Season three of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan is on Prime Video December 21. John Krasinski stars. There are eight episodes.

We spoke with Vaun Wilmott, executive producer, about Krasinski, who of course played Jim Halpert on The Office. “He brings a real humanity, a likeability, a believability to the character,” said Wilmott.

In the new season, Ryan is working as a CIA case officer in Rome when he is tipped off that the Sokol Project, a secret plan to restore the Soviet empire, is being resurrected. Ryan aims to confirm the intelligence, but things go awry and he is implicated in a larger conspiracy.

"Accused of treason, with a Red Notice out for his arrest, Jack is forced to run from his own government, if he has any hope of uncovering the rogue faction before it’s too late," said Prime Video. "Crisscrossing Europe as he is hunted by former allies and new enemies alike, Jack races against the clock to stop the cascade of destabilizing conflicts from leading to global catastrophe."

Crisscrossing Europe, indeed. The show ventures all over the globe, including Italy, Greece, Austria and the Czech Republic. Wendell Pierce portrays CIA officer James Greer and Michael Kelly plays former CIA officer Mike November. As much action as the show offers, Wilmott said it’s the quieter moments between Ryan, Greer and November that he enjoys the most. He mentioned "when things slow down and there’s a fun moment between friends."

Krasinski is an executive producer too. Wilmott called him a key voice in helping "shape the world, the storyline and the episodes" of the series.

Executive producers along with Wilmott and Krasinski are Andrew Form, Allyson Seeger, Brad Fuller and Michael Bay. Tom Clancy and Skydance Television’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Bill Bost executive produce the third season, along with Mace Neufeld and Carlton Cuse.

Author Clancy died in 2013.

Clancy's books work on the screen, Wilmott said, because of their "clear moral compass" that the viewer can get behind. "You like Jack Ryan and you root for him and support the good-versus-evil drive the character has," he said. "In today’s world, everything is gray, not black and white. It’s nice to follow a character where you know where he stands and he always tries to do the right thing, even if he has to do some wrong things to get there."

Wilmott added, "You always know his heart is in the right place." ■

Dan Levy, co-creator and star of Emmy magnet Schitt’s Creek, will host NBC’s Saturday Night Live Feb. 6. It will be Levy’s first time hosting SNL. Phoebe Bridgers is the musical guest that night. 

Schitt’s Creek got nine Emmys in September, with four for Levy. 

John Krasinski, who starred in The Office and directed and starred in film A Quiet Place, hosts Jan. 30, with Machine Gun Kelly the musical guest. It will be Krasinski’s first time hosting, and Kelly’s first time on the show as well. 

Also Read: 'SNL' Thrives in Politically Charged 2020

Regina King hosts SNL for the first time Feb. 13. Her TV work includes Southland and American Crime, and she directed new film One Night in Miami. Nathaniel Rateliff is on the musical stage Feb. 13. 

Saturday Night Live is produced in association with Broadway Video. The creator and executive producer is Lorne Michaels. 

Every season of SNL is now streaming on Peacock.

AT&T will provide three free months of cell service to first-line doctors and nurses. 

That will take the form of three free months of its FirstNet broadband network services, its network exclusively for first responders that grew out of the communications failures after 9-11. 

The offer was announced Sunday on John Krasinski's Some Good News (SGN) YouTube series, a feel-good collection of pandemic-related stories. 

Krasinski (The Office and a host of subsequent movie roles) said that when AT&T found out his latest episode included a salute to "healthcare heroes," the company asked how it could help. Krasinski said that, not knowing what he was talking about, he said, how about covering the cell phone bills of every nurse and doctor in the country for a month. "Their response: 'How about three." 

Krasinski called it unprecedented, and thanked it "the only way we know how," which was with the shaky rendering of the logo on a big sheet of poster paper.  

With NBC selling 30-second commercials for about $5 million each, Amazon Prime Video will be promoting its upcoming series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, which will premiere Aug. 31.

The Super Bowl is TV’s biggest and most viewed event. Digital and streaming services have been eating into traditional media, taking away both viewers and advertising. Yet digital companies still turn to TV to promote important products.

"Given the colossal scope and scale of the series coupled with the popularity of Tom Clancy's novels, we knew Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan would be a natural fit for Prime Video’s first Super Bowl ad,” said Mike Benson, head of marketing for Amazon Studios. “The global nature of the audience provides us with a unique opportunity to give viewers a look at this thrilling new series coming to Prime.”

Amazon’s Prime Video ad is schedule to air immediately following the Super Bowl half time show. It features Ryan, played by John Krasinski, and is set to audio clips of political leaders including Presidents John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Donald J. Trump, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan. The soundtrack is Ed Sheeran performing Bob Dylan’s "All Along the Watchtower."

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Amazon has greenlit a new series based on author Tom Clancy’s popular CIA character Jack Ryan.

The 10-episode series, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, will star John Krasinski (13 Hours, The Office) as Ryan, who uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication that launches him into the center of a dangerous gambit with a new breed of terrorism that threatens destruction on a global scale, according to Amazon.

Carlton Cuse (Bates Motel) and Graham Roland (Almost Human) will serve as executive producers on the series, developed by Paramount and Skydance Television.

The Jack Ryan character has been portrayed onscreen in several Hollywood projects by such actors as Alex Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine.

“We’re excited to add the Jack Ryan global franchise to our robust originals pipeline,” said Roy Price, Head of Amazon Studios in a statement. “Our customers will enjoy a compelling adaptation of the action-packed spy thriller book series, further raising the bar for the quality level of storytelling that has made Prime Video a leading destination for content.”

Spike TV has partnered with Jimmy Fallon, his Eight Million Plus Productions, John Krasinski, Stephen Merchant and Matador to air the half-hour series, Lip Sync Battle, the network announced today.

Fallon, Krasinski, and Merchant serve as executive producers, but will also perform on the show, which will begin taping in January and premiere in April, 2 2015. 

Beth McCarthy-Miller of SNL will direct the series with additional executive producers Rick Schwartz of Eight Million Plus Productions, Jay Peterson of Matador and EVP Talent Development and Production, Viacom Entertainment Group, Casey Patterson.

Episodes are set to feature celebrity lip sync duels, where each choose their go-to song. To find out more, click here.