Television
Freeform and Comedian Iliza Shlesinger Are Developing a Late-Night Show
Comedian Iliza Shlesinger may be entering another male-dominated field: late-night television. Freeform is developing a late-night series with Shlesinger as host, Variety reports. According to...
Trailer Watch: “Good Girls Revolt” Tackles Sexism in Journalism
If there’s one thing that “Mad Men” never sufficiently got into in its last days, it was the budding women’s rights movements of the 1970s. Well, a new Amazon series called “Good Girls...
“Audrie & Daisy” Director Bonni Cohen Talks Cyberbullying and Sex Crimes
Interview by Diana Martinez Since co-founding Actual Films in 1998, Bonni Cohen has produced and directed an array of award-winning films, including “The Island President,” “Inside...
You’re Invited! USC Annenberg Hosts Diversifying Entertainment Event
Join Women and Hollywood founder and publisher Melissa Silverstein at “Transforming Hollywood 7: Diversifying Entertainment.” The all-day public event is being held on October 21 from 9 a.m....
Female-Led “Magnum P.I.” Sequel in the Works at ABC
ABC has picked up “Magnum,” a female-led sequel to the 1980s series “Magnum P.I.” for “a script commitment plus substantial penalty,” Deadline reports. The project, from Eva...
Jamie Lee Curtis to Direct an Episode of “Scream Queens”
The queen of screams herself is taking charge. “Halloween” actress Jamie Lee Curtis is set to direct an episode of Fox’s horror-comedy series “Scream Queens,” Deadline reports. Curtis acts...
“Fleabag” is a Feminist Tragi-Comedy with Bite
Phoebe Waller-Bridge in “Fleabag”: Amazon Traditionally, female narration has taken place rather ethereally, as if the character is allowing us a genteel peek into her diary: One of its most...
Jenny Lumet Pens Pilot about Hate Crimes for CBS, Katie Couric Producing
“Rachel Getting Married” screenwriter Jenny Lumet has secured a put pilot commitment from CBS for her new drama about hate crimes, Deadline reports. The untitled character-based procedural...
“Better Things” Renewed for Season 2
“Better Things” is coming back for a second season, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. FX has renewed the comedy after airing only two episodes of the series. The show was created by...
Chelsea Handler On Changing Her Focus from Celebrity Gossip to Social Good
At Sunday’s kick-off of the Social Good Summit, hosted by Mashable and the United Nations Foundation in New York City, Chelsea Handler discussed the global impact she hopes her new Netflix series...
Fan Favorite Sarah Steele Joins “The Good Wife” Spinoff
Sara Steele is on board for “The Good Wife” spinoff on CBS All Access, Deadline reports. As Women and Hollywood previously reported, the spinoff will focus on the characters of Diane Lockhart...
Trailer Watch: “Amanda Knox” Trial Gets the Doc Treatment
The Amanda Knox case had the world on edge, with viewers glued to the news. Was this young woman a murderer? Or trapped in a backwards justice system that punishes women for being sexual? “Either...
Andrea Savage Comedy Series Picked Up
“Episodes’” actress Andrea Savage has scored her own TV series. Cable network truTV has given a series order to “I’m Sorry,” a half-hour comedy Savage created and stars in. According to...
Fall TV Preview: Series By and About Women to Check Out
“Queen Sugar” By Kate Gardner and Rachel Montpelier Fall is here, and with it comes the most wonderful time of the year for television buffs. Some new and returning series are great, others less...
Pam Fryman Directs Her 500th Episode of TV
Pam Fryman is in the midst of directing her 500th episode of television. According to Deadline, Fryman now ranks among the directors with the highest number of small-screen credits to their name....
2016 Emmys Roundup: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sarah Paulson, Jill Soloway, and More
Sarah Paulson: ABC Last night’s Emmy’s ceremony was a wonderfully refreshing change of pace from #OscarsSoWhite and #OscarsSoMale. Julia Louis-Dreyfus made history at the 68th installment of the...
2017 WriteHer List Nominations Are Now Open
The nomination period for the 2017 WriteHer list is now open. WeForShe, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping balance the gender-landscape in television, founded the WriteHer list in 2015...
