Streamageddon: Recent Episodes
Streamageddon
In a world of too many streaming services, one podcast is here to help you decide the fate of the universe. Or, more likely, the fate of your Tuesday night.
Join hosts Chris Barlow and Dianne Nora as they bravely try to watch every single thing in their queue. They'll review hot new shows, deliver the latest streaming news, and break down excellent episodes to help you better understand what makes great TV so freakin' great.
The fallout from Season 1 of Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout is still going strong, with ratings juggernaut Nielsen declaring the show a much-needed hit for the #1 streaming service that also sells toilet paper.
We’ve finished the full season and are ready to dish on all the twists and turns, whether the binge model worked for us, and what we expect (and hope for) in Season 2. Plus we revisit our predictions and grade our TV Tarot!
But first!
- We dissect Disney’s earnings and the latest strategy shift at Marvel in a brand-new installment of What’s That, Bob?!
- And with the abbreviated 2023-24 TV season coming to an end, both streamers and traditional TV networks are courting advertisers with some big announcements about their upcoming shows. That means it’s time for an extra-large edition of Renewed or Canceled?!
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📼 Rewind Review: Fallout 🧭 Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video * 🗓️ Release Schedule: All 8 Episodes Available Now * ✅ Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 2 * 📚 Related Titles: Based on the Fallout franchise of games * 🤩 Starring: Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, Kyle MacLachlan * 🎬 Created By:* Jonathan Nolan (Director/Executive Producer) and Lisa Joy (Executive Producer)
🫣 Spoiler Warning: 🚨 Spoilers for ALL of Season 1:* Starting at 26:44
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🔗 Links: Disney’s streaming business gets closer to becoming profitable – Emma Roth, The Verge * Bob Iger Details “Reduced” Marvel Output: “At Most” Three Films Per Year, Two Series – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘Fallout’ Blasts To Top Of Nielsen Streaming Charts In Debut Weekend, Becoming Amazon’s Most Successful Title To Date – Katie Campione, Deadline * Broadcast TV Cancellations In 2024-25: Photo Gallery – Lynette Rice, Erik Pedersen, Deadline * ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ to End With Season 5 – James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter * 'Night Court' Renewed for Season 3 at NBC – Joe Otterson, Variety * ‘Shogun’ Seasons 2 and 3 in the Works at FX, Hulu – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘Shōgun’ To Continue: FX & Hulu Eye Two More Seasons Of James Clavell Adaptation – Nellie Andreeva, Lynette Rice, Deadline * FX Will Submit ‘Shōgun’ In Drama Category For Emmys – Lynette Rice, Deadline * “Shōgun” Becomes FX’s Most Watched Show Ever On Streaming Platforms – Roger Palmer, whatsondisneyplus.com * ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ Renewed for Season 2 at Amazon – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * The Boys renewed for Season 5 on Prime Video – Mekeisha Madden Toby, aboutamazon.com*
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It’s a new era at Netflix: Ads, sports, and live specials galore! We’ll dig deep into the big strategy shift, including our review of John Mulaney’s limited-run live talk show Everybody’s in L.A.
We’ll try to explain the appeal of this one-of-a-kind live show, highlight some of our favorite segments, and recommend the best episode to check out (EARTHQUAKES!). From David Letterman to Conan O’Brien to John Mulaney interviewing David Letterman: We’re taking a full-circle journey through a very specific sub-genre of late night… that just might be the perfect fit for streaming.
But wait! There’s more!
- We’ll catch you up with the latest from the Paramount Death Watch 💀
- Brace yourself for more price hikes at Peacock and Max 💸
- What’s the deal with the new Uber-bundle from Disney and Warner Bros Discovery (Iger and Zaz, together at last?) 💕
- And yes, we finally have a sports segment: It’s the SPORTSPOCALYPSE 🤯
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📺 Review: Everybody’s in L.A. 🧭 Where to Watch: Netflix * 🗓️ Release Schedule: All 6 Episodes Available Now * ✅ Renewal Status: We’re begging you, John. Give us more! * 🤩 Starring: John Mulaney, Richard Kind * 🎬 Created By:* John Mulaney
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🔗 Links: Bob Bakish To Step Down As Paramount Global CEO Amid Skydance Talks – Jill Goldsmith, Deadline * Sony and Apollo’s Plan for Paramount: Break It Up – Benjamin Mullin, Lauren Hirsch, The New York Times * Warner Bros. Discovery Hits $86M Streaming Unit Profit, 99.6M Subs, Studios Profit Drops 70 Percent – Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter * Max may raise streaming prices again, following Netflix and Disney Plus' lead – Henry St Leger, TechRadar * A Disney, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle is on the way – Emma Roth, The Verge * Why you don't really want Big TV to bring back 'the bundle' for your streaming services like Hulu, Max, and Netflix – Peter Kafka, Business Insider * Venu Sports: Disney, Fox, WBD Unveil Name of Sports-Streaming Venture – Todd Spangler, Variety * Netflix snagged global streaming rights for NFL Christmas Day games – Richard Lawler, The Verge * Katt Williams Outdraws Tom Brady in Netflix Rankings – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * John Mulaney's Everybody's in L.A. Moved to Emmys Talk Series – Clayton Davis, Variety*
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Join us in the Wasteland as we spend the entire episode discussing the latest prestige video game adaptation: Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout.
