Noticias

When Courtney White started working at HGTV in 2005, the standard episode order for a new series was no less than 65 episodes.

Today, as the president of Wheelhouse Entertainment, White is tasked with juggling a busy portfolio of unscripted series for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. As White explains on the latest episode of Variety podcast “Strictly Business,” the days of getting double-digit episode orders for even the most successful series are long past.

“The reality, which is a harsh one for the business, is there are very few really high-volume shows anymore,” White says. “So it really is about the six- or eight-episode order. That that is the norm.”

White details the structure of Wheelhouse Entertainment, part of Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse group, where she oversees seven busy production labels that are experts in specific genres and sub-genres of production. It allows Wheelhouse to make the most of each title that flows through the company.

Updated, April 29: A&e has pushed back the premiere date for Duck Dynasty: The Revival to Sunday, June 1 from its originally announced May 28 date.

Previous, April 14: The Robertsons are back. A&e announced today that the first season of their new series Duck Dynasty: The Revival will premiere Wednesday, May 28 at 9 pm.

The series, which received an initial two-season order in January, returns to the network after eight years.

Duck Dynasty: The Revival centers on Willie and Korie Robertson as they navigate life with their growing family of adult children and grandchildren, now part of the next generation carrying on the Robertson legacy at their Louisiana homestead. As the family business expands beyond ducks, Willie and Korie bring their signature wit and down-home charm while they explore the future of Duck Commander, support their children through marriage, parenthood, and entrepreneurship, and work to keep their legacy alive. However, Willie...

Exclusive: With Million Dollar Secret riding high in the charts, Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse is looking to lean into the creator economy and YouTube talent in a big way.

Glenn Hugill, the newly-promoted Chief Content Officer and President of the international Wheelhouse Studios, said the indie is in the process of signing off on a “massive project that involves creator-led talent” and was the subject of a bidding war. “It’s got huge creators and a structure that involves live, structured and reality,” he explained. “It feels like the kind of show that would never have existed three years ago and right now feels inevitable.”

Further to this project, Hugill revealed Wheelhouse is deep in the weeds striking a string of talent deals with digital creatives that will be unveiled in the coming weeks. This, he said, came after Jimmy Kimmel’s indie Kimmelot divested its equity stake in Wheelhouse...

Wheelhouse Entertainment is making changes in its C-suite.

The unscripted-focused studio founded by Brent Montgomery has named Courtney White president. White will add oversight of all Wheelhouse U.S production labels including Spoke Studios, new True Crime production venture Twist and Wheelhouse DNA, the company’s digital and audio division. She will also help manage Wheelhouse’s physical production partnerships, including Chef David Chang’s Majordomo Media, and NBA star Anthony Edwards’ Three Fifths Media.

White will also continue to run lifestyle firm Butternut, the venture she launched with Wheelhouse in 2022.

Wheelhouse also promoted Glenn Hugill to chief content officer and president of Wheelhouse Studios, its international content hub. Hugill will oversee creative development and production of global formats, based in London. Both White and Hugill will report to Montgomery.

“Our goal is to always blaze new trails and by fortifying our core business with the incredible leadership of Courtney and Glenn,...

Wheelhouse Entertainment is making some promotions.

The company, which was founded by Pawn Stars creator Brent Montgomery in 2018, has promoted Courtney White and Glenn Hugill.

White, who joined the company in 2022 with the launch of her label Butternut, has been named President of Wheelhouse Entertainment.

Hugill, who joined in 2023 to head up its UK operations, has been named chief content officer and President of Wheelhouse Studios, the company’s new international content hub.

Former Food Network President White, who will continue to run Butternut, will now add oversight of all Wheelhouse U.S production labels including flagship Spoke Studios, new True Crime prodco Twist and Wheelhouse DNA, the company’s digital and audio division. During her tenure, she has produced series such as Food Network’s Last Bite Hotel, HGTV’s Divided by Design, Roku’s Celebrity Family Food Battle and Discovery ID’s Bodies in the Water and is...

Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse Entertainment has promoted Courtney White to president and Glenn Hugill to chief creative officer of the company and president of Wheelhouse Studios.

In addition to continuing to run Butternut, White’s role will expand to include oversight of all Wheelhouse U.S production labels, including Spoke Studios, new true crime production company Twist and Wheelhouse DNA, the company’s digital and audio division. White will also help manage Wheelhouse’s physical production partnerships, including those with chef David Chang’s Majordomo Media and NBA star Anthony Edwards’ Three Fifths Media.

Hugill will now be chief creative officer at Wheelhouse Entertainment and president of Wheelhouse Studios, the company’s new international content hub, in addition to his role heading up the company’s UK operations and serving as chief content officer, which he’s held since January 2023. Hugill will continue to be based out of the company’s London offices,...

The hunt is back on: A&e is rebooting “Duck Dynasty” as “Duck Dynasty: The Revival,” an all-new series based on the Robertson family and set to premiere in summer 2025.

The revival series will follow Willie and Korie and their family of adult children and grandchildren, as the next generation of Robertsons living on their family homestead in Louisiana. The dynasty has expanded to more than just ducks and Willie and Korie must map out the future of Duck Commander. Of course, watching kids navigate marriage, children and businesses of their own will lead to all sorts of hilarious hijinks for which the Robertson family is known.

A&e has ordered 20 one-hour episodes that will be broken down into two 10 episode-seasons. The show will air on A&e this summer, with a second streaming service window following the end of each season, which will be announced at a later date. The...

A&e is rebooting — rebilling? — one of its most popular series from the 2010s with a new iteration of Duck Dynasty.

The new show, titled Duck Dynasty: The Revival, will once again follow the Robertson family as Willie and Korie Robertson focus on plotting the future for the family’s Duck Commander business and watch their own children deal with the challenges of adulthood. A&e has ordered two 10-episode seasons of the show, the first of which is set to premiere in the summer.

The revival of Duck Dynasty will debut some eight years after the original series aired its last episode in March 2017 after 11 seasons in five years. The show was A&e’s — and all of cable TV’s — biggest unscripted series in its heyday, hitting a high of 11.8 million viewers for the season four premiere in August 2013 (which was part of a peak time for cable in...

Duck Dynasty is back – eight years after it was canceled and ended up in the middle of a legal battle.

A&e is bringing the series back with Duck Dynasty: The Revival with a two-season order of 20 episodes in total. It will premiere in the summer.

The new season will focus on Willie and Korie Robertson and their growing family of adult children and grandchildren, the next generation of Robertsons living on the family homestead in Louisiana.

It will not, however, feature Phil Robertson, the controversial patriarch of the family, who has said some things in the past that have been homophobic and was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

The show also has a new production company; it will be produced by Wheelhouse’s Spoke Studios and Willie and Korie Robertson’s Tread Lively Productions.

This comes after legal trouble at Gurney Productions, the ITV-owned company that originally produced the series.

Michael Keaton's most iconic roles include Bruce Wayne, Betelgeuse, and Jack Frost. He also played Jack Butler in 1983's Mr. Mom, a domestic comedy that leaned heavily on the role reversal movie trope.

Michael Keaton's first comedy Mr. Mom is now streaming on Pluto TV. It's the best movie to watch before Goodrich, where the actor plays a character in a similar predicament. Keaton's first seven movies were comedies, from 1982's Night Shift to 1988's Beetlejuice. That year was also a career milestone for Keaton, who broke out of the genre to star in a drama (Clean and Sober) about substance abuse. He has since proved his range in films like Jackie Brown, Birdman, and The Founder, but fans still credit his success to his earliest works, especially Mr. Mom and Night Shift.

Related Michael Keaton's Best Movies & TV Shows, According To IMDb

Beetlejuice and Spider-Man: Homecoming are...

Actor Tituss Burgess will lend his iconic judgement to Food Network this fall as the host of new competition series “Last Bite Hotel.”

