Television
Issa Rae to Exec Produce “Minimum Wage” Anthology Series Written by Women
“Insecure” debuted on HBO less than a month ago to rave reviews, but the comedy’s star, co-creator, and executive producer isn’t just basking in the success of her new series — she’s...
Awards, Films, News, Television, Theater
Allison Janney Scores Walk of Fame Star and Announces Return to Broadway
Allison Janney is having a big week. The Emmy-winning actress was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, and on Tuesday the New York Times announced Janney’s return to...
Jane Campion Becomes a Dame
Award-winning writer-director Jane Campion is officially a Dame. The Sydney-based filmmaker accepted the honor in a ceremony held in Wellington, New Zealand — her hometown — earlier...
Regina Corrado Is Adapting “Equity” for ABC
“Equity” is coming to the small screen. Deadline reports that the film, released earlier this year, is being made into a drama series, “which has landed at ABC with a script commitment plus...
Maria Maggenti to Write Pilot for TV Land’s “Re Jane”
“Finding Carter” alumna Maria Maggenti is adapting Patricia Park’s 2015 novel “Re Jane” for the small screen. The half-hour, single-camera comedy series is being developed at TV Land,...
Cathryn Humphris to Write New FBI Procedural at Fox
WGA Award winner Cathryn Humphris is set to pen an FBI procedural drama being developed at Fox, reports Variety. She’s working on the hour-long, untitled series with former “Law & Order:...
Freeform Orders “Brown Girls” Comedy Pilot from Shilpi Roy and Nastaran Dibai
“Brown Girls” has been given a pilot order from Freeform, the network behind “Pretty Little Liars,” “The Fosters,” and “Switched at Birth,” Deadline reports. The multi-camera comedy...
Nikki Finke Signs First-Look Deal with HBO
Hollywood Dementia founder Nikki Finke has finalized a first-look television deal with HBO, Deadline reports. This agreement means that HBO “will have first crack at developing projects based on...
Reese Witherspoon and Robin Wright Team Up for New Series About First Ladies
Reese Witherspoon and Robin Wright are joining forces. Deadline reports that Witherspoon’s production company, Pacific Standard, and “Spotlight” producer Anonymous Content are collaborating on...
Margaret Nagle to Write “Bonfire of the Vanities” Series
Margaret Nagle has signed on to pen a series based on “Bonfire of the Vanities,” Tom Wolfe’s bestselling 1987 novel. Along with writing the project, “The Good Lie” screenwriter will serve...
Teaser Watch: Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman Uncover “Big Little Lies”
A teaser has arrived for “Big Little Lies,” HBO’s hotly anticipated, star-studded limited series. Based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel of the same name, the darkly comedic murder...
American Society of Cinematographers to Honor Nancy Schreiber of “Better Things”
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) will recognize Nancy Schreiber with its Presidents Award at the 31st annual ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement, Variety reports. The ceremony will...
Shonda Rhimes, Rachel Bloom, and More Named as “Most Powerful Showrunners”
Judging from The Hollywood Reporter’s “Hollywood’s 50 Most Powerful Showrunners 2016” report, television is still far from reaching its gender parity zenith that some dream it to be. Still,...
Watch: Young Queen Elizabeth II Bears the Weight of “The Crown” in New Featurette
Twenty-five-year-old Queen Elizabeth II “had a massive responsibility put on her at a time when she’s grieving and she’s had a terrible loss — the death of her father. And then her whole...
Lifetime Greenlights Dark Comedy Series Created by Tara Armstrong
Lifetime has found great success exploring the cutthroat behind-the-scenes world of reality television in “UnREAL,” and now the network is tapping into more controversial subject...
Gail Berman Producing TV Projects from Theresa Rebeck and Allyn Rachel
Super producer Gail Berman is prepping two new TV series created by women with her production company, The Jackal Group. Berman, who has been a show business executive since 1989, is teaming up...
Aubrey Plaza’s “Nightmare Time” Gets Pilot Order from TBS
“Parks and Recreation” star Aubrey Plaza is involved in a new TV project, but this time she’ll be working behind the scenes, Deadline reports. TBS has given a pilot order to Plaza’s...
Lifetime’s “UnREAL” Gets a New Showrunner
“UnREAL” has a new captain steering the ship. The Emmy-nominated Lifetime series has hired a new showrunner for its third season, which begins production in February, 2017. The Hollywood...
Queen Latifah to Be Honored with Princess Grace Award
Queen Latifah is set to receive a prestigious honor from the Princess Grace Foundation, Shadow and Act reports. The Prince Rainier III Award, given in recognition of “a renowned leader in the Arts...
“Prime Suspect: Tennison” Heading to Masterpiece
The rebooted story of Detective Jane Tennison now has Masterpiece on board. Masterpiece will co-produce the “Prime Suspect” prequel “Prime Suspect: Tennison,” alongside ITV Studios and NoHo...
Variety’s Power of Women Honors Helen Mirren, Ava DuVernay, Scarlett Johansson, Laverne Cox, and…
Variety’s Power of Women Honors Helen Mirren, Ava DuVernay, Scarlett Johansson, Laverne Cox, and Miley Cyrus Variety has announced this year’s female entertainers for their annual Power of...
Campus Rape Series “Controversy” in the Works at Fox
Sexual assault was the focus of the second season of FX’s “American Crime,” but a new series is tackling this timely, sensitive subject matter from the get go, and from a decidedly different...
Tina Fey to Be Honored at THR’s Women in Entertainment Breakfast
Tina Fey will be honored at The Hollywood’s Reporter’s 2016 Women in Entertainment breakfast, THR reports. The writer, actress, and producer will receive the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award,...
Krista Vernoff Lands Pilot at NBC
NBC has ordered a put pilot from “Shameless” executive producer Krista Vernoff, Deadline reports. Along with her “Shameless” co-producer John Wells, Vernoff will executive produce “Flight...
Gina Rodriguez to Host and Produce Ceremony Honoring Young Women
“Jane the Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez is producing and hosting a ceremony to honor young women making a difference in the world, the AP reports. Called the Marie Claire Young Women’s Honors,...
“Queen Sugar” Names Monica Macer as Season 2 Showrunner
“Queen Sugar” is getting a new showrunner for Season 2, Deadline reports. With creator, executive producer, and co-showrunner Ava DuVernay having to turn her attention to Disney’s “A Wrinkle...
The Personal Is Political: Crowdfunding Picks
“Valentina” storyboard As November 8 draws ever closer, it seems like the only thing people are talking or writing about is politics. Unsurprisingly, intersectional feminist...
“Orange is the New Black’s” Diane Guerrero Set to Star in Immigration Drama at CBS
Diane Guerrero of “Orange is the New Black” and “Jane the Virgin” is set to star in a CBS drama based on her memoir, “In the Country We Love: My Family Divided,” Deadline reports. The...
“Divorce” is No “Catastrophe”
Maybe it’s just that Sharon Horgan’s caustic dialogue sounds better in her own Irish accent. Maybe it’s too soon after “The Affair” to watch another well-off couple duking it out in an...
BBC Orders “Motherland” Comedy from “Catastrophe’s” Sharon Horgan
The BBC has ordered a full season of Sharon Horgan’s new comedy “Motherland,” The Hollywood Reporter writes. Horgan is the co-creator and star of “Catastrophe,” which she has co-written...
Two Redheads and a Fleabag: In Defense of the Comedy Anti-Heroine
“Fleabag”: Amazon Ari, the narrator of Elisa Albert’s novel “After Birth,” describes how she felt around other feminists when she was a student: “I was a person. I mattered. I was in fact...
NBC Snags New Comedy About Siblings Created by Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling’s stacked resume continues to expand, Deadline reports. The creator, executive producer, and star of Hulu’s “The Mindy Project” just scored a put pilot commitment from NBC for a...
“The Killing” Creator Veena Sud Has New Series in the Works at Netflix
“The Killing” creator Veena Sud apparently has a new series in the works at Netflix. As director Gavin O’Connor (“The Americans”) told Collider, the series, called “Seven Seconds,” is...
Gilmore Girls Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel Top Variety’s TV Pay Day List
“Gilmore Girls”: Netflix There’s good news for actresses on TV, according to Variety. Unlike in the film world, where actresses are often saddled with lower pay days than their male...
