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Exclusive: Halle Stanford, The Jim Henson Company’s longtime President of Television, is relaunching her company, 7 Crow Stories, as she embarks on a new chapter in her career as an independent producer and writer. As part of this new venture, the Emmy winner has signed a first-look producing deal with The Jim Henson Company, where she has worked as a producer and executive for the past 30 years.

Under her 7 Crow Stories banner, Stanford will develop a variety of live-action and animated projects for The Jim Henson Company for preschool, family, and primetime audiences, continuing to prioritize entertaining, impactful, and imaginative content across a wide range of genres. Previously announced projects include the primetime fantasy series Goblins with Norman Reedus, the primetime animated series Lore Olympus, based on Webtoon’s digital comic series, and the older kids’ animated series Adrenaline Lemmings. Currently, Stanford is also attached to develop a future production of Fraggle Rock.

The late David Lynch was best known as a movie director, with the bulk of his projects being theatrical releases such as Blue Velvet and The Elephant Man. His most influential project, however, didn't come from the movies, but on television, and with a show that initially lasted just two seasons. Twin Peaks arrived without warning in the spring of 1990, with a brilliant hook and a point of view that could only have come from Lynch. The medium hasn't quite been the same since.

It's difficult to overstate how large that change was, or how much of the show's influence can still be seen in the medium today. Before Twin Peaks, TV was almost entirely the purveyance of the networks, who relied on rigid formulas that had been in place for decades. Lynch had no interest in playing by the rules, and alongside co-creator Mark Frost, he launched a broadside...

The Producers Guild of America has announced its 2025 nominees for movies and television.

The list was released Thursday following two postponements due to the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.

Nominees for the guild’s top film prize, the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, include Sean Baker’s dramedy Anora, Brady Corbet’s historical epic The Brutalist, Edward Berger’s Conclave, Jacques Audiard’s musical Emilia Pérez, Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Wicked, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown, Jesse Eisenberg’s bromance dramedy A Real Pain, Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance and Tim Felbaum’s thriller September 5.

The Producers Guild will also present special honors to Chris Meledandri (David O. Selznick Achievement Award), Dana Walden (Milestone Award), Taika Waititi (Norman Lear Achievement Award) and Lynda Obst and Paula Weinstein (Trailblazer Award).

Winners will be announced at the PGA...

Anora, The Brutalist, Conclave, Emilia Pérez, The Substance and surprise package September 5 are among the delayed Producers Guild of America (PGA) nominees announced on Thursday.

Scroll down for full list of nominees

A Complete Unknown, Dune: Part Two, A Real Pain and Wicked are also in the running, while Nickel Boys and Sing Sing did not make the cut.

Flow, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, The Wild Robot and the Disney pair of Inside Out 2 and Moana 2 are the animation nominees.

The nominations were unveiled after the announcement had been pushed back twice due to the LA wildfires,...

If you're anything like this writer, you were shocked and appalled to hear that the beloved Sesame Street might be canceled at HBO. As one of the longest-running series that's essentially been a part of all our lives, the thought of a world without Elmo, Big Bird, or Grover is truly a scary notion.

The reality of the matter is that Warner Bros. and HBO have made the decision not to renew the series for new episodes. This doesn't mean that it's going away, but it does mean the show needs a new home to continue. As HBO/WB pursue more adult entertainment options, there might be a prospective buyer at the House of Mouse.

Selling Sesame Street?

The idea of the beloved series from Children's Television Workshop is absolutely jarring, but there might be hope yet. As things begin to change at 123 Sesame Street, it might be time...

Three beloved Muppet characters reunited Sept. 24 for a video celebrating what would have been Jim Hensons 88th birthday. The Jim Henson Company posted a video on YouTube featuring Gobo Fraggle of Fraggle Rock, Kermit the Frog of The Muppet Show and Sesame Street, and Oscar the Grouch of Sesame Street commemorating the birthday of the legendary Muppet creator.

The video, which runs about a minute and a half, starts off with Gobo popping out of a trash can saying hed never traveled through a Fraggle cave like that before. After hopping out of the trashcan, he exclaims that the place hes arrived at is amazing and quickly asks Kermit if he wants to explore outer space with him.

Related Retro Review: The Muppet Movie Is a Timeless Classic for All Ages

The Muppet Movie is a direct connection to the joy and wonder of childhood, no matter when in its...

This is a slow weekend in an already slow summer movie season, so it’s the perfect time to catch up with spring’s best horror release and a handful of new indies that are debuting on digital platforms.

