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Category: Entertainment

  • Ted Sarandos Responds to Trump Telling Netflix to Fire Susan Rice: “It’s Not a Political Deal”

    Ted Sarandos Responds to Trump Telling Netflix to Fire Susan Rice: “It’s Not a Political Deal”

    Netflix boss Ted Sarandos has responded to a social media call from Donald Trump to fire board member Susan Rice.

    “This is a business deal. It’s not a political deal. This deal is run by the Department of Justice in the U.S. and regulators throughout Europe and around the world,” Sarandos told BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today program on Monday.

    His comments came as Netflix and Paramount are battling to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Currently serving as a Netflix board member, Rice formerly served as the U.S. National Security Advisor from 2013-2017 and the Domestic Policy Advisor from 2021-2023 during Democratic administrations.

    Sarandos also brushed off a question about Trump intervening directly as the bidding for Warner Bros. plays out by adding: “He likes to do a lot of things on social media.” The Netflix co-CEO, who was in London for the BAFTA Awards on Sunday night, also talked up his bid for WBD ahead of a Monday deadline for rival bidder Paramount to submit a “best and final” offer.

    Sarandos argued a Warner Bros. tie-up with Netflix would amount to more growth in original content investment and Hollywood overall. “This is a vertical merger. We’re buying a movie studio and a distribution entity that we don’t currently have – we’ll be adding to the market, where Paramount has committed that they’re going to cut $6 billion out of the business right away … This industry will be much smaller under that ownership than it would be under the Netflix version,” Sarandos told the UK pubcaster.

    He also reiterated his opposition to James Cameron’s endorsement of Paramount in the bidding process for WBD. “It doesn’t hurt. I would say it was quite confusing,” Sarandos said after insisting he had met with Cameron in Dec. 2025 and committed Netflix to 45-day exclusivity for Warner Bros. movies should his company prevail in its takeover of the Hollywood studio.

    “We spent five minutes of our conversation on that (windowing), and we talked mostly about these glasses that he’s developing for Meta to watch movies at home,” he added. Sarandos’ latest response followed Cameron sending a letter to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) arguing that allowing Netflix to purchase the studio will deal a disastrous blow to movie theaters and weaken an essential cog of the Hollywood machinery in a way that will lead to substantial job losses.

    The director claimed Sarandos planned to pursue a 17-day theatrical window, despite the Netflix boss saying he will keep Warner Bros. movies in theaters for 45 days.

  • Music Industry Moves: Suno Names Former Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota Chief Commercial Officer

    Music Industry Moves: Suno Names Former Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota Chief Commercial Officer

    Generative-AI company Suno has named former Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota as its chief commercial officer, it announced Monday morning. In the role, Sirota will lead Suno’s commercial strategy, music industry relationships, platform partnerships, and enterprise solutions and will report directly to CEO Mikey Shulman.

    During his six years as CEO of Merlin, the digital music licensing partner for independent music labels and distributors, Sirota scaled annual revenue from $900 million to $1.8 billion while rebuilding its technology infrastructure and expanding its data and licensing capabilities. He led licensing agreements with major technology platforms including Apple, Deezer, Meta, Spotify, Twitch and YouTube among others. He also negotiated Merlin’s early AI partnerships.

    Prior to Merlin, Sirota held business development, strategy and operational roles at Meta on the music team, was a senior record executive at Warner Music Group, and served as a technology lawyer at Morrison Foerster, where he did licensing work for entertainment companies and advised on intellectual property matters.

    “Jeremy is a rare leader who has spent his career working to improve every side of the music business – for fans, artists, music rightsholders, and platforms,” said Shulman, co-founder and CEO of Suno. “What truly sets him apart is his ability to build what doesn’t yet exist, finding opportunity where others see obstacles and bringing all sides with him. That mindset will help craft a better future of music for all, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him join Suno.”

    Suno recently announced a partnership with Warner Music Group and last fall, it launched what it claims is the the first generative audio workstation, Suno Studio, which blends pro-grade multi-track editing with AI stem generation.

    + Sony Music Publishing has promoted Greg Prata to chief financial officer, effective March 31. He will continue to be based out of the company’s New York office and will report to SMP chairman & CEO Jon Platt.

    In his new role, Prata will oversee all aspects of Sony Music Publishing’s financial operations globally, including reporting, accounting, budget, administration and IT. He succeeds Tom Kelly, who recently announced his upcoming retirement from his position as CFO, after a 35-year career.

