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We’re a big fan of franchises here at TV Fanatic.

I’ve personally covered some of the most prominent during my tenure here and have enjoyed many for the most part.

That said, the current craze of turning any moderately successful series into a franchise has got to stop.

(David Astorga/NBC)

Lightning rarely strikes twice when it comes to getting a successful show off the ground, which is why most spinoffs are pale imitations of the mothership, a fate that is all but certainly awaiting Suits LA.

I’ve been on the fence about the show because I devoured every episode of Suits the moment they were available and theorized what could happen next for all of the characters.

(Shane Mahood/USA Network)

I firmly believe that Harvey and Donna are one of the finest relationships on TV.

Sure, there were some issues in the later seasons, but...

The Walking Dead has been one of the most pivotal TV shows of the past 15 years, but there are a lot more shows for fans of that series to enjoy!

It's been a few years since The Walking Dead went off the air but it's never truly gone away. That's mostly due to the various spin-off series and how it's inspired other shows about people surviving a zombie apocalypse and/or the fall of civilization. That means a lot of copycat series, some better than others. 

Some shows are pure zombie thrillers while others use a different type of threat. Yet they're great at showcasing tales of people trying to survive these sorts of supernatural affairs and the collapse of order. These are 15 TV shows fans of The Walking Dead should enjoy as a fun ride for people who want to see the end of the world in a great style.

The 2020s have been a period of reboots, remakes, and reimaginings, with classic shows finding new audiences amid the various streaming services.

Suits: LA is one of the most highly anticipated spinoffs in years, and our cast and character guide has all the information you need about the folks appearing on the show and the roles they’ll be filling.

This series will come in 2025 and feature familiar faces, including a recurring guest role from the original series.

(David Astorga/NBC)

Suits soared to the most-streamed series in history in 2023 when it became #1 on Netflix, years after its original run on USA from 2011 to 2019.

It will be interesting to see if the show’s predecessor has the same level of success and if the spinoff inspires more attempts or even an original reboot.

The Irrational Season 2 Episode 6 Featured A Very Different Type Of Case, And We’re Here For...

Yellowstone fans may be gearing up for the return of their favorite series on Paramount Network, but the upcoming spinoff The Madison has star Patrick J. Adams excited. TV Insider caught up with the actor, who is best known for playing lawyer Mike Ross in USA Network‘s long-loved hit Suits (pictured below), as he appeared on Fox‘s courtroom drama Accused, and he teased his joy over the new gig he’s taking on. Slated to play Russell McIntosh, a young investment banker who has followed the life path set before him, Adams couldn’t divulge any specific details, only that he’s very much enjoying the work. Ian Watson/USA Network/Courtesy: Everett Collection “I wish I could say anything about it, but I feel the minute I say a word, someone will bust through this window and shut me down,” Adams joked when we asked him about the project.

If you have not started watching How to Die Alone on Hulu yet, you need to right now. Jaylee Hamidi plays Allie in the series, and she is one of the most inspirational characters on TV right now. We chatted to Hamidi about the role and the importance of the character on screens right now.

How to Die Alone follows Mel (played by creator Natasha Rothwell), a broke Black JFK airport employee who has never been in love. When there’s an accidental brush with death, she realizes that she needs to take control of her live and start living it.

On that journey, she makes new friends, including Hamidi’s Allie. Sometimes, joint negative experiences can create a friendship that lasts forever, and that’s what we find between the two characters in this series.

Bringing comedy to a dark series in How to Die Alone

I did start...

In the vast universe of Warhammer 40,000, where the grim darkness of the far future reigns supreme, there’s one tale that has long captured the imagination of fans: the story of Stanley Kubrick’s fascination with the franchise. The legendary director, known for his meticulous attention to detail and groundbreaking visuals, once hinted at the possibility of bringing the Warhammer 40K universe to the big screen.

Kubrick on the set of Barry Lyndon (1975). | Image Credit: Warner Bros./Wikimedia Commons

But what if we told you that Kubrick’s vision could still come to life? And that it would require the combined talents of two modern-day masters of their craft: Henry Cavill and Guillermo del Toro.

The Kubrick Connection: A Tantalizing Possibility A scene from the recently teased Secret Level series. | Image Credit: Prime Video YouTube Channel

The story of Stanley Kubrick‘s interest in Warhammer 40K dates back to...

As Natasha Rothwell books her return to The White Lotus for Season 3, she’s on a whole different journey this time around.

The How to Die Alone star explained how her 2021 role on Mike White‘s HBO anthology series helped pave the way for her new comedy series, which she also created, premiering Friday on Hulu.

“Well, my true north was authenticity. We are nuanced, complicated people, and I wanted the character to experience and express the full range of emotion because that’s life,” she explained to The A.V. Club.