The contender to watch this week: “The First Omen“

At a time when many franchises are slowly cratering, “The First Omen” has turned out to be one of 2024’s biggest surprises. Arkasha Stevenson‘s handsome and terrifying prequel depicts the events right before Demian, the Og Antichrist, came around. If that sounds unnecessary, it is — and yet the film’s quality absolutely justifies its existence. “The First Omen” is still playing in a smattering of theaters, having grossed $53.7 worldwide, but now it’s available for $19.99 on VOD.

Other contenders:

“Gasoline Rainbow”: Mubi is having a major year, with two buzzy Cannes titles — “The Substance” and “The Girl with the Needle...

“At first, I thought they were a rock and roll band because they all kind of came in with bandanas and long hair and beards and stuff like that,” reveals Ron Howard about his first encounter with Jim Henson and his team behind the Muppets. For our recent webchat he says that it was his one-and-only 1970s encounter with Henson, adding “I did cross paths with him one time backstage at this crazy prime-time live variety show that ABC was trying to hatch as a regular series. They didn’t wind up continuing with it, but were both guests on an it, and for a brief moment, we kind of intersected.”

Howard is the director and producer behind the new Disney+ documentary “Jim Henson Idea Man” about the legendary founder of the Muppets. Henson’s children gave Howard and his documentary team full access to the family and company archives.

Early on in Jim Henson: Idea Man, director Ron Howard‘s admiring and affecting biographical portrait of the genius behind the Muppets, Henson‘s longtime collaborator Frank Oz recalls, “He was so internal and quiet that his inner life must have been sparkling.” I can attest to that. One of my fondest memories is an interview I conducted with Henson in his company’s fabulous New York townhouse (dubbed the “Muppet Mansion”), including a visit to the Muppet Workshop, in advance of 1987’s A Muppet Family Christmas, a terrific special that featured lovable characters from The Muppet Show, Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock (among others) all gathering at Fozzie Bear’s mother’s house for the holidays. We had only been talking a few minutes when I realized my tape recorder had barely inched forward. Turns out it was set on voice activation, and it had only picked up my questions,...

Universally beloved figures are increasingly rare these days, with a distressing number of our former heroes having been outed as one kind of monster or another in recent years. Jim Henson is a notable exception. The creator of the Muppets remains as revered today as he was during his too-short life, an enduring icon of wholesomeness whose legend has only grown since he died in 1990 at the age of 53. Among his legion of admirers is Ron Howard, whose documentary “Jim Henson Idea Man” premiered at Cannes earlier this month and will be available to stream on Disney+ this Friday.

A multihyphenate if ever there were one, the puppeteer, filmmaker, animator and actor is described here as both a “boy genius” and “very rare creature” who was “so internal and quiet that his inner life must have been sparkling.” It’s certainly true that his life’s work sparkled, and not...

Jim Henson: Idea Man is a story about how rare it is to be in the presence of a true original and such pure creative genius. Jim Henson was not just an expert at marketing his brand; he was certainly no fool in that department. He was an artist of the highest order. Mr. Henson was a technological innovator, allowing his puppets to emote and move in unprecedented ways.

Mr. Henson then brought those talents to Hollywood films, contributing to projects such as Labyrinth and the experimental The Dark Crystal. He brought joy to millions of families’ homes with The Muppets and Fraggle Rock. Perhaps most importantly, his work on Sesame Street left a lasting impact on children by teaching them skills that went beyond the classroom.

Move over, Mr. Rogers, Mr. Henson was America’s empathetic hero. He just let his friends like Kermit take the credit.

Jim...

From “Star Wars” to The Beatles and The Beach Boys, everything old is new again this month at Disney+! The streamer is feeling nostalgic and is getting ready for several major premieres this May, including the remaster of the infamous 1969 Beatles documentary “Let It Be” and the premieres of new documentaries on The Beach Boys and visionary Jim Henson.

Disney+’s biggest premiere this month, though, is an international affair: the long-awaited new season of “Doctor Who,” starring Ncuti Gatwa as the recently regenerated Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson as his interdimensional companion Ruby Sunday.

Check out everything coming to Disney+ this May and get your watch list in order with The Streamable’s top 5 picks for the month!

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What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Disney+ in May 2024? “Star Wars: Tales of the Empire” Premiere | Saturday,...

