| | | | | | What's news: CBS News is undergoing more layoffs. The Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer hit 718.6m views in 24 hours. Netflix is adapting Carley Fortune novel This Summer Will Be Different. HBO has renewed Neighbors. Kristen Stewart's first major TV role will be in Amazon's Sally Ride drama. — Abid Rahman
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Chuck Norris 1940 - 2026 ►Action icon. Chuck Norris, the martial arts champion and karate school teacher who jumped fist- and feetfirst into stardom with 1980s action movies like Missing in Action and the long-running CBS drama Walker, Texas Ranger, has died. He was 86. Norris was hospitalized in Hawaii on Thursday, and his family posted a statement announcing his death Friday morning.
Unlike some other actors who boasted of their fighting prowess, Norris was the real deal, a holder of black belts in such disciplines as karate, Tang Soo Do and taekwondo and a guy who trained with Bruce Lee — and battled him in The Way of the Dragon (1972). Onscreen, he often portrayed loners, and like one of his heroes, John Wayne, he would only resort to violence when there was no other choice. The obituary. |
ABC Pulls 'Bachelorette' Amid Assault Probe ►"Our focus is on supporting the family." ABC has decided to pull Taylor Frankie Paul‘s season of The Bachelorette, which was slated to premiere Sunday. “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” a Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson said in a statement. The network’s decision to pull the season arrives amid reports of a “domestic assault investigation” between the reality star and her ex Dakota Mortensen. Footage of the alleged 2023 incident between Paul and Mortensen was leaked to TMZ on Thursday. Amid the news, production on season five of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has also been paused. The story.
—Paul responds. On Thursday, Taylor Frankie Paul addressed ABC’s decision to pull her season of The Bachelorette. “Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” a spokesperson for Paul said in a statement to THR. “After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.” The story.
—Why ABC had to scrap The Bachelorette. THR's Tony Maglio looks at what prompted ABC to make the seismic move to pull The Bachelorette at almost the 11th hour. Tony writes that "once the video came out, ABC had no choice." The analysis. |
Inside Bob Iger's Disney Farewell Tour ►End of an era (again). On Wednesday, Bob Iger’s office on Disney‘s Burbank studio lot was cleared out for Josh D’Amaro, who got his formal start as CEO right as the closely-watched annual shareholder meeting began. That Iger’s things were packed up may not seem that unusual, given the carefully choreographed succession moves by the company. But it’s worth remembering that when Bob Chapek was named CEO in 2020, Iger held on to his space given his role as exec chairman. The message this time is clear: It’s a new era. THR's Alex Weprin goes inside Uncle Bob's final days at Disney that included "Thank you, Bob!" buttons, a cruise ship tour with Robert Downey Jr., and a recognition of his two tenures. The story.
—🤝 Closed. 🤝 The local TV giant Nexstar closed its $6.2b takeover of rival Tegna on Thursday, creating a TV station behemoth after the Department of Justice and FCC signed off on the mega-deal. Under the approval, Nexstar must divest within two years from TV stations in Denver, Colorado (KTVD); Indianapolis, Indiana (WTHR); New Haven, Connecticut (WCTX); Portsmouth, Virginia (WAVY), Slidell, Louisiana (WUPL); and Rogers, Arkansas (KNWA). The story.
—🤝 Development deal. 🤝 Tubi, the free ad-supported streaming platform owned by Fox Corp., is continuing to double down on creator-led content. The latest deal? A partnership with TikTok, which will give selected creators on that platform a pathway to developing their own shows for Tubi. Here’s how it will work: TikTok will work with Tubi to identify creators, and an initial cohort will be invited to the incubator program this summer. The shows, both scripted and unscripted, will debut exclusively on Tubi, with TikTok leveraging its Spotlight program to drive its users to the platform. The story. |
Ellison Outlines Plan to CA Lawmakers to Keep Hollywood Jobs Local ►"My promise to you is to build a stronger Hollywood, by keeping both of these legacy studios operating separately, thereby preserving and potentially increasing jobs." David Ellison indirectly answered lawmaker questions about how the combination of two of Hollywood’s five remaining historic studios would impact California in a letter obtained by THR's Katie Kilkenny on Thursday. The Paramount studio chief was responding to Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Laura Friedman, L.A.-area lawmakers who previously asked Paramount and former Warner Bros. suitor Netflix to address widespread concerns about a megamerger’s consequences for Hollywood workers. The story.