“To try to categorize it is so Hollywood. I’ve been a victim of that because before it was just like, ‘She’s Kelly from Insecure, she can’t be serious.’ And then I played Belinda in The White Lotus and everyone’s like, ‘She can be serious,'” added Rothwell. “We can do it all; we have the capacity.

Henry Cavill's plans for a Warhammer TV series are seriously exciting for fans of the long-running multimedia franchise, but few are aware that the property nearly made its big-screen debut long before Cavill became involved, courtesy of legendary director Stanley Kubrick. While most casual observers have a passing familiarity with Warhammer thanks to the miniature figurines, the Warhammer universe is vast. Encompassing everything from video games to literature, there is a wealth of lore that makes it one of the most immersive IPs anywhere. As such, it's unsurprising that there have been multiple attempts to bring the story to life.

While Warhammer movies and TV shows have been talked about for decades, one of the more surprising proposals came from Stanley Kubrick. The American director, whose back catalog includes some of the most celebrated and revered releases in movie history, was famous for seeking creative inspiration from wherever he could,...

New details about the upcoming Suits spinoff have emerged since it was first announced. The Los Angeles-based show is in the planning process, according to Universal International Studios and UCP president Beatrice Springborn. The project is set to be written by Aaron Korsh, who created the original series, and per Variety, Springborn discussed the highly-anticipated title during an industry conference in the U.K. Fans of the original should expect some consistency between the flagship and the L.A. show as Springborn reportedly stated the new show would be set within “the same timeframe” of Suits. (Credit: Ian Watson/© USA Network/courtesy Everett Collection) She added that the show will “have the same energy and good-looking people as the original did.” While it’s unclear if that means any original series stars will appear, it’s an exciting update nonetheless. “We are working on it right now,” Springborn told attendees at the conference.

A Suits offshoot series is in development at NBCUniversal with original series creator Aaron Korsh amid the show’s resurgence in popularity on streaming. According to Deadline, deals surrounding the developing project are still being negotiated, but indications hint at a fast track for the project with a serious commitment looming. As fans of the legal drama will recall, the former USA Network hit aired for nine seasons from 2011 to 2019 when it wrapped its run. But unlike 2019’s spinoff Pearson, led by former cast member Gina Torres, this new project wouldn’t be defined as a reboot or revival. Instead, the belief is this new legal procedural would veer away from spinoff territory, opting for a format similar to franchises like CSI and NCIS with the action focused on new characters in a different location. (Credit: Ian Watson/© USA Network/courtesy Everett Collection) Los Angeles is reportedly being considered as...

The CBC original comedy Run the Burbs makes its U.S. debut on The CW on July 31, 2023. The half-hour comedy created by comedian, writer, and actor Andrew Phung (Kim’s Convenience) and his best friend, filmmaker Scott Townend (The Secret Marathon), first aired on CBC in 2022. The CW picked it up to help fill its summer primetime lineup, settling the comedy into the Mondays at 8:30pm Et/Pt timeslot immediately following episodes of Son of a Critch.

Season one episode one, “Blockbuster,” introduces the Pham family and their colorful assortment of neighbors and friends. Co-creator/executive producer Andrew Phung stars as Andrew Pham, Rahkee Morzaria (What We Do in the Shadows) is Camille, Zoriah Wong (Nancy Drew) stars as Khia, and Roman Pesino (Odd Squad) is Leo. Ali Hassan is Ramesh, Chris Locke plays Sebastian, Julie Nolke is Sam, Jonathan Langdon is Hudson, and Simone Miller is Mannix.

“Blockbuster...

Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track… So we’re going to do the hard work for you.

This week we head down under to Australia, where Paramount+ original Last King of the Cross has been making a serious racket. Telling the true story of gang warfare in the notorious Sydney Kings Cross district, the 10-part crime thriller harks back to classics such as The Godfather. Its journey to screen has been a lengthy but enjoyable one, say producers.

Name: Last King of the Cross

Country: Australia

Network: Paramount+ Australia

Producer: Helium Pictures

International sales: Cineflix Rights

For fans of: Godfather,...

Hot off of the awards recognition of his semi-autobiography, The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg had recently received the Golden Bear Lifetime Achievement at the Berlin Film Festival. According to Variety, the director said in a rousing speech, “I also feel a little alarmed to be told I’ve lived a lifetime because I’m not finished, I want to keep working. I want to keep learning and discovering and scaring the shit out of myself and sometimes the shit out of you. I gotta get back to some of those earlier scarier movies, but that’s another story for later on. As long as there’s joy in it for me, and as long as my audience can find joy and other human values in my films, I’m reluctant to ever say that’s a wrap.”

