer (Hannah Einbinder), launched in May 2021.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeLong after selling the Muppets to Disney and the “Sesame Street” characters to Sesame Workshop, the Jim Henson Co. is busy creating new fare via originals — such as a live-action fantasy series in early development with “The Walking Dead” star Norman Reedus — and existing IP that the company still owns, like “Fraggle Rock.”In the case of Reedus, the star has worked with creatures for years, fighting zombies on the long-running AMC hit.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Insecure” creator and star Issa Rae has been named the recipient of the Producers Guild Awards’ 2022 Visionary Award.The Visionary Award honors producers across television, film or new media who share inspiring, uplifting stories that add unique value to society and culture. Past recipients include: Octavia Spencer, Kenya Barris, Ava DuVernay, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner’s Plan B Entertainment, Illumination Entertainment’s Chis Meledandri, Laura Ziskin and Participant Media’s Jeff Skoll.Rae first garnered attention for her web series and subsequent best-selling book, “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.” She created and stars in HBO’s “Insecure,” which just concluded its fifth and final season in December.

William Earl PGA-nominated producers will gather on Feb. 23 for Variety FYC Fest: The Producers, for exclusive conversations about the top films and television shows of the year.

Natalie Abrams, the entertainment journalist-turned TV writer behind The CW’s Supergirl and upcoming Gotham Knights, has signed with CAA for representation in all areas.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNatalie Abrams has signed with CAA for representation in all areas. She continues to be repped by attorney Patti Felker at Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson.Abrams most recently landed a pilot order at The CW for the DC series “Gotham Knights.” She serves as a writer on the pilot alongside Chad Fiveash and James Stoteraux, with Greg Berlanti executive producing.Abrams is no stranger to the DC universe on The CW, having worked as a writer on “Batwoman” as well as “Supergirl.” She has also written for fellow CW show “All American.” She also write a Batwoman tie-in comic book for DC Comics, which is due to be released this spring.Prior to getting into writing for television, Abrams worked as an entertainment journalist.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeDisney Plus has ordered two unscripted series from actors in the Marvel universe: Brie Larson is behind “Growing Up,” a docuseries that looks at ten different coming-of-age tales. “Rennervations,” from Jeremy Renner, is a four-part series that follows Renner as he travels to world to help communities by “reimagining unique purpose-built vehicles.”The news was announced on Monday by Disney Branded Television president Ayo Davis, along with new development for Disney Plus, Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

Marg Helgenberger is eyeing a possible return to the CSI franchise with a reprisal of her role as Catherine Willows, sources tell Deadline. Helgenberg would appear in the upcoming second season of CSI: Vegas, the sequel to the groundbreaking 2000 series, in which Helgenberger starred for the first 12 seasons.

Greg Berlanti, the producer behind the DC TV universe and many other series and films, is getting a prestigious career honor from the Producers Guild of America. He is set to receive the Norman Lear Award at the Producers Guild Awards next month.

EXCLUSIVE: The Producers Guild of America and Google announces the two projects that will each receive $50,000 grants for the production of new short films as part of “The Short Film Project” presented by the Producers Guild of America and Google.