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Exclusive: After Homicide: Life on the Street landed on Peacock several weeks back, Fremantle has struck its first major deals for the remastered version of NBC’s iconic police series, while senior international exec Bob McCourt has teased a potential remake.

Israel’s Yes and Canada’s Bell Media have picked up Homicide, with more deals close, we understand. Starring Andre Braugher, Yaphet Kotto and Melissa Leo, the show based on David Simon’s book ran for more than 100 episodes and seven seasons in the 1990s and is considered by many to be a precursor to Simon’s The Wire. The HD remastered version launched on Peacock over the summer, and Fremantle, which holds non-u.S. rights, is prioritizing at MIPCOM Cannes, according to Fremantle Commercial and International COO McCourt, who said Homicide “revolutionized the crime genre.”

“We’ve known for a year that this is coming and have been...

Sometimes it’s hard to revisit a favorite TV series you haven’t seen in decades. Will the show hold up or be hopelessly dated? Happily, NBC’s groundbreaking 1993-98 police series “Homicide: Life on the Street” is just as brilliant as it was three decades Peacock recently dropped all seven seasons as well as 2000’s “Homicide: The Movie.”.

As NPR noted: “It was a cop show without gun battles or car chases, with a bracing shot of street-level realism; film mostly in Baltimore. ‘Homicide’ presented stuff you just didn’t see on network television back then: shaky, kinetic camera work, working stiff police detectives cracking jokes at gruesome murder scenes…serialized stories that arced over several episodes, heart-rending killings that never get solved.”

The series, which was set in the fictional Baltimore Police Department Unit, was based on David Simon’s (“The Wire”) 1991 book “Homicide: A Year in the Life of the Killing Streets.

Daniela Melchior is set to join the ensemble of mystery thriller American Sweatshop, starring Lili Reinhart. Producers include Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana. Uta Briesewitz will direct.

In a device driven world, American Sweatshop will take a look at the toll of social media through the eyes of Daisy Moriarty (Reinhart), who while dealing with a chaotic personal life, finds herself sucked into the underbelly of the internet. Moriarty, and a motley group of co-workers, toil in a cottage industry of agencies that evaluate harmful and offensive pictures and videos uploaded to social media. With detached caution and a deranged sense of humor, they examine the millions of posts that get “flagged for review.” But one particularly violent video grabs hold of Daisy, luring her out of this office, away from the safety of her keyboard and into a dangerous world as she obsessively seeks to hold someone accountable.

Melchior...

After years stuck in streaming jail, one of TV’s best cop dramas ever is free at last — and back on the beat.

All seven seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street are finally available to stream on Peacock, as of today, so fans who didn’t catch its original 1993-99 run on NBC can now discover why it’s acknowledged as a stone-cold classic. A gritty look at the life of Baltimore homicide detectives, Homicide boasts an impressive pedigree — it’s based on a book by The Wire’s David Simon, with Oz’s Tom Fontana and Oscar winner...

Today, Homicide: Life on the Street officially gave up its title as the Best TV Show You Can’t Stream. All 122 episodes of the Nineties cop drama are now on Peacock, along with Homicide: The Movie, a 2000 telefilm featuring the entire cast — even the ones whose characters died at some point in the previous seven seasons.

Here are 10 episodes to sample if you want to see what all the fuss is about.

“Gone for Goode” (Season 1, Episode 1)

The Homicide pilot introduces the show’s large, impressive ensemble in a shaggy...

Despite not ever garnering huge ratings on NBC, the critically acclaimed Baltimore-set police show Homicide: Life on the Streets won a number of awards, including several Emmys in its unexpected seven-season run (1993-1999). Created by Paul Attanasio and based on David Simon’s nonfiction book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Street, the show was innovative, beautifully cast appointment television that has had a profound influence on many fine shows that followed. And yet, though it was occasionally syndicated back in the day, Homicide was never available on streaming for fervent fans to rewatch and a new audience looking for fine fare to watch for the first time. That is until now when Peacock finally made it available for a new audience. TV Insider talked to executive producer Tom Fontana, who doesn’t watch his shows after the final edit), about his memories of the show, why it is considered a gem,...

Exclusive: Non-profit Humanitas on Friday announced the five fellows selected for its 2024 New Voices Fellowship, and the awardees of its Carol Mendelsohn College Drama Award and the David and Lynn Angell College Comedy Award.

Recipients of the New Voices Fellowship, a six-month mentorship program for emerging television and screenwriters, include Aj Currie, Lucas Miller, George Pérez, Mads Summerfield, and Kim Lee Winslow. As fellows, they will each be paired with acclaimed screenwriters for one-on-one mentorship focused on polishing a script submitted for fellowship consideration. Past mentors have included Jenny Bicks, Scott Z. Burns, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Steven Canals, Marissa Jo Cerar, Robb Chavis, Tom Fontana, Hart Hanson, Winnie Holzman, Jason Katims, Bill Lawrence, David Shore, Charise Castro Smith, Robin Swicord, and many more.

