The fourth and final season of Killing Eve gets underway Sunday (February 27) on BBC America. Critics have long adored the edgy spy drama about a bored M15 agent, a ruthless assassin and the peculiar attraction they have to one another. 

All eyes are now on Eve to see if it can pull off a fittingly stylish finale. 

Dan McDermott, AMC Networks president of entertainment and AMC Studios, called the final season “a real thrill ride.” The hard part of successfully wrapping, he said, “is really figuring out how to appropriately service both the roles and the actresses and the narratives, to finish with the gigantic thunderclap the show deserves.”

“I feel really positive that the show does it,” McDermott added.

It’s been an eventful lifespan for Killing Eve. The show was created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and has two female characters as the heart of the series — Sandra Oh’s Eve, an intelligence agent, bored behind a desk, and Jodie Comer’s Villanelle, a mercurial assassin. 

An odd thing happened in season one. The premiere on BBC America drew 669,000 total viewers in Nielsen live-plus-three-day ratings and 240,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo. The show grew each week with the finale tallying
1.2 million total viewers, 545,000 in the demo. 

Killing Eve took several bold leaps. For starters, it was created by a woman, run by women and had two female characters sharing center stage. It was a spy drama with a pair of unforgettable characters. “It really flipped the script on suspense-thriller shows and spy shows,” said McDermott, who came on board at AMC Networks in 2020. “It’s such a strong, character-centric approach to telling these stories. So many shows like this are really plot-heavy.”

McDermott describes both Eve and Villanelle as “lightning-in-a-bottle characters.”

The show also cast an Asian actor, Oh, as Eve. Linda Ong, founder and CEO of consultancy Cultique, called it “a maverick move,” as the Eve in the Luke Jennings novellas that inspired the show is not Asian. 

The maverick move went beyond casting. “Eve was presented as an equal opponent to the white Villanelle, rather than the meek, subservient Asian trope we’ve seen for — literally — centuries, juxtaposing their enmity with all of the drama and intrigue of a traditional romantic relationship,” Ong said.

The Eve buzz continued in the second season. Airing on AMC in addition to BBC America, season two averaged 1.7 million total viewers and 675,000 in the 25-54 demo. Season three averaged 1.5 million and 573,000.

Finding the Show’s Voice

Killing Eve also made its mark by featuring a new lead writer each season, and a female one to boot. Season one had Waller-Bridge in that role. Emerald Fennell and Suzanne Heathcote followed, and Laura Neal has the key role for season four. 

The quirky lead-writer approach came to be because Waller-Bridge had to focus on a new season of Fleabag after Killing Eve premiered. “Rather foolishly, we decided to go with a different lead writer every season,” executive producer and showrunner Sally Woodward Gentle said. That amounted to “holding dear the DNA of the show,” she said, “while bringing a slightly different perspective on it.”

The approach has been “refreshing” for the series, Woodward Gentle said. 

Unlike her predecessors, Neal worked on the previous season of Killing Eve and knows the series intimately. “She’s very invested in where we’d left those characters and very excited about where we are moving them off to,” Woodward Gentle said. “She’s brilliant, very bold, takes no prisoners, and understands the particular humor of the show.”

As season four begins, Eve seeks revenge and Villanelle has found a new community to break from her killer past. Woodward Gentle said both are “really trying to take stock of what their lives mean and what they want to do with them.”

So why end the hit show after four seasons? The critical raves have subsided a bit — season one posted a 96% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, season two a 92% and season three an 80% — but the reviews have remained mostly positive. McDermott said AMC Networks would love to keep it going, but the storylines
in season four bring it to what he called “a fitting conclusion.”

“You kind of know when you know,” he said. 

Woodward Gentle said a “continual cat-and-mouse game,” even a clever one, loses its allure over time. 

Making a Killing

Killing Eve’s value to BBC America is hard to quantify. A hit show brings eyeballs to the network’s other programs, elicits honors and awards and entices top-shelf producers and their projects. McDermott said Eve and Villanelle have earned their spot in the AMC Networks hall of fame, alongside the likes of Don Draper and Walter White. 

Breakout shows have those lightning-in-a-bottle characters who take audiences into unique subcultures, McDermott said. They say something about the world we live in. “Killing Eve checks all three boxes,” he said. 

What from AMC Networks has a chance to be the next show to shake up popular culture? McDermott mentioned Dark Winds, about a pair of Navajo police officers on the hunt in 1971, and Moonhaven, about a utopian community on the moon, along with the Anne Rice projects Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches. “In the next 12-18 months, those can put us in the awards conversation all over again,” he said. 

In the meantime, viewers have unseen Eve episodes to enjoy. There are eight in season four, which run on BBC America, AMC and AMC Plus. Ong described the show as “one of the first highly stylized thrillers that defied traditional gender and racial norms.” On top of that, she added, “infusing the male-led spy genre with female and queer desire and sexuality lent a deliciously exoticized take on the ‘cat and mouse’ plot.” ■

The debut of Killing Eve's fourth and final season highlights a busy week of show premieres.

BBC America's Emmy-winning series starring Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh debuts its final season on February 27. Laura Neal (Secret Diary of a Call Girl) will serve as lead writer and executive producer of Killing Eve's fourth season.

Netflix on February 25 will debut its original movie Tyler Perry's A Madea Homecoming, starring the prolific writer/producer as iconic character Mabel "Madea" Simmons. The movie marks the first film featuring Madea since the 2020 Madea Family Funeral.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of February 22 to February 27 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

February 23 – Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches (documentary) – HBO

February 23 – The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (animated comedy) – Disney Plus

Also: Content Spotlight: Tommy Davidson Returns as Oscar Proud in 'The Proud Family' Reboot

February 23 – Snowfall (returning series) -- FX

February 24 – Hellbender (horror film) – Shudder

February 24 – Love, Tom (music) – Paramount Plus

February 24 – Wasteland (documentary) – Paramount Plus

February 25 – No Exit (movie) – Hulu

February 25 – Reno 911! (returning series) – The Roku Channel

February 25 – Vikings: Valhalla (drama) – Netflix

February 27 – Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber (drama) – Showtime

Killing Eve stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer face off in the official trailer for the final season of BBC America's Emmy-winning drama series.