Spielberg, who had directed the heavy drama, Schindler’s List, and felt changed by that production,...

Steven Spielberg confirmed that he is involved in turning Stanley Kubrick's greatest unrealized project, Napoleon, into an HBO limited series. Napoleon will not be Spielberg's first attempt at reviving a Kubrick project. Spielberg also directed A.I. Artificial Intelligence in 2001, which Kubrick was unable to realize because of limited CGI technology at the time. Eventually, Kubrick handed the project off to Spielberg in 1995, with Spielberg staying close to Ian Watson and Kubrick's original story treatment.

Speaking at the Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Spielberg, who was there doing the rounds for his semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans, spoke about the upcoming Napoleon series and what they're planning to do with the Kubrick project (via Deadline). Check out what Spielberg said in the tweet below:

Steven Spielberg told #Berlinale2023 that he's adapting Stanley Kubrick's lost film 'Napoleon' into a limited series for HBO pic.twitter.com/PBqHzPQNkt — Deadline Hollywood...

Before he died in 1999, Stanley Kubrick had grand plans for multiple films, including his retelling of Napoleon Bonaparte's life that would have seen none other than Jack Nicholson in the title role. But for me, his long-gestating adaptation of British author Brian Aldiss's short story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long" was a much more interesting project — simply because it demonstrated Kubrick's remarkable prescience through his fascination with artificial intelligence back in the '70s.

The way things played out, Kubrick never made his "Supertoys," handing off directing duties to Steven Spielberg before his death. This is a shame because while Spielberg's attempt at bringing the story to the screen is mostly well-respected, I always felt the full Kubrick treatment would have yielded a genuine masterpiece.

As it stands, we have 2001's "A.I. Artificial Intelligence." Set in a climate change-ravaged 22nd century, the movie follows David (Haley Joel Osment...

Steven Spielberg has long been considered one of the best directors of all time, cementing his legacy with movies like Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, and Jaws. The Fabelmans is Spielberg’s latest and is a coming-of-age story greatly inspired by Spielberg’s own adolescence.

Though Steven Spielberg has directed over 30 films in his career, The Fabelmans is just the fifth movie he also has a "Written By" credit for. WihileThe Fabelmans has received favorable reviews so far, fans of Spielberg's work may be interested to find how it compares to the rest of the movies he’s written over his career.

Firelight (1964) - N/A Not Currently Available To Stream

Shot for just 500, Firelight was the first film made by Spielberg when he was only 17 years old (per Britannica). A science-fiction movie following alien abductions disrupting a fictional small town in Arizona, the movie only screened one time at...

Tim Roth-starring Australian drama Last King of the Cross has been picked up by Sky in Europe, marking the first major sale of the Paramount+ series as it heads to Mipcom Cannes.

Sky has picked up the show for its UK, Ireland, Italy and Germany service, striking the deal with distributor Cineflix Rights.

Inspired by John Ibrahim’s best-selling autobiography, Helium’s 10-parter stars Academy Award-nominee Roth as Ezra Shipman, a kingpin in Sydney’s Kings Cross nightclub district in the 1980s and 1990s. Roth replaced Ian McShane in one of the lead roles earlier this year.

Lincoln Younes and Claude Jabbour also lead as two Lebanese teenagers who arrive in Australia and quickly enter an underworld, making a name for themselves as the cocaine wave hits Kings Cross.

Paramount+ Australia greenlit the show and Cineflix Rights is exclusive international distributor. Produced by Mark Fennessy and Karl Zwicky, and...

Former Orange Is the New Black inmate Adrienne C. Moore operates on the other side of the law in this Canadian buddy-cop treat, Pretty Hard Cases. Gruff Toronto drug squad detective Kelly Duff (Moore) and her colleague in the gang unit, rule-following optimist Samantha Wazowski (Meredith MacNeill), “are the yin to the other’s yang,” says exec producer Sherry White. (Credit: Ian Watson/IMDb TV) In this lighthearted crime series streaming on Prime’s free IMDb TV channel, they blend differing work styles to bring down a common target: a violent drug-dealing street gang. “The stakes are high,” says executive producer Tassie Cameron, “but there’s always room for fun.” Initially antagonistic, the women rub off on each other. “Sam will help Kelly learn to be more vulnerable, and Kelly will help Sam become tougher,” says Cameron, adding that the women “are better together…most of ...

It’s a rare feat for an Australian film to break through to the top of the box office, let alone for two local titles to lead the weekend’s rankings. But Penguin Bloom and The Dry have done just that.

Roadshow Films’ Penguin Bloom, directed by Glendyn Ivin and starring Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln and Jacki Weaver, opened on $1.5 million from 398 screens, or $1.7 million with previews, to come out on top.

