Actress Kathryn Hahn has had a fascinating career. “I think I was the best friend first, then the randy crazy lady,” she told the Guardian in 2015. And perhaps in another alternate universe, Hahn is still the go-to girl gal pal bestie in romantic comedies (2003’s “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” 2004’s “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!,”) or the outrageous supporting character, in breakthrough comedy roles in Adam McKay films like “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “Step Brothers,” or David Wain’s “Wanderlust.

Continue reading Kathryn Hahn On Muse Of Female Desire & Identity, Working With Jill Soloway, Derek Cianfrance & More [Deep Focus Podcast] at The Playlist.

While the age of Peak TV and the massive barrage of content due to the rising demand for streaming services means that our typical schedule for television isn’t quite as traditional as it used to be. Regardless, fall does often signify the return of plenty of favorites and this September doesn’t stray from the norm.

While there are a few network-friendly returns, streaming is still dominating with new content on Netflix seemingly every week.

Continue reading 13 TV Shows To Watch In September: ‘American Horror Story,’ ‘Politician,’ ‘Creepshow’ & More at The Playlist.

The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival might have already happened earlier this year, but that doesn’t mean that the New York mainstay is done with festival season. Coming next month is the annual Tribeca TV Festival, which will be the go-to place for folks wanting to get a sneak peek of some of 2019’s biggest series, as well as hear some discussions with some massive television creators.

Perhaps the biggest premiere that will happen as part of this year’s Tribeca TV lineup is the screening of the series finale of “Transparent.” Instead of going the typical series finale avenue, with a final season leading up to the last episode, Amazon is wrapping up its Emmy-winning series with a feature-length musical episode.

Continue reading Tribeca TV Festival Features World Premiere Of ‘Transparent’ Musical Series Finale, New Soderbergh-Produced Starz Series & More at The Playlist.

I can only really speak for myself, but “Transparent” is such a heartbreak. The Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning comedy roared on to Amazon in 2014, and there was nothing like it. It instantly became one of, if not the best show on television and that remained true for two seasons. But then “Transparent,” sharing the lives of the Pfefferman family after their parent comes out as a transgender woman named Maura, started to really unravel hard.

Continue reading ‘Transparent’ Finale Trailer: The Pfefferman Family Says Goodbye With A 2 Hour Movie Musical Fantasia at The Playlist.

Amazon’s award-winning series, “Transparent,” has never been a typical show. So, for its series finale, it makes sense that creator Jill Soloway would choose a very atypical way to finish the story. And in the first teaser for “Transparent Musicale Finale,” we see that Soloway has chosen to use a feature-length musical to end the groundbreaking, Emmy-winning series about a transwoman and her family.

Continue reading ‘Transparent Musicale Finale’ Teaser: Amazon’s Hit Series Finishes Its Run With A Feature-Length Musical, Minus Jeffrey Tambor at The Playlist.

We’ve known for a while that Jill Soloway wanted to end “Transparent” with a movie-length musical episode, but now we know why. At this week’s Television Critics Association event for Amazon, the showrunner revealed the reasoning behind the decision they announced last fall, and it unsurprisingly it partially has to do with the departure of Jeffrey Tambor, who played Maura Pfefferman on the award-winning series.

Continue reading Jill Soloway On Jeffrey Tambor’s Effect On ‘Transparent’ And Its Musical Finale at The Playlist.

Hey, what’s that under the tree? Did Santa come early? Why, it’s a gift! Unwrap that bad boy and click play — it’s the latest episode of Indie Beat. On this installment, I spoke to film critic, screenwriter, comedian, and fellow podcaster Jourdain Searles.

Jourdain began her life in Georgia but soon moved to New York City to pursue her interest in cinema, attending the Master’s program at NYU. Since then she has run her own media criticism website Fishnet Cinema, an outlet solely contributed to by female-identifying writers and focusing on how race, gender, sexuality, and class pervades the various iterations of media we consume.

Continue reading Critic Jourdain Searles Talks Writing Rom-Coms [Indie Beat Podcast] at The Playlist.

What do you do when the lead actor in your Emmy Award-winning TV series gets fired in between seasons? If you’re Jill Soloway, the creator and showrunner of “Transparent, and Jeffrey Tambor is fired, you end the entire series with a two-hour musical.

READ MORE: ‘Transparent’ Season 5 Will Be “Closure” As Creator Jill Soloway Looks “Beyond” The Show

In a new profile for the New York Times, it’s revealed that Soloway plans to continue “Transparent,” minus the lead actor, for one more season.

Continue reading ‘Transparent’ To End Upcoming Final Season With A Feature-Length Musical Episode at The Playlist.