The eight-part, fourth and final season of the series, which debuts on February 27, picks up after season three with Oh's character Eve, Comer's character Villanelle and Carolyn (Fiona Shaw) in  very different places, according to the network. Following Eve and Villanelle’s exchange on the bridge, Eve is on a revenge mission, while Villanelle has found a brand-new community in an attempt to prove she’s not a “monster," added BBC America. 

Killing Eve is executive produced by Sally Woodward Gentle, Lee Morris, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Gina Mingacci, Damon Thomas, Laura Neal and Oh.

The fourth and final season of drama Killing Eve begins on BBC America on Sunday, February 27. New episodes stream a week early on AMC Plus and air a day after their BBC America premiere on AMC. Two episodes air on premiere day. 

Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer star. 

Following their exchange on the bridge, Oh’s Eve is on a revenge mission, while Comer’s Villanelle has found a new community in an attempt to prove she’s not a “monster.” Having killed Paul, Carolyn goes to extraordinary lengths to continue to chase down The Twelve and the person that ordered Kenny's hit. “This season follows our extraordinary women, each driven by passion, revenge and obsession, building towards a messy, nuanced and totally glorious series finale,” said BBC America. 

BBC America, AMC and AMC Plus are all part of AMC Networks. 

The show taps a new lead writer every season, with Laura Neal on board for season four. She’s also an executive producer. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Emerald Fennell and Suzanne Heathcote previously were lead writers. 

Besides Neal, exec producers are Sally Woodward Gentle, Lee Morris, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Gina Mingacci, Damon Thomas and Sandra Oh.

Killing Eve is produced by Sid Gentle Films Ltd. for BBC America. ■

AMC Plus Thursday released the video trailer for its new thriller Ragdoll, which debuts Nov. 11.

The series, which stars Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Thalissa Teixeira and Lucy Hale, follows the exploits of London detectives trying to track down a killer who murdered six people and sewed their body parts in the shape of one grotesque body, said AMC. 

Also Read: AMC Networks COO Ed Carroll Stepping Down After 34 Years 

The “Ragdoll Killer” then taunts the police by sending them a list of his next victims, which includes one of the policemen investigating the murders, according to the service

Ragdoll is produced by Sid Gentle Films Ltd. (Killing Eve) and executive produced by Freddy Syborn.

Killing Eve will conclude after its next season, which is its fourth, AMC Networks said. Production is scheduled to start in early summer for the BBC America show, filming in the U.K. and locations across Europe. The eight episodes will air next year. 

AMC Networks and Sid Gentle Films are considering “a number of potential spinoff ideas to extend the show’s iconic universe,” said AMC Networks.  

“Killing Eve exploded in popular culture and attracted a dedicated and committed fan base from its very first episode. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s brilliant adaptation of the source material, the unforgettable characters given life by Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, and the entire cast, along with our partners at Sid Gentle Films, have delivered a one-of-a-kind roller-coaster ride that has taken our breath away,” said Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks. “We could not be more thankful for the extraordinary talents and efforts of everyone involved, particularly Sandra and Jodie, who made Killing Eve much more than a television show. We look forward to what is sure to be an unforgettable final season and to exploring potential extensions of this compelling universe.”

Laura Neal continues the Killing Eve tradition of a new lead writer every season, following Waller-Bridge, Emerald Fennell and Suzanne Heathcote. Neal is also an executive producer on season four.

Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, Fiona Shaw and Kim Bodnia are in the cast. 

“We have been unbelievably blessed to work with extraordinary human beings throughout the life of Killing Eve,” said executive producer Sally Woodward Gentle. “From the magical Phoebe, to the delectable Emerald, Suzanne and now Laura, headed by the superpowers of Sandra, Jodie, Fiona and Kim, and with brilliantly talented directors and crew. No one knew what an adventure we were embarking on and there’s so much more to come. Buckle up!”

Executive producers for the upcoming season are Sally Woodward Gentle, Lee Morris, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Gina Mingacci, Damon Thomas, Laura Neal and Sandra Oh.

“Killing Eve has been one of my greatest experiences and I look forward to diving back into Eve’s remarkable mind soon,” Oh said. “I’m so grateful for all cast and crew who have brought our story to life and to the fans who have joined us and will be back for our exciting and unpredictable fourth and final season.”

“Killing Eve has been the most extraordinary journey and one that I will be forever grateful for,” Comer said. “Thank you to all the fans who’ve supported us throughout and come along for the ride. Although all good things come to an end, it’s not over yet. We aim to make this one to remember!”

Killing Eve is produced by Sid Gentle Films Ltd. for BBC America. ■

AMC Networks said Wednesday that it has expanded its streaming video offerings, launching AMC Plus and WE tv Plus, two commercial-free SVOD products initially available to Comcast Xfinity cable and Xfinity Flex broadband subscribers.

AMC Plus will cost $4.99 per month and includes original series from the AMC channel and sister networks like Sundance TV and IFC, ad-free with early premieres on demand, along with streaming services Shudder, Sundance Now, and IFC Films Unlimited. AMC Plus also includes a commercial-free premium linear network available on Xfinity’s electronic program guide. 

For Xfinity and Xfinity Flex customers, AMC Plus will replace AMC Premiere, the commercial-free, on-demand service AMC Networks launched to Comcast customers in 2017. 

AMC Networks is offering the new streaming bundles to other pay TV providers as well -- Comcast is just the first of hopefully many to sign on. The programmer said it will continue to support AMC Premiere customers who either subscribe to the service through other distributors, like YouTube TV, or who have signed up for it on their own and authenticate through their current TV provider.

