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As we see flashbacks on General Hospital of Holly and Robert, we are reminded of Robert’s other daughter, Robin Scorpio. We watched her portrayer, Kimberly McCullough, grow up on the show and move on to become a talented director. Now, she’s got a new project that she’s excitedly been shouting about from the mountain tops.

She Gave Fangs to Everyone

McCullough wrote on Instagram, “Secret project isn’t a secret any longer!!! @randi.barnes @timfederle @bnorthreist You are all my lucky stars! Can’t wait to see our little “batkins” spread her wings.

It was a comedy series all along.

Disney+’s latest live-action Marvel series, Agatha All Along, plans to compete as a comedy series — and not a limited series — at the Golden Globes and other upcoming awards shows, our sister site Variety reports.

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Given that FX’s Shōgun had to indicate that it had more seasons planned in order to switch from the 2024 Emmys...

Mandy Patinkin, Janet McTeer and Danny Huston are prepping one historical whodunit. The three actors have been cast in a new murder mystery titled The Artist, which will make its debut on the ad-supported streamer The Network, TVLine has confirmed.

The seven-episode limited series set in the Gilded Age follows “an ensemble of the era’s celebrities including Thomas Edison, Edgar Degas and Evelyn Nesbit” as they meet at the home of “an eccentric and failing tycoon,” reads the logline. But by night’s end, the tycoon is found dead, sparking a murder mystery that will keep all of the guests on their toes.

Dawson’s Creek’s James Van Der Beek has revealed he has cancer.

“I have colorectal cancer,” Van Der Beek told People on Sunday. “I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family.”

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According to the American Cancer Society,...

Deadpool & Wolverine will soon begin streaming. Here’s everything you need to know about watching the superhero movie online from home.

The film — which became the MCU’s fifth highest-grossing domestic release of all-time — follows Deadpool (played by Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) as they team up to face an existential threat.

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Keep...

The Witches’ Road nearly led us to a Madisynn King encore.

Agatha All Along showrunner Jac Schaeffer, as a guest on The Ringerverse’s latest House of R podcast (embedded above), revealed that one cameo from a previous Marvel property that she tried to make happen involved She-Hulk‘s scene-stealing party girl Madisynn, played by Patty Guggenheim.

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Disney Channel is getting back into the scripted comedy game with two new live-action comedies set to debut in 2025!

Since the 2000s, Disney Channel has specialized in live-action comedies aimed at the tween market. That’s included now iconic shows like Lizzie McGuire, Hannah Montana, That’s So Raven, Wizards of Waverly Place, and more. It’s a great source of material for the channel and sparked scores of new stars.

It is interesting how Disney has joined in on the “sequel series” trend with Girl Meets World, Raven’s Home and the newly debuted Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. While there has been a buzz on cable networks cutting back on scripted series, Disney is still going strong.

Now, per TV Line, Disney is working on two big live-action series set to debut in 2025. One is a live-action take on a hit animated series while the other may introduce a hot new band to the Disney roster!

Disney has announced two new music-driven comedy series to premiere in 2025 on Disney Channel and Disney+.

One of them, “Vampirina,” is based on the children’s books by Anne Maria Pace and inspired by the Disney Jr. animated series from Chris Nee. The new series follows a young vampire girl who leaves Transylvania to attend a performing arts boarding school and pursue her passion for music — all while keeping her identity a secret, “something that’s made more challenging when her overprotective father charges an overzealous ghost to live with her at the school,” per the logline.

The other series, “How We Became the Biggest Band in the World,” follows three members of a famous pop group, Electric Bloom, as they reminisce and tell the story of their band and friendship, starting with the day they met in middle school. According to the logline, “the girls go on a journey...

On the heels of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place‘s launch (and some cancellations in recent months), Disney Branded Television has greenlit two new, music-driven comedies: a live-action take on Vampirina, and How We Became the Biggest Band in the World.

Both series are slated to premiere in 2025, on Disney Channel and Disney+.

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Based on the books written by Anne Marie Pace and illustrated by LeUyen Pham,...

Disney Branded Television has given series greenlights to two music-driven, live-action comedies – How We Became The Biggest Band in the World (working title) and Vampirina (working title). Both are slated to premiere next year on Disney Channel and Disney+.

The series orders are part of Ayo Davis’, president, Disney Branded Television’s, strategy of building a new Disney Channel and Disney+ lineup of multi-cam sitcoms for kid audiences. The new slate began rolling out this week with sequel series Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, executive produced by Selena Gomez.