In the show, eight chefs have been invited to a remote hotel for a game of resourcefulness and creativity, per Food Network’s description for the series. Tasked by hotel manager Burgess to meet the culinary demands of the hotel’s VIP guests, each chef may only bring 13 ingredients for their entire stay. Cooking skills won’t be enough to get them to the finish line, as ingenuity and calculated risks are needed to survive and cook another day.

As the game proceeds, each challenge completed means precious ingredients are dwindling, and, for the competitors, the chance of being banished to the dreaded Room 13 is increasing. As competitors are eliminated, they bequeath their remaining ingredients to chosen remaining challengers, making strategy and alliances a crucial part of surviving the competition.

Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse Entertainment has brought on “Dr. Pimple Popper” producer Whitney White as executive vice president of development at its food and lifestyle division Butternut, and promoted Liz Fine to EVP of programming for Wheelhouse proper.

The leadership additions come on the heels of Wheelhouse launching its new crime and investigative brand Twist and following the company receiving a minority investment from private equity firm Alignment Growth.

Working under Butternut president Courtney White, Whitney White will oversee and create IP, working with existing and emerging talent in the food, home and lifestyle arena. Wheelhouse’s current slate of Butternut series include Food Network’s “Next Baking Master: Paris,” HGTV’s “Divided by Design” and Roku’s “Celebrity Family Food Battle,” as well as other currently unannounced projects.

Best known for creating TLC’s hit series “Dr. Pimple Popper” while head of development at Ping Pong Productions, Whitney White...

Exclusive: Jane Latman, who spent 20 years at Discovery, is getting back into the true-crime business.

Latman has launched Twist, a new crime and investigation production label, with Wheelhouse Entertainment.

It comes 18 months after she left Warner Bros. Discovery as part of a restructure of Kathleen Finch’s U.S. Networks Group.

Latman was most recently head of HGTV and Food Network but she was also on the founding team of crime cable network Investigation Discovery (ID), where she spent a dozen years and led development.

She is the latest former Warner Bros. Discovery executive to set up a production company with Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse. In June 2022, former Food Network boss Courtney White launched lifestyle banner Butternut with Wheelhouse. Latman, in fact, took over running the food-focused cable network after White’s departure.

Latman, who will be based in New York, will serve as President of the company.

She joined...

“I think that was a pretty dramatic, heightened account of what happened.”

That’s something that Alex Baskin — the boss of Bravo’s “Vanderpump Rules” — said at Variety’s TV FYC Fest, during a panel called “Reality Producers Tell All.” He was refuting recent claims made by “Vanderpump Rules” cast member Scheana Shay, who has said of late that during production on the show’s 11th season last summer, Baskin made a veiled threat to the cast about canceling the show if it didn’t improve.

“I know Alex Baskin has said that midseason, the show was not in a good place,” Shay said on her May 31 “Scheananigans” podcast. “It was, you know, ‘X, Y and Z needs to happen. Or we’re going to have a short season, and the show’s going to be canceled and that’s it. Go live your lives.’”

In saying that, Shay was...

Valerie Bertinelli was let go from Kids Baking Championship on Food Network after co-hosting and judging on the series since 2015.

And while she spoke out about the situation over the weekend, new details are emerging about the circumstances that led to her dismissal.

According to a report from Variety, the decision was actually due to the aftermath of the channel deciding not to renew her larger exclusive deal with the network when it ended in 2022.

Keep reading to find out more…

According to the outlet’s sources, Valerie signed a multi-series deal with Food Network in 2018 that expired in 2021. It was extended for an additional year and came to an end in 2022, when Season 12 of Kids Baking Championship was taped back to back with Season 11.

“Her deal expired, they opted not to renew it. They could have come to me with an offer just for Kids. They never did. Simple as that,...

Valerie Bertinelli’s departure from “Kids Baking Championship” is not a cut-and-dry case of Food Network firing the “One Day at a Time” alum from her role as co-host and judge of the show. Rather, it’s the aftermath of the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned channel deciding not to renew Bertinelli’s larger exclusive deal with the network when it ended in 2022, sources tell Variety.