Fellows will also each receive a $7,500 stipend, a three-month membership to MasterClass, headshots and a free course from UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, and take part in a...

Before David Simon debuted his groundbreaking socio-political tapestry “The Wire” to audiences and helped garner the prestige HBO now only reserves for “Game of Thrones” and superhero spinoffs, he wrote the book on the world of crime and law enforcement in Baltimore. Published in 1991, his non-fiction book “Homicide: A Year of Killing Streets” pools two years of research from Simon’s time spent observing the Baltimore Police Department, which itself followed four years spent on the police beat for The Baltimore Sun newspaper.

Wishing to adapt the book into a feature film, Simon got a copy to filmmaker and Baltimore native Barry Levinson, who felt the material was better suited to a TV series. Levinson shared with Paul Attansio, a former Washington Post film critic whose would go on to write the Oscar-nominated “Quiz Show,” as well as “Donnie Brasco,” and together the team brought the project to NBC, where...

Homicide: Life on the Street has been absent from streaming, but the critically acclaimed crime drama has finally found a new home and will launch next month. It has been announced that all seven seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street will be available on Peacock in the US starting on August 19th. All 122 episodes have been remastered for HD and 4K viewing, and Homicide: The Movie is also included.

The series was based on David Simon’s book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and was created by Paul Attanasio. It followed the Baltimore Police Department’s Homicide Unit. Bleak and unglamorous, the show was praised for its more realistic treatment of detectives and their work; threads weren’t always tied up at the end, and criminals sometimes got away. It also boasted one hell of a cast, including Andre Braugher, Ned Beatty, Yaphett Kotto, Melissa Leo, Giancarlo Esposito,...

The peak television renaissance didn't happen overnight. A decade prior to the epochal debut of "The Sopranos" on HBO, series as disparate in their aims as "The Simpsons," "Twin Peaks" and "The Larry Sanders Show" were challenging the industry's notions of what the broadcast medium could accomplish. Dramatic story arcs began to stretch out over a season or longer, while sitcoms got edgier and less hidebound to the multi-camera format. These successes emboldened major filmmakers to try their hand at episodic TV, which didn't always pan out. But it was always thrilling to see great artists romp about in a medium Hollywood once considered beneath them.

Of these efforts, it's possible none had a greater influence on the peak era than NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street." When Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon began shopping his book "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets," an account of his time...

“Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Homicide: The Movie,” which has been remastered to HD and 4K for the very first time, will make its streaming debut in the U.S. on Peacock beginning August 19. The police drama examines the calculating and exacting detective work of the often confrontational, passionate, and opinionated homicide department in Baltimore. With a determined cast of characters that never let up in their quest for truth and justice, this gripping hourlong series remains the standard bearer of how police handle the job both professionally and personally.

From Universal Television, “Homicide: Life on the Street” originally launched on NBC in 1993 and ran for seven seasons, for a total of 122 episodes. It was succeeded by “Homicide: The Movie” in 2000, which served as the series finale. The drama was created by Paul Attanasio and based on David Simon‘s book “Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.” Tom Fontana...

One of the most revered police dramas of all time, Homicide: Life on the Street, examines the calculating and exacting detective work of Baltimore’s often confrontational, passionate, and opinionated homicide department.

With a determined cast of characters that never let up in their quest for truth and justice, this gripping hourlong series remains the standard bearer of how police handle the job both professionally and personally.

From Universal Television, Homicide: Life on the Street originally launched on NBC in 1993 and ran for seven seasons, for a total of 122 episodes. It was succeeded by Homicide: The Movie in 2000, which served as the series finale.

The series was created by Paul Attanasio and based on David Simon’s book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. Tom Fontana was the series head writer and showrunner.

Throughout its run, Homicide: Life on the Street was critically acclaimed, receiving nominations and accolades from the Television Critics Association,...

One of the more critically acclaimed dramas of the past 30 years has at last found a streaming home.

Starting Aug. 19, Peacock will feature Homicide: Life on the Street. All seven seasons and 122 episodes of the former NBC show, as well as the series-wrapping Homicide: The Movie from 2000, will be available, remastered for HD and 4K viewing.

Homicide was based on David Simon’s book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and created by Paul Attanasio; Tom Fontana was the showrunner and executive produced with Barry Levinson, Henry Bromell and Jim Finnerty. The series followed detectives in Baltimore’s homicide unit and was praised for its acting and a more realistic depiction of detective work — including some cases that don’t get solved — than on many other network crime dramas.

Over the show’s seven seasons, the cast featured Andre Braugher — who won his first Emmy 1998 for playing Detective Frank Pembleton — Ned Beatty,...

It’s official: Homicide: Life on the Street is coming to Peacock.