In addition to offering ad-free current seasons of hits like Killing Eve, NOS4A2 and The Walking Dead, AMC Plus will include bonus footage, sneak peeks of future episodes and exclusive behind-the-scenes features.

WE tv Plus includes programming from AMC Networks’ reality channel We tv and UMC (formerly the Urban Movie Channel), and also is priced at $4.99 per month.

According to AMC Networks, both streaming bundles will be available to Comcast customers over the internet and on demand on its X1 and Xfinity Flex platforms, are searchable with the Xfinity voice remote and across a range of devices in and out of the home via Xfinity Stream. Separately, AMC Networks said Xfinity continues to carry Acorn TV, its premium service focused on British and international television.

“We have a long and fruitful history of partnering with Comcast to serve viewers and fans of our content, and these new bundles epitomize our history of innovation and ability to work collaboratively to embrace the new ways in which viewers are consuming content today,” said AMC Networks president of distribution and development Josh Reader in a press release. “Comcast has always been a valued partner, particularly in the launch of AMC Premiere, a pioneering ad-free service. With these AMC+ and WE tv+ bundles, we build on that partnership in service of our fans on both the innovative Xfinity X1 and Flex platforms. We’re confident that Xfinity customers will appreciate the value, convenience and quality of these new offerings.”

Season three of buzzy drama Killing Eve launched April 12 on BBC America and AMC. The premiere was initially slated for April 26, but the networks moved it up, with Sarah Barnett, president of AMC Networks Entertainment Group, saying “we know how keen people are for great content right now.”

With Phoebe Waller-Bridge as an executive producer, Killing Eve was nominated for the best drama Emmy last year. Season three sees Villanelle, the assassin played by Jodie Comer, and Eve, the former MI6 operative, trying to work past their obsession with each other.

Executive producer Sally Woodward Gentle spoke with Multichannel News senior content producer Michael Malone in late March about the new season, and how the show has made its mark on pop culture. An edited transcript follows.

How has coronavirus complicated things for Killing Eve? The premiere parties haven’t happened. None of the events have happened. They were all meant to happen in New York last week, and some were on hand for April, which aren’t going to happen.

Luckily, we were not filming. We’re in post. I’ve never encountered people working so hard and with such dedication to get something out. It’s extraordinary. I know television isn’t saving lives, but it’s been quite stressful!

Are you surprised by the impact the show has made on pop culture? It’s always surprised me. You always set out to make something that’s good, something that feels original. We’ve always had such strong backing from Sarah Barnett and Nena [Rodrigue, former BBC America executive VP of programming and production] and Gina [Mingacci, former senior VP at BBC America] to really just go for it. I think we all thought it might fly in under the radar — that we’d all love it and it might have a small but passionate audience. We had no idea it would become as popular as it is.

What about the show sets it apart? I really don’t know. It doesn’t pretend to be anything other than something that’s really entertaining. Yet it’s got real attitude about it and that started off when Phoebe wrote that first season. She really was engaged by the genre nature of it, as well as the fact that it had women at its core. I don’t think we ever set out to be radical. We just wrote what felt exciting and appropriate and truthful.

Do most viewers connect with Eve or with Villanelle? I think everybody would really like to be Villanelle. They’d like to wake up every morning and not feel fear and see how liberating that is. She just seems to have so much more fun than Eve.

What we really wanted to do with Eve is for her to discover, or rediscover, the brilliance that she had when she was a younger person. All of that sense of opportunity that for most of us gets bashed out of us through disappointment and poor choices — to have that opportunity to rediscover your brilliance is something we wanted to look at with Eve.

Phoebe is being pulled in a million directions. What does she bring to the show these days? She’s always there. She’s always incredibly supporting to the writers if they need a touchstone. Maybe they’re struggling with a certain relationship or how Villanelle would respond or what Eve might do, and she’s there on the end of the phone if they ever need it.

BONUS FIVE

TV shows in your queue? I’m trying to find Succession to finish it as my husband finished it on a flight (remember those?) without me.
All-time top TV shows?Brideshead Revisited, Girls, Succession, Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Destination on your bucket list? If it wasn’t unenvironmentally sound I’d love to visit orangutans. If not, I’m a home girl and am happiest in West Penwith, Cornwall.
Book on your nightstand? Daphne du Maurier’s Vanishing Cornwall.
Favorite podcast? Rather partial to Off Menu.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of April 6 to April 12 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

April 6 -- The Big Show (comedy) -- Netflix

April 6 -- Deadwater Fell (drama) -- Acorn TV

April 7 -- The Last O.G. (returning series) -- TBS

April 8 -- Liar (returning series) -- Sundance

April 9 -- The Good Fight (returning series) -- CBS All Access

April 9 -- Shaq Life (reality series) -- TNT

April 10 -- Brews Brothers (comedy) -- Netflix

April 11 -- The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel (movie) -- Lifetime

April 12 -- Belgravia (drama) -- Epix

April 12 -- Insecure (returning series) -- HBO

April 12 -- Killing Eve (returning series) -- BBC America/AMC

April 12 -- Run (dramedy) -- HBO (RELATED: 'Run' Review)

April 12 -- Willie Nelson: American Outlaw (documentary) --A&E

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of April 6 to April 12 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

April 6 -- The Big Show (comedy) -- Netflix

April 6 -- Deadwater Fell (drama) -- Acorn TV

April 7 -- The Last O.G. (returning series) -- TBS

April 8 -- Liar (returning series) -- Sundance

April 9 -- The Good Fight (returning series) -- CBS All Access

April 9 -- Shaq Life (reality series) -- TNT

April 10 -- Brews Brothers (comedy) -- Netflix

April 11 -- The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel (movie) -- Lifetime

April 12 -- Belgravia (drama) -- Epix

April 12 -- Insecure (returning series) -- HBO

April 12 -- Killing Eve (returning series) -- BBC America/AMC

April 12 -- Run (dramedy) -- HBO

April 12 -- Willie Nelson: American Outlaw (documentary) --A&E

AMC has moved up the debut of drama series Killing Eve’s third season by two weeks, the network said Friday.

The third season of the Emmy-nominated series, which stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, will debut on April 12, two weeks prior than its original April 26 premiere date. All eight episodes will be simulcast on BBC America and AMC, according to the network. 

The move comes as viewers around the country continue to shelter at home during the coronavirus crisis.  

“We know how adored this series is and we know how keen people are for great content right now,” said Sarah Barnett, president of AMC Networks Entertainment Group and AMC Studios in a statement. “This season of Killing Eve digs deep psychologically, and with actors like Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer and Fiona Shaw the results are nothing short of astonishing. We literally couldn’t wait for fans to see it.”

BBC America has released a Valentine's Day trailer for the third season of its Emmy Award-winning drama series Killing Eve, which debuts April 26. 

The series, which stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, has already been renewed for a fourth season. Season two of the series finished with the highest rate of growth of any returning TV drama since the final season of AMC's Breaking Bad, according to the network. 

 “These two blindingly good actors return for a season that finds both characters somewhere new," said Sarah Barnett, president of AMC Networks Entertainment Group and AMC Studios. "What remains the same is that Killing Eve will continue to pull fans along for a ferociously original and heart-pounding ride.”

HBO's Succession was a surprise winner in the best drama series category at the Golden Globes awards Sunday night.

The sophomore series, which stars Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin, beat out such favorites as Netflix's The Crown, BBC America's Killing Eve and HBO's Big Little Lies, as well as freshman series The Morning Show from Apple TV+. 

Cox also took home the Golden Globe award for best actor in a drama series, topping Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Rami Malek (Mr. Robot), Tobias Menzies (The Crown) and Billy Porter (Pose) for the statuette. 

BBC America Friday renewed its Emmy-winning drama series Killing Eve for a fourth season in advance of the show's third season debut later this year.

The series, which stars Emmy winner Jodie Comer and Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh, will debut season three later this Spring. New cast members set to appear in the show's third season include Dame Harriet Walter (Succession), Danny Sapani (Harlots), Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones) and Camille Cottin (Call My Agent).

“How could we not have massive confidence in Killing Eve?,” said Sarah Barnett, President, AMC Networks Entertainment Group and AMC Studios in a statement. “Season three lead writer Suzanne Heathcote takes Eve, Villanelle and Carolyn to places more thrilling, twisted and surprising than ever. Our addicted fans will not be disappointed.”

Killing Eve, based on the on the Codename Villanelle novellas by Luke Jennings, is produced by Sid Gentle Films Ltd. for BBC America. 

Plenty of stuff does not work on television. Ratings on broadcast and cable are free-falling, and the streaming folks don’t say boo about how many are watching their programs. Weakly-watched shows don’t get canceled a few weeks after premiering the way they used to, but plenty instead drift into greater obscurity week after week.

Yet amidst all the sinking ratings, some stuff flies. For every big batch of shows that doesn’t make an impact with viewers, one breaks out.

As the year approaches its midpoint, here are five shows that did indeed bust out in the first half of 2019, and made their mark in popular culture. They include a broadcast rookie, a cable sophomore, a streaming show and a couple of other broadcast series that display no signs of slowing, despite dating back to the era before the streaming standouts launched.

We look at how, and why, these shows popped, and what we might learn from their success.

‘The Masked Singer’: Unlike Anything Else on TV

The Masked Singer opened with a bang on Fox in early January, posting a noisy 4.2 in viewers 18-49 in Nielsen’s live-plus-seven ratings, and proclaiming that the zany competition series was to be reckoned with. Based on a South Korean format, the show has celebs in elaborate costumes facing off in a singing competition. Nick Cannon hosts, and the judging panel is comprised of Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke. One lesser singer is voted out at the end of the episode, and reveals their identity as the audience chants “Take it off!”

High art? Hardly. Did audiences gobble it up? Wholeheartedly.

“The Masked Singer was so visually arresting with those ridiculous costumes, and the guessing game concept — who is that singing? — was intriguing enough that it managed to cut through the clutter and get viewers’ attention,” said Rob Owen, TV critic at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The contestants, including Tommy Chong, Terry Bradshaw, Tori Spelling, Ricki Lake, Joey Fatone and Margaret Cho, weren’t exactly A-listers. As the finale wound down, rapper T-Pain beat out Gladys Knight and Donny Osmond for the crown.

Fully 14.2 million watched.

There are oodles of singing competitions, but The Masked Singer is different, thanks to the hidden identities and the costumes. “It was crazy from the beginning,” Roger Catlin, veteran TV critic, said. “Just the insanity of it … It was so different from anything else.”

The Masked Singer played perfectly into social media, with viewers sharing who they thought it might be under the mask.

Ken Jeong said The Masked Singer would tug at viewers’ heartstrings. “Everyone wants an emotional journey when they watch a show,” he said before the premiere. “This show definitely provides that.”

Masked Singer averaged a 3.8 rating (live-plus-seven) and 11.6 million total viewers for its rookie season (15.7 million multiplatform viewers). Time will tell if its novelty wears off, but Fox is all in on The Masked Singer. Its upfront presentation had Joe Namath singing in a deer mask. Season two starts in September, and season three leads out of the Super Bowl.

‘Russian Doll’: A Quirky Show’s Fatal Attraction

Russian Doll launched on Netflix a day before Groundhog Day, without a whole lot of buzz. But the comedy-drama, whose executive producers include Amy Poehler, Leslye Headland and Natasha Lyonne, promptly scooped up raves by the truckload.

Starring Lyonne as Nadia, a woman who dies at her birthday party and keeps coming back to life at the party, in the bathroom, moments before her demise, Russian Doll garnered a million comparisons to the 1993 Bill Murray film Groundhog Day, but took the concept much further than the movie did. All the while, it deftly danced between tragic and funny, delivering both slapstick and hints of sci-fi.

