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Rosebud Baker is gearing up to release her second comedy special, The Mother Lode, on Netflix this February 11, Deadline reveals. The special, taped during two sold-out nights at the iconic Comedy Cellar in New York City, showcases Baker at two very different moments—before and after becoming a mom. The contrasting performances bring a fresh angle to her sharp and honest comedy.

Through her stand-up, Baker dives into her personal journey, sharing hilarious and sometimes biting takes on everything from deciding to have kids to the unglamorous sides of childbirth and parenthood.

She doesn’t shy away from the tough stuff either, opening up about struggles like infertility, miscarriage, and postpartum experiences.

The special, which Baker also directed and produced, was filmed over two years to give a full picture of her journey. She explained her goal was to make people laugh and feel less isolated, no matter their relationship to parenthood.

Exclusive: The Mother Lode, the second comedy special from SNL writer, actress and stand-up Rosebud Baker, is set to premiere globally on Netflix on February 18.

Taped months apart during two sold-out nights at the Comedy Cellar in New York City, the special intercuts between Baker before and after giving birth. With the juxtaposition of these experiences, she unpacks navigating the unknown in the evolving journey of parenthood, delving into the decision to have kids, the indignities of childbirth, the pros and cons of losing your identity in motherhood, generational divides of upbringings, along with coming to the difficult decision to retire from giving blow jobs, and more.

The Mother Lode marks the directorial debut of Baker, who performs her own material and also served as producer, with Alex Goodman and Jason Katz executive producing.

In a statement to Deadline, the comic said, “If you have kids, this special is for you.

Exclusive: The Broadway revival of Othello starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal has added to the cast with Andrew Burnap, Anthony Michael Lopez, Daniel Pearce (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and Kimber Elayne Sprawl (Girl from the North Country).

The four will play, respectively, Cassio, Roderigo, Brabantio and Emilia. They’ll join the previously announced Washington, who plays Othello, Gyllenhaal (Iago) and Molly Osborne (Desdemona).

The new castings were announced today by producer Brian Anthony Moreland. Complete casting will be announced soon.

Kenny Leon directs.

The production will begin previews Monday, February 24, 2025, at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre, with an opening night on Sunday, March 23. The limited 15-week engagement runs through Sunday, June 8.

The production’s creative team will feature Derek McLane (scenic design), Dede Ayite (costume design), Natasha Katz (lighting design), Justin Ellington (sound design), Mia Neal...

Saturday Night Live season 50 is just weeks away. "Weekend Update" co-anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che are focused on the historic season but also have some ideas on their SNL futures.

Jost and Che began co-hosting "Weekend Update" in season 40. During that time, they've also been head writers and stepped away from the title. And as each comedian becomes a bigger star on and off Saturday Night Live, speculation grows as to when they could step away.

The duo spoke about the topic during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show. The legendary radio host wasted no time in asking Jost and Che if they had plans to exit Studio 8H.

"We definitely don't have a gameplan," Jost said about when they could leave SNL. Che agreed and revealed that the pair have had private conversations about leaving together. But when that will happen hasn't been decided.

Che has fueled...

Saturday Night Live Weekend Update hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che are hosting a live comedy special called Colin Jost & Michael Che Present: New York After Dark. It will be the first live comedy special released by Peacock, featuring two SNL comedians, who are often standouts on the long-running show. The announcement comes after Netflix got into the live comedy business in 2023 with a Chris Rock special, so it appears Peacock is following in its competitor's footsteps.

New York After Dark is taped at Brooklyn's The Bell House and will only feature drop-in comics, according to the pair. This means viewers can potentially see some names they recognize along with some local talent they aren't familiar with. This is set to become Jost's first comedy special, while Che has already released a pair of shows in the past for Netflix, and he also created the HBO Max series That Damn Michael Che,...

Erika Henningsen is re-teaming with Tina Fey on the latter’s upcoming Netflix series “The Four Seasons,” Variety has learned exclusively.

Henningsen and Fey previously worked together on the Broadway musical version of “Mean Girls,” for which Fey wrote the book based on the movie of the same name she also wrote. Henningsen originated the role of Cady Heron in the original Broadway production. Henningsen also recurred in “Girls5Eva,” the Peacock series that recently moved to Netflix, on which Fey is an executive producer.

Henningsen will star opposite Fey in the series as well as Steve Carell and Colman Domingo. The show is based on the 1981 film of the same name that was directed by and starred Alan Alda with Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Sandy Dennis, and Len Cariou also among the cast members. The series was first announced in January with an eight-episode order and is slated to begin production later this year.

