Keely's Korner

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (WEDNESDAY 8/19/26)
A&E: Booked: First Day In, Season 5 (Premiere) at 9pm 
PARAMOUNT+: Average Joe, Season 2 (Premiere)
TLC: Untold Stories of the ER, Season 16 (Premiere) at 9pm
TLC: ER: Caught on Camera (Premiere) at 10pm 
NAT GEO: Lion (Premiere) at 8pm  
NETFLIX: Love is Blind: UK, Season 3 (Premiere)

Pricey as a Peacock? NBCUniversal’s Peacock is raising its prices for the fourth time in four years, the streamer announced on Tuesday. Starting immediately for new customers – and on or after Sept. 17 for current customers – the ad-supported Peacock Premium tier will increase from $10.99 to $12.99 per month; the Peacock Premium Plus will jump $3 from $16.99 to $19.99 per month; and Peacock Select, which excludes movies, live sports and Peacock originals, will go from $7.99 to $8.99 per month.
-While not a unique move – Netflix, HBO Max, Apple TV, Paramount+ and YouTube Premium have all bumped their prices up within the last two years – the timing is strange for Peacock, considering it just reached profitability as of its Q2 earnings.
-Meanwhile, Peacock also recently launched a beta membership program for select Premium and Premium Plus subscribers, which offers a series of exclusive deals and discounts to both partner brands and NBCU events.
–The Takeaway: Trying to entice viewers into a higher subscription tier with retailer perks is a pretty bold strategy for overcoming churn. It also makes sense that Peacock announced this budding membership program first, to soften the blow of these price hikes.
(Source: Cynopsis)

ABC is suing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for challenging broadcast licensing and “The View,” alleging a violation against freedom of speech.
-Earlier this year, the FCC called in the Disney-owned network’s eight broadcast licenses for early renewal. ABC, which is cooperating with the FCC’s requests (albeit unwillingly), claims that the FCC has not ordered license renewals ahead of schedule in more than half a century.
-The FCC initiated a separate proceeding targeting “The View.” The commission argues that the show is not technically a news program and, thus, not exempt from the equal opportunity rule mandating that a program featuring an interview with a political candidate must also offer equal airtime to qualified political candidates from opposing parties.
-The FCC’s proceedings follow the Trump administration’s objections to Disney’s DEI initiatives and TV programming, including a joke that Jimmy Kimmel made about President Trump, who called for ABC’s license to be revoked.
-As a result, ABC argues that the FCC is trying to strongarm the network into emulating programming and editorial decisions that are more palatable to the administration.
–The Takeaway: This particular tiff highlights the growing tension between the federal government and the media and broadcasting industry, including how much control or influence the former should have over the latter.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Netflix released the premiere date for “East of Eden,” an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s celebrated novel written and executive-produced by Zoe Kazan. The series, which debuts Oct. 1, stars Florence Pugh, Mike Faist and Christopher Abbott.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season 6 of the Emmy Award-winning spy drama “Slow Horses” hits Apple TV on Sept. 16. Alongside series regulars Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden and Kristin Scott Thomas, the latest trailer reveals the return of Olivia Cooke (“House of the Dragon”), who hasn’t appeared since Season 1. Ironically, it will also be the last season for showrunner Will Smith (no, not that one). 
(Source: Cynopsis)

“Toxic,” the nonscripted series where Elizabeth Chambers speaks with survivors of domestic abuse and intimate partner abuse, returns to Investigation Discovery with a second season on Sept. 15. 
(Source: Cynopsis)

British crime dramedy “Ludwig” premieres its second season in North America on Oct. 13. The show was co-produced by BritBox and the BBC and stars David Mitchell (“That Mitchell and Webb Look”). 
(Source: Cynopsis)

South Korean ‘70s political thriller “Made in Korea” launches its second season on Hulu and Disney+ Sept. 9. 
(Source: Cynopsis)

All six episodes of “The Girls: A Kloé Kardashian Project,” the reality star’s newest nonscripted series, premiere on Hulu and Disney+ Aug. 21.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Meanwhile, “Team Moms: Baseball,” produced by Kim Kardashian and the makers of “Love Island,” premieres on Paramount+ Sept. 24. The reality show follows parents whose sons attend a prestigious baseball training school in Scottsdale, Arizona. 
(Source: Cynopsis)

The five-part docudrama “Bucks County, USA,” co-directed by Robert May and Barry Levinson, is available to stream on the PBS app starting Sept. 20.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Netflix picked up a series order for “Weight to Date,” a dating docuseries that follows single people during and after undergoing extreme weight loss. It marks the first deal made by the Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC) since the company went independent from Sony Pictures Television a few weeks ago.
(Source: Cynopsis)