“Once you get into it, it talks about different things,” Myles McNutt, Old Dominion University assistant professor of communication, said. “It doesn’t feel like a pure homage.”

Critics praised Lyonne and the show.

“Much of the fun of the series is in its surprises,” wrote Rolling Stone critic Alan Sepinwall, “not just the many ways in which Nadia winds up dying, but the things she’s forced to confront about herself and all the friends and loved ones she’s tried to hold at arm’s length through three-and-a-half very messy decades on this planet.”

Critics saluted its creativity. Rotten Tomatoes’ critical Tomatometer has Russian Doll at an impressive 96%.

“Like its peers, Russian Doll resolves on the necessity of human connection, a familiar homily, but it’s too inventive and irascible to feel pat,” wrote James Poniewozik of The New York Times. “This is a show with a big heart, but a nicotine-stained heart that’s been dropped in the gutter and kicked around a few times.

“Russian Doll is lean and snappily paced,” he continued. “It even managed the rare feat, in the era of streaming-TV bloat, of making me wish for a bit more.”

McNutt noted the series’ philosophical leanings. “It felt very distinct and very special the more you dug in,” he said.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: ‘Old Gray Lady’ Still Has Spring in Her Step

Reaching a 15th season itself is an accomplishment, but doing real ratings in season 15 is a rare occurrence.

Grey’s Anatomy got it done.

The hospital drama averaged just shy of 10 million total viewers this season, and did well in the key demos as well. ABC is happy to note that Grey’s finished the season behind This Is Us, and This Is Us alone, among dramas in adults 18-34 and 18-49, and the three women’s demographics (18-34, 18-49, 25-54) this season.

McNutt noted the peculiar feeling of seeing Grey’s as “the old gray lady” of ABC’s Shondaland-heavy TGIT slate years ago, and viewing it as the Thursday anchor eons later. “It seems to have revitalized itself, and it still feels like a vital part of the ABC lineup,” McNutt added.

Netflix has turned on a new generation to the show. A full 14 seasons are available for streaming (season 15 arrives June 15), starting with the “A Hard Day’s Night” pilot from 2005. (Meredith finds out Derek is her new boss in that episode.) Millennials like the idea of having a large stash of seasons to digest. “Volume matters,” McNutt said. “It provides you with something you can watch for weeks, and months.”

Creator Shonda Rhimes moved on to Netflix two years ago, but still executive produces Grey’s. Krista Vernoff runs the show next season, and Ellen Pompeo once again suits up as Dr. Meredith Grey.

ABC has committed to season 17, too. At the Disney upfront show in May, Karey Burke, ABC Entertainment president, teased weekly crossovers between Grey’s and spinoff Station 19.

‘Meet the Press’: Extending Brand Beyond Politics

A monumental presidential election goes down in less than a year and a half, and there is no more essential TV figure breaking down politics than NBC News political director Chuck Todd. Meet the Press, which he moderates, is on fire, winning 66 consecutive Sunday broadcasts in viewers 25-54 and averaging 870,000 in that demo, along with 3.48 million total viewers season to date. (CBS’s Face the Nation is next at 718,000 and 3.25 million.)

Todd extends the brand with MTP Daily on MSNBC, airing 5 p.m. weekdays, and the Chuck ToddCast, a podcast which debuted in April.

News analyst Andrew Tyndall credited Todd with getting Meet the Press back to its lofty perch of the Tim Russert era. “He has a feel for what the sweet spot is for that program,” Tyndall said.

A testament to Todd’s straightforward focus is that he can get key Republicans to come on Meet the Press. This year, that includes President Donald Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders and chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, and Sen. Ted Cruz. The thinking among them is, if they can hold their own against Todd, they can handle any public-affairs forum out there.

“Ambitious politicians want to go on,” Tyndall said.

Before joining NBC News, Todd was editor in chief at the National Journal’s Washington daily The Hotline. Rival anchors turned to politics after covering general news. Todd turned to TV after a long stint being neck deep in politics.

It hasn’t all been politics. On Dec. 30, Todd did a well-received hourlong climate change special on Meet the Press.

So robust is the brand that the third annual Meet the Press Film Festival goes down in Washington Oct. 6-7. It will feature issues-based documentary shorts and live discussions.

Extending Meet the Press to a daily cable show is a no brainer, but a branded film fest is unique. “Making a film festival out of a Sunday-morning show — that’s really clever,” said Tyndall.

‘Killing Eve’: Stellar Sophomore

Killing Eve had enormous buzz coming out of its rookie season on BBC America, and has been able to parlay that into greater ratings and considerable critical acclaim in season two, a rare occurrence in the TV world.

In live-plus-three ratings, season two averaged 1.7 million viewers per episode, up a stunning 88% from season one. In adults 25-54, it averaged 675,000, an 80% gain.

Linda Ong, chief culture officer at Civic Entertainment Group, said Killing Eve hit popular culture at precisely the right time. “There’s so much that’s culturally relevant about the show,” she said.

Spy thrillers are always centered on male characters, but Eve has two compelling females in the lead. MI6 agent Eve Polastri is portrayed by a multicultural actress in Sandra Oh, who won a Golden Globe for best actress in a drama, and co-hosted the event to boot. The story line dances around the globe with a colorful cast of international characters. “It plays on an amazing global stage,” Ong said.

Helping goose the Nielsens was a decision by AMC Networks to air season two on both BBC America and AMC. “We believe we’ve just hit the tip of the iceberg in terms of potential viewers and we want to expose this brilliant series to the largest audience we can,” Sarah Barnett, president, entertainment networks for AMC Networks, said at the time.

Season two began April 7. A day later, AMC Networks announced it had ordered a third season. “We can sleep soundly knowing these characters are safe in [incoming writer/executive producer] Suzanne Heathcote’s hilariously murderous hands,” executive producer Phoebe Waller-Bridge said. Yes, the same Phoebe Waller-Bridge who created and starred in Amazon Prime Video hit Fleabag.

