#TV
Viola Davis & Wanuri Kahiu Teaming Up for TV Adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s “Wild Seed”
Ava DuVernay isn’t the only one bringing the work of Octavia E. Butler to the small screen. Oscar winner Viola Davis, “Rafiki” filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu, and sci-fi novelist Nnedi...
Tiffany Haddish Exec Producing Stand-Up Series for Netflix
Tiffany Haddish is teaming up with Netflix to showcase six rising comedians. A press release has confirmed the “Girls Trip” actress is executive producing stand-up series “Tiffany...
Weekly Update for March 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Out of Blue – Written and Directed by Carol Morley (Also Available on VOD) “Out of Blue” “Out of Blue,” written and directed by Carol Morley,...
Writer to Watch: “Insecure” Scribe Amy Aniobi
“It’s something that we really want to preserve — this idea that black women are worthy of love, worthy of true friendship, can achieve it together,” Amy Aniobi has said of...
Ava DuVernay Romantic Anthology “Cherish the Day” Receives Straight-to-Series Order at OWN
Ava DuVernay has another TV project in the works. The “Queen Sugar” creator has lined up her second OWN series. Variety reports that the network has given DuVernay’s romantic...
Ann Curry & Kim Bondy’s Nonfiction Medical Series “Chasing the Cure” Gets Premiere Date
Ann Curry will be taking on medical mysteries at her new gig. WarnerMedia Entertainment announced via press release that the journalist and TV anchor’s latest project, “Chasing the...
Trailer Watch: Sally Wainwright Tells Anne Lister’s Trailblazing Story in HBO’s “Gentleman Jack”
We hear just as much about Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) as we hear from her in a new trailer for “Gentleman Jack,” an upcoming HBO series. “However far away my sister goes, however...
Apply Now: The Lab at Athena Film Festival – LA TV and Screenwriting Labs
The Athena Film Festival at Barnard, in partnership with the Stephens College Master of Fine Arts in Television and Screenwriting and WIST (Women in the Script Trade, formerly IRIS), will once again...
Trailer Watch: Kiernan Shipka Walks a Darker Path in “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” Season 2
The debut season of “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” saw the half-witch at the center of its story signing her name to the Book of the Beast and making a commitment to the Dark Lord. A...
Weekly Update for March 15: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase – Directed by Katt Shea; Written by Nina Fiore and John Herrera After the death of his wife, Carson Drew decides to leave Chicago...
Lilly Singh Is Getting a Late-Night Show on NBC
YouTube star Lilly Singh boasts over 14 million followers on the streaming platform, and she’s poised to make plenty of new fans in the coming months. The comedian is “taking over...
Survey: 64% of Diverse TV Writers Have Encountered Discrimination on the Job
A new survey findings’ reveal that diverse writers are routinely isolated, tokenized, and mistreated in contemporary writers rooms. The Think Tank for Inclusion & Equity (TTIE) interviewed...
Amy Adams Inks First-Look Deal with HBO, Will Exec Produce “Poisonwood Bible” Adaptation
It’s unclear whether we’ll actually get another season of “Sharp Objects,” but Amy Adams is definitely sticking around HBO. The six-time Oscar nominee has signed a first-look...
Apply Now: TV Script Initiative for Female Writers
Thousand Films is looking to help bridge the television industry’s gender gap by connecting writers with established producers. According to a study from the Writers Guild of Great Britain,...
Weekly Update for March 8: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Captain Marvel – Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck; Written by Anna Boden, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, and Ryan Fleck The highly anticipated first Marvel movie with...
Isabel Coixet Writing and Directing Her First TV Series
Isabel Coixet fans and food lovers, rejoice. The “Bookshop” and “Elegy” filmmaker is writing and directing a TV show about a couple who meet via an app for foodies. The HBO...
Bruna Papandrea Producing Series Based on Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple Books
Miss Marple will solve more mysteries with the help of Bruna Papandrea and her production company, Made Up Stories. A press release has announced that Made Up, alongside Endeavor Content, has a...