Comedian, writer, and actress Yamaneika Saunders’ dynamic stage presence has captivated audiences across the country for over a decade. With countless credits and appearances across some of the biggest TV shows, she’s now taking her combination of high-energy improvisational observations and unique, bold perspectives to SiriusXM every week during “Off Topic with Yamaneika” on Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Radio (Ch. 96).

Laugh Out Loud RadioStand-up & talk with Kevin HartListen on the App

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Off Topic with Yamaneika How to listen

Starting June 4, “Off Topic with Yamaneika” airs every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 3pm Et on Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Radio, satellite channel 96 and streaming on the SiriusXM app.

Stream previous episodes anytime, anywhere, with the SiriusXM app.

What you’ll hear

Listen in as Yamaneika shares her bold and hilarious takes on pop culture, trending topics, and more — until she goes off topic,...

Exclusive: Writer-director Jamal Dedeaux (Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks) has rounded out the cast for his indie dark comedy The Late Night Creep, starring Single Parents alum Jake Choi. Newcomers include Tosin Morohunfola (Run the World), Jason Mitchell (Mudbound), Karen Obilom (The Mill), Lori Laing (That Damn Michael Che), Paula Jai Parker (Hustle & Flow), Lewis Belt (House Party), Leslie Jones (SNL) and Bradley Nnadi (I Wanna Dance with Somebody).

Details as to the roles these actors will play haven’t been disclosed.

The film tells the story of an unhappily married man (Choi) who sneaks out of the house to go on a date with his college crush and ends up having the night from hell. Dedeaux is producing the pic alongside Rebecca Haze and Kris Simms. Kim Williams handled casting.

Morohunfola is repped by Stewart Talent, ColorCreative, and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz; Mitchell by TCA Mgmt, Cultivate Entertainment Partners,...

Exclusive: Netflix on Monday morning unveiled Verified Stand-Up, a new series featuring short sets from 10 comedians that’s set to premiere globally on November 28. Rising comedians that perform in the two-parter, filmed at Webster Hall in New York City, include Asif Ali, Dulcé Sloan, Gianmarco Soresi, Isiah Kelly, Leslie Liao, Nimesh Patel, Robby Hoffman, Rosebud Baker, Sabrina Wu, and Vanessa Gonzalez.

News of Netflix’s new stand-up series comes following its announcement of Improv: 60 And Still Standing, a comedy special celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Improv comedy clubs, which is set to premiere November 7th. Top comics dropping in for short sets as part of that project included Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, Bert Kreischer, Craig Robinson, Deon Cole, Fortune Feimster, Jeff Dunham, Kevin Nealon, Mark Normand, Jo Koy, and Whitney Cummings.

Linda Mendoza directed Verified Stand-Up, with Anne Harris serving as executive producer.

Previously seen on Disney+’s WandaVision and The Mandalorian,...

Matt Rife has set a new comedy special at Netflix. Titled “Natural Selection,” the hour-long stand-up set will premiere later in 2023.

Per the logline, the special sees Rife “leave no topic untouched — from crystals to social media trolls — and no audience member spared.”

“Natural Selection” will be taped at Dar Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C on Sept. 22 and 23 as a part of Rife’s “ProbleMattic World Tour.” The special is executive produced by Rife and Christina Shams, and hails from Irony Point, the production company behind comedy titles such as “I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson,” “Inside Amy Schumer” and “That Damn Michael Che.”

Rife rose to prominence as a comedian thanks to viral social media content, particularly on TikTok, where he is the platform’s most watched comedian. Additionally, before “Natural Selection,” he self-produced and distributed three comedy specials via YouTube: “Only Fans,” “Matthew Steven Rife” and “Walking Red Flag.

Exclusive: Joel McHale and Beck Bennett are starring in a new TV movie that is set to debut on Comedy Central.

The pair are fronting Office Race, which also stars Kelsey Grammer, Alyson Hannigan and J.B. Smoove.

Office Race centers around an unambitious office worker (Bennett) who goes to great lengths—specifically 26.2 miles—to one up his exercise-obsessed, micromanaging boss (McHale).

The film, which debuts on September 4 at 8pm, is directed by newcomer Jared Lapidus, who wrote it with Impractical Jokers writer James Kilmoon. It marks their feature film debut.

Kylie Bunbury (Big Sky), Erinn Hayes (A Christmas Story Christmas), Geoffrey Arend (500 Days of Summer), Katlyn Carlson (iCarly), Matt Richards (That Damn Michael Che) and Karolena Theresa (You Hurt My Feelings) also star.

SNL star Bennett will play Pat, a passionless pushover who coasts aimlessly through life until he’s goaded into running a marathon and soon discovers his love for the sport.

The hilarious and at times heartbreaking Bupkis is one of Pete Davidson’s best projects to date. In a similar vein to the excellent Fxx show Dave, Bupkis mines heart and humor alike for its fictionalized adaptation of its subject’s real life. The eight-episode series also boasts a fantastic guest cast that includes Joe Pesci, Steve Buscemi, and even Al Gore.

