‘Deli Boys’ Makes Broadway History as the Hulu Comedy Takes A Bite Out of Emmy FYC Season (EXCLUSIVE)

Welcome to June! That’s it, nothing else can premiere — after that last minute frenzy of premieres last week, the eligibility period is officially over. Does this feel like an unusually long FYC season this year? I feel like we say that every year… and right around the start of June, as we’re making our way to the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re getting there!It’s been an incredibly busy week on the awards front — I’d like to point out in less than a week, I have covered five different awards shows. That includes three Emmy ones (Sports, News, Documentary) and Sunday’s Peabody Awards. I don’t love that the Peabodys last around four hours, but the programs they honor are so great — and so important — that it’s hard to begrudge them this time. And it was a wonderful ceremony on Sunday, with many powerful speeches. Some of my recap is below.Now, let’s get going!

Variety‘s Joe Otterson has more coverage of “Deli Boys” Season 2 here:

‘Deli Boys’ Stars Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh Break Down Season 2: Cocaine, Ping Pong, and Viral Mugshots

‘Deli Boys’ Star Poorna Jagannathan on Her Character’s Season 2 Romance: ‘Lucky Loves Toxic’

Here are the L.A.-area Realtors participating:
Jon Grauman, Adam Rosenfeld, Kevin Stewart — Resident Group
Ikem Chukumerije — The IKEM Company
Alan Taylor — Compass Real Estate
Kenya Reeves-Costa — The LA Home Girl, Compass Real Estate
Ted Fleming — Rodeo Realty
Sharon Tay — The Altman Brothers Team at Douglas Elliman 

Go Dodgers! Fox’s coverage of the 2025 World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers won the Emmy for outstanding live sports special: championship event at this year’s Sports Emmys. It was one of nine won by Fox/Fox Sports 1, second only to ESPN, which scored 10 Emmys at this year’s event.

Also at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards, which took place on Tuesday, May 26, in New York, Fox’s Fox MLB: The 95th All-Star Game won for live sports special: non-championship event, and NBC’s Sunday Night Football for best live sports series. NBC’s Sunday Night Football was named outstanding live sports series, while Fox’s Major League Baseball: The American League playoffs were named outstanding sports playoff coverage.

Among other winners: Ernie Johnson (TNT | CBS) was named top studio host; Fox’s Alex Rodriguez beat out Charles Barkley, Mina Kimes, Candace Parker and others for outstanding sports personality: studio analyst; and NBC’s Mike Tirico won for play-by-play sports personality. Also, NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” was named outstanding live sports series, and Fox’s Major League Baseball American League Playoffs won for outstanding sports playoff coverage.

More here. 

News Emmys: ABC, Nat Geo Top 2026 Wins, Thanks to ‘World News Tonight’ and ‘Trafficked With Mariana van Zeller’

ABC News led the 47th annual News Emmys with eight wins, including the top prize for outstanding live news program — the fourth consecutive victory for “ABC World News Tonight With David Muir.” But coming on strong was a Disney sibling: Nat Geo, which won seven News Emmys thanks to “Trafficked With Mariana van Zeller,” which won all of those prizes for the channel.

“Trafficked” led all series with those seven wins, followed by Al Jazeera International’s “Fault Lines,” which won three. Also having a good night was CNN, which landed four News Emmys, including outstanding recorded news program for “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.”

As for “Trafficked,” the wins are bittersweet, as the show has now ended its run. But its bevy of wins included episodes including “Brides for Sale,” “Black Market Love,” “Scam City,” “Shark Hunters,” “Underground Street Racing” and “The Tranq Dope Underground.”

And among firsts, ABC News Live landed three of ABC News’ eight wins — the most ever for the streaming news channel. Also during the evening, Scott Pelley accepted “60 Minutes” and CBS News’s trophy for Outstanding Hard News Report: Short Form for “The War in Gaza,” and applauded his former “60 Minutes” colleague Sharyn Alfonsi. ABC’s Debra OConnell presented this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award to ABC’s chief Global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz.