“How We Became the Biggest Band in the World (wt) and Vampirina (wt) are two standout additions to Disney Channel’s comedy slate,” said Davis. “Both new series are full of all the elements we know our young audiences love: relatable, aspirational characters, upbeat music and plenty of laughter, friendship and heart.”

How We Became the Biggest Band in the World (wt...

It’s a very big day for Dark Winds fans.

We now have a premiere date — Sunday, March 9, 2025 at 9/8c — for the acclaimed AMC drama’s third season, which we now know will span eight episodes (as opposed to the usual six).

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What’s more, you can check out the first Season 3 photos (below), as well as...

When the credits began to roll on Agatha All Along‘s two-episode finale on Wednesday night, many a Disney+ viewer likely began to fast-forward through them, anticipating they’d hit a bonus scene or two before the episode truly ended.

But Agatha ultimately strayed from Marvel Studios’ usual pattern, and no such scenes came. According to executive producer Jac Schaeffer, that particular creative choice was out of her hands.

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Exclusive: More big names from the animation world have boarded the Israeli company behind interfaith-themed animated series God’s Gang.

Bruno Zarka and Sheri Conn have joined the advisory board of God’s Gang Ltd., a Tel Aviv-based producer created by former Disney Channels exec Nimrod Avraham May.

Zarka is the President of Distribution, and Co-Production for the TV Division of India’s Toonz Media Group and has decades of experience in the kids TV, animation and consumer products worlds.

Conn has held roles such as Head of Worldwide Television Brand Marketing at DreamWorks Animation, Vice President Brand Marketing at Paramount, and Director of Global Marketing at Disney. She currently advises companies such as Netflix, Riot Games, Hallmark Media and Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door Productions.

They join Bruce Daitch, another former DreamWorks Animation exec and former VP of Animation at Netflix, on the advisory board.

God’s Gang’s series of...

Exclusive: Former Netflix Animation VP Bruce Daitch has joined the producer of God’s Gang.

The Israeli company, which is also called God’s Gang, has signed up Daitch to its advisory board.

Daitch, who is also a former COO and CFO of Dreamworks Animation, will help facilitate new partnerships in funding, production and broadcasting worldwide for new episodes and other content from the series.

God’s Gang was launched by former Disney exec Nimrod Avraham May and is behind the multicultural and multinational series, which brings together four heroes from different faiths: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Through martial arts, themes of unity and extraordinary adventures, the four characters showcase the power of peace, kindness, and unity for audiences aged 9-19 with a universal appeal.

The online God’s Gang pilot attracted 3 million viewers, according to the company, and the team is understood to be in talks with commissioning networks.

Daitch left...

For decades, American Indigenous and Native communities were represented by two prominent characters in mainstream studio animation: Pocahontas and Tiger Lily. With Spirit Rangers, creator Karissa Valencia is changing that.

“We wanted to redo a lot of that in terms of source material,” the Chumash and Mexican creator tells The Hollywood Reporter of the inspirations for historical representations of Indigenous peoples in animation. “We were doing our homework, our research. We were not just basing it off of what we did a Google search on.”

From Netflix Animation, Laughing Wild and SuperProd Animation, the series follows Kodi, Summer and Eddy Skycedar, three siblings whose blended Chumash and Cowlitz family work as rangers in the fictional Xus National Park in California. While the adults monitor the park during the day, the siblings solve various problems by activating beaded necklaces that portal them to the magical dimension of Spirit Park. Once there,...

Wanda Sykes is getting into business with Warner Bros. TV.

Push It Productions, the company founded by Sykes and Page Hurwitz, has signed a first-look deal with the studio. Push It has also hired former Wbtv executive Rachel Davis as vp development. Under the two-year deal, the trio will develop both scripted and unscripted projects for Warner Bros.; sitcom and variety projects are already in development.

“Wbtv makes some of the best comedy shows out there today and we can’t wait to create their next great series,” Sykes and Hurwitz said in a statement. “We are excited about this partnership.”

Push It Productions is behind The Upshaws, the Netflix comedy series that stars Sykes, Mike Epps and Kim Fields and has been renewed for a third season. The company also produced Stand Out, a comedy special that features LGBTQ+ comics conceived, co-written and co-directed by Hurwitz, and an accompanying documentary.

