Broadcasting + Cable's Kent Gibbons and Michael Malone chat about the the implications of the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger, upfront week madness, Amazon's Underground Railroad, and Showtime's Black Monday.

Also Read: Area Man Appears on ‘Jeopardy!’, Wins

Broadcasting + Cable's Kent Gibbons and Michael Malone chat about the end of Showtime's Shameless, the premiere of HBO's Mare of Easttown, and Jeopardy!'s new guest hosts.

Also Read: Area Man Appears on ‘Jeopardy!’, Wins

Its eleventh season under way, Shameless and Showtime debut Shameless Hall of Shame, a six-episode series featuring new scenes juxtaposed with a retrospective look at each character’s journey, Dec. 27. 

The first episode will feature Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Mickey (Noel Fisher), showcasing their unique relationship and its evolution from a teen fling into a loving, complicated marriage. 

New episodes of Shameless Hall of Shame will be interspersed throughout the eleventh and final season. 

"This 11-year journey with the Gallagher family has been a total pleasure for us from the beginning,” said executive producer John Wells, “and we're excited to share a look back at the many trials, tribulations and laughs of those 11 seasons with our fans.”

The show premiered in 2011. Season 11 began Dec. 6. The final season finds the Gallagher family and the South Side at a crossroads, teases Showtime. “Changes have come through the COVID pandemic, gentrification and aging, leaving the city and the Gallagher's to reconcile both.”

Season 10 averaged 5.7 million weekly viewers across platforms, according to Showtime.

William H. Macy, Jeremy Allen White, Ethan Cutkosky, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey and Emma Kenney are in the cast along with Monaghan and Fisher. 

Created by Paul Abbott, the series is produced by Bonanza Productions in association with John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Developed for American television by John Wells, Showtime is executive produced by Wells, Nancy M. Pimental, Joe Lawson, Iain MacDonald and Michael Hissrich.

Showtime will release the season premieres of comedy Shameless and limited series Your Honor as part of a batch of episodes available for subscribers and non-subscribers alike. The network has shared over 60 hours of original content for free sampling, including full seasons of The L Word: Generation Q, City on a Hill, The Affair, Ray Donovan and Love Fraud.

The premieres of Shameless and Your Honor are shared for free Dec. 6, the same day the shows debut on Showtime. It is the 11th and final season of Shameless, starring William H. Macy, and the debut of Your Honor, starring Bryan Cranston. 

Related: Showtime Sets Up Free Channel on Pluto TV

Also available for all to consume are episodes of Murder in the Bayou, The Reagans, Moonbase 8 and Desus & Mero, among other series. 

All free content is available on YouTube and Sho.com, among other platforms, until Jan. 11.

A mix of new series, documentaries and new episodes from two Emmy award winning shows help usher in the month of December on cable and streaming services.

Hulu will debut its adaptation of the classic franchise The Hardy Boys on Dec. 4, while Showtime on Dec. 6 will premiere Your Honor, starring Emmy-award winning actor Bryan Cranston in his first series role since Breaking Bad.

On the sports documentary front, Showtime on Dec. 4 will explore the career of former boxing champion Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho in Macho: The Hector Camacho Story.

HBO on Dec. 6 will debut a special episode of its freshman series Euphoria, which stars Emmy-winning actress Zendaya, while the same night Showtime will premiere the 11th and final season of its Emmy-winning comedy series Shameless.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of Nov. 30 to Dec. 6 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

Dec. 2 -- Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (reality) -- National Geographic

Dec. 3 -- Anything for Jackson (horror) -- Shudder

Dec. 3 -- Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults (documentary) -- HBO Max

Dec. 4 -- Small Axe: Red, White and Blue (drama) -- Prime Video

Dec. 4 -- Big Mouth (returning series) -- Netflix

Dec. 4 -- Earth at Night in Color (documentary) -- Apple TV Plus

Dec. 4 -- Selena: The Series (drama) -- Netflix

Dec. 4 -- Stillwater (animation) -- Apple TV Plus

The eleventh and final season of comedy Shameless rolls on Showtime starting Dec. 6. Paul Abbott created the show and John Wells developed it for American television. William H. Macy stars. 

Season 11 sees the Gallagher family and the South Side at a crossroads, with changes caused by COVID, gentrification and aging. Macy’s Frank confronts his own mortality and Lip struggles with the prospect of becoming the family patriarch. Newlyweds Ian and Mickey are figuring out the responsibilities of being in a committed relationship while Deb embraces single motherhood. Carl finds an unlikely new career in law enforcement and Kevin and V decide whether a hard life on the South Side is worth fighting for.

