All posts tagged: Showrunner

Dutton Ranch showrunner exits Yellowstone spin-off weeks before premiere after reported clash with stars

Dutton Ranch showrunner exits Yellowstone spin-off weeks before premiere after reported clash with stars

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Yellowstone spin-off Dutton Ranch has parted ways with its showrunner, Chad Feehan, before a single episode has reached the air. The new series, which follows Yellowstone characters Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) as they attempt to start a new life in Texas, is set to arrive on Paramount+ on May 15. However, Puck News reports that Feehan has already been told he won’t be returning if, as expected, the show is renewed for a second season. Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan ran the original series himself, and he and producer David Glasser were said to be unhappy with Feehan’s handling of the show. The publication claims that Feehan “clashed on set with stars Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly and other key players, many of whom have been working on Yellowstone for nearly a decade.” Cole Hauser and Kelly …

Heated Rivalry showrunner confirmed for historical drama from Netflix

Heated Rivalry showrunner confirmed for historical drama from Netflix

Published by Daniella Wilson

Jacob Tierney, creator of hit HBO drama Heated Rivalry, has officially landed an “insanely compelling” series about ancient male friendship. According to Deadline, Netflix has given the new show a straight-to-series order. Titled Alexander, the new series focuses on the teenage years of Alexander the Great and his relationship with ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Tierney is set to write and direct alongside producer Brendan Brady (Heated Rivalry) and executive producers Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan. The series will be adapted from the 2009 novel The Golden Mean by Canadian author, Annabel Lyon, the logline for which reads: “The Athenian empire is crumbling and the world’s greatest mind, Aristotle, arrives in Macedonia to tutor a volatile young prince, Alexander. “Amid palace intrigue, forbidden love, brutal war and ruthless ambitions, their unlikely friendship shapes an empire and alters the course of history.”’ Hudson Williams’ Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie’s Ilya Rozanov in Heated Rivalry. Sabrina Lantos Tierney said in a statement that he “fell in love with Annabel Lyon’s book The Golden Mean years ago and have been …

With That Action-Packed Finale, Bridgerton Enters a Bold New Era, Says Showrunner Jess Brownell

With That Action-Packed Finale, Bridgerton Enters a Bold New Era, Says Showrunner Jess Brownell

Published by Sam Flores

Vanity Fair: Bridgerton has one of the most vocal fanbases on TV. What has surprised you most about the reaction to season four so far? Jess Brownell: Seeing the response to Benedict’s faux pas, asking Sophie to be his mistress. This was a giant mistake really based on his greatest character flaw, which is his lack of conviction or bravery when it comes to committing to something that requires Benedict stepping out of society. It really makes sense from a story perspective, but I forget that everyone doesn’t know the books. But just because it was really common for people in the 1800s to take mistresses of another class doesn’t make it morally acceptable, and we’re absolutely asking Benedict to pay for his crimes in the back half. A big trope of romance novels is the male hero saves the young woman. But when you have an actress as dynamic as Yerin Ha, it felt really important to see Sophie having a bit more of a hand in her own fate. So, we tried to …

Bridgerton’s Season 4 Coming Out Scene Is ‘Hugely Important’, Says Showrunner

Bridgerton’s Season 4 Coming Out Scene Is ‘Hugely Important’, Says Showrunner

Published by Sam Flores

The latest season of Bridgerton has received widespread praise for its touching coming out scene, which sees Benedict opening up to Sophie about his sexuality. Luke Thompson’s character was confirmed to be queer during the show’s third run, where he was seen engaging in trysts with both men and women. Benedict is Bridgerton’s first openly queer lead character, and his coming out scene took the show’s writers into new territory. “I am capable of caring for you, just as I have cared for women I have known who are of the Ton,” he told Yerin Ha’s character, Sophie, in season four’s sixth episode, which premiered on Netflix last week. “Just as I have cared for some men whom I have known intimately,” he added. “And I refuse to be at all ashamed about that.” Since the episode’s release, showrunner Jess Brownell has explained why it was “hugely important” to her that this scene be included. “I think any queer person knows that no matter who you end up with, queerness is a part of your …

Bridgerton showrunner addresses speculation about ‘recasting’ key roles

Bridgerton showrunner addresses speculation about ‘recasting’ key roles

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell has shut down speculation that the series could recast key roles from the first two seasons. The hit Netflix period romance is known for re-centring on new characters each season, with the latest fourth season focusing on the love affair between Sophie (Yerin Ha) and Benedict (Luke Thompson). While many of the core cast have remained in the series through multiple seasons, Bridgerton has seen some note-worthy departures: Regé-Jean Page, who played the Duke of Hastings , left after just one season, and Phoebe Dynevor, who played Daphne, exited after season two. It has been speculated by fans that the roles could soon be re-cast, in order to bring the characters back into the world of Bridgerton. Brownell denied this, however, telling Variety: “We are not interested in recasting the characters. I think it would [be] a …

Bridgerton showrunner reveals why season 4 part 2 isn’t about Francesca and Michaela’s romance