Apple TV+ today released the trailer for “Eva the Owlet,” premiering globally on Friday, March 31. The new animated kids and family series is based on the New York Times bestselling Scholastic book series “Owl Diaries” by award-winning author Rebecca Elliott. “Eva the Owlet” stars Eva, a creative, cheeky owlet who lives next door to her best friend Lucy in the woodland world of Treetopington. With big ideas and an even bigger personality, Eva goes on high-flying adventures, expressing herself in her diary along the way! Since first being published, “Owl Diaries” now has eight foreign language translations and 11 million copies in print. Produced by award-winning Scholastic Entertainment with production services and 4K animation by 9 Story Media Group’s Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated studio Brown Bag Films in Dublin and Bali, “Eva the Owlet” also features original songs by critically acclaimed musician and singer-songwriter Fitz of Fitz and the Tantrums.

Hello, Jack! Season 2 gets underway Friday, October 7, on Apple TV+.

TV Fanatic scored an exclusive first look at what's ahead in the season premiere, featuring appearances from Joe Lo Truglio and Beth Dover.

The clip shows Jack as the gazebo following an event that leaves the neighborhood in a state of disrepair.

The gazebo is destroyed, and Truglio and Dover play a husband and wife who think back to when the location served as the space for their wedding.

Jack then speaks about the big day as the two new characters prepare to repair their home.

Jack is one of Clover Grove’s most thoughtful and caring residents, greeting everyone with kindness and humor. His ability to spread compassion, creativity, and imagination inspires everyone in town to do the same.

A new season of kindness creates more incredible change.

The series is co-created and executive produced by Jack McBrayer and Angela C. Santomero.

In “The Munsters,” the director Rob Zombie makes a game attempt to pass off his amateurishness as attitude. It’s like watching a Tim Burton film with the cheekiness turned up to 11 and the film technique dialed down to 2. Yet “The Munsters,” the family-of-ghouls ’60s sitcom that Zombie is adapting, was such a ticky-tacky piece of gothic bat-house surrealism that the movie, broad and slovenly as it is, works more than it doesn’t. The film is a lot like its hero, Herman Munster: benignly dim-witted, Day-Glo in color, top-heavy with tomfoolery, lumbering in one direction and then the next, always cracking itself up in an innocently aggressive monster-mash way.

“The Munsters” debuted in 1964, in the middle of the age of theater-of-the-absurd American sitcoms, yet the show, if anything, was less corny, less obvious, and lighter on its feet than this overstuffed update/reboot, with its Famous Monsters of...

Will FBI: International’s fall finale be a bit ruff? Which Chicago Fire twosome is reuniting? What does the future bring on The Flash? Read on for answers to those questions plus teases from other shows. (Email any brand-new Qs to InsideLine@tvline.com.)

What can you tell me about Tank, the beautiful protection dog on FBI: International? –Jazzcatjt

It sounds like there might be some major doggo drama in this Tuesday’s episode, the last of 2021. “I love winter finales, and I alway try to throw some haymakers at the audience,” EP Derek Haas told me. “And there might be a Tank haymaker coming.

Exclusive: Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Luka Jones (Shrill), and Julian Gant (Call Me Kat) will star in Bar Fight, a comedy from writer/director Jim Mahoney (Klaus), which wrapped production this week in Los Angeles.

Bar Fight follows exes Nina (Fumero) and Allen (Jones), who split everything in their lives 50/50 after their break-up to avoid any drama—everything, that is, except for their favorite local bar. Nina and Allen must compete in a ridiculous, tavern-style custody battle for their prized watering hole, in which lines will be drawn, sides will be chosen, and beers will be drunken.

The film is presented by Particular Crowd and Ingenious Media. Sarah Gabriel and Mark Goldberg of Signature Films produced with James Harris and Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions. Particular Crowd’s Tomás Yankelevich, Peter Bevan, and Mariana Sanjurjo exec produced, alongside Simon Williams and Jamie Jessop of Ingenious Media.

Creating animated music videos for older children around subjects such as taxes, active citizenship and the Bill of Rights is challenging enough, but with ten directors and ten different animation pipelines, “Doc McStuffins” and “Vampirina” creator Chris Nee has described her latest project as the hardest but most rewarding project she has worked on.

As Netflix released new images of Nee’s latest project “We the People” ahead of its July 4 launch, the Emmy-winning creator and executive producer shared further insights into her new animated series of music videos, designed to educate a new generation on the importance of active citizenship.