Also in the cast are Jeremy Allen White, Ethan Cutkosky, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey, Emma Kenney, Cameron Monaghan, Christian Isaiah, Noel Fisher and Kate Miner. 

Shameless premiered in 2011. 

The series is produced by Bonanza Productions in association with John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Wells, Nancy M. Pimental, Joe Lawson, Iain MacDonald and Michael Hissrich are the executive producers.

HBO's fantasy series His Dark Materials and the return of Showtime's Shameless highlight  shows making their debuts during the week of Nov. 4. 

His Dark Materials, debuting Nov. 4, is based on the novel series of the same name by Phillip Pullman and follows a young woman from another world who --on a quest to find her kidnapped friend -- encounters extraordinary beings and dangerous secrets, according to HBO.

Also this week, Showtime's Emmy-winning comedy series Shameless, starring William H. Macy, will mark its 10th season premiere on Nov. 10. 

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting this week on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

Nov. 5 -- The End of the F***ing World (returning series) -- Netflix

Nov. 5 -- She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (returning animation series) -- Netflix

Nov. 6 -- The Apollo (documentary) -- HBO

Nov. 8 -- Green Eggs and Ham (animation) -- Netflix

Nov. 10 -- Back to Life (comedy) -- Showtime

Nov. 10 -- Dublin Murders (drama) -- Starz

Nov. 10 -- Rick and Morty (returning series) -- Adult Swim

Showtime has ordered a 10th season of comedy Shameless. The renewal establishes Shameless as Showtime’s longest running series ever. Production begins this year.

William H. Macy, Jeremy Allen White, Ethan Cutkosky, Emma Kenney, Christian Isaiah and Cameron Monaghan are in the cast. Emmy Rossum departs after season nine.

“The Gallaghers are a force of nature, and they are coming back,” said Gary Levine, president of entertainment at Showtime. “Shameless, with its ever-growing fan base, is like no other show on television. We are thrilled it will live on with its unique blend of love and larceny on Showtime."

The second half of season nine started Jan. 20. Emmy Rossum’s Fiona is at a low point and Debbie (Emma Kenney) takes on more responsibility in keeping the family afloat. Macy’s Frank enjoys the honeymoon period of his relationship with Ingrid (guest star Katey Sagal) before reality interferes. Lip (White) and Carl (Cutkosky) dive deep into new, complicated relationships, as Kev (Steve Howey) and V (Shanola Hampton) realize they are in over their heads with their latest family plans.

Paul Abbott created the show.

Shameless is produced by Bonanza Productions in association with John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Developed for American television by John Wells, the series is executive produced by Wells and Nancy M. Pimental.

“All of us on Shameless are delighted that we get to tell more wonderful Gallagher stories — and thankful to Showtime for their continued support,” Wells said. “We can’t wait to get back to work with this extraordinary cast.”

Showtime on Sept. 9 will premiere the ninth season of its comedy series Shameless, network officials announced Thursday.

The series, which stars William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum, will feature the show’s 100 episode in week four, according to Showtime. The series is produced by Bonanza Productions in association with John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The series is executive produced by Wells and Nancy M. Pimental.

HBO won the most Screen Actors Guild Awards during a ceremony that tipped its hat to the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.

HBO won five SAG Awards, including two each for its limited series Big Little Lies and comedy series Veep, including best comedy ensemble.

NBC was the only other network or streaming service to win multiple awards – two for its series This Is Us, which won for outstanding ensemble for a drama series and outstanding performance by an actor in a drama series for Sterling K. Brown.

Brown, as well as Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgard of Big Little Lies, all won recent Emmy, Golden Globe and now SAG Awards in their respective acting categories (see full list below).

Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale was shut out of the SAG Awards’ winners circle after winning both Emmy and Golden Globes Awards in the best drama category as well as the best actress in a drama series category for Elisabeth Moss.

Related: HBO, Showtime Dominate Comedy Category at SAG Awards

The 24th Annual SAG Awards, which TBS and TNT aired live, was highlighted by its first ever female host, Kristen Bell (The Good Place), as well as an ensemble of female presenters, including actress Rita Moreno, who presented SAG’s Lifetime Achievement Award to Morgan Freeman.

