Kim Kardashian Joins 'American Horror Story'; Fienberg on 'Succession' Hitting a Dazzling Peak; 'Beef' Directors on Final Episodes; 'Beau Is Afraid' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( April 11, 2023 What's news: NBC renews all of Dick Wolf's L&O and Chicago shows. Netflix is remaking The Wages of Fear. YouTube has revealed pricing details for NFL Sunday Ticket. Legendary cartoonist Al Jaffee has died. — [Abid Rahman]( Kim Kardashian Starring in 'American Horror Story' S12 ►"A fun, stylish and ultimately terrifying role." THR's [Mikey O'Connell]( has the big scoop on Kim Kardashian signing on to star in the 12th season of FX’s American Horror Story, in a role specifically written with her in mind. She joins returning AHS star and serial Ryan Murphy collaborator Emma Roberts in the outing — which will be written and showrun by Halley Feiffer. Season 12 is titled Delicate and is based, at least in part, on Danielle Valentine’s upcoming novel Delicate Condition. [The story.]( —Mon Dieu! Netflix is taking a swing at another film classic, rebooting the Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1953 feature The Wages of Fear. Julien Leclercq will adapt the original film, together with his Ganglands co-writer Hamid Hlioua. Franck Gastambide, Alban Lenoir, Ana Girardot and Sofiane Zermani have signed on to star in the new, currently untitled, remake, which will roll out on Netflix worldwide next year. William Friedkin also adapted the story for the 1977 cult film Sorcerer. [The story.]( —The Upside Down expands. Netflix has given a straight-to-series order for an untitled animated series set within the Stranger Things universe. Plot details for the series are being kept under wraps, though series creators Matt and Ross Duffer said it would be in the vein of “Saturday morning cartoons,” a reference to such popular 1980s-era series as Masters of the Universe, Jem and the Holograms, among others. It’s unclear if any of the flagship show’s beloved cast will have voice roles in the animated series. [The story.]( —Mad legend. Al Jaffee, the trailblazing and culture-bending cartoonist for Mad magazine, has died. He was 102. Jaffee was known for a number of Mad’s trademark features, including "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" and the “fold-in,” the drawing that ran on the back inside cover of every issue and could be revealed by folding the page vertically and inward. [The obituary.]( Fienberg: 'Succession' Hits a Dazzling Peak ►In the end, you’re just what you do. THR's chief TV critic [Dan Fienberg]( writes that with "Connor's Wedding," the third episode of the fourth and final Succession season, saw creator Jesse Armstrong and director Mark Mylod deliver — in absolutely stunning fashion — on something promised since the pilot. Warning: Spoilers! [The critic's notebook.]( —Going that extra mile. No matter how inevitable the events of "Connor's Wedding" may have been, it came as a shock to Succession's devoted audience and that was down to the great lengths the writers and producers went to keep the big secret. THR's [Jackie Strause]( looks at how the creative team kept things under wraps. Warning: Spoilers! [The story.]( —The hype was real. The heavier than usual social media chatter around Sunday night’s Succession carried through to the episode's actual TV audience. The HBO series delivered its biggest first-night audience ever. "Connor's Wedding" brought in 2.5m viewers across all platforms, topping the previous night-one high of 2.3m for the season four premiere on March 26. [The ratings.]( 'Beef' Directors on Mayhem, Metaphysics in Final Episodes ►Boy, that escalated quickly. THR's [Rebecca Sun]( spoke to Beef creator Lee Sung Jin and producing director Jake Schreier about the incredible dénouement to the Netflix drama. The duo discuss how introducing new camera choices in the series' last two episodes contributed to the storytelling. [The interview.]( —Here are the deets. YouTube has released much-anticipated details on its streaming offering of NFL Sunday Ticket, the out-of-market NFL package. YouTube TV subscribers will be able to add Sunday Ticket in a special presale period for $249 for the season (it will normally cost $349), or an expanded tier that includes the NFL RedZone channel for $289 (it will normally cost $389 for the season). The company notes that YouTube TV subscribers will have access to every single NFL game, both local and national, if they add Sunday Ticket. [The story.]