Nee – a self-confessed politics and civics geek – told Netflix director of pre-school Heather Tilert in this morning’s online presentation that the ten-part series was a reaction to the lack of civics education in schools.

“I felt like we lost that common language of civics, that nonpartisan language of...

Grey’s Anatomy alumna Sara Ramírez has been tapped to star alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis in And Just Like That …, HBO Max’s upcoming Sex and the City sequel series, from executive producer Michael Patrick King.

And Just Like That… follows Carrie (Parker), Miranda (Nixon) and Charlotte (Davis) navigating the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s. The 10-episode, half-hour series is scheduled to begin production this summer in New York.

Ramírez will play new character Che Diaz (they/them), a non-binary, queer stand-up comedian who hosts a podcast on which Carrie Bradshaw is regularly featured. Che is a big presence with a big heart whose outrageous sense of humor and progressive, human overview of gender roles has made them and their podcast very popular.

2020-21 HBO Max...

Women in Film Los Angeles has a half-dozen new board members.

New to the board are Niija Kuykendall, EVP Production at Warner Bros Pictures; Michelle Lee, Director of Domestic Programming at AppleTV+; film producer Monica Levinson; and Ida Ziniti, Co-Head of the Motion Picture Literary Department at CAA.

“Each of these impressive women is uniquely expert — whether as an executive, producer, creator or agent,” Board President and Gidden Media CEO Amy Baer said in making the announcement on International Women’s Day. “Their diverse skill sets will help us to continue championing the advancement of women across all facets of the screen industries.”

She noted that outgoing board members — Stephanie Allain, Orly Adelson, Adriana Alberghetti, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, and Keri Putnam — who have completed their terms.

Half Mexican and half Chumash, showrunner Karissa Valencia grew up “torn” between modern life and Native culture. That meant attending pop music festivals and using cell phones, while also going to sweat lodges, powwows and ceremonies important to her family’s tribe, who live on a reservation in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara.

One of her favorites is the bear ceremony, when the Chumash honor the bear emerging from hibernation in the spring.

“It’s so beautiful to see, and it really is an indigenous philosophy and belief that everything has a spirit and everything is alive,” she told Variety.

That “love for Native magic, but also superheroes and creating really fun cartoons for kids” is the origin of “Spirit Rangers,” Valencia’s upcoming Netflix animated series about three siblings who each transform into unique animal spirits to conserve the National Park they work and live in.

Her...

A day after Nancy Kanter’s last day at Disney, Netflix announced an overall deal with the former EVP, Content and Creative Strategy for Disney Channels Worldwide, who launched and built Disney’s preschool TV channel Disney Junior.

Under the pact, Kanter will develop and produce animated and live-action projects — both feature films and series — targeted at kids and families through her company Available Light Productions.

For Netflix, brining on board Kanter, one of the most respected executives in the kids and family space, is part of a big push in family entertainment as the streamer is taking on the leading SVOD player in the space, Disney+.

“We’re very fired up about catching them in family animation — maybe eventually passing them, we’ll see, a long way to go just to catch them — and maintaining our lead in general entertainment that’s so stimulating,” Netflix’s founder and co-ceo...

Halloween is nearly upon us, and that means you’re probably looking for some spooky movies and shows to watch to get you in the spirit of the holiday. Of course, it’s easy to find a good slasher flick or psychological horror on various services, but trying to locate such content that’s family-friendly can sometimes be tough. The good news is, though, that you don’t have to look very far at all if you’re a Disney Plus subscriber, as the platform is filled to the brim with plenty of great Halloween stuff for viewers of all ages.

One option you’re certain to be happy to hear about is the 1993 comedy horror Hocus Pocus, which ranks as one of the most timeless Halloween classics of all time – proven further by its huge haul during its theatrical rerelease this year. This tale of a trio of evil...

Animated preschool series “Ada Twist, Scientist,” based on the book series from author Andrea Beaty and illustrator David Roberts, is coming to Netflix. The series comes from Chris Nee and Higher Ground, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company.

The show centers on eight-year-old Ada Twist, a “young Black scientist who will explore helping people through scientific discovery, collaboration and friendship,” and solve mysteries with the help of her two best friends, Rosie Revere and Iggy Peck. Netflix will debut the kids program worldwide starting in 2021.

Kerri Grant is set to serve as showrunner, co-executive producer and story editor for the 40 12-minute episodes. Wonder Worldwide is a producing partner for the series.