Read more here.

Documentary Emmys: HBO’s ‘Prime Minister’ Lands Top Prize; Nat Geo and Netflix Lead Winners List

“Prime Minister,” the HBO/CNN original documentary about popular New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern, was named best documentary at Thursday’s Documentary Emmy Awards. The doc, directed by Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz, had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary.Magnolia Pictures, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films and Madison Wells are behind “Prime Minister,” which also comes from Dark Doris and Divergent Pictures. The win came on the third night of an epic week of Emmy events held in New York by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

On Thursday, Nat Geo and Netflix tied for most wins, at six each, followed by PBS with five. Other major winners included Outstanding Historical Documentary for “Simon Schama: The Holocaust, 80 Years On,” Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary for “Tiler Peck: Suspending Time” and National Geographic’s “Secrets of the Penguins” won Outstanding Nature Documentary.

Read more here.

HBO Max enters as the home of reigning drama series champion “The Pitt,” which is angling to double the 13 nominations it earned in its inaugural year. That outcome looks highly probable, with a deep bench of performers in the hunt, among them Patrick Ball, Sepideh Moafi, Taylor Dearden and Shawn Hatosy.

The network is also hoping comedy frontrunner “Hacks” can go out on a high note and post its strongest Emmy showing yet. In limited series, “DTF St. Louis” and “Half Man” should each clear double digits. The open question is how much “Task,” “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” “Rooster” and others add to the haul.

Netflix’s strength, as always, is volume. “Stranger Things,” “Beef” and “The Diplomat” should perform well, and the streamer is also positioned to make noise with “The Beast in Me,” “Lord of the Flies,” “Black Rabbit” and more.

Apple TV is aiming to steer “Pluribus” to a 20-plus nomination haul, with an eye on whether it can break the all-time freshman drama series record long held by “NYPD Blue,” which landed 26 nominations in 1994. Beyond lead acting contenders Rhea Seehorn, Carlos-Manuel Vesga and Karolina Wydra, the series will need a lift from the guest acting, directing, writing and artisan branches to get there.

Emmy Predictions: Drama Series — Are Apple and HBO Destined for Another Epic Battle for the Crown With ‘The Pitt’ and ‘Pluribus’?

Emmy Predictions: Comedy Series — ‘Hacks’ Remains Out Front as the Show Bids FarewellEmmy Predictions: Limited/Anthology Series — Which Show is the Real Frontrunner?

Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Movie — Can HBO Max’s Late Drop Crash Netflix’s Triple Films Threat?

Emmys: Outstanding Variety Series — The New Rules That Could Produce Four Winners and a Potential ‘SNL’ Snub

See Clayton’s latest predictions here.

Add in the recent Prime Video original holiday movie “Oh. What. Fun,” also eligible this Emmy season, and that puts Pfeiffer in the unique position of having projects on three different streamers simultaneously eligible in the drama, comedy and limited series/anthology/TV movie acting categories.

“Oh wow,” she tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast, still surprised at the coincidence. “What happened?”

Here’s how it played out: At first, Pfeiffer was in discussions with Taylor Sheridan about joining his new family drama “The Madison,” about a New York socialite who drops everything and moves to her late husband’s Montana cabin when he dies in a plane accident.“

But that hadn’t gone very far in any sort of negotiations when I read this book that David had given me, and I fell in love with the character of Shyanne,” Pfeiffer says. The book was Rufi Thorpe’s “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” and “David” is Pfeiffer’s husband, TV producer David E. Kelley.

Pfeiffer agreed to the role, not really thinking about the commitment. “In the book, Shyanne is only in a couple of pages, and I thought, ‘It’s not going to be a big deal,’” she says.A few months later, Pfeiffer was deep into negotiations on “The Madison,” when her reps called: “They said, ‘Hey, did you tell David you would do another show?’ [I said,] ‘Oh yeah. Yeah, I did,’” she remembers. At this point, both projects were too good to pass up.

