Television
NYC Women in Film & TV Scriptwriting Competition Announces Winners
The NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema have announced the winners of a citywide screenwriting competition focusing on stories by, for, or...
Bruna Papandrea’s Series “Deadlier Than the Male” Gets Pilot Order from TNT
Bruna Papandrea has lined up yet another project. The “Big Little Lies” exec producer’s drama series, “Deadlier Than the Male,” received a pilot order from TNT. The Hollywood Reporter...
Ellen DeGeneres to Celebrate 20th Anniversary of LGBT Landmark “The Puppy Episode”
It’s been 20 years since Ellen DeGeneres came out as a lesbian — on her ABC sitcom “Ellen” and in real life — and the Emmy-winning talk show host wants to celebrate. Per The...
Gina Rodriguez Lines Up “Carmen Sandiego” & Two Potential Women-Directed Films
Where in the world is Gina Rodriguez? Everywhere. Per The Tracking Board, the “Jane the Virgin” star will voice the titular character in Netflix’s animated series “Carmen Sandiego.” She is...
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s” Rachel Bloom to Write a Book
Before she rose to stardom as the co-creator and star of musical dramedy “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” Rachel Bloom launched her career on YouTube. Now the Golden Globe winner is taking on another...
Trailer Watch: Four Women Take on the Pacific Ocean in “Losing Sight of Shore”
“There’s an incredible insight to be gained to know that you can fight and overcome anything that is thrown your way,” says one of the characters in a newly released trailer for “Losing...
New Shonda Rhimes Show & Season 2 of “Queen Sugar” Get Premiere Dates
“Still Star Crossed”: ABC Your summer TV watchlist just got longer. Premiere dates have been announced for Shonda Rhimes’ newest show, “Still Star Crossed,” and the second season of Ava...
Four Books from “Big Little Lies” Author Liane Moriarty Headed to the Screen
The “Big Little Lies” finale was less than two weeks ago and fans are clamoring for more time with Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Bonnie, and Renata. There have been rumors of a possible second season...
Willow Smith to Produce Two Female-Led Fantasy Projects
Willow Smith is working on getting female-driven fantasy stories to TV and the big screen. The multi-hyphenate’s production shingle, MSFTS Production, is teaming up with Cartel Entertainment for...
“The Raven Cycle” Gets Pilot Order, Catherine Hardwicke to Direct
Fantasy fans, rejoice. Maggie Stiefvater’s best-selling four-book series “The Raven Cycle” is being adapted for TV, and Catherine Hardwicke has signed on to helm the pilot and serve as an...
Guest Post: Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Step Out of Your Lane
Guest Post by Rebecca Serle Since I was a child, the only thing I ever wanted to do was to be a writer. When I sold my first book in 2010, a re-telling of “Romeo and Juliet” from Rosaline’s...
Trailer Watch: Kathryn Hahn Obsesses Over Kevin Bacon in Jill Soloway’s “I Love Dick”
“Dear Dick, you’re like a Roman god bringing the spirit of sex into our lives,” says Chris (Kathryn Hahn) in a trailer for the memorably-titled upcoming Amazon series “I Love Dick.” Chris...
Teaser Watch: “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” with Sam Bee Toasts the Free Press
The fascist-in-chief won’t be attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but “Full Frontal’s” Samantha Bee isn’t passing up the chance to honor the peaceful coexistence of the...
Listen: Podcast with “Shots Fired” Co-Creator Gina Prince-Bythewood
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film credits include “Beyond the Lights,” “The Secret Life of Bees,” and “Love & Basketball.” Now the writer-director is re-teaming with Sanaa Lathan, who...
“UnREAL” Co-Creator Sarah Gertrude Shapiro Inks Deal with A+E Studios
Looks like Sarah Gertrude Shapiro will be creating more content for A+E Studios. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “UnREAL” co-creator has signed a multiyear overall deal with the...
Amy Sherman-Palladino’s “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Gets Two-Season Order
As die-hard “Gilmore Girls” fans would say, “Copper boom!” “Gilmore” creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s newest series, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” just got a two-season order from...
Shonda Rhimes Teams Up with Dove for Real Beauty Productions
Throughout her career, Shonda Rhimes has been praised for her shows’ inclusivity and diversity. Unlike many other offerings on TV, series like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” do not...
