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Ron Nyswaner will soon be traveling to New York to reunite with his Writers Guild of America East fellows for a grand occasion. The Oscar-nominated screenwriter, producer and showrunner has been selected to receive the Walter Bernstein Award at the 76th Writers Guild Awards at New York’s Edison Ballroom on April 14.

The honor — named after the late screenwriter who was blacklisted for his political views only to persevere and get his career back on track with such credits as Fail-Safe, Semi-Tough and Yanks — is presented to writers “who have demonstrated with creativity, grace and bravery a willingness to confront social injustice in the face of adversity,” per the organization.

Nyswaner has been doing that for pretty much his entire career. A prime example is Jonathan Demme’s 1993 film Philadelphia. Penned by Nyswaner, the Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington-starrer was the first major Hollywood film to dramatize the real-world...

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It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole when scrolling through a pileup of shows, and not really knowing what you’re in the mood for. If you’re like a lot of people who have been spending more time at home than usual, there’s a chance that your TV watching habits have changed in the last year.

Whatever your ritual – whether it’s settling in for a weekend binge session, or catching up on shows during the weekday, true-crime documentaries are an easy way to feed your obsession.

After more than a year in lockdown, and adjusting to social distancing, working from home, and distanced-learning, watching a good series feels like a form of self-care.

RuPaul's Drag Race remains a force to be reckoned with on the awards front.

The Critics Choice Real TV Awards unveiled winners for its third annual editions.

There were three ties among this year’s winner’s pool – RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1) and The Great British Baking Sho” (Netflix) tied for Best Competition Series, The Masked Singer (Fox) and The Voice (NBC) tied for Best Competition Series: Talent/Variety.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network) and The Oprah Conversation (Apple TV+) tied for Best Structured Series.

RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1) was the only series to take home multiple awards, also winning for Best Ensemble Cast In An Unscripted Series.

In the fan voted categories, Phil Rosenthal – Somebody Feed Phil”(Netflix) was awarded Male Star of the Year, while Sandra Lee – Dr. Pimple Popper (TLC) was named Female Star of the Year.

Netflix, which led the networks in nominations, also led in wins,...

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” led all programs at this year’s virtual Critics Choice Real TV Awards, with two nods — for best competition series and best ensemble cast in an unscripted series. But the real surprise, as the awards were announced Monday via press release, was the sheer number of ties in top categories.

VH1’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race” tied with Netflix’s “The Great British Baking Show” (Netflix) for competition series, while “The Masked Singer” (Fox) and “The Voice” (NBC) tied for competition series: talent/variety, and “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” (Food Network) and “The Oprah Conversation” (Apple TV Plus) tied for structured series.

In the fan voted categories, Netflix’s “Somebody Feed Phil” host Phil Rosenthal was named male star of the year, while Sandra Lee of TLC’s “Dr. Pimple Popper” (TLC) was named female star of the year. Alex Trebek was honored posthumously with this year’s Impact Award,...

When speaking with talent affiliated with some of the most prominent television documentaries of the past year, the subjects of their favorite documentaries as well as the challenges of conveying the truth in a time when it’s easy to get lost in disinformation were subjects that provoked deep discussions. Gold Derby recently put this question to James Gay-Rees (“1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything”), Hao Wu (“76 Days”), Madison Hamburg (“Murder on Middle Beach”), Ellen Kuras (“Pretend it’s a City”) and Wendy Williams (“Wendy Williams: What a Mess”) during our recent “Meet the Experts” panel.

You can watch the documentary group panel above with these five creative talents. Click on each person’s name above to be taken to their individual interview.

For Hamburg, he wasn’t able to single out one specific documentary that influenced him. He did cite masters of the genre including Frederick Wiseman and Steve James,...

Years before she was murdered, Madison Hamburg’s mother Barbara Hamburg gave him a gift that would shape his life forever. “My parents told me that they were getting divorced the day before Christmas when I was 11 and on Christmas Day they bought me a Handycam,” Hamburg tells Gold Derby at our Meet the Experts: Television Documentary panel (watch the exclusive video interview above). From that moment on, Madison would use film as a coping mechanism for when things got difficult in his life. “I sort of like lost myself and just filming the world around me. It was a sort of escapism at that point, but it helped me develop a language for communicating a lot of stuff that I can’t properly articulate.”

“Murder on Middle Beach,” which can currently be streamed on HBO Max, features Madison telling the story of how his mother was murdered in his...

Nominations for the third annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards were announced Tuesday, and it was another clean sweep for RuPaul's Drag Race.

The reality series managed five total nominations.

Queer Eye (Netflix), Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (CNN), Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (Hulu), and Top Chef (Bravo) all managed three each.