( —Clean sweep. NBC has renewed all six dramas in Dick Wolf’s Law & Order and Chicago franchises for the 2023-24 season. The six series come from Universal Television and Wolf Entertainment. Law & Order: SVU will extend its record-setting run to a 25th season, while the original Law & Order will enter its 23rd season and L&O: Organized Crime is set for its fourth season. Chicago Fire will air its 12th season in 2023-24, while Chicago PD will head into its 11th year and Chicago Med its ninth. [The story.]( The Making of 'Tiny Beautiful Things' ►"It’s all so raw, and you can feel it." THR's Seija Rankin spoke to Tiny Beautiful Things author Cheryl Strayed, showrunner Liz Tigelaar and stars Kathryn Hahn and Quentin Plair who discuss navigating the heavy material of the Hulu limited series and what they learned about themselves. [The interview.]( —Getting closer. When the MSG Sphere opens this fall in Las Vegas, the content will include an immersive production dubbed Postcard From Earth, which according to a local news report is being directed by Darren Aronofsky. Madison Square Garden Entertainment didn’t confirm the participation of Aronofsky, but has said that it would work with Hollywood directors to create content for its massive sphere-shaped entertainment venue, set to open with a series of concerts from U2. [The story.]( —"Very bad start to the year." Jeremy Renner dropped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday night and offered more details on the horrific New Year’s Day snowplow accident that left him with multiple broken bones and in critical condition. Renner spoke about the immediate aftermath of the accident, telling Kimmel that his initial worry was about how his nephew Alex would deal with seeing him in such a serious condition. [The story.]( —"I always like to keep things grounded, relatable and smaller." Many Hollywood stars have found their own spot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Bob Odenkirk doesn’t plan to follow them. In a new interview, the Better Call Saul actor said that while he’s “always looking for dynamics in my career,” he doesn’t think a role in a Marvel film would be a good fit for him. [The story.]( Film Review: 'Beau Is Afraid' ►"Mommie dearest." THR's chief film critic [David Rooney]( reviews Ari Aster's Beau Is Afraid. Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane and Parker Posey star in this pitch-dark existential horror comedy about an emotional wreck on a painfully conflicted journey home. [The review.]( —"Often interesting, sometimes distracting." THR's [Dan Fienberg]( reviews Hulu's Am I Being Unreasonable? Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli are the creators and stars of this show about a pair of mothers with some very dark secrets. [The review.]( In other news... —The Marvels [trailer sees Brie Larson team with Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani on a mission that “changes everyone”]( —Golden Globes: [HFPA adds 215 new international voters]( —Hilary Swank [gives birth to twins]( —Inside Gucci Salon, [the luxury house’s newest L.A. address for private clients only]( —London [Ted Lasso studio getting eco-focused $28m expansion]( —Shari Redstone [tapped for Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Humanitarian Award]( What else we're reading... —Taylor Lorenz reports that there are almost no legal protections for the internet’s child stars [[WaPo]( —Sophie Vershbow goes behind the scenes of Barack Obama’s reading lists (this is a wonderful story) [[Esquire]( —Olivia Nuzzi talks to Stormy Daniels about the long afterlife of her forgettable fling with a reality-television personality [[NY Mag]( —This Rebecca Fishbein story about therapy speak creeping into our everyday lives went viral, and for good reason! [[Bustle]( —Rebecca Jennings recaps why Swifties are losing it over Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn breaking up [[Vox]( Today... ...in 2003, Columbia Pictures unveiled the Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson comedy Anger Management in theaters nationwide. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Milly Alcock (23), Tricia Helfer (49), Dakota Blue Richards (29), Jennifer Esposito (50), Kelli Garner (39), Morgan Lily (23), [Peter Riegert]( (76), Bill Irwin (73), Matt Ryan (42), Alessandra Ambrosio (42), Yoo Yeon-Seok (39), John Milius (79), Joss Stone (36), Michele Scarabelli (68), Carl Franklin (74), Weruche Opia (36), Uli Edel (76), Gloria Calderón Kellett (48), Lisa Stansfield (57) Elizabeth Hubbard, who appeared 14 times on Broadway and had long runs as Dr. Althea Davis and the cutthroat Lucinda Walsh on the daytime soap operas The Doctors and As the World Turns, respectively, has died. She was 89. [The obituary.]( Do you have THR's next big story? 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