The Television Critics Association summer 2018 press tour is in full swing, and that means, news, news, and news. This weekend, the head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke dropped lots of little nuggets going on in her world including the fate of the once-critically-adored “Transparent.”

“We are planning a Season 5 of the show,” Salke told reporters. “What form it takes, we haven’t quite announced yet, but it exists, and we’re very excited about [it].” She added “we know exactly what it is creatively,” and she recently met with creator Jill Soloway, who has ideas “beyond ‘Transparent.’”

“We were just with Jill this week,” Salke said.

Continue reading ‘Transparent’ Season 5 Will Be “Closure” As Creator Jill Soloway Looks “Beyond” The Show at The Playlist.

The swift justice of the #MeToo movement left a gaping hole in television and we’re going to be feeling the results of that purge this year. Later this year, Netflix‘s “House Of Cards” returns and it’ll be without its lead star Kevin Spacey. Following his sexual assault scandal, Netflix decided to quickly wrap up the series and put Robin Wright in the lead role (how they’ll do that we’ll find out soon).

Continue reading Amazon Says ‘Transparent’ Season 5 Could Be A Movie Or A Short Series Of Episodes at The Playlist.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about Amazon’s upcoming TV series slate. The streaming service is rapidly attempting to catch up with Netflix with their own mix of huge event series and prestige offerings. And in a new interview with the Amazon Studios box Jennifer Salke, we are beginning to learn a little more about two of their most high-profile series.

READ MORE: Amazon Signs Exclusive TV Deal With Jordan Peele And His Production Company

In an interview with Deadline, Salke is finally opening up about the topic of much fan speculation – “Lord of the Rings.” The reportedly $1 billion series that is moving forward at Amazon has been all over headlines lately with the question of whether filmmaker Peter Jackson will be involved.

Continue reading Amazon Exec Clears Up ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Rumors And Says It’ll Be “One Big Series” With Popular Characters at The Playlist.

As many fans have feared, it appears that the upcoming fifth season of “Transparent” will be the show’s last hurrah.

According to a recent feature on The Hollywood Reporter (which also covered Jeffrey Tambor’s controversial exit from the series), “Transparent” is still working on the upcoming season, but the show’s creators have decided that now is the time to end the critically-acclaimed series.

READ MORE: Jeffrey Tambor Admits To Being “Difficult” And “Mean” On Set As He Recounts Being Fired From ‘Transparent’

Jill Soloway, the creator of the series, admitted to feeling “a tiny bit like we are going to be OK,” in response to the exit of Tambor and the obvious transformation the series will have to undergo to continue without its lead.

Continue reading Series Creator Confirms That ‘Transparent’ Will End After Next Season at The Playlist.

The #MeToo and Time’s Up movements have had an immediate and lasting effect on the entertainment landscape. From Harvey Weinstein’s empire crumbling to TV shows being completely derailed by accusations, there have been many, many stories coming forward, alleging that some of the biggest names in Hollywood have done some horrible things. One of the bigger names that was targeted was none other than Jeffrey Tambor.

Continue reading Jeffrey Tambor Admits To Being “Difficult” And “Mean” On Set As He Recounts Being Fired From ‘Transparent’ at The Playlist.

In not-so-surprising news, production for the Amazon hit series “Transparent” is being delayed due to star Jeffrey Tambor’s dismissal. It was just a couple weeks ago that we found out that Tambor was being fired from the show, much to his disapproval, and now we know that the plans to reconfigure the show are going to take a little more time than fans might have hoped.

Continue reading ‘Transparent’ Season 5 Delayed Until 2019; Jeffrey Tambor May Be Replaced at The Playlist.

Last fall, “Transparent” star Jeffrey Tambor‘s former assistant Van Barnes accused him of making lewd comments, groping her and threatening to sue if she spoke up about his behavior. A few days later, semi-regular series star Trace Lysette alleged that Tambor made lewd, sexual and unwelcome remarks while they worked together, in addition to becoming “physical.” At the time, Tambor denied the allegations and made indications that he was prepared to leave Amazon‘s acclaimed program.

Continue reading Jeffrey Tambor Fired From ‘Transparent,’ Criticizes “Deeply Flawed” Amazon Investigation at The Playlist.

Now it’s time for TV. Back at the start of December, we ran down the 100 films that we’re most looking forward to across 2018, and we picked out some festival favorites that we’ve already seen and know are worth checking out too. But even with 250 hours worth or so of promising art and entertainment, that barely scratches the surface of what people will be talking about in terms of moving images, because, well, we don’t know if you heard, but TV’s gotten really good.

Continue reading The Most Anticipated TV Shows Of 2018 at The Playlist.

