‘The Simpsons’ Producer Apologizes for Surprise Death: ‘We Certainly Didn’t Kill the Character Off Lightly’

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Girls5eva” deserves to be heard. Yes, the laugh-out-loud comedy, from the minds of Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, creator Meredith Scardino and others, is funny. The music industry (in particular, the teen pop machine) is wickedly skewered.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large When “Curb Your Enthusiasm” began its run on HBO all the way back in 2000, creator/star Larry David had a very specific rule: He wouldn’t let the show’s cast read the episodic outlines. “The first three seasons I did not even see an outline,” “Curb” star Cheryl Hines tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast. “I wasn’t allowed.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large NewsNation anchor Ashleigh Banfield is set to host this year’s Clue Awards, which will take place on June 1 in Nashville, Tenn., during the annual CrimeCon event. The ceremony, which announced this year’s nominees on Thursday, will also air live on the Law&Crime Network and stream on that channel’s social platforms.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Classic TV network MeTV is turning its cartoon block into a new network. Owner Weigel Broadcasting Co. announced Wednesday that it will launch MeTV Toons as a new national TV network focused on classic animation, “from Hollywood-era shorts to made-for-television favorites.” MeTV Toons, which launches June 25, is a collab between Weigel and Warner Bros.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 11, Episode 9 of “The Masked Singer,” “Group B Finals: Soundtrack of My Life Night,” which aired May 1 on Fox. For years, the panelists on “The Masked Singer” have thrown out names like Corey Feldman, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken while trying to figure out what celebrities were disguised on stage. This week, those names finally became true. “The Masked Singer” revealed the latest celebrities to be revealed on Wednesday night’s Group B finale, and it was Feldman as the Seal and Studdard/Aiken together as the Beets.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Austin Butler, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Carol Burnett, Brie Larson, Ricky Martin, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Callum Turner, Kaia Gerber and Cristo Fernández are among the stars set to appear at Apple TV+‘s upcoming Emmy FYC activation in Los Angeles. Events will take place between Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 11.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” which welcomed back Jon Stewart as one of its hosts this year, will continue its election year tradition of taking the show on the road to the national political conventions this summer, Variety can confirm. The extent of Stewart’s involvement at the two conventions has not yet been determined, but Comedy Central has made it official that “The Daily Show” will take its “Indecision 2024” coverage to Milwaukee, Wisc., from July 15 to July 18 for a full week of shows during the Republican National Convention. The following month, “The Daily Show” will set up shop in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention from August 19 to August 22.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “The Last of Us,” “Poker Face,” “Bluey,” “The Bear” and “Jury Duty” are among this year’s additional nominees as the Peabody Awards’ board of jurors revealed 27 nods for its arts, children’s/youth, entertainment, and interactive & immersive categories. They join the 41 nominees across its documentary, news, public service and radio/podcast categories announced by Peabody earlier this week.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The Miss USA pageant is expanding its relationship with The CW, sealing a three-year deal that adds Miss Teen USA to the mix. The network announced Thursday that the 73rd Miss USA Pageant will air live on Sunday, Aug. 4., at 8 p.m.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 11, Episode 8 of “The Masked Singer,” “Girl Group Night,” which aired April 24 on Fox. Jenifer Lewis spent a year recovering from a devastating 10-foot fall while on safari in Tanzania. It was while she was still in bed, convalescing, that she got a call from “The Masked Singer.” “I still couldn’t walk,” she told Variety. “And my friends encouraged me to get out of bed and go do what I love to do.

empty barstool at Moe’s Tavern.Fox’s long-running sitcom “The Simpsons” killed off one of its familiar characters Sunday night — Larry the Barfly.Larry, who was often seated next to his friend Sam, was (a fictional) 42 years old.While casual fans might not know the balding man by name, Larry has had a spot at Moe’s since, at least, Season 1’s “Homer’s Odyssey” that aired back in January 1990 — more than 34 years ago.He appeared sporadically over the years, rarely saying a word.But in the Season 2 episode “Bart Gets Hit by a Car,” the drunk checks out Marge Simpson and shouts, “Who’s the chick?”Sunday night in the Season 35 episode “Cremains of the Day,” Larry died, and Homer, Moe and fellow bar regulars Lenny and Carl went on a road trip to scatter his ashes.As Larry was a background character only — with little known about him beyond his fondness for booze and incoherently muttering — the script references how vague his story is.Homer and Co., who realize that they hardly knew the guy, feel lousy when Larry’s mother tells them that he described the Moe’s gents as his “best friends,” and asked them to share some “fond memories.” They make up a bogus fishing tale.Longtime fans were shocked by the loss.“Just learned they are killing off Larry on The Simpsons tomorrow. I need a minute,” one posted on X.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large PBS landed 11 nominations, by far the most of any outlet, as Peabody Awards Board of Jurors announced this year’s 41 nominees across its documentary, news, public service and radio/podcast categories. The pubcaster’s Peabody noms include “20 Days in Mariupol,” which recently won the Oscar for best documentary feature film.