    Platt said, “Greg has been a trusted leader on our team, and I’m pleased to see him step into the CFO role as we advance our next stage of growth. At the same time, we thank Tom for his remarkable tenure. His leadership has helped drive our success and set a high bar for excellence that Greg will continue to build upon.”

    Prata joined Sony in 2012 as senior VP of financial planning & analysis, following his time at EMI. In 2019, he was promoted to executive VP of finance & corporate strategy. Prior to his roles at Sony Music Publishing and EMI, Prata spent over a decade in private equity and investment banking.

    + Patron Saints of Music, the custom music house behind Bravo’s “Below Deck” and others, has named Allie Moskovits head of sync & business development. In this newly created role, Moskovits will lead sync strategy for Patron Saints’ expanding catalog to drive business across TV, film, advertising, gaming, and emerging media. She will also focus on developing new artists and songs to diversify the catalog and expand the company’s footprint beyond unscripted television.

    + Culture Wave, a Los Angeles–based, “rock-forward” artist management company operating in partnership with Red Light Management, has expanded in several areas.

    Artist managers Ryan Cunningham and Mike Bingham of Polarizer Management have joined Culture Wave, bringing their rosters into the company’s management division. Cunningham represents the Armed, Prostitute, Trauma Ray, Patrick Shiroishi, Truck Violence, Jodi, while Bingham joins with Trauma Ray, Spiritual Cramp and Agriculture. Cunningham will remain in his role at Biz 3 Publicity where he’s been a publicist for 12 years.

    The company also announces the promotion of Rachel Hacken to artist manager, transitioning from day-to-day support for Jason Mageau’s roster. Hacken now manages Kittie, Gore., Thousand Below, and Holy Wars; as well as:

    Alana Lopez joins as touring & logistics manager, supporting Jason Mageau’s roster and Culture Wave artists; Madison Stern joins as day-to-day manager for Andrew Jarrin; Ana Garcia joins as digital marketing coordinator; Erin Carignan joins as day-to-day manager for Ryan Cunningham; Joey Mullen joins as co-manager for the band Agriculture with Bingham.

  • BBC Greenlights Three New Dramas, Including Tudor-Set ‘1536,’ ‘Shy & Lola’ With Hayley Squires, Bel Powley

    The BBC has unveiled three new dramas coming to our screens in due course, including Shy & Lola with Hayley Squires and Bel Powley.

    Shy & Lola, a new six-part drama for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, is written by award-winning screenwriter and novelist Amanda Coe (Apple Tree Yard, The Trial of Christine Keeler) and produced by multi-BAFTA and Emmy award-winning Clerkenwell Films (Baby Reindeer, The Death of Bunny Munro, The End of the F***ing World), part of BBC Studios.

    The darkly comic story follows Shy and Lola, two very different women who are forced to become allies when a murder entangles them in the criminal underworld operating in Shy’s small coastal town in the North of England. Squires (The Night Manager, I, Daniel Blake) stars as Shy, a cleaner scraping by and dreaming of a new life in Portugal, with Powley (A Small Light, The Diary of a Teenage Girl) playing Lola, an ex-model-turned-grifter who arrives in town with trouble at her heels.

    Filming on the show, based on the French television drama Cheyenne and Lola, will begin this spring in and around the U.K. cities of Hull and Leeds.

    Also announced on Monday is D-Notice from writers and executive producers Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn. The six-part British political thriller is set in the world of investigative journalism. Patterson and Lawn are said to “have some experience of” the D-notice mechanism, which allows the government to advise journalists about national security. Now, they’ve come up with a drama that looks at how truth and power speak to one another. It is their third project for the BBC, following The Salisbury Poisonings and Blue Lights, and their first commission from production company Hot Sauce Pictures, backed by Sony Pictures Television.

    The BBC has also commissioned 1536, a new drama series for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, based on Ava Pickett’s play of the same name. The eight-part show written by Pickett from Drama Republic (Riot Women, One Day) is set in the heart of Tudor England against the backdrop of Anne Boleyn’s arrest and weaves royal scandal with rural struggle.

    1536 centers around Anna, Mariella, and Jane: three young women gossiping, arguing, and dreaming in an Essex village, desperately waiting for their lives to start. When the news reaches them that King Henry VIII has had his Queen, Anne Boleyn, arrested, the three of them never suspect that this act will change their lives forever.