Trailer Watch: Sharon & Rob Duke it Out in “Catastrophe” Season 3
Last season of “Catastrophe” saw everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed couple in a pretty depressing state. Rob’s (Rob Delaney) workplace flirtation took a vicious turn and he ended up losing his...
Victoria Woodhull Series Is First Project from Suzanne Blech’s New Production Co.
A television series about suffragette and first female U.S. presidential candidate Victoria Woodhull will be the first project from Suzanne Blech’s just-launched Go Nellie Productions, Deadline...
Doc About Workers’ Rights Activist Dolores Huerta Acquired by PBS
Dolores Huerta will hopefully soon be a household name. A documentary about the workers’ rights activist, “Dolores,” was acquired by PBS and is set to screen theatrically this fall. According...
Quote of the Day: “Good Girls Revolt’s” Genevieve Angelson on Equal Pay
In an article for Elle, “Good Girls Revolt” alumna Genevieve Angelson writes about an aspect of the gender pay gap that doesn’t get much attention: There is a stigma surrounding any and all...
Actor Asia Kate Dillon Questions Emmys’ Gender Binary Acting Categories
Asia Kate Dillon, the breakout star of Showtime’s white collar crime drama, “Billions,” is generating serious awards buzz for their portrayal of Taylor Mason. Dillon also identifies as gender...
Shonda Rhimes’ MasterClass on Writing for Television Is Now Available
“I don’t believe in the phrase ‘aspiring writer.’ To me, it’s just: You’re a writer. Go write.” Consider that Shonda Rhimes’ first lesson on how to write for TV. For the rest of her...
Iliza Shlesinger’s Late-Night Show “Truth & Iliza” Gets Premiere Date
“Confirmed Kills” stand-up Iliza Schlesinger will soon be joining the Late Night Wars. The Tracking Board writes that Schlesinger’s “Truth & Iliza” will debut May 2 on Freeform and its...
“That’s So Raven” Spinoff Ordered to Series
Oh snap! We’re getting a “That’s So Raven” spinoff. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Disney Channel has ordered “Raven’s Home” to series. Raven-Symoné will reprise her role as Raven...
Trailer Watch: “Anne” Can Do Anything a Boy Can Do and More
“My name is Anne Shirley Cuthbert, and please be sure to spell ‘Anne’ with an ‘e’,” the heroine of Netflix’s newest series requests on her first day at a new school. Even if you’ve...
Trailer Watch: Niecy Nash is a Badass Salon Owner in “Claws”
If you wish “The Sopranos” had included more women and people of color onscreen — and had doubled down on Carmela’s fierce manicures — your dream has come true. The Niecy...
Trailer Watch: Chelsea Handler Is Back and Brasher than Ever in Season 2 of “Chelsea”
“Not all Jews haggle,” Chelsea Handler tells a vendor in a newly released trailer for the second season of Netflix’s “Chelsea.” The promo makes light of the fact that that Handler defies...
Trailer Watch: “Wynonna Earp” Is on the Fury Road Express in Season 2
“Wynonna’s not a flowers-and-chocolate kind of a girl,” Sheriff Nedley (Greg Lawson) says of the titular character in the second season trailer for “Wynonna Earp.” That’s for damn sure....
Character First: April VOD and Web Series Picks
“Reckless Juliets” These days at the box office, it seems that size matters. Whether it’s the latest Marvel film, or even the female-centric “Beauty and the Beast,” movies often mean big...
Gurinder Chadha Moves to TV with FremantleMedia-Backed Bend It TV
Gurinder Chadha is branching out into television. The “Bend It Like Beckham” director’s TV production company, Bend It TV, will receive 25 percent backing from FremantleMedia, Variety writes....
Theresa Rebeck Opens Up About Being Fired from “Smash”
“The misogyny is beyond anything that people believe,” “Smash” creator and former showrunner Theresa Rebeck writes in an essay entitled “What Came Next.” “On my first job in...
Trailer Watch: Britt Robertson Starts a Fashion Empire in Netflix’s “Girlboss”
“Go ahead. Underestimate me. I’ve got it all figured out,” a young woman with a great eye for fashion tells a store owner in a new trailer for “Girlboss.” Inspired by the best-selling book...
Kelly Ripa Developing “Geek Girl Rising” as Scripted TV Series for ABC
Kelly Ripa is bringing women in tech to the small screen. The “Live! with Kelly” host and her husband, Mark Consuelos, will develop the upcoming book “Geek Girl Rising: Inside the Sisterhood...