Stablemate The Dry was close behind, netting $1.4 million over its fourth weekend to cross $12 million overall. Each film was produced by production company Made Up Stories, led by Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Jodi Matterson.

For Roadshow Films CEO Joel Pearlman, both titles’ results are testament to audiences’ desire to support home-grown filmmaking. He argues “now is the time for Australia to champion its bold stories and beautiful locations with the world.”

“It’s remarkable that the two...

Shannon Murphy’s feature debut Babyteeth leads the early Aacta Awards race, scoring nods in 12 out of 13 film categories, while Mystery Road and Stateless are ahead in television.

The Australian Academy revealed the first round of nominees for the annual awards over the weekend, to be presented across two ‘reimagined’ events later this month.

Television and documentary craft nominations, visual effects and animation, casting, hair and make-up and subscription television presenter categories are yet to be announced, expected on November 12.

Despite the disrupted year for film, some 19 narrative features are nominated so far.

However, six dominate alongside the aforementioned Babyteeth: Justin Kurzel’s True History of the Kelly Gang, with 10 nominations, John Sheedy’s H is for Happiness with nine, Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man and Unjoo Moon’s I Am Woman close behind with eight and seven nominations respectively, and Natalie Erika James’ Relic with five. Each will...

‘Heartbreak High.’

Some 20 years after Heartbreak High ended, a contemporary remake of the popular Australian high school series is being shopped at Mipcom.

Dutch production company NewBe, which secured worldwide English-language rights to the show created by the late Ben Gannon, is seeking to partner with streaming companies on new series.

Following students at a fictional school in a tough Sydney neighbourhood, the drama launched on Network Ten in 1994 and moved to the ABC three years later, ending in 1999. More than 200 episodes were produced.

The show introduced many new or relatively fresh faces including Alex Dimitriades, Callan Mulvey, Ada Nicodemu, Doris Younane, Rebecca Smart, Tony Martin, Abi Tucker, Salvatore Coco, Kym Wilson, Scott Major and Emma Roche.

Gannon died in 2007 and rights to the series reverted to his partner Brian Abel, who will serve as a consultant on the remake alongside Michael Jenkins, who was the executive producer.

Jenkins was...

Yiana Pandelis and Reece Noi (Photo credit: Ben Mezups)

Yiana Pandelis was 14 when she did her first acting workshop at Melbourne’s Active Performance Studios.

Her performance made a lasting impression on one of the attendees, casting director Cinzia Coassin, who was amazed to discover afterwards that Yiana is hearing impaired.

So years later when Coassin received the script for Unsound, she immediately thought of Yiana as ideal for the co-lead Finn, a young woman who is hearing impaired and undergoing the difficult process of transitioning to male.

After reading the script by Ally Burnham, a Nida graduate who received funding from Screen Australia’s Gender Matters Brilliant Stories program, Pandelis did several self-tests and auditioned for a previous director in Melbourne last year.

Development took longer than the producer Tsu Shan Chambers expected, with Screen Australia’s support on the script, and Ian Watson took over as the director.

(L-r) Tsu Shan Chambers, Martine Delaney, Chryssy Tintner, Jess Orcsik, Ally Burnham and Christine Anu.

Game of Thrones’ Reece Noi and newcomer Yiana Pandelis are playing the leads in Unsound, a quirky romantic drama now shooting in Sydney.

Directed by Ian Watson, and scripted by Ally Burnham, the plot follows Noi as Noah, a disillusioned musician who quits the band and returns to his mother’s home.

After clashing with his mother Angela (Paula Duncan) over old wounds, Noah seeks solace elsewhere and is caught up in the vibrant, passionate life of Finn (Pandelis), a young trans man.

Finn, who only speaks Auslan, runs a centre and nightclub for his deaf community. Despite their differences, the two become closer but with no shared language to fall back on, they risk hurting each other.

The cast includes Todd McKenney as Lewis, Finn’s father, Christine Anu as Moniqua, a fiery singer...

In a move that's sure the alienate fans, TBS has cancelled its People of Earth TV show. There will be no third season, despite the fact that the Turner-owned cable network already renewed People of Earth for season three, back in September of 2017. According to creator David Jenkins, although the third season has been written (but not shot), the People of Earth cancellation is official. Check it out, below. A TBS sitcom, People of Earth stars Wyatt Cenac, Ana Gasteyer, Oscar Nuñez, Michael Cassidy, Alice Wetterlund, Luka Jones, Brian Huskey, Nancy Lenehan, Tracee Chimo, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Björn Gustafsson, and Ken Hall. The story centers on journalist Ozzie Graham (Cenac) who comes to town to investigates supposed alien encounters. He is soon drawn into an eclectic group of misfits as he finds himself identifying with their experiences. Read More…...