    Pickett said: “1536 is something I am immensely proud of and I feel so lucky and privileged to have the chance to bring Anna, Jane and Mariella to a wider audience and to build out their lives even more. In a world where every decision made in the corridors of power ricochets through all of our lives, this story feels more relevant than ever. I’m so grateful to Lindsay Salt for being such a champion of it from the start.”

    Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, added: “From the moment we saw Ava’s play we knew that we had to have the TV version on the BBC. Visceral, funny, provocative, timely and full of courage, this is a piece of work like no other. Ava is an exceptional voice, so we feel very lucky to be working with her and the brilliant team at Drama Republic to bring three iconic female characters to the screen.”

    Executive producers are Jude Liknaitzky, Roanna Benn, Rebecca de Souza, Chloe Beeson and Pickett. The series was commissioned by Salt.

  • BBC Studios Chiefs on Mega-Mergers, Own M&A, Trump Tariffs, U.S. Streaming Growth, and the ‘Bluey’ Movie

    BBC Studios Chiefs on Mega-Mergers, Own M&A, Trump Tariffs, U.S. Streaming Growth, and the ‘Bluey’ Movie

    BBC Studios CEO Tom Fussell and Zai Bennett, CEO and chief creative officer of BBC Studios Productions, discussed tariff talk by U.S. President Donald Trump, mega-consolidation, including the planned Netflix-Warner Bros. Discovery deal, the growth of the company’s U.S. streaming business, and the Bluey movie.

    They spoke to the press on the first day of the 50th annual BBC Studios Showcase in London. BBC Studios, the commercial arm of British broadcaster BBC, is known for such hit franchises as animated powerhouse Bluey, Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, legal drama The Split and its upcoming spin-off The Split Up, and such natural science hits as Walking With Dinosaurs, and it recently unveiled new shows to mark broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough’s 100th birthday on May 8.

    “We have seen no impact” from Trump tariff talk, Fussell said when asked about any possible fallout, also lauding the continuing popularity of BBC News in the U.S. He didn’t discuss Trump’s lawsuit against BBC News, simply touting the resilience of the BBC brand and saying “we are not seeing any changes.”

    Asked about Netflix-WBD, he said “we are well diversified, and obviously, you can only control what you can control, so you focus on your priorities, and our priority is carrying the transformation and the growth in the areas we’ve got.” He emphasized though that “no doubt, … people have talked about challenging markets and the rest of it, and our view going forward is that the market growth is not going to be anything like what it had been in the [past] five years.”

    Continued Fussell: “And when you start seeing rumors upon rumors about takeovers and consolidation, that normally is testament to the fact there aren’t huge amounts of growth in the market, because everyone’s looking for … synergies. But we know what we’re doing. We know where we want to be investing in our global expansion of our studio.”

    In that context, he also highlighted that BBC Studios was “a growing business that’s transforming,” with revenue up 55.7 percent over the last four years.

    Following TV market challenges, Bennett on Monday suggested that “there are definitely green shoots of recovery,” sharing that “Paramount is back in the market, spending money,” among other things. But he reiterated that things are “definitely not” expected to return to the highs of the past five years but play out in a new normal range.

    Fussell suggested though that he felt the business would be “talking about striving again,” from scripted to unscripted and, vitally, kids programming.

    Mentioning the 2019 BBC Studios deal with what was then Discovery to take full control of UKTV’s entertainment channels, including Dave, Gold, and Drama, as well as a 2024 deal with ITV that gave the company full control of streamer BritBox International, Fussell also signaled that BBC Studios could also strike more acquisitions of its own. He said it would “carry on investing organically and maybe inorganically.”

    Bennett, who started his role in late 2024, similarly noted that BBC Studios Productions is seeing “solid organic growth and investment” and “looking for inorganic growth in some territories,” mentioning the rest of Europe, the Middle East and Africa as one possible region for deals.

    Fussell added that there “are opportunities for inorganic growth in streaming across the genres,” adding: “I think we have a right, as the home of British streaming, to grow that even further.” But he emphasized that “these opportunities take time,” concluding: “We are very judicious with how we spend that investment.”

    Fussell on Monday also touted the success of streaming services BritBox and BBC Select, which focuses on documentaries, in North America. “Last week was the fifth birthday of BBC Select, and BBC Select is now the third-largest factual SVOD in the States, and we’re really proud of that,” he said. He also touted the growth of BritBox and its launch of a premium tier.

    Among content trends, Bennett was asked about the growth of microdramas, saying that “we’re looking at that right now” and signaling the company could talk about this space more in the coming months. He added: “We’re certainly experimenting.”

    Questioned about audience and buyer appetite, he sees for escapist content versus programming dealing with the world’s cultural and political divisions, Bennett said BBC Studios Productions looks at market needs and is “leaning into specificity and Britishness” more than anything else.

    Current and old content favorites also drew reporter questions on Monday. Could motoring show Top Gear return to U.K. screens? Replied Bennett: “Never say never.”

    Of course, the upcoming Bluey: The Movie was also a talking point. Fussell shared that he just visited creator Joe Brumm in his studio in Brisbane, calling the experience “an absolute pleasure,” and saying that the work on the film was going well. But “I can’t say anything” more, he emphasized. And Bennett shared: “We’ve seen bits of it, and it looks amazing.”

  • Audible Enlists Former Wondery Exec to Lead Original Content Slate

    Audible Enlists Former Wondery Exec to Lead Original Content Slate

    Marshall Lewy, former chief content officer at Wondery, has been appointed head of Audible content for North America.

    In the expanded role, Lewy will oversee podcasts as well as immersive audio dramas, audiobooks, podcasts and investigative series for Audible. He will also oversee Audible Theater, the company’s Off-Broadway theater and development, and the company’s film and television development and production initiatives. 

    The move comes after the breakup of Wondery in August 2025, in which parent company Amazon moved Wondery’s narrative podcast team, as well as Lewy, to Audible. 

    Wondery’s creator-led, video-focused podcast shows including New Heights and Armchair Expert joined Amazon’s Talent Services team.

    At Wondery, Lewy oversaw podcasts such as Hysterical, Dr. Death, Business Wars, and Baby, This Is Keke Palmer. Several of the shows went on to film and television adaptations, and Lewy executive produced Dr. Death (Peacock), The Shrink Next Door (AppleTV), WeCrashed (AppleTV) and Dying for Sex (FX).

    Audible says it currently has “dozens” of audio-first projects in development across networks, studios and streamers. Lewy will report to Audible chief content officer Rachel Ghiazza.

    “Marshall’s appointment represents a tremendous opportunity for Audible’s North American content ambitions,” Ghiazza said. “His background as both a creator and executive, combined with his extensive network of industry contacts and proven track record of developing wildly popular shows, makes him uniquely positioned to lead our content strategy forward. Marshall is known throughout the industry as an outstanding leader who consistently delivers breakthrough entertainment that resonates with audiences on a massive scale.”

  • Delroy Lindo Wishes ‘Someone From BAFTA Spoke to Us’ After N-Word Was Shouted While He and Michael B. Jordan Presented: We ‘Did What We Had to Do’

    Delroy Lindo Wishes ‘Someone From BAFTA Spoke to Us’ After N-Word Was Shouted While He and Michael B. Jordan Presented: We ‘Did What We Had to Do’

    Delroy Lindo spoke to Vanity Fair at one of the 2026 BAFTA after parties and said that he and “Sinners” co-star Michael B. Jordan “did what we had to do” when the N-word was shouted out as they were presenting the award for best visual effects to “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” Lindo added that he wished “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards.”

    Variety has reached out to BAFTA for comment.

    The slur was shouted by John Davidson, who is diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. Davidson attended the BAFTAs as the subject of the nominated biopic “I Swear.” The film’s leading star, Robert Aramayo, won the best actor prize during for playing Davidson, whose condition causes him to produce involuntary vocal tics.

    As reported by Variety: “A number of outbursts from Davidson could be heard throughout the BAFTA ceremony, including ‘shut the fuck up’ being shouted during an introductory speech from BAFTA chair Sara Putt and ‘fuck you’ when the directors of ‘Boong,’ which won the BAFTA for best children’s and family film, accepted their award.”

    Sources told Variety after the ceremony that floor managers warned guests and attendees sitting around Davidson of his condition, without specifying what kinds of outbursts they might hear. According to multiple sources, none of the nominees or attendees were contacted by BAFTA or BBC ahead of the show with any such warnings.

    BAFTAs host Alan Cumming thanked the audience during the ceremony for their understanding after Davidson had several outbursts, including shouting the N-word.