Lifetime and National Women’s Soccer League Announce 2017 Game of the Week Schedule
Credit: NWSL’s Twitter account Lifetime and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) have revealed the 2017 NWSL Game of the Week on Lifetime live broadcast schedule. According to a press...
Quote of the Day: Ellen Pompeo Praises Shonda Rhimes’ Leadership
Ellen Pompeo made her directorial debut on last night’s episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” after 13 seasons of portraying the titular Dr. Meredith Grey. And it seems as though her boss,...
Women Execs Appointed at British Film Institute, Creative BC, and Annapurna
Three major job appointments for women executives have been announced at Creative BC, Annapurna, and the British Film Institute (BFI), ScreenDaily reports. Gaylene Gould is now the BFI’s Southbank...
HBO Announces TV Adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s “My Brilliant Friend”
The TV adaption of Elena Ferrante’s novel “My Brilliant Friend” — book one of her Neapolitan series — has found a home. HBO, in partnership with Italy’s national public...
Drew Barrymore, Samantha Bee, America Ferrara, & More to Be Honored at the Gracie Awards
The recipients of the 42nd annual Gracie Awards have been announced via the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF). Taking place June 6 in Beverly Hills, the Gracies “honor exemplary...
Listen: Podcast with “Harlots” Producer Alison Owen
“Harlots” premieres today on Hulu. I had a conversation with producer Alison Owen about the brothel drama, set in London during the 18th century. In this podcast, we talk about her foray into...
Sarah Silverman to Host Political Comedy Talk Show for Hulu
Sarah Silverman is branching out into political commentary. The stand-up comedian and actress will host a weekly half-hour talk show — in the vein of “Full Frontal” or “Last Week...
Trailer Watch: Kitty Green Returns to the Scene of the Crime in “Casting JonBenet”
The 1996 murder of six-year-old American beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey made international headlines, but the horrifying crime undoubtedly made the most lasting mark in Boulder, Colorado, where...
Trailer Watch: Netflix’s “Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On” Investigates the Porn Industry
“We can’t ignore that porn today is sex education,” emphasizes an interviewee in “Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On.” And she’s not wrong. Sex education is sorely lacking in the U.S. school...
Trailer Watch: Elisabeth Moss Wakes Up in “The Handmaid’s Tale”
“I was asleep before. That’s how we let it happen,” says Offred (Elisabeth Moss) in a powerful — and disturbingly timely — new trailer for “The Handmaid’s Tale.” “When they...
Meredith Lavender & Marcie Ulin Sign Overall Deal With 20th Century Fox TV
Long-time collaborators Meredith Lavender and Marcie Ulin are taking their partnership to the next level. The pair have signed a two-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television, Deadline...
Trailer Watch: Tracy Droz Tragos Gives Women a Platform in “Abortion: Stories Women Tell”
“People telling their stories is so important because we keep those things locked inside of ourselves and they kill us,” says one of the characters in a new trailer for “Abortion: Stories...
Amy Brenneman to Star in CBS Internet Journalism Drama “The Get”
Amy Brenneman is returning to CBS. The “Judging Amy” star will topline the network’s pilot “The Get,” about “a team of tireless Internet journalists who pursue and expose stories of...
Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Sally Wainwright Win Big at Royal Television Society Awards
Here’s some happy news about two very dark shows: writer-creators Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”) and Sally Wainwright (“Happy Valley”) were the big winners at last night’s Royal...
Melissa Joan Hart to Direct Anjelica Huston in Lifetime Movie
Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Anjelica Huston are joining forces to make some magic at Lifetime. Melissa Joan Hart will direct the Oscar winner in “Watcher in the Woods,” an upcoming original...
Number of Comedy Central Specials from Women Slowly-but-Surely Increasing
At the beginning of the decade it was pretty much bros making stuff for other bros — plus “The Daily Show” and “Colbert Report” — at Comedy Central. But since the advent of...
Awards, Films, News, Television, Theater
Awards Roundup: Honors for Christina Ricci, Julie Delpy, and Judith Light
Seasoned show business veterans Christina Ricci, Julie Delpy, and Judith Light are all set to be honored this spring. Variety reports that the Vail Film Festival will celebrate women in film during...