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CBS Studios has expanded the core cast for its upcoming procedural drama “NCIS: New York” by naming Jennifer Beals as the female lead alongside three other series regulars. The newly added actors will join previously announced franchise veteran LL Cool J and co-star Scott Caan in the latest extension of the long-running television brand. The latest casting additions also include Jacqueline Byers, Shane Harper and Devin Druid, with production taking place in New York before the series premieres this fall on CBS and streams on Paramount+ the following day.

The series reunites LL COOL J with the franchise as he reprises fan-favorite NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna following his long run on “NCIS: Los Angeles.” He stars opposite Caan, who plays Special Agent Nick Schaeffer, a new character partnering with Hanna as they tackle major investigations centered on one of the nation’s busiest cities and ports.

Beals, a Golden Globe nominee known for roles in “The L Word,” “Luckiest Girl Alive” and “Devil in a Blue Dress,” will portray Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robyn Wells, the respected leader of the New York field office. According to the official character description, Wells “leads with her intuition and is widely respected by her team.” Byers has been cast as Special Agent Addison “Addy” Ross, a determined investigator eager to prove herself, while Harper will play Special Agent Wyatt Hill, an accomplished field operative with a romantic streak. Druid rounds out the core team as tech specialist Sean Sullivan, a gifted but authority-resistant analyst.

The program has been slotted into the network’s Tuesday night block at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time, positioned directly between the flagship “NCIS” and the prequel series “NCIS: Origins.” Byron Balasco is serving as the showrunner for the freshman season, which will be available for linear viewing on CBS and stream the following day via Paramount+.

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Steve Buscemi has joined the cast of FX and Hulu’s upcoming television adaptation of Ubisoft’s “Far Cry,” adding another high-profile name to the anthology series inspired by the long-running video game franchise. Details about Buscemi’s character have not been revealed, but he will star alongside previously announced cast members Rob Mac and Lizzy Caplan in the project from executive producers Noah Hawley and Rob Mac.

Rather than adapting a specific game, the series will tell an original story while drawing inspiration from the franchise’s signature mix of isolated settings, dangerous power struggles and unpredictable characters. Like the games, each season will feature a different location and an entirely new cast, allowing the show to explore standalone stories within the broader “Far Cry” universe. The series received a green light from FX and Hulu in late 2025 and is being produced by FX Productions in association with Ubisoft Film & Television.

Hawley, the Emmy-winning creator behind “Fargo” and “Alien: Earth,” serves as executive producer through his 26 Keys banner, while Rob Mac also executive produces through More Better Productions. Additional executive producers include Simon Emanuel, Emilia Serrano, Nick Frenkel, Monica Macer, Peter Calloway, John Campisi, Gerard Guillemot, Margaret Boykin and Austin Dill. Hawley has previously indicated the series is intended to capture the spirit of the games instead of recreating one of their existing storylines.

A premiere date has not yet been announced, but the series is expected to stream on Hulu in the United States and Disney+ in international markets where available.

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Judy Sheindlin is getting a primetime tribute as CBS celebrates the 30th anniversary of “Judge Judy” with a 90-minute special, “Judge Judy: Unfiltered, Unforgettable.” The program will air Sept. 22 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and stream live on Paramount+ Premium, with an on-demand release for subscribers the following day.

The special will chronicle Sheindlin’s career from her childhood in Brooklyn and years in New York City Family Court to her transformation into one of television’s most recognizable courtroom personalities. It will also explore aspects of her life away from the bench, drawing on personal archives and previously unseen home movies, while family members, friends, former colleagues and former litigants offer their perspectives.

Among the celebrity guests featured are Amy Poehler, RuPaul, Samuel L. Jackson, Sherry Lansing and Steven Spielberg. Sheindlin’s son, Judge Adam Levy, will also appear. Jackson recalls an encounter with Sheindlin in London in which people recognized her more readily than the acclaimed actor, while Spielberg discusses his mother’s longtime admiration for the television judge.

“Judge Judy” debuted in 1996 after Sheindlin had established herself as a New York family court judge. The syndicated series ran for 25 seasons and became one of television’s most successful courtroom programs before concluding its original run in 2021. Sheindlin subsequently moved to Prime Video with “Judy Justice,” while her influence has continued through syndicated programming and other courtroom projects.