A full list of Screen Actor Guild Awards winners in the television category:

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series

NICOLE KIDMAN / Celeste Wright – “BIG LITTLE LIES” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series

ALEXANDER SKARSGÅRD / Perry Wright – “BIG LITTLE LIES” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

CLAIRE FOY / Queen Elizabeth II – “THE CROWN” (Netflix)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

STERLING K. BROWN / Randall Pearson – “THIS IS US” (NBC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS / Selina Meyer – “VEEP” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

WILLIAM H. MACY / Frank Gallagher – “SHAMELESS” (Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

THIS IS US (NBC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

VEEP (HBO)

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

Game Of Thrones (HBO)

The Screen Actors Guild Awards kicked off Sunday night with cable pay TV services HBO and Showtime dominating the comedy series category.

HBO’s Veep won for outstanding performance by an ensamble in a comedy series, beating out ABC' Black-ish, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Netflix's Glow and Orange Is The New Black. Veep also won the statuette for outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series for series star Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

William H. Macy won the SAG Award for outstanding male performance in a comedy for his role in Showtime’s Shameless.

Showtime has renewed its comedy series Shameless for a ninth season amid a strong ratings showing for the show’s eighth season premiere.

The series, which stars William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum, drew more than 1.8 million viewers in its Oct. 5 season eight premiere (Live +SD) and more than 2 million viewers when repeat telecasts are factored in, according to Showtime officials.

Shameless also served as a strong lead-in for Showtime freshman series SMILF, which drew more than 1 million viewers -- including repeat airings -- in its Sunday night premiere, Showtime said.

“As challenging as it can be for any show simply to maintain viewers in the current TV landscape, Shameless is adding them in droves,” Showtime Networks resident and CEO David Nevins said in a statement. “But it’s no mystery why. The series’ reputation for rich and resonant characters and for deep – and deeply twisted – comedy has drawn not only faithful longtime viewers, but a steadily growing audience. And creatively, the season that kicked off this past Sunday is stronger than ever.”

Shameless is produced by Bonanza Productions in association with John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The series is executive produced by John Wells, Nancy M. Pimental and Sheila Callaghan.

Viewers can keep the spirit of Halloween alive even after the hallowed day ends, as a new season of spooky Stan Against Evil starts on IFC Nov. 1. John C. McGinley plays Stan, a retired police chief in a small New England town where witches were burned centuries before. Stan battles an array of witches, and his own demons.

McGinley gets a kick out of playing a wounded soul. “People who are damaged, who are hurt — I’ll watch them,” he said. “I’m intrigued by what hurts us, and how we recover from injury.”

Video: Watch IFC's 'Stan Against Evil' Season 2 Trailer

Dana Gould created the series, and McGinley is a producer. As with season one, McGinley said the Stan braintrust is looking for the right balance between horror and comedy. “It’s almost impossible to straddle the two tones. That’s what Stan purports to do — we wander around in, and straddle, the two,” McGinley said.

The highlight of season two, for McGinley, is a brief moment when Stan reconnects with his deceased wife. “It’s an unexpectedly beautiful scene,” he said. “It’s startling and really emotionally satisfying.”

Fans got a peek at the new season when IFC shared an episode on Friday the 13th. The stunt went over well, according to McGinley: “The numbers blew everybody in New York away. Everybody seemed completely thrilled.”

He’s particularly pumped about season two. “I’m super-proud of the show,” McGinley said. “I can’t wait for people to get a hold of it.”

And the new season of Shameless kicks off on Showtime Nov. 5, marking eight seasons for the edgy comedy. Steve Howey, who plays barkeep Kev, promised plenty of “cool drama” in the new batch of episodes. “It’s not just all comedy,” he said. “There’s a lot of heavy stuff too.”

It’s a big ensemble cast, and Shamelesshas done a pretty remarkable job of keeping the Gallagher clan together across its many seasons. Howey said William H. Macy, who plays patriarch Frank Gallagher, sets the right tone. “He’s not a prick, and it trickles down,” Howey said. “When the top guys are not assholes, no one else has reason to be.”

Howey’s highlight of the new season? Sporting some S&M gear, he said, as Kevin “tries to get his balls back” after being betrayed by Svetlana. Bizarro costumes are the norm, not the exception, according to Howey. “They say, here’s your wardrobe, a leopard-print G-string,” he said. “I’m like, yeah, it’s normal.”