Kristen Bell Takes on the Gender Wage Gap
Kristen Bell, star of “Veronica Mars,” “Frozen,” and the upcoming sitcom “The Good Place,” partook in The Huffington Post’s new comedy sketch series “Celebs Have Issues,” which...
Can #FreeTheBid Lead to More Women Directing in Hollywood?
Back in July, we relayed some in-depth reporting done by Mashable that found that less than 9.7 percent of rostered directors on the AdAge Production Company A-List, from which ad agencies cull...
Trailer Watch: Rebecca Hall Mesmerizes as a Depressed Newscaster in “Christine”
Christine is an on-air reporter who is “always on the lookout for a positive human interest story.” Her boss has another approach to the news: “If it bleeds, it leads.” This tension is one...
Sofia Vergara is TV’s Highest-Paid Actress
For the fifth year in a row, Sofia Vergara has been named the highest-paid actress in television. The “Modern Family” star took home nearly $43 million excluding management fees and taxes, Time...
TCM Celebrates “Trailblazing Women” with Bette Midler, Jane Fonda, and More
It’s time to enjoy some herstory. Turner Classics Movies (TCM) is reteaming with Women in Film Los Angeles (WIF) for the second annual installment of the “Trailblaizing Women” series. The...
Producer Effie Brown Named Keynote Speaker at 2016 Film Independent Forum
“Dear White People” producer Effie Brown is slated to deliver the Keynote address at the 12th annual Film Independent Forum, Shadow and Act reports. Film Independent is the the non-profit arts...
DGA Report Names Best and Worst Shows for Hiring Diverse Directors
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has released its 2015–16 Diversity Report. The study analyzes the ethnicity and gender of directors hired to helm episodic television series across broadcast,...
“Fresh Off the Boat” Producer Kourtney Kang Gets Pilot Based on Her Life
NBC has ordered a pilot for a family comedy based on the life of “Fresh Off the Boat” producer Kourtney Kang. The comedy, The Hollywood Reporter writes, will “explore what it’s like to grow...
New TV Research Reveals Gender Inequality On-Screen and Off
While television is widely considered a more female-friendly medium than film, new research from Dr. Martha Lauzen demonstrates that the small-screen isn’t nearly as progressive when it comes to...
“Saturday Night Live” Finally Hires First Latina Cast Member
“Saturday Night Live” announced three new cast members for its upcoming 42nd season yesterday, one of whom will be the sketch series’ very first Latina. Melissa Villaseñor has been added as...
Sarah Jessica Parker to Play a Singer in Upcoming Drama
Sarah Jessica Parker in “All Roads Lead to Rome”: Cristina di Paolo Antonio / eOne Entertainment Sarah Jessica Parker portrays a woman who is ending her marriage in HBO’s upcoming series...
Elisabeth Moss’ “The Square” Heading to Magnolia Pictures
Magnolia Pictures has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “The Square,” starring Elisabeth Moss, The Hollywood Reporter writes. The film, THR reports, which is set in the art world, “follows...
Trailer Watch: Issa Rae Makes a Change in New “Insecure” Full Trailer
“Go shorty. It’s your birthday. But no one cares cause I’m not having a party. Cause I’m feeling sorry for myself,” Issa Rae sings into her bathroom mirror, fully capturing the hilarious...
Movies are Officially Dead — Meryl Streep is Heading to Television
Film history, as it shall be written, will cite this announcement as a musical triangle in the blaring orchestra that sounds the death knell of big screen cinema. Following the footsteps of Gloria...
Apply Now to Writers Guild’s “Made in NY Writers Room” Fellowship
The Writers Guild of America, East has teamed up with The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and the New York City Department of Small Business Services to launch the Made in NY Writers...
Margaret Atwood Releases Graphic Novel
Literary icon Margaret Atwood has released her first graphic novel, Dark Horse Comics’ “Angel Catbird.” The story, The A.V. Club reports, follows, “the tale of Strig Feleedus, a genetic...
Melissa McCarthy Developing Family Comedy Series for Fox
Though her hit comedy series “Mike and Molly” was cancelled, Melissa McCarthy isn’t leaving the TV world any time soon. According to Variety, McCarthy is developing a family comedy for Fox as...