Bertinelli signed a multi-series deal with Food Network in 2018, which expired in 2021. The pact was extended for an additional year and came to an end in 2022, when the currently airing Season 12 of “Kids Baking Championship” was taped back to back with Season 11. Bertinelli has co-hosted and judged ‘Kids,” a spinoff of Food Network’s larger “Baking Championship” competition franchise that includes holiday and seasonal iterations, alongside Duff Goldman since it first debuted on Food Network in 2015.

“Her deal expired, they opted not to renew it.

Giada De Laurentiis has struck a new content pact with Discovery’s Food Network, and will launch a new series, “Simply Giada,’ a new four-episode daytime program.

De Laurentiis will continue to produce programming for both Food Network and the parent company’s Discovery Plus streaming hub as part of the renewed pact.

“I’m excited to share all of the new projects I’ve been working on with viewers. Get ready for more adventure, fun…and pasta, of course!” said De Laurentiis, in a prepared statement.

“Simply Giada” will debut Sunday, January 9 at 11:30 a.m. on Food Network. In each episode, De Laurentiis will share recipes that help people eat better every day, without skimping on flavor. During the program, she will offer expert advice for smart menu planning that stretches ingredients into the week, showcase simple and delicious dishes perfect for entertaining friends. The series is meant...

First Lady Jill Biden and Trisha Yearwood aim to launch the holiday season with an exclusive look at the First Family’s Thanksgiving traditions and favorite recipes.

The special, titled “A White House Thanksgiving,” debuts Nov. 20 at noon on Food Network and Discovery Plus, the streaming-video hub of the cable outlet’s parent company Discovery.

The pair will create a tablescape made with fresh flowers from the White House Kitchen Garden, and prepare recipes like a Yearwood favorite for turkey gravy and another for savory stuffing handed down from Dr. Biden’s grandmother. The pair will be joined by White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford, who will cook White House Thyme Roasted Turkey; White House chief floral designer Hedieh Ghaffaria, who will help make the floral and table décor; and White House executive pastry chef Susan Morrison, who will make a White House Apple Crisp recipe topped with the President...

José Andrés, the popular chef, author and humanitarian, has an interesting media recipe in the works.

The owner of ThinkFoodGroup, who has gained notice for his restaurants as well as recent efforts to help feed people caught in global disasters, has launched José Andrés Media, a company that will produce unscripted and scripted television series, books, podcasts, and digital short- and mid-form content with a focus on food-related stories and characters, and the culture of food. The outlet’s first project will be a six-episode series produced in association with documentary production company Nutopia that is set in Spain and currently being developed for Discovery Plus.

“It’s been my dream to launch José Andrés Media for many years — to tell stories about who we are through the food we eat. Our food content will be as creative, fun, inspiring and authentic as our restaurants. I can’t wait to get started,...

Exclusive: Competition series from Kal Penn and ice cream manufacturers Ben & Jerry’s are part of Food Network and Cooking Channel’s latest slate of originals.

The Discovery-owned networks are plotting over 30 new series and more than 25 returning series for the second half of the year as part of 400 hour of food-focused programming for cable and streamer Discovery+.

Penn is hosting Money Hungry, a contest that requires the abilities of a super taster combined with a wide-reaching culinary knowledge to complete a series of increasingly difficult taste tests encompassing the entire world of flavors.

Ben and Jerry’s: The Cold Wars (w/t), is an ice cream competition, where teams of future flavor gurus create wildly imaginative and out-of-this-world frozen treats in a bid for the grand prize.

Elsewhere, The Try Guys – Keith Habersberger, Ned Fulmer, Zach Kornfeld, and Eugene Lee Yang – are fronting No Recipe Road Trip with...

Exclusive: Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals is back with a series of self-shot shows.

However, the series, which was rebooted last year after its initial 11 year run, will debut on the Food Network Kitchen app rather than the linear network.

The Discovery-owned company is launching 20 episodes this fall on the direct-to-consumer service, which launched last October. The eps have been filmed at Ray’s upstate New York home, where she gives viewers real-time, step-by-step cooking instructions, from ingredient prep to getting a meal on the table with time-saving tips.