    “You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience,” Cumming said. “Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”

    The host added later on during the ceremony: “Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you are offended tonight.”

    The BAFTAs came under even more scrutiny after the tape-delayed broadcast aired later that night on the BBC with Davidson’s use of the N-word still audible. The BBC then apologized for not editing out the racial slur and removed it from from the version of the BAFTAs streaming on iPlayer.

    After pulling the BAFTA Film Awards from iPlayer early Monday afternoon, a BBC spokesperson said: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

  • BBC Greenlights Three New Dramas, Including Tudor-Set ‘1536,’ ‘Shy & Lola’ With Hayley Squires, Bel Powley

    The BBC has unveiled three new dramas coming to our screens in due course, including Shy & Lola with Hayley Squires and Bel Powley.

    Shy & Lola, a new six-part drama for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, is written by award-winning screenwriter and novelist Amanda Coe (Apple Tree Yard, The Trial of Christine Keeler) and produced by multi-BAFTA and Emmy award-winning Clerkenwell Films (Baby Reindeer, The Death of Bunny Munro, The End of the F***ing World), part of BBC Studios.

    The darkly comic story follows Shy and Lola, two very different women who are forced to become allies when a murder entangles them in the criminal underworld operating in Shy’s small coastal town in the North of England. Squires (The Night Manager, I, Daniel Blake) stars as Shy, a cleaner scraping by and dreaming of a new life in Portugal, with Powley (A Small Light, The Diary of a Teenage Girl) playing Lola, an ex-model-turned-grifter who arrives in town with trouble at her heels.

    Filming on the show, based on the French television drama Cheyenne and Lola, will begin this spring in and around the U.K. cities of Hull and Leeds.

    Also announced on Monday is D-Notice from writers and executive producers Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn. The six-part British political thriller is set in the world of investigative journalism. Patterson and Lawn are said to “have some experience of” the D-notice mechanism, which allows the government to advise journalists about national security. Now, they’ve come up with a drama that looks at how truth and power speak to one another. It is their third project for the BBC, following The Salisbury Poisonings and Blue Lights, and their first commission from production company Hot Sauce Pictures, backed by Sony Pictures Television.

    The BBC has also commissioned 1536, a new drama series for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, based on Ava Pickett’s play of the same name. The eight-part show written by Pickett from Drama Republic (Riot Women, One Day) is set in the heart of Tudor England against the backdrop of Anne Boleyn’s arrest and weaves royal scandal with rural struggle.

    1536 centers around Anna, Mariella, and Jane: three young women gossiping, arguing, and dreaming in an Essex village, desperately waiting for their lives to start. When the news reaches them that King Henry VIII has had his Queen, Anne Boleyn, arrested, the three of them never suspect that this act will change their lives forever.

    Pickett said: “1536 is something I am immensely proud of and I feel so lucky and privileged to have the chance to bring Anna, Jane and Mariella to a wider audience and to build out their lives even more. In a world where every decision made in the corridors of power ricochets through all of our lives, this story feels more relevant than ever. I’m so grateful to Lindsay Salt for being such a champion of it from the start.”

    Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, added: “From the moment we saw Ava’s play we knew that we had to have the TV version on the BBC. Visceral, funny, provocative, timely and full of courage, this is a piece of work like no other. Ava is an exceptional voice, so we feel very lucky to be working with her and the brilliant team at Drama Republic to bring three iconic female characters to the screen.”

    Executive producers are Jude Liknaitzky, Roanna Benn, Rebecca de Souza, Chloe Beeson and Pickett. The series was commissioned by Salt.

  • BBC Studios Chiefs on Mega-Mergers, Own M&A, Trump Tariffs, U.S. Streaming Growth, and the ‘Bluey’ Movie

    BBC Studios Chiefs on Mega-Mergers, Own M&A, Trump Tariffs, U.S. Streaming Growth, and the ‘Bluey’ Movie

    BBC Studios CEO Tom Fussell and Zai Bennett, CEO and chief creative officer of BBC Studios Productions, discussed tariff talk by U.S. President Donald Trump, mega-consolidation, including the planned Netflix-Warner Bros. Discovery deal, the growth of the company’s U.S. streaming business, and the Bluey movie.

