What's news: NBCU is combining UCP and UIS into one entity. Hosts at QVC are attempting to unionize. The 2026 NBA Finals were the most viewed since 1998 and the 2026 Stanley Cup was the most viewed since 2019. And Sean Penn has written and is set to direct Bradley Cooper in a Jan. 6 movie. — Abid Rahman
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Anya Taylor-Joy on 'Furiosa' Struggles, Joining Middle-Earth |
►On the cover. This year, Anya Taylor-Joy has three major projects pulling her in opposite directions. Lucky, the Apple TV miniseries, is the first time the British-Argentine actress has the producing title to match the collaborative instincts she’s had since her first film The Witch, followed by Dune: Part Three, the conclusion of Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction opus. Then she’ll take a trip to Middle-earth for Andy Serkis' The Hunt for Gollum. One project is intimate, kinetic, entirely hers. The other two are the biggest movie franchises on the planet. THR's Seth Abramovitch profiles the in-demand star who opens up about her unconventional path to Hollywood, her battles with director George Miller and her crazy crusade to get cast in Dune. The cover story.
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BBC Cuts Jobs, Set to Slash Content Spend by $107M
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►"We live in very uncertain times." The BBC will cut around 550 jobs, slash content spending by $107m over two years and “review” broadcast TV channels as part of a big cost savings push. The moves are part of the effort by the team of new BBC director general Matt Brittin, a former Google top executive, to slash costs across operations and functions. The staff reductions will hit the BBC’s Content, Nations and News teams, with the BBC also eyeing further job reductions in corporate and other areas to the tune of around 700. The story.
—Anime takeover. Crunchyroll is bringing fully localized versions of its anime streaming service to Taiwan and South Korea, the latest step in a multiyear expansion by Sony Group’s steadily growing anime business. President Rahul Purini announced the moves at the APOS media conference in Bali, with Taiwan set for this summer and South Korea slated for later in 2026. The story.
—Consolidation. NBCUniversal is combining two of its TV studios into one entity. The company will merge the streaming-focused UCP and Universal International Studios into a single unit called Universal Global Television. Beatrice Springborn, who has headed both UCP and UIS for the past several years, will remain at the helm of the Universal Global TV. The story.
—✊ Move to unionize. ✊ Hosts for home shopping network QVC are attempting to unionize with SAG-AFTRA in an organizing drive they say is fueled by generative AI concerns. The labor group filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board on Monday after requesting voluntary recognition from management the previous week. SAG-AFTRA is attempting to represent 32 hosts who work on linear television as well as across livestream and shortform programming at the company. The story.
—Incoming. Matt Schwimmer has joined Amazon’s Creator Services team to lead creator business development for podcasts including New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, Armchair Expert and more. Schwimmer comes to the team after working at sports podcast company Better Collective as the chief executive of Playmaker, a sports media platform. The creator services team was formed after Amazon reorganized Wondery, with creator-led shows going to the newly formed Creator Services team. The story.
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THR Live - Inside the Emmy Race |
►🚨 Today's the day! 🚨 Join THR's awards editors Scott Feinberg and Brande Victorian this afternoon for THR Live - Inside the Emmy Race, a live conversation, featuring audience questions and real-time discussion on the races everyone is watching. Tune in and be part of the conversation. Still have a question? Head to THR's Instagram Stories and send it our way — we may answer it live. Streaming live today on THR's YouTube channel at 11 a.m. PT.
—📅 Slight change of plans. 📅 After initially planning to announce this year’s Emmy nominees in two batches, the TV Academy will now be revealing all of the nominees on July 8. The Academy had planned to hold back the announcement of nominations in a number of craft categories that rely on peer-group screening panels, announcing nominees in those categories on July 15. In announcing the change on Tuesday, the TV Academy said the move was designed to better accommodate promotional campaign schedules for Emmy Awards hopefuls. The story.
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NBA, NHL Finals Score Big Ratings for ABC |
►Woof! The 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final produced a lot of goals, several wild comebacks and the largest TV audience for the series in seven years. ABC‘s broadcast of the sixth and deciding game of the series on Sunday drew 5.9m viewers, the most for a game six of the Stanley Cup Final since 2019. The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Sunday to win the Stanley Cup, four games to two. It’s the franchise’s second NHL championship; the Hurricanes previously won in 2006. The six-game series averaged 5.2m viewers, also the highest since 2019. The ratings.
—Woof! Woof! The New York Knicks‘ first NBA title in 53 years delivered the biggest audience for the NBA Finals in 28 years. Saturday’s deciding fifth game averaged 24.5m viewers on ABC and ESPN, the third game in a row to draw more than 20m. The last time the finals drew 20m-plus viewers over three consecutive contests was in 2016, for the final three games of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ comeback victory over the Golden State Warriors. The telecast was also the most watched game five since the 1998 NBA Finals, which marked Michael Jordan’s last championship with the Chicago Bulls. The ratings.
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THR's 10 Best TV Shows of 2026 So Far
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►Strong start. We're over the halfway point of the year, so the perfect time to reflect on the best television shows on 2026. THR's TV critic Daniel Fienberg and Angie Han reveal their faves so far, including a spooky Apple TV genre-bender, an HBO drama in deliciously nasty form and a Netflix adaptation that infuses a classic text with harrowing freshness. The list.
—There's no such thing as cancel culture. Netflix released a first-look clip from Louis C.K.‘s upcoming stand-up special. The new footage has the comedian performing a bit about putting his father in a retirement home. The special is titled Ridiculous and will be released globally by Netflix on June 30. The special marks the comedian’s return to streaming nine years after the scandal that derailed his career. His last Netflix special was Louis C.K.: 2017. The story.
—What the deuce?! Rivals season 3 is officially on Disney+ and Hulu revealed on Tuesday. The (international) Emmy- and BAFTA-winning British series based on Jilly Cooper’s iconic Rutshire Chronicles novels has proved to be a hit for the streamers. The show has been greenlit for a third season of 12 episodes ahead of the season 2 return in November. Rivals features an ensemble cast of thespians hamming it up including David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Aidan Turner, Bella Maclean, Nafessa Williams, Victoria Smurfit, Claire Rushbrook and the always incredible Danny Dyer. The story.
—🏆 Congrats! 🏆 The French-language series Empathie from screenwriter Lorence Longpre picked up the Grand Jury Prize at the Banff World Media Festival’s Rockie Awards on Tuesday night. The Canadian series from Trio Orange also won for best non-English language drama, the Prix Francophone and the Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content. And in the best English-language drama category, HBO’s The Pitt took top honors, beating out Canada’s Heated Rivalry and Plan B, another U.S. series in The Handmaid’s Tale and the British drama Reckless. The story.
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Penn to Direct Cooper in Untitled Jan. 6 Friendship Drama
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►🎭 Back behind the camera. 🎭 Sean Penn has written and is set to direct Bradley Cooper in a movie set amid the events of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Cooper is in talks to star in the project, with a mid-2027 production start targeted. It’s understood the untitled film is not about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., directly, but rather an unexpected friendship involving a police officer that sprang up amid the U.S. Capitol riot. Warner Bros. is in talks to acquire the film. Penn last directed a narrative feature in 2021 with Flag Day, starring his daughter Dylan Penn. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 THR's Borys "Scoops" Kit has the scoop that Amazon MGM Studios has picked up Shots! Shots! Shots!, a Jason Momoa action-comedy that was previously at Universal. Momoa is in talks to star in and produce the feature project, which is being produced by Jonathan Eirich of Rideback. An original spec from scribes Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows, the project landed at Universal in 2022. But shifting budgetary priorities led to Universal rethinking the project and opting to put it into turnaround. Amazon MGM was more than happy to snap it up, having had great streaming success with the Momoa action comedy The Wrecking Crew. The story.
—Don't dream it, be it! The next movie in the works for a reimagining at the 17,600-seat Sphere in Las Vegas is an experiential take on Jim Sharman’s 1975 cult feature The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which has become a staple of community screenings and has been adapted multiple times for Broadway. Rocky Horror at the Sphere will unspool sometime in 2027. While The Wizard of Oz experience had a price tag of around $100m to bring the adaptation of the 1939 Judy Garland feature to the Vegas masses — including recreating a tornado inside the venue — it’s unclear if Rocky Horror will carry a similar budget. The story.