In the case of “The Madison,” Pfeiffer’s experience was similar to that of her character, Stacy Clyburn, a city dweller who’s in for a culture shock in Montana. “It was rugged, and I didn’t know how rugged it was going to be,” she admits. “I remember after the first week or so, I went into the trailer with my makeup and hair people, and I sat them down and said, ‘OK, guys, we’re camping. And it’s OK, we’re going to take care of each other!’ So we all just sort of rolled up our sleeves.”

Much like Stacy, Pfeiffer fell in love with the setting. “Montana is so beautiful that you’re willing to weather the extreme environment,” she says. “It was such a blessing to see those remarkable sunrises in the morning on my way to work, and the sunsets on the way home. And I fell in love with my ‘The Madison’ family.”

For this episode of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, Pfeiffer talks about her busy year in TV, working with her husband David E. Kelley, and her first time in Variety. She also takes the 10 Questions quiz. But first, the Roundtable looks at the “Hacks” finale, the drama competition between “Pluribus” and “The Putt” and the latest on the Emmy race. We also answer your burning questions — call the Emmy Emergency Line at 323-617-9110! And listen below.

Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, produced by Michael Schneider, is your one-stop listen for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each week “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives; discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines; and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts. New episodes post weekly.

It’s actually quite head-scratching: International projects these days don’t seem to have a problem getting into the Emmy race — just add an American studio or network to your list of producers, and boom, you’re eligible for a Primetime Emmy. “Downton Abbey,” “Squid Game,” “Baby Reindeer” were all shows that clearly originated overseas, but were still winners here.

“Heated Rivalry,” to its credit, has remained exclusively Canadian — without a U.S. production partner. Created by Jacob Tierney, the show is a production of Accent Aigu Entertainment for Canadian conglom Bell Media’s Crave streamer.

Of course, during the development process, there was a chance that a U.S. financier might board the show, which would have made it Emmy-eligible. But when those potential producers wanted to mess with the show’s creative, Bell and Accent Aigu decided to go it alone.

HBO didn’t acquire U.S. broadcast rights to the show until just weeks before launch, which makes it complicated — as they clearly weren’t involved in the show’s Season 1 production. Maybe HBO could have still strong-armed a production credit — or at least demanded to be a partner in Season 2. But in a remarkable act of restraint, HBO’s Casey Bloys decided he didn’t want to mess with success.

“I think the last thing the show needs is people meddling in what works,” he told me in December as “Heated Rivalry” mania hit full tilt. “Clearly, they’ve got a good sense of the show and what works. So I will be excited to receive my episodes and highlight them on HBO Max.”

Read more here.

In its 24th season, the award-winning interview series will include Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow (of “Friends”); Kit Harington and Peter Dinklage (of “Game of Thrones”); Tracy Morgan and Marcello Hernández (of “SNL”); Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn (of “Scandal”); Elizabeth Banks and Josh Hutcherson (of “The Hunger Games”); and more.

“Following our town hall event with Timothée Chalamet last spring, Variety is thrilled to once again partner with CNN on the latest season of Actors on Actors,” said Ramin Setoodeh, Variety‘s co-editor in chief and co-president. “These interviews are sure to go viral in the days to come, and we can’t wait for viewers to watch this year’s Emmys contenders in insightful and electrifying conversations that include reunions with the stars of ‘Friends,’ ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Scandal’ and ‘The Hunger Games.’”  

“This collaboration with Variety allows us to expand how we connect audiences with the talent and stories shaping the entertainment landscape,” said Amy Entelis, executive vice president for talent, CNN Originals and creative development for CNN Worldwide. “Actors on Actors continues to deliver distinctive, conversation-driving programming that resonates with CNN’s subscribers and generates lasting cultural impact.”