“Ada Twist, Scientist” marks the first series to be announced under the overall deal between Netflix and “Doc McStuffins” and “Vampirina” creator Chris Nee and her production company Laughing Wild. The Peabody, Emmy, and Humanitas Prize-winning...

The Billie Eilish tour is coming to Apple TV+: A documentary about the chart-topping singer, Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, will debut on the streamer next February, our sister site Variety reports.

The documentary, which has followed Eilish for several years and had a camera crew filming behind-the-scenes footage during her tour last fall, will also be released in theaters that same month. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker R.J. Cutler (The War Room, The September Issue) directs the film.

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Exclusive: Disney Junior’s Emmy and BAFTA Award-nominated animated series Vampirina has lined up a roster of season 3 guest stars from both Broadway and television, including Audra McDonald and, from Hamilton, Christopher Jackson and Taran Killam, among others.

Season 3 of Disney Junior’s Vampirina premieres Monday, October 5, 11 a.m. Et/Pt on Disney Junior.

The series, which Disney describes as a blend of spooky fun, heartfelt storytelling and Broadway-caliber music, stars Lauren Graham, James Van Der Beek and Isabella Crovetti as a family of friendly vampires who have relocated from Transylvania to Pennsylvania. Tony Award winners Patti LuPone and Brian Stokes Mitchell voice the recurring roles of Vampirina’s grandparents, Nanpire and Grandpop.

Joining as guest voices for the series’ third season are:

Christopher Jackson and Taran Killam (who both appeared in the Broadway production of Hamilton) as The Horseman and Ichabod, respectively; Audra McDonald (Broadway’s Porgy and Bess...

Alan Menken and Glenn Slater just won Best Original Song for a Children’s, Young Adult or Animated Program at the 2020 Daytime Emmys for composing the tune “Waiting in the Wings” for “Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure” on the Disney Channel. That finally completes Menken’s Egot grand slam as he had previously won at the Grammys, Oscars and Tonys. Check out the complete list of Daytime Emmy winners here.

SEE2020 Daytime Emmy winners: Full list of nominees and winners in all categories

Menken received his Got awards a while ago. He has claimed a whopping eight Oscars, making him the second biggest winner ever at those kudos for music, behind nine-time champ Alfred Newman. The first of those was 30 years ago when he took home Best Original Song (“Under the Sea”) and Best Original Score for “The Little Mermaid” (1989). That Disney classic also won him the first of his 11 Grammys: Best...

Composer Alan Menken is nominated for Best Original Song for a Children’s, Young Adult or Animated Program at the 2020 Daytime Emmys for penning “Waiting in the Wings” from “Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure” on the Disney Channel. If he wins, he’ll finally complete his Egot grand slam as he has already won at the Grammys, Oscars and Tonys.

Menken got his Got a while ago. He has won a remarkable eight Oscars, which makes him the second most awarded person at those kudos for music, behind nine-time champ Alfred Newman. The first of those came 30 years ago when he won Best Original Song (“Under the Sea”) and Best Original Score for “The Little Mermaid” (1989). That animated film also won him the first of his 11 career Grammys: Best Recording for Children and Best Visual Media Song (also for “Under the Sea”) in 1991.

SEE2020 Daytime Emmy nominations list: Full list of 47th...

ABC’s venerable soap General Hospital leads all shows and CBS and Amazon Prime Video top all networks in nominations for the 47th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, which were unveiled Thursday. Winners will be revealed June 26 during a live virtual ceremony on CBS, returning the awards show to broadcast primetime for the first time since 2011.

General Hospital scored a total of 23 noms, edging rivals NBC’s Days of Our Lives (22 noms) and CBS’ Young and the Restless (21) and The Bold and the Beautiful (13). The digital soaps followed, led by Netflix’s Eastsiders and Amazon Prime’s Studio City both with eight noms apiece.

All four broadcast soaps are up for the top drama series honor, while Eastsiders and Studio City are joined by Amazon Prime’s After Forever, The Bay The Series and Dark/Web in the top digital drama race.

CBS led all networks with 57 nominations, followed by Amazon with 55. Among newcomers,...

Hello, readers! Right now, we’re dealing with a lot and I know for so many of you those concerns are compounded because you have little ones to keep safe and healthy (and even entertained) during this incredibly tense and scary time. Last week, I put together a list of light-hearted horror and sci-fi films that you can stream right now as you stay safely within the confines of your homes (you can read that list Here), and today, I’ve put together this massive streaming resource that I’ve cultivated with the younger genre fans out there in mind (especially if they’re not quite ready to make the leap to more “grown-up horror or sci-fi” just yet).

