Slave leader Spartacus isn’t the only part on Starz’ cult hit that’s being recast for season two. Lesley-Ann Brandt, who played Lucretia’s “body slave” Naevia, left the show during its protracted hiatus.
But producers have now found an actress to take over the part, and heeeere she is … READ FULL STORY »
On May 5, Community will take you to a colorful, messy place that you’ve been dying to revisit: Paintball City. Population: Um, you know, however big Greendale is. It seems that there is a new badass on campus, and he goes by the name Black Rider. You may also know him as Josh Holloway, late of Lost. To get a preview of Holloway in action with Annie (Alison Brie) — and to marvel at his gun-slinging get-up — click below and enjoy this clip from ”A Fist Full of Paintballs,” the Western-themed adventure that serves as the first half of the NBC comedy’s two-part season finale. (The second episode airs May 12.) Try not to be flustered by Holloway’s handsomeness. And remember: Dude gets paid to shoot paintballs — not the breeze. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Getty Images
Blue Collar Comedy star Bill Engvall has landed a guest role on TNT’s summer drama series HawthoRNe that’s going to show a more serious side to his fans.
Engvall is an actor-comedian best known for The Bill Engvall Show and his part on the hugely popular Blue Collar Comedy franchise. Engvall will show TNT viewers that he too “knows drama” when he steps into the role of Richmond Police Internal Affairs Det. James “Jimmy” Dupree, who is called in to investigate a case involving an incident at James River Hospital.
HawthoRNe, which stars Jada Pinkett Smith, returns for its third season on June 14 at 10 p.m.
Read more:
Marc Anthony joins TNT’s ‘HawthoRNe’ as series regular
TNT’s ‘HawtoRNe’ renewed for season 3
Image Credit: Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images
It’s official: The CW’s entertainment president since its inception, Dawn Ostroff, will step down next month and will be replaced by former ABC Studios chief Mark Pedowitz, who helped develop hits like Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Scrubs, Army Wives, Ghost Whisperer and Criminal Minds.
The CW launched five years ago after The WB and UPN merged and has struggled to gain ratings traction at a time when broadcast in general has slipped. Though shows like Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries have broken through, most of the network’s top draws are aging hits that The CW inherited — like Smallville, One Tree Hill and America’s Next Top Model. Meanwhile, cable rivals going after the network’s young female viewers, like MTV and ABC Family, have proven formidable competitors, with shows like Secret Life of the American Teenager, Jersey Shore, and Teen Mom pulling serious numbers. READ FULL STORY »
UPDATED: The creator of the most-watched drama on TV is suing CBS for making a successful spin-off of his hit series.
JAG and NCIS executive producer Don Bellisario filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit Thursday against producer CBS TV Studios for making NCIS: Los Angeles, which airs back-to-back with NCIS on Tuesday nights. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Chris Haston/NBC
One year ago, Steve Carell announced that he would be leaving The Office, leaving us more than enough time to properly send off our favo– Holy crap, he’s taking off tonight and we haven’t even set up our tear jars! Ready or not, Michael Scott will utter his final foot-in-mouth and walk out of Dunder Mifflin’s doors for the last time in “Goodbye, Michael.” The special 50-minute episode (which airs at 9 p.m. on NBC) was written by Office executive producer Greg Daniels, who spoke exclusively to EW about tonight’s landmark episode and bidding farewell to Carell. READ FULL STORY »
The third- and second-to-last installments of The Oprah Winfrey Show will tape at Chicago’s United Center on May 17 to accommodate “the biggest names in movie, music and TV,” Harpo Prods. announced today. Even Oprah Winfrey doesn’t know who will attend “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular” that’s been in the works for weeks at Harpo.
“As most of our viewers know, being surprised is not one of Oprah’s favorite things,” said Sheri Salata, executive producer, in a statement. “In the spirit of our farewell season, she is making a rare exception and we intend to make the most of the opportunity. It will be something to see!”
The two-parter will air May 23 and May 24. The final episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show will air May 25.
Image Credit: The CW
Nikita might not be among the shows that snagged early pick-up by the CW, but fans of the action-packed spy drama know that the stakes have never been higher for the characters. Not only have Michael (Shane West) and Nikita (Maggie Q) recently taken the “will they or won’t they?” out of their description, but the show’s mythology (from Division’s black boxes to the character’s backstories) is also reaching a boiling point in the last episodes of the season. (Tonight’s episode is no exception.)
In a chat with EW, West talks about the recent fan-loved hook-up between Mikita (i.e. Michael + Nikita), and what’s next for the much-adored, trouble-plagued couple. READ FULL STORY »
Two decades after its publication, a bestselling John Grisham novel might finally come to primetime.
NBC is in negotiations for a full-season order for a project based on Grisham’s 1991 blockbuster The Firm.
A TV version of the book (which was also made into a movie starring Tom Cruise) has been making the rounds for years and was once set up at CBS. The original story follows an ambitious young attorney who’s unwittingly hired by a crime organization’s legal outfit.
Grishman is on board as a non-writing executive producer, with former Law & Order producer Lukas Reiter as showrunner and eOne Television as the primary production company, which is also selling the show internationally. If it closes, the straight-to-series order will be for 22 episodes. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Brandon Hickman/G4
G4′s cult favorite American Ninja Warrior is getting a huge platform boost thanks to NBC.
The broadcast network will air a two-part season finale of the extreme obstacle course competition this fall after the show returns for its third season on G4 in August. The move represents the first major on-air commitment by NBC to spotlight a program on Comcast’s cable channel group since the companies merged earlier this year, and it’s quite cool that it’s Warrior that’s getting the exposure — the series long has been in the shadow of ABC’s comic version of the same concept, Wipeout.
“Wipeout has its success, but American Ninja Warrior is a true competition to find a real athlete to conquer a course that has only been conquered by three people over 2,600 tries — that’s what makes this drama interesting,” G4 president Neal Tiles told EW. READ FULL STORY »
This is so weird. It’s like falling through a wormhole and watching some bizarro alternate universe version of Jersey Shore. Below are the opening credits for Geordie Shore, which comes to us from MTV’s UK network. A few of the characters look like they’re trying to fist pump and failing. They even have a version of Snooki, only thinner and with a smaller poof. And is it just me, or is this the first time the Brits cast slightly hotter people than us in anything? READ FULL STORY »
James Hibberd
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Lynette Rice
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