Welcome to It’s a Hit! In this series, IndieWire speaks to creators and showrunners behind a few of our favorite television programs about the moment they realized their show was breaking big.
“It did feel like the Avengers assembling,” said executive producer Sam Rees-Jones of casting the first all-celebrity edition of “The Traitors” on Peacock. “We knew in Season 2 we wanted to assemble an all celebrity cast knowing that that would create a buzz as well, and would help build on the success of Season 1,” said executive producer Mike Cotton.
The pair, based in the United Kingdom, told IndieWire over Zoom that another key change for the second season of the reality competition series where “faithful” contestants try to weed out who among them are traitors before the latter steal all the money they earned from completing missions was changing the way in which the episodes were rolled out.
“It did feel like the Avengers assembling,” said executive producer Sam Rees-Jones of casting the first all-celebrity edition of “The Traitors” on Peacock. “We knew in Season 2 we wanted to assemble an all celebrity cast knowing that that would create a buzz as well, and would help build on the success of Season 1,” said executive producer Mike Cotton.
The pair, based in the United Kingdom, told IndieWire over Zoom that another key change for the second season of the reality competition series where “faithful” contestants try to weed out who among them are traitors before the latter steal all the money they earned from completing missions was changing the way in which the episodes were rolled out.
- 5/20/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers from “The Weight of Deceit,” the tenth episode of “The Traitors” Season 2, now streaming on Peacock.
The tenth episode of “The Traitors” revealed that while the group was inching closer to identifying Phaedra Parks as a traitor — the last original one — they decided to turn against Peter Weber and banish him instead. Luckily for them, they did not make the same mistake again and sent her home at the end of the episode.
However, when Weber, possibly the best strategic player of the season, was banished, it’s hard to believe that he wouldn’t be screaming with both frustration and joy when learning that Parks has been a traitor all along. But he wasn’t told right away. In fact, he didn’t find out for quite some time, executive producer Mike Cotton tells Variety.
“We don’t tell them. They find out...
The tenth episode of “The Traitors” revealed that while the group was inching closer to identifying Phaedra Parks as a traitor — the last original one — they decided to turn against Peter Weber and banish him instead. Luckily for them, they did not make the same mistake again and sent her home at the end of the episode.
However, when Weber, possibly the best strategic player of the season, was banished, it’s hard to believe that he wouldn’t be screaming with both frustration and joy when learning that Parks has been a traitor all along. But he wasn’t told right away. In fact, he didn’t find out for quite some time, executive producer Mike Cotton tells Variety.
“We don’t tell them. They find out...
- 3/4/2024
- by Emily Longeretta
- Variety Film + TV
Open social media on any given Thursday night as of late, and you’ve probably seen a message that reads something like “If you’re not watching #TheTraitors wtf are you actually doing.”
The Peacock series, which premiered in January and airs every Thursday night, has become an addictive guilty pleasure, earning the number one spot among unscripted streaming series and turning out endlessly quotable one-liners and internet memes on a weekly basis.
The global franchise originated with the Dutch show De Verraders in 2021. A year later, The Traitors was adapted for a U.
The Peacock series, which premiered in January and airs every Thursday night, has become an addictive guilty pleasure, earning the number one spot among unscripted streaming series and turning out endlessly quotable one-liners and internet memes on a weekly basis.
The global franchise originated with the Dutch show De Verraders in 2021. A year later, The Traitors was adapted for a U.
- 2/23/2024
- by Krystie Lee Yandoli
- Rollingstone.com
We’ve had sharks in an underwater lab, a grocery store, a river, sand, and snow, as well as toxic sharks and ghost sharks. So what could possibly be left to do with sharks that hasn’t been done before? Take the concept of putting our sharp-finned friends in a plane and mix that in a blender with a disaster flick premise to serve you No Way Up from Rlje Films.
A flock of birds fly into the engine of a plane carrying a small group of people to Cabo, causing it to nosedive into the ocean. Too bad this plane was not piloted by Sully Sullenberger to help with a safe landing. Due to the initial impact of hitting the water or straight up drowning, most of the passengers are killed in the descent; especially one unfortunate soul who shows why you should not head to the bathroom when...
A flock of birds fly into the engine of a plane carrying a small group of people to Cabo, causing it to nosedive into the ocean. Too bad this plane was not piloted by Sully Sullenberger to help with a safe landing. Due to the initial impact of hitting the water or straight up drowning, most of the passengers are killed in the descent; especially one unfortunate soul who shows why you should not head to the bathroom when...
- 2/16/2024
- by Geof Capodanno
- bloody-disgusting.com
The channel will broadcast out-of-the-box sports like kickball, wiffleball, pillow fighting, sign spinning, and more.
At long last, ESPN and ABC have made ESPN8: The Ocho a permanent viewing option for fans of bizarre and unusual sports. In the past, the worldwide leader in sports has made the “seldom-seen sports” channel a special event to fill in the gaps when sports coverage was especially light, as it did in early August. However, ESPN has officially launched an around-the-clock, free ad-supported streaming TV (Fast) channel that fans can watch on the ABC app or on the ABC website.
The channel is ESPN’s first Fast offering and is available via ABC’s app and website alongside other “unlocked” channels. Inspired by the satirical channel featured in the movie “Dodgeball,” the channel will air unusual sports and competitions not found on traditional ESPN outlets. Espnu has previously shown ESPN8: The...
At long last, ESPN and ABC have made ESPN8: The Ocho a permanent viewing option for fans of bizarre and unusual sports. In the past, the worldwide leader in sports has made the “seldom-seen sports” channel a special event to fill in the gaps when sports coverage was especially light, as it did in early August. However, ESPN has officially launched an around-the-clock, free ad-supported streaming TV (Fast) channel that fans can watch on the ABC app or on the ABC website.
The channel is ESPN’s first Fast offering and is available via ABC’s app and website alongside other “unlocked” channels. Inspired by the satirical channel featured in the movie “Dodgeball,” the channel will air unusual sports and competitions not found on traditional ESPN outlets. Espnu has previously shown ESPN8: The...
- 12/21/2023
- by Matt Tamanini
- The Streamable
Exclusive: Squid Game: The Challenge producer Studio Lambert has promoted a trio of senior execs as drama boss Sue Hogg steps back from the day to day.
Longserving Squid Game: The Challenge EP Tim Harcourt is being upped to Chief Creative Officer, Gogglebox exec Mike Cotton takes on Creative Director (Unscripted) and Maddie Sinclair, the exec behind BBC Three’s upcoming Boarders comedy-drama, is promoted to Creative Director (Scripted).
Sinclair’s promotion comes with Hogg, the founder of Studio Lambert’s drama department nearly a decade ago, choosing to step back from her full-time role to focus on individual projects, including Boarders. She will take on the new post of Creative Consultant. Since joining, Hogg has helmed the likes of BBC trio Three Girls, Three Families and The Nest, along with Amazon Prime Video’s The Feed. Drama is a focus for Studio Lambert and CEO Stephen Lambert told...
Longserving Squid Game: The Challenge EP Tim Harcourt is being upped to Chief Creative Officer, Gogglebox exec Mike Cotton takes on Creative Director (Unscripted) and Maddie Sinclair, the exec behind BBC Three’s upcoming Boarders comedy-drama, is promoted to Creative Director (Scripted).
Sinclair’s promotion comes with Hogg, the founder of Studio Lambert’s drama department nearly a decade ago, choosing to step back from her full-time role to focus on individual projects, including Boarders. She will take on the new post of Creative Consultant. Since joining, Hogg has helmed the likes of BBC trio Three Girls, Three Families and The Nest, along with Amazon Prime Video’s The Feed. Drama is a focus for Studio Lambert and CEO Stephen Lambert told...
- 12/11/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The best thing about the "Scream" franchise is that, as far as most fans are concerned, there are no downright awful entries. Some movies are weaker than others, sure, but no movie was so bad that the series' creators had no choice but to reboot the entire thing. This is a series that builds on itself, embracing continuity and refusing to allow viewers to discard any of its entries. The "Star Wars" sequels pleased nobody when they tried to make "Rise of Skywalker" serve as a reversal of every controversial decision made in the previous film, but the "Scream" series has never made any such cowardly mistake. Every sequel matters in this franchise, no matter what. No movie is going to apologize for anything the last movie did.
Still, not all "Scream" movies are created equal. Some of them have tone problems, or lackluster killer reveals. Some of them are...
Still, not all "Scream" movies are created equal. Some of them have tone problems, or lackluster killer reveals. Some of them are...
- 10/21/2023
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
One day in early 2010, the artist Will Cotton was scrolling through his email and found a message from someone named Katheryn Hudson. She wondered if some of Cotton’s 2004 paintings — a series called “Cotton Candy Clouds,” which depicted pinup girls laying nude in a pink sky — were available for purchase. They weren’t. But after Cotton took a closer look at the email, he realized who, exactly, was emailing him. “Are you Katy Perry the singer?!” he wrote back.
Cotton and Perry struck up a correspondence, and after looking at...
Cotton and Perry struck up a correspondence, and after looking at...