I tried to make sure to pull a sampling of shows and movies that would work for those of you who may have access to pay services like Netflix, Amazon Prime,...

DreamWorks Animation’s latest short, “To: Gerard,” a love letter to Manhattan and magic, directed by storyboard artist Taylor Meacham (“Trolls”), will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 18. It’s about a mailman named Gerard who dreams of becoming a magician with the help of a young girl, a legendary master named The Great Vivonti, and a very special coin.

“New York has such a historical wealth of great filmmakers that have deeply inspired me while growing up, and Manhattan is where I first got my foot in the door within the film industry,” said Meacham, who was also inspired by his father and how he helped unify his love of animation and the art of illusion. “Because of my relation to this city, it feels like such a gift to be able to come back to New York and the Tribeca Film Festival to share a part...

Parenthood and Gilmore Girls alumna Lauren Graham is set to play the lead in and co-executive produce The Mighty Ducks TV series, based on the ’90s hit film franchise, which has gotten an official 10-episode order at Disney+.

Brady Noon has been cast as the young lead in the sequel series, from the original film’s writer Steve Brill, Till Death creators Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, and ABC Signature Studios.

The films’ star, Emilio Estevez, has been in talks about reprising his role as Gordon Bombay. Those conversations are still ongoing. The Mighty Ducks series is slated to begin production this month in Vancouver for a premiere later this year on the streaming service.

Co-created by Brill, Goldsmith and Yuspa, the reboot is set in present day Minnesota, where the Mighty Ducks have evolved from scrappy underdogs to an ultra-competitive, powerhouse youth hockey team. After 12-year-old Evan (Noon) is unceremoniously cut from the Ducks,...

There must have been something in the water the week of Sept. 18, 1964. That’s when the ghouls-are-us sitcom “The Addams Family” premiered on ABC — and exactly six days later, the ghouls-are-us sitcom “The Munsters” premiered on CBS. True, only one of those shows was based on the sinister genius of Charles Addams (whose first cartoon to feature what would ultimately be known as the Addams Family appeared in The New Yorker in 1937). Yet the two shows shared a remarkably similar trajectory and attitude.

Each one lasted for just two seasons, but together they marked a decisive turn of the entertainment screw, with the shows transforming Old Hollywood horror into gothic-absurdist laugh-track kitsch. You could say that “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” got there first, but that 1948 classic played the monsters straight, whereas “The Addams Family” and “The Munsters,” taking off from the camp spirit (and spirits) of Bobby Pickett’s 1962 novelty hit “Monster Mash,...

Irish film and TV funding body Screen Ireland will appoint a permanent representative based in Los Angeles next year, the Vikings and Brooklyn backer has announced.

The expansion was confirmed as part of a two day trade mission in partnership with Enterprise Ireland in Los Angeles, led by the Irish Prime Minister, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Varadkar also opened a new Irish consulate in Los Angeles as part of its ‘Global Ireland’ strategy, to double the country’s impact internationally by 2025.

As part of the trade mission, Varadkar met with senior executives from Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros, Skydance Media, Hulu, Endeavour and Fox Searchlight. Meetings included Bob Iger and Reed Hastings.

The trade mission was attended by Ireland’s leading production companies, animation studios, post-production and VFX houses, including Element Pictures (The Favourite), Cartoon Saloon (The Breadwinner), Brown Bag (Vampirina), Wild Atlantic Pictures (Fate: The Winx Saga), World 2000 (Vikings). Also on...

When Madam Secretary returns for its abbreviated sixth and final season on CBS, it will be without Sara Ramirez, who will not be returning as a series regular, Deadline has confirmed. Ramirez, who plays political strategist Kat Sandoval, may return for a guest appearance, according to TVLine, which first reported the casting news. Ramirez has been with the political drama series since season four.

Ramirez joined the series following the sudden departure of Bebe Neuwirth who played Nadine Tolliver. Ramirez’s Kat Sandoval is legendary in D.C. for her talent and for abruptly dropping out of politics until Elizabeth (Téa Leoni) managed to coax her back into the State Department.

Madam Secretary was Ramirez’s first series regular TV role since her departure from ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, where she appeared for over a decade as Dr. Callie Torres. Her previous credits include voice roles on Disney Jr....