“Call the Midwife” Renewed for Another Two Seasons
“Call the Midwife” will be telling compassionate — and often, political — stories about pregnancy, motherhood, healthcare, and reproductive rights through at least 2022....
Weekly Update for March 1: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Greta No good deed goes unpunished in “Greta.” The campy thriller sees Chloë Grace Moretz playing Frances, a kind young woman new to New York City. One fateful day...
2019-20 Pilot Season: Jude Weng & Jessica Yu Make History, Uptick in Director Inclusion
This pilot season is one for the history books. Jude Weng and Jessica Yu have both booked directing gigs and, according to Deadline, are set to become the first Asian-American women to helm...
Teaser Watch: Ava DuVernay Tells the Story of the Central Park Five in Netflix’s “When They See Us”
Ava DuVernay’s long-awaited Central Park Five limited series has a teaser and a premiere date. The true story of five teenage boys of color who were falsely convicted of rape in the early...
Claire Scanlon Will Direct “Adam & Eve” Comedy Pilot for Fox
“Set It Up” helmer and prolific TV director Claire Scanlon has booked her latest gig. As Deadline reports, she will direct the Fox single-camera comedy pilot “Adam &...
Trailer Watch: Brit Marling Wakes Up in Another Dimension in “The OA: Part II”
“I did it,” Prairie Johnson says with tears in her eyes, “I jumped!” A new trailer for “The OA: Part II” sees Brit Marling’s character waking up in a...
Weekly Update for February 22: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Firebrand – Written and Directed by Aruna Raje (Available on Netflix) “Firebrand” follows the life of a successful lawyer who herself is a sexual assault victim...
Reese Witherspoon Exec Producing Starz Family Drama from “Queen Sugar’s” Davita Scarlett
Reese Witherspoon has lined up yet another TV gig. The Oscar-winning actress and rising mogul is developing “Kin,” a Starz family drama from “Queen Sugar” writer Davita...
2019 Diversity Report: Women & POC Make Progress But Are Still Largely Underrepresented
UCLA’s College of Social Sciences has released its latest Diversity Report. Once again, the study reveals women and people of color are making strides on both sides of the camera, but overall,...
Trailer Watch: Selina Meyer Makes One Last Presidential Bid in “Veep’s” Final Season
Selina Meyer has set her sights on the Oval Office once again in “Veep’s” seventh and final season. The former senator, VP, and prez (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) wants to lead the American...
Amelia Bullmore Writing Women-Led Crime Drama “Traces” for UK’s Alibi
Good news, “Happy Valley” fans: your next UK crime TV obsession has been announced. Deadline confirms Alibi — a UK broadcaster run by Discovery and UKTV — has commissioned a...
Awards Roundup: Angela Shanelec Wins Berlinale Prize, WGA Honors “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
With the Oscars less than a week away, awards season is winding down. Women have nabbed several prestigious honors throughout the 2019 awards circuit, including at the Berlinale and WGA Awards this...
Weekly Update for February 15: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING The Breaker Upperers – Written and Directed by Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami (Available on Netflix) Fifteen years ago, Mel (Madeleine Sami) and Jen (Jackie van...
Edie Falco to Topline CBS Pilot About LAPD’s First Female Police Chief, Kate Dennis Directing
Edie Falco could be returning to TV. According to Deadline, the Emmy-winning “Sopranos” and “Nurse Jackie” actress will star in CBS police drama pilot “Tommy.” The...
Trailer Watch: “Hanna’s” Epic Survival Story Continues in New Amazon Series
Since the release of “Hanna” in 2011, the thriller’s star, Saoirse Ronan, has grown up — earning her second and third Oscar nods for “Brooklyn” and “Lady...
Projects from “Broad City’s” Abbi Jacobson and Naomi Ekperigin in Dev at Comedy Central
“Broad City” might be ending — no, kween! — but luckily, a couple of its alumnae are already working on new projects for Comedy Central. According to Deadline, the network is...
Elle Fanning-Led Catherine the Great Series Gets Greenlight from Hulu
Elle Fanning is taking an “anti-historical ride” to 18th century Russia. According to Deadline, Hulu has ordered “The Great” to series. The “genre-bending” drama,...