Vulture Watch Will Harvey and Mike keep the firm together? Has the Suits TV show been cancelled or renewed for an eighth season on USA Network? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of Suits, season eight. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you? What's This TV Show About? A USA Network legal drama, Suits centers on ace attorney, Harvey Spector (Gabriel Macht) and his college dropout protegé Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams). The cast also includes Rick Hoffman, Sarah Rafferty, and Meghan Markle. Dulé Hill joins in season seven as Harvey’s old friend, Alex Williams, a senior partner at the rival law firm of Bratton Gould. This year, Harvey will step up...

Vulture Watch What fait awaits Dutch, Johnny, and D’avin? Has the Killjoys TV show been cancelled or renewed for a fourth season on Syfy? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of Killjoys season four. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you? What's This TV Show About? Airing on the Syfy cable network, Killjoys stars Aaron Ashmore, Luke Macfarlane, and Hannah John-Kamen star. Dutch (John-Kamen), Johnny (Ashmore), and D’avin (Macfarland) are fun-loving, hard living interplanetary bounty hunters. They are sworn to remain impartial as they chase deadly warrants across the Quad — a distant system on the brink of a bloody, multi-planetary class war. In season three, they...

Check out these new gallery and episode photos from the seventh season of the Suits TV show on USA Network. Suits season seven premieres on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 at 9:00pm. The episodic photography comes from episode 7.01, "Skin in the Game," episode 7.02, "The Statue," episode 7.04, "Divide and Conquer," and episode 7.05, the title of which is yet to be released. A legal drama from Aaron Korsh, Suits stars Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Sarah Rafferty, Rick Hoffman, and Meghan Markle. West Wing vet Dulé Hill, late of the quickly cancelled Doubt, joins the USA series in its seventh season as Alex Williams, an old friend of Harvey’s (Macht). Alex is a senior partner at the rival law firm of Bratton Gould. Gina Torres, who starred in the first six seasons, signed for...

Delta Goodrem.

Delta Goodrem has joined season five of Nine's House Husbands.

Goodrem will play Izzy Dreyfus, the new reading recovery teacher at Nepean South Primary School.

"Riding in on her cafe racer motorbike, brilliant, beautiful and slightly tomboyish Izzy both excites and frightens everyone in the House Husbands world and her audacious attitude is instrumental in diverting a threat to the Nepean South community that none of them see coming." .

Goodrem said: .I couldn.t be happier to join the amazing House Husbands family. It.s such a fantastic Aussie drama that I love — and my whole family loves — so I feel very lucky and cannot wait to get started..

Nine.s co-Heads of Drama, Jo Rooney and Andy Ryan, said they were excited to welcome Goodrem to the cast..

"Delta is a much-loved Australian performer who brings a special star quality to our screens. We can.t wait...

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Treat yourself to some science fiction reading, with a bunch of recommend reads from the 1970s...

So many types of science fiction exist, and British Sf writing in the 1970s was often in the business of inventing new types or manipulating the old ones into interesting directions. Astonishing visions were created that reflected back on a changing world where the growth of superpowers jostled with the economic hardships at home. Were we heading in the right direction, as a species? What did it mean to be human, anyway, caught in an explosion of scientific and technological advances?

Some writers gave us space-travelling escapism, and some gave us nightmare thrillers at home. Some gave us alien intelligences and some gave us human stupidities. From the foreseeable future to the end of the universe, here’s a look at eleven incredible British science fiction novels of the 1970s:

Dg...

House Husbands.

House Husbands season five begins filming in Melbourne this week.

Gary Sweet, Firass Dirani, Rhys Muldoon, Julia Morris, Natalie Saleeba, Jane Allsop, Louise Siversen and Denise Scott are all back, and will be joined by Packed to the Rafters alum Hugh Sheridan.

Sheridan will play Nick Gazecki, a music teacher who makes an enemy of his new neighbour Lewis (Sweet).

Other new additions include Roy Billing and Australian musical theatre legend Nancye Hayes.

.Everyone with a family can relate to the House Husbands and their partners as they juggle the pressures of relationships, work and parenting", Nine.s co-Heads of Drama Jo Rooney and Andy Ryan said..

Sue Seeary from Playmaker said: .We are thrilled to be back again for a fifth series. With such a wonderful returning cast and the opportunity of working with Hugh Sheridan as the new House Husband, this series is sure to capture...

[caption id="attachment_47050" align="aligncenter" width="590"] The Great White Sharks of Cheer Squad (Freeform/Ian Watson)./caption]

Bust out your pompoms. Freeform announces its new Cheer Squad TV series premieres in the Us Monday, August 22, 2016, at 10:00pm Et. The reality show follows the world-champion cheerleading team, The Great White Sharks, as they defend their title. Watch a preview from Canadian Channel, ABC Spark, below.

Cheer Squad comes from Corus Entertainment’s ABC Spark and Good Human Productions. Claire Freeland is executive producing for Good Human. The first season of Cheer Squad features 10 hour-long episodes. Scheduling note: In Canada, Cheer Squad premieres Wednesday, July 6 at 9:00pm Et, on ABC Spark.

Read More…...

Newcomers Elias Anton and Ben Kindon are playing the leads in Barracuda, the 4-part Matchbox Pictures drama for ABC directed by Rob Connolly.

The ABC revealed the casts and storylines of its 2016 adult dramas, all previously commissioned and announced, at its upfronts presentation on Tuesday night.

The broadcaster confirmed a third season of Matchbox Pictures. Nowhere Boys and announced two animated series. Planet 55 Studios. sci-fi/adventure Prisoner Zero follows teen heroes Tag and Gem and their mysterious friend Prisoner Zero.

Stark Production.s The Deep is the saga of the Nekton family who encounter leviathans swimming through sunken cities, modern day pirates lurking amidst floating black markets and mysterious guardians who conceal long lost secrets.

The teen-targeted slate also includes Ambience Entertainment.s Tomorrow, When the War Began, based on the novels by John Marsden. In Barracuda, Anton plays Danny Kelly, a Melbourne teenager who yearns for a gold medal...

Janet King season 2 begins production this week with Marta Dusseldorp reprising her lead role.

In the second series, King is seconded from the Dpp to lead a Royal Commission into a deadly upsurge in gun crime..

King is joined by conscripting solicitors Richard Stirling (Hamish Michael) and Lina Badir (Andrea Demetriades), and the ambitious Owen Mitchell (Damian Walshe-Howling) as Counsel Assisting.

With coercive powers Detective Andy Campbell (Christopher Morris) can only dream of, King and her team peel back the complex layers of intrigue underpinning the illicit trade in weapons..

Completing the cast are Peter Kowitz, Leah Purcell, Terry Serio, Philip Quast, Anita Hegh, Aaron Jeffrey, Genevieve Hegney, Nicholas Hope and Ewen Leslie.

The series is produced by Screentime, a Banijay Group company, and series produced by Karl Zwicky, produced by Lisa Scott, with Hilary Bonney and Marta Dusseldorp as associate producers, and Greg Haddrick as executive producer..

It is written by Haddrick,...

Matt Saville has been nominated in two categories at the 2015 Australian Directors Guild Awards, for his feature Felony and an episode of Josh Thomas. ABC-tv comedy Please Like Me.

The other nominees in the feature film category are Sophie Hyde for 52 Tuesdays, Jennifer Kent for The Babadook and Robert Connolly for Paper Planes.

There are two nominees for Rake for TV drama series: Jessica Hobbs and Rowan Woods. Also in the running are Shawn Seet for The Code, Geoff Bennett for Love Child and Kevin Carlin for Wentworth.

Kate Dennis and Peter Salmon are both nominated for Secrets & Lies in the TV miniseries category, together with Tony Krawitz (Devil.s Playground). and Ian Watson (Anzac Girls).

The telemovie award is a toss-up between Samantha Lang for Carlotta and Jeffrey Walker for Jack Irish: Dead Point.

In the 30th year of Neighbours, Chris Langman has been nominated in the TV drama...

Indiana Evans and Justine Clarke have joined the cast of the fourth season of Playmaker Media.s House Husbands, now shooting in Melbourne.

Evans (Secrets & Lies, Janet King) is playing Tash, a single mother new to Melbourne who ignites a tumultuous love triangle. Clarke is Eve, the hot-headed tuckshop lady who competes with the catering business run by Kane (Gyton Grantley).

Also new to the cast are Akos Armont (Winter, Janet King) as the charming and ambitious Dr Saxon, whose presence creates tension within the hospital, and Jane Kennedy as Belinda, the resident Director of Medical Services.

Returning regulars include Lewis (Gary Sweet), Justin (Firass Dirani), Mark (Rhys Muldoon), Gemma (Julia Morris), Abi (Natalie Saleeba), Alex (Darren McMullen) and Miss Looby (Louise Siversen). Mark.s controlling boss Rachel, played by Jane Allsop in season one, makes a fiery comeback . Also returning from season one to cause trouble is Rodney (Nicholas Coghlan...

Georgia Flood as Alice behind the scenes of Anzac Girls. .A Screentime production for ABC TV.

