TV Ratings: ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Final Season Premieres Even, ‘Game On!’ Tops the Night

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterWarner Bros. argues in new court filings that it never agreed to an exclusively theatrical release for “The Matrix Resurrections,” and that Village Roadshow still owes $112.5 million in production expenses on the project.The studio is responding to a lawsuit filed last week, in which Village Roadshow alleged that Warner Bros. had breached its co-financing agreement by releasing the film simultaneously on HBO Max.

Manori Ravindran International Editor“Sexy Beast” is back, and it’s part of a slate of six international scripted originals heading to Paramount Plus, Variety can reveal.The long-simmering “Sexy Beast” prequel series has evidently been resuscitated for the streamer after being scrapped for Paramount Network in 2020.The U.K.-originated show, based on the cult classic film of the same name, centers on the characters of Gal Dove and Don Logan (originally played by Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley, respectively) as they descend into London’s criminal underbelly during the volatile 1990s.Paramount Plus describes the series as “a love story between two men — à la Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” It’s produced by Chapter One and VIS, with showrunner Michael Caleo (“The Sopranos”) attached. Also heading to Paramount Plus out of the U.K.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMadison Avenue is getting closer to realizing its dream of using TV advertising to talk to viewers in a style more akin to a one-to-one conversationThe future of the humble TV ad has long been described as the following: New data and interactive technology will trim the practice of throwing a diaper ad or a car spot at every single member of the audience. Instead, more marketers will use addressable technology that allows them to beam different ads to different household, all in the same “slot” in a commercial break.Horizon, the independent media-investment company, will help deploy addressable ads in national linear inventory on networks owned by A+E Networks and Fox Corp.

Maluma appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to chat about his acting debut in the rom-com Marry Me alongside HOLA! USA Latina Powerhouse Jennifer Lopez and actor Owen Wilson. While talking to Ellen, the Colombian singer shared details of his first day on set and how he ended up yelling at his co-star. The singer also opened up his thoughts on marriage, revealing what kind of wedding he would want —if he ever walks down the aisle.

Drew Barrymore is putting in the work. The actress says she is proud of herself for working up the courage to start dating again, and while her first try didn’t go as expected, Drew is definitely making progress.During a recent episode of ‘The Drew Barrymore Show,’ the host detailed a recent encounter she had with a man she saw while going on a walk in New York City.The Hollywood star said she was in Central Park over the weekend and noticed a man who “was really cute,” so she decided to start following him.“I was wearing a full balaclava so the only thing that’s out is my peepers,“ she explained, adding that she approached the mystery man and said, “Hi, I was wondering if I could ask you a question.”Drew asked him if he was single, to which he responded hesitant, so she asked “are you gay?” adding that she has “no gaydar” and because she is “so gay man adjacent and everyone around me is gay and I always fall for the wrong guy.”So when the man said “no,” she went on to remove her hood and balaclava, however he didn’t recognize her.

The Amber Ruffin Show” will return with new episodes Feb. 25, Peacock announced Tuesday.The critically acclaimed late-night variety series is hosted by comedian Amber Ruffin, who made history as the first Black woman to write for a late-night network TV show when she joined the writer’s room of “Late Night with Seth Meyers” in 2014. Ruffin’s own show premiered in 2020, as one of the first originals for the Peacock streaming platform.

Mindy Kaling has a special new role. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) announced on Tuesday that the actress, writer and producer is the official ambassador for PanCAN PurpleStride, the organization’s annual fundraiser that raises money for pancreatic cancer research.Why Mindy Kaling almost turned down her Vogue cover“I am so happy to be working with PanCAN again and to participate in PurpleStride. I miss my mother every day, but when I can do anything to help the fight against pancreatic cancer, I feel like I am honoring her memory,” The Office alum, 42, said in a press release.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is mourning the death of his friend, Ivan Reitman. The Czechoslovak-born Canadian film and television director, producer and screenwriter died ‘unexpectedly’ in his California home Saturday night at age 75. The Ghostbusters director and actor worked together on Twins, Junior, and Kindergarten Cop.

Paramount+ may have already had its moment in the sun during the still-ongoing Winter Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour, but today, during their ViacomCBS Investors Event, the company and streamer revealed even more. First off, ViacomCBS? It’s going back to being called just Paramount.

The Dutton Family is a booming business for Paramount, writer/director Taylor Sheridan and the Kevin Costner-led “Yellowstone” franchise has already spun off with the hit prequel “1883” taking more of a direct western leaning and is looking to move forward with the next incarnation. This Montana-set series explores the last real frontier as business interests and nature collide.

New 'Yellowstone' Prequel Series '1932' Greenlit at Paramount Plus What's New on Paramount Plus in February 'SEAL Team,' 'The Game' and 'Mayor of Kingstown' Renewed at Paramount+

According to Forbes magazine's annual list of highest-paid celebrities, Kylie Jenner is the top earner of the year thanks to her successful cosmetics line. The 22-year-old reportedly made $590 million over the past year after she sold a 51 percent stake in her business to beauty company, Coty, in November 2019.

As protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd continued through the week, CNN hit a major ratings milestone: On Wednesday, the network notched its sixth day in a row in the top spot among the cable news channels for total day and primetime viewers in the advertiser-coveted age demographic of 25 to 54.

By Will Thorne

By Will Thorne

By Will Thorne

Wednesday night was a weird one on broadcast television. The highest-rated TV show wasn’t even a TV show — it was an ABC airing of 2009 Disney-Pixar movie “Up.”

As Lea Michele’s colleagues continue to call out her alleged misbehavior, her former Ragtime understudy has jumped on the bandwagon.

By Will Thorne

“America’s Got Talent” and “World of Dance” came within one-tenth of a ratings point of their respective season starts last week, holding NBC well above the fray on Tuesday.

By Will Thorne

Jacqueline Susann's novel Valley of the Dolls, published in 1966, is still one of the best-selling books of all time — more than 31 million copies to date. The novel, which centers on women finding success in New York City, grew more popular after the story was adapted for the big screen — but its journey to the screen was not all an easy path.

Lea Michele starred on the Fox musical series Glee for six seasons as Rachel Berry, but rumors have swirled for years that the actress was difficult to work with. Now, actress Samantha Ware – who played the role of Jane Hayward for 11 episodes during Season 6 – is calling out Michele for her behavior after the mom-to-be posted a message on social media in support of Black Lives Matter.

By Will Thorne

By Will Thorne

ABC premiered new seasons for its summer game shows — “Celebrity Family Feud,” “Press Your Luck” and “Match Game” — on Sunday, when the network coasted to a comfortable ratings win in the key demo.

By Will Thorne

Is Lucifer actually coming to an end, or will the series receive another surprise resurrection? Back in June of 2019, Netflix renewed Lucifer for a fifth and final season, much to the disappointment of Lucifans, but now, it's looking more and more like that decision may get overturned before Season 5 has even premiered!

Tom Ellis has signed on to return for an additional season of his hit series Lucifer!

By Will Thorne

#TGIT, are we right? ABC won another Thursday outright thanks to its lineup of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” “Holey Moley” and “To Tell the Truth.”

By Will Thorne

Wednesday’s primetime TV ratings were rough, even with a new series (“Game On!”) debuting on CBS and the final season premiere of “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” on ABC.

By Will Thorne

By Will Thorne