Aretha Franklin to Be Subject of “Genius” Season 3, Suzan-Lori Parks Will Showrun
National Geographic is honoring Aretha Franklin’s “Genius.” The Queen of Soul will be the protagonist of “Genius” Season 3, Deadline reports. Each year the anthology...
Weekly Update for February 8: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING What Men Want – Written by Tina Gordon Chism, Alex Gregory, and Peter Huyck Inspired by the Nancy Meyers hit romantic comedy “What Women Want,” this film follows...
Trailer Watch: Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba Are “L.A.’s Finest” in “Bad Boys” Spinoff
“L.A.’s Finest” sees Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba playing cops who have done some “crazy shit” in their day. A new trailer for the “Bad Boys” spinoff...
WeForShe Unveils 2019 WriteHer List
WeForShe has made its selections for its fifth WriteHer List. A curation of the best women-written, women-centric unproduced TV scripts, the annual list “seeks to answer the endemic gender...
Weekly Update for February 1: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Miss Bala – Directed by Catherine Hardwicke “Miss Bala”: Columbia Pictures Gloria (Gina Rodriguez) finds a power she never knew she had when she is drawn...
Trailer Watch: “The Chi” Tackles Joy and Despair in Equal Measure in Season 2
When Kevin (Alex R. Hibbert, “Moonlight”) begins speaking in the trailer for “The Chi” Season 2, he seems to be listing his favorite things to do.”Bike, basketball,...
Trailer Watch: Diane Joins the Resistance in “The Good Fight” Season 3
Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) has always been a devout liberal feminist, so things have been difficult for her since Trump’s election. Happily it looks like she’s reclaiming her...
Apply Now: “Women Writing Competition” with Year-Long Development Deal
Kyra Sedgwick’s Big Swing Productions is teaming up with SeriesFest to broaden opportunities for women writers with the “Women Writing Competition,” which is seeking new series and...
Trailer Watch: Gina Torres Enters the World of Politics in “Suits” Spinoff “Pearson”
Gina Torres lost her passion for the law, and was disbarred, in “Suits,” but it looks like she’s found a new calling in the series’ upcoming spinoff. USA Network has dropped a...
CAA Supporting Rising TV Writers of Color with Showrunner Mentorship Program
Less than a year after creating a searchable database of TV writers of color, CAA is once again striving to make the television writing landscape — and the path to showrunning — more...
Weekly Update for January 25: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Ánimas – Written and Directed by Laura Alvea and Jose F. Ortuño (Available on Netflix) When her best friend Abraham’s father is killed in a mysterious accident, a...
Lilly Wachowski to Co-Write & Co-Direct “Work in Progress” Series Starring Abby McEnany
Abby McEnany and Tim Mason’s pilot, “Work in Progress,” won’t be premiering at Sundance until Tuesday but it’s becoming a series — and a big name has already come...
Kate Winslet to Topline and Exec Produce HBO Detective Limited Series “Mare of Easttown”
Kate Winslet is returning to HBO. The Oscar winner has signed on to her first small screen role since starring in the premium cable network’s 2011 miniseries “Mildred Pierce,” for...
“Grey’s Anatomy” Showrunner Krista Vernoff Signs Overall Deal with ABC Studios
Krista Vernoff is sticking with ABC and “Grey’s Anatomy.” The Hollywood Reporter confirms the “Grey’s” showrunner has inked a multi-year overall deal with ABC...
Weekly Update for January 18: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING Adult Life Skills – Written and Directed by Rachel Tunnard (Also Available on VOD) Anna (Jodie Whittaker) is stuck: she’s approaching 30, living like a hermit in her...
“Grace and Frankie” Renewed for a Sixth Season
“Grace and Frankie” will be sticking together for at least another season. The Jane Fonda-Lily Tomlin Netflix comedy has been renewed for Season 6, Variety confirms. Season 5 drops this...
Book Excerpt: “Writing the TV Drama Series”
The following is excerpted from the 4th edition of Pamela Douglas’ “Writing the TV Drama Series,” which is available now. Recently, a student on the verge of graduating asked me...