David Simon — who wrote the book on which the series is based — teased in June that the police drama was going to end up on a streamer. “Word is that NBC has managed to finally secure the music rights necessary to sell Homicide: Life On The Streets to a streaming platform,” he wrote on X.

All seven seasons of the series and Homicide: The Movie, which has been remastered to HD and 4K, will drop August 19 on Peacock.

From Universal TV, Homicide: Life on the Street followed the detective work of the homicide department in Baltimore. It originally launched on NBC in 1993 and ran for a total of 122 episodes.

The series was created by Paul Attanasio; Tom Fontana was the series head writer and showrunner. It starred Andre Braugher, Ned Beatty, Richard Belzer, Yaphet Kotto, Melissa Leo, Giancarlo Esposito,...

Max is one of the best places to find peak drama shows because they have all the HBO shows, which are loved by millions and millions of people. From classic shows like The Sopranos to the wild dramas like Succession, you can find it all on the Warner Bros. streaming service Max. So, we list the ten best drama shows you can find on Max right now.

Oz Credit – HBO

Oz is a prison drama series created by Tom Fontana. The HBO series is set in a fictional men’s prison named Oswald State Correctional Facility in New York and it follows the story of inmates as they strategize and do everything they can to survive and gain power behind bars. Oz stars Christopher Meloni, Dean Winters, Harold Perrineau, Lee Tergesen, Terry Kinney, Kirk Acevedo, Eamonn Walker, J.K. Simmons, Rita Moreno, Luna Lauren Velez, and Ernie Hudson.

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty...

Barry Levinson, director of Best Picture winner Rain Man (for which Levinson also won the Best Director Oscar), is producing a mystery thriller called American Sweatshop with Oz showrunner Tom Fontana, and Deadline reports that Riverdale, Look Both Ways, and Hustlers star Lili Reinhart has been cast in the lead role.

Emmy nominee Uta Briesewitz, whose previous credits include Stranger Things, The Wheel of Time, Westworld and This Is Us, is set to direct the film from a screenplay by Matthew Nemeth (City on a Hill).

In a device driven world, American Sweatshop will take a look at the toll of social media through the eyes of Daisy Moriarty (Reinhart), who while dealing with a chaotic personal life, finds herself sucked into the underbelly of the internet. Moriarty, and a motley group of coworkers, toil in a cottage industry of agencies that evaluate harmful and offensive pictures and videos uploaded to social media.

Lili Reinhart (“Riverdale”) is leading the cast of an upcoming thriller titled American Sweatshop, with Deadline reporting that the film will explore the dark side of the internet.

“In a device driven world,” Deadline details, “American Sweatshop will take a look at the toll of social media through the eyes of Daisy Moriarty (Reinhart), who while dealing with a chaotic personal life, finds herself sucked into the underbelly of the internet.

“Moriarty, and a motley group of coworkers, toil in a cottage industry of agencies that evaluate harmful and offensive pictures and videos uploaded to social media. With detached caution and a deranged sense of humor, they examine the millions of posts that get ‘flagged for review.’

“But one particularly violent video grabs hold of Daisy, luring her out of this office, away from the safety of her keyboard and into a dangerous world as she obsessively seeks to hold someone accountable.

AMC Networks remain hopeful the Emmy chances for its zombie apocalypse property are not dead.

The network announced its Emmy submission strategy for the three spinoffs from “The Walking Dead” universe: “Daryl Dixon,” “Dead City,” and “The Ones Who Live.”

“The Ones Who Live” picks up after the conclusion of the original series, reuniting beloved characters Rick Grimes and Michonne, portrayed by Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira. This series will be submitted for outstanding limited or anthology series, along with its stars in the lead acting categories. Gurira, who wrote the fourth episode “What We,” will also be considered in the writing category, alongside director Michael Slovis. Additional noms will be pursued for Matthew Jeffers and Pollyanna McIntosh in their supporting roles, along with other artisan categories.

Read: All Primetime Emmy predictions in every category on Variety’s Awards Circuit.

“Daryl Dixon,” starring Norman Reedus, will compete in the drama series categories.

The imaginative and groundbreaking prison drama "Oz" is getting a short sequel from its original creator, according to series star Kirk Acevedo. The actor who played inmate Miguel Alvarez for six seasons of the HBO series took to X/Twitter this week to spread the word about "Zo," a YouTube short film from series writer-creator Tom Fontana. According to Acevedo, the short is set to star Dean Winters, who played ultra-violent prisoner Ryan O'Reily in the show's original run, and Lee Tergesen, who played Tobias Beecher, an attorney-turned-inmate who was forced to adapt to harsh prison conditions. Christoph Shrewe, whose credits include "Mr. Robot," "Criminal Minds," and "Fear the Walking Dead," will direct the upcoming short.

Acevedo notes that "Zo" will be about "Oz after prison," and an accompanying promo image includes the phrase "What happens once you're free?" What's more, the actor noted that if the film gets "good buzz,...