Variety‘s annual Actors on Actors TV issue will be available on newsstands on June 3, featuring a portfolio shot by famed photographer Mary Ellen Matthews. The video conversations will premiere one per day starting June 3, first at 9 a.m. ET on CNN’s streaming platform (CNN.com/watch), then at 11:59 p.m. ET on Variety’s YouTube page. 

This year’s “Actors on Actors” pairings and schedule are as follows: 

June 3: Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”) & Lisa Kudrow (“The Comeback”) 
June 4: Keke Palmer (“The ‘Burbs”) & Sharon Stone (“Euphoria”) 
June 5: Kit Harington (“Industry”) & Peter Dinklage (“The Lowdown”) 
June 6: Kerry Washington (“Imperfect Women”) & Tony Goldwyn (“Hacks,” “Law & Order”) 
June 7: Paul Anthony Kelly (“Love Story”) & Patrick Ball (“The Pitt”) 
June 8: Bowen Yang (“Saturday Night Live”) & Rachel Sennott (“I Love LA”) 
June 9: Rhea Seehorn (“Pluribus”) & Bryan Cranston (“Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair”) 
June 10: Marcello Hernández (“Saturday Night Live”) & Tracy Morgan (“The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins”) 
June 11: Josh Hutcherson (“I Love LA”) & Elizabeth Banks (“The Miniature Wife”) 
June 12: Noah Wyle (“The Pitt”) & Sally Field (“Remarkably Bright Creatures”) 
June 13: Claire Danes (“The Beast in Me”) & Richard Gadd (“Half Man”) 
June 14: Colman Domingo (“Euphoria,” “The Four Seasons”) & Sarah Pidgeon (“Love Story”)  
June 15: Jamie Lee Curtis (“Scarpetta”) & Mariska Hargitay (“Law & Order: SVU”) 

Actors on Actors is executive produced by Setoodeh, Entelis, Variety associate publisher Donna Pennestri and CNN’s Roxanna Sherwood.

ALSO READ: Sadly, the Stars of ‘Heated Rivalry’ Turned Down Actors on Actors — And Here’s Why

So here’s some positive spin. Despite the very real concerns about runaway production and the scarcity of Hollywood shoots, there actually have been quite a few right now on the comedy side: “Hacks,” “Shrinking,” “The Studio,” “Nobody Wants This,” “Platonic,” “I Love L.A.,” “Running Point” and others.

Not only have those series chosen to film in Los Angeles, but they’ve done an amazing job showcasing cool pockets in and around the city. L.A. used to almost always play itself, but lately it feels like Vancouver or Atlanta is scrubbing in as the City of Angels. Los Angeles is having a rough go of it, but at least on TV, it’s still looking shiny and vibrant.

But is that too much of a disconnect from the malaise we’re actually feeling here? I knew the right person to ask: TV writer-producer Hayes Davenport, who is also an activist, has worked in L.A. city government and recently co-founded the local news site L.A. Material.

“I think the tension in some of these shows is that, by definition, a TV show is about people doing things,” he tells me. “And one of the biggest concerns that people have in L.A. right now is a reduction in the amount of activity in the city. Vacant businesses, population decline, affordability issues sending people out of the city and state, the loss of entire neighborhoods from the fires — all of it has led to, I think, a sense in the last few years of just a less vibrant city.”

Read the rest here.

Mike Makowsky, “Death By Lightning” (Netflix)

1. Sum up your show’s pitch in one sentence. It’s a tragicomic true story you won’t believe you’ve never heard about an accidental president and the madman who killed him.

2. What’s an alternate title for your show? “Garfield (Not the Cat, Our 20th President I Promise Existed)”

3. What do we need to know before tuning in? Honestly, the less you know the more fun you’ll have.

4. Give us an equation for your show. Amadeus x Taxi Driver x The Favourite

5. What’s the best thing someone said about your show? That they spent hours going down James Garfield and Chester Arthur internet rabbit holes after the show — despite being 100% confident they did not care about these people before watching.

