Television
“The Birth of the Pill” Coming to TV
Reproductive health in the U.S. has never been short of drama. Now a new event series will tell the story of the capsule that’s changed the lives and bedrooms of millions nationally and...
5 Reasons to Check Out Chelsea Handler’s New Gig on Netflix
On May 11, the deeply snarky Chelsea Handler comes back with a new talk show — the first for Netflix, premiering at 12:01 a.m. This means she’s officially back in the late-night club where,...
“UnREAL” Teasers Show How Reality TV Manipulates Its Stars
We’ve all long suspected that reality dating shows like “The Bachelor” wallow in sexism and manipulation. But Lifetime’s scripted series “UnREAL” came along last summer and proved our...
“Supergirl” Co-Creator and “Empire” Showrunner Call For Change at Alliance of Women Directors…
“Supergirl” Co-Creator and “Empire” Showrunner Call For Change at Alliance of Women Directors Awards The dismal status of female directors in television was a hot topic at the Alliance of...
Oprah to Star in HBO’s “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”
Oprah Winfrey is heading to HBO. The Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated actress and powerhouse media personality has signed on to star in HBO Film’s “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” Based...
Elisabeth Moss Will Star in Adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Mad Men” and “Top of the Lake” star Elisabeth Moss has signed on to an adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Streaming service...
“Game of Thrones” Season 6 Has Less Misogyny… For Now?
Did “Game of Thrones” take all the criticism about misogyny to heart? The plot of its season premiere would suggest so. While Season 6 kicked off with about the same level of crushing gloom and...
Paramount TV Developing “All the Single Ladies” from Rebecca Traister
Paramount TV has picked up the rights to Rebecca Traister’s best-selling book “All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation,” Variety has reported. Traister,...
Trailer Watch: “Lady Dynamite” Loses Her Mind and Makes a TV Show
Sometimes you have to lose your mind to find yourself. Or so Maria Bamford (“Adventure Time”)has learned, and is so expressed in her upcoming Netflix comedy, “Lady Dynamite,” for which a new...
Lifetime Announces Female-Centric Programming Development Slate
Lifetime continues to impress with its commitment to creating and distributing content by and about women. The network has announced a new programming slate and a new multi-platform initiative with...
Lifetime Announces Female-Centric Programming Development Slate
Lifetime continues to impress with its commitment to creating and distributing content by and about women. The network has announced a new programming slate and a new multi-platform initiative with...
‘Inside Amy Schumer’ Now with Less Self-Loathing
Welcome back to Comedy Central, Amy Schumer — although as the comic has noted in a trailer for the new season, premiering tonight, it’s not exactly like she’s been off the radar on her...
“Inside Amy Schumer” Now with Less Self-Loathing
Welcome back to Comedy Central, Amy Schumer — although as the comic has noted in a trailer for the new season, premiering tonight, it’s not exactly like she’s been off the radar on her...
Listen: Women and Hollywood Podcast #26 — ‘The Night Manager’ Director Susanne Bier
Women and Hollywood spoke with Danish helmer Susanne Bier about her role in bringing one of this year’s most addictive series, “The Night Manager,” to the small-screen. Bier directed all six...
Oscar Nominee Agnieszka Holland Calls Filmmaking a ‘Boys’ Club’ That Ignores Women
We love it when female filmmakers call out the industry for its sexism. Now Agnieszka Holland has joined in the fight. According to The BBC, during an on stage interview with BFI Southbank, which is...
‘Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce’ Renewed for 3 More Seasons
Bravo’s first-ever scripted series, “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce,” has been renewed for a surprising three seasons. Lisa Edelstein (“Castle”) stars in the dramedy as self-help writer...
‘Orphan Black’ Returns, Looks Back
“Orphan Black,” the BBC’s endlessly twisty clone thriller, kicks off its new season tonight (if your memory’s hazy, you can get up to speed here). Thankfully, the show seems to have found a...
Freeform Orders Pilot Based on Life of Cosmo Editor Joanna Coles
If you saw “The Devil Wears Prada” and longed for more, say as a television series, you might be in luck. Freeform, the network formerly known as ABC Family, has ordered a pilot for a scripted...