claimed that she “isn’t pretty” and “can’t act.”The “Euphoria” alum, 26, rocked the tongue-in-cheek outfit in images taken during her tropical vacation with pals.“Sorry for having great t-ts and correct opinions,” the shirt reads, as shared a carousel of snaps on Instagram Saturday.In photos shared with her 19.6 million followers on the platform, Sweeney is seen soaking up the sun rays with two gal pals.The “Immaculate” actress showed off her toned body in a brown bikini, before enjoying some live music from a mariachi band on the beach.Naturally, the outfit received a lot of attention from eagle-eyed fans on the platform.“Are you really sorry tho?” one fan wrote, referring to her choice of clothing.Another penned, “That shirt says it all, greetings to haters haha,” while a third simply added, “Let the clothes talk!”Last week, Carol Baum, whose work includes “Father of the Bride” and its sequel, launched a scathing attack on the two-time Emmy-nominated actress during a discussion at a screening of her 1988 film “Dead Ringers.”“She’s not pretty, she can’t act,” Baum said. “I don’t get Sydney Sweeney.”The film producer referred to Sweeney’s recent romcom “Anyone But You,” in which she stars opposite Glen Powell, to critique her acting skills.“I wanted to know who she is and why everybody’s talking about her,” Baum reportedly told the audience, calling the film “unwatchable.”Baum went on to slam Sweeney’s appearance, telling the audience that she couldn’t come up with a reason for why Sweeney’s career had taken off.“I said to my class, ‘Explain this girl to me.

Morgan Wallen has apologized for his arrest in connection with a chair-throwing incident from the roof of a Nashville bar.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Ghosts” hit another landmark on Thursday night, as this week’s episode of the hit CBS comedy revealed the truth behind Flower’s disappearance — while also, on a much more profound level, explored the truth behind Hetty’s death in 1895. In the episode, “Holes are Bad,” when Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) go away for the weekend, the ghosts are left alone — and discover that Flower (Sheila Carrasco) hadn’t been “sucked away” to the afterlife as they thought.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The National Academy of Televison Arts & Sciences is rolling out the nominations for Daytime Emmys, announcing a handful of categories on Thursday night and revealing the rest on Friday morning. More categories will be announced this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. PT, and then at 8:30 p.m.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Dan Abrams has enjoyed a tremendously successful career, which currently includes roles as chief legal analyst at ABC News and host of NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live.” But he knows it was the O.J. Simpson murder trial almost 30 years ago that put him on the map — and he has complicated feelings about it. “I’ve always had a little bit of guilt about the idea that the murderers of two innocent people helped start my career,” says Abrams, who was working for Court TV at the time.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 11, Episode 7 of “The Masked Singer,” “Queen Night,” which aired April 10 on Fox. “The Masked Singer” dropped a bomb on us: Singer/songwriter Charlie Wilson, who has enjoyed a tremendous career as a solo artist in addition to his time as lead vocalist for the Gap Band, was one of two celebrities revealed on Wednesday night’s edition of “The Masked Singer.” Also unmasked: “The Office” star Kate Flannery (who played the frequently inebriated Meredith). Wilson was unveiled during the show’s Group A finals as Ugly Sweater, while Flannery was Starfish. For the Ugly Sweater, Robin Thicke got it right with Charlie Wilson.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is finally resurrecting its outdoor concert stage, starting on Wednesday, April 17, with musical guest Chris Stapleton. The singer-songwriter will appear on the show to relaunch the space and perform his song ““It Takes A Woman.” Up until the pandemic, the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” outdoor stage, located in the parking lot behind the show’s Hollywood studio, was a staple for the late-night talker. But it hasn’t been in use since February 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Syndicated talk strip “Tamron Hall” has been picked up for a sixth season, ABC News was set to announce on Monday. The show, distributed nationally by Disney Entertainment, airs on the ABC-owned TV stations, as well as on stations owned by groups including Hearst, Scripps, Nexstar, Tegna, Gray and AMG. The news keeps “Tamron Hall” on the air through the 2024-2025 TV season.