“Heathers” Receives a Pilot Order, Leslye Headland to Direct
Beloved 80s cult classic “Heathers” is being made into an anthology series. The project has received a pilot order, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Leslye Headland (“Sleeping With Other...
The Bold Directorial Sisterhood of “Queen Sugar”
“Queen Sugar”: OWN In the television season that concluded last year, show episodes directed by non-white women made up a whopping three percent of the total. White women, meanwhile, were a...
Maggie Gyllenhaal Working on Victoria Woodhull Project for Television
Maggie Gyllenhaal is reportedly working on a project focused on Victoria Woodhull, a leader of the American suffrage movement who ran for president in 1872. No news has officially been announced,...
Watch: Women & Hollywood Founder Melissa Silverstein Talks Gender Equality
Earlier this summer, Women and Hollywood’s Founder and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Silverstein spoke at the Natalie Miller Fellowship event in Melbourne, Australia. The Fellowship, named in honor of...
“Better Things” Gives Pamela Adlon a Turn to Shine — and Snark
Pamela Adlon in “Better Things”: FX Pamela Adlon, a writer and actress who ought to be way more famous than she is, finally gets her own show, the dark comedy “Better Things,” debuting...
Judge Judy Developing Scripted Series
The eminently quotable star of “Judge Judy” is entering the world of scripted television. Judy Sheindlin, arguably the U.S.’s most recognizable judge, is developing a drama series at CBS,...
Kerry Washington Developing A Series About Female LAPD Cops at ABC
“Scandal” star Kerry Washington is developing a new drama with ABC, the network behind her hit series. Variety reports that the actress is serving as executive producer for “Patrol,” “a...
Trailer Watch: Bella Thorne is an Overnight Sensation in “Famous in Love”
Meet “Famous in Love,” your next delicious guilty pleasure. Freeform has released a trailer for the upcoming series about young Hollywood led by rising star Bella Thorne (“The DUFF,” “Big...
Issa Rae Signs First Look Deal with HBO
Issa Rae, creator and star of HBO’s upcoming comedy “Insecure,” has signed a first-look production deal with the network, Deadline reports. The two-year contract will have Rae develop...
Ellen DeGeneres and Emily Kapnek Team Up for New ABC Comedy
Ellen DeGeneres is joining forces with Emily Kapnek, the creator of “Selfie” and “Suburgatory,” for a new single-camera comedy series. “Splitting Up Together” has secured a put pilot...
Prosecutor Marcia Clark Adapting Her Novel “Blood Defense” for Television
Marcia Clark, who became famous as the prosecutor on the O.J. Simpson murder trial, will adapt her novel “Blood Defense,” for television. The Hollywood Reporter writes that NBC has committed to...
Anna Paquin to Star in Crime Series About a Missing Transgender Teen
Oscar winner Anna Paquin will star in “Bellevue,” an upcoming crime drama centered around the disappearance of a transgender teen. The Hollywood Reporter writes that the “True Blood” alum...
Alison Brie Will Topline Jenji Kohan’s Netflix Wrestling Comedy
Alison Brie is stepping into the squared circle. The “Community” actress is entering the bizarre world of pro wrestling for “G.L.O.W.,” “Orange is the New Black” creator Jenji Kohan’s...
Quote of the Day: Ava DuVernay Explains, “The Onus is Not on the Marginalized to Educate”
Ava DuVernay is about to have a killer fall. Her first television series, “Queen Sugar,” will premiere on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network, and she’s the first woman to open the New York Film...
Eleanor Catton’s “The Luminaries” Coming to Television
Eleanor Catton’s award-winning novel “The Luminaries” is being adapted for TV, The Hollywood Reporter writes. Working Title Television will produce the series for the BBC. Catton will adapt...
“Happy Valley” Returning for a Third Season
Viewers don’t have to say goodbye to Sergeant Catherine Cawood and “Happy Valley” just yet. Despite previous comments that suggested otherwise, the award-winning BBC One police drama will...
Books by Nine-Year-Old Journalist Hilde Lysiak Being Made into a TV Series
Paramount Television and Anonymous Content have snatched up the rights to an upcoming book series from tiny journalist Hilde Lysiak, Variety reports. The nine-year-old reporter Lysiak made news...