Variety 2/10/2022

How could Jeff Zucker let himself self-destruct like that? It’s now been reported extensively just how many of his loyalists at CNN are outraged that WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar abruptly forced the charismatic leader out of his post last week for failing to disclose a romantic relationship with his “closest colleague,” chief marketing officer Allison Gollust. After all, his supporters argue, this was a consensual relationship between two single adults, so therefore what was the actual harm? True enough, but unfortunately the harm done was done by Zucker himself, and it ultimately led to his undoing at CNN when an enemy seized an opportunity to bring him down over it. Media outlets are speculating whether there might have been extenuating circumstances that have yet to surface publicly. In any case,…

Ever since Jeff Zucker seized the reins at CNN in early 2013, the cable news network has been one of the loudest voices in media circles. Now, even though Discovery didn’t push the executive out, there’s a sense the company will, after it buys CNN along with the rest of WarnerMedia, look to turn down the volume. In the Zucker era, CNN became more swashbuckling and more opinionated than it ever was under founder Ted Turner or his successors at the former Time Warner. CNN went from deliver-ing the headlines to being in the headlines. But Zucker pushed CNN to be blunt and unstinting in its efforts to hold feet to the fire. Zucker is friends with Discovery chief David Zaslav, and there had been an expectation the two would…

NBCUniversal’s Peacock service has yet to score a breakthrough hit comparable to its streaming rivals. But the first-time showrunners of the Will Smith-produced “Bel-Air” are bullish about their ability to do so, given its iconic roots and the marketing push surrounding its Super Bowl Sunday debut. “I love our position,” says Rasheed Newson, co-showrunner with T.J. Brady, his longtime writing partner, who suggests that the show could provide a transformative role on the service akin to “Breaking Bad” on AMC during its early forays into original programming. NBC will air a custom spot during the big game on Feb. 13 to encourage pigskin viewers to sample the show, a dark reimagining of 1990s hit sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” that was inspired by Morgan Cooper’s 2019 viral video revisiting…

Tyler Perry’s previous Madea movies have raked in more than $600 million at the box office. But a theatrical debut for “A Madea Homecoming,” which launches Feb. 25 on Netflix, was never part of his conversation with the company. “I didn’t even think about it. They’re a streaming service, and I understand the importance of making content in support of that,” Perry tells Variety, noting that he released “Madea’s Farewell Play,” a filmed version of the stage show, on BET Plus under his deal with parent company ViacomCBS. Perry, who has built a media empire since he created the foulmouthed, gun-toting grandma two decades ago, had intended to say goodbye to performing as Mabel “Madea” Simmons in 2019 with “A Madea Family Funeral,” his last Lionsgate theatrical release, and then…

GUEST COLUMN For me, Black History Month is best illustrated by my 92-year-old grandmother Ella Queen Johnson’s recall of our family stories. She shares these stories knowing that the wider world lacks a true and full recognition of the African American family legacy. For most of her long life, she has known that she should not look for depth and dimension in film and television as it relates to families like ours. This is the very reason why she told our history to us herself. My grandmother is a dynamic woman who is not formally trained as a teacher or a historian, but nonetheless, she is both. I am drawn to distributing films created by indie Black filmmakers through Array as a continuation of her calling. By supporting storytellers in…

Long after selling the Muppets to Disney and the “Sesame Street” characters to Sesame Workshop, the Jim Henson Co. is busy creating new fare via originals — like an upcoming live-action fantasy series with “The Walking Dead” star Norman Reedus — and existing IP that the company still owns, like “Fraggle Rock.” Reedus has worked with zombies for years on the AMC hit. Now, he’s teaming with Brian and Wendy Froud (“The Dark Crystal”) on the primetime adventure series intended for a family audience. The Frouds will create an entirely new universe of creatures for the show, which is in early development. The pairing “is the mashup of my dreams,” says Halle Stanford, president of TV at the Jim Henson Co. “Norman is an artist, and when I suggested to…