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Film Review: 'Toy Story 5'
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►"Toys “R” Still Us." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris' Toy Story 5. In the fifth installment of Pixar's beloved animated franchise, Joan Cusack’s cowgirl Jessie takes the lead to impart a sweet lesson about the rewards of physical play over screen time. Also featuring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Conan O’Brien, Scarlett Spears, Greta Lee, Shelby Rabara, Mykal-Michelle Harris and Craig Robinson. Written by Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris. The review.
—"A sensitive probe into the softness under the muscle." David reviews Sam McConnell's Test. The semi-autobiographical film tells the story of a bodybuilder anxious to turn pro who is struggling with questions of faith and his emerging sexuality. Starring Brock Yurich, Tammy Blanchard, Mike Edward, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Evan Hall, Matthew Morrison, Heidi Lewandowski and Drew Getchy. Written by Brock Yurich. The review.
—"Fizzy and forgettable as cheap champagne." THR's Angie Han reviews Hulu's The Season. From Crazy Rich Asians studio SK Global, the six-part Hong Kong-set soap follows a young American woman who is ushered into the backbiting world of the city's ultra-elite by her mentor, an ambitious wealth manager. Starring Jessie Mei Li, Karena Lam, Celina Jade, Toby Stephens, Chris Pang, Justin Chien, Yvonne Chapman and Koki. Created by Yalun Tu. The review.
—"Brimming with tenderness." Angie reviews Hayley Kiyoko's Girls Like Girls. In this coming-of-age drama two teenage girls who fall for each other over the summer break, inspired by Kiyoko's own 2015 song of the same title. Starring Maya da Costa, Myra Molloy, Zach Braff and Levon Hawke. Written by Hayley Kiyoko, Chloe Okuno and Stefanie Scott. The review.
In other news...
—Shrek 5 trailer surprises fans with Gingerbread Man's "caked up" moment
—Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S4 trailer emphasizes action-adventure
—Kit Connor, Joe Locke aim to hold onto young love in Heartstopper Forever trailer
—Tom Holland finally confirms he secretly married Zendaya
—William Smithers, actor in Dallas and Papillon, dies at 98
—Wendy Freedman, founder of beloved vintage boutique Polkadots and Moonbeams, dies at 66
What else we're reading...
—Shirley Li writes that the Paramount-WBD deal isn't Hollywood's "biggest problem" [Atlantic]
—Fascinating story from Simon van Zuylen-Wood revealing his prison conversations with convicted crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried who spilled on his desperate campaign to get free [Intelligencer]
—Adam Crafton and David Ornstein talked to African players at the World Cup about their families being denied U.S. visas to attend the tournament [The Athletic]
—Gautam Bhattacharyya tries to explain why India — population 1.4b — has never played at a men's or women's World Cup [BBC]
—Marc Fortier reports that Scottish soccer fans are drinking Boston dry [NBC News]
Today...
...in 1983, Warner Bros. unveiled Superman III, which added Richard Pryor to the mix along with Christopher Reeve. The film ended up falling short of its predecessors at the box office, grossing $80m worldwide. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Ken Loach (90), Monica Barbaro (36), Kendrick Lamar (39), Thomas Haden Church (66), Scott Adkins (50), Will Forte (56), Jon Gries (69), Tramell Tillman (41), Odessa A'zion (26), Greg Kinnear (63), Jason Patric (60), Jodie Whittaker (44), Marie Avgeropoulos (40), John Gallagher Jr. (42), KJ Apa (29), Manish Dayal (43), Jennifer Irwin (51), Mark Linn-Baker (72), Louis Leterrier (53), Michael Showalter (54), Michael Kovach (31), Arthur Darvill (44), Kelly Curtis (70), Tracie Bennett (65), Bobby Farrelly (68), Rebecca Breeds (39), Heather Mazur (50), Jarret LeMaster (47), Joshua Leonard (51), Kami Cotler (61), Mark Umbers (53), Joe Piscopo (75), Staz Nair (35), Lane Bradbury (88), Shô Kosugi (78), Louise Delamere (57), Matthew Alan (48)
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