    They spoke to the press on the first day of the 50th annual BBC Studios Showcase in London. BBC Studios, the commercial arm of British broadcaster BBC, is known for such hit franchises as animated powerhouse Bluey, Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, legal drama The Split and its upcoming spin-off The Split Up, and such natural science hits as Walking With Dinosaurs, and it recently unveiled new shows to mark broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough’s 100th birthday on May 8.

    “We have seen no impact” from Trump tariff talk, Fussell said when asked about any possible fallout, also lauding the continuing popularity of BBC News in the U.S. He didn’t discuss Trump’s lawsuit against BBC News, simply touting the resilience of the BBC brand and saying “we are not seeing any changes.”

    Asked about Netflix-WBD, he said “we are well diversified, and obviously, you can only control what you can control, so you focus on your priorities, and our priority is carrying the transformation and the growth in the areas we’ve got.” He emphasized though that “no doubt, … people have talked about challenging markets and the rest of it, and our view going forward is that the market growth is not going to be anything like what it had been in the [past] five years.”

    Continued Fussell: “And when you start seeing rumors upon rumors about takeovers and consolidation, that normally is testament to the fact there aren’t huge amounts of growth in the market, because everyone’s looking for … synergies. But we know what we’re doing. We know where we want to be investing in our global expansion of our studio.”

    In that context, he also highlighted that BBC Studios was “a growing business that’s transforming,” with revenue up 55.7 percent over the last four years.

    Following TV market challenges, Bennett on Monday suggested that “there are definitely green shoots of recovery,” sharing that “Paramount is back in the market, spending money,” among other things. But he reiterated that things are “definitely not” expected to return to the highs of the past five years but play out in a new normal range.

    Fussell suggested though that he felt the business would be “talking about striving again,” from scripted to unscripted and, vitally, kids programming.

    Mentioning the 2019 BBC Studios deal with what was then Discovery to take full control of UKTV’s entertainment channels, including Dave, Gold, and Drama, as well as a 2024 deal with ITV that gave the company full control of streamer BritBox International, Fussell also signaled that BBC Studios could also strike more acquisitions of its own. He said it would “carry on investing organically and maybe inorganically.”

    Bennett, who started his role in late 2024, similarly noted that BBC Studios Productions is seeing “solid organic growth and investment” and “looking for inorganic growth in some territories,” mentioning the rest of Europe, the Middle East and Africa as one possible region for deals.

    Fussell added that there “are opportunities for inorganic growth in streaming across the genres,” adding: “I think we have a right, as the home of British streaming, to grow that even further.” But he emphasized that “these opportunities take time,” concluding: “We are very judicious with how we spend that investment.”

    Fussell on Monday also touted the success of streaming services BritBox and BBC Select, which focuses on documentaries, in North America. “Last week was the fifth birthday of BBC Select, and BBC Select is now the third-largest factual SVOD in the States, and we’re really proud of that,” he said. He also touted the growth of BritBox and its launch of a premium tier.

    Among content trends, Bennett was asked about the growth of microdramas, saying that “we’re looking at that right now” and signaling the company could talk about this space more in the coming months. He added: “We’re certainly experimenting.”

    Questioned about audience and buyer appetite, he sees for escapist content versus programming dealing with the world’s cultural and political divisions, Bennett said BBC Studios Productions looks at market needs and is “leaning into specificity and Britishness” more than anything else.

    Current and old content favorites also drew reporter questions on Monday. Could motoring show Top Gear return to U.K. screens? Replied Bennett: “Never say never.”

    Of course, the upcoming Bluey: The Movie was also a talking point. Fussell shared that he just visited creator Joe Brumm in his studio in Brisbane, calling the experience “an absolute pleasure,” and saying that the work on the film was going well. But “I can’t say anything” more, he emphasized. And Bennett shared: “We’ve seen bits of it, and it looks amazing.”

  • ‘Wednesday’ Season 3 Adds Four to Cast as Production Begins

    ‘Wednesday’ Season 3 Adds Four to Cast as Production Begins

    “Wednesday” Season 3 is officially in production, with the show bringing in four new additions to its cast.

    Chris Sarandon (“Dog Day Afternoon,” “The Princess Bride”), Noah Taylor (“Peaky Blinders,” “Game Of Thrones”), Oscar Morgan (“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” “Gotham Knights”), and Kennedy Moyer (“Task,” “Roofman”) are all set to appear in the hit show’s third season. The new castings come just after it was reported that Winona Ryder would be guest starring in Season 3, while it was previously reported that Eva Green would play Morticia Addams’ sister.

