Author: Lesley Goldberg, Lacey Rose

Michael Wright

After weeks of speculation, TNT, TBS and TCM programming president Michael Wright is expected to exit the Turner entertainment group he’s been a part of for a decade, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The news comes amidst major changes at the Time Warner-owned network group, which included significant layoffs earlier this week. Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes has repeatedly expressed his desire to revamp and streamline the media conglomerate, which means revolutionizing its Turner Broadcasting unit. Wright, who has been with Turner since 2002 and has served as president and head of programming at the trio of nets since May 2012, will remain at the company while the search continues. 

Wright had his hat in the ring the larger Turner gig once that has been left open since Steve Koonin departed in April. According to multiple sources, top Turner execs have spent much of the summer vetting candidates, including seasoned TV execs from one-time Fox chief Gail Berman to former NBC Universal Television Entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin to recently departed Fox Broadcasting chief Kevin Reilly.

Wright spoke candidly about the need for swift and sizable changes at his flagship TNT during Turner’s May upfront presentation to ad buyers. Expressing disappointment that the cable network had begun to skew too old and too broad — a point Bewkes had made on an analyst call weeks earlier — Wright introduced a new tagline, “Boom,” and a desire for “edgier,” “noisier” and more “dual” fare.

Perhaps ironically, the news of his exit comes as TNT has had a particularly strong summer, debuting Michael Bay’s post-apocalyptic drama The Last Ship ranking as the No. 1 scripted series among total viewers, adults 25-54 and the strong returns of staples Rizzoli & Isles and Major Crimes as well as a decent debut for Howard Gordon‘s Sean Bean starrer Legends.

Wright, who got his start as an actor, served as vp movies and miniseries for CBS before joining Turner. The latter stint included supervision on some of the network’s highest-rated and most acclaimed movies, including Sharing the Secret, The Long Way Home and the live production of On Golden Pond with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummmer. Before that, he was a packaging agent at CAA.

CBS

David Letterman

The late-night space is poised for another shake-up.

After more than 20 years at CBS, David Letterman will announce his retirement as host of the network’s Late Show during Thursday night’s broadcast. His final show will come in 2015, when his current contract expires. Word of Letterman’s departure first surfaced when REM’s Mike Mills, one of the show’s guests, announced the news on Twitter.  

“The man who owns this network, Leslie Moonves, he and I have had a relationship for years and years and years, and we have had this conversation in the past, and we agreed that we would work together on this circumstance and the timing of this circumstance. And I phoned him just before the program, and I said ‘Leslie, it’s been great, you’ve been great, and the network has been great, but I’m retiring,’” Letterman told his studio audience during Thursday’s Late Show taping. 

PHOTOS: Broadcast TV’s Returning Shows 2014-15

He added to a standing ovation in the Ed Sullivan Theater: “We don’t have the timetable for this precisely down – I think it will be at least a year or so, but sometime in the not too distant future, 2015 for the love of God, in fact, Paul and I will be wrapping things up.”

The news comes as Letterman recently surpassed Johnny Carson as the longest-running host in late-night TV history when factoring in his time with CBS’ Late Show and his 11-year tenure with NBC on Late Night. Despite long-gestating rumors about Letterman’s future, the host inked a new two-year deal in late 2013. “Les [Moonves] and I had a lengthy discussion, and we both agreed that I needed a little more time to fully run the show into the ground,” Letterman quipped in a statement at that time, with Moonves adding: “There is only one Dave, and we are extremely proud that he continues to call CBS home.” Moonves long had suggested that Letterman would have the platform as long as he wanted it.

Letterman’s exit will provide yet another jolt to a tumultuous landscape, which underwent a massive transformation earlier this year with Jimmy Fallon replacing long-time leader Jay Leno as the host of The Tonight Show. Seth Meyers took over for Fallon on Late Night in late February, exiting from his role with NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Given a hefty marketing spend and increased attention, Fallon’s arrival has catapulted The Tonight Show over rivals Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) among the key adults 18-49 demographic.

Since NBC’s shakeup, Letterman’s Late Night has been averaging 2.85 million viewers — trailing behind younger, more YouTube-friendly rivals Fallon (4.3 million) and Kimmel (2.7 million), both up year-over-year despite the increase in competition. Amid the renewed late-night wars, Letterman seemed to up his booking game, recently nabbing Lady Gaga for a rare performance and guests including Lindsay Lohan and former president Jimmy Carter. 

Letterman produces the show through his Worldwide Pants production company, which is also behind his time slot companion The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. The banner has also produced scripted fare including CBS’ Everybody Loves Raymond. 

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Damon Lindelof

HBO has made room on its plate for The Leftovers.

The premium cable network has granted Damon Lindelof‘s adaptation of the Tom Perrotta best-seller a 10-episode series commitment, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The Leftovers takes place as the Rapture happens — but not quite like it’s supposed to. The former Lost showrunner’s take tells the story of the people who didn’t make the cut and a world that will never be the same.

PHOTOS: Damon Lindelof’s $400 Million Mind

Lindelof co-wrote and executive produced the Warner Bros. Television and Adventure Corps effort with Perrotta. Ron Yerxa, Albert Berger, Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey also are on board as EPs, with Berg directing the pilot. Lindelof will serve as showrunner.

The cast is led by Justin Theroux, whose public profile has been raised with his engagement to film star –and tabloid staple– Jennifer Aniston. He’ll play the police chief who’s trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy in a world that is beginning to reject that notion. The role marks Theroux’s first regular series role since CBS’ 2000 drama The District.

PHOTOS: 40 Years of HBO

Liv Tyler will make her small-screen debut as Meg, a young woman about to be married who needs an escape. She becomes a target for recruitment by members of an enigmatic cult. Private Practice‘s Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley, Carrie Coon, Emily Meade, Amanda Warren, Ann Dowd, Michael Gaston, Max Carver, Charlie Carver, Annie Q, Paterson Joseph and Brad Leland round out the cast.

The Leftovers marks the first of what is likely to be a new stream of outside studio buys for HBO. The network is currently developing projects with 20th Century Fox Television’s Ryan Murphy (Open) and Warner’s J.J. Abrams (Westworld), among others. At a recent industry conference, HBO programming chief Michael Lombardo acknowledged that his network has loosened up with its long-held philosophy about the importance of owning its own programming. With so much top talent in deals at other studios, he noted that it would be foolish not to be open to buying projects from the outside. What’s more, he added, it will allow the network famous for its hefty budgets to spread the risk. As he put it: “It’s nice to have people betting with us.” 

In the case of Leftovers, HBO picked up the rights to the project with Perrotta in 2011. Lindelof read the book and tracked the rights to HBO. Upon signing a rich overall deal with Warner Bros. TV, he met with the author and together the duo began discussions for what a series take on the property would look like.

The Leftovers joins dramas Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones as well as the final season of True Blood at HBO. The fate of The Newsroom remains in limbo pending Aaron Sorkin’s availability, though HBO has said they’d like to see the cable news drama return for a third season.  

Lindelof next has Disney’s George Clooney feature Tomorrowland set for Dec. 12, 2014.

E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit