‘Somebody Feed Phil’ Renewed for Season 6 at Netflix (EXCLUSIVE)

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Us,” they May 24 series finale episode of “This Is Us.”Though the series finale of “This Is Us” gave fans a chance to say goodbye to almost every member of the extended Pearson family in some way or another, Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown) played the most pivotal part of any character in the show’s final installment.In the future timeline set on the day of Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) funeral, Randall was finding out he’s going to have a grandson by his daughter Deja, who plans to name the baby William after Randall’s biological father (played by Ron Cephas Jones), making the decision along with his wife Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) that he will run for President of the United States, and promising his siblings Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Kevin (Justin Hartley) they will all stay connected.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“The Lincoln Lawyer” moved to No. 1 on Netflix’s list of top English-language titles for the week of May 16-22, its first full week after premiering May 13.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer, aka the Duffer brothers, were being quite sincere when they teased ideas for expanding the show’s universe in a February letter to fans announcing the end of the Netflix show.The Duffers actually do have an idea for a spinoff series to follow the conclusion of the story of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Hopper (David Harbour), Joyce (Winona Ryder) and the rest of the Upside Down crew — and only one person outside of the duo knows what it is.“We do have an idea for a spinoff that we’re super excited about … but we haven’t told anyone the idea yet, much less written it,” the Duffer brothers wrote in an emailed interview with Variety last week. “We think everyone — including Netflix — will be surprised when they hear the concept, because it’s very, very different.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterAfter a bit of a delay going into Fox’s Monday upfront presentation, the broadcast network has finally renewed “9-1-1” for a sixth season.The Ryan Murphy-produced first-responder drama “9-1-1” stars Angela Bassett as Field Sergeant Athena Grant, Peter Krause as Capt. Bobby Nash, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Maddie Kendall, Oliver Stark as Evan “Buck” Buckley, Aisha Hinds as Hen Wilson, Kenneth Choi as Chimney Han, Ryan Guzman as Eddie Diaz, Corinne Massiah as May Grant, Marcanthonee Jon Reis as Harry Grant and Gavin McHugh as Christopher Diaz.“9-1-1” follows the work and personal lives of the members of Station 118 of the Los Angeles Fire Department, along with those inside the 9-1-1 call center and Los Angeles Police Department field sergeants like Bassett’s Athena Grant.

Fox has ordered a second season of Crime Scene Kitchen, a baking competition series hosted by Joel McHale.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“9-1-1: Lone Star” has been renewed for Season 4 at Fox, Variety has learned.The announcement was made ahead of Fox’s upfronts presentation to advertisers on Monday afternoon. At the time of this publishing, there is still no word on a renewal for “Lone Star’s” companion series, “9-1-1,” though an announcement is expected soon.CLICK HERE to follow Variety’s coverage of Upfronts 2022“9-1-1: Lone Star” stars Rob Lowe as Owen Strand, who moves with his son (Ronen Rubinstein) to Austin, TX, to rebuild a firehouse after it experienced a tragedy.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe Paul Feig-produced comedy “Welcome to Flatch” has been renewed for Season 2 at Fox, Variety has learned.Inspired by BBC Studios’ BAFTA-winning BBC format “This Country,” “Welcome to Flatch” is told through the lens of a documentary crew exploring the lives of residents of the midwestern town of Flatch. The crew finds worthy subjects in young-adult cousins and best friends Kelly Mallet (Holmes, a newcomer actor who goes by that single name) and Lloyd “Shrub” Mallet (Sam Straley) who let the production in on their lives and local current events.The rest of the key players in “Welcome to Flatch” include Joseph “Father Joe” Binghoffer (Seann William Scott), the local minister who tries to guide Kelly and Shrub, and his former girlfriend, Cheryl Peterson (Aya Cash), who is the editor of the local newspaper, the Flatch Patriot, as well as Shrub’s obsessive friend Mickey St.

Manori Ravindran International EditorA new series of “Black Mirror” is in the works at Netflix, Variety can reveal.It’s been almost three years since Season 5 of the dystopian drama premiered on the streaming service in June 2019, but sources indicate that a new anthology series of “Black Mirror” is shaping up, and casting is now underway.While details about specific stories are being kept under lock and key, Variety understands that Season 6 will have more episodes than Season 5, which comprised of just three instalments and starred Andrew Scott, Anthony Mackie, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Topher Grace and Miley Cyrus.A source close to the production tells Variety that the latest season is even more cinematic in scope, with each instalment being treated as an individual film. This is, of course, in line with recent seasons of “Black Mirror,” for which episodes usually exceeded 60 minutes and had incredibly high production values.

 star disappears from the show at the end of season 2's third episode almost out of thin air, her absence unaddressed in the five episodes that follow. Chèrie and her now-husband, Jessey Lee, announced last July that they would not be returning to the Netflix hit (the first season of which ended with Chèrie proposing to Jessey), so it may come as a shock to some viewers that Chèrie and Jessey are very much at the center of season 2's story, at least to start.In the first episodes of season 2, Jaime Xie's friend, Leah, drops a bit of a bomb and claims Jessey has a second family.