Before The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Six Feet Under, The Wire, or any of the other popular HBO shows, there was Oz. The one-hour drama chronicled the lives of the staff and inmates at the Oswald State Correctional Facility, a maximum security penitentiary home to the most violent offenders in the state. It’s been over twenty years since the series concluded, but creator Tom Fontana is back with an Oz short film starring Lee Tergesen as Tobias Beecher and Dean Winters as Ryan O’Reily.

Titled Zo, the short film actually premiered at the Atx Festival in 2021, but few people were able to see it. Thankfully, Zo will premiere on YouTube on May 1st, giving fans around the world the chance to finally see it. According to Kirk Acevado, who starred in Oz as Miguel Alvarez, it could even lead to a sequel series if the short film gets enough buzz.

Clive Owen hopes to divide and conquer with his dual Emmy submissions this year.

With two competing limited series in the Emmys race, the star will be submitting his two acclaimed performances in AMC’s “Monsieur Spade” and Hulu’s “A Murder at the End of the World” in separate acting categories, Variety has learned exclusively.

For his work as detective Sam Spade in AMC’s neo-noir miniseries “Monsieur Spade,” he’ll remain as expected in the highly competitive lead actor in a limited series or TV movie race, where he’ll face potential contenders such as Jon Hamm (“Fargo”) and Tom Hollander (“Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”). However, regarding his turn in Hulu’s psychological thriller “A Murder at the End of the World,” he’ll seek Emmy consideration as a supporting actor, eyeing competition in actors like Jonathan Bailey (“Fellow Travelers”) and Lewis Pullman (“Lessons in Chemistry”), and...

Thirty years after “Homicide: Life on the Street” hit the airwaves, a UK filmmaker and podcaster and a Baltimore camera assistant decided it was time to revisit the groundbreaking drama that garnered numerous awards during its seven seasons on NBC. Their new monthly behind-the-scenes podcast, Homicide: Life on the Set, premieres in March, focusing on creators and crew, including engaging conversations with camera, lighting and sound techs, creators, writers, actors, directors and more, including Jean de Segonzac, Tom Fontana and Kyle Secor.

“In early 2023, I started researching and developing a concept for a UK-based police film,” filmmaker Chris Carr said. “Always a huge fan of ‘Homicide,’ especially its gritty, cinéma-vérité shooting style, I started looking for a camera crew member to interview about how the show was shot. Susan Ingram, a camera assistant, agreed to talk with me and that’s how we got cracking.”

“I was excited when Chris...

Exclusive: The WGA East is honoring Tony Gilroy at the upcoming Writers Guild Awards with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement.

With the award, which was established in 1992, the Andor creator will be following in the footsteps of his father Frank D. Gilroy, who was honored with the Hunter Award in 2011.

“Tony embodies the best of what it means to be a Writers Guild member. He is an extraordinary talent who has written some of the most thought-provoking and exciting screenplays of the last 30 years,” Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, President of the Writers Guild of America East, said in a statement. “He is also a staunch union ally, one of our most trusted voices when it comes to advocating for writers’ rights, and he gave one of the best damn speeches on the picket lines last summer. We all wish we were Tony, but short of that we are...

Black Bear has hired Courtney L. Cunniff as senior vice president of film. Cunniff comes to Black Bear from eOne and Hasbro, where she served as vice president of production and development & acquisitions for film titles under both of the company’s banners. Black Bear’s credits include “The Imitation Game,” “I Care A Lot” and “Nyad,” which recently earned Oscar nominations for Annette Bening and Jodie Foster.

In her new role, Cunniff will focus on the development, packaging and production of the company’s slate, which includes such upcoming projects as David Mackenzie’s “Relay” starring Riz Ahmed, Lily James and Sam Worthington; Andrew Patterson’s “The Rivals of Amziah King” starring Matthew McConaughey; and Clint Bentley’s “Train Dreams” starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones.

In Cunniff’s previous job at eOne and Hasbro, she sourced and assessed development material and oversaw the path to production for a...

Law & Order Svu might be what Chris Meloni is most known for after being cast as Elliot Stabler. But before he was the iconic detective, he played a much different character in Oz. However, going from serial killer to cop wasn’t a smooth transition for the actor.

Chris Meloni would end up shaking thinking about his ‘Law & Order Svu’ role Chris Meloni | Zach Dilgard/Getty Images

Meloni’s Oz role was a much different beast than the character he’d become so synonymous with in Svu. On the HBO classic series, he portrayed a disturbed inmate obsessed with killing. Ironically, however, Svu would see him on the other side of the law. Oz would also help Meloni secure the hit show. Speaking with Randee Dawn, he opened up about the long process he went through to earn his Svu part.

“My first audition was with Dick Wolf himself,” Meloni said.

Film and TV studio Fifth Season has secured international distribution rights to “Monsieur Spade,” the crime drama series starring and executive produced by Clive Owen.