Ong called Killing Eve “flawlessly executed” and “stylish,” and possessing loads of “global appeal.”

The Peabody Board of Jurors today named nine entertainment shows and one children's program released during 2018 as award winners, and said Sesame Street would be honored for 50 years of entertaining and educating kids. They will be celebrated as part of the May 18 awards ceremony, as will documentaries that were named earlier. 

Rita Moreno will receive the Peabody Career Achievement Award, and winners in News/Radio & Podcast/Web/Public Service programming will be announced on April 23, completing the Peabody 30. 

The programs announced as Peabody Award winners Thursday are:

Steven Universe from Cartoon Network Studios (Cartoon Network). "On its surface, Rebecca Sugar’s animated series develops a complex mythology centering around the Crystal Gems—“polymorphic sentient rocks” who protect young Steven and his human friends from cosmic threats. But in this earnest fantasy epic and superhero saga, empathy is perhaps the most important superpower, something our real-world human society needs now more than ever."

Barry from HBO Entertainment in association with Alec Berg and Hanarply (HBO). "Saturday Night Live alum Bill Hader has built a dark comedy off the unlikely premise of a hitman who really wants to be an actor and earnestly pursues his dream under the guidance of his has-been acting teacher played by Henry Winkler. Even as one of the quirkiest and entertaining series on TV, “Barry” asks serious questions about emotional connection, the nature of violence, and the cost of doing whatever it takes to keep a secret."

Hannah Gadsby: Nanette from Netflix (Netflix). "Comedian Hannah Gadsby makes a major statement about the social costs of laughing at someone, and about what it means to be the brunt of a joke. She brilliantly finds the tragedy in comedy, in the process breaking apart and reconstructing the standup comedy special format. Throughout, she delivers the thunderous message of the destructive power of heteronormativity, toxic masculinity and male sexual violence, and how easily society tolerates each."

Killing Eve, by Sid Gentle Films Ltd. for BBC America (BBC America). "The tense cat-and-mouse spy thriller—serving as a vehicle for amazing performances by Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer—is also a masterful, playful recalibration of the genre, creating room not just for two women at the helm, but also for women’s interests and circumstances in almost every inch of the plot. Like its psychopathic assassin, Villanelle, it is equal parts terrifying, hilarious, slick, playful, and surprisingly soulful."

Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, by Netflix (Netflix). "Hasan Minhaj has created the perfect model for engaging his fellow millennials in contemporary politics and public life. With his trademark high-octane energy, the first Indian-American and Muslim late-night host brings a welcome voice to political entertainment television. He’s also bold and fearless, taking on the ruthless Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman just weeks after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi."

Pose, Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions (FX Networks). "Set in 1980s New York, Pose follows the ongoing rivalry between the established House of Abundance and the upstart House of Evangelista in an honest telling of trans and gay people of color at a critical time in history. Presided over by Billy Porter’s Pray Tell, the competition and its delicious melodrama serves as backdrop for the burgeoning LGBTQ community and family, doing important representational work and storytelling both on and off the ballroom floor."

Random Acts of Flyness, HBO Entertainment in association with A24 and MVMT (HBO). "Breaking the mold of what we think television is and can be, Random Acts of Flyness ponders what it means to be young and black in America and produces a layered, complex experience of wonder, joy, and insight. The series brilliantly assembles black sonic, visual, and literary worlds into a 21st century cut ‘n’ mix of black aesthetic of absurdity, critique, affirmation, and fun. Most importantly, it does so without a preoccupation with white gaze or desire, centering blackness as a complex, productive historical fact and contemporary lived experience rather than a phobic-obsessed reaction to whiteness."

The Americans, Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions (FX Networks). "If a great drama series is judged—at least, in part—by the way its story ends, then The Americans can easily be counted among the best TV shows in history. Over six seasons, the 1980s-set thriller centered on two Soviet spies deeply undercover as middle-class American parents in a Virginia suburb. In 2018, creators brought the acclaimed story to a masterful conclusion, forcing spies Elizabeth and Philip Jennings to make impossible choices as their carefully constructed lives imploded on multiple fronts."

The End of the F***ing World, Clerkenwell Films/Dominic Buchanan Productions for Channel 4 Television and Netflix (Netflix). "Teenage angst collides with dark British humor in this series about a self-identified psychopath and a wily high school rebel who seek adventure outside their boring suburban town. Based on a graphic novel by Charles Forsman, the British-American co-production features deeply funny and moving performances by Jessica Lawther and Alex Barden that capture the confusion of adolescence with intelligence and depth. A wonderfully unorthodox coming-of-age story for 21st century realists and hopeless romantics alike."

The Good Place, Universal Television, Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment (NBC). "A Peabody nominee last year, Michael Schur’s fantasy-comedy about the afterlife keeps refusing to follow the formulas of broadcast network sitcoms, constantly renegotiating its format as our favorite contemporary morality play. The energies of Kristin Bell, Ted Danson, Jameela Jamil, and D’Arcy Carden, in particular, keep the show moving with virtuosity in every unexpected laboratory from the Good Place to the Bad Place, the afterlife to the Medium Place, and of course, to Earth."

Of HBO and PBS trailblazing children's show Sesame Street, the Peabody Award organization said: "Conceived by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett, Sesame Street premiered in 1969 with wide-eyed optimism and determination to make a difference. Structured on the belief that a children’s TV show could help close an achievement gap in preparation for school, while also teaching about the values of diversity, mutual respect, and empathy, it remains one of the 1960s greatest offerings. Its central messages are about appreciating locality, accepting and valuing difference, and learning how to be a massive bird’s friend when you’re a green trash monster. And yet it teaches these lessons, day in and day out, alongside functional lessons about basic math, spelling, logic, patterns, and a love of music, art, and dance. Sesame Street is also honored for its advocacy role in reminding citizens and politicians why public broadcasting is necessary and valuable, challenging us to make a difference and to be good, caring people while we do so."