EXCLUSIVE: We will likely see more of Francesca on Bridgerton next season, and she will look a little different. Hannah Dodd (Anatomy of a Scandal) is set to play the the elusive Bridgerton sibling in Season 3 of Netflix and Shondaland’s Regency-era period drama series based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels. She is joining the hugely popular series in a recasting, taking over the role from Ruby Stokes who left and is the lead of another Netflix series, the upcoming Lockwood & Co., an adaptation of Jonathan Stroud’s books.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterComedies and dramas traditionally make up a large portion of the broadcast TV landscape between September and May, but networks don’t deny the continuous draw of hit reality TV and competition shows. Each season, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox, the so-called “Big 4” broadcasters, bring back old staples and add in new unscripted content in hopes of topping each other outside of their sitcoms and procedurals.While there could always be slight adjustments to season-long averages by the end of the traditional broadcast season in a few weeks, Variety has gathered Nielsen’s “most current” data through May 8 to rank ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox’s highest and lowest-rated unscripted series among adults 18-49. Below are the lists, which count 33 completed weeks of the soon-ending season.

Heartstopper star Joe Locke has revealed he wants American Pie‘s Jennifer Coolidge to play his grandmother in season two of the Netflix show.Based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novel of the same name, Heartstopper tells the story of school students Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) and Charlie Spring (Locke), who strike up a romantic relationship after being seated next to each other in class.A second season is yet to be officially announced by Netflix, but Locke is clear on who he wants to join the cast for the show’s eventual return.In a wide-ranging interview with Variety, the actor said that he wants Coolidge to play his grandmother, since Connor has Olivia Colman portraying his mother in season one.“Jennifer Coolidge should play my grandmother,” he said. “That would be so cool.

I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson has been renewed for a third season at Netflix.Variety broke the news that more episodes are currently being written, with cast member Sam Richardson confirming the news in March.“I’m not sure when they’ll start filming,” Richardson told the publication, after appearing in the first two seasons. “But there are funny sketches coming already, I can tell you that much.”The sketch series was created by Robinson alongside Zach Kanin.

Netflix has ordered a third season of I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.

Ethan Shanfeld Tim Robinson’s beloved sketch comedy show “I Think You Should Leave” has been renewed for Season 3 at Netflix, Variety has learned exclusively.Cast member Sam Richardson told Variety that the team was in the process of writing the third season in early March. It is unclear when Season 3 will debut, as well as how many episodes it will contain. If one thing’s for sure, there will be more memes (and hopefully more hot dogs).“I’m not sure when they’ll start filming,” said Richardson, who appeared in both seasons of the Netflix show.

. And with Guy at the wheel, audiences know they can expect a wild and fun ride filled with over-the-top camp side meals and some crazy competitions,” Jane Latman, president of home & food content and streaming for Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement.“Guy’s All-American Road Trip” will span four episodes.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Minx” has been renewed for Season 2 at HBO Max.The first season of the comedy series began airing in March and concluded on April 14. HBO Max released two episodes of the half-hour show per week.“All of us at ‘Minx’ have been blown away by the passionate response from audiences across the world, who have mashed-up, TikTok-ed and fanfic-ed us into a renewal,” said series creator Ellen Rapoport. “We are so grateful to our partners at HBO Max and Lionsgate for being true champions of the show, and for the opportunity to continue on this journey.

Sweet Magnolias will be back for a third go-round. Netflix has renewed the romance drama series for a third season, with stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott and Heather Headley set to reprise their roles.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeSerenity now: “Sweet Magnolias” has been renewed for a third season by Netflix, Variety has exclusively learned.Stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott and Heather Headley are all set to reprise their roles on the series, which debuted on May 19, 2020. Season 2 of “Sweet Magnolias” dropped Feb. 4 on the streaming service.“Sweet Magnolias” takes place in the small town of Serenity, S.C., and stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Maddie Townsend, a divorced woman with three children.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNetflix has ordered a docuseries from Shawn Levy, Vox Media Studios and The Verge about how technology will affect the basic aspects of our lives in the future, Variety has learned exclusively.Titled “The Future Of…,” the show asks: “What if we could look into the future to see how every aspect of our daily lives — from raising pets and house plants to what we eat and how we date — will be impacted by technology?” Per Netflix, “We can, and should, expect more from the future than the dystopia promised in current science fiction. ‘The Future Of…’ will reveal surprising and personal predictions about the rest of our lives — and the lives of generations to come.”The series will be released globally in two batches, with the first six episodes premiering Tuesday, June 21, and the remaining six episodes on Tuesday, June 28.