FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 9/26/24)
ABC: 9-1-1 (Premiere) at 8pm
ABC: Doctor Odyssey (Premiere) at 9pm
ABC: Grey’s Anatomy (Premiere) at 10pm
FOX: Hell’s Kitchen (Premiere) at 8pm
FOX: Crime Scene Kitchen (Premiere) at 9pm
NAT GEO: Defending Europe (Premiere) at 8:30pm
NETFLIX: Nobody Wants This (Premiere)
PARAMOUNT+: Dreaming of a Freaking Fairy (Premiere)
PARAMOUNT+: Colin From Accounts (Premiere)
PEACOCK: Tea Town Teddy Bears (Premiere)
PRIME VIDEO: Killer Heat (Premiere)
SUNDANCE NOW: Wisting (Premiere)
The WGA East didn’t mince words about a round of Paramount Global layoffs that cut 12 union members at CBS. “These shameful layoffs are a blow to CBS’s already stretched-thin newsrooms, impact people who worked tirelessly through the pandemic and come in the midst of a Presidential election cycle, and the entire industry is keenly aware that the company plans to execute further draconian staff reductions in the near future,” read a statement from the writers’ guild. The cuts “serve no purpose other than to satisfy investor relations as part of its pending acquisition by Skydance Media,” added the statement. About 15% of the company’s employees, or 2,000, are expected to exit as part of a purge aimed at helping Paramount achieve $500 million in cost savings.
(Source: Cynopsis)
In more union news, the Teamsters report they have not only failed to reach a new casting agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers despite marathon bargaining sessions, but they “remain far apart on fair compensation across all classifications.” Discussions are expected to continue this week “with dates and times to be determined,” said a Teamsters statement.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Warner Bros. Discovery board member and investor John Malone isn’t expressing concern about the health of the company, despite turmoil in the industry. In a research note released by MoffettNathanson yesterday, analyst Craig Moffett quotes Malone as saying, “They’re not going to run out of cash anytime soon. So they don’t have to do anything while they sit and watch this consolidation in the industry move forward.” International is the path to success, Malone told Moffett. “They’ve got a long way to go in terms of monetizing international and they’ve got great creative talent,” Malone noted. But beware of big tech: “Big tech will end up eating everything – our industry and every other one – simply because they have such immense scale, immense economic power,” said Malone. “Anything they want to get into, they’re going to be very hard to keep out of.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Elon Musk and X asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit from Don Lemon which claims they defrauded the former CNN anchor by canceling a partnership on the platform. Lemon got the boot after he conducted what Musk described as “an invasive and inappropriate interview” with him. Musk also said he did nothing wrong by allegedly telling Lemon there was “no need” to sign a contract, and the situation “may be grounds for upset feelings” but not a lawsuit. Responded a lawyer for Lemon, “X’s response confirms the company terminated its contract with Don after he asked interview questions that Musk didn’t like. This comes after months of X courting Don relentlessly to boost their tanking ad sales.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
The Stop the Scroll Act, a bill introduced on Tuesday from Senators John Fetterrman (D-Pennsylvania) and Katie Britt (R-Alabama), would require social media platforms to use warning labels to inform users about “potential negative mental health impacts.” The labels would also include resources like the website and phone number of a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Rapper and actor Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s docuseries about Sean “Diddy” Combs has landed at Netflix, and is currently in production, reports Variety. Jackson had announced plans for the docuseries in May. Combs has been indicted on counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Harriet Dyer, star and co-creator of Paramount+ comedy “Colin From Accounts,” landed a lead in CBS comedy pilot “DMV,” from Dana Klein, Kapital Entertainment, TrillTV and CBS Studios.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Michelle Nader has joined upcoming ABC comedy “Shifting Gears” (w/t), starring Tim Allen and Kat Demmings, as executive producer and showrunner. It’s Nader’s first project under her overall deal with 20th Television to write, develop and produce comedy, drama and limited series, but her third with Demmings, with whom she worked on “2 Broke Girls” and “Dollface.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Lifetime has greenlit “A Very Merry Beauty Salon,” following women in an Atlanta salon, starring and executive produced by Tia Mowry. Produced for Lifetime by Mar Vista Entertainment in association with GroupM Motion Entertainment, it’s the third film in Mowry’s three-picture deal with the network.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Dynamic Television has optioned the rights to The Kingdoms of Savannah, the Southern Gothic crime novel by George Dawes Green, with writer Sheri Holman (“Palm Royale”) penning the pilot script and attached as showrunner and EP. Daniel March and Carrie Stein will produce for Dynamic.