In “UglyDolls,” an air-popped animated musical fairy tale about learning to embrace the ugly — that is, ordinary — specimen most of us are, the title plush toys are monochromatic fuzzy-felt factory rejects who get tossed off the assembly line for one reason or another. Each has a flaw that fails to meet the corporate standards of eye-pleasing symmetry and cuddliness. Moxy (voiced by Kelly Clarkson), the movie’s heroine, is a rambunctious blob of pinkness whose problem is her teeth. Ox (Blake Shelton), a rabbity green customer, has an X where his left eye should be — though at least he’s meant to have another eye. Ugly Dog (Pitbull), a cyclops canine mascot, has one glaring yellow peeper at the center of his forehead. And Wage, voiced by Wanda Sykes, sports two ungainly lower incisors, an homage, I assume, to the gargoyle voiced by Sykes on Disney Junior’s “Vampirina.”

The Ugly Dolls,...

Guadalajara, Mexico — In the world, it would be hard to choose a more exciting figure to introduce a masterclass than Guillermo del Toro, and even more so when that talk is given in the filmmaker’s hometown of Guadalajara Mexico at a festival he has been involved with for its entire 33-year existence.

If the audience was excited when Del Toro emerged from the wings to introduce guest speaker Melissa Cobb, Netflix vice president, kids & family, they were absolutely buzzing when he sat across from her to moderate the hour-and-a-half long talk.

Del Toro’s “Tales of Arcadia” animated series trilogy is produced at Netflix, as is his upcoming stop-motion feature and passion project “Pinocchio.” The assembled crowd was even treated to a first look at some photos from the project.

“While traditional studios will say, ‘Welcome to the family!'” del Toro joked of his relationship with the streaming giant,...

CBS announced on Thursday the 21 performers participating in the 2019 CBS Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase. It will begin its run of six shows starting Jan. 15 at the El Portal Theatre in Los Angeles.

Beginning 14 years ago, the showcase was created to spotlight diverse talent, and it has developed into a hybrid comedy show with live performances and original writing. The showcase is attended by executives, showrunners, and casting directors from CBS and other networks as well as talent agents and managers from across the entertainment industry.

To date, 397 actors have appeared in the showcase, with alumni including Kate McKinnon of “Saturday Night Live” fame and Eugene Codero from “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” Participants of the 2018 showcase have landed roles on “Criminal Minds,” “NCIS,” “Hawaii Five-o,” “Jane the Virgin,” and more.

Stephen Guarino (“I’m Dying Up Here”) returns to direct, Sheila Carrasco (“Jane the Virgin”) serves as head writer and Tess Paras (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) serves as assistant director.

Welcome back for another installment of Daily Dead’s 2018 Holiday Gift Guide! Since we spent yesterday focused on grown-up toys, I thought it was only fair to dedicate today to all the little ghouls and fiends out there who also enjoy horror and sci-fi. With that in mind, I’ve put together this list of age-appropriate gift ideas that younger fans might dig this holiday season.

And now that we’re just about wrapped up with this year’s Gift Guide series (one day to go!), I just wanted to remind you that Daily Dead is once again giving away prize packs of movies and some horror goodies for 10 lucky readers, thanks to this year’s Hgg sponsor, Rlje Films. Winners will receive one copy of the upcoming Christmas anthology All the Creatures Were Stirring, one other title from Rlje Films, and a few other horror-tastic surprises, all just in time for the holidays.

Award-winning children’s series creator Chris Nee is leaving Disney to enter into an overall deal with Netflix, the streaming giant announced on Thursday.

It will be a multi-year deal with the Peabody, Emmy, and Humanitas Prize-winning children’s TV screenwriter and producer.

Nee has created hits such as “Doc McStuffins” and the Emmy-nominated “Vampirina” for Disney Junior.

Also Read: Netflix Inks First-Look Deal With 'Harry Potter' Director Chris Columbus' 1492 Pictures

Under her new deal at Netflix, Nee will write and produce animated and live action series for preschool and all audiences exclusively for Netflix. Additionally, Netflix will have a first-look option on any feature film projects that Nee and her production company, Laughing Wild, develop.

“Chris is an absolute master at crafting characters that kids want to spend time with and telling stories that are representative of all different types of families and communities,” said Melissa Cobb,...

Netflix has signed a multiyear overall deal with Chris Nee, the award-winning creator/Ep of Doc McStuffins and Vampirina who has championed kids TV stories with diverse points of view for more than two decades.