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📺 Review: Fallout 🧭 Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video * 🗓️ Release Schedule: All 8 Episodes Available Now * ✅ Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 2 * 📚 Related Titles: Based on the Fallout franchise of games * 🤩 Starring: Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, Kyle MacLachlan * 🎬 Created By:* Jonathan Nolan (Director/Executive Producer) and Lisa Joy (Executive Producer)
🫣 Spoiler Warning: 🚨 Spoilers for the first 5 episodes:* Starting at 0:58
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🔗 Links: 'Fallout' Nabs 65 Million Viewers in First Two Weeks of Availability – Joe Otterson, Variety * Boosted by the Fallout TV Show, Fallout 76 Sees Over One Million Players in a Single Day - IGN – Wesley Yin-Poole, IGN * ‘Fallout’ Looks Certain For Season 2 With $25M Tax Credit Award & Relocation To California; ‘NCIS: Origins’ Among Shows Receiving Incentives – Dominic Patten, Deadline * Amazon’s Fallout show gets the postapocalyptic vibes exactly right – Ash Parrish, The Verge * Fallout premiere: A bloated but promising start to the nuclear apocalypse – William Hughes, A.V. Club*
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It’s been 2 years since the “Netflix Correction” and we’re here to correct the record: How did Netflix become the sole survivor of an industry-wide crisis kicked off… by Netflix itself? We’ll take stock of the changes that helped solidify Netflix’s place at the top of the streaming food chain and what that means for the future of the little guys.
And speaking of little guys: Peacock! Comcast is eager for their streamer to offset the never-ending losses in their cable TV division, and guess what? It might be working?!
Plus it’s the most jam-packed edition of Daily Show Host(s) Watch yet!
It’s so much podcast we had to push the review of Fallout to next week! But you can get caught up on Amazon Prime Video now (we’ll be reviewing episodes 1-5).
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🔗 Links: Peacock Quarterly Loss Narrows to $639M as Streamer Hits 34M Subscribers – Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ Moving to Peacock for Season 5 – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘Daily Show’ Audience Has Stuck Around Since Jon Stewart’s Return – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘The Daily Show’ Signs Up Josh Johnson, Troy Iwata & Grace Kuhlenschmidt As Correspondents – Peter White, Deadline*
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This week we’re playing hide and seek with the ever-talented Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott) in the new Netflix original series Ripley. He’s a conman traipsing through the black-and-white vistas of the Italian coast (let’s call it shabby chic) in this prestige adaptation of the classic novel.
But first!
- Chris plays hide and seek with the Hulu content buried in the new Hulu Hub on Disney+ (it’s like Hulu, but worse!)…
- Dianne breaks down the big network TV vibes coming to Max…
- And all of us marvel at the $40 million Disney spent fighting off an activist investor (that’s a whole 1.5 episodes of She-Hulk!).
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📺 Review: Ripley 🧭 Where to Watch: Netflix * 🗓️ Release Schedule: All 8 Episodes Available Now * 📚 Related Titles: Based on The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (Novel) * 🤩 Starring: Andrew Scott, Dakota Fanning, Johnny Flynn * 🎬 Created By:* Steven Zaillian (Writer/Director/Executive Producer)
🫣 Spoiler Warnings: 🤫 Light spoilers for first 2 episodes: Starting at 37:57 * 🚨 Major spoiler for episode 3: Starting at 51:00This spoiler is mentioned in most of the show’s reviews.*
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🔗 Links: Disney D-Day: Bob Iger Celebrates Board Battle Win & End Of “Distracting Proxy Contest”; Nelson Peltz “Disappointed” Then Tries To Spin It Into A Win – Dominic Patten, Deadline * DirecTV, Dish Back Fubo in Disney-Fox-WBD Sports Streaming Fight – Lucas Manfredi, The Wrap * It’s true: people like leaving their TVs on in the background – Emma Roth, The Verge * Streamers Are Rediscovering the TV Procedural – Josef Adalian, Vulture * ‘FBI’ Trio Renewed At CBS With Flagship Series Scoring Three-Season Deal – Peter White, Deadline * Ripley review: Mr. Ripley is as talented as ever – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club (Contains Spoilers!)*
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It’s our Spring Streaming Spectacular featuring our favorite show of the year-so-far: FX’s Shogun (streaming on Hulu!). We’ll share our thoughts before digging into spoilers, plus:
- Which streamers should you add, keep, and cancel this spring? We have the answers in a shocking edition of Add / Keep / Cancel!
- And looking for even more Spring shows? We’re doing our first-ever Vibe Check to help you triage your watchlist.
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📺 Review: ShogunSpoilers: Overview: Light Spoilers for Episode 1 (starting at 37:35) * 🚨 Full Spoilers through Episode 5* (starting at 55:27)
Show Stats: Where to Watch: FX and Hulu * New Episodes:* Tuesdays through April 23
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🔗 Links: Shōgun is here for a good time, not for a long time, creators say – William Hughes, A.V. Club * ‘Shogun’ Bosses Detail “Painstaking Process” to Recreate Feudal Japan and Likelihood of Season 2 – Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter*
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Netflix rescued the 30 Rock-infused Peacock comedy Girls5Eva and it’s a comeback we can get behind… even if we’re worried no one is watching. The show has more jokes in a single song than an entire season of Emmy-winning comedy The Bear but, like so many Peacock comedies, has struggled to find an audience. We’ll give you plenty of reasons to binge the 22 episodes now streaming on Netflix…
But first!
- What’s Peacock’s deal anyway? How did it take 4 years for them to figure out that their brand is… NBC?
- Is there any hope for Paramount? (We’re not holding our breath!)
- Max goes global! (-ish!)
- And we’ve got good news and bad news from Hollywood (where intrepid reporter Dianne is live on the ground!)
All that and a jam-packed edition of America’s Favorite Game Show: Renewed or Canceled?!
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📺 Review: Girls5Eva🚨 Light Spoilers (But No Big Ones for Season 3) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 3 (All Episodes Available)
- Renewal Status: To Be Announced
- Where to Watch Now: Netflix
- Where It Started: Peacock
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🔗 Links: Strikes Delayed TV’s Top Hits, But Audiences Came Back – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * Why film and TV production has been slow after strikes - Los Angeles Times – Christi Carras, Marisa Gerber, The L.A. Times * Judd Apatow on Why It’s “Scary” Netflix Can License HBO Shows: “Cheaper Than Making New Ones” – Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter * Max to Launch in European Countries in May Ahead of Olympics – Elsa Keslassy, Variety * All six seasons of Community are coming to Peacock – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club * Sara Bareilles on “Beautiful Collaboration” Writing Songs for ‘Girls5eva’ Soundtrack – Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter * Pete Davidson is done with Bupkis – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * Showtime decides to un-save Neil Patrick Harris' Uncoupled – William Hughes, A.V. Club * CNN To Air Repeats Of ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ On Saturdays – Peter White, Ted Johnson, Deadline * 'The Bear' Renewed for Season 4, Filming Back to Back With Season 3 – Ethan Shanfeld, Variety * 'Evil' to End With Season 4 at Paramount+ – Joe Otterson, Variety * 'Formula 1: Drive to Survive' Renewed for Season 7 at Netflix – Kasey Moore, whats-on-netflix.com * Percy Jackson And The Olympians renewed for season 2 at Disney+ – William Hughes, A.V. Club*
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TV is back and so are we! After a half-season delay (due to last year’s strikes) CBS and ABC are back with their hit sitcoms Ghosts and Abbott Elementary. Despite the extended hiatus both shows are entering their third seasons with a ton of momentum and a stacked (and growing) ensemble. Whether you’re a longtime fan or a brand new viewer: We’ll tell you what you need to know to dive into two of our favorite comedies.
Plus: Jon Stewart is back on The Daily Show and bringing in the highest ratings the show has seen since… Jon Stewart was on The Daily Show (go figure!). We’ll share some hot takes on the evolution of late night and the show’s precarious future.
But it’s not all laughs in Hollywood: Pilot season has all but vanished, with spring sitcom production down over 90% from a decade ago. Can comedy survive the industry’s historical contraction? We’ll debate the future of funny as we catch up on a lighting round of streaming news! ⚡️
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📺 Review: Abbott Elementary (Season 3)🚨 Light Spoilers (starting at 43:22) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 3 (Season In Progress)
- Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 4
- Where to Watch: ABC, Hulu
- Where to Stream Past Seasons: Hulu
Season 1 originally reviewed in Episode #2 (February 11, 2022)
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📺 Review: Ghosts (Season 3)🚨 Light Spoilers (starting at 56:20) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 3 (Season in Progress)
- Renewal Status: TBA (CBS will almost definitely renew it— it’s just early for the announcement)
- Where to Watch: CBS, Paramount+
- Where to Stream Past Seasons: Paramount+
- Spinoff Of: Ghosts (UK)
Season 1 originally reviewed in Episode #18 (July 29, 2022)
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🔗 Links: ‘Our Flag Means Death’ Creator Says It’s “The End Of The Road” After Comedy Fails To Find New Home – Denise Petski, Deadline * 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' on YouTube will now be delayed – Abner Li, 9to5 Google * Old True Detective and new True Detective aren’t getting along – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * Max to Start Cracking Down on Password Sharing, Too – Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter * 'Tacoma FD' Canceled After Four Seasons at TruTV – Joe Otterson, Variety * TruTV Adds Nightly Sports Block With New Programs and Big Games – Brian Steinberg, Variety * Bob Iger Pushes Back on Marvel Fatigue, But Says Disney Quietly Canceled Movies – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * Netflix Enters Boxing Ring; Streamer Sets Live Fight Between Mike Tyson & Jake Paul – Peter White, Deadline * A potential season two of Beef is looking at an insanely stacked cast – Emma Keates, A.V. Club * ‘Beef’ Season 2 Eyes Charles Melton, Cailee Spaeny, Jake Gyllenhaal & Anne Hathaway: The Dish – Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline * