FIRST LOOK
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ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 12/18/25)
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YouTube has landed the rights to air the Academy Awards beginning in 2029 and running through 2033. ABC has carried the awards show since 1976. “The Oscars are one of our essential cultural institutions, honoring excellence in storytelling and artistry,” said YouTube CEO Neal Mohan. “Partnering with the Academy to bring this celebration of art and entertainment viewers all over the world will inspire a new generation of creativity and film lovers while staying true to the Oscars’ storied legacy.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Warner Bros. Discovery’s board of directors rejected Paramount Skydance’s unsolicited $108 billion bid to buy the entertainment giant and urged shareholders to vote against it. In a Securities & Exchange Commission filing December 17, WBD’s board said it “unanimously determined that the tender offer launched by Paramount Skydance on December 8, 2025 is not in the best interests of WBD and its shareholders and does not meet the criteria of a ‘Superior Proposal’ under the terms of WBD’s merger agreement with Netflix announced on December 5, 2025.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Among the shortcomings of the Paramount bid cited are the lack of a full backstop of the proposal by the Ellison family, misleading comments by Paramount that their deal will receive quicker federal approvals, and additional hidden costs. WBD’s board urged shareholders to approve Netflix’s $83 billion cash and stock offer for the company, which analysts expect won’t come up for a vote until April.
(Source: Cynopsis)
In honor of its milestone 50th season, CBS’ “Survivor” has come up with the “Survivor 50 Challenge,” a nationwide scavenger hunt leading up to the February 25 premiere of “Survivor 50.” Kicking off on January 30, the coast-to-coast activation is calling on people across the country to put their skills to the test and play the game for real: 50 hidden immunity idols placed across 50 states, each with a winner.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Hollywood Squares” returns to CBS for its second season on January 7 at 8p, with Nate Burleson returning as host and featuring over 70 new celebrity guests. This season’s newcomers who will share the board with center square Drew Barrymore include Anthony Anderson, Glenn Close, Kat Dennings, Fortune Feimster, Zarna Garg, Jay Mohr, Padma Lakshmi, Joel McHale, Ariana Debose and Arsenio Hall.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Season 3 of PBS Kids series “Alma’s Way,” the animated offering from Fred Rogers Productions, kicks off January 19 with a trio of episodes celebrating Black cowboy culture, creative “crowns,” and quintessential NYC eats, including food trucks and pizza. The premiere episode, “Cowboy Howard”/“Junior’s Hair Salon,” shines a spotlight on Black cowboys in the Bronx and beyond, introducing young viewers to their cultural significance in American history. In “Junior’s Hair Salon.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
TLC’s “My Strange Addiction” returns with a new season on January 7 at 9p,exploring the unfiltered stories of people whose obsessive behaviors have taken over their lives.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The five-part series “Nature: Parenthood,” narrated by Sir David Attenborough, premieres February 4 on PBS. Filmed over three years on six continents and in 23 countries, the series tells the stories of animal behaviors shaped by the environments they inhabit.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The new season of “The Curious Case Of…,” will feature eight new episodes tackling bizarre, stranger-than-fiction cases, premiering January 12 at 10p on Investigation Discovery. Guided by legal analyst and expert Beth Karas, new episodes will air weekly.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Fox Entertainment Studios has signed producer and entertainment executive Jeffrey Levine and his production company Bronson Canyon Pictures to a multi-year first look deal. Under the agreement, Levine will develop and produce scripted television series for the studio across broadcast, streaming, and emerging digital storytelling platforms.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Pantheon Media Group has formed a partnership with TH Studios, bringing the digital producer into its content development and production. According to Pantheon, the goal of the partnership is to create seamless fan journeys that begin in development, extend through casting, roll out across platforms and sustain engagement.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Comedian and actor Bert Kreischer and country music star Hardy will host “New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” live December 31 (8p-10p and 10:30p to 1:30a) on CBS. Social media star Haley Baylee will correspond from New York City and count down with the East Coast at midnight for New York City’s Ball Drop. Kreischer and Hardy will keep the party going through midnight central time, featuring Nashville’s renowned Music Note Drop at the Bicentennial Stage.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Paramount+’s six-part original series, “Girl Taken,” starring Alfie Allen, Jill Halfpenny, Tallulah Evans and Delphi Evans will premiere January 8.Based on the novel “Baby Doll” by Hollie Overton, the series follows the story of twin sisters Lily and Abby, whose lives are shattered when Lily is abducted from their quiet rural English town by beloved local teacher Rick Hansen. After years of abuse in captivity, Lily escapes—only to discover that freedom brings its own challenges.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Lifetime has completed casting for “Terry McMillan Presents: Tempted 2 Love,” the sequel to last year’s hit romance “Tempted by Love.” Garcelle Beauvais (“Tempted by Love,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Survival of the Thickest”) returns to star and executive produce, with Boris Kodjoe (“Station 19,” “Code Black,” “The Last Man on Earth”) joining the cast and Vaughn W. Hebron (“Tempted by Love,” “Reasonable Doubt,” “The Game: Reboot”) and Lela Rochon (“Tempted by Love,” “Any Given Sunday,” “The Family Business: New Orleans”) set to return. “Terry McMillan Presents: Tempted 2 Love” will premiere January 31 at 8p as part of Lifetime’s winter “Love of a Lifetime” romance and relationship centered movie slate.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Let me tell ya pardner, Family Movie Classics is bringing back “The John Wayne Friday Night Feature” starting January 9. Every Friday at 8p, the network will show a classic movie – Westerns, war epics and patriotic dramas – starring The Duke, beginning with “Big Jake” (1971).
(Source: Cynopsis)
AMC Networks is holding its Upfront on April 29 in NYC. The programmer will also welcome the industry to its Tech & Innovation Events, hosted by EVP of Commercial Sales and Revenue Operations Evan Adlman, in February.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Season 6 of “The Reveal” featuring Cara Woodhouse will premiere December 19 at 9p on The Design Network.
(Source: Cynopsis)
CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” celebrates its 20th anniversary on December 19. The original show opened with host Mark Haines on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and featured co-hosts Erin Burnett and David Faber.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Apple TV’s all-new wildlife series “Born to be Wild” premieres December 19, narrated by Hugh Bonneville (“Paddington,” “Downton Abbey,” “The Secret Lives of Animals”), following six endangered young animals as they grow up in our world but are destined to return to theirs.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Season 3 of “Gangs of London” premieres January 15 on AMC+. Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù and Joe Cole reprise their starring roles as Elliot Carter and Sean Wallace in the eight-episode season, produced by VICE Studios.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Actor Gil Gerard, star of sci-fi series “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” (1979-81), died December 16. He was 82. Gerard starred in several TV series and independent movies over the years, including “E.A.R.T.H. Force” (1990) “Days of Our Lives” in 1997 and opposite Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in 2016’s “The Nice Guys,” but was best known for the space epic.
(Source: Cynopsis)
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