Best television series drama

On the surface, it may not seem the most appropriate Valentine’s Day gift, but if you are as in love with rock’n’roll and storytelling from the likes of Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger , and Terence Winter , then HBO ’s Vinyl is a TV kiss you don’t want to miss. Debuting on February 14 with a two-hour pilot directed by the Oscar winner, Vinyl , as I say in my video review above, literally and figuratively rocks. And yes, from its NYC circa 1973 mean streets to blasting the New York Dolls, drugs and a body in the trunk of a car, you could call this 10-episode season GoodRecordFellas – in the best way. With its once-in-a-lifetime behind-the-camera trio and power chord-strong cast led by Boardwalk Empire alum Bobby Cannavale as struggling and stormy label boss Richie Finestra, Vinyl is a near note-perfect swaggering re-creation of a time when the misfit-attracting music biz was at the center of American culture and at its most influential. Still, it is also a … [Read more...] about ‘Vinyl’ Review: Martin Scorsese & Mick Jagger’s HBO Series Rocks

EXCLUSIVE: Starz ’s eight-episode drama series The Venery of Samantha Bird has added Mission: Impossible actor Henry Czerny and Desperate Housewives actor Doug Savant in recurring roles. Katherine Langford stars as Samantha Bird, who, while visiting family in New England, reconnects with her childhood sweetheart (Finn Jones) and falls headlong into a seemingly perfect storybook romance. But underneath their fever dream lurks a more unsettling interpretation of this affair. The series is described as a haunting portrayal of addictive love and the repercussions that a relationship has on the families in a small New England town. RELATED: 2023 Starz Pilots & Series Orders Czerny will play Teddy, Samantha’s father and a former artist and teacher. Theodore “Teddy” Bird moves to Little Yorn with his wife, Nan, reuniting with their longtime friends, Al and Carol Minot. Savant plays Al Minot, a sharp businessman who is deeply invested in maintaining the … [Read more...] about Starz Series ‘The Venery Of Samantha Bird’ Adds Henry Czerny & Doug Savant

Laika ’s planned expansion into the realm of live-action was furthered on Tuesday, with the announcement that longtime Netflix executive Matt Levin will be joining the studio in the newly created role of President, Live-Action Film & Series. The venerated Oregon animation studio’s hire comes amidst development on its first live-action project — a feature adaptation of the action-thriller novel Seventeen by screenwriter John Brownlow ( The Miniaturist , Sylvia ). Levin joins the stop-motion specialist following eight years at Netflix, where he most recently served as Director, Original Independent Film. He co-founded that department and is credited with helping it grow into a full-scale mini-major. His direct report at Laika is President & CEO Travis Knight, who also helmed the company’s acclaimed 2016 feature, Kubo and the Two Strings . Knight remarked in a statement that “Matt Levin is an awesome dude. Both a steely-eyed pragmatist and a starry-eyed … [Read more...] about Laika Appoints Netflix Veteran Matt Levin To New Role Of President, Live-Action Film & Series

After all the hype, the Season 6 cliffhanger finale and the double death of the Season 7 opener, nobody expected The Walking Dead to return this year at record heights, even if the AMC blockbuster was celebrating its 100th episode. So Sunday’s season opener, “Mercy,” took a double-digit ratings dive and met expectations, so to speak. The Season 8 premiere of the zombie apocalypse series snagged 11.4 million total viewers and 6.5 million adults 18-49 for a 5.0 rating. That’s down 40% in the demo and 33% in total audience from the Season 7 opener of October 23, 2016 . When some straggler adjustments are made, the Season 7 debut is virtually even with TWD’ s Season 5 opener for an all-time season high. Overall, with a slight 5% uptick in viewers and 1% in the key demo over the latter part of Season 7 averages, the Season 8 premiere is the show’s fourth-best debut yet. Eight seasons in, TWD can still hold its head high that for the past six years it is and remains … [Read more...] about ‘The Walking Dead’ Ratings Down From 2016 Series High In Season 8 Debut

Few spinoffs — or “companion series,” as AMC likes to call it — have been as anticipated as Fear The Walking Dead . Well, anticipation of the new show’s August 23 9 PM debut translated into 10.1 million viewers, with 6.3 million among adults 18-49 for a 4.9 rating. Proving the power of the brand, the viewership and demo results are the new highs for any premiere in cable history, according to Nielsen. Apples to apples is hard here, but compared to the premiere of the mothership The Walking Dead , which had 5.35 million total viewers and a strong 2.7/7 demo rating for its October 31, 2010, launch, FearTWD already is a big hit. Of course, 2010 is a whole other era in terms of TV viewing patterns and in terms of the now-blockbuster TWD . The record-breaking Season 5 opener of TWD on October 12 last year had 17.3 million total viewers and 11 million among the 18-49s for an 8.7 rating. The Season 5 finale drew 15.8 million viewers on March 29 with 10.4 million in … [Read more...] about ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Debut Ratings Draw 10.1M Viewers, Shatters Cable Records