In addition, viewers will be able to see exclusive digital content on the app, which is available for free to Amazon Fire TV customers. New at-home linear episodes will air in 2021 on Food Network.

“Rachael Ray is a true culinary icon who continuously promotes self-empowerment and a can-do attitude to get viewers involved in the kitchen to cook along with their families,...

In June, two perennial Food Network shows, Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” and Robert Irvine’s “Restaurant: Impossible,” went back into production. It was the first time either show shot on location since the coronavirus pandemic brought all television and film production to a dramatic halt in mid-March. They were filmed under strict, new Covid-19 protocols with reduced, mask-wearing crews — all of whom, according to Food Network, tested negative for coronavirus after filming was completed.

Courtney White, the president of Food Network and Cooking Channel, says the network agreed to restart production after creating specific plans for each show. “It isn’t one-size-fits-all,” White tells Variety. “But we did start with: Where can we film with the smallest footprint, the smallest crew — where everybody is very comfortable, and everybody’s on board? Obviously in this scenario, everybody feels different about their own personal willingness to step out of their house.

Food Network has ordered another helping of Amy Schumer’s quarantine cooking show, “Amy Schumer Learns to Cook.”

The self-shot series features Schumer and her husband Chris Fischer, a James Beard Award-winning chef. Their nanny and part-time camera operator, Jane, along with their son and dog will continue to make appearances as well.

“Amy and Chris deliver a breath of fresh air to viewers, and we could not be more excited that they have continued to allow Food Network to bring our audience a behind-the-curtains look at their lives, with even more laughs and comforting food on the way. And we hope a lot more fennel,” said Food Network president Courtney White.

Also Read: Giada De Laurentiis on the Challenges of Shooting a Cooking Show on iPhones in Isolation

“Amy Schumer Learns to Cook” will return later this summer.

Schumer added, “We are happy to be coming back for a...

Amy Schumer is serving up more of her new Food Network program to fans.

The comedienne will return this summer after the Discovery-owned cable outlet agreed to order additional episodes of “Amy Schumer Learns to Cook,” a series in which Schumer and her husband, Chris Fischer, self-shoot culinary escapades. Their nanny, Jane, and dog and son, make cameo appearances. Recent broadcasts have allowed audiences to see Schumer trying to make a prosciutto and brie sandwich or lamb sliders, as well as applesauce for their son.

“We are happy to be coming back for a second season because sequels are always the best!” says Schumer, in a statement. “Chris and I are proud to be partnering with Food Network to donate to Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp whose mission is to advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization and the creation...

In today’s roundup, Maisie Williams will guest judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” and “Drunk History” will return with eight new episodes to Comedy Central.

Dates

Comedy Central‘s “Drunk History” will return with eight new episodes beginning with “Derek Waters’ Believe It or Not” Tuesday, June 18 at 10 p.m. The series premiere of “Alternatino with Arturo Castro” follows at 10:30 p.m.

Programming

With her stint on “Game of Thrones” all wrapped up, Maisie Williams is off to her home country to be the first celebrity guest judge confirmed for “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.” Williams will appear alongside RuPaul and Michelle Visage on the judge’s panel. Graham Norton and Alan Carr will be rotating resident judges throughout the eight-part series.

Executive News

Veteran television marketing executive Susanne McAvoy has joined Discovery, Inc.’s Food Network as senior vice president of marketing based in New York,...

Alex Guarnaschelli has signed an exclusive multi-year, multi-platform deal with the Food Network, the network announced on Thursday.

Under the new deal, Guarnaschelli will host a new, primetime series. She will also appear as a recurring co-host on the Saturday morning show “The Kitchen,” and will continue to judge the competition series “Chopped,” and her digital series, “Fix Me a Plate,” in which she goes behind the scenes at her favorite restaurants.