    Taylor previously worked with “Wednesday” director and executive producer Tim Burton on the film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” while Sarandon voiced Jack Skellington in Burton’s “A Nightmare Before Christmas.”

    “It’s our dark delight to fling open Nevermore Academy’s gates once more as we begin production on Season Three,” series creators and showrunners Al Gough & Miles Millar said. “We thank our invincible cast and crew for their continued commitment to doom and gloom. To the fans, we appreciate your patience and ravenous online commentary – your twisted theories have inspired nightmares. This season we welcome new students, new teachers, and excavate some long-rotting Addams Family secrets. Don’t say you weren’t warned.”

    As with past seasons, the third is being shot in Dublin, Ireland. Jenna Ortega will return in the role of Wednesday Addams, who viewers last saw riding off with her Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen) to attempt to rescue her friend and roommate Enid (Emma Myers) from being trapped as an alpha werewolf.

    “I’m so excited to be back for Season 3 and it’s great to be reunited with all of the original cast,” Burton said. “The addition of some dear friends and past collaborators of mine – Winona, Eva, Chris, Noah…makes this season extra special. I feel very lucky.”

    Aside from Ortega, Myers, and Armisen, the cast of “Wednesday” includes: Hunter Doohan, Joy Sunday, Moosa Mostafa, Georgie Farmer, Isaac Ordonez, Billie Piper, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, Victor Dorobantu, Evie Templeton, with Luis Guzmán, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Joanna Lumley.

    The show is based on characters created by Charles Addams. Gough, Millar, and Burton are all executive producers. MGM Television is the studio.

    “Wednesday” Season 2 was released in two parts in August and September 2025. Like the first season, the second went on to become a massive hit for Netflix, where it currently ranks as the streamer’s fifth most-watched English language season of TV ever. Season 1 is the most-watched season ever.

  • CBS’ ‘CIA’ Works Fine as an Average Law Enforcement Procedural: TV Review

    CBS’ ‘CIA’ Works Fine as an Average Law Enforcement Procedural: TV Review

    A spinoff of CBS and Dick Wolf‘s long-running drama series “FBI,” “CIA” follows an elite FBI/CIA fusion cell that investigates international plots, terrorist cells and geopolitical secrets. A generic police procedural, “CIA” isn’t mind-blowing. However, based on the show’s opener (critics received just one episode for review, which is an anomaly), the series will undoubtedly shift and expand, bringing in viewers who have rocked with “FBI” for the past eight seasons, and newcomers looking for an entry point into the franchise.

    The series opener begins in present-day New York City, and follows CIA case officer Colin Glass (Tom Ellis), who receives a call that leads him to a crime scene. A towering and roguish agent who sees rules as mere suggestions, Colin isn’t pleased to see that the FBI has already been tipped off and is swarming around. He’s increasingly annoyed when his presence is questioned by Bill Goodman (Nick Gehlfuss), an FBI Special Agent, whose goody-two-shoes personality and straight-laced looks immediately scream Fed. Unfortunately, for the duo, Colin needs an FBI liaison to operate on U.S. soil. The CIA’s New York deputy chief, Nikki Reynard (Necar Zadegan), FBI Special Agent in Charge Isobel Castille (Alana de la Garza) and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine (Jeremy Sisto) pair the men together to solve the case, but things don’t exactly go swimmingly.

    It’s quite a challenge to evaluate a series in totality based on just one episode, but getting “CIA” to air has not been easy. According to a Variety report from the fall, there was drama behind the scenes: Production for “CIA” was initially pushed back, and then briefly paused, after actress Michael Michele left the show (she was supposed to portray the character that Zadegan now plays). After Michele parted ways with “CIA,” longtime “Law & Order: SVU” showrunner Warren Leight stepped down as showrunner — Leight had taken over the role from David Hudgins. “FBI” showrunner Mike Weiss finally stepped in once Leight exited. These changes moved the show to a midseason premiere rather than its original fall 2025 debut. With only the pilot available to screen, it will be interesting to see whether any pauses or shifts have affected the storytelling as the season progresses. So far, “CIA” works well as an average New York City-set law-enforcement procedural. Perhaps that will be enough.

    “CIA” premieres Feb. 23 on CBS, with new episodes dropping weekly on Mondays.