Bupkis blurs reality due to the very nature of its concept, which resulted in an interesting opportunity for production designer Joshua Petersen. In addition to location scouting across Staten Island for the external shots and overall aesthetic of Bupkis, Petersen recreated Pete Davidson’s basement and mother’s house from scratch for the series, even adding to each room to better suit the fictionalized aspects of the story. A self-proclaimed SNL lover, Petersen has also worked with other alums including Michael Che on the comedian’s own show That Damn Michael Che.

The Haunted Mansion cast is full of A-list movie stars and renowned character actors playing its zany roles. The movie revolves around a single mother and her son, who move into a creepy old mansion and find that it’s been cursed. In an attempt to rid the mansion of its curse, they invite a coterie of colorful characters – including a priest, a psychic, and a historian – into the house to battle its ghosts. Set to be released on July 28, Haunted Mansion is the second big-screen adaptation of the famous Disney Parks ride.

The first Haunted Mansion movie was released in 2003 and starred Eddie Murphy, but the reboot has even more star power with recognizable faces playing all the major roles in its ensemble cast. The U.S.P. of both the original Haunted Mansion film and its reboot is that it’s a ghost-infested horror movie that’s safe...

Exclusive: Rising comedian, writer and actor Mary Beth Barone is set to exec produce and star in Good Girl, an indie erotic thriller to be directed by Lauren Garroni, in her feature debut.

Related Story Denzel Washington Reuniting With Ridley Scott On ‘Gladiator’ Sequel At Paramount Related Story 'Fall' Sequel In The Works After Vertigo-Inducing Thriller Becomes Surprise Netflix Hit Related Story 'Drug Spies' Drama Series From Noah Pink, Kirk Wallace Johnson, Kari Skogland & Sister In The Works At FX

The feature scheduled to launch production in April watches as an enterprising Sugar Baby, offered ten grand to move in with her Sugar Daddy, comes to discover the dark secrets trapped within his home. Pic is described as part biting dark comedy, part erotic thriller — but above all, a story about sex work through a feminist and queer lens.

Bree Essirig and Garroni penned the script, with Kelly Parker’s Mary Ellen Moffat to produce.

The 74th Annual Emmys are in full swing, and while the ceremony is being steered by host Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live), he has some help in keeping the night moving. Along with DJ Zedd, the 2022 Emmys are being brought to life with the help of announcer Sam Jay, whose role is to make the ceremony lively with fun facts and exciting introductions of presenters during TV’s biggest night. And while Thompson may be familiar to viewers as SNL‘s longest-running cast member, the slightly less recognizable Jay also hails from the NBC comedy sketch show. (Credit: Isabella Vosmikova/Peacock) The comedian served as a writer on the long-running series from 2018 through 2021, writing episodes for hosts ranging from Timothée Chalamet and John Mulaney to Donald Glover, among others. Her other television writing credits include That Damn Michael Che, Bust Down, and her HBO Max series, Pause with Sam Jay.

Exclusive: Kevin Iso, co-creator, executive producer and star of Showtime’s Flatbush Misdemeanors, has signed with management company Artists First.

Created by and starring Iso and Dan Perlman based on their digital series, Flatbush Misdemeanors is a raw comedy of city life following Dan and Kevin, who play characters struggling to thrive in their new surroundings in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

Originally from Houston, Iso began performing stand up all across Texas before moving to New York. He was named a New Face at the 2019 Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and was one of Comedy Central’s Comics to Watch. He appeared opposite Zoë Kravitz in the series High Fidelity and also appears in the final season of Atlanta. He previously wrote on the HBO Max series That Damn Michael Che.

Iso is also repped by UTA and Marcie Cleary at at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.

NBC and the Television Academy announced jointly today that Kenan Thompson will host the 74th Emmy(R) Awards. The three-hour, coast-to-coast live telecast from the Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 12 and begins at 8 p.m. Et/5 p.m. Pt on NBC and will stream live for the first time on Peacock. “Being a part of this incredible evening where we honor the best of the television community is ridiculously exciting, and to do it on NBC – my longtime network family – makes it even more special,” Thompson said. “Like all TV fans, I can’t wait to see the stars from my favorite shows.” Jen Neal, Executive Vice President of Live Events for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said, “Kenan is well-regarded as one of funniest, likeable and accomplished performers of the last two decades and his tenure on ‘Saturday Night Live’ speaks for itself.

It came down to the wire — the Emmys are next month, after all — but NBC and the Television Academy have finally found a host for this year’s ceremony: “Saturday Night Live” star Kenan Thompson.

Thompson, the longest-running cast member in “SNL” history, was named after a lengthy search by NBC, the Academy and Emmys producers Done+Dusted and Reggie Hudlin to find an A-list name that might shake things up. It turns out, the A-lister was in their own backyard. The telecast will air live Sept. 12 on NBC, and stream on Peacock as well.

“Being a part of this incredible evening where we honor the best of the television community is ridiculously exciting, and to do it on NBC – my longtime network family – makes it even more special,” Thompson said in a statement. “Like all TV fans, I can’t wait to see the stars from my favorite shows.

The variety and reality categories are among the oddest at the Emmys, with the most-nominated show in Emmy history (“Saturday Night Live”) stuck in a category that is so small it shouldn’t even exist anymore. The reality categories, meanwhile, are the province of some shows that are always nominated but never win and others that have won every year they’ve been nominated recently.

This year, these categories bring us Norman Lear vs. Dr. Dre, Lizzo vs. Mark Cuban and fishermen vs. Kardashians. Here are our predictions for the nominees in four variety and four reality categories, part of a series of nomination predictions in all of the Emmys’ top categories.

Because the number of nominees varies depending on the number of entries in each category, we’ve indicated just how many slots are available, too. Note: In the event of ties, the number of nominees can change.

“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver...

Is eight enough for “Saturday Night Live”? The long-running show is gunning for its eighth series win at the Emmys and its sixth consecutive one in Best Variety Sketch Series. And for the second year in a row, it would only have to defeat one other show to do it.

With just eight submissions on the ballot, down one from last year, there will once again be two nominees in Best Variety Sketch Series. Last year, “SNL” topped “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” and the odds point to that exact scenario playing out again. Both were also nominated in 2020 in a field of three alongside “Drunk History.”

Despite having been on the air since 1975, “SNL” does not own as many series statuettes as you might think. It was named Best Variety Series in 1976 for its first season and in 1993 for its 18th installment, but was overlooked for two decades as...

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Comedian Michael Che has beaten a copyright suit alleging he ripped off the idea for one of his sketches from a series of TikTok videos called “HomeGirl Hotline” by Kelly Manno. According to a ruling issued Wednesday tossing the case, Manno’s jokes are too abstract to be protectable under copyright law.

In December, Manno sued Che and NBCUniversal, among other producers and broadcasters of HBO comedy sketch show That Damn Michael Che. Manno, who has 1.3 million followers on TikTok, claimed that Che copied jokes in her videos touting a service allowing customers to summon a “homegirl” to fight on their behalf. She pointed to both works depicting variations on the same theme of violence and vengeance and the similar structure in which the sketches unfolded.

“The First Work and the Episode are both punctuated with the protagonist expressing a variation of the...

One of the things that jumps out about this year’s Emmy race is that the Television Academy has a category that according to its own rules should not exist. But that category is also home to the most-nominated and winningest show in Emmy history, so how do you get rid of it?

The category is Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. This year a grand total of eight shows qualified: “The Amber Ruffin Show,” “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” “Pause With Sam Jay,” “That Damn Michael Che,” “True Story With Ed and Randall,” “Whose Line Is it Anyway?,” “Ziwe” and the big one, “Saturday Night Live.” Emmy rules say that a category with eight qualifying programs gets only two nominations, which means that barring a tie that could expand the field, the nominees will be “SNL” and one other show, most likely “A Black Lady Sketch Show.”

Those were also the...

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official awards predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis; Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders by television editor Michael Schneider (for Emmys) and Davis (for Oscars); Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly interview series with talent and an expert roundtable discussion; and Awards Circuit Video analyzes various categories and contenders by Variety's leading awards pundits. Variety's unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online, as well as provide inside reports on all the contenders in this year's awards season races.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Emmys Collective

Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Emmys Hub

To see old predictions and commentary,...

The late-night community has had its Primetime Emmy Awards hopes hit once again after it emerged that this year there will likely be only four nominees in the Outstanding Variety Talk Series category — losing a spot compared to the 2021 awards.

It reduces the chances of preventing Last Week Tonight with John Oliver scoring its seventh consecutive win and is a major blow for shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Late Late Show with James Corden scoring a nomination.

The Emmy ballots came out Thursday as nominations-round voting begins, and given that there were only 19 shows submitted, per TV Academy rules, it means there will be only four shows nominated. That is down from five last year and six in 2019.

Emmy rules dictate that if a category has between 16 and 19 submissions, it will have four nominations.

Observers have suggested that the...

Netflix’s “Murderville” is angling for major Emmy attention with the streamer submitting the show for consideration in the variety sketch series categories, where it would potentially face-off against the likes of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and reigning champ, “Saturday Night Live.” However, Variety has learned exclusively that the Television Academy deemed the Krister Johnson-developed show a comedy series, where it will now compete with shows such as “Abbott Elementary,” “Ted Lasso” and its streaming counterparts “Cobra Kai” and “The Chair.”