If we look at networks alone, Netflix leads the way, netting 22 nominations.

HBO/HBO Max (with 14) follows the streamer in nominations, along with Food Networ /Food Network Kitchen (with six), VH1 (with six), National Geographic / Nat Geo Wild (with 5), and Discovery Channel / discovery+ (with 5).

Have a look at the full list below.

Best Competition Series

RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

The Amazing Race (CBS)

The Great British Baking Show (Netflix)

Top Chef (Bravo)

Tough as Nails (CBS)

Best Competition Series: Talent/Variety

American Idol (ABC)

Legendary (HBO Max)

The Masked Singer (Fox)

The Voice (NBC)

World of Dance...

VH1’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race” led all nominees as the Critics Choice Association and nonfiction producers’ organization Npact announced on Wednesday the nominees for the third annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards. The org also announced it would posthumously honor late “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” landed five awards, including best competition series, best ensemble cast in an unscripted series, female star of the year for Michelle Visage, and both male star of the year and best show host for RuPaul Charles.

Programs next in line with three nominations included “Queer Eye” (Netflix), “Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy” (CNN), “Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi” (Hulu), and “Top Chef” (Bravo). Netflix led all outlets with 22 nominations, while the Critics Choice for some reason decided to combine HBO and HBO Max’s tallies, even though they are technically separate outlets, and together they received 14 nods.

The Critics Choice Real Awards,...

When nominations for the third annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards were announced on Wednesday, RuPaul’s Drag Race led with five.

At the award show, recognizing “excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programing across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms,” the long-running VH1 series is up for Best Competition Series, Best Ensemble Cast In An Unscripted Series, Best Show Host (RuPaul), Male Star of the Year (RuPaul) and Female Star of the Year (Michelle Visage).

Other series leading in noms this year, with three each, include Queer Eye (Netflix), Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (CNN), Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (Hulu) and Top Chef (Bravo).

The leader this year among networks is Netflix, which scored 22 nominations. HBO / HBO Max (with 14) follows the streamer in nominations, along with Food Network / Food Network Kitchen (with six), VH1 (with six), National Geographic / Nat Geo Wild (with 5) and Discovery Channel / discovery+ (with 5).

At this year’s ceremony,...

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” leads all programs in nominations for the third annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards, which were announced on Wednesday.

The nominations confirmed that the series is a favorite of voters in the Critics Choice Association, who gave it the Best Competition Series award in 2019 and 2020, the only two years the show that honors nonfiction and reality television has taken place.

“RuPaul” received nominations in five categories: Best Competition Series, Best Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series, Female Star of the Year (Michelle Visage) and Best Show Host and Male Star of the Year nominations for RuPaul.

“Queer Eye” and a trio of food-oriented shows – “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy,” “Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi” and “Top Chef” – received three nominations each. The shows with two nominations were “Crikey! It’s the Irwins,” “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” “Murder on Middle Beach,” “Nailed It!,...

This story about “Night Stalker” first appeared in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s Emmy magazine.

Making a documentary about sadistic serial killer Richard Ramirez, also known as the Night Stalker, was no easy feat for filmmaker Tiller Russell. The director/producer knew he would have to respect the victims’ trauma while showcasing Ramirez’s crimes, which were extremely violent in nature. By anchoring the story in the perspective of Gil Carrillo, one of the detectives who helped solve the case, he was able to carefully craft the Netflix docuseries, “Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer,” set to the tone of Hollywood noir.

“Had I not met Gil or Frank, I would’ve never done the story,” Russell said. “It was their experience of it that anchored me to it. Frank and Gil were this odd couple of detectives who had this journey which you can tell...

Check out the premiere of our interviews with the creative teams behind “What a Mess” (Wendy Williams), “Pretend It’s a City” (cinematographer Ellen Kuras), “76 Days” (director and writer Hao Wu), “Murder on Middle Beach” (Madison Hamburg) and “1971” (producer James Gay-Rees). Followed by a roundtable discussion hosted by Charles Bright. The event is part of Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Btl Experts” series.

Five top TV documentarians will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with key 2021 guild and Emmy contenders this month. Each person will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Wednesday, May 26, at 5:00 p.m. Pt; 8:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our contributing editor Charles Bright and a group chat with Charles and all of the group together.

RSVP today to this specific event by clicking here to book your reservation. Or click here to RSVP for our entire ongoing panel series. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2021 guild and Emmy contenders:

“1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything”: James Gay-Rees

Synopsis: The musicians and soundtracks that shaped the culture and politics of 1971.

“76 Days...

Content Warning: the following article contains discussions of animal abuse, sexual violence, and violence.

True crime is definitely one of the rising stars of documentaries and generally non-fiction programming. People have a morbid fascination with killers and assorted criminals and an unquenchable thirst for mysteries and dark plots; a sort of metaphorical wound culture, which keeps getting fed.

Related: Murder On Middle Beach & 9 Other Great True Crime Shows Only On HBO Max

Netflix has been an active and good player in the arena of true crime and they suffer from the opposite of a shortage of shows. So, here we have some recommendations for the best Netflix true crime series available, according to the fans.

Raw and intimate, HBO's new four-part docuseries Murder on Middle Beach follows new filmmaker Madison Hamburg as he attempts to solve the murder of his mother Barbara, who was attacked in her own front yard in Connecticut in 2010. Madison digs deep into his mother's past, examining every member of his family as the possible culprit.

Related: 10 Of The Best Crime Docuseries (According To IMDb)

Unsolved crimes leave the loved ones of victims tangled up in unresolved pain and trauma. Some family members and friends turn to television and film to shine a light on their cold cases, hopeful that more attention will bring the people responsible to justice. Resolution isn't always easy to come by, but the documentaries made about unsolved crimes testify to the power of never giving up - even when police officials move on.

This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings and monthly guide to What’s on Streaming.

With more than 530 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.

More from TVLineWhat's New on Netflix in DecemberFreeform's 25 Days of Christmas Schedule110+ TV Shows That Ended in 2020:...

There are a few moments in Murder on Middle Beach, HBO's latest true crime docu-series, where you might find yourself covering your eyes or fighting the urge to crawl out of your skin. And it's not because of the violence or gruesome images. The filmmaker just has a very intimate and intense relationship with his interview subjects. Madison Hamburg was just 18 years old when his mother, Barbara Hamburg, was murdered outside of their Madison, Conn. home in in 2010. More than a decade later, the crime remains unsolved. But Madison has never stopped searching for answers—even when it meant asking his family members uncomfortable questions, like, "Did you murder my mom?" You know, just for...

It’s finally the weekend, and with most places around the world still experiencing lockdowns to some degree, not to mention cold weather beginning to take over in a lot of countries now that it’s winter, many people will no doubt be looking to remain indoors and flip on some quality content. And lucky for them, the various streaming services continue to deliver.

Be it Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu or HBO Max, there’s a ton of great stuff to dig into and each of the major platforms is constantly updated, with this weekend bringing several exciting titles that might be worth your time. And down below, you can see the complete list of what’s set to arrive across today, Saturday and Sunday.

Ready to dive in?

December 4

Netflix

Bhaag Beanie Bhaag — Netflix Original

Big Mouth: Season 4 — Netflix Original

Bombay Rose — Netflix Film

Captain...

(Spoiler Alert: The story below contains spoilers about HBO’s “Murder on Middle Beach”)

HBO’s “Murder on Middle Beach” focuses on a filmmaker, Madison Hamburg, who is trying to find answers to his mother’s unsolved murder 10 years ago. While the lines were often blurred between being an unbiased journalist and a grieving son, he learned a lot about his family, and Hamburg says he feels like he got a second chance at being a better son through the making of his documentary series.

Barbara Hamburg was murdered in 2010 in Madison, Connecticut, and found outside of her home by her sister, Conway Beach, and her daughter, Ali. The case remains unsolved today.

As the docuseries progresses, Madison Hamburg discovers things about his mother that he previously had not known, as well as complicated family dynamics, all while trying to eliminate suspects in his family.

“The story revolves around me looking for answers,...

At four episodes — three hovering around an hour and a finale stretched to a whopping 90 minutes — HBO’s Murder on Middle Beach is an ambitious calling card for director Madison Hamburg. It’s an interrogation of several of the most common modes of documentary filmmaking — part self-exploration, part true crime, part family tree — and that sort of thing takes time and investment, from the director and the audience.

Could it have been a two-hour movie or perhaps a tighter two-night HBO event? Probably. Heck, absolutely. Still, it’s hard not to appreciate all of the things ...

At four episodes — three hovering around an hour and a finale stretched to a whopping 90 minutes — HBO’s Murder on Middle Beach is an ambitious calling card for director Madison Hamburg. It’s an interrogation of several of the most common modes of documentary filmmaking — part self-exploration, part true crime, part family tree — and that sort of thing takes time and investment, from the director and the audience.

Could it have been a two-hour movie or perhaps a tighter two-night HBO event? Probably. Heck, absolutely. Still, it’s hard not to appreciate all of the things ...

This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings and monthly guide to What’s on Streaming.

With more than 530 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.

More from TVLineWhat's New on Netflix in November — Plus: Disney+, HBO Max and Others2021 Renewal Scorecard: What's Coming Back?...