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains details of tonight’s Outlander Season 3 finale & Season 4 of the Starz drama EXCLUSIVE: On the eve of the Golden Globe nominations being announced, tonight’s sweeping, sultry and almost human sacrificing Season 3 finale of Outlander has brought Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser to 18 th century America. After a viewership-high hitting season that played out the reunion of the Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan -portrayed lovers over time and space, the Ronald D. Moore -developed Starz series based on Diana Gabaldon’s novels is set to plant a flag on a very different landscape than before. With a move to Sunday nights and a fall premiere this season starting on September 10, the 2015 Golden Globe-nominated Best Drama Series saw double-digit increases overall and a multi-platform average audience of 5.7 million for its 13-episode run. “We saw evidence of people going back and discovering the show for the … [Read more...] about ‘Outlander’ EP Ronald D. Moore On Tonight’s Finale, Season 4, Golden Globes & Tobias Menzies Return

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains details of tonight’s Season 6 midseason return of The Walking Dead The Walking Dead ‘s midseason return tonight had all the drama, spine-chillers and shockers that most series would save for a season finale. Back for the second part of its sixth season, AMC ’s original zombie apocalypse blockbuster finally unleashed one of the most wrenching twists out of the Robert Kirkman comic series on which it is based – and we’re not talking about the arrival of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan with his barb-wired baseball bat, yet. With explosive results and at great cost, tonight’s Greg Nicotero-directed “No Way Out” picked right up from the post-credits scene of last fall’s winter finale as Negan’s gang make their armed and threatening presence known to Norman Reedus’ Daryl plus Abraham and Sasha, who barely escaped with their lives. As the core survivors remained scattered, Rick Grimes, some of his group and a few of the residents of … [Read more...] about ‘The Walking Dead’ EP Gale Anne Hurd Eyeballs Midseason Shocker, Where Season 6 Is Going & More ‘Fear The Walking Dead’

UPDATED with winners list: The sizable stunt teams for Warner Bros. Wonder Woman and HBO’s Game of Thrones walked away with the SAG Awards Stunt Ensemble trophies today. The winners were announced before the televised portion of the show. The female-centric superhero pic beat out the stunt teams from Baby Driver, Dunkirk, Logan and War for the Planet of the Apes . The epic juggernaut drama series GoT topped the stunt performers from GLOW, Homeland and The Walking Dead, the latter of which included John Bernecker , who was killed in a high fall on the set in July. Here is the list of stunt winners today: WONDER WOMAN Kevin Abercrombie GAME OF THRONES Boian Anev PREVIOUSLY, January 9: John Bernecker, the stuntman on AMC’s The Walking Dead who was killed last July in a high-fall accident on the set, is among the names on the series’ list of nominees for the SAG Awards’ Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy … [Read more...] about SAG Awards Stunt Ensemble Winners: ‘Wonder Woman’ & ‘Game Of Thrones’

Welcome to Global Breakouts , Deadline’s new strand in which, each fortnight, we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track. So we’re going to do the hard work for you. We kick off with a buzzy resurrection drama breaking records in Korea , the nation that introduced the world to Netflix ’s Squid Game but in reality has been making smash-hit shows for decades. Name: Reborn Rich Country : Korea Network : JTBC Seller : Studio LuluLala Where can I watch : On Viu in Korea, South East Asia and the Middle East For fans of : Netflix’s Dark or Christopher Nolan’s Inception There had never been a “reincarnation drama” on Korean cable before JTBC’s Reborn Rich and local viewers had rarely seen anything quite like it, but that didn’t stop them watching this … [Read more...] about Global Breakouts: Korean Cable Hit ‘Reborn Rich’ Is Bringing The Reincarnation Genre Into The Mainstream

EXCLUSIVE : Chandler Riggs ( The Walking Dead ) and Samantha Isler ( Molly’s Game ) are set to lead the Christmas-themed dramedy Breakup Season , marking the feature debut of writer-director H. Nelson Tracey . The indie going into production this month in La Grande, Oregon follows a young man (Riggs) as he brings his girlfriend (Isler) back to his rural Oregon hometown to meet his family for the first time, over the course of the holidays. The introduction doesn’t go as planned. Pic also stars James Urbaniak ( The Fabelmans ), Jacob Wysocki ( Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising ), Brook Hogan, Carly Stewart, and Kailey Rhodes. Stephen Mastrocola, Rafi Jacobs, and Liana Montemayor of the L.A.-based Static Films will produce alongside Tracey. Also producing is Christopher Jennings, co-founder of the Eastern Oregon Film Festival, whose residency program is where the script was developed. “I first visited La Grande, Oregon in the fall of 2019 for the annual … [Read more...] about ‘The Walking Dead’s Chandler Riggs, Samantha Isler Board H. Nelson Tracey’s Dramedy ’Breakup Season’