MTV announced the nominations for this year’s Video Music Awards, which will air live on CBS and Paramount+ Sept. 27. Madonna and Taylor Swift led the pack with 11 and 9 nominations, respectively.
(Source: Cynopsis)

POWERBALL
Today’s Jackpot is $48 million.
(One ticket costs $2.00)
Powerball is played in 43 states.
NYLottery.NY.gov

CELEBRITY NEWS: AUGUST 18, 2026
http://www.imdb.com/news/celebrity

Parker-McKenna Posey (My Wife And Kids) – 31 years old
Maia Mitchell (The Fosters) – 33 years old
Frances Bean Cobain (Kurt Cobain & Courtney Love’s Daughter) – 34 years old
Eniko Parrish-Hart (Model/ Kevin Hart’s wife) – 42 years old
Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) – 48 years old
Kaitlin Olsen (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) – 51 years old
Edward Norton (“Fight Club”) – 57 years old
Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) – 57 years old
Sarita Choudhury (And Just Like That/ “Mississippi Masala”) – 60 years old
Bob Harper (The Biggest Loser/ Personal Trainer) – 61 years old
Madeleine Stowe (ABC’s Revenge) – 68 years old
Denis Leary (Comedian/ “Ice Age” movies) – 69 years old
Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) – 78 years old
Roman Polanski (Director) – 93 years old

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (TUESDAY 8/18/26)
E!: Cocktail Wars (Premiere) at 10pm
Netflix: Take a Hike! (Premiere)

The BBC released a new trailer for the third series of “Vigil,” the police procedural starring Suranne Jones (“Coronation Street”) and Rose Leslie (“Downton Abbey”). This third installment will take place at an Arctic research station in Svalbard, Norway, and will be available to stream on Peacock in the US later this year.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season 2 of “The Terminal List,” featuring Chris Pratt in an adaptation of Jack Carr’s 2018 novel series, will premiere on Prime Video Oct. 21. The first season premiered back in 2022.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Netflix’s “The Diplomat” will return for its fourth season on Oct. 15, starring Keri Russell (“The Americans”), Rufus Sewell (“The Man in the High Castle”), Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford (“The West Wing”). The previous season earned seven Emmy nominations. 
(Source: Cynopsis)

“The Drop: A Snowfall Saga,” a spinoff of the crime drama “Snowfall,” will premiere on FX Sept. 8. The series follows returning characters Wanda Bell (Gail Bean) and Leon Simmons (Isaiah John) as they try to break into the West Coast rap scene. 
(Source: Cynopsis)

The CW Network announced the release date for “Private Eyes West Coast,” starring Jason Priestley (“Wild Cards”) and Cindy Sampson (“Supernatural”). The procedural show, from the executive producers of “Wild Cards,” is a spinoff of the “Private Eyes” series and will premiere Oct. 5.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Additionally, The CW Network announced the Season 2 premiere of “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” starring Aden Young (“Rectify”) and Kathleen Munroe (“City on Fire”), also premiering on Oct. 5.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Fox revealed the cast of “Celebrity Weakest Link” Season 2, hosted by Jane Lynch(“Glee”) and airing Sept. 21, with episodes available to stream the following day on Hulu. The cast includes so-called “reality villains” Big Ed (“90 Day Fiancé”),  Bob the Drag Queen (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”), Monica Garcia (“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City”), Richard Hatch (“Survivor”), Omarosa (“The Celebrity Apprentice”), Tiffany Pollard (“Flavor of Love”), Christine Quinn (“Selling Sunset”) and Tom Sandoval (“Vanderpump Rules”).
(Source: Cynopsis)

In less celebrity-laden news, NBCUniversal also revealed the cast for its first-ever all-civilian version of “The Traitors.” Called “The Traitors: New Blood,” the show will air the first two episodes on NBC Sept. 17 and then the next day on Peacock. 
(Source: Cynopsis)

TV actor Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles on “Heroes” and “Nashville,” died at age 36, her family confirmed on Sunday. She had just released a memoir in May about her struggles as a child actor, and would have turned 37 on Friday. 
(Source: Cynopsis)

YouTube announced that it will begin counting video views as soon as a video or broadcast starts playing. The change follows a recent update mandating creators to double their watch hours monetize ads and subscriptions.
(Source: Cynopsis)

HBO renewed its original series “IT: Welcome to Derry” for a second season. The new season’s executive producers are Andy and Barbara Muschietti, Brad Caleb Kane, Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Jamie Travis and Dhana Gilbert, with Kane also serving as showrunner. 
(Source: Cynopsis)

The latest season of Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race” has reached more than 6.4 million P2+ viewers across platforms, according to Warner Bros. Discovery.
(Source: Cynopsis)

MEGA MILLIONS
Today’s Jackpot is $100 million.
(One ticket costs $5.00 as of April 2025)
You can now play in 43 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NYLottery.NY.gov