Bridgerton showrunner reveals why season 4 part 2 isn’t about Francesca and Michaela’s romance

Published by Daniella Wilson

*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Bridgerton season 4 part 2.* With the surprise arrival of Michaela (Masali Baduza) at the end of Bridgerton season 4 part 1, many fans have been anticipating a second half of episodes filled with lingering stares, yearning and a blossoming connection between Michaela and Francesca (Hannah Dodd). However, with the tragic loss of John (Victor Alli) in this latter half of the season, the focus of Michaela and Francesca’s connection isn’t one that’s concerned with romance, but rather a more profound connection, according to Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell. When asked how she went about depicting Francesca and Michaela’s dynamic in season 4 part 2 – despite many fans expecting some romance – Brownell told Radio Times: “Yeah, something I love in When He Was Wicked, the book that Fran’s story is based on, is the friendship between – in the case of the book – Michael and Francesca.” She continued: “Obviously, there’s this little moment of frisson when Michaela and Fran first meet but I think for Fran, she …

Doctor Who showrunner on reason behind War Between Land and Sea death

Doctor Who showrunner on reason behind War Between Land and Sea death

Published by Daniella Wilson

The War Between the Land and the Sea didn’t hold back when it came to tragedy and loss, killing off a key character from the Whoniverse – and now, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has explained why that needed to happen. In episode 3, the spin-off, which saw humanity embroiled in a conflict with the classic Doctor Who monsters the Sea Devils (now known as Homo Aqua), brutally killed off Colonel Christofer Ibrahim (Alexander Devrient) shortly after confirming his relationship with Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave). Speaking in a recent behind-the-scenes documentary, Davies explained: “Sadly there has to be a loss. “The problem at the heart of The War Between is real. Never mind your fantasy creatures from under the sea, what we’ve done to the oceans is real, so the drama has to get a patina of reality that you wouldn’t necessarily put into every episode of Doctor Who – it kinds of just opens us up to the fact that someone’s got to die.” Redgrave added: “I felt, when I read the scripts, …

‘Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Showrunner Reveals ‘Mistake’ He Made

‘Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Showrunner Reveals ‘Mistake’ He Made

Published by Daniella Wilson

HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has been getting heaps of praise from fans online. The Game of Thrones prequel’s most recent fourth episode is being called the show’s best yet. With a 9.7 rating on IMDB, it stands as the highest-rated episode in the franchise since GoT season seven’s “The Spoils of War.” One factor that fans have seized on is the show’s faithfulness to author George R.R. Martin‘s source material (something that was extremely important to Martin as well). But showrunner Ira Parker (who has been refreshingly modest during interviews about his experience working on the show) admitted Tuesday he made one mistake in adapting the material. During a Reddit AMA, a fan chided Parker for omitting an exchange in Martin’s novella The Hedge Knight between Dunk (Peter Claffey) and the blacksmith Steely Pate (Youssef Kerkour). In the novella, Dunk is on his way to the joust — and, he assumes, his doom — and is greeted respectfully by several Smallfolk. Confused, Dunk asks the blacksmith, “Why? Who am I to them?” …

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Showrunner Talks ‘Thrones’ Prequel

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Showrunner Talks ‘Thrones’ Prequel

Published by Daniella Wilson

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a different kind of Game of Thrones show, and Ira Parker is a different kind of Thrones-verse showrunner. As you’ve probably heard, the new HBO drama series tells the story of a penniless wandering “hedge knight,” Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), and his 10-year-old squire with a secret, nicknamed Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), as they enter a jousting tournament to try and improve their fortunes. The series doesn’t have magic, dragons or big battles. The tone is lighter than the original show or House of the Dragon. Also, at just six episodes, the season is quite short — and goes by faster than you might think as many episodes are less than 40 minutes long. Parker’s credits include the first season of House of the Dragon and Better Things. He comes across like a massive fan of George R.R Martin’s fantasy world who feels humbled and fortunate to have gotten the keys to HBO’s next Westeros kingdom — and really doesn’t want to muck it up. The …

‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ Names Season 2 Showrunner

‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ Names Season 2 Showrunner

Published by Daniella Wilson

Season two of Mr. & Mrs. Smith is getting back on track at Prime Video. The Amazon-owned streamer has tapped Anna Ouyang Moench as showrunner, writer and executive producer for the series, which hit pause on season two in September 2025. Moench counts Apple TV’s Severance and Netflix’s anthology series Beef among her credits. “Anna is a phenomenal storyteller with an incredible ability to balance character-driven drama, sharp humor, and emotional depth,” said Peter Friedlander, global head of television at Amazon MGM Studios. “Her work on Beef and Severance speaks for itself, and we’re thrilled to have her at the helm of Mr. & Mrs. Smith season two as she builds on the series’ compelling world and pushes it into exciting new territory for our global Prime Video customers.” Season one of Mr. & Mrs. Smith starred Donald Glover (who also co-created the show) and Maya Erskine as the title characters — two people recruited by a mysterious spy agency who live as a married couple while carrying out dangerous missions and also developing real feelings for each other. The season was …