6. If you could work on any other series in TV, what would it be? Current? “Pluribus.” Ever? “The O.C.”

7. Finish this sentence: “If you like _______, you’ll love our show.” If you like impressing your father-in-law with your newly deep knowledge of American history, you’ll love our show.

1. Sum up your show’s pitch in one sentence. Comedy of manners in space, with bonus lasers.

2. What’s an alternate title for your show? “The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon”

3. What do we need to know before tuning in? AI’s will be just as neurotic as we are.

4. Give us an equation for your show. Alexander Skarsgård minus genitals = still hot somehow

5. What’s the best thing someone said about your show? “Congratulations sweetie!” (— our Mom)

6. If you could work on any other series in TV, what would it be? “SCTV”

7. Finish this sentence: “If you like _______, you’ll love our show.” If you like premium quality entertainment, you’ll love our show.

But the audience at Sunday night’s ceremony cheered on as the talk show host, in his acceptance speech, reminded the crowd that “making jokes about the President – in America – shouldn’t win you a prize. We have the right, guaranteed by the Constitution, to criticize and satirize our leaders. That is a right I took for granted, for the first 57 years of my life, until last September, when the FCC delivered an unpleasant surprise.”

Kimmel was honored for “embracing the responsibility of comedy to reveal truths amid political volatility,” in particular after he was briefly suspended last fall by ABC after threats from the FCC.

Kimmel was far from the only recipient to take on the administration and other oppressive institutions — this is the 86th Peabody Awards, after all, and this year’s recipients focused on heavy, important subjects including the War on Gaza, the shocking state of prisons, the lack of any attempt to bring sensible gun regulation to the U.S., our failing medical system and so much more.

Entertainment fare won 11 Peabody awards this year, including wins for “The Pitt,” “Adolescence,” “Heated Rivalry” and “Pluribus.” That was followed by documentary with ten (including two under the arts banner) and five for news, four for interactive/immersive programming and three for podcasts/radio. Children’s/youth received one win this year. Comedian Mo Amer hosted this year’s event, which took place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Sunday.

Read the recap here.

TUESDAY, JUNE 2
4 p.m. “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alive”
5:30 “Wicked: One Wonderful Night”
7 p.m. “Love Story”
7 p.m. “Half Man”

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
4 p.m. “The Artist” (NY)
5 p.m. “Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy”
7 p.m. “Matlock”
7 p.m. “Task”

THURSDAY, JUNE 4
4:30 p.m. “RAFA” (NY)
7 p.m. “Reasonable Doubt”
7:30 p.m. “Spider-Noir”

FRIDAY, JUNE 5
3 p.m. “The American Revolution” (NY)
5 p.m. “Deep Cover”
7 p.m. YouTube multi-title FYC

SATURDAY, JUNE 6
11 a.m. “The Ms. Pat Show” (NY)
11 a.m. “Paradise”
3 p.m. “The Beast in Me” 
4:30 p.m. “Your Friends and Neighbors” (NY)
7 p.m. “Shrinking”

SUNDAY, JUNE 7
9 a.m. “PONIES” (NY)
11 a.m. “The Morning Show”
11 a.m. “The Muppet Show”
3 p.m. “Wonder Man”
3 p.m. “Alien: Earth”

*****

ALSO THIS WEEK:

FRIDAY, JUNE 5 (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.): “Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat” Food Truck (Westfield Fashion Square, in front of Macy’s)

SATURDAY, JUNE 6 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.): “The Traitors” Fan Experience at Max & Helens — Reserve your seat on Open Table (127 N. Larchmont)

SATURDAY, JUNE 6 (10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.), SUNDAY, JUNE 7 (9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.): “The Boys” Glory Hall Activation (Hollywood Legion Post 43 Theater)

SUNDAY, JUNE 7 (11 a.m.): “Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat” Event with “Hot Ones” host Sean Evans (NYA West)

SUNDAY, JUNE 7 (2 p.m.): “Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat”  Film Independent Screening and Q&A (Landmark Sunset)