| PETER FRIEDLANDER TAKES OVER GLOBAL TV AT AMAZON MGM STUDIOS |
| FORMER TOP NETFLIX PROGRAMMER SUCCEEDS VERNON SANDERS |
Peter Friedlander, who recently left Netflix as Head of U.S. and Canada Scripted Series, has joined Amazon MGM Studios as the new Head of Global TV. He succeeds Vernon Sanders.
Friedlander will oversee Amazon MGM Studios’ original TV portfolio in the U.S. as well as global tentpole titles in addition to MGM Television and MGM Alternative.
Friedlander, a 14-year Netflix veteran, had emerged as the top contender to replace Sanders. He had been rumored to be heading to Amazon for a couple of weeks, even before Sander’s exit was revealed September 17.
This marks a quick return to the executive ranks for Friedlander just a month after he left Netflix, where he had been one of the longest-serving creative executives, having joined the platform in October 2011 as the first dedicated employee on its original series team. >>>First Day October 6 |
Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
Cherry On Top - Marc Cherry is heading to Netflix with his latest drama series. Deadline understands that the Desperate Housewives creator is developing a new series set in Charleston, South Carolina for the streamer. The untitled project comes from Sandbox Studios, founded by Jason Owen. The series follows four couples—bound by family, marriage, and fate—who sit at the center of Charleston’s most powerful legacy families. >>>Cherry Serves As Showrunner
Micro Value - They’re cheap (kind of) and janky (sure), but the undeniably addictive vertical micro-drama shorts craze has have become veritable salvation for those desperate to break into an ever-exclusive industry. The apps are providing opportunities for folks who don’t mind working on non-union projects with titles like “Sleep with Me Mortal!” and “Ruthless Mafia Daddy.” Deadline’s Lynette Rice went behind the micro-scenes. >>> Industry Still Unaware
Grimm Happy With Blippi - Clayton Grimm, best known for his portrayal of the popular children’s character Blippi, has signed a new multi-year overall talent deal with CoComelon outfit Moonbug Entertainment. Under the pact, Grimm will continue to star as Blippi across platforms and will also play a role in expanding the franchise’s partnerships. >>>Has Played Role Since 2019
Row K Takes 'Poetic License - Row K Entertainment continues to show it’s a theatrical force coming out of the fall film festival troika season. It is acquiring its fourth title: Maude Apatow‘s feature directorial debut Poetic License. We hear that Row K is taking North American distribution theatrical rights for mid-seven figures (in the $5.5 million-$7 million range). >>>Comedy Had Toronto Premiere
Many Faces - From homeless child to career sales of $2B, "Sir" Marco Robinson‘s website trumpets a remarkable rags-to-riches journey. The trouble is, once you start examining the self-styled bestselling author, philanthropist, property tycoon, motivational speaker, TV star and film producer's words in any detail, his claims quickly unravel. >>>Investigation
'Surf's' Back - Ash Brannon and Chris Buck’s Academy-nominated animated mockumentary feature Surf’s Up is set for the small screen treatment. Thunderbird Entertainment Group’s Atomic Cartoons is developing Surf’s Up: The Series, an animated show based on the Sony Pictures Animation and Columbia Pictures film from 2007. >>>'Guava Juice Show' Trio Showrunning |
Rob Lowe is back to host another season of Fox‘s game show The Floor, featuring a few new twists and an interesting homage to the U.S. with its Season 4 theme “Battle of the States.” The show has assembled two players per state to represent all 50 members of the Union, duking it out for bragging rights (and up to $250,000). “Everybody’s got their state pride,” Lowe tells Deadline.
It is a stroke of irony that The Floor does not actually film in the U.S. and houses its production just outside of Dublin, Ireland, due to cost-saving measures. It’s a move Lowe himself lamented earlier this year, calling for better incentives, particularly in California, to make domestic production more feasible.
A few months after he insisted that “it’s criminal what California and L.A. have let happen,” the state legislature significantly bolstered California Film & TV Tax Credit program, not only boosting funding to $750M annually but also expanding eligibility. “It’s way better than it was," says Lowe. >>>Interview |
Quotable "From the folks that brought you 9/11" - WTF podcast host Marc Maron slams Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Comedy Festival |
Netfix has rounded out cast for Season 2 of basketball comedy Running Point, adding eight cast members in recurring roles. We’ll also be seeing more of Justin Theroux as Cam Gordon and Uche Agada as Dyson Gibbs, both of whom were upped to series regulars. Exclusive Sullivan’s Crossing has expanded its Season 4 cast, adding Fuad Ahmed, Jonathan Silverman, Colby Frost and Emerson MacNeil as new series regulars.
In Brief - Lucy Liu to star in Peacock's Superfakes... Six more join Millie Bobbie Brown in Just Picture It
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BY THE NUMBERS 5.1M - 35-day multi-platform viewing average for Big Brother Season 27 across linear and streaming |
MORE NEWS
🔌 NBCUniversal is warning YouTube TV's 10 million subscribers that their programming could go dark next Tuesday night unless the companies can reach terms on a carriage deal. Some key deal elements, and YouTube TV's scale as a Big Tech provider of TV service, will keep this fight in the industry spotlight.
⚖️ As long desired by Donald Trump, James Comey was indicted Thursday by a Virginia grand jury on charges of lying to Congress.
💸 Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch saw his annual compensation rise to $33 million in fiscal 2025 from $23.8 million in the previous year, according to a proxy statement filed with the SEC.
👩⚖️ Almost three years after now former 20th TV executive Nissa Diederich and Disney were accused of retaliation, blacklisting and more in a lawsuit filed by stuntman Jimmy Sharp, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge has tossed out the action.
🎭 London’s Royal Court Theatre has entered into an exclusive first-look deal with New York-based producers Brian and Dayna Lee. The pair helped usher Mark Rosenblatt’s hit debut play Giant, featuring a blistering portrait of novelist Roald Dahl’s antisemitism by John Lithgow, from Sloane Square to the West End to Broadway, where it opens in March. |
OBITUARIES 🕯️ Laura Offer, a well-respected factual producer for the likes of Disney+, Discovery and National Geographic, has died after a short illness. She was 41.🕯️ 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery |
ON THE RADAR
Fri - New York Film Festival opens; Ryder Cup tees off
Sat - Global Citizen Festival in Central Park
Mon - Jimmy Kimmel Live! kicks off Brooklyn Week; Stephen Colbert, Ryan Reynolds, Tom Hanks among guests |
'Powers' Play - Glen Powell, Cyndy Powell and Glen Powell Sr. attend the red carpet premiere of Hulu's Chad Powers at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. |
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