Fifth Season will represent the title at the upcoming Berlin European Film Market.

The six-episode series is based on Dashiell Hammett’s hard-boiled private detective Sam Spade, the protagonist of 1930 novel “The Maltese Falcon,” adapted several times for the screen, most notably in 1941 by John Huston with Humphrey Bogart as the sleuth.

In the series, the year is 1963, and legendary detective Spade (Owen) is enjoying retirement in the South of France. Spade’s life in Bozouls is peaceful and quiet, but the rumoured return of his old adversary will change everything. Six beloved nuns have been brutally murdered, and as the town grieves, secrets emerge and new leads are established. Spade learns the murders are connected to a mysterious child, who is believed to possess great powers.

"Monsieur Spade” is a new live-action crime drama TV miniseries, created by Scott Frank and Tom Fontana, based on Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 novel "The Maltese Falcon", starring Clive Owen as detective 'Sam Spade', forced to come out of retirement after learning about the return of a long-time enemy, now airing on AMC and AMC+:

"...the year is 1963, and 'Detective Sam Spade' (Owen) is enjoying his retirement in the South of France. By contrast to his days as a private eye in San Francisco, Spade’s life in Bozouls is peaceful and quiet.

"But the rumored return of his old adversary will change everything. Six beloved nuns have been killed at the local convent. As the town grieves, secrets emerge, and new leads are established.

"Spade learns that the murders are somehow connected to a mysterious child who is believed to possess great powers..."

Click the images to enlarge.

"Monsieur Spade” is a new live-action crime drama TV miniseries, created by Emmy winners Scott Frank and Tom Fontana, based on author Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 novel "The Maltese Falcon", starring Clive Owen as world-famous detective 'Sam Spade', forced to come out of his retirement, after learning about the rumored return of a long-time enemy, now airing on AMC and AMC+:

"...the year is 1963, and 'Detective Sam Spade' (Owen) is enjoying his retirement in the South of France. By contrast to his days as a private eye in San Francisco, Spade’s life in Bozouls is peaceful and quiet.

"But the rumored return of his old adversary will change everything. Six beloved nuns have been killed at the local convent. As the town grieves, secrets emerge, and new leads are established.

"Spade learns that the murders are somehow connected to a mysterious child who is believed to possess great powers.

It’s four for four for Jesse Armstrong.

The “Succession” creator and showrunner took home the Emmy for Best Drama Writing on Monday for penning “Connor’s Wedding,” the third episode of the HBO series’ fourth and final season, which featured the shocking death of family patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox). “Succession,” which was the odds-on favorite to win heading into the telecast, beat out episodes from fellow HBO dramas “The White Lotus” and “The Last of Us,” as well as AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” Disney+’s “Andor” and Apple TV+’s “Bad Sisters.”

“Succession” executive producer Mark Mylod was also nominated for directing the episode, which, as the title implies, is set during the nuptials of eldest son Connor (Alan Ruck). Logan’s death, which happens off-screen and in the wake of a confrontation with his children in the previous episode, interrupts the big day, and the four...

What happens when you take a San Francisco detective and retire him to the South of France? When the rights to the Dashiell Hammett character made famous by Humphrey Bogart in “The Maltese Falcon” (1941) became available, writer-director Scott Frank, perhaps emboldened by his Emmy-winning successes with his western series “Godless” and chess sensation “The Queen’s Gambit,” convinced his friend Tom Fontana (“Oz”) to co-create a limited series, “Monsieur Spade” about an older Sam Spade in France.

These two writers had a blast making Spade (Clive Owen) middle-aged and grumpy — his doctor wants him to give up smoking. He’s grieving his lost wife, a Frenchwoman (Chiara Mastroianni) who left him a lovely estate. He reluctantly acts as a father figure for a teenage girl (Cara Bossom) whose mother Brigid O’Shaughnessy sent him eight years ago to Bozouls to deliver her child to her father (Jonathan Zaccaï). The plot is complicated,...

All works of IP exploitation are, on some level, legitimized fanfiction. Once divorced from the original author, the line that separates a franchise’s sequel, prequel or reboot from the average post on Wattpad is a great deal of money and the blessing of an estate and/or corporation. But even with this baseline, the AMC limited series “Monsieur Spade” is an especially unabashed act of wish fulfillment through and for a beloved protagonist. The namesake of “Monsieur Spade” is none other than Sam Spade (Clive Owen), the private investigator who headlined the Dashiell Hammett novel turned John Huston film noir “The Maltese Falcon,” plus a handful of Hammett short stories published in the 1930s. For their spin on Spade, series creators Tom Fontana (“Oz”) and Scott Frank (“The Queen’s Gambit”) send the sleuth to the south of France, where he spends a few weeks of his not-so-peaceful retirement looking...

