Television
The Groundbreaking Gyno-Humor of Amazon’s Realistic Rom Com ‘Catastrophe’
“Catastrophe,” the Amazon sitcom by Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney about a bi-continental couple dealing with an accidental pregnancy resulting from a casual hookup, has been called “the best...
New Female-Led Horror Comedy from ‘Good Wife’ Creators Will Blend ‘The Strain’ With ‘The West Wing’
Mysteries abound whether “The Good Wife’s” upcoming seventh season will be its last, but one thing’s for sure: its creators will be busy developing another show. CBS has ordered to series...
Cate Blanchett to Make Directorial Debut With TV Drama About Real-Life Government Detention Victim
Cate Blanchett will go behind the camera for the first time with the Australian TV series “Stateless,” a drama she also developed. The prestige project is based on the experiences of Cornelia...
2015 Emmy Nod Favorites: ‘Bessie,’ ‘Transparent,’ ‘Olive Kitteridge,’ Amy Schumer, Black Actresses
The Emmys are usually as staid as the entertainment industry gets, with the same group of people getting nominated and winning for the same roles year after year. There are a lot of old favorites...
Meet ‘The Nightly Show’s’ Robin Thede, Late Night’s First Black Woman Head Writer
‘Downton Abbey’ Actress Michelle Dockery to Star in TNT Drama ‘Good Behavior’
Now that “Downton Abbey” has announced that its upcoming sixth season will be its last, Michelle Dockery is seeking new leading roles. The erstwhile Mary Crawley has landed a TNT drama called...
Anna Faris Wants to Start a Girl’s Club
In a Hollywood Reporter story featuring CBS’ female showrunners and actresses, “Mom” star Anna Faris spoke out about changing the competitive, cut-throat world that actresses are forced to...
Amy Schumer and the Freedom to Be an A — hole
Carol Leifer to Adapt Her Memoir ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying’ for TV
Four-time Emmy nominee Carol Leifer will turn her life writing TV comedy into, well, a TV comedy. The stand-up comedienne AND “Modern Family” and “Devious Maids” writer will adapt her 2014...
Issa Rae’s HBO Comedy ‘Insecure’ Finds Pilot Director in Melina Masoukas
Issa Rae’s transition from YouTube to prime time continues. Rae’s HBO comedy “Insecure” has found a pilot director in music-video helmer Melina Masoukas. “Insecure” will mark...
“There Aren’t Any Civil Rights”: The Sad, Topical “What Happened, Miss Simone?”
‘Prime Suspect’ Prequel to Air on ITV With Original Creator Lynda La Plante at the Helm
“Prime Suspect,” the British crime series that made Helen Mirren a household name and unflinchingly explored institutional sexism within the police ranks, is returning to TV. But don’t expect...
Winona Ryder to Star in Supernatural Netflix Series
Nineties icon Winona Ryder, long overdue for a career resuscitation, is heading to TV. Specifically, to Netflix. Ryder, who seemed poised for a comeback after 2010’s “Black Swan” but hasn’t...
Mindy Kaling Warns Against Idolizing Her TV Character, Hints at What to Expect in Season 4
Mindy Kaling isn’t shying away from serving as a role model to girls and women, but that doesn’t mean she wants her character on “The Mindy Project,” Dr. Mindy Lahiri, to be considered an...
Trailer Watch: ‘Masters of Sex’ Leaps into the Swinging Sixties in Season 3
The third season of Showtime’s “Masters of Sex” will kick off in 1966, a decade after the events in Season 1. If the series’ inaugural year found sexologists Dr. William Masters (Michael...
Trailer Watch: A Gay Firebrand Goes to War in Jean Carlomusto’s “Larry Kramer in Love & Anger”
Amy Sherman-Palladino Discusses Casting Melissa McCarthy, How to Achieve Equality in Hollywood
Amy Sherman-Palladino, best known for creating the WB mother-daughter hit “Gilmore Girls,” shared great insights about women in TV during a panel at the ATX Television Festival in Austin....
Watch: Caitlyn Jenner’s Sexist Treatment Exposed on “Daily Show,” Promo for Her New Reality Series
“You start learning the kind of the pressure women are under all the time about their appearance,” Caitlyn Jenner says in the first trailer for her reality series “I Am Cait.” (Watch the...
‘Hannibal’ Showrunner Bryan Fuller Explains Why He Banned Rape on His Show
NBC’s “Hannibal” often makes perverse art out of mutilated bodies, stretching the limits of what can be shown on television. But “Hannibal” showrunner Bryan Fuller has, until now, barred...
Happy Friday: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Get ‘Weekend Update’ Action Figures
Comedy BFFs Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are having their achievement as the first female co-hosts of “SNL’s” Weekend Update segment commemorated with action figures from Entertainment Earth. The...
Review: Lifetime’s ‘Unreal’ is Real Good
Patricia Highsmith’s ‘Ripley’ Books in Development to Become TV Series
Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara’s “Carol” didn’t take home the top prize at Cannes, but the lesbian romance was undoubtedly one of the highest-profile films of the festival. Perhaps it’s...
Agnes Varda Admits She Has Trouble Securing Funding, Confesses Love for Lena Dunham’s “Girls”
Apparently not even achieving legendary status has shielded Agnes Varda from a common problem afflicting women directors. “I have an entire bestiary of prizes with bears, dogs, etc., but people...