It seemed improbable that anything could top the dramatic ups and downs of 2016, but 2017 found a way. And for Hollywood, it was a year where it often felt like the entire town was on fire (and we’re not just referring to the annual wild fires that smolder in the hills).  Especially in the second half, where it seemed like a day didn’t go by when the facade of a favorite actor, director or television personality was justifiably shattered into a million pieces.

Continue reading The Biggest Entertainment News Stories Of 2017 at The Playlist.

Following mounting accusations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, Emmy-winning actor Jeffrey Tambor has decided to exit the Amazon show “Transparent.” Tambor starred on the critically-acclaimed show playing Maura Pfefferman, the trans matriarch of the Pfefferman family that included members played by Gaby Hoffmann, Jay Duplass, Amy Landecker, Judith Light, and extended players like Kathryn Hahn.

READ MORE: ‘Transparent’ Writers Considering Season 5 Without Jeffrey Tambor Following Sexual Harassment Allegations

“Playing Maura Pfefferman on ‘Transparent’ has been one of the greatest privileges and creative experiences of my life, Tambor told Deadline today.

Continue reading Jeffrey Tambor Quits ‘Transparent’ at The Playlist.

Netflix and Media Rights Capital are currently trying to figure out a way forward with “House Of Cards,” without including Kevin Spacey, who is facing serious allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Meanwhile, Louis C.K. has seen the entire industry take a strong step back after he admitted to sexually harassing women in light of allegations published in the New York Times.

Continue reading ‘Transparent’ Writers Considering Season 5 Without Jeffrey Tambor Following Sexual Harassment Allegations at The Playlist.

Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of media options as we emerge from the summer TV drought and dive into pilot season? Don’t sweat it, we’ve got another Bingeworthy Breakdown coming your way. Though there’s lots of exciting new shows cropping up, we’d like to re-recommend a tried and true critical favorite. Amazon rolled out the fourth season of their strongest award-winner “Transparent” earlier this fall. This Jill Soloway creation (don’t worry, she’s not going anywhere) centers on the Pfeffermans, a family of distant Jewish Angelenos whose worlds collide when their former patriarch, Mort, comes out as transgender and begins to live openly as Maura.

Continue reading ‘Transparent’ Season 4 Tackles Boundaries, But Can’t Break Barriers [Bingeworthy Breakdown] at The Playlist.

Update: An interview with Soloway in the Hollywood Reporter has clarified the situation: in fact, while she’s always had an overseeing role, she hasn’t been showrunner since since one, with Bridget Bedard holding that title for the past three seasons. “I was always overseeing everything, but in terms of the title of showrunner, that was Bridget Bedard’s,” Soloway told the trade. “For season five, Jill Gordon’s going to be doing the job that Bridget Bedard was doing.

Continue reading ‘Transparent’ Gets A New Showrunner at The Playlist.

Pop open the bubbly: the month of September is not only the conclusion of Emmys season, but is also the traditional start of the new television season for broadcast and cable (although that is no longer really the case). Despite the rise of the flexible, year-long release calendar, September still represents the tantalizing promise of a clean slate and new faves, while attracting plum premieres. Check out our dozen September picks for the small screen below.

Continue reading 12 TV Shows To Watch In September at The Playlist.

The next four months are going to be packed with plenty of awards season contenders and blockbuster offerings at the multiplex and arthouse. It’s enough to make your eyes feel exhausted already, but the small screen will be competing for your attention, too. It seems that every waking moment until 2018 will have something to keep you occupied, but we’ve got our handy guide to make things a big easy to sort through.

Below, you’ll find our 25 must-see shows of the fall season.

Continue reading TV Fall Preview: 25 Must-See Shows at The Playlist.

TV history is littered with great shows initially being passed over. Before “Mad Men” landed on AMC, both HBO and Showtime let it go by. HBO and FX both rejected “Breaking Bad” before it too became a smash hit for AMC as well. So it’s not a surprise that even with all their success and data to study from, Netflix also goofed on picking up shows that have become big hits.

Continue reading Netflix Chief Says They Turned Down ‘Handmaid’s Tale,’ ‘Transparent’ & ‘Mr. Robot’ at The Playlist.

The Pfeffermans are back so it’s time to hangout with your favorite dysfunctional family in “Transparent.” Amazon‘s hit series shows no signs of slowing down, and it looks like fans are in for another great season this fall.

Jeffrey Tambor, Judith Light, Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass, Gaby Hoffman and more all back for a new adventure, which sees the clan on a journey to Israel, which finds every member of the family learning something new about themselves.

Continue reading ‘Transparent’ Season 4 Trailer: The Pfeffermans Take A Spiritual & Political Journey at The Playlist.