Will Shameless live on after season eight? Howey thinks so. “We’ll see what everybody’s doing, but I’m pretty sure we’ll do one more,” he said. “Nine is a good number … maybe 10.”

Showtime will bring back its comedy series Shameless for an eighth season, the network said Monday.

The series, which stars Emmy winning actor William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum has been renewed for a 12-episode eighth season that will debut sometime in 2017, said network officials. Showtime aired the season seven finale of the series on Sunday night.

Shameless is produced by Bonanza Productions in association with John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The most recent season of Shameless was executively produced by John Wells, Nancy M. Pimental, Christopher Chulack, Krista Vernoff, Etan Frankel and Sheila Callaghan, said the network.

A year ago almost to the day, Showtime Networks chairman Matthew Blank announced he would be passing the CEO reins to network president David Nevins. Blank had hired Nevins — then the president of Imagine Television, responsible for such hits as Fox’s 24 and NBC’s Parenthood — in 2010 to oversee development of original programming for the premium service and to succeed him this past January, when he stepped down from the CEO role after more than 20 years.

Related:Chairman Likes Showtime’s Standing Amid TV’s Chaos: A Q&A With Matt Blank

By then, Nevins had already built a stable of successful, long-running original series, including the Emmy-winning Homeland and The Affair, Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex. As CEO, Nevins would be steering into a new digital age full of opportunities and potential pitfalls as the industry at large sorts out a new landscape that includes new over-the-top competition from Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. On the cable homefront, Showtime must also to contend with Emmy darling HBO and rising player Starz for premium TV supremacy.

Nearly six months into Nevins’s term as CEO, Showtime is firing on all cylinders. The Jan. 17 debut of Billions drew its biggest audience ever for a freshman original series. The Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti-starrer, about an ego-driven billionaire and the ambitious U.S. attorney looking to take him down, finished its freshman run as the network’s most-watched series behind Homeland.

Nevins is high on the music-themed Roadies, debuting June 26, which chronicles the lives of stagehands who build and take down concert sets for rock ‘n’ roll bands. Showtime can also look forward to the much-anticipated 2017 return of director David Lynch’s drama series Twin Peaks.

Nevins is also spearheading Showtime’s continued push into digital, overseeing the rollout of the Showtime OTT service, available on Apple TV, Roku, Hulu, Amazon and other digital distribution platforms. Still, Showtime is building its success in a perilous TV marketplace where a lackluster performance from a high-profile series or a big breakout hit from a competitor could hit the network hard.

Nevins has his hands full guiding the fortunes of the premium programmer but took some time to discuss his strategy for Showtime’s future growth with Multichannel News, B&C and Next TV editorial director Mark Robichaux and MCN programming editor R. Thomas Umstead.

MCN:There’s been a lot of movement in the C-suite at Showtime lately. Is this a changing of the guard?

David Nevins: Matt hasn’t gone anywhere and is not going anywhere anytime soon, but sort of more and more of the daily decisions and budgeting and how we sort of organize ourselves is going through me. It’s been an orderly transition that’s been going on with Matt’s full support and kind of design, you know, going back probably three years.

I think it’s really working well and it’s a good moment for us. A lot of the trends in the business are favoring us right now.

MCN:How is your new OTT product doing?

DN: We’re about 10 months in. You can buy us on top of your Hulu subscription or through Apple or Roku and shortly thereafter Android, Google, and Amazon added us in a similar way as Hulu, and it’s been really working.

Our base business is, I think, as high as it’s ever been through our more traditional satellite/telco/cable distributors. So, there’s been no real cannibalization; we’re at an all time high in that business. And the more direct, sort of OTT business has really worked. It’s now becoming a pretty meaningful contributor to our revenue and it’s growing fast.

MCN:As the transition continues to more digital content, do you see that business rising and this linear side falling, or do you see incremental increases without losing linear?

DN: I don’t know what’s going to happen over time. I’m hoping for growth on both sides of the ledger. Thus far, we’ve seen growth on both sides of the ledger and we’re budgeting growth on both sides of the ledger for next year.

MCN:Do you think it’s a zero-sum game? Do you think there’s a limit, a ceiling, on the growth of over-the-top products and skinny bundles?

DN: There’s a de-bundling and then there’s going to be a re-bundling. And probably when there’s re-bundling, it will be good for us. We’ve taken a very agnostic position. Our attitude is we want to be sold in as many places as possible by as many sellers as possible.

MCN:How does that affect your relationship with the guys that brought you to the dance, the cable guys?

DN: I think they understand it. We’re not going to undercut them. We don’t want to undercut them. And there was cable and then satellite showed up and did good things for our business, and was a little competition to the cable guys. And then the telcos got into the business, and I think they understand that’s how the world works. So it’s kind of baked in.

MCN:Are you surprised by all the OTT competition?

DN: I come in as a programmer and as a producer, but with real interest in this sort of marketing and development of the business. It was clear to me five or six years ago, when I was a year into this job, that this is where it was going, because Netflix was already making the shift from DVDs to internet-delivered service.

And, you know, partly because I’m an outsider, it was just like a blinding glimpse of the obvious that delivering over the Internet was where it was eventually going to be, and we had to be ready for it and do it in a way that creates a good user experience. And we began building for it a while ago, so we’re doing all our programming, computer programming and service delivery, we’re doing it all in-house. And we’re going to have to start building all the core capabilities of customer service and customer attention that cable companies have spent a lot of time doing. That’s going to be competence that we’re going to have to develop.

MCN:Netflix is spending a pile of money — do you need to spend as much to compete?

DN: No. Still, we’re in expansion mode. So we probably have 11 sort of A-level scripted shows this year. It will be 12 next year, maybe even 13 next year, depending on how the year goes. So we’re definitely building up.

MCN:As opposed to what? What would be a typical year?

DN: Six years ago, it was maybe four. So we have definitely built up over the course of time. We have strength throughout the year, so that we’re able to roll from Homeland and The Affair into Shameless and Billions, into Penny Dreadful, into Ray Donovan and Roadies. They’re going to come this summer.

You know, probably in the old business, it was more important to have one giant show that forces the cable operators — like you can’t possibly drop [HBO], because how can you not have Game of Thrones? In the new business, where it’s easy to sign up and easy to cancel, it’s probably more important to have consistency across the schedule.

So we’re putting on two to three new shows a year. This year it’s Billions and Roadies. And next year it’ll be I’m Dying Up Here and Twin Peaks and some things that we haven’t announced yet in the back half of the year.

MCN:Is that sustainable? Do you want to keep that number roughly the same in coming years?

DN: I think it’s sustainable and I think it’s expandable. But we are expected to deliver earnings for our shareholders, so I’m not going to suddenly start spending 100% of our revenue. But the trick is to make your shots count when they come. And Billions counted.

And Billions was noticed. I always knew that certain power circles would love the show, but the question was, would it expand beyond that? And it really did. I mean Billions was our biggest freshman show ever. It was bigger than Ray Donovan and bigger than Homeland. And Roadies is going to count.

MCN:How do you know today thatRoadiesis going to be big?

DN: You don’t know what’s going to be a hit. I’ve never been great at predicting hits. But I know [if something has] enough cultural resonance and enough entertainment value that it’s going to get traction. It’s going to get noticed. Whether it’s going to hit or be medium, you never know. But if you’re doing something that feels original that is differentiated enough in the marketplace, that’s got enough sticky elements, whether it’s concept or actors or filmmakers behind the scenes who people want to watch, you know that you’re going to get noticed.

MCN:At what moment did you say, “Wow, this is going to connect?” Was it a song? Was it a line that was read by an actor?

DN: For me, the real moment is the script. So when I read a script and I have a certain feeling about it — I mean there’s always a leap of faith that you take. But the moment when I either emotionally connect or emotionally disconnect is reading the script. And then it becomes about trying to fulfill that vision or that’s great about the script.

MCN:Are you more like a third base coach, given your background with the showrunners?

DN: Yes. I love it. You know, you get to work with the smartest, most creative people, and ultimately, it’s their vision and I’m the third base coach; I’m not playing. But I invest in the people who I believe in and you get to make that decision. So it’s third base coach, it’s general manager, to use your baseball analogy, you get to choose who goes on the field and then try to get them to perform at their highest.

MCN:Showtime was once a network of flawed characters:Dexter,Nurse Jackie. What is it today?

DN: I think we really pride ourselves now on a diversity of shows and we try really hard not to copy ourselves. We want each show to carve out its own territory among the shows on our air and among the competition. So [if] there’s a Mafia show, it better be really differentiated from The Sopranos. Let me just say I try hard to stay away from things that are on our air and other people’s air.