Watch: “Gilmore Girls” Featurette Revisits the Past and Looks Into the Future
Pour yourself a cup — or five cups — of coffee and prepare to be transported back to Stars Hollow by watching a newly released featurette celebrating the return of “Gilmore Girls.”...
Dolly Parton to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at CMAs
Dolly Parton will soon be adding another well-deserved trophy to her mantle. The music legend will receive the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming Country Music Association...
“Pretty Little Liars” Creator I. Marlene King Lands Huge Warner Bros. Deal
“Pretty Little Liars” creator I. Marlene King has landed a huge deal, Variety reports. King has signed an overall contract with Warner Bros. Television and Warner Horizon Television. The...
Women Developing Shows for ABC, Amazon, Freeform, and More
A whole slew of women are diving headfirst into television and developing new series for consideration. As Variety reports, ABC and 20th Century Fox are developing “Icon,” an hour-long drama set...
Women Creators Missing from Adult Swim Programming
Adult Swim is known for offering viewers alternative, unconventional content, but the network famed for cutting-edge programming is seriously behind the times when it comes to hiring women. BuzzFeed...
FX Buys “Meaty” Comedy from Jessi Klein, Samantha Irby, and Abbi Jacobson
FX has ordered another female-centric comedy, Deadline reports. The cable network has bought a comedy based on Samantha Irby’s memoir “Meaty,” which was inspired by her blog, “Bitches Gotta...
Temple University to Honor Tina Fey
Temple University has announced that funny woman Tina Fey will be honored with the Lew Klein Excellence in the Media Award this fall. A Philadelphia-area native, Fey is the 16th recipient of the...
“Amanda Knox”: Making a Monster
“Amanda Knox”: Netflix “Inappropriate.” “Inexplicable.” “A little bit anarchist.” “This is not what grief looks like.” These are observations about a young woman’s...
ArcLight Adds Speakers to Second Annual Women in Entertainment Summit
ArcLight Cinemas has announced additional speakers for the second annual ArcLight Presents Women in Entertainment Summit, which is taking place on November 10th. As we previously reported, the...
Margot Robbie and Emily Blunt to Host “Saturday Night Live”
Margot Robbie is set to host the 42nd season premiere of “SNL” this coming weekend. Robbie had a huge summer, starring in “The Legend of Tarzan” and the big money-maker “Suicide Squad.”...
Felicity Huffman Signs on to New ABC Series from “Black-ish” Creator
Felicity Huffman is joining forces with the brains behind “Black-ish.” She has signed on to star in a new family comedy from “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris. ABC nabbed the single-camera...
Making Your Own Way: September Web Series and VOD Picks
“Ladies Room” Too often, stories about women fall into the same tired tropes: the search for a husband, children, and “having it all.” This month’s picks for web series and VOD highlight...
How Ryan Murphy is Fighting Ageism in Hollywood
Ryan Murphy is on a quest. Not only is he helping make the director’s chair more inclusive, he’s also making strides to challenge ageism in Hollywood. Earlier this year, Murphy launched Half, a...
Amy Schumer is the First Woman to Make Highest-Paid Comedians List
Amy Schumer is the highest paid female comedian, and the first woman ever to land on Forbes’ list of the top earners in comedy. According to Forbes’ latest rankings, Schumer is the world’s...
“Guardians of the Galaxy” Writer Nicole Perlman Signs on to Amazon’s “True Skin”
Nicole Perlman has landed another major gig. The “Guardians of the Galaxy” co-writer will pen “True Skin,” a new sci-fi drama series from Amazon Studios. The project originated as a short...
Trailer Watch: “The Crown” Feels Like It Could Take Place Today
“We have a new sovereign. Young…and a woman!” exclaims a voice in the new trailer for Netflix’s “The Crown.” The series begins in 1952 just as Queen Elizabeth II is taking the throne,...
Jane Pauley to Anchor CBS’s “Sunday Morning”
Your Sunday morning is about to get a female-friendly makeover. Jane Pauley will replace Charles Osgood as the anchor of CBS’s “Sunday Morning,” The New York Times reports. Osgood is retiring....