The original Fraggle Rock TV series debuted in the 1980s, introducing the world to the Fraggle gang made up of Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober and Red lovers of radishes, friends of the Trash Heap, and always up for a good song over a day of work. They have fun and zany adventures while dancing their cares away, lifting each other up and enjoying Uncle Travelling Matts stories of the silly creatures (aka humans) in Outer Space (aka life outside of Fraggle Rock).

Paramount+ Announces New Thriller Starring Julia Garner

Paramount+ is showing up six months early to the Halloween party. The streamer announced on Friday the all-new original film “Apartment 7A,” a prequel to horror classic “Rosemary's Baby” starring Golden Globe winner and “Ozark” star Julia Garner.

Directed by Natalie Erika James (“Relic”), the psychological thriller will follow a struggling young dancer (Garner) who suffers a devastating injury and herself drawn in by dark forces when a peculiar, well-connected, older couple promises her a shot at fame. The film will be set in 1965 New York City and explore the story of what happened in the apartment before Rosemary moved in in the 1968 classic.

The film also stars two-time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest, Jim Sturgess, and Kevin McNally with Marli Siu, Andrew Buchan, Rosy McEwen, and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.

“Apartment 7A” will premiere exclusively on Paramount+ this fall.

7-Day Free Trial $5.99+ / month amazon.com...

It is always nice whenever past creatives are highlighted for how they helped shape not only their careers but also the lives of others around them. One of those creatives was Jim Henson, a pioneer in children’s entertainment and puppetry. His life and career are the subject matter of an upcoming documentary, Jim Henson Idea Man, which just released its first trailer.

The upcoming Disney+ documentary will explore Henson’s early days crafting puppets by hand to having his name become one of the biggest in family entertainment. Interviews with his fellow creatives, actors, and family all shed light on his life and career.

Jim Henson started working on things such as the infamous Wilken’s Coffee commercials. He would eventually craft several characters who eventually became the cast of the world-renowned Muppets. Many of the characters would appear on various talk shows and sketch comedy shows before eventually becoming their own brand.

The Fraggles are back! This past weekend, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock returned to Apple TV+ for its second season. Red, Mokey, Gobo, Wembley, Boober, and all the wonderful little – and not-so-little – creatures have returned to entertain the young and old. Fraggles have long since been a part of many a fan’s lives. And with the new series, delightfully cheery creatures are brought back for some music and magic. As an old-school fan, seeing that the Fraggles have returned to bring joy to a new generation’s hearts is fantastic.

For this fan, I had the privilege of speaking to “Mokey” and “Red” and meeting a few of these adorable creatures in person. First, I had a fun little conversation with Mokey (puppeteered by Donna Kimbal) and Red (puppeteered by Karen Prell). Sometimes, an “interview” can be a lot of fun. And chatting with Fraggles is about as enjoyable as you can get.

Ever since Jim Henson‘s music-filled puppet show “Fraggle Rock” premiered on HBO in 1983, the series’ five seasons built a devoted fan base — and there’s no bigger “Fraggle” fan than writer, director, and producer John Tartaglia, who credits “Fraggle Rock” with inspiring him to become a puppeteer. He first saw the show in a hotel room while traveling with his mom when he was 8, and “it just became an obsession from that moment on,” he told IndieWire. “I wrote a very earnest letter to Jim Henson and told him, ‘When I’m 18, I’m going to move to New York City and I’m going to work for the Muppets.'”

It actually didn’t even take that long — at the age of 16, Tartaglia became the youngest person ever to join the cast of “Sesame Street,” and now he’s the creative force behind Apple TV+’s “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock.

Jim Henson’s Fraggles are back with new songs and new stories in the second season of “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock.” All 13 episodes of the new season will debut on Apple TV+ on Friday, March 29, with the return of Daveed Diggs as Jamdolin, along with other special guest stars like Ariana DeBose, Brett Goldstein, Catherine O’Hara, Adam Lambert and K-pop group aespa. Don’t miss Gobo, Red, Boober, Mokey, Wembley and Uncle Travelling Matt as they confront their past, and celebrate their community, while keeping the dancing alive and well at Fraggle Rock. You can watch Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock: Season 2 with a 7-Day Free Trial of Apple TV+.

How to Watch ‘Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock’: Season 2 Premiere When: Friday, March 29, 2024 Where: Apple TV+ Stream: Watch with a 7-Day Free Trial of Apple TV+. 7-Day Free Trial$9.99+ / month apple.com About ‘Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock...