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While writer-producer Felicity Packard was researching an ABC WW1 drama, she made a shocking discovery: More than 3,700 Australian and New Zealand nurses served overseas during the war- but only seven were awarded military medals.

The reason for that anomaly is one of the recurring themes of Anzac Girls, a six-hour series based on real people and events at the Western Front and Gallipoli, which premieres at 8.30 pm on Sunday August 10.

Packard believes the Australian Army refused to honour the nurses because officers were opposed to young women being involved in the war.

.The Army was quite hostile to them,. Packard tells If. This attitude is personified in the show by Colonel Thomas Fiaschi (John Waters), who, she says, .was obstructionist and critical of the nurses.. Those medals were awarded to people of .other ranks,...

Richard Sellers/Empics Sport

Stoke are optimistic in their pursuit of Sunderland’s defensive midfielder Lee Cattermole, according to a Tweet from Sky Sport’s Ian Watson.

Watson posted on the micro-social networking site that Liam Bridcutt’s move to the Stadium of Light had given the Potters hope of successfully negotiating a move for Carttermole.

Bridcutt has joined the Black Cats for £3 million from Brighton & Hove Albion, and that could now spark the sale of Cattermole to Stoke.

Mark Hughes’s side have made a £4 million bid for Cattermole but Sunderland are relictant to sell, and an improved offer is thought to be on the way.

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Rob Dorsett, who is positioned at the Stoke training ground for Sky Sports News, understands that Cattermole is the Potters’ primary target this month.

Time is running out with tonight’s 23:00 deadline approaching, and Sunderland are keen to hold on to the midfielder.

The Anzac spirit will be celebrated in two miniseries that received funding on Tuesday from Screen Australia. While both projects had been announced, the cast for Anzac Girls has been revealed and it.s been confirmed that Sam Worthington is highly likely to star in The Gallipoli Story.

Also funded was Catching Milat, a two-part telemovie recounting the investigation that led to the arrest of serial killer Ivan Milat.

Produced by Screentime for ABC TV, Anzac Girls will chronicle the true story of five young military nurses from Australia and New Zealand who experienced horror, heartbreak and triumph caring for the soldiers at Gallipoli and the Western Front.

The six-part series will star Georgia Flood (House Husbands, Wentworth, Tangle), Antonia Prebble (Outrageous Fortune, The Blue Rose, Super City), Laura Brent (A Few Best Men, Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader), Anna McGahan (House Husbands, Mystery of a Hansom Cab,...

The ABC has begun production of a new legal series which will showcase the talent of Australia’s acting talent pool.

The announcement:

Marta Dusseldorp (A Place to Call Home, Jack Irish, Crownies) returns as Senior Crown Prosecutor Janet King in the title role of the powerful new eight hour mini-series for ABC1, which begins production today.

Joining the cast are Vince Colosimo (Underbelly, The Great Gatsby) as Chief Superintendent Jack Rizzoli, and Damian Walshe-Howling (Underbelly, Brothers In Arms, The Time of Our Lives) as Owen Mitchell, a rising star prosecutor – each crucial in Janet’s campaign to expose the truth behind a shocking murder that strikes at the very heart of the justice system.

Also appearing in the compelling high stakes legal thriller are John Howard (Fury Road, Packed to the Rafters, All Saints), Sonia Todd (Rake, Home and Away, McLeod’s Daughters), Jessica Napier (Sea Patrol, McLeod’s Daughters), Deborah Kennedy (Rake,...

A new series of Underbelly has started filming for Nine and production company Screentime.

The fifth series- called Underbelly: Badness – returns to Sydney’s modern crime history, set between 2001 and 2011.

The story is based on the murder of Terry Falconer by underworld figures Anthony Perish and Andrew Perish and the team of police dedicated to bringing the Perishs to justice.

Perish, 42, was sentenced to 18 years on Friday 13 April 2012 in the Nsw Supreme Court while his brother Andrew Perish, 41, was sentenced to at least nine years, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Des Monaghan, executive producer of the series and executive chairman of Screentime said: “This, the fifth series of Underbelly, is the most contemporary yet and is in marked contrast to Underbelly: Razor. While on the face of it they couldn’t be more different, they do both share the Underbelly DNA, namely police versus organised crime, the dramatisation of actual events,...

Australia.s highest-rated TV drama series Packed To The Rafters is back to claim its crown.

The Seven series, which last year averaged 1.8 million viewers, returns next week with another 22 episodes.

It.s the nation.s favourite drama, having netted Best Australian Drama at the last three Logie Awards. Two weeks ago it also took out the Audience Choice Award for Best TV Program at the inaugural Aacta Awards.