Liz Garbus on Her Mother Son Doc ‘Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt & Anderson Cooper’
Liz Garbus’ films have been acclaimed worldwide and have garnered multiple Academy Award nominations and Emmy Award wins. Her previous film, “What Happened, Miss Simone?” was the Opening Night...
A Highlander in Paris: ‘Outlander’ returns
“Outlander” is back on Saturday! This is great news, only slightly marred by the fact that the Season 2 is loosely based on Diana Gabaldon’s second book, which is — how do I break this to...
Debra Martin Chase to Produce ‘The Black Calhouns’ Miniseries for ABC
Debra Martin Chase (“The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” “The Princess Diaries”) will produce “The Black Calhouns,” a new historical drama centered on an African-American family, for...
Trailer Watch: Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda Talk Vibrators and Booze in ‘Grace and Frankie’ Season 2
Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are back for Season 2 of “Grace and Frankie,” and if a newly unveiled trailer from Netflix is any indication, the dynamic duo — and viewers — are in for one...
Selena Gomez to Produce Drama About a Young Latina Entertainer for Freeform
Pop sensation Selena Gomez and producer Aaron Kaplan are developing a new series for Freeform, formerly ABC Family. The untitled drama, described as the Latina “Empire,” will follow an...
EPIX to Air Wanda Sykes Comedy Event
Wanda Sykes is teaming up with EPIX for “What Happened… Ms. Sykes?” The one-hour Original Comedy Event — whose title is a nod to a Maya Angelou quotation about Nina Simone — will...
‘One Big Happy’ Creator Liz Feldman Signs Deal With CBS
“One Big Happy” creator and exec producer Liz Feldman has inked a two-year overall deal with CBS TV Studios. The “2 Broke Girls” scribe will develop new projects for network, cable and...
Humor Saves the Day (and the Marriage): ‘Catastrophe’ Returns
The wait is over: Season 2 of Amazon’s blissfully filthy-mouthed comedy “Catastrophe” premieres on Amazon Prime next Friday, and once again you will find yourself wishing it had three times as...
Why Imaginary Deaths Matter To Real-World Queer Women
While real-life terrors continue to abound for LGBT people, the question often arises why we should care about anything that happens in the make-believe world of entertainment. Who cares, the...
Smile, Baby: How ‘The Catch’ Does Mireille Enos Wrong
I have a simple litmus test for female-centric shows and movies that almost never steers me wrong. It sounds petty, but it’s very revealing: Does the main character wear impractical footwear in...
Gwendoline Christie Joins Elisabeth Moss for Season 2 of Jane Campion’s ‘Top of the Lake’
The force is strong with “Game of Thrones” star Gwendoline Christie — and “Top of the Lake” fans. Hot off her big screen success with “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” Christie will...
New Doc About Joan Rivers to Air on PBS
A new documentary about Joan Rivers is set to premiere on New York’s PBS WNET Thirteen. The late comedian was the subject of Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern’s 2010 critically acclaimed doc...
‘Heathers’ Anthology Series is Coming to TV
How very. The bolder, crasser older sister of 2004’s “Mean Girls” is coming to television. Beloved 80s cult classic “Heathers” is being made into an anthology series. TV Land ordered the...
Chelsea Handler Announces New Show’s Premiere Date with Hilarious Self-Written Note
Just how will a talk show on Netflix work? We’re about to find out. Chelsea Handler has announced, in a hilarious, self-written press release, that her new show will premiere on May 11 on the...
Trailer Watch: Sarah Follows in Beth’s Footsteps in ‘Orphan Black’ Season 4
The clone club survived Season 3 of “Orphan Black,” but they’re far from unscathed in the aftermath of clone gate. A new, action-packed trailer has arrived for the fourth season of BBC...
Trailer Watch: Christmas Comes in April with ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ Season 2 Trailer
They alive dammit! A new trailer for Netflix’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” has just hit the web and we’ve never been more excited to visit a year-round Christmas store. According to the...