Murder On Middle Beach is an eight-year odyssey taken by Madison Hamburg, which plays as a love letter to his deceased mother, Barbara.

Madison was only 18 when his mother was found murdered outside of their home in Middle Beach, and it threatened to take the foundation out from under him.

Part of his journey to recovery was using his life-long passion for film to take a college professor's advice and turn a short into a full length documentary.

Murder On Middle Beach finds Madison documenting his hunt for clues and answers surrounding his mother's unsolved murder, and it taken him down long and winding roads uncovering family secrets that ultimately help the family to heal and reconnect.

It's an incredibly moving piece of film, and one that pulls the viewer directly into the world of true crime, something that has become a form of entertainment for many.

There is nothing...

As TV begins to get back to normal, there is still a lot of new programming avaialable for those of you who couldn't care less about broadcast.

This week, The Crown returns, His Dark Materials Season 2 begins, HBO premieres Murder on Middle Beach, and Supernatural airs its last show.

There is a lot going on, so take a look.

Saturday, November 14

8/7c Christmas In Vienna (Hallmark)

Grey's Anatomy's Sarah Drew stars in this Hallmark holiday movie with Brendan Elliott.

Jess Waters (Drew) is an accomplished violinist who has lost her passion for music and has been invited to perform at the Vienna Music Hall's prestigious Christmas Eve concert. Mark Olson (Elliott) is a diplomat in Vienna and a widowed father of three whose job is constantly keeping them moving.

Jess arrives in Vienna two weeks before her show, which gives her time to visit her friend Tori Voigt. Teri...

I remember as a teenager reading Lois Duncan’s “I Know Who Killed My Daughter,” a gateway tome for many future true crime lovers. It was a story gripping in its narrative, but also utterly terrifying in the realization that homicide can touch anyone and leave a family with only fragments of tinted memories of who their loved one was, with a lack of answers into their death hanging over their head. I have no doubt that Madison Hamburg’s “Murder on Middle Beach,” on HBO will feel familiar to those who have read Duncan’s story — or that of any crime victim.

On March 3, 2010 Barbara Beach Hamburg was found murdered on her front lawn. The suspect pool seemed small and obvious; Hamburg was going through a contentious divorce with her husband who owed her a significant amount of alimony and child support. But as with most true crime documentaries,...

Madison Hamburg began working on a documentary about his mother’s life and murder when he was still in film school in 2013, but as he was doing so, he did not tell anyone outside of the crew he was working with and the family members he was interviewing for the piece what he was doing. Living a self-described “double life,” Hamburg says, led him to feeling “fragmented as a person,” and now that the result of that multi-year project is finally being shared with the world he is hoping for the “closure to feel whole again.”

The road has not been easy for Hamburg, though. As he documents in the four-part “Murder on Middle Beach” docuseries, debuting Nov. 15 on HBO, he was a teenager when his mother, Barbara Beach Hamburg, was murdered in 2010. He was also dealing with a drug addiction, for which he went to rehab later that year.

It’s Friday the 13th, and while that’s unlucky for some, it’s a lucky day for those looking for fresh content to stream as it kicks off a weekend that’s bursting with great new movies and TV shows. Whether you’re subscribed to Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Hulu or Prime Video, or any combination of them, you’ll find much to keep yourself entertained over the next few days.

This Friday, Netflix adds several original titles – including family holiday movie Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, drama film The Life Ahead and Spanish crime thriller series The Minions of Midas. Over on Disney Plus, meanwhile, the latest episode of The Mandalorian season 2 drops, and Hulu users can check out the season premieres of Grey’s Anatomy, Law & Order: Svu and Station 19 as well as original Greta Thunberg documentary I Am Greta.

And on Prime Video, you...

After The Vow, HBO is returning to the true-crime well with its four-part docuseries Murder on Middle Beach, in which filmmaker Madison Hamburg investigates his mother's mysterious death. Barbara Hamburg was found murdered on the yard of her Middle Beach Road rental home in Connecticut on the morning of March 3, 2010. The autopsy revealed that the 48-year-old's death came from blunt force trauma and sharp force injury. On the day she died, Barbara was supposed to show up in family court for a case with her ex-husband Jeffrey Hamburg, who Barbara, over the years, alleged owed thousands in alimony and child support.

Immediately, Jeffrey became a person of interest, but no one was ever charged. To this day, Barbara's case remains unsolved. But while mystery shrouds her story, there have been theories about Barbara's death - here are the two main ones to emerge.

Theory No. 1: Jeffrey Hamburg Killed His...

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? This week, […]

The post This Week In Trailers: Crock of Gold, City So Real, Zappa, Couples Therapy: The Covid Special, Murder on Middle Beach appeared first on /Film.