Under the deal, Nee will write and produce new animated and live-action series for preschool and all audiences exclusively for the streamer. Netflix also will have a first-look option on feature film projects from Nee and her production company, Laughing Wild.

“Chris is an absolute master at crafting characters that kids want to spend time with and telling stories that are representative of all different types of families and communities,” said Melissa Cobb, VP Kids & Family at Netflix. “She is among the very best and most prolific artists working in kids content today and we are so honored that Chris has chosen to make Netflix her creative home.”

Nee’s writing credits ranges from Blue...

In Today’s TV News Roundup, AMC announced a new premiere date for the return of “The Walking Dead” season nine and director Patty Jenkins released a new trailer for TNT’s upcoming drama “I Am the Night,” starring Chris Pine.

Dates

AMC announced the return of “The Walking Dead” season nine on Feb. 10 at 9:00 p.m. Et/Pt. In the second half of the ninth season, both old and new survivors are forced to confront events that have taken place during the six-year time jump that occurred during the first half of the season. AMC also teased a new threat, which the network says is unlike anything the survivors have ever seen before. Following the season premiere, the network also revealed that season three of “Ride with Norman Reedus” will air at midnight on the same evening.

A new documentary “Roll With Me” is set to premiere Dec.

In the book “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption,” a gifted young lawyer fights for the poor and the wrongly condemned. And in pure Hollywood fashion, the movie based on the book’s true story will be the first production to fall under WarnerMedia’s newly adopted inclusion rider.

“This is progress,” says Kalpana Kotagal, an employment law attorney and one of the co-authors of the inclusion rider. “It’s a contractual strategy and a lot of these infusions are happening behind the scenes between A-listers and their agents and their lawyers and studios and their lawyers.”

“Just Mercy,” starring Michael B. Jordan, Brie Larson and Jamie Foxx, is expected to hit theaters in 2020. Its inclusion rider represents progress — but it is progress that, for many, has been a long time coming.

Inclusion riders received national attention in March when Frances McDormand won her second Academy Award and...

Travis Braun has entered an overall deal with Disney Channels Worldwide, Variety has learned exclusively.

Under the deal, Braun will develop and produce both animated and live-action content across Disney Channel, Disney Xd, Disney Junior, as well as Disney’s upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service.

“Travis has created and written some of the most imaginative content for our audiences, spanning live-action and animation,” said Nancy Kanter, executive vice president of content and creative strategy at Disney Channels Worldwide and general manager of Disney Junior. “We are very much looking forward to this partnership and to

exploring the inventive new ideas he comes up with next.”

Currently, Braun serves as creator and co-executive producer on the upcoming Disney Channel series “Fast Layne” and Disney Junior’s upcoming series “T.O.T.S.,” both set to premiere in 2019. Additionally, he has written episodes for Disney Junior’s hit series “Vampirina,” “Puppy Dog Pals,...

Disney Junior has renewed a trio of animated hit shows.

Muppet Babies, Vampirina and Puppy Dog Pals have all been picked up for new seasons at the preschooler-targeted network.

Muppet Babies, the CG animated series that premiered in March 2018, has been picked up for a second season. It chronicles the humorous playroom antics of a young Kermit the Frog, Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal and brand-new Muppet Baby, Summer Penguin.

Vampirina, touted as the first vampire series for preschoolers, premiered in October 2017 and has been renewed for a third season. It stars Lauren Graham, James Van Der Beek and Isabella Crovetti ...

In today’s roundup, Wayne Brady has joined the cast of “Colony,” and Amazon Prime announced the premiere date for “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” starring Natalie Dormer.

Casting

Peyton List, Wayne Brady, Graham McTavish, and Waleed Zuaiter have joined the cast of alien invasion drama “Colony” for the show’s third season. List will play Amy Leonard, a doctor and member of the San Fernando cell who tags along with Tory Kittles‘ Eric Broussard as they carry out a dangerous mission to smuggle valuable secrets to Resistance fighters against the Occupation. “The Hobbit” actor McTavish will play Andrew MacGregor, the leader of the most successful Resistance camp in the old United States, while “Whose Line Is It Anyway’s” Brady will play Everett Kynes, the tech-savvy head of the rebuilt Seattle Colony. “Altered Carbon” actor Zuaiter rounds out the newcomers as Vincent, a man whose morals will be tested when...