- 8/24/2023
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
This story about “The Traitors” first appeared in the Limited Series/Movies issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
As a competition series mixing physical challenges, psychological warfare and reality TV star power, “The Traitors” gave Peacock one of its first watercooler shows.
Based on a Dutch format and produced by Studio Lambert (“The Circle”), the show is set in a castle in Scotland and featured 20 players in its first season, made up of reality television personalities like “Big Brother 22: All Stars” winner Cody Calafiore and “Below Deck” star Kate Chastain,” along with regular folks. The players, who are known as “Faithfuls,” work together to grow the collective prize pool of up to $250,000.
But among them are three covert “Traitors” selected by host Alan Cumming who decide to “murder” a Faithful each night — after those Faithfuls have kicked out a player in the hopes of flushing out the Traitors. It’s Mafia meets “Big Brother,...
As a competition series mixing physical challenges, psychological warfare and reality TV star power, “The Traitors” gave Peacock one of its first watercooler shows.
Based on a Dutch format and produced by Studio Lambert (“The Circle”), the show is set in a castle in Scotland and featured 20 players in its first season, made up of reality television personalities like “Big Brother 22: All Stars” winner Cody Calafiore and “Below Deck” star Kate Chastain,” along with regular folks. The players, who are known as “Faithfuls,” work together to grow the collective prize pool of up to $250,000.
But among them are three covert “Traitors” selected by host Alan Cumming who decide to “murder” a Faithful each night — after those Faithfuls have kicked out a player in the hopes of flushing out the Traitors. It’s Mafia meets “Big Brother,...
- 6/7/2023
- by Jose Alejandro Bastidas
- The Wrap
Chicago – On Friday, June 2nd, the new film “Shooting Stars” will begin streaming on the Peacock Network. It is the story of the launch of “King” LeBron James through the “Fab Five” high school crew of the Akron, Ohio, St. Vincent-St. Mary’s team, one of the greatest in Ohio basketball history.
This is the story of LeBron’s team, a group of four lower middle class boys from Akron, Ohio, who came together as a team in Salvation Army league basketball, coached by Dru Joyce (Wood Harris) who grew to also be coached by Keith Dambrot (Dermot Mulroney) at the local Catholic School. The team consisted of the core Little Dru Joyce (Caleb McLaughlin), Willie McGee (Avery S. Wills Jr.), Sian Cotton (Khalil Average) and LeBron James, and became the Fab Five with the addition of Romeo Travis (Sterling Henderson). As a unit, there were one of the greatest...
This is the story of LeBron’s team, a group of four lower middle class boys from Akron, Ohio, who came together as a team in Salvation Army league basketball, coached by Dru Joyce (Wood Harris) who grew to also be coached by Keith Dambrot (Dermot Mulroney) at the local Catholic School. The team consisted of the core Little Dru Joyce (Caleb McLaughlin), Willie McGee (Avery S. Wills Jr.), Sian Cotton (Khalil Average) and LeBron James, and became the Fab Five with the addition of Romeo Travis (Sterling Henderson). As a unit, there were one of the greatest...
- 5/31/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Ben Cotton is a Canadian actor with a significant number of credits across the big and small screens. While acting is his major source of income, Cotton didn’t start at a young age. He was well into his 20s when he launched his acting career. The Canadian actor has been acting for more than two decades and his portfolio reflects the efforts he has put into his acting career. With more than 170 acting credits to his name, Ben Cotton has surely made a name for himself in the movie industry. He got his start by playing uncredited roles and...
- 5/30/2023
- by Banks Onuoha
- TVovermind.com
Drew Barrymore. Jada Pinkett-Smith. Liev Schreiber. We all know the common thread here…And while Barrymore’s is the most iconic opening murder in the Scream franchise (and all of horror?), Schreiber has the distinction of his character, Cotton Weary, being the only seasoned veteran to be knocked off in the opening act, a sort of honor in the series. But it may never have happened if it wasn’t for Schreiber’s insistence.
Speaking with GQ, Schreiber said he determined it was time for Cotton Weary to meet his fate in the Scream (then-) trilogy. But if he was going to go, it had to be in the first reel. “I kind of suggested that they knock me off. Part of the device of the movies was that somebody in the first five minutes get killed and we don’t really expect them to get killed.” This would come...
Speaking with GQ, Schreiber said he determined it was time for Cotton Weary to meet his fate in the Scream (then-) trilogy. But if he was going to go, it had to be in the first reel. “I kind of suggested that they knock me off. Part of the device of the movies was that somebody in the first five minutes get killed and we don’t really expect them to get killed.” This would come...
- 5/25/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
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