Don’t Sleep on These 12 Series This Emmys Season: ‘Dead Ringers,’ ‘The Rehearsal’ and More

Star Wars series Andor was supposed to feature the franchise’s first ever F-bomb, but it ended up being refused by Disney.Created by Tony Gilroy, the series takes place five years before events in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, as Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) becomes involved in the mounting resistance against the Galactic Empire.It is the fourth live-action series set in the Star Wars universe, following The Mandalorian, The Book Of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi.In a new interview with Variety, director Benjamin Caron revealed that the show was set to feature an F-bomb in a crucial scene, but the request ended up being turned down by Disney.In the scene, Cassian’s late adoptive mother Maarva Andor delivers a speech via hologram, which ends: “Fight the Empire!”As Caron revealed, the initial script instead had her saying: “Fuck the empire!”“Disney wouldn’t let us use it,” he revealed. “So we changed it to ‘Fight the empire.’ I remember having a call with Tony Gilroy saying, ‘Are we gonna get away with this?’”The director added how he “wrote a legal brief” to Disney encouraging them to let them use the word.

Star Wars‘ Andor series on Disney+ was meant to include the franchise’s first ever F-bomb.

Sometimes there is no greater thrill than taking a gigantic risk and being rewarded for it. In many ways, that’s what Tony Gilroy, Diego Luna and the cast and crew of “Andor” have experienced over the past year.

Please note, the following interview was done outside of the FYC event series as there was no cast panel or screening. 

While “Star Wars” fans await the premieres of “Ahsoka,” “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,” and “The Acolyate,” another anticipated series looms on the release horizon: “Andor” Season 2. And excitement for Tony Gilroy‘s show is well deserved.

The intergalactic worlds of “Star Wars” collided as Hayden Christensen and Diego Luna sit down for a conversation in Variety‘s Actors-on-Actors series.

Hayden Christensen and Diego Luna have never met, but as Christensen puts it, they’ve occupied the “same galaxy” for years. Christensen rocketed from teenage obscurity in Canada when George Lucas cast him as Anakin Skywalker for 2002’s “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones” and 2005’s “Revenge of the Sith,” which chronicled the young Jedi’s transformation into the iconic villain Darth Vader. The Mexican-born Luna — who rose to prominence in Alfonso Cuarón’s 2001 coming-of-age masterpiece “Y tu mamá también” — joined “Star Wars” for 2016’s “Rogue One,” a prequel about the band of rebel spies, led by Luna’s Cassian Andor, that steal the plans for the Death Star.

Jon Burlingame Music has always been an integral part of the “Star Wars” universe, dating back to the John Williams scores for the original movie trilogy. So will Emmy voters recognize one, two or all three of the recent “Star Wars” TV series in the scoring categories? Vying for consideration: the 12-part “Andor,” with music by Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated Nicholas Britell (“Succession”); the six-part “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” with a new theme by Williams and score by English composer Natalie Holt (“Loki”); and the eight-part third season of “The Mandalorian,” with music by Joseph Shirley. All aired on Disney+. Britell spent more than two years on “Andor,” the backstory of “Rogue One” hero Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), including several months creating music that was played on the set during filming – from the Time Grappler’s hammer-banging signals on Ferrix to the alien electronica in the clubs on Morlana and the amateur funeral band playing a dirge for Cassian’s mother in the finale.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday. Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor You’d think CBS would have jumped at the chance to snag Carol Burnett’s “90 Years of Laughter + Love” birthday special. Not only did the comedy legend’s variety show run on the network for 11 seasons, but so did its 50th anniversary special in 2017. “We first went to CBS, but they passed,” Burnett told me at an FYC event for the birthday special. “I did my show with them and all my specials, so naturally we went to them.” Fortunately, NBC bought the special, and it went on to score an impressive 7.6 million viewers. It’s now favored to pick up an Emmy nomination. “NBC couldn’t have been greater,” she said. “They’ve been so supportive right from the get-go.”

Committed to the bit. Ali Wong opened up about adjusting to heightened attention amid her budding romance with Bill Hader.

Ali Wong is discussing her new life as she catapults into superstardom as her smash series, “Beef”, earns the praises of critics and the viewing public.

EXCLUSIVE: Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, the famed writers, directors and producers who have thus far shard two Emmys, two PGA Awards, two WGA Awards, a USC Scripter Award and a Golden Globe, will add another prize to their mantels, having been tapped to receive the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting at the 30th annual Austin Film Festival.

This article contains major spoilers for the ‘Barry’ finale.Critics and fans alike have praised the final-ever episode of Barry, with some even hailing it as the “true best show on television”.Created by Alec Berg and Bill Hader, the dark comedy/drama follows the story of hitman and aspiring actor Barry Berkman (Hader) as he attempts to escape his violent past.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor “It’s not TV. It’s HBO.” That’s the premium cable network slogan that single-handedly changed the television landscape forever and ushered in the Peak TV era. The Home Box Office turned 50 in November 2022, and Variety celebrated its Golden Year by ranking the best performances in its history.

SPOILER ALERT: The following story contains details from the series finale of HBO‘s Barry.

Selome Hailu SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from the series finale of “Barry,” now streaming on Max. Nothing is sacred in the world of “Barry.” Played by Anthony Carrigan, NoHo Hank was an immediate fan favorite when the dark HBO comedy series premiered in 2018. As a Chechen mobster with a heart of gold, Hank was the perfect foil to Barry’s (series co-creator Bill Hader) perpetual seriousness. And when Season 3 got dark and depressing after Cousineau (Henry Winkler) learned that Barry had murdered his girlfriend (Paula Newsome), Hank was one of the show’s last remaining sources of comedic relief … until he killed his boyfriend Cristobal (Michael Irby) midway through the show’s fourth and final season.

Jordan Moreau SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from the series finale of “Barry,” now streaming on Max. Sunday night on HBO featured the end of two major series after four seasons apiece: “Succession” and “Barry.” The shows launched just a few months apart in 2018, and now they’ve ended their runs on the same night. After “Succession” wrapped up less than an hour earlier, now Bill Hader, Henry Winkler, Sarah Goldberg, Stephen Root and Anthony Carrigan have delivered a blood-soaked farewell to their characters. After loading up on guns, Barry (Hader) drives furiously to save Sally (Goldberg) and their son John (Zachary Golinger) after NoHo Hank (Carrigan) kidnapped them in the last episode. On the way there, Barry prays to God, hoping that his past sins will be washed away and that he’ll be redeemed after his life of violence. But when he arrives at Hank’s hideout, he’s missed all the action. Before he gets there, the potential peace offering between Hank and Fuches (Root) to team up against Barry has fallen apart, and their gangs have massacred each other. Fuches wanted Hank to admit he killed his own boyfriend Cristobal (Michael Irby) in his quest for power, but he refused. Hank dies against a golden statue of Cristobal, and Fuches helps John and Sally escape before he disappears.

Succession and Barry, I hope you've caught up on both Love & Death and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which aired their finales on Thursday and Friday, respectively. There's plenty to talk about, so check out our post-mortem and .

“Citadel” Season 2, making him the latest filmmaker to tackle an entire season at once. Prime Video announced the news alongside confirming what’s been known for a few months: “Citadel” is returning for a second season.