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock season 2 brings in exciting new guest stars and continues to honor Jim Henson's legacy of love and peace. Celebrity guest stars like Ariana DeBose and Brett Goldstein add a new dynamic to the show, collaborating closely with puppeteers. The second season of Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock focuses on important lessons and new adventures for the Fraggles, creating joy and heartfelt messages.

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock returns with all new adventures for the Fraggles: Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober, and Red. As Doc begins a new study to continue searching for alternate sources of power, her experiments have an unexpected impact on Fraggle Rock, including scary winds that continue to cause hijinks throughout the season. As the Fraggles continue to learn important lessons, they'll make new friends and create awesome new music to help them along the way.

The second season...

Apple TV+ just dropped the trailer for Fraggle Rock: Back to The Rock Season 2. After winning the award for Outstanding Art Direction at the 1st Children’s and Family Emmy Awards, Fraggle Rock Season 2 of the musical fantasy series is all set to premiere on March 29, 2024. Originally created by American puppeteer Jim Henson and executive produced by Jim Henson Productions, Season 1 of the show marked a return to the world of Fraggle Rock for the first time since the 1990s.

Apple TV+ has revealed the trailer for the highly anticipated new season of ‘Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock’.

Jim Henson’s fun-loving and musical Fraggles – Gobo, Red, Boober, Mokey, Wembley, and Uncle Travelling Matt, appearing alongside new Fraggles and Doozers voiced by special guest stars including Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose, Emmy Award winner Brett Goldstein, Emmy Award winner Catherine O’Hara, Tony and Grammy Award winner, Emmy Award nominee Daveed Diggs, Grammy nominee Adam Lambert and K-pop group aespa – are back with more epic, fun and zany adventures, this time with big changes affecting the Rock. The Fraggles, Doozers, and Gorgs will be forced to confront their past and celebrate their interdependence as they move through challenges together with hope, silliness, and brand-new songs, all while dancing their cares away…down at Fraggle Rock.

The series is executive produced by The Jim Henson Company’s Lisa Henson, Halle Stanford,...

Apple is doing something it almost never does: licensing existing content to bulk up its streaming service.

Apple TV+ — which, up until this point, has relied predominantly on original TV shows and movies to lure in new subscribers — has announced that, for a limited time, more than four dozen movies have been made available at no additional charge.

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Stars including Michael Douglas, Carol Burnett, Maya Rudolph and many others made their way through monsoon-like weather Monday to the Langham Hotel in Pasadena, Calif., for the first day of the winter portion of the semi-annual Television Critics Association’s press tour as Apple showcased new and returning shows Loot, The New Look, Palm Royale, Franklin and more.

The iPhone maker opened the day with a preview of its 2024 slate, which features rookie series including Manhunt, Sugar, Presumed Innocent and returning programs The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy, Acapulco and Loot.

Here are highlights from Apple’s time before the press corps at TCA:

Premiere dates

Historical fashion drama The New Look, from Todd A. Kessler and starring Ben Mendelsohn and Juliette Binoche as Christian Dior and Coco Chanel, respectively, bows Feb. 14. The 10-part docuseries The Dynasty: The New England Patriots launches Feb. 16. Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin also debuts Feb.

Apple TV+ today announced release dates for a slew of new and returning series on the first day of the Television Critics Association’s Winter 2024 press tour. They include new seasons of returning series including Acapulco, The Big Door Prize, Acapulco, The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy and Trying.

Also announced were dates for new series The New Look, The Dynasty: New England Patriots, Constellation, The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, Manhunt, Palm Royale, Sugar, Franklin, Dark Matter, Presumed Innocent and Land of Women.

“Today we are elated to be unveiling so many brilliant new stories and characters for audiences to fall in love with in 2024,” said Matt Cherniss, head of domestic programming, Apple TV+. “These compelling series all reflect Apple’s dedication to crafting stories that not only entertain but reflect the richness of our shared human experience, foster a sense of understanding and spark cultural conversations around the world.

The late, great Jim Henson's impact on television cannot be understated. Obviously, "Sesame Street" was a trailblazer for children's programming. Using Henson's googly-eyed puppets, the PBS series educated kids about everything from math to the different cultures of the world and the circle of life itself. Henson's "Fraggle Rock" was no less ambitious; beneath the boisterous songs and the rowdy Fraggles' shenanigans was a radical peacenik series Henson hoped would "change the world and stop war."

"Muppet Babies," an animated show featuring Henson's Muppets as pint-sized toddlers in a nursery, set its sights nearly as high. At first, Henson was hesitant to collaborate on the series with Marvel Productions, worrying the studio's children's cartoons based on known properties in the 1970s and early '80s lacked the depth of his previous TV ventures. In time, though, it was the very challenge of producing a cartoon that held to...

One of the best decisions the creatives behind Blumhouse's "Five Nights at Freddy's" film adaptation (read /Film's review) made was hiring Jim Henson's Creature Shop to manufacture its merrily murderous mascot animatronics as real-life puppets and not CGI creations. Both the movie and the original video games take place at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a Chuck E. Cheese-style family entertainment center populated by giant animatronics who like to sneak around and murder people under the cover of night. It would be one thing if Mr. Fazbear and his friends were obviously computer-animated in the film. But the fact they're as tactile as the flesh-and-blood humans they're stalking makes the horror of the situation that much more immediate and perceptible.

Puppet horror, in general, thrives on practical effects for similar reasons. Part of what makes the ventriloquist dummies work in films like "Magic" and "Dead Silence" -- besides their creepily uncanny...

Big Mouth's celebrity guest stars bring humor and familiarity to the show, appealing to viewers of all ages and keeping the show interesting. The show tackles the struggles of pre-teens growing up in a society with conflicting messages about sex, with each character and guest star contributing to the controversy. Big Mouth's final season will feature even bigger guest stars, promising to end the show on a high note.

Big Mouth is one of Netflix’s longest-running shows, and part of that can be attributed to the countless talented guest stars that appear in its episodes. Showing up seemingly at random, Big Mouth's celebrity cameos always contribute a lot to the humor. Big Mouth’s comedy style is something that appeals to everyone from middle school into adulthood, and it’s always nice to hear a familiar voice when venturing into a show, and having celebrities who dabble in every...

Maybe fans shouldn't be surprised it took the Big Mouth kids seven years to graduate from middle school. Netflix's animated comedy has always eagerly deviated from its format and core group of characters: Episodes like "A Very Big Mouth Christmas" and "Re-New Year's Eve" embraced puppetry and live action (co-creator and star Nick Kroll appeared as himself in the meta Season 5 finale), while Season 2's "The Planned Parenthood Show" employed a series of skits to bust myths about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases. These "very special episodes" succeeded because they acknowledged a world beyond Bridgeton Middle School, but Season 7 episode "The International Show" goes even further to offer a hilarious and thoughtful look at how children in other countries experience adolescence.

This Post Contains spoilers from the seventh season of Big Mouth.

Season Seven of Netflix’s Big Mouth begins where the penultimate season ends: the cast of pubescent middle schoolers arrive at high school exploring the Pda-filled halls, meeting the gospel-singing B-High Quee-Choi, and participating in a classic food fight. Although it took seven seasons for the hyper-horny students to get to secondary school, it remains one of the most “disgusting laugh machines in all of television,” our own Alan Sepinwall wrote.

By the release of its eighth season in...

Merlin co-creator Johnny Capps was interviewed to celebrate the show's 15th anniversary. Capps revealed that he has spoken with co-creator Julian Murphy about the possibility of a revival. Capps says that "all of that mythology is utterly superb."

The co-creator of Merlin discusses the possibility of a revival series. Merlin, which was created by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps, and Julian Murphy, is a British fantasy show that ran for five seasons totaling 65 episodes between 2008 and 2012. It starred Colin Morgan as Merlin, the sorcerer from Arthurian legend. The ensemble cast of the series included Bradley James as Arthur Pendragon, Angel Coulby as Guinevere, Katie McGrath as Morgana Pendragon, Anthony Head as Uther Pendragon​​​​​​​, Richard Wilson as Gaius​​​​​​​, and John Hurt in a vocal role as the Great Dragon.

Radio Times recently sat down with Johnny Capps to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the original series. When discussing the possibility...

There’s never been a creative artist quite like Jim Henson. The Mississippi-born Henson was arguably the world’s most famous puppeteer, but he was much more than that. A cartoonist, actor, inventor, animator, writer and filmmaker, Henson was in a class by himself, whether his work appeared in films or on television. In addition, Henson founded the enormously successful Jim Henson Company, an entertainment mainstay that has lived on to produce family entertainment long after Henson’s untimely death in 1990.

After Henson got his start at age 18 creating puppets for a local station in Washington, D.C., he was approached by the Children’s Television Workshop to help develop a new series for PBS, “Sesame Street.” Soon kids around the world were marveling at the antics of Big Bird and his friends, and the show’s success led Henson to expand his Muppet empire with such further successful series...

All the Whovians, especially the classic Doctor Who fans, can rejoice -- there may still be hope for the missing episodes from the First and the Second Doctors' eras, at least according to the head of the TV archive Kaleidoscope Chris Perry.

BBC's most popular and longest-running sci-fi series, Doctor Who ,first debuted in 1963, with William Hartnell taking on the role of the Doctor and William Russell, Jacqueline Hill, and Carole Ann Ford joining him in the Tardis as Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright, and Susan Foreman, respectively. Unfortunately, between 1967 and 1978, BBC had a policy of junking archive programming, which led to many of the First Doctor's adventures ironically getting lost in time. Hartnell's episodes were not the only ones affected -- Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee's time-and-space-traveling seasons were also the victims of erasure, although the Third Doctor's stories have since been restored.

Related: Doctor Who Star Compares...

There were always two sides to the Jim Henson Company during Henson's lifetime. On one of them, you have the puppets they created for "Sesame Street" and "Fraggle Rock," shows that are as wholesome and earnest as their googly-eyed stars. On the other one, you have the often frightening and twisted puppets that Henson and his crew invented for "The Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth," as well as those for even creepier fantasy movies like director Nicolas Roeg's "The Witches." The Muppets, in case you were wondering, straddled the line between the two sides.

More than 30 years after its founder's death, however, Henson's legendary Creature Shop is now working on the "Five Nights at Freddy's" movie. As anyone even remotely familiar with the premise for the original "Fnaf" video games could tell you, Blumhouse's film adaptation is a far cry from even the darkest projects Henson's company developed under his watch.

You thought the gruesome Grimace TikTok trend was dark. Wait until you get a load of the brand reboot in store for another plus-sized purple icon.

In an interview with the New Yorker, Mattel’s VP of films, Kevin McKeon, revealed that its upcoming live-action Barney movie will be aimed squarely at adults.

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Describing the Daniel Kaluuya-produced project as “surrealistic,” McKeon...

Emmy Award-winning series “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock,” the reboot of Jim Henson’s beloved classic “Fraggle Rock,” has been renewed for a second season on Apple TV+ and has begun production in Calgary, Canada. Tony and Grammy Award winner, and Emmy Award nominee Daveed Diggs (“Hamilton”) returns for season two alongside Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose (“Schmigadoon!”), Emmy Award winner Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso”) and Emmy Award winner Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”) in guest star roles.

“Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock” currently holds a 100 critics rating score on Rotten Tomatoes and has been praised as “a loving, worthy reminder that there is joy to be found in everyday life, even when things seem hard” (Collider), “a delightful experience, no matter your age” (San Jose Mercury News) and “genuinely funny, visually engaging, and entirely heartwarming” (Paste). The series was also recently recognized by the Sentinel Awards for outstanding Children’s Programming,...

Exclusive: Search Party writer Sabrina Jalees has landed a single-camera comedy, set in New York City, at Peacock.

The streamer is developing Landing, which comes from Greg Berlanti’s company Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

Jalees, who created the series, will write and exec produce with Berlanti exec producing alongside his partners David Madden and Sarah Schechter.

Landing is an ensemble comedy that follows a family of queer friends in their mid-20s living in Brooklyn trying to get somewhere and be someone before they’re priced out of their apartments and their dreams. Inspired by Jalees’ life, the comedy is about a group of young people all vying to make their mark — but for now, they’ll settle for making eye contact with the hot bartender.

Jalees, who wrote and served as an executive story editor on HBO Max’s millennial dramedy Search Party, has also co-produced Netflix’s Human Resources,...

Here comes trouble: Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) will headline FX on Hulu’s limited series Fleishman Is in Trouble.

The drama is based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s novel about Toby Fleishman (Eisenberg), a recently separated fortysomething whose wife disappears, “leaving him with the kids and no hint of where she is or whether she plans to return,” per the official synopsis. “As he balances parenting, the return of old friends, a promotion at the hospital that is a long time coming, and all the eligible women that Manhattan has to offer, he realizes that he’ll never be able...

Randall Park wants you to be kind and rewind: The Fresh Off the Boat vet will star in the Netflix comedy Blockbuster, set at the home video rental franchise’s last location.