Series producer Chris Martin-Jones, who occasionally sits in the director.s chair, puts the show's success down to it being so relatable. The drama focuses on the Rafter family . a family, which, like any, faces pressures of life and love while dealing with serious social issues.

.They can see the characters in their own lives. They can see the situation the character.s in,. Martin-Jones says from his Sydney office.

He says tackling serious issues such as abortion, drug abuse and...

Genre: Sci-Fi | Fantasy | Mystery

Creators: Brian Henson and Rockne S. O’Bannon

Directors: Tony Tilse, Rowan Woods, Andrew Prowse, Ian Watson, Peter Andrikidis, Geoff Bennett, Catherine Millar, Pino Amenta, Ian Barry

Cast: Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Anthony Simcoe, Lani John Tupu, Jonathan Hardy, Gigi Edgley, Wayne Pygram, Virginia Hey

Summary:

John Crichton. Astronaut. Flung through a wormhole and lost in a galaxy far from home. He fines himself in the middle of a prison break, surrounded by hostile aliens, soaring through space inside a glorious living space ship called Moya. Hunted by the relentless Peacekeepers, Crichton (Ben Browder) allies himself with Moya’s crew — Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), Luxan warrior Ka D’Argo (Anthony Simcoe), azure priestess Zhaan (Virginia Hey), spritely Nebari thief Chiana (Gigi Edgley), Dominar Rygel, the deposed royal ruler of the Hynerian Empire and Pilot – to search for a way out of this inconceivably alien world and return home.

Seven film projects have been selected to be put in the shop window at this year’s Screen Producers Association of Australia conference.

SPAAmart, which runs alongside the Spaa conference features projects which are in an advanced state of production.

The criteria for being featured is that they are “well developed, distinctive, fresh and with the potential to be highly attractive to their intended audiences.”

The conference takes place in Sydney from November 13 to 16.

The seven selected projects are:

The Room Producer Matt Carroll; Directors Ian Watson and Andrew Hellen My Mistress Producer Leanne Tonkes; Director Stephen Lance Uno Producer Stuart Scowcroft; Director Giotto Barbieri Wake Up Dead Producers Joel Cohn and Josh Butt; Director Joel Cohen Red Car Producer Tony Leach; Director Paul Elliott Boys Club Producers Karin Altmann and Sue Maslin; Director Marcus Cole Alex And Eve Producer Murray Fahey; Director Peter Andrikidis

SPAAmart director Julie Marlow said:...

<p><a href="http://www.encoremagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/The-Sapphires.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-3055 alignright" title="Farmer and Anu in the current stage version of The Sapphires" src="http://www.encoremagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/The-Sapphires-150x150.jpg" alt="Farmer and Anu in the current stage version of The Sapphires" width="150" height="150" /></a>Screen Australia announced its last investment round for 2010, with almost $18m for five features, three drama series, two low budget TV dramas, a children&#8217;s TV series, and 17 docos.</p> <p>The films include the musical <em>The Sapphires </em>(dir. Wayne Blair),<em> The King is Dead!</em> (dir. Rolf de Heer), <em>Dead Europe</em> (dir. Tony Krawitz), <em>Venice </em>(dir. Miro Bilbrough) and <em>Summer Coda</em> (dir. Richard Gray).<span id="more-6142"></span></p> <p><em>Summer Coda </em>was released in October, and today&#8217;s announcement by Screen Australia refers to a September decision that provided the film with post-production funding.</p> <p>The projects are:<br /> Feature Drama<br /> <strong>Dead Europe</strong><br /> See Saw Films Pty Ltd<br /> Producers Emile Sherman, Iain Canning<br /> Writer Louise Fox<br /> Director Tony Krawitz<br /> Sales and Distribution Cross City Sales, Wild Bunch International Sales, Transmission Films<br /> Synopsis Isaac, a late 20s Greek Australian, spirals out of control when he’s forced to confront<br /> his own family’s cursed legacy on his first trip to...

Now entering its third year, Packed to the Rafters has become the Seven Network’s flagship drama. Its creators told Eleeza Hooker that making a hit TV show might be difficult, but maintaining it over the years is even harder.

The series, about a couple whose adult children come back to live at the family home, has been a hit with audiences, averaging 1.9m viewers in 2008 and 2009 – with a peak of 2.07m for Episode 41, a number surpassed only by Nine’s Underbelly.

The concept was developed by series creator and network script executive Bevan Lee, producer Jo Porter and script producer Anthony Ellis. Together, they’re in charge of keeping the series going.

“It’s a nice problem to have to maintain a hit show. As you keep going through stories, it becomes harder and harder,” said Porter.

According to Porter, Rafters is a valuable property for the network, and...