The “Judge Judy: Unfiltered, Unforgettable” retrospective arrives as Sheindlin’s television legacy continues with her son’s new courtroom series, “Adam’s Law,” underscoring the enduring influence of the franchise she built over three decades.

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Netflix has released the first trailer from its upcoming true-crime drama Unabomber, offering a preview of Jacob Tremblay’s transformation into a young Ted Kaczynski ahead of the film’s Sept. 25 premiere. Directed by Janus Metz, the feature traces Kaczynski’s evolution from a gifted teenage mathematics prodigy at Harvard University to the domestic terrorist whose nationwide mail-bombing campaign spanned nearly two decades.

The film unfolds across two timelines, examining both Kaczynski’s formative years and the lengthy FBI investigation that ultimately led to his arrest. Russell Crowe portrays controversial Harvard psychologist Henry Murray, whose psychological experiments on Kaczynski are central to the story, while Shailene Woodley stars as FBI agent Joanne Miller, who leads the bureau’s pursuit. The cast also includes Annabelle Wallis, Alexander Ludwig, Steven Ogg and Marc Menchaca. The screenplay was written by Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves, with Sophie Cassidy producing for 2.0 Entertainment in association with MRC.

Speaking to Netflix’s Tudum, Tremblay said he was surprised to learn Kaczynski had entered Harvard as a teenage mathematical prodigy, adding that he wanted to portray the notorious figure as “a real person” rather than a larger-than-life myth. Metz said the film explores “a young man who feels increasingly disenfranchised by society and decides to take up violence as a means of revenge,” while also shining a light on what he described as a little-known chapter of American history tied to Kaczynski’s years at Harvard. Woodley noted that both her character and Kaczynski share an unwavering commitment to their instincts, despite pursuing vastly different goals.

See the trailer for ‘UNABOMBER’ – HERE.

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A24 has released the full trailer for Primetime, offering a closer look at Robert Pattinson’s transformation into television journalist Chris Hansen in a dramatization of the rise of NBC’s ‘To Catch a Predator.’ Directed by acclaimed documentarian Lance Oppenheim in his narrative feature debut and written by Ajon Singh, the film revisits the mid-2000s phenomenon that turned Hansen’s undercover sting operations into one of television’s biggest cultural talking points.

Set in 2006, Primetime follows Hansen as he pursues what he believes will be a groundbreaking television event while examining the growing intersection of journalism, entertainment and public spectacle. The trailer showcases Pattinson adopting Hansen’s distinctive cadence while recreating several of the host’s memorable on-camera confrontations with suspected online predators. Merritt Wever co-stars as Hansen’s producer, with Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Matthew Maher and Bokeem Woodbine rounding out the ensemble cast.

The film draws inspiration from Luke Dittrich’s 2007 Esquire article, “Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die,” which examined the controversial aftermath of the To Catch a Predator investigations. That history includes the widely scrutinized 2006 death of Texas prosecutor Bill Conradt during a law enforcement operation tied to the program, an incident that intensified criticism over the blurred lines between journalism, law enforcement and reality television.

Primetime will premiere in competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival before opening in theaters Sept. 25. See the trailer for Primetime – HERE.

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Jon Hamm is at the center of a tense hostage crisis in the first trailer for MGM+’s upcoming psychological thriller “American Hostage,” which dramatizes a real-life 1977 incident in Indianapolis. Hamm stars as Fred Heckman, a local radio reporter whose ordinary workday turns dangerous after hostage-taker Tony Kiritsis, played by Giovanni Ribisi, demands to speak through Heckman’s radio program.

The eight-episode series follows the 63-hour standoff after Kiritsis takes mortgage executive Dick Hall, portrayed by Kristoffer Polaha, hostage and uses a shotgun rigged to fire if Hall moves. As the crisis unfolds, Heckman becomes an unexpected intermediary between Kiritsis, authorities and the public, while his growing involvement puts pressure on his professional responsibilities and personal life.

The series expands on the story told in the scripted “American Hostage” podcast, on which Hamm previously portrayed Heckman. The television adaptation was created by Shawn Ryan and Eileen Myers, with Adam Arkin and Nina Lopez-Corrado directing. Mireille Enos plays Barbara Heckman, while William Jackson Harper, Jonathan Tucker and Kat Cunning also appear.

“American Hostage” premieres with two episodes on MGM+ on Sept. 20; see the trailer: HERE.

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