Shrinking

Apple TV+ released a new trailer for its upcoming series Shrinking (above) ahead of its premiere on January 27. Shrinking follows a motley crew of characters dealing with grief and sadness through comedy, led by Harrison Ford and Jason Segel . Written and executive produced by Jason Segel , Ted Lasso co-creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence , and Ted Lasso star, writer, and co-executive producer Brett Goldstein , the 10-episode Shrinking follows Jimmy (Segel), a grieving therapist who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives…including his own. “It is a bit sad but it’s mostly funny,” said Lawrence during the show’s panel at TCA on Wednesday. “We wanted to write a show about grief because the world is a bit of a dumpster fire right now. You can’t meet anybody right now that isn’t at least two or three degrees … [Read more...] about ‘Shrinking’: Cast & EPs On Tackling Sadness Through Comedy In Apple Series

My guest this week is Jason Segel . In his new show Shrinking —co-created with Ted Lasso ‘s Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein —Segel plays Jimmy, a bereaved therapist on the brink of a breakdown. One day, Jimmy cracks and decides to tell his patients what he really thinks of them. His fellow therapists, Paul and Gabby, played by Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams, are skeptical of his new methods, but Jimmy might just be onto something. The show also stars Christa Miller as Liz Jimmy’s neighbor, Luke Tennie as his client Sean and Michael Urie as best friend Brian. Here, we chat about Segel’s search for happiness and peace of mind and why achieving success at an early age caused him to look elsewhere for meaning in his life. Plus, we get into an early embarrassing run-in with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie , how Harrison Ford approached Shrinking with the humility and collaboration reminiscent of his early carpentry career, and why The Muppets is … [Read more...] about 20 Questions On Deadline Podcast: Jason Segel On New Show ‘Shrinking’, Harrison Ford’s Comedic Chops & A Hilarious Brad Pitt Moment

Ted Lasso fans have a little bit more to wait for the big Season 3 premiere, which will be this spring, Apple TV+ announced at TCA . In the meantime, the streamer is teasing what’s ahead in a first-look photo (below) showing the titular character (Jason Sudeikis) face-to-face with Nathan Shelley (Nick Mohammed), who looks to still have his feet planted on the dark side. Standing between them in the back is another Ted Lasso villain, Rupert (Anthony Head). In the Season 2 finale, Nathan unleashed all his built-up disappointments and frustrations after telling the media about Ted’s panic attacks in a power play. He then left Richmond to coach West Ham for Rupert (Head). Ted appears to not be holding a grudge but the duo may still have some work to do together to get past those resentments. Paging Dr. Sharon Fieldstone (Sarah Niles)! Ted Lasso premiering within the spring date window puts its Season 3 in Emmy contention this year. During the Shrinking panel … [Read more...] about ‘Ted Lasso’: Apple Sets Season 3 Premiere, Reveals First-Look Photo

Netflix beat forecasts for subscriber gains for the fourth quarter and also edged revenue estimates, but pressure on earnings per share reflected broader challenges in the streaming business. The company added almost 7.7 million subscribers during the fourth quarter, reaching 230.75 million globally. That was well ahead of Wall Street guidance of almost 4.6 million new customers and within sight of the stellar 8.3 million added in the year-ago quarter. Revenue came in at $7.82 billion, up just 2% from the same period in 2021 and a hair below Wall Street analysts’ consensus expectation for $7.85 billion. Earnings per share of 12 cents were well below the forecast of 45 cents and down from $1.33 a year ago. Along with the stats, the company announced that co-founder Reed Hastings would be passing the Co-CEO baton to Greg Peters. Hastings will become executive chairman. Peters had headed up product for Netflix before adding the chief operating officer title and then … [Read more...] about Netflix Beats Q4 Subscriber Growth Target, But Mixed Financial Results Reflect Challenging Environment

Little Richard left this mortal coil in 2020, but tonight the architect of rock’n’roll is coming to shake up the Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Park City vet Lisa Cortés, Little Richard: I Am Everything premieres at 9 PM MST at the Library Center Theatre as one of the Robert Redford founded fest’s opening night films. Commissioned last year by the now shrinking CNN Films , the 98-minute documentary sees the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning producer take on a new role as solo director. “I remember when I was pitching this film to sell it, what was so interesting for me is it wasn’t a three-act structure, but it was this pendulum,” Cortés says of the probing project that is the U.S. Documentary competition category. “It was this push-pull throughout his life that he had to navigate, and it led to so much complexity. It contributed to the kinds of music, whether it’s the great gospel music or the rock and roll or the gospel rock and roll.” Double dipping her … [Read more...] about Little Richard Doc’s Lisa Cortés On Rock ‘N’ Roll’s Architect, Sundance Directorial Debut, Mick Jagger & The Culture Wars

EXCLUSIVE : Allie Fox and his family won’t be returning to The Mosquito Coast as Apple TV+ has opted not to proceed with a third season of the drama series. The decision comes two weeks after Season 2 ended its run with an explosive finale. The series is loosely based on Paul Theroux’s bestselling 1981 novel, but fans won’t get to see it move into more famous territory from the book and its movie adaptation starring Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren and River Phoenix. The Mosquito Coast, which stars Justin Theroux , Melissa George, Logan Polish and Gabriel Bateman, centers on Allie Fox (Theroux), a brilliant inventor and stubborn idealist, who uproots his family on a dangerous quest to find refuge from the U.S. government, cartels, and hitmen. The first two seasons, which are available on Apple TV+, are essentially a prequel to the book and the Peter Weir-directed movie. They created a backstory for Justin Theroux’s Allie as a “highly intelligent enemy of the … [Read more...] about ‘The Mosquito Coast’ Canceled By Apple After Two Seasons

Liberty Ross has filed for divorce from her cheating hubby Rupert Sanders ... TMZ has learned. Ross just filed her paperwork in L.A. County Superior Court. She's asking for joint custody of their 2 children -- ages 5 and 7. Ross, who is repped by disso-queen Laura Wasser , is also asking for spousal support, as well as attorney's fees. Sanders, who is repped by Lance Spiegel , also filed his response to the divorce petition. He's also requesting joint custody. He is not asking for spousal support. As for attorney's fees, he wants to share the costs with Liberty. Sanders famously cheated on Ross ... with Kristen Stewart , whom he was directing in "Snow White and the Huntsman." As we first reported ... Ross and Sanders went to a shrink a number of times trying to work out their problems, but it was not meant to be. … [Read more...] about Liberty Ross Files for Divorce From Rupert Sanders

Doctor Who ’s latest regeneration represents “excellent commercial value,” according to BBC Studios boss Tom Fussell . Sitting down for a wide-ranging interview with Deadline in mid-January, the CEO described the attention-grabbing deals his team struck with Bad Wolf and Disney+ that have reshaped the Doctor’s future ahead of the series’ 60th birthday. In short, they represent the future of a more aggressively commercial BBC Studios. In 2021, BBC Studios announced it would for the first time co-produce Doctor Who with Bad Wolf. On the distribution side, BBC Studios since has signed a landmark global streaming agreement with Disney+ , pulling back from existing territory licensing deals in the process. The deal is one of the biggest struck in the commercial outfit’s history. Both partnerships highlight how the BBC Studios led by Fussell and BBC Director General Tim Davie is unashamedly and aggressively focused on generating more income for the UK’s leading … [Read more...] about BBC Studios Boss Talks “Excellent” ‘Doctor Who’ Deal, M&A & International Growth