Pictured: Bill Hader and Henry Winkler in HBO's Barry.

The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation has named the winners for its 44th annual Gracie Awards, which include such actresses as Sandra Oh. Leah Remini and Patricia Arquette.

The Gracie Awards, which recognize exemplary programming created by women, for women and about women in all facets of media and entertainment, will honor its awardees during a May 21 ceremony in Los Angeles, according to the organization. 

The winners include Sandra Oh, who was named best actress in a drama for her role in BBC America's Killing Eve, which was also the top choice in the drama category. CBS's Mom won the best comedy award, and Showtime's Escape at Dannemora, starring Patricia Arquette, won for best limited series. Leah Remini was named best On-Air Talent in the Lifestyle and Entertainment category for her role in A&E's Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, which also won for best non fiction entertainment series. 

Local and student award winners will be recognized at the Gracie Awards Luncheon on June 26 at Cipriani in New York City, according to the AWMF.

“Our leadership is proud to honor the best of the best who embody the spirit and intention of the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation’s Gracie Awards.” said Becky Brooks, Executive Director, Alliance for Women in Media Foundation.

Gracie Awards winners in the television category are as follows: 

On-Air Talent - Sports - Ceiling Breakers

Andrea Kremer & Hannah Storm (Thursday Night Football)

Amazon Prime Video

Actress in a Breakthrough Role

Annie Murphy (Schitt's Creek)

CBC / Pop TV / ITV

Special or Variety

BET HER FIGHTS: BREAST CANCER

BET Networks

Producer - News

Claire Weinraub

ABC NEWS

Producer - Entertainment - Limited Series

Connie Britton & Alexandra Cunningham (Dirty John)

Bravo Media

Director - Drama

Daisy von Scherler Mayer (The Walking Dead)

AMC

Actress in a Supporting Role - Made for TV Movie or Limited Series

Elizabeth Perkins (Sharp Objects)

HBO

Limited Series

Escape at Dannemora

SHOWTIME

Made for Television Movie

Faith Under Fire: The Antoinette Tuff Story (Lifetime)

Lifetime

Sports Feature

Fast Tracked (ESPN E:60)

ESPN E:60

Ensemble Cast

Good Girls

Universal Television

Talk Show – Entertainment

Home & Family

Crown Media Family Networks (Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)

Producer- Documentary /Unscripted / Non-Fiction

Jane Root (One Strange Rock)

Nutopia / National Geographic

Drama

Killing Eve

BBC AMERICA

On-Air Talent - Lifestyle and Entertainment

Leah Remini (Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath)

A&E Network

Non-Fiction Entertainment

Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath

A&E Network

Investigative Feature

Live to Tell: Trafficked (48 Hours)

CBS News

Producer- Entertainment

Lori McCreary & Barbara Hall (Madam Secretary)

CBS Studios, Revelations Entertainment, Barbara Hall Productions

Actress in a Supporting Role - Drama

Maura Tierney (The Affair)

SHOWTIME

Comedy

Mom

Warner Bros. Television

Writer

Nancy M. Pimental (Shameless)

SHOWTIME

Reporter / Correspondent

Nima Elbagir

CNN

Soft News Feature

On The Road: Washington’s First Registered Lobbyist with Down Syndrome (CBS Evening News)

CBS News

Actress in a Leading Role - Made for TV Movie or Limited Series

Patricia Arquette (Escape at Dannemora)

SHOWTIME

Actress in a Leading Role - Comedy or Musical

Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

CBS Television Studios

Documentary - Grand Award

RBG

CNN

Director - Documentary

Rebecca Parrish (America to Me)

Starz

Actress in a Leading Role - Drama

Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)

BBC AMERICA

On-Air Talent - News or News Magazine

Savannah Guthrie & Hoda Kotb (TODAY)

NBC News, TODAY

News Feature Series

Sisterhood (The 3rd Hour of TODAY)

NBC News/The 3rd Hour of TODAY

Actress in a Supporting Role - Comedy or Musical

Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

Universal Television

Documentary

The Clinton Affair

A&E Network

Ensemble Cast - Grand Award

The Good Fight

CBS Television Studios

News Program

VICE News Tonight on HBO

VICE Media

News Magazine

VICE on HBO

VICE Media

Interview Feature

Waiting to Die (VICE on HBO)

VICE Media

Family Series

WASH UP! Girl Talk

Sesame Workshop

Hard News Feature

Yemen's Young Victims (BBC World News)

BBC World News

CBS All Access’ resurrection of The Twilight Zone sci-fi series and the return of BBC America's Killing Eve drama show leads a long list of series premiering this week.

The new version of The Twilight Zone, created and hosted by Jordan Peele, will premiere April 1, according to the streaming service. Also premiering on April’s Fools Day is National Geographic’s new documentary series Hostile Planet.

In addition, several freshman series will return for their sophomore seasons, including BBC America’s Killing Eve, TBS’ The Last O.G., and Showtime’s The Chi.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting this week on cable networks and streaming services: 

April 1 -- Into the Dark: I’m Just F*cking With You (movie) -- Hulu

April 4 -- Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger (returning series) -- Freeform

April 5 -- The Tick (returning series) -- Prime Video

April 5 -- Warrior (drama series) -- Cinemax

April 6 -- Native Son (movie) -- HBO

BBC America will bring back its award-winning drama series Killing Eve on April 7.

Golden Globes award winner Sandra Oh, along with Jodie Comer, return as Eve and Villanelle in this story of two women, bound by a mutual obsession and one brutal act. Killing Eve season two picks up just 30 seconds after the end of season one, according to BBC America

Killing Eve's season two premiere will be simulcast on BBC America and AMC. 

Streaming video service Amazon dominated the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night on the strength of its comedy series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Amazon garnered three SAG Awards in the television category, the most of any cable, broadcast network or streaming service, according to the Screen Actors Guild. Streaming video service Netflix was the only other outlet to notch multiple wins with two.