For a character who is at the center of one full-length story, The Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade is as iconic as it gets in the world of detective fiction. Dashiell Hammett’s book, and John Huston’s 1941 movie adaptation with Humphrey Bogart, loom impossibly large over the gumshoe genre, to the point where Spade is just as famous as Philip Marlowe and Mike Hammer, who have appeared in far more novels and films over the years.

But the Sam Spade who appears in the new miniseries Monsieur Spade is not...

If you’re on any form of social media, you probably know that on January 1, an early incarnation of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain. This prompted the usual memes putting the beloved character in decidedly adult situations and, in just a few months, we’ll be treated to a Mickey Mouse slasher film.

For a different, more pastoral, approach to elevated fan fic — this one conducted with the approval of the Dashiell Hammett Estate, rather than public domain — look to six-episode limited series Monsieur Spade, which will roll out on AMC, AMC+ and Acorn TV.

Hailing from the powerhouse creative duo of Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit) and Tom Fontana (Oz) and boasting a likably droll central turn by Clive Owen, Monsieur Spade takes Hammett’s Sam Spade and drops him into a bucolic retirement in the South of France. There, rather than reconfiguring the protagonist for an ironic excursion to the dark side,...

Sam Spade is back on the case.

The iconic private detective famously played by Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon is coming to AMC in Monsieur Spade (premiering this Sunday at 9/8c), with Clive Owen taking on the role. It’s a responsibility that Owen doesn’t take lightly, he tells TVLine: “I’m actually a huge fan of the genre. I’m a huge fan of Bogart, and I know The Maltese Falcon really well… In some way, Spade is the sort of quintessential Bogart character.” So when executive producers Scott Frank and Tom Fontana called Owen to see if he was interested,...

For many a Turner Classic Movies fan, he was immortalized by Humphrey Bogart in 1941’s The Maltese Falcon. Private eyes don’t come much more hardboiled than Sam Spade, the shamus par excellence who goes Gallic in Monsieur Spade, an evocative six-part period thriller from Tom Fontana (Homicide: Life on the Street) and Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit). As the latest incarnation of Spade, circa 1963, Clive Owen cuts a more elegant figure of rugged and world-weary charisma, with banter that cuts like a knife and a wisecrack for any occasion. When told to “drop dead,” he quips, “I’m working on it,” expressing film noir fatalism with every drag of his ever-present cigarette. Spade’s sardonic attitude is pungent as ever when the melancholy gumshoe, now a brooding widower with a vineyard, retires to the serene French village of Bouzols, which suddenly becomes a hotbed of international intrigue. “I’m...

To some, it may seem blasphemous to go anywhere near new content that centers Sam Spade. Who would dare pick up the pen of Dashiell Hammett or step into the shoes of Humphrey Bogart? Luckily, the pedigree behind AMC’s excellent “Monsieur Spade” is one of the highest in years. Co-created by Scott Frank and Tom Fontana, and executive produced by Barry Levinson, this brightly-lit noir is one of the best recent TV originals, a smart, sexy, deeply philosophical piece of storytelling that values things like dialogue, character, and theme over the high concepts that have defined so much TV in the 2020s.

Continue reading ‘Monsieur Spade’ Review: Clive Owen Headlines Smart, Accomplished Update Of Classic Character at The Playlist.

Few can pull off the fedora/trenchcoat look these days, regardless of how diligently the items are tailored to fit. It's probably on purpose, then, that Clive Owen, who steps into the Sam Spade role made famous by Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon, doesn't wear the private investigator's outfit very often in Monsieur Spade; it looks too goofy on him. That's about as apt a metaphor needs to be for AMC's six-part television event from Scott Frank and Tom Fontana: All the salacious bells and whistles that come with Monsieur Spade — international conspiracies, murder, a faint whiff of the supernatural, folks who aren't what they seem — should be a snug fit given that it’s riffing off of the works of Dashiell Hammett. Instead, these affected noir elements hang off Spade like that ill-fitting number.

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January is a famously weak month for movies but it’s still often a lively one, as the film that kicks off the 2024 movie year suggests. (Last year began with M3GAN, which was pretty fun, so perhaps this one will be too.) But TV seems to be picking up the slack this January. There’s everything from animation to new seasons of anthology shows, the return of...

AMC Networks has promoted and expanded the responsibilities of seven key members of its scripted programming group, including Ben Haigh, Josh Sizer, Jack Glascott, Alexis Greer, Noel Manzano, Corey Schmalzle and Samantha Perelman.

All were key in expanding the company’s original programming, especially when it comes to the Anne Rice immortal universe and “The Walking Dead” expanded universe. They were also instrumental on upcoming series such as “Monsieur Spade,” “Parish” and “Orphan Black: Echoes.”

Ben Haigh and Josh Sizer have been promoted to senior vice president of programming. Together, they will oversee domestic scripted programming and will report to Ben Davis, the current executive vice president of programming for AMC Networks and AMC Studios. Davis first joined the company nearly 20 years ago.