But to answer your question, I think our shows have pretty deep characters, rich characters that have depths and layers to them, have kind of a deeper psychology. We’re definitely programming for adults. Now, I think we’re going to get gradually younger. You’ll see us do some things and the next couple years that are maybe slightly younger than the stuff you see on the walls now, but not dramatically so. [We] want to be forward leaning and not sort of going backwards. A lot of television is trying to do what has already had success somewhere else, and we’re trying really hard to lead the pack.

MCN:When Paramount, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Lionsgate left Showtime in 2009 to form EPIX, there was a question as to whether Showtime would be able to make up for the loss of their films. Does the movie business still play a major part in your overall strategy?

DN: Well, I’d say it’s not top of the list. We know that the most important thing in terms of every buying decision that the customer makes, whether it’s to buy or to keep you, or their general perception of our brand, is based on original series. As you know, movies are seen in so many different places in so many different ways, they become more and more commoditized. That said, we’re building up, you know, we’ve added [studios] Open Road, we’ve added STX, which it looks like they’re going to be a big factor and they’ve been a big factor in the last year and a half. And they’re starting to make more adult dramas, adult comedies, thrillers.

MCN:Are you leaning to make more comedies or more dramas?

DN: More comedies, more dramas, documentaries, sports. We made a pretty big push into both sports and documentaries in the last couple years and it’s starting to pay off.

I mean, we’re very well situated right now in the boxing world with [Deontay Wilder] and Anthony Joshua. So there’s a lot of hope for renewed interest in the heavyweight division and we seem to be well-positioned there … and the documentary area is increasingly important. It’s interesting how it drives audiences more and more. And The Circus has really had impact for us.

MCN:The timing was great forThe Circus.

DN: The ongoing election — yeah, that was kind of a big risk. You have no idea what you’re going to get. You have no idea whether the campaigns are going to give you any access. And you know, you’ve got to plunk down $10 million before and just hope something good comes out of it. And it really worked.

MCN:And what gave you the cajones to put down the $10 million?

DN: I feel like it’s a kind of documentary that we’ve been working on. I’ve wanted to use this sort of All Access model of very rapid filmmaking that we did for All Access or Inside the NFL or the college football show [A Season With] … for something other than sports.

Just the ability to edit things so rapidly to be able to shoot things on a Friday, have them immediately ingested into an editing machine and be able to spit it back out and put it on the air on Sunday — that would not have been so easy five years ago. When Bernie Sanders hosted Saturday Night Live, that’s Saturday night at midnight, Sunday morning. We were on the air … 14 hours later.

MCN:What other shows do you have high hopes for?

DN:I’m Dying Up Here is based on a book of the same name about the early days of standup in L.A., and it’s a comedy and it’s a drama. It’s Jim Carrey producing. It really gets inside the minds of standup comedy, and it’s Melissa Leo and an interesting ensemble. And of course, next year, Twin Peaks. I’m incredibly excited to see what David Lynch has done. I think he’s one of the living geniuses of our business, and I think he’s going to do something magnificent.

MCN:Post-linear, on-demand viewing is growing. What percentage of viewing is done when a show’s not in season?

DN: Over half. Yeah, they’re all over 70%.

MCN:What does that tell you?

DN: It tells you people have complicated lives. [Laughs.] Television’s gotten more convenient.

But more and more, it’s on-demand. And you know, more topical shows or water cooler shows get more [live] viewers, a slightly higher percentage. But the difference is Homeland maybe it’s slightly over 30%, 35%, watching the live show versus who’s going to watch the rest of the week.

MCN:Why hasn’t Showtime dropped more entire seasons to allow binge-watching?

DN: I fundamentally don’t believe in it. … Our shows are built for hooks, and I think there’s benefit in the water cooler. And if we had to do it all in one week, I don’t think it does justice to the creativity of the shows. Our shows are very hand-crafted. Ray Donovan is going to make noise when it comes on.

MCN:What about selling to OTT providers?

DN: Our shows tend to have a lot of value when they come off of our network because they’re high-quality and they’re only seen in a limited universe, so there’s great demand from Netflix and Hulu and Amazon. We tend to do that only very late in the run, because we want people to know, “You want Ray Donovan; you want The Affair? You’ve got to go to Showtime.” So we try very hard not to muddy that by making The Affair available; just wait a season and then we’ll come on Netflix. No, you’re going to have to wait years if you want to wait for Netflix.