Along with vying for attention for outstanding comedy series, star Will Arnett, who plays the clumsy and hilarious detective Terry Seattle, will submit for lead actor (comedy). Three of the guest detectives have been submitted for guest actor (comedy): Conan O’Brien, Marshawn Lynch and Kumail Nanjiani. While other guest actors Annie Murphy, Sharon Stone and Ken Jeong have not been submitted by Netflix, each has other...

How did you spend your pandemic? Here’s how Sam Jay got through these past two years: Her Netflix special “Sam Jay: 3 in the Morning” debuted in July 2020. While continuing to work as a writer on “Saturday Night Live,” she also wrote on HBO Max’s “That Damn Michael Che,” served as a consulting producer on NBC’s “Kenan,” and then launched her own talk show, HBO’s “Pause With Sam Jay.”

Still not enough? In March, Peacock debuted the comedy series “Bust Down,” which Jay co-created and stars in alongside Chris Redd, Langston Kerman and Jak Knight. With so many gigs all at once, at this year’s WGA Awards, Jay pulled off a triple nomination in the comedy/variety sketch series category for her work on “SNL,” “Michael Che” and “Pause.”

But here’s the thing: This all happened mostly during an age of lockdowns, social distancing, quarantines and masks.

Saturday Night Live saw one of its biggest exodus in last week’s season finale – with Deadline breaking the news that Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney were leaving alongside Pete Davidson.

There’s still chatter as to whether others will stay on the show for season 48 with much speculation about the likes of Weekend Update hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost as well as Cecily Strong in what Lorne Michaels called a “year of change”.

Che, however, revealed that he is expecting to stay.

“I think I’m staying,” Che told Bill Simmons on The Ringer founder’s eponymous podcast. “I never know, it’s hard, once the season’s over it’s best to not to make decisions like towards the end of the year because all you want to do is get out of there, you’ve had your fill, but August or September is usually a different story.

That Damn Michael Che is returning with its second season this Thursday, and HBO Max has released a teaser video. This season, viewers of the sketch comedy show will see Che along with guests Wayne Brady, Reggie Conquest, Ziwe Fumudoh, Heidi Gardner, Charlamagne tha God, David Alan Grier, Sam Jay, Colin Jost, Lori Laing, Tim Meadows, Questlove, Sam Richardson, Amy Schumer, and Kenan Thompson.

Read More…...

The second season of the Max Original comedy sketch show “That Damn Michael Che” will debut on Thursday, May 26 with all six episodes, HBO announced on Tuesday.

In the trailer, also released on Tuesday, Che has to tell his “Saturday Night Live Weekend Update” co-host Colin Jost, who’s heading straight for the omelet bar, that he’s at an all-Black breakfast event.

Each episode focuses on a single topical theme, like religion. In the clip, Che is less than thrilled when the pilot (David Alan Grier) on his flight instructs everyone to say, “Jesus, take the wheel.” “Shouldn’t the pilot be taking the wheel?” the comic asks his seatmate.

As Che also tells his audience during a stand-up routine, “Talking to god is like getting your therapist’s answering machine. Hey god, it’s me again. I don’t know if you’re getting these.”

Also Read:

Michael...

Tom Brady will be feeling the heat when Netflix roasts the NFL quarterback in the first in a series of specials titled Greatest Roasts of All Time: Groat.

Brady’s roast will tape in 2023, following his next season in the NFL, with roasters to be announced. Additionally, the football player will serve as executive producer on his own roast and future Groat specials.

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“We can...

“Saturday Night Live” creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels has been at this “will they or will they not return” juncture of the 47-season hit late-night sketch comedy show. This year, the Not Ready for Prime-Time Player everyone is wondering about is Weekend Update co-anchor, Michael Che, whose HBO Max series “That Damn Michael Che” preps for a new season.

This season, Che became the Weekend Update anchor with the almost-most appearances, second only to Seth Meyers. If Che returns for Season 48, he will pass Meyers, which could be what Michaels was referring to when he said that a “year of change” was possible. But however you slice it, Michaels hopes to find Che on the “SNL” roster for its Season 48.

“If I had my way, he’ll be here,” Michaels told the NY Times. “And I don’t always get my way. But when you have someone who’s the real thing,...

Every year around this time – Saturday Night Live’s finale is May 21 – the rumor mill starts as to how the venerable comedy variety series will look next year.

In a longform interview with Michael Che in the New York Times, Lorne Michaels hinted that this off season might be busier than recent years.