The 10-episode single-cam explores “what it takes — and more specifically who it takes — for a small business to succeed against all odds,” per the official synopsis. The ensemble workplace comedy was created by writer/executive producer Vanessa Ramos (Superstore, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and counts David Caspe (Happy Endings, Black Monday) and Jackie Clarke (Superstore, Happy Endings) among its writers/EPs.

More from TVLineTVLine Items: Jesse Eisenberg Leads Trouble, Queer...

Lizzy Caplan is one very busy woman: Less than a week after it was announced that the actress will headline a Fatal Attraction series for Paramount+, Caplan has also joined FX on Hulu’s limited series Fleishman Is in Trouble, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The drama is based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s novel about Toby Fleishman, a recently separated fortysomething whose wife disappears, “leaving him with the kids and no hint of where she is or whether she plans to return,” per the official synopsis. “As he balances parenting, the return of old friends, a promotion at the hospital that is a long time coming,...

Dance your cares away (clap clap), Fraggle fans, the lively and fantastical Fraggles are back thanks to Apple TV+. After the highly successful series of shorts on Apple TV+ called "Fraggle Rock: Rock On!" in April 2020, a reboot of "Fraggle Rock" was ordered by the streaming service. Now, we've got our first look at the teaser trailer for "Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock."

As Muppet master Jim Henson himself described them in the book "Jim Henson The Works: The Art, The Magic, The Imagination," the show is "a high-energy, raucous musical romp. It's a lot of...

The post Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock Teaser: Apple TV+ Revives the Fraggles for a New Generation appeared first on /Film.

Apple TV+ has launched the teaser trailer for the highly-anticipated reboot of the beloved classic series ‘Fraggle Rock,’ titled ‘Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock.’

The new 13-episode Apple Original series sees Jim Henson’s fun-loving, musical Fraggles return! Join Gobo, Red, Wembley, Mokey, Boober, and new Fraggle friends on hilarious, epic adventures about the magic that happens when we celebrate and care for our interconnected world.

“Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock” is executive produced by The Jim Henson Company’s Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford, and longtime Henson collaborator John Tartaglia. Matt Fusfeld and Alex Cuthbertson, who serve as showrunners, also executive produce as well as New Regency’s Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer. Co-executive producers are Dave Goelz and Karen Prell, and executive music producer is Harvey Mason Jr. The series is produced by Ritamarie Peruggi.

Also in trailers – ‘The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild’ teaser...

Apple TV+ today unearthed the teaser trailer for the highly anticipated reboot of the beloved classic series “Fraggle Rock,” titled “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock.” Debuting on Apple TV+ on Friday, January 21, 2022, the new 13-episode Apple Original series from The Jim Henson Company in association with New Regency follows last year’s celebrated […]

The post ‘Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock’ Premiering January 21 On Apple TV+ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Hulu announced that “The D’Amelio Show” has been renewed for a second season.

The unscripted series follows social media stars Dixie and Charli D’Amelio and their parents Marc and Heidi as the family navigates the transition from a normal life into overnight celebrity status. Season 1, which debuted Sept. 3, saw the family settle into life in Los Angeles after moving to the city to further their careers after Charli, at 16, and Dixie, at 20, became two of the biggest names on TikTok for their dancing and singing, respectively.

“The D’Amelio Show” is executive produced by Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman on behalf of The Intellectual Property Corporation, as well as showrunner Sara Reddy.

Also in today’s TV news roundup:

First Looks

Amazon Prime Video debuted a first look at Season 4 of “The Marvelous Ms. Maisel.” The series follows Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), a Jewish housewife in 1950s New York City...

“Alberta has arrived,” Luke Azevedo, commissioner for Film, Television and Creative Industries of Calgary Economic Development, tells Variety.

With productions scouting for new locations to help maximize their budgets and fit their creative vision, the removal of the $10 million-per-project cap on March 26 is a game-changer for the region, making Alberta nationally and globally competitive in the film and TV marketplace. The Film and Television Tax Credit (Fttc) currently sits at 22%, offering a refundable Alberta tax credit certificate on eligible goods, services and labor costs to corporations that produce films, television series and other eligible screen-based productions in the province.

“The government saw an opportunity to really grow a sector that was that was on the cusp of exponential growth,” Azevedo says.

The impact has been immediate. “The removal of the cap means that we can now go and have meaningful conversations with the studios and the streamers about the larger...

Jane Goodall, the renowned primatologist and chimpanzee specialist, is the inspiration for a new kids series ordered by Apple TV+, the streamer announced Monday.

The series, titled “Jane,” centers on a 10-year-old girl named Jane Garcia. Its description from Apple TV+ reads: “Through pretend play, Jane and her trusty teammates work to protect an endangered animal in each mission-driven episode because, according to her idol, ‘Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, can they be saved.'”

According to Apple, “Jane” will blend live-action and CGI elements.

The series hails from creator J.J. Johnson and Sinking Ship Entertainment, the company behind kids series like “Odd Squad,” “Dino Dan” and Apple’s recent “Ghostwriter” reboot. The Jane Goodall Institute also executive produces.

“Television programs that enrich and inspire, as well as entertain, can give children hope and motivate them and their families,...

Apple TV+ today announced a straight-to-series order for Jane, a new series for kids and families from Emmy Award-winner J.J. Johnson, Sinking Ship Entertainment, and the Jane Goodall Institute. Jane follows Jane Garcia, a 10-year-old girl with an active imagination. Through pretend play, Jane and her trusty teammates work to protect an endangered animal in each mission-driven episode because, according to her idol, “Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, can they be saved.” Jane is a live action/CGI blended series and created and executive produced by J.J. Johnson, with the Jane Goodall Institute also serving as executive producers. It is the second Apple Original series that will be produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment, joining Daytime Emmy Award-winning series Ghostwriter, which recently premiered its second season on Apple TV+. Other Apple TV+ fare in kids and...

Apple has given a straight-to-series order for the children’s series “Jane” from J.J. Johnson, Sinking Ship Entertainment, and the Jane Goodall Institute.

The series is titled “Jane.” It will feature a mixture of live-action and CGI as it follows Jane Garcia, a 10-year-old girl with an active imagination. Through pretend play, Jane and her trusty teammates work to protect an endangered animal in each mission-driven episode because, according to her idol, “Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, can they be saved.”

Johnson created the series and will serve as executive producer via Sinking Ship. The Jane Goodall Institute will also executive produce.

“Jane” marks the second Apple Original series that will be produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment, joining Daytime Emmy Award-winning reboot series “Ghostwriter,” which recently premiered its second season.

The Jane Goodall Institute was founded in 1977 to further Dr.

Looks like Apple got the hint after that “It’s a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” backlash, because the tech giant revealed Wednesday it’s bringing “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” back to broadcast TV this holiday season — just not back on ABC.

Per Apple, in addition to the holiday specials based on Charles M. Schulz’ “Peanuts” cartoon streaming on their new home Apple TV+, Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving and Christmas classics will air ad-free on PBS and PBS Kids on Nov. 22 and Dec. 13, respectively, at 7:30/6:30c.

Apple picked up the overall rights to the “Peanuts” specials in early October in an expanded deal with WildBrain which will allow them to make new specials, too. As a result of that pact, “It’s a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” — and its fellow “Peanuts” classics — became an Apple TV+ exclusive and did not air on broadcast TV...

Apple TV+ has renewed “Snoopy in Space” for Season 2 and, just in time for the holidays, is set to become the home of iconic Peanuts specials and create new ones celebrating Mother’s Day, Earth Day, New Year’s Eve and “Back to School” season, the streaming service said Monday.

Apple’s streaming service, which launched the first season of “Snoopy in Space” in November 2019, has expanded its partnership with WildBrain, Peanuts Worldwide and Lee Mendelson Film Productions to create new shows and specials based on Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang. While you wait for those fresh installments, you can check out old favorites “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” as they begin to roll out over the coming months.

Additionally, Apple and WildBrain’s animation studio are partnering on a Peanuts 70th anniversary documentary film from Imagine Documentaries.

The 1990 Primetime Emmys ceremony didn’t have any sweeps, but a longtime TV favorite won an overdue award from an unlikely group of presenters, a record was set for the most ties in a single ceremony, a couple of legends were remembered and, despite Academy love being spread around, there were two shows that surprisingly ended the night with zero major wins. Hosted by the unlikely trio of Candice Bergen, Jay Leno and Jane Pauley, the 42nd Emmy Awards ceremony took place on September 16, 1990. Let’s flashback 30 years to the highlights.

Although “Cheers” had won Best Comedy Series three times, its lead actor failed to nab a trophy himself, despite being nominated seven straight years for the classic character. However, Ted Danson finally got his moment on the stage, winning for Best Comedy Actor for his role as Sam Malone on “Cheers.” He quipped, “I suppose this means you’ll be saying,...