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Peacock psychological thriller “The Good Daughter,” picked up straight-to-series in March, has lost star and executive producer Jessica Biel, reports Deadline. The search for a new star for the project from Fifth Season and Made Up Stories, based the novel by Karin Slaughter, is underway.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Breaking New Ground,” following Broadway performer and entrepreneur Robert Hartwell as he renovates a 200-year-old home with a complicated history, premieres Friday, October 18 at 9:30p on OWN.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Nature” returns to PBS for season 43 starting Wednesday, October 23 at 8p (check local listings). In the opener, “Silverback” follows filmmaker Vianet Djenguet as he comes face to face with a 500-pound gorilla in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Max adult animated special “Velma: This Halloween Needs to Be More Special” debuts Thursday, October 3. Voice cast includes Mindy Kaling, Glenn Howerton, Sam Richardson, and Constance Wu.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Dr. Dre, Demi Lovato, Dua Lipa, James Taylor, Jelly Roll, Julia Roberts, Keith Urban, and Kenny Chesney are among those joining the lineup for the induction ceremony for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, streaming live on Disney+ Saturday, October 19.
(Source: Cynopsis)
LGBTQ+ streaming service Revry’s 9th annual QueerX Awards, set to premiere on October 11 in celebration of National Coming Out Day, will be hosted by Percy Rustomji (“Culture Q”) and Daniel Franzese (“Looking”). Making special appearances are Carmen Carrera, The Queen of Melrose (Cosmo Lombino), Jake Dupree, Love Bailey, Marval Rex, and Biqtch Puddin’.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Apple TV+ will provide free streaming windows for nonsubscribers to watch Peanuts holiday specials from Mendelson/Melendez Productions and Peanuts Worldwide. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” will be available Saturday October 19 and Sunday October 20; “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” streams for free on Saturday November 23 and Sunday November 24; and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will be available Saturday December 14 and Sunday December 15. Peanuts specials moved exclusively to Apple TV+ in 2020, following Apple’s acquisition of the Peanuts franchise rights.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Roku introduced upgrades to the Roku Ultra including an updated backlit remote with USB-C charging, the inclusion of Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth, and 30% faster loading times. The streaming device is $100, and the improvements can be added to an existing Roku device for $30.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Cineverse has launched a Yu-Gi-Oh! FAST channel on LG Channels,offering
a catalog of anime series, including nearly 400 hours of episodes spanning titles like “Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters,” “Yu-Gi-Oh! SEVENS,” and the movie” Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Spotify and Apple Music won’t have to worry about competition from TikTok anymore. ByteDance is closing TikTok Music on November 28. The subscription-only music streaming platform had launched in Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, Singapore and Mexico.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The WNBA Playoffs Game 1 between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun averaged 1.8M viewers, and TV outcomes company EDO sees no signs of the “Caitlin Clark Effect” slowing down for TV advertisers. During the regular season, EDO found consumers were 26% more likely to engage with ads during Indiana Fever games than non-Fever games, and ads were 2.5x more impactful (meaning they generate 2.5x more total engagement) when they air during Fever games this season, compared to non-Fever games. EDO saw that consumers were 44% more likely to engage with WNBA ads during the 2024 regular season as compared to the same period last year.
(Source: Cynopsis)
In three days of sampling across ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms, ABC’s “High Potential” drew 11.49 million Total Viewers and a 1.59 rating among A18-49. Excluding linear encores, the new drama delivered a 1.31 rating in A18-49, the highest ABC drama series premiere in the demo in nearly four years.
(Source: Cynopsis)
In Week 3, ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” presented two games with staggered kick times (7:30p and 8:15p), resulting in more than 2 hours of overlapping action on Monday, September 23. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills aired on ESPN/ESPN Deportes, followed by the Washington Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals on ABC/ESPN+. The games averaged over 19 million viewers during the overlap, peaking at 20.4 million from 9:15p-9:30p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“The Drew Barrymore Show” grew +20% in HH (.88 rating) and +15% in total viewers (1.26 million) versus premiere week last year. The series rose +32% among W18-49 (0.19 rating) and +17% among W25-54 (.30 rating).
(Source: Cynopsis)
Keely's Korner 