The creator and exec producer said that a “year of change” was possible. However, he hoped that Che, who this season became the person with the second most appearances behind the Weekend Update desk, overtaking Seth Meyers, would be a part of that change.

“If I had my way, he’ll be here,” Michaels told the NY Times. “And I don’t always get my way. But when you have someone who’s the real thing, you want to hold on as long as you can.”

Head writer Che himself, who joined SNL in 2013 and became a...

With movie theaters fully back up and running, HBO Max no longer has any major film releases to point to with its list of new releases for May 2022. That’s alright though as the streamer is leaning into the HBO side of its branding to offer up some fun TV releases.

The biggest HBO Max original this month is undoubtedly the return of Hacks on May 12. The first season of this comedy starred Jean Smart as a venerated Vegas comedy and Hannah Einbinder as her new millennial assistant. The first batch of episodes was excellent and even won an Emmy or two for its troubles and now season 2 will look to keep up the good vibes.

Premiering on May 15, is The Time Traveler’s Wife. This series adaptation of the 2003 novel (which in turn became a a 2009 movie) keeps up with two star-crossed lovers who can never quite make the timing work…...

Irony Point might not have wide name recognition just yet, but its projects, which include Netflix’s WGA Award-winning “I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson” and Marvel’s new scripted “Squirrel Girl” podcast, are attracting the attention of high-profile backers.

The banner, now almost 12 months into a three-year overall deal with Netflix, is headed by co-presidents Alex Bach and Daniel Powell. Their little company also has partnered with Endeavor Content and Broadway Video on recent projects.

Endeavor Content, Irony Point’s collaborator on Hulu dramedy “Life & Beth,” is a “behemoth” operating “in a budget space that we’ve previously not even come close to,” Powell tells Variety. “Being partners with them as the studio really allowed us to have our first experience in what I’d say is a different league, but one that we hope to continue in.”

Powell and Bach feel similarly about Irony Point...

Pete Davidson will lead his own comedy series, playing a fictional version of himself. The project, tentatively titled “Bupkis,” comes from Universal Television and “Saturday Night Live” showrunner Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video. While the series has yet to land an official home, it is currently being shopped to streamers.

Beyond starring, Davidson would also serve as co-writer on “Bupkis” with his frequent collaborator David Sirus and “Crashing” producer Judah Miller. All three serve as executive producers, along with Michaels, Andrew Singer and Erin David.

Reports indicate that the premise of “Bupkis” would be comparable to Larry David’s HBO sitcom “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which follows the “Seinfeld” co-creator as he navigates celebrity status and daily life.

Michaels has helped launch other series for his “Saturday Night Live” cast members, including Hulu’s “Shrill” for Aidy Bryant, Apple’s “Schimgadoon!” for Cecily Strong, NBC’s “Kenan” for Kenan Thompson, Peacock’s...

Seth Meyers used to hold the most appearances behind Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update desk.

The Late Night host left SNL with 154 appearances behind the desk but was surpassed by Colin Jost in October.

He has now been pushed back into third place as tonight Michael Che became the second longest-tenured Weekend Update host with 155 appearances.

The stat, from analysis by The SNL Network, comes as Che and Jost, who is now on 162 appearances on Weekend Update, ribbed Melania Trump for her failed Nft hat auction, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s racist school hot line, Peleton and Justice Breyer’s retirement on tonight’s show. Peyton Manning also turned up to talk about his love of Emily in Paris.

Che joined Saturday Night Live as a writer in 2013 before becoming a featured player in 2014, followed by Weekend Update anchor on September 27, 2014 in Season 40 alongside Jost, who had previously been co-anchoring alongside Cecily Strong.

Exclusive: Irony Point, the production company set up by Inside Amy Schumer co-creator Daniel Powell and Alex Bach, has made a number of hires and promotions.

The company, which is behind Netflix’s I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson and HBO Max’s That Damn Michael Che, has hired Lizzie Frieder from Tina Fey’s company Little Stranger and Spurgeon Smith from Entertainment Partners. It has also promoted Ayesha Rokadia, who is a co-exec producer on That Damn Michael Che and produced Che’s recent Netflix special Shame The Devil, to partner.

Frieder, who worked on Peacock’s Girls5Eva, has been named Director of Development and Smith has been hired as Head of Operations, having spent nine years at Entertainment Partners.

Frieder, who is based in New York, started her career at UTA and other credits include NBC’s Mr. Mayor and Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy Vs.

