Susan Rovner Set to Join NBCUniversal in Top TV Programming Role

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Boys” could soon be getting a spinoff. Variety has learned that Amazon is fast-tracking development on a new iteration of the popular comic book series adaptation.The news comes just under three weeks after the premiere of Season 2 of the series, which is based on The New York Times best-selling comic of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBoth “Family Guy” and “Bob’s Burgers” have been picked up for two additional seasons each at Fox. The renewals will see “Family Guy” run through Season 20, while “Bob’s Burgers” will run through Season 13.“’Family Guy’ and ‘Bob’s Burgers’ are key pillars of our network’s success,” said Michael Thorn, president of enteratinment for Fox Entertainment.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterViacomCBS Entertainment & Youth Group has established the First Time Directors program for BIPOC and female filmmakers, Variety has learned exclusively.Under the program, 50 films across Paramount Network, MTV, Comedy Central and the Group’s portfolio will be helmed by first time BIPOC filmmakers and female directors. ViacomCBS has partnered with a number of high-profile executive producers through the program, including Angela Bassett and Courtney B.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHBO Max has given a straight-to-series order for “Peacemaker,” a spinoff from the upcoming “Suicide Squad” film. John Cena will play the title role, reprising his role from the film.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLiv Tyler will not appear in the upcoming second season of “9-1-1: Lone Star” on Fox, Variety has confirmed.According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, Tyler approached producers over the summer about exiting the show, despite having a multi-year contract. Her decision was due at least in part to concerns about traveling back and forth from her home in the U.K.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPhillipa Soo and Jake McDorman have joined the cast of Hulu’s upcoming drama “Dopesick” in recurring guest star roles, Variety has learned exclusively.The series looks into the epicenter of America’s struggle with opioid addiction, taking viewers from a distressed Virginia mining community, to the hallways of the DEA, and to the opulence of “one percenter” Big Pharma Manhattan.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Mr. Mercedes” will live on, with Peacock officially picking up the Stephen King crime drama for its third season.The show previously aired on Audience Network and had been renewed for a third season, but Audience Network shutdown before the season aired.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Harley Quinn” has been renewed for a third season at HBO Max rather than DC Universe.The news comes as Warner Bros. officially announced Friday that DC Universe will no longer be home to scripted original series and will instead transition to solely a comic book subscription service called DC Universe Infinite.“Harley Quinn” is an adult animated series starring Kaley Cuoco as the DC anti-heroine.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Raised by Wolves” has been renewed for a second season at HBO Max. The news comes two weeks after the drama series debuted on the streaming service.Aaron Guzikowski created the series and serves as executive producer. Ridley Scott also executive produces via Scott Free Productions in addition to directing the first two episodes, marking his television directorial debut.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterABC has canceled “Stumptown” despite previously renewing the show for a second season.According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, due to timing and scheduling needs for the current season that have been impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, ABC opted not to move forward with the second season as planned.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe multi-camera comedy “United We Fall” has been canceled after one season at ABC.News of the cancellation comes about three weeks after the show’s season finale. It starred Will Sasso, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Jane Curtin, Guillermo Diaz, and Ella Grace Helton.The series followed Jo (Vidal Mitchell) and Bill (Sasso), parents of two young kids, as they try to make it day-to-day as a functioning family.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe NFL season kicked off on Thursday night, dominating the television ratings for the evening while still seeing a decline from the opening game in 2019.Defending Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs’ winning effort against the Houston Texans averaged 19.3 million viewers on NBC, per Nielsen.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories and producer John Cameron have optioned the rights to adapt Marie Lu’s novel “Warcross” as a television series.For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game–it’s a way of life.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDuring a video executive session Wednesday, FX chairman John Landgraf addressed concerns that the FX brand could eventually be completely absorbed by Hulu as the network begins airing more and more original programming on the streaming service.“I think the question is can these brands be used as locators inside platforms?” Landgraf said in response to a question about people referring to shows like “What We Do in the Shadows” as Hulu shows.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Walking Dead” will end after the upcoming Season 11 on AMC, with the network also ordering a spinoff series built around the characters Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier, Variety has learned.Season 11 of AMC’s flagship show, which was originally meant to air this year but was delayed due to the pandemic, will air over two years and consist of 24 episodes in total beginning in late 2021.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterShowtime has renewed “The Chi” for a fourth season. News of the renewal comes after the series aired its Season 3 finale on Aug.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPeacock has picked up two seasons of the planned drama series reboot of the classic sitcom “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”Will Smith made the announcement Tuesday on YouTube, which can be viewed below. The series, titled “Bel-Air,” will be based on Morgan Cooper’s viral video that reimagined the NBC comedy series as a drama.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAnna Faris is leaving the CBS multi-cam sitcom “Mom” ahead of the show’s upcoming eighth season.“The past seven years on ‘Mom’ have been some of the most fulfilling and rewarding of my career,” Faris said in a statement. “I’m so thankful to Chuck, the writers, and my amazing castmates for creating a truly wonderful work experience.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJohn Ridley and Carlton Cuse are set to adapt Sheri Fink’s novel “Five Days at Memorial” for Apple as a limited series, Variety has learned.The book chronicles the first five days in a New Orleans, LA, hospital after Hurricane Katrina made landfall.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNetflix has ordered a drama series based on the award-winning Chinese book series “The Three-Body Problem” with David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo set to write and executive produce.The series order covers all three books in the trilogy — “The Three-Body Problem,” “The Dark Forest,” and “Death’s End,” all of which were written by Liu Cixin.