Haigh and Sizer were key in expanding the network’s scripted programming offerings, specifically across the Anne Rice immortal universe and “The Walking Dead” expanded universe, and...

Exclusive: AMC Networks has kicked off the new year with a slew of scripted promotions.

The company has upped seven executives across its scripted programming group, which is responsible for shows including The Walking Dead universe, the Anne Rice Immortal universe and Dark Winds.

Ben Haigh and Josh Sizer, who oversee the company’s domestic scripted programming area, have been promoted to SVP, Programming. They report to EVP, Programming Ben Davis. In addition to the aforementioned shows, they also work on Apple’s AMC Studios-produced Silo and Parish, AMC’s Giancarlo Esposito-fronted remake of The Driver.

Haigh joined AMC Networks in 2020, after positions at Shore Z Productions and Columbia Pictures, while Sizer also joined AMC Networks in 2020, after positions at DreamCrew, HBO, WME.

Haigh and Sizer’s team includes Jack Glascott, who has been promoted to VP, Domestic Scripted Programming, Alexis Greer, who has been upped to Director,...

In a recent New Yorker profile, Craig Mazin, who wrote The Last of Us and Chernobyl, calls Queen’s Gambit co-creator Scott Frank “one of the best screenwriters of all time.”

Long a known quantity for Get Shorty, Out of Sight, A Walk Among the Tombstones, Marley and Me, The Wolverine and Logan, Frank opens up to the magazine about his less-recognized work: The nearly 60 films he has worked on as a script doctor, earning at times $300,000 a week.

Among the films on that less-well-known list are, according to the piece, Saving Private Ryan, The Ring, Gravity, Night at the Museum, Unfaithful, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Night at the Museum and, says Frank, “a lot of the X-Men movies.” Which ones? “I don’t remember their titles,” he said.

“Ninety-percent of what I get called in on is character work,” Frank told The New Yorker.

SAG and BAFTA Award-winner Clive Owen stars in AMC’s Monsieur Spade, a limited series centering on the detective from Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon. The six-episode series will premiere on Sunday, January 14, 2024 on AMC, AMC+, and Acorn TV.

In addition to Clive Owen as Sam Spade, the neo-noir crime drama stars Cara Bossom (Radioactive) as Teresa, Denis Ménochet (Inglourious Basterds) as Chief of Police Patrice Michaud, Louise Bourgoin (The Romanoffs) as Marguerite Devereaux, and Chiara Mastroianni (On a Magical Night) as Gabrielle. Stanley Weber (Outlander) is Jean-Pierre Devereaux, Matthew Beard (The Imitation Game) is George Fitzsimmons, Jonathan Zaccaï (Robin Hood) is Philippe Saint-Andre, and Rebecca Root (The Queen’s Gambit) is Cynthia Fitzsimmons.

Emmy and SAG Award-winner Alfre Woodard guest stars as Virginia Dell and Dean Winters (Lost Girls) guest stars as Father Matthew.

Monsieur Spade was shot in France, with series creators Scott Frank and Tom Fontana writing and executive producing.

Andre Braugher, the two-time Emmy winner who died this week at the age of 61, was an unknown when the hardboiled NBC detective drama “Homicide: Life on the Street” debuted in the coveted post-Super Bowl time slot on Jan. 31, 1993. He left the series six years later as an in-demand leading man who went on to star in TV series include FX’s “Thief,” TNT’s “Men of a Certain Age,” Fox/NBC’s “Brooklyn Nine Nine,” in addition to many other prominent roles.

But it started with his years on “Homicide.” Braugher played Detective Frank Pembleton, one of the most unforgettable characters that television has ever produced, thanks to the brilliance of executive producers Tom Fontana, Barry Levinson and Jim Finnerty and a murderers row of a writers room. The stellar supporting cast alongside included Ned Beatty, Melissa Leo and Yaphet Kotto.

Braugher made his name as an actor with his work as the ultra-intense,...

Andre Braugher, the two-time Emmy-winning actor who led a sense of grace, gravitas, and (when appropriate) humor to shows like "Homicide: Life on the Street," "Men of a Certain Age," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," and "The Good Fight" has died. Deadline confirms that the actor passed away Monday after a short illness. He was 61 years old.

Braugher was reportedly born and raised in Chicago to an equipment operator father and a postal worker mother but attended Stanford University before graduating from Juilliard's drama school. His first on-screen role was a big one: Braugher played a Union soldier in the 1989 film "Glory," where he acted alongside greats like Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman. The actor soon became a creative force in his own right, as his role as Detective Frank Pembleton on the seminal NBC series "Homicide: Life on the Street" made him a household name for TV fans. "We had a lot of great,...

Andre Braugher, the two-time Emmy-winning actor who starred in the hit television series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Homicide: Life on the Street,” died Monday after a brief illness. He was 61.

Braugher’s publicist Jennifer Allen confirmed the news of his death to Variety.

