FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (WEDNESDAY 8/20/25)
DISCOVERY: Expedition X (Premiere) at 9pm
DISCOVERY: Ghost Adventures: House Calls (Premiere) at 10pm
HGTV: Bargain Block (Premiere) at 8pm
HULU: The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Fisk (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Rivers of Fate (Premiere)
Seven philanthropic organizations have banded together to provide a $37 million commitment for local public media amid the federal funding repeals for PBS and NPR. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Pivotal, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, the Schmidt Family Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have agreed to supply local outlets with grants and financial support after the Corporation for Public Broadcasting lost $1 billion in funding. “Local public media stations are trusted community anchors that connect people to vital news, culture and civic life,” said Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, president and CEO of Knight Foundation. “This is an urgent moment that calls for bold action.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Trinity Broadcasting, distribution partner of Dr. Phil McGraw’s bankrupt Merit Street Media, is suing Merit Street for fraud and breach of contract. The Christian television network claims that despite a 10-year, $500 million deal, McGraw failed to deliver a single episode of his new talk show, and made misleading assurances about the show’s financial health and popularity. Meanwhile, Merit Street contends that Trinity Broadcasting failed to uphold its end of their joint venture, mainly by not securing national distribution.
(Source: Cynopsis)
All eight episodes of season two of Apple TV+’s “Shape Island” drop Friday, August 29. The animated series is based on the Shapes picture book trilogy by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Murder Before Evensong” premieres Monday, September 29 on Acorn TV. The six-part murder mystery stars Matthew Lewis (“All Creatures Great and Small”) as a rector entangled in a murder case when a dead body turns up in his church.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Cozy crime drama “The Sunshine Murders” launches Thursday, September 4 on UPtv, following half-sisters searching for their missing father.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Season two of PBS wildlife series “Big Cats” kicks off Wednesday, September 10 at 8p (check local listings). Over six episodes, a team of filmmakers return to Botswana’s Okavango Delta to follow the lives of its lions, leopards and cheetahs.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Two new docuseries exploring the dark undercurrents of digital deception are headed to Paramount+. “Thirst Trap: The Fame. The Fantasy. The Fallout.”, focused on overnight TikTok sensation William White, premieres Tuesday, September 9, while true crime tale “Don’t Date Brandon” debuts Tuesday, October 28.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Prime Video’s “Fallout,” based on the video game series, returns for season two on Wednesday, December 17. Unlike its freshman drop, episodes will roll out weekly.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Apple TV+ comedy “Palm Royale” is back for a second season on Wednesday, November 12, as Maxine (Kristen Wiig) recovers from a scandalous public breakdown.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Also back for a second season is Netflix’s “Wolf King” – but it will be the British series’ last. The beginning of the end of the animated adventure fantasy debuts Thursday, September 11.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Nat Geo docuseries “Top Guns: The Next Generation,” following a class of Navy and Marine Corps student pilots, kicks off Tuesday, September 16 at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Riot Women,” centered on five menopausal women who form a punk rock band to take part in a local talent contest, premieres Wednesday, October 22 on BritBox with two episodes. Subsequent episodes drop weekly.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Telemundo’s “Dinastía Casillas,” a spinoff “El Señor de los Cielos,” the longest-running scripted franchise in Spanish-language television, will make its debut in October.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Death Row Confidential: Secrets of a Serial Killer” premieres Saturday, September 13 at 9p on Oxygen. The true-crime series examines the story of convicted killer Joseph Naso, and how a fellow inmate connected him to many additional cold cases.
(Source: Cynopsis)
CBS has a new, five-year deal with Dick Clark Productions to broadcast the American Music Awards on the network and stream on Paramount+. The agreement kicks off with the 52nd annual event, taking place over Memorial Day weekend in 2026. This year’s AMAs reached over 10 million viewers across the CBS premiere, and encores on MTV, CMT and BET. CBS, which has broadcast the Grammys since 1973, will lose that event after next year, when it moves to Disney.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Matt and Ross Duffer (“Stranger Things”) and their Upside Down Pictures inked a four-year, exclusive deal with Paramount that includes writing, producing and directing feature films, TV, and original series for Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television, and Paramount Direct-to-Consumer. The new gig starts when their Netflix deal concludes in April 2026, although they will continue to collaborate on Netflix projects.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Actor Ron Perlman (“Sons of Anarchy”) has launched a creator-led finance and content development platform, Watrfall, with producer Michael Donovan (“Bowling for Columbine”), Dana Landry, founder of IoM, and Willie Morris. “We built Watrfall to realign the entertainment value chain – where creators are in control, where the people who make content actually benefit from its success, and where film and television lovers everywhere can have a real seat at the table,” said Perlman. “This is not only the beginning of a new model – one where power and participation are shared, but of a movement that empowers those who are in it for the love of culture.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Globo has struck a new partnership with entertainment studio MFF & COto adapt a slate of Brazilian daytime and primetime telenovelas for North American audiences. MFF & CO will work alongside US writers, reimagining each series in the traditional American format with multiple seasons.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“The Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Yarn Maker” will have its linear cable premiere on Great American Family on Saturday, October 4 at 8p. It’s the second film in the company’s mystery movie franchise.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Me TV is celebrating the 70th anniversary of “Gunsmoke” with a month-long marathon from August 30-September 27. The network will feature curated theme weeks of the series, plus the five made-for-TV movies that aired following the show’s CBS run 1955-1975.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Ahead of tomorrow’s launch of ESPN’s new streaming service, the sports net said it is bundling its Unlimited plan with NFL+ Premium in an offering that will include NFL RedZone, for $39.99/month, starting September 3. ESPN DTC will also be available in bundles with Fox One for $39.99 per month starting in October. In addition, ESPN will stream five out-of-market NFL preseason games on the ESPN app for ESPN DTC subscribers. The games are subject to local and other geographic blackouts.
(Source: Cynopsis)
ESPN has re-signed Field Yates to a multi-year agreement, continuing his role as one of the company’s lead NFL Draft, Fantasy Football and overall NFL analysts.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The season premiere of the “HBCU GO Sports Kickoff Show” airs Saturday, August 23 at noon on the streaming platform. Hosted by Tolly Carr and Nicole Hutchison, the two-hour special features interviews with NFL coach Sean Payton and HBCU rising star Carson Vinson.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Fox had its most-watched NFL preseason game since 2021, drawing 5.1 million viewers for the Chicago Bears’ 38-0 win over the Buffalo Bills.
(Source: Cynopsis)
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