Amy Ryan to Topline Nicole Holofcener Comedy Series
Nicole Holofcener is coming to TV, and she’s taking Amy Ryan (“Birdman”) with her. The “Enough Said” helmer is looking for a straight-to-series order for a new half-hour, untitled comedy...
Casey Wilson to Play a Mayor in ABC Comedy Pilot Directed by Julie Anne Robinson
“Happy Endings” alum Casey Wilson is returning to ABC. The actress will headline the network’s comedy pilot “Hail Mary,” playing Mary Wolf, the overworked, charismatic mayor of a...
Vanessa Williams to Star in VH1 Series Based on Star Jones’ Book
Vanessa Williams is returning to television, and this time around, she’ll be the star of the show. The three-time Emmy nominee will topline VH1’s “Satan’s Sisters,” a scripted series based...
Ellen Page’s ‘Gaycation’ Is a Fascinating, Moving Look at Gay Culture Around the Globe
Do not be fooled by its glib title, “Gaycation” is no mere gay travelogue. The new TV project from out star Ellen Page and her gay best friend Ian Daniel takes them on a journey to visit LGBT...
Jenna Coleman’s ‘Victoria’ to Take Over ‘Downton Abbey’ Slot on PBS
If you’re looking for the next “Downton Abbey,” which wraps up its sixth and final season this winter, PBS has a suggestion. Next year, the network will air in its Sunday night...
Judy Greer to Headline Fox Workplace Comedy From Laura Steinel
Just four months after the cancellation of her last show, FX’s “Married,” Greer has found a new starring project. In the unnamed workplace comedy, the talented character actress will play...
‘Girls’ is Back, and Trolling the Trolls
HBO’s “Girls” returned for its fifth and penultimate season on Sunday, and there is a telling moment between Jessa (Jemima Kirke) and Hannah (creator Lena Dunham) in one of the early, upcoming...
Demi Moore to Star in Child-Kidnapping TV Drama ’10 Days in the Valley’ From Creator Tassie Cameron
Demi Moore is the latest film actress to find a meaty leading part on TV. In her first major small-screen role in two decades, Moore will star in the child-abduction drama “10 Days in the...
Justina Machado to Star in Netflix’s Latino ‘One Day at a Time’ Reboot
“Six Feet Under” and “Private Practice” actress Justina Machado will play Penelope, the divorced mother of two at the center of Netflix’s Cuban-American reboot of “One Day at a Time.”...
Stockard Channing to Star in Buddy-Comedy Pilot ‘Me & Mean Margaret’
Stockard Channing is returning to television in the NBC multi-cam series “Me & Mean Margaret.” Channing will play the nasty diva of the title, a legendary actress who’s as famous for her...
Amazon Orders Jill Soloway Pilot ‘I Love Dick’
If you loved Jill Soloway’s forays into academia on “Transparent” (including her on-screen stint as an over-the-top women’s studies lecturer in Season 1), you’re in luck: the...
New ABC Chief Channing Dungey Becomes First African-American Broadcast Network Head
Channing Dungey made history yesterday by becoming the first African-Amerian head of a major broadcast network. Dungey will take over managing ABC from diversity champion Paul Lee. She was...
We’ve Missed You, ‘Broad City’!
The effervescent, whip-smart “Broad City,” still the best rendering of best-friendship on TV, returned last night with an eye on one of New York (and women’s) most essential and least...
Urgent PSA: ‘Broad City’ Returns Tonight!
Trailer Watch: Claire Rewrites History in ‘Outlander’ Season 2
The hotly anticipated second season of Starz’s “Outlander” has a premiere date and a trailer. The time-traveling Claire (Catriona Belle) has quite the burden to bear: she knows too much....
Women Directors Missing From This Year’s Pilot Season
The new TV pilot season brings some good but mostly bad news for women directors. First, the good news: Leslye Headland (“Sleeping With Other People,” “Bachelorette”) and Jennifer Getzinger...
Apply to Get Your Web Series Made With the Support of Issa Rae and Project Greenlight Digital
Issa Rae and Project Greenlight Digital Studios are partnering up to showcase the visions of underrepresented writers. The New Normal Writing Contest is now accepting pitches for an anthologyweb...