Sexual Violence on “Outlander” vs. “Game of Thrones”
Shonda Rhimes and Jenji Kohan Win Global Women’s Rights Awards
Shonda Rhimes and Jenji Kohan were recognized for “changing the face of media” by the Feminist Majority Foundation at the 10th annual Global Women’s Rights Awards on Monday. Rhimes and Kohan...
Kristen Schaal Sells Animated Comedy Pilot ‘Fancy Bastards’ to MTV
One of the busiest women in TV might finally get her own show. Kristen Schaal — who appears on the Fox comedy “Last Man on Earth,” voices the Fox animated sitcom “Bob’s Burgers” and...
Watch: Samantha Bee is “Female as F-ck” and Crashing the Sausage Party That is Late-Night TV
Samantha Bee, the longest-serving correspondent ever on “The Daily Show,” took herself out of consideration for the role of Jon Stewart’s replacement to front her own show on TBS. Alongside...
Fall TV and Feminism: A First Look at the Upfronts
Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin Go Public About Their Unfair ‘Grace and Frankie’ Paychecks
Equal work should receive equal pay, while more work should receive more pay, right? Apparently no such logic exists at Netflix HQ. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, who star in the new streaming series...
Guest Post: Why We Desperately Need More Girls On Screen for Both Our Sons and Daughters
I’m an independent filmmaker who tells stories about girlsand women. It wasn’t intentional, at least not at first. But having justfinished my fourth documentary, “Winning Girl,” about a...
UPDATED: Women of Color’s Voices Diminished on TV with Cancellations of ‘Mindy Project’ and ‘Cristela’
Update: Hulu confirmed on May 15 that it has ordered 26 episodes of “The Mindy Project” for a fourth season on the streaming site. Yesterday dealt a one-two punch with the cancellations of Mindy...
Watch: Lifetime Launches “Major” Initiative to Promote Women Directors, Writers, Producers
As a network for women, Lifetime is also largely a network by women. Female directors helmed 20% of Lifetime’s movies last year, compared to a paltry 7% for theatrical features. In the same...
Trailer Watch: Nina Simone is “as Fragile as She is Strong” in ‘What Happened, Miss Simone?’
Guest Post: Why I Decided to Direct Lifetime’s Ariel Castro Movie ‘Cleveland Abduction’
Likemany people around the world, I was shocked and gripped by the story of thewomen who were abducted and kept for over a decade by Ariel Castro in a housein Cleveland, Ohio. When Sony first...
HBO’s ‘The Casual Vacancy’: Even in Rowling’s Adult Work, It’s the Kids Who Shine
Viola Davis Developing and Planning to Star in Harriet Tubman Movie for HBO
One of the most important women in American history might finally have a movie made about her life. Viola Davis is developing and planning on starring in a HBO movie about Harriet Tubman. The...
Whitney Cummings Gets HBO Stand-Up Special, Pilot Order for New Comedy
Whitney Cummings is returning to television. After co-creating CBS’s “2 Broke Girls” (still going strong) and creating/starring in NBC’s “Whitney” (canceled after two seasons), Cummings...
‘Orphan Black’s’ Clone Club Admits Men — Sort Of
Katee Sackhoff to Create and Star in Climate Change-Themed Sci-Fi Series ‘Rain’
“Battlestar Galactica” actress Katee Sackhoff will return to the future in “Rain,” a sci-fi series that she created, wrote and will star in. Sackhoff’s Fly Free Productions will partner...
Guest Post: What I Learned From a Post-It Note to Make My First Film
Back in 2008, I heard about that Oprah tip — the one whereyou make a list of goals on a Post-It and put it on your bathroom mirror. Youare supposed to look at it every morning when you wake up...
Jessica Edwards’ Doc ‘Mavis!’ About Singer Mavis Staples Acquired by HBO
Jessica Edwards’ “Mavis!,” the first documentary about gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples, has been acquired by HBO. Edwards described “Mavis!” as an exploration...
Trailer Watch: Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin Laugh Through the Pain in Netflix’s ‘Grace and Frankie’
A trailer has (finally!) been released for “Grace and Frankie,” Netflix’s original comedy series starring the incomparable Jane Fonda (Grace) and Lily Tomlin (Frankie). The series comes from...
Taraji P. Henson to Host ‘SNL,’ Publish Memoir
Trailer Watch: Laura Prepon’s Back in Prison and a Different Castmember Goes Free in ‘Orange’ Season 3
‘Veep’ is in the (White) House
Do We Need Another ‘The L Word’?
The song tells us we can’t always get what we want. As lesbian and bisexual female media consumers, we know this all too well. But it also promises that, if we try, sometimes we’ll get what we...
‘Outlander,’ Back and Better than the Books
Michelle Pfeiffer, Katie Couric, ‘Murphy Brown’ Creator Diane English Pitching Comedy About TV News
The dream team of Michelle Pfeiffer, Katie Couric, and “Murphy Brown” creator Diane English is currently shopping around a comedy series about the morning TV news business. Based on Couric’s...
Debbie Tucker Green to Co-Write Steve McQueen’s BBC “Epic” Miniseries About Black Britons
The day after “12 Years a Slave” director Steve McQueen announced that he would co-write the female heist thriller “Widows” with “Gone Girl” author and screenwriter Gillian Flynn, he...
‘Fancy Nancy’ Adaptation Lands at Disney Channel
The children’s book series “Fancy Nancy” will be turned into a TV movie and a weekly series for the Disney Channel. Written by Jane O’Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser,...
Trailer Watch: A Small Town Implodes in the US Spot for JK Rowling’s HBO Miniseries ‘Casual Vacancy’