—More cuts. Not such great news for Ellison-owned CBS News, however. CBS News is undergoing layoffs, as editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and president Tom Cibrowski seek to remake the broadcast news division. The executives announced the cuts Friday morning, telling staff that it is a “difficult day” at the company. It’s the second round of layoffs in six months at CBS News (a round in October canceled some streaming shows and overhauled the Saturday morning show), but these are the first in pursuit of Weiss’ new strategy, which she outlined to staff earlier this year. The story.
—The latest. Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino took the stand in federal court Thursday, calling remarks his employees made about “robbing” fans “disgusting.” “It’s disgusting. It’s not the way we operate,” Rapino said. The messages, which were sent in private Slack messages in 2022 between Live Nation employees Ben Baker and Jeff Weinhold, were shared last week as exhibits in the antitrust case about the entertainment giant. The messages, which said the company was “robbing them blind, baby,” referred to hiking up fees and parking costs. This was one of many headlines Rapino was asked to respond to Thursday as he was questioned by Jeffrey Kessler, who is now representing the states in the lawsuit against Live Nation. The story. |
'Brand New Day' Sets 24 Hour Trailer Record ►Woof! Brand new day, brand new trailer record. Spider-Man: Brand New Day has easily become the biggest trailer of all time in 24 hours, according to Sony. The studio says the trailer reached 718.6m views since launching on Wednesday, citing the market research firm WaveMetrix. It took just eight hours to top Deadpool & Wolverine‘s 365m views from two years ago. For comparison’s sake, the first trailer for 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home reached 355.5m views in its first 24 hours. It went on to become the highest grossing film in Sony history with $1.9b globally. The story.
—Not happening. Fans who were hoping for another cinematic collaboration between Kirsten Dunst and Sofia Coppola may have to console themselves with some cake for the time being. Coppola told Elle in a profile published online Wednesday that a project in which Dunst was intending to star, with a planned shoot eyed for later this year, would no longer move forward. Specifics had been limited on the movie, including the title, plot details and a studio or producers, but Dunst had previously described the project as a period film that would center on a real-life historic figure. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Tribeca Films, the distribution label from Tribeca Enterprises and Giant Pictures, has acquired Independent Spirit Award winner Esta Isla, and Berlinale winners Fwends and Mabel. Esta Isla, directed by Lorraine Jones Molina and Cristian Carretero, features a personal and poignant portrayal of the Puerto Rican experience, exploring identity, resilience and colonial legacy. The film, which had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival and won best cinematography, best new director and the jury award, will be released digitally in August. The story. |
Sally Ride Drama Starring Kristen Stewart Set at Amazon ►Cleared for take off. A limited series about astronaut Sally Ride, with Kristen Stewart in the lead role, has officially been greenlighted at Amazon Prime Video. The Challenger has spent nearly two years in development. The series, inspired by Meredith E. Bagby’s 2023 book The New Guys, comes from Kyra Sedgwick’s Big Swing Productions, Amblin Television and Stewart’s Nevermind Pictures. Maggie Cohn created the series and serves as showrunner, and James Hawes will direct. The Challenger will be Stewart’s first lead role in a TV or streaming series. The series will chronicle Ride’s path to becoming the first American woman in space and later her role on the commission investigating the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 Love (and definitely lust) is in the air at Briar University in the first teaser for Amazon Prime Video’s hockey romance series Off Campus. Based on the best-selling book series by Elle Kennedy and created for television by Louisa Levy, Off Campus is the latest hockey romance adaptation set to take streaming by storm after Heated Rivalry’s unexpected winter success. A tie-in cover of the novel has also been released. Prime Video will drop all episodes of the first season of Off Campus on May 13. The story.