MCN:You’ve said in the past that Matt has been very supportive of you. And I’m just curious, what’s your vision of what you want your tenure to be like at Showtime?

DN: My goal is for Showtime to be one of the cutting-edge creative companies making the best content in a very hungry ecosystem looking for great content.

We have the business model already that everybody in the entertainment and media ecosystem wants, which is subscription-based. People see the value of writing a check for our brand on a monthly basis.

And I think also we can be a creative haven. I want, within the Hollywood community, people to feel like, “Go to Showtime, they will take care of you. They will make you the best version of yourself. They will take care of your shows so that you feel when you’re walking in, you’re going to a place where creativity is fostered.”

MCN:Do you think we’re in a content bubble right now?

DN: I think there could be some froth. I don’t think there’s a ton, because it’s a profitable business and there’s a lot of people trying to get their share. There’s already been some failure.

But I don’t see massive contraction because I think there’s enormous demand, and you have a lot of hungry viewers around the world who are getting connected, getting wired and consuming content, enjoying it.

Get complete coverage of the TCA16 Winter Press Tour.

Pasadena, Calif. — Showtime will move from its traditional “Noah’s Ark” release schedule, as David Nevins, president and CEO, described pairing up premieres of popular series, in favor of a monthly premiere agenda. That includes House of Lies in April, Penny Dreadful in May and Ray Donovan in June.

The Andrew Dice Clay comedy Dice also debuts in the spring.

“In today’s streaming world, you have to earn your viewers every month,” Nevins said.

Lead-ins in a time shifted world don’t matter a whole lot, he added.

“Some people love Homeland, some are obsessed with The Affair, some love both,” Nevins said. “People tend to set their own schedules.”

Further out, Twin Peaks, the ballyhooed series reboot from David Lynch, is halfway done with shooting and is set to premiere in the first half of 2017. The network also announced it has renewed Shameless for a seventh season.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Gary Levine has been named president of programming at Showtime Networks, where he will now add responsibility for casting and program operations to his previous duties, the development and creative oversight of the network's original series, documentaries and specials across all platforms.

Levine joned Showtime as executive VP of original programming in 2001, in his new position, he will continue continue reporting to David Nevins, president of Showtime Networks.

"Gary has been an integral part of building Showtime Networks' stellar original programming brand," Nevins said. "He also happens to be one of the most respected creative executives in the business because he knows how to bring out the best in everyone who works with him. Gary has proven to be an invaluable creative partner to me since the day I arrived at Showtime. I am confident that in his expanded role he will lead our programming team to outstanding new heights."

Showtime's originals include series Homeland, The Affair, Ray Donovan, Shameless and Masters of Sex, as well as a batch of movies and documentaries.

Prior to joining Showtime, Levine was president of Internet entertainment company Icebox. Previously, he headed development at Warner Brothers Television, Witt-Thomas Productions and ABC (drama).

Read mroe at broadcastingcable.com.

Showtime subscribers checking out the fifth-season finale of Shameless will get a look at the pilot of upcoming comedy, HAPPYish.

The premium programmer will air a special sneak preview of HAPPYish's first episode on Sunday, April 5 at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). The installment will air immediately following the season-five finale of Shameless at 9 p.m. 

HAPPYish, starring Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominee Steve Coogan, Kathryn Hahn and Emmy-winner and Golden Globe-nominee Bradley Whitford, will assume its regular time slot on Sunday, April 26 at 9:30 p.m. 

Currently in production in New York, the series is a comedic, soul-searching examination of our pursuit of happiness and why it continues to be so elusive. The show also features guest stars Emmy and Tony-Award winner Ellen Barkin, Emmy Award-winner Carrie Preston, Molly Price and Andre Royo.

For a brand new tease, click here

In a role originally cast for the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, Coogan stars as Thom Payne, a 44 year-old man whose world is thrown into disarray when his 25 year-old wunderkind boss arrives, saying things like “digital,” “social” and “viral.”  Is he in need of a “rebranding,” or does he just have a “low joy ceiling?”  Maybe pursuing happiness is a fool’s errand?

The 21st Annual SAG Awards started off with a vote for the OTT set as Uzo Aduba won the award for outstanding female  performance in a comedy series, before the Netflix original won for ensemble in the genre. 

Aduba took home the Actor for her performance as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren in Netflix's 'Orange is the New Black.'