Braugher was known for his role as the upright Captain Raymond Holt on the police procedural comedy series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” from 2013 until 2021. His character’s stoic and no-nonsense personality but deep sense of humanity made him an instant fan favorite of the show, especially when paired with Andy Samberg’s hotshot Det. Jake Peralta in a scene.

He won a lead actor Emmy for his role as Detective Frank Pembleton on NBC’s “Homicide: Life on Street” in 1998, his last year on the series. Braugher’s intense performance made him one of the breakout stars to emerge from the critically beloved police drama that hailed from Barry Levinson,...

AMC, AMC+ and Acorn TV announce that the highly-anticipated, limited crime drama, Monsieur Spade, is set to premiere on Sunday, January 14and shared an all-new trailer and additional series photography. Starring and executive produced by Golden Globe®, SAG® and BAFTA® Award-winner Clive Owen as the hard-boiled private detective Sam Spade, the six-episode drama is co-created, written and executive produced by Emmy® Award-winners Scott Frank, who also serves as director, and Tom Fontana.

Image courtesy: AMC Networks

Also they reveal, Emmy®, Golden Globe® and SAG® Award-winner Alfre Woodard and Dean Winters have joined the series as guest stars, portraying Virginia Dell and Father Matthew, respectively.

Monsieur Spade centers around the infamous protagonist of American writer Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 classic novel The Maltese Falcon. The year is 1963, and the legendary Detective Sam Spade (Owen) is enjoying his retirement in the South of France. By contrast to his days as a private eye in San Francisco,...

"Monsieur Spade: is a new live-action crime drama TV miniseries, created by Emmy winners Scott Frank and Tom Fontana, based on author Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 novel "The Maltese Falcon", starring Clive Owen as world-famous detective 'Sam Spade', forced to come out of his retirement, after learning about the rumored return of a long-time enemy, airing January 14, 2023 on AMC and AMC+:

"...the year is 1963, and 'Detective Sam Spade' (Owen) is enjoying his retirement in the South of France. By contrast to his days as a private eye in San Francisco, Spade’s life in Bozouls is peaceful and quiet.

"But the rumored return of his old adversary will change everything. Six beloved nuns have been killed at the local convent. As the town grieves, secrets emerge, and new leads are established.

"Spade learns that the murders are somehow connected to a mysterious child who is believed to possess great powers.

"This has spoiled my tranquility." AMC Networks has debuted the full official trailer for the noir mystery thriller series titled Monsieur Spade, co-created by the writers / directors Scott Frank and Tom Fontana. Now set to launch at the end of January in just a few months (here's the teaser). The famous detective Sam Spade is now 60 and living as an expat in France in 1963 trying to enjoy some peace. This series is originally based on a character created by Dashiell Hammett, the same author who wrote the famous noir stories The Glass Key, The Thin Man, Red Harvest, The Maltese Falcon. Set in the early 1960s, after the Algerian War just ended. Detective Sam Spade has been quietly living out his golden years in a tiny town in the South of France. Soon enough, it won't be quiet for him any longer when his past from America catches up with him.

Natasha Lyonne, Adam McKay, Robert Carlock and over 1,000 Writers Guild of America East members have signed a petition calling on digital media companies to “work collaboratively” with their journalists on artificial intelligence guardrails.

The group of signatories, which also includes Patricia Cornwell, Mary Harron, Tom Fontana and Soo Hugh, also asks in the statement that digital media companies “publicly commit to never replacing a human worker with an AI tool” and “engage in immediate, good faith negotiations on AI outside of scheduled contract bargaining And a guarantee that AI protections will be on the table in future bargaining.” The petition went public on Monday.

The WGA East represents journalists at digital media outlets including Fast Company, Ft Specialist, Hearst Magazines, HuffPost, Salon, Slate, The Intercept, Vice and Vox Media, among other titles. The union has been aggressively organizing in the space since 2015, resulting in about 40 percent of the union currently...

Over 1,000 members of the Writers Guild of America East union have signed a petition in support of introducing ways to protect journalists from artificial intelligence. The open letter demands that they be included in the decision-making process concerning AI tools in their places of employment.

The writers signing on include WGA East members at Bdg, CBS News, Chalkbeat, CNET, Crooked Media, Fast Company, Financial Times Specialist, Frontline, Future Plc, Gimlet, G/O Media, GroupNine, Inc., The Intercept, Hearst, HuffPost, iHeartMedia Podcasts, MSNBC, Parcast, Pineapple Street Studios, Slate, The Ringer, Vice, Vox Media, and more.

Among the film and television writers signing the petition are Robert Carlock, Patricia Cornwell, Tom Fontana, Mary Harron, Soo Hugh, Natasha Lyonne, Julie Martin, Adam McKay, Stephen O’Donnell, Michael Rauch, Diana Son, Jim Taylor, and Wgae President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen.

The petition reads:

“We, the members of the Writers Guild of America East, recognize that digital...