Guarnaschelli originally appeared on the network as a contestant on “Food Network Challenge” in 2006. In 2012, she overcame nine other chefs to be named Iron Chef on “The Next Iron Chef: Redemption.” She has also been a guest on “Beat Bobby Flay,” “Guy’s Grocery Games,” “Guy’s Ranch Kitchen” and Cooking Channel’s “The Best Things I Ever Ate.”

Also Read: Rachael Ray to Bring Back '30 Minute Meals' Under New Food Network Deal

“Food Network has been...

Discovery’s Food Network said it signed popular chef Alex Guarnaschelli to a new, exclusive deal that will encompass projects for both daytime and primetime as well as the cable outlet’s linear and digital extensions. The pact is just the latest in a series of new contracts recent set between Discovery and various members of its roster of talent.

Under terms of the pact,, Guarnaschelli will host a new primetime series; join “The Kitchen,” a Saturday morning culinary-chat show, as a recurring co-host; continue in her role as judge on the competition series, “Chopped”; and create and host additional episodes of a digital series, “Fix Me A Plate,” which shows the chef going behind the scenes at some of her favorite restaurants.

“Alex Guarnaschelli’s passion comes through in everything she does – as a mother, chef, host and judge she has captivated our audience with her charismatic personality, sharp wit,...

Valerie Bertinelli is still not over the end of her last sitcom, “Hot in Cleveland.”

“I’m still pissed off that TV Land canceled us,” Bertinelli said while promoting her new cooking series on the Food Network Tuesday during the Television Critics Association press tour. “I think it was the stupidest thing they ever did.”

“Hot in Cleveland” was the network’s first scripted series. Bertinelli starred alongside Betty White, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick. It centered on three aging entertainment industry veterans from Los Angeles — Bertinelli, Leeves and Malick — who end up in Cleveland after their Paris-bound plane is forced to make an emergency landing. They decide to stay and lease a home, where Betty White’s caretaker Elka is still living in its guest house.

Also Read: Valerie Bertinelli to Host 'Family Food Showdown' Under New Multi-Series Deal With Food Network

The series ran for six seasons between 2010 and 2015.

However,...

Food Network’s Chopped has added a familiar face from the intersection of cuisine and television. Martha Stewart has signed as a recurring guest judge on the venerable series, whose 38th cycle launches next month.

She first will appear in the June 5 episode of Chopped, joining host Ted Allen and series regulars Maneet Chauhan, Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag, Alex Guarnaschelli, Marc Murphy, Marcus Samuelsson, Chris Santos and Geoffrey Zakarian. They’ll oversee the proceedings as chefs battle it out in each episode over three rounds — appetizer, entrée and dessert — to create dishes utilizing the mystery basket of ingredients with a finite amount of time for a chance to win $10,000.

“As a lifestyle expert and bestselling author with millions of devoted followers and fans, Martha Stewart’s name is synonymous with perfection,” said Courtney White, Evp Programming at Food Network and Hgtv. “Having Martha’s expertise within the newest season of...

Martha Stewart is joining the Food Network as a recurring guest judge on “Chopped,” the network said Monday.

She will join host Ted Allen, and series regulars Maneet Chauhan, Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag, Alex Guarnaschelli, Marc Murphy, Marcus Samuelsson, Chris Santos and Geoffrey Zakarian, beginning June 5.

Courtney White, a senior programming executive for Hgtv, Diy Network and Great American Country, has been promoted to Svp programming for Travel Channel. White will oversee all series development and production for the network, leading the Travel Channel programming team based in Knoxville. Scripps Networks Interactive last month announced that the network's headquarters would be relocated from Chevy Chase, Maryland to Tennessee in 2016. "Courtney has been a driving force…...

Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen last night’s episode of How I Met Your Mother!

Last night we said goodbye to Ted, Lily, Marshall, Robin, and Barney after nine seasons — and also a more real goodbye to the mother, which tweeters were not pleased about. Some called the entire show a waste of time because of what happened in the finale (ouch); others threatened to punch a hole in the universe if Ted ended up with Robin (so, where’s that hole?). All in all, there was a ton of angry caps-lock used – but hey, we thought the finale was pretty okay.