Aduba topped Jule Bowen from ABC's 'Modern Family,'  Edie Falco for Showtime's 'Nurse Jackie,' Amy Poehler for NBC's 'Parks and Recreation' and last year's winner, Julia Louis-Dreyfus for her turn as Vice President Selina Meyer in HBO's 'Veep.'

"Orange is the New Black' dethroned last year's winner 'Modern Family,' Fox's 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine,' HBO's 'Veep' and the most-watched comedy on TV, 'The Big Bang Theory.'

On the male side of the ledger,  William H. Macy was honored for outstanding performance by a male in a comedy series for his depraved patriarch, Frank Gallagher in Showtime's 'Shameless.'  The other nominees were: Louis C.K. for FX's 'Louie,' Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet  for 'Modern Family,'  and Jim Parsons for CBS's 'The Big Bang Theory.'  Burrell won the Actor in 2014 for his portrayal of Phil Dunphy.

Showtime said at the Television Critics Tour that it will pick up the new series Happyish, starring Steve Coogan (in the role initially intended for the late Philip Seymour Hoffman), Kathryn Hahn and Bradley Whitford. Shooting in New York, the comedy will debut on April 26 at 9:30 p.m. with Nurse Jackie as a lead-in at 9 p.m. and followed by the season-two premiere of Penny Dreadful. (Nurse Jackie kicks off its final season on April 12.)

Showtime had picked the show up as a 10-episode series a year ago but had not fully re-committed to it after Hoffman's death. In October, Coogan (Philomena) was cast to replace Hoffman in the pilot. He plays a 44-year-old man whose life is upended by the arrival of a new, young boss. Ellen Barkin, Carrie Preston, Molly Price and Andre Royo will guest star.

The creator, writer and executive producer is Shalom Auslander, a regular contributor to This American Life. “Shalom has a unique comedic voice," Showtime Networks president David Nevins said in a release. "He is smart, provocative and thoughtful. I know he’s going to make viewers laugh, but he’s also going to push a few buttons while doing it.” 

Showtime also said it has ordered a sixth season of Shameless, which began its season-five run this past Sunday. The sixth season will have 12 episodes and begin production later this year.

The CBS-owned premium network also said Kyle MacLachlan will reprise his role as FBI Agent Dale Cooper in Showtime's upcoming limited series version of Twin Peaks. It goes into production this year aiming for a 2016 premiere.

Showtime scheduled its documentary Kobe Bryant's Muse for a Saturday, Feb. 21 (9 p.m. ET/PT), premiere. (Trailer can be seen here.)

Showtime is set to run a Free Preview Weekend from Jan. 9-Jan. 11, which will give over 70 million homes access to the first episodes of the new seasons of Shameless, House of Lies and Episodes. 

Viewers can enjoy the comedy series, as well as sports programming and over 60 feature films, including Philomena and Las Vegas, through Showtime, Showtime On Demand, Showtime Anytime and select distributors' TV Everywhere portals.

Non-subscribers will also be able to sample the network's series Homeland, The Affair, Ray Donovan, Masters of Sex and Nurse Jackie.

The preview will be available on standard- and high-definition feeds to digital subscribers of participating providers, while select providers will offer the Free Preview through Showtime On Demand and Showtime Anytime. It will be available through AT&T, U-verse, Bright House Networks, Cable One, CenturyLink Prism, Comcast, DirecTV, Dish, Mediacom, RCN and Verizon FiOS.

Showtime drama series Ray Donovan garnered its highest ratings in series history during its Sunday night season two finale, Showtime reported Monday.

The series' season two final episode drew 2 million viewers during its 9 p.m. premiere airing, outperforming the 1.2 million viewers generated for the season two premiere episode and the 1.4 million viewers for the 2013 season one finale, said network officials.

Overall with replays, the Ray Donovan season two finale drew 2.52 million viewers, topping the season two premiere night by 43% and the season one finale by 21%, according to Showtime. Ray Donovan now ranks third among all Showtime original series behind Homeland and Shameless, averaging 5 million weekly viewers per week across platforms.

Following Ray Donovan, the season two finale of Masters Of Sex drew 889,000 viewers, outperforming the season two premiere telecast by 8%, but it fell short of the 1.2 million viewers the season one finale averaged last December.  Overall, Masters Of Sex averaged 2.7 million subscribers (77% of its weekly audience) after its original weekly Sunday airings, said Showtime.