FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 7/23/26)
A&E: Behind Bard: Officer Cam (Premiere) at 9pm
AMC+/SUNDANCE NOW: The Idaho Murders: A College Town Nightmare (Premiere)
BRITBOX: Gone (Premiere)
FOOD NETWORK: Restaurant Impossible: Last Call (Premiere) at 8pm
HBO MAX: Stuart Fails to Save the Universe (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Ransom Canyon (Premiere)
PARAMOUNT+: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Premiere)
TBS: Impractical Jokers (Premiere) at 10pm
The Writers Guild of America wants to halt Paramount Skydance’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery – now.
-The WGA West and WGA East filed for a preliminary injunction in federal court in Oakland Wednesday, arguing the deal must be halted before it closes — because once it does, it can’t be undone.
-The guilds sued last week on antitrust grounds, warning the combined company would control 35 percent of the market for writing services and wipe out direct competition between two rivals that writers depend on to bid against each other.
-The guild also addressed the fact that the delays would cost Paramount $7 million per day past the Sept. 30 deadline. The WGA’s response: that’s a penalty Paramount agreed to, so it’s not their problem.
-The WGA’s action runs parallel to the lawsuit recently filed by 12 state attorneys general, which already scored a 14-day restraining order on the deal. The guild wants to sync up with that case or get its own fast-tracked timeline.
–The Bottom Line: The WGA isn’t waiting to see how the merger plays out — it’s trying to kill it before the ink dries.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Paramount did score a win on Wednesday — the European Commission greenlit its merger with WBD, clearing the antitrust hurdle after the company agreed to unwind its United International Pictures film distribution joint venture with Universal Pictures in Europe within 13 months of closing the merger.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Hollywood vets have gone vertical. Jeffrey Schenck, Barry Barnholtz and Peter Sullivan — the trio behind Netflix hits like “Secret Obsession” and Hallmark’s “Christmas Under Wraps” — launched VertTV, a subscription app serving up snackable, cinematic micro-dramas shot vertically for mobile phones, reports Deadline. The platform will drop new originals monthly, with a roster that reads like a TV nostalgia buffet: Vivica A. Fox, Jodie Sweetin, Richard Karn and a “Fuller House” mini-reunion, among others. A 200-title vault of films and series rounds things out on day one. The app is live on iOS and Android, with a free YouTube preview channel on the side. Ad-supported and a la carte tiers are on the way. The Pitch: Hollywood quality, TikTok format.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The VertTV crew isn’t alone. As micro-dramas explode from niche obsession to full-blown industry, producers Alon Shtruzman (“La Brea”) and Scott Einbinder (“Killer Joe”) are entering the space with the goal of broadening the format beyond its romance-heavy roots into genres like thrillers, crime, comedy, sports, docu-reality, music, and creator-led originals. Together, they launched New Short Media, a micro-storytelling studio operating alongside their existing banner 5X Media.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Paramount+ has ordered drama series “Laird,” with Kenneth Branagh set to star and executive produce. Created by Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth — the duo behind Paramount+ series “The Agency” — and Georgia Lee (“The 100”), and produced by Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios, the show follows a proud Scotsman who goes up against a shadowy American billionaire seeking to acquire his ancestral lands. Butterworth also serves as co-creator and showrunner of Paramount+’s “Mobland.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Julie Andrews is getting the documentary treatment. R.J. Cutler (“Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry”) is directing and producing an untitled documentary on the iconic actress, singer and author, set to debut on Disney+ globally in 2027. The film promises an intimate look at the “Sound of Music” star’s journey from British vaudeville to global superstardom, drawing on rare archival footage and new interviews. An official title will be announced at a later date.
(Source: Cynopsis)
ID is going next-level on Aileen Wuornos. “Unmasking a Monster: Aileen Wuornos” uses advanced digital replication and VFX to reconstruct the life, crimes, and capture of one of America’s most notorious serial killers, bringing first-person accounts to life with next-generation visualizations. The docuseries premieres Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina drew 62.8 million U.S. viewers, breaking records on both Fox and Telemundo. According to Nielsen, Fox averaged 38.9 million viewers — peaking at 51.7 million — for the most-watched soccer telecast in U.S. television history, while Telemundo drew 23.9 million.
(Source: Cynopsis)
In fact, the World Cup broke every Spanish-language record in the book. By the numbers:
-6.3 million average viewers across 104 matches, more than double than 2022 (+143%)
–Every round set a new Spanish-language TAD record; linear TV up +79%, streaming skyrocketed +297%
–Top 15 most-watched soccer matches in Spanish-language history all came from this tournament — the Spain vs. Argentina Final peaked at 23.9M viewers
–77.2 billion minutes consumed across Telemundo, Universo, Peacock & streaming, 79% more than the entire 2018 and 2022 World Cups combined
–The takeaway: Spanish-language fans didn’t just watch this World Cup — they obliterated every record ever set, turning 2026 into the undisputed greatest moment in Spanish-language sports media history. One tournament lapped two.
(Source: Cynopsis)
ABC’s “World News Tonight” ranked as the No. 1 program in Total Viewers (8.48 million) on all of broadcast and cable for the week of July 13 (excluding sports, obviously), according to Nielsen. It’s the show’s 14th straight week at the top.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Keely's Korner 