—Enigma no more. Netflix has picked up The Enigma Variations, a limited series starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and based on a novel by Call Me By Your Name author André Aciman. The show comes from indie studio Media Res and writer and executive producer A.K. Shuman. Taylor-Johnson will play Paul, “a man remade by the lovers who ignite and undo him over the course of ten transformative years,” the show’s logline reads. The Enigma Variations has been in development at Netflix since January 2025. Jeremy Allen White was initially attached to play the lead role and executive produce but left the project late last year. The story.
—Quick as you like. HBO is going back into the realm of property-line disputes and squabbles over pets with a second season of Neighbors. The renewal comes a day before the six-episode first season’s finale debuts on Friday, and after a solid performance through its first five episodes. HBO says Neighbors has averaged 2.9m cross-platform viewers per episode since its Feb. 13 premiere, a high number for an unscripted show there. Creators, directors and executive producers Dylan Redford and Harrison Fishman will continue in those roles on season two of the show, which is produced by A24. The story. |
'This Summer Will Be Different' Romance Series Set at Netflix ►Fortune hunters. Netflix is betting the Carley Fortune novel This Summer Will Be Different will be its next popular romance TV series adaptation. The streamer's Canadian unit has given a 10-episode series order to Sphere Media, which earlier worked with Netflix on the popular limited series thriller, Wayward. The Canadian mystery thriller from Mae Martin made it to Netflix’s global top 10 table and reached number one in 35 countries. This Summer Will Be Different is billed as a “simmering, sun-soaked romance set across multiple summers on Prince Edward Island about Lucy, a young woman navigating her 20s and her first real love with her best friend’s brother, the one person she was never supposed to fall for,” according to a logline from the producers. The story.
—Scribe found. Steven J. Kung has signed on to write and executive produce a TV adaptation of Sher Lee’s YA novel Fake Dates and Mooncakes. Developed by Kung and Gearshift Films, the half-hour romantic dramedy is being billed as a queer coming-of-age story about two teens of Chinese heritage, Dylan Tang and Theo Somers, who unexpectedly fall for each other while navigating identity, ambition, and belonging. Kung’s writing credits include Dear White People and and he directed Fresh Off the Boat and his debut feature A Leading Man. The story.
—Going out with a bang. Nearly three million (2.92m to be exact) Outlander fans time-traveled to the week of March 6-12, 2026 to watch the Starz series’ final season premiere — the largest audience for the show in four years. In this final season, the war follows Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitríona Balfe) to Fraser’s Ridge. There, the married couple finds that a whole lot has changed since they last called the North Carolina spot home. The ratings.
—Still got it. Netflix's The Night Agent returned to a familiar spot at the top of the Nielsen streaming rankings with its season three premiere, but it did so with smaller viewing numbers than past seasons. The spy thriller led the week of Feb. 16-22 with 1.83b minutes of viewing time, pushing the previous week’s leader, The Lincoln Lawyer, down to second place (with a still very healthy 1.53b minutes). The total for Night Agent, while still quite strong, is its lowest for an opening week so far: Season two debuted with 3.11b minutes of watch time in January 2025, and the series premiere in 2023 logged 2.6b minutes. The streaming rankings. |
Film Review: 'Mr. Burton' ►"An incisive origin story." THR's Stephen Farber reviews Marc Evans' Mr. Burton. Toby Jones plays Philip Burton, the man who adopted the legendary Welsh actor Richard Burton and mentored him. Also starring Harry Lawtey, Lesley Manville, Steffan Rhodri, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Mali O’Donnell and Alfie Llewyn. Written by Tom Bullough and Josh Hyams. The review.
—"Full of potential." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews Amazon Prime Video's Bait. Oscar-nominated actor Riz Ahmed created and stars in this six-part series about a Pakistani-British actor whose life turns upside down when he's rumored to be the next James Bond. Also starring Guz Khan, Sheeba Chaddha, Sajid Hasan, Aasiya Shah, Weruche Opia and Ritu Arya. The review.
—"Too mild." THR's Angie Han reviews Amazon Prime Video's Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat. A young man gets what he thinks is a temp job at a hot sauce company but is actually the starring role of a show in which he's thrown into a series of absurd situations. Starring Anthony Norman, Alex Bonifer, Blair Beekan, Emily Pendergast, Erica Hernandez, Jerry Hauck, Jim A. Woods, LaNisa Renee Frederick, Marc-Sully Saint-Fleur, Rachel Kaly, Rob Lathan, Ryan Perez, Stephanie Hodge, Warren Burke and Wendy Braun. Created by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—It Happened in Hollywood. THR senior writer Seth Abramovitch goes behind the scenes of the pop culture moments that shaped Hollywood history. In this episode, Seth spoke to Jane Alexander and Lynne Littman. The Oscar-nominated star and director of the 1983 nuclear war drama Testament join Seth as the podcast kicks off a new season. The podcast.
—I’m Having an Episode. THR’s Mikey O’Connell attempts to stay on top of the latest TV and entertainment news with a little help from his friends, colleagues and a revolving door of actors, writers, showrunners and filmmakers. In this episode, Mikey interviews Drew Goddard, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind The Martian, and the new space-set epic in Project Hail Mary. He talks about writing the script with a massive budget in mind and his ABC hit High Potential. That's after THR senior writer Chris Gardner and Mikey break down the history of Lisa Kudrow's The Comeback — and why it's back on HBO after a 12-year break. The podcast.
In other news...
—Sam Rockwell, John Malkovich are oddball CIA agents in Wild Horse Nine trailer
—NC man to pay $8m after pleading guilty in first streaming fraud case
—BTS leader RM suffers ankle injury ahead of Netflix’s comeback concert
What else we're reading...
—Ian Bogost believes OpenAI's ChatGPT may have a "Myspace problem," adding that "inventing a market is less important than perfecting one" [Atlantic]
—Miles Surrey writes that Amazon is betting big on Project Hail Mary (it's really good!) and wonders whether the theatrical push will pay off [Ringer]
—Steve Knopper celebrates BTS' return, but writes that the Kpop landscape has changed dramatically while they've been away [NYT]
—Jody Godoy reports that the DOJ's antitrust unit says the proposed Paramount–Warner Bros. deal review is not political. Hmmm... [Reuters]
—Here's your Friday list: The 100 most stylish movie characters of all time [THR]
Today...
...in 1964, Peter Sellers’ Inspector Clouseau made his way to theaters in The Pink Panther. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Spike Lee (69), Holly Hunter (68), John de Lancie (78), Freema Agyeman (47), Xavier Dolan (37), Hal Linden (95), Kathy Ireland (63), David Thewlis (63), Chris Wedge (69), Lois Lowry (89), Bianca Lawson (47), Mikey Day (46), Ruby Rose (40), Lily Nicksay (38), Murray Bartlett (55), Cooper Hoffman (23), Amy Aquino (69), Cedric Yarbrough (53), Robb Wells (55), Hassie Harrison (36), Leila George (34), Marc Warren (59), Stacy Martin (35), Michael Cassidy (43), Theresa Russell (69), Nick Blood (44), Stephanie Kurtzuba (54), Christy Carlson Romano (42), Paula Garcés (52), Jane March (53), Vanessa Bell Calloway (69), Tommy Martinez (34), Liza Snyder (58), Linda Larkin (56), Jessica Lundy (60), Stephen Sommers (64), Jake Hoffman (45), Dean Geyer (40), Barrett Doss (37), Duke Johnson (47) |
| Ed Bernard, who portrayed the undercover cop Joe Styles alongside Angie Dickinson on NBC’s Police Woman and the principal Jim Willis opposite Ken Howard on CBS’ The White Shadow, has died. He was 86. The obituary. |
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