Amazon was led by comedy series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which swept the comedy category with wins for best comedy ensemble; best female actor (Rachel Brosnahan) and best male actor (Tony Shalhoub).

For Brosnahan, it’s the third award she’s won in the past month for her performance as the lead character in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, following her Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards in the category.

NBC’s drama series This Is Us repeated as the SAG winner in the outstanding ensemble for a drama series category, while Sandra Oh took home the SAG Award for best female actor in a drama series, following her Critics Choice and Golden Globes wins in the same category for her performance in BBC America’s Killing Eve.

The winners of The 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards in the television category:

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series:

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel— Amazon 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series:

Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — Amazon 

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series:

Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — Amazon 

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:

This Is Us — NBC

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series:

Sandra Oh, Killing Eve — BBC America

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series:

Jason Bateman, Ozark — Netflix

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:

Darren Criss, Assassination of Gianni Versace — FX

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:

Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora — Showtime

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series:

Glow — Netflix 

The Golden Globes highlighted cable and streaming service shows Sunday night, with FX and Netflix leading the way with the most award wins, according to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. 

FX and Netflix tied with three awards apiece during NBC’s live Golden Globes telecast in which the broadcast networks were shut out of winners circle. Amazon was the only other service winning multiple awards with two.

FX’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace won two awards, including best limited TV series or movie. Netflix’s The Kominsky Method also won two awards, including best comedy series, while FX’s The Americans won the best drama television series statuette in its last year of eligibility.

Other Golden Globes highlights include Sandra Oh --who co-hosted the awards telecast with Andy Samberg --winning the best actress in a drama series award for her role in BBC America's Killing Eve.

Also, Darren Criss became the first Filipino American to win a Golden Globe with his starring role in FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace, which won the best performance by an actor in a limited series or motion picture made for television award. 

The Golden Globes winners in the television category are as follows:

Best Television Series, Drama: The Americans

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama: Sandra Oh, Killing Eve

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama: Richard Madden, Bodyguard

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy: The Kominsky Method

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy: Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy: Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: The Assassination of Gianni Versace

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television: Patricia Arquette, Escape from Dannemora

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television: Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Ben Wishaw, A Very English Scandal

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Patricia Clarkson, Sharp Objects

Golden Globes co-host Sandra Oh was the big winner in the best actress in a drama series category.

Oh, who played MI5 officer Eve Polastri in BBC America’s Killing Eve, bested last year’s winner Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale) as well as Caitriona Balfe (Outlander), Julia Roberts (Homecoming) and Keri Russell (The Americans) for the coveted statuette. 

Jersey Shore Family Vacation has its debut on MTV April 5. Some five-and-a-half years since we last saw the Jersey Shore crew doing their GTL thing — gym, tan, laundry, we know it’s been a while — they are back. Pauly D, JWOWW, Vinny, Snooki and The Situation are among those reuniting in Miami for a dozen episodes.

Wait, they won’t be in Jersey?

“They are Jersey,” said Jacqueline Parkes, chief marketing officer at MTV, VH1 and Logo. “They’re bringing Jersey to Miami.”

Parkes promised a “completely evolved show,” where it depicts the cast “at a new stage of life.” Some have kids. Some have stepped boldly into adulthood.

Some have not. Parkes also promises plenty of the shenanigans that defined Jersey Shore. “The antics are louder and funnier than ever before,” said Parkes.

Reboots have been a mixed bag on television, but Parkes said viewers are ready for the Jersey Shore redo. MTV’s record for trailer views was 7.8 million, she said, with Teen Wolf in 2015, until a Jersey Shore video did 24.4 million. She promises a “global launch,” as the show goes out to 180 countries. “It’s the largest campaign we’ve ever done,” Parkes said.

Striking a decidedly different note, drama Killing Eve, offering “an epic game of cat and mouse” for viewers, premieres on BBC America April 8. Sandra Oh plays a security officer who wants to be a spy. Jodie Comer plays a killer. When a Russian politician is murdered, Oh’s Eve character is tasked with protecting the only witness and finds herself on a collision course with a violent assassin, in Comer’s Villanelle.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, star of Amazon comedy Fleabag, wrote the scripts and is showrunner.

What drew Waller-Bridge to the project? The two women leads, for starters.

“It’s very provocative, gutsy, edgy,” said Sally Woodward Gentle, who executive produces Killing Eve alongside Waller-Bridge. “And it has great clothes.”

Woodward Gentle also noted the “crackling charisma” when Oh and Comer’s characters share the screen.

And it’s got “oodles of humor,” she added, despite Killing Eve’s dark undertones. “Like Fleabag, it’s got these gorgeous vignettes of comedy, where the journey is painfully funny because it is truthful.”

Woodward Gentle said she was drawn to the project after a colleague had dinner with Luke Jennings, who wrote the novellas the series is based on. Jennings’s approach to the stories, she said, felt unique.

What does Woodward Gentle have planned for premiere night? Not a heckuva lot, in fact.

“We’ll be in the U.K.,” she said. “Tucked up in bed.”

BBC America will roll out its new original scripted series Killing Eve April 8, the network said during its Television Critics Association winter tour presentation.

The series, based on the Villanelle novellas by Luke Jennings, stars Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy) an Jodie Comer (The White Princess) as two fiercely intelligent women -- a psychopathic assassin and the woman charged with hunting her down.

Read More: MCN's Complete Coverage of #TCA18

Series executive producer Phoebe Waller-Bridge said the Killing Eve offers a rare portrayal of two strong, female leads within a thriller series. “There is something glorious about a woman existing without fear or consequences of her actions," Waller-Bridge said.

The network also previewed its upcoming series Planet Earth: Blue Planet II, which debuts Jan. 20 and will be simulcast across BBC America, AMC, IFC, WE tv and SundanceTV. Blue Planet II narrator Sir David Attenborough said that the series provides an opportunity to show the beauty and majesty of the planet as well as the perils that it faces.