Photo: New SNL Saturday Night Live is in its 47th season this year, the long-running and highly successful late-night comedy show acting as a staple in the entertainment industry. The premiere episode, which aired earlier this month, teased a cast of new writers, who are to join SNL and redefine the new generation of actors and producers. Ten new writers have been hired for this season, the team now including names like Mike Dicenzo, former Fallon writer, and Alex English, a performer from ‘That Damn Michael Che.’ Most notably, an internet sensation is known as ‘Please Don’t Destroy,’ made up of three talented writers and creators who have been blowing up recently. Related article: Exclusive: 'Dune' Full Commentary, Reactions, Making Of - Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac Related article: 'No Time to Die' Full Commentary, Behind the Scenes & Reactions, Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Bond Related...

HBO Max is not moving forward with a second season of Generation.

The streamer on Tuesday confirmed the series has been canceled.

“We will not be moving forward with a second season of Generation,” HBO Max said in a statement.

“We are very proud to have partnered with Zelda and Daniel Barnz to faithfully and authentically represent LGBTQ youth with such a diverse group of characters and layered stories."

"We thank them and our wonderfully gifted cast for all their hard work and collaboration.”

Generation followed “a diverse group of high school students whose exploration of modern sexuality (devices and all) tests deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their conservative community,” according to its official loglne from the streamer.

The cast included Nathanya Alexander (Ocean’s Eight), Chloe East (Kevin (Probably) Saves the World), Nava Mau (Sam’s Town), Lukita Maxwell (Speechless), Haley Sanchez (Redress...

Michael Che is facing the wrath of the internet after sharing offensive jokes on social media about Olympian Simone Biles. This week, Biles has been dominating the headlines after withdrawing from the finals of the individual all-around competition citing mental health concerns. She has garnered a lot of support from fans happy to see her placing her well being above the competition, though others have used the opportunity to poke fun at the gymnast.

Enter Che, who announced in his Instagram stories his plans to mock 2012 Summer Olympic Games star Biles, perhaps in light of all of the media attention she's been getting. Oddly, he went so far as to indirectly encourage his followers to join in by sharing some of the jokes about Biles people had sent in. As the jokes even touched on Larry Nasser and the sexual abuse of female athletes, this was quick to bring backlash back to Che,...

AT&T impressed Wall Street with a strong Q2 earnings report on Thursday, which included the news that the conglomerate added 2.8 million subscribers between HBO and the HBO Max streaming service.

The subscriber growth at HBO and HBO Max helped AT&T exceed Wall Street’s financial expectations for the company’s Q2; AT&T’s revenue rose to $44 billion, a 7.6 percent increase that surpassed analyst expectations of $42.67 billion, according to Refinitiv data obtained by CNBC. The subscriber gains were similar to those reported during AT&T’s Q1 earnings report, when the company stated that HBO and HBO Max had gained 2.7 million subscribers, which indicated a strong surge in interest for HBO Max following the streamer’s shaky launch last year.

As with most of the company’s earnings reports, AT&T did not specify how many of the subscriber gains were specifically for HBO Max.

Still, Thursday’s report...

Big Little Lies vet Shailene Woodley is taking on another tale about complicated ladies, with a starring role in Showtime’s straight-to-series drama Three Women.

“In this intimate, haunting portrayal of American female desire, three women are on a crash course to radically overturn their lives,” reads the official synopsis. “Lina, a homemaker in suburban Indiana, is a decade into a passionless marriage when she embarks on an affair that quickly becomes all-consuming and transforms her life. Sloane, a glamorous entrepreneur in the Northeast, has a committed open marriage with Richard, until two sexy new strangers threaten their aspirational love story.

Michael Che is returning to HBO Max. The streamer has renewed his sketch comedy series That Damn Michael Che for a second season.

That Damn Michael Che, which debuted in May, uses sketches and vignettes to illustrate what it feels like to experience various everyday situations including racial profiling, unemployment, falling in love and more, from Che’s perspective.

The first season featured SNL cast members Cecily Strong, Heidi Gardner, Colin Quinn, Ellen Cleghorne and Che’s “Weekend Update” co-anchor Colin Jost, along with guest stars Omari Hardwick, Geoffrey Owens, Godfrey, Billy Porter and Method Man.

Cancellations/Renewals Scorecard: TV Shows Ended Or Continuing In 2020-21 Season

That Damn Michael Che is produced by Universal Television, Broadway Video and Irony Point with Michael Che, Lorne Michaels, Erin Doyle serving as executive producers.

Said Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content at HBO Max: “Michael’s comedic style is truly unique...

“That Damn Michael Che” has been renewed for Season 2 at HBO Max.

The first season of the comedy series premiered on the streaming service back in May. The series, in which Che also stars, features a mix of comedy sketches and vignettes to tackle issues such as racial profiling, unemployment, falling in love and more.

Michael’s comedic style is truly unique and his ability to convey provocative subject matter through a comedic lens is the reason why season one of ‘That Damn Michael Che’ was such a success,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content for HBO Max. “We look forward to working with him again on a second season.”

“That Damn Michael Che” is produced by Universal Television, Broadway Video, and Irony Point. Che, Lorne Michaels, and Erin Doyle serve as executive producers.

Che is best known for his work on “Saturday Night Live,” where he began working...

HBO Max has renewed the Max Original comedy series "That Damn Michael Che" for a second season. The series premiered in May of this year and was created by and stars Michael Che ("Saturday Night Live").

The series is in the style of sketch comedy, with each episode centering on a specific topic, from racial profiling to unemployment to falling in love, according to the show's log line. Through the series' use of sketches and vignettes, it shows what it feels like to experience the certain themes or incidents from Che's perspective.

“Michael's comedic style is truly unique and his ability to convey provocative subject matter through a comedic lens is the reason why Season 1 of 'That Damn Michael Che' was such a success," said Sarah Aubrey, the head of original content at HBO Max, in a news release. "We look forward to working with him again on a second season.

Exclusive: WME has inked 2x Emmy nominated Saturday Night Live writer and stand-up comic Sam Jay in all areas.

Jay can currently be seen on Pause. with Sam Jay, a weekly late-night series on HBO which was just picked up for season 2. Jay also wrote on the comedy sketch series That Damn Michael Che which can currently be seen on HBO Max.

She is set to begin production on Peacock comedy Bust Down, executive-produced by Lorne Michaels and co-starring Chris Redd, Langston Kerman and Jak Knight.

Jay debuted her first one-hour stand up special, Sam Jay: 3 in the Morning, on Netflix last August.

In 2019, she made her Netflix debut on The Comedy Lineup and released her album Donna’s Daughter through Comedy Central Records.

In 2018, Jay wrote for The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards and the MTV Movie & TV Awards. Her 2018 TV credits include a recurring role on TV Land’s...

The pandemic’s impact in halting TV productions and delaying airdates has kept many contenders from competing for Emmys this year, but it hasn’t kept the competition from being robust in all the major categories.

And in a different way, Covid has managed to make a number of big races even tougher. That’s because under current Emmy rules, fewer entries can mean fewer nominees — and in more than 40% of the acting categories, nine out of 21, this year’s field will have fewer nominees than last year.

That’s going to make things more difficult for lots of performers who might be on the bubble, from Jane Levy, Lena Waithe, Ralph Macchio, Kenan Thompson, Allison Janney and Maya Erskine in the lead comedy categories to guest contenders like Anya Taylor-Joy, Judi Dench, Morgan Freeman, Aziz Ansari, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Patrick Dempsey.

Because of rules that were established in 2020, the...

It’s a numbers game with “Saturday Night Live” at the Emmys this year. It’s going for its seventh Best Variety Sketch Series win, which would also be a five-peat, and it would just have to beat one other show to do it because the category will only have two nominees. Still with us here?

Due to the sliding scale, now in its second year, that stipulates the number of nominees be proportional to the number of submissions, Best Variety Sketch Series will only have two nominees as only nine shows were submitted. Any category with eight to 11 submissions will have two nominees. The category had three nominees last year. Both are a dramatic swing from 2016-19 when the category boasted six nominees.

Given its brand name and the fact that it’s the four-time defending champ, “SNL” feels like a shoo-in for one of those slots and likely...

“Reading Homer was a very powerful experience,” says Chase W. Dillon about his first time with the script for “The Underground Railroad.” Based on Colson Whitehead‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name and directed by Academy Award winner Barry Jenkins, the 10-episode limited series follows Cora (Thuso Mbedu), an enslaved girl who makes a bid for freedom from slaveholding Georgia in 19th-century United States. In our exclusive video interview with Dillon (watch above), the actor talks us through his initial reaction to the script, Homer’s complexity, and working with Jenkins.

Dillon plays Homer, a 10-year-old Black boy and a former slave, who was set free by Ridgeway (Joel Edgerton) and now drives the latter’s wagon and keeps his records. Having also read half of the source material and conducted extensive research in preparation for the project, Dillon explains that merely reading the script gave him considerable insight into who Homer is.

The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have been felt far and wide, with the latest being on the nominations-round ballots for the 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

The total number of submissions are down significantly across most categories. The drama series race sees 133 contenders, while the comedy series race sees 68 titles on the ballot and the limited series/anthology category has 37 programs on the ballot. Last year, drama series came in at a whopping 197, while comedy had a strong showing at 111 and limited series came in at 41. A category where submissions are up for the first time in a long time is TV movie, which sees 41 nominees this year (compared to last year’s 28).

Interestingly, Spectrum Originals “The Bite,” from creators and showrunners Robert and Michelle King, ended up submitting in the drama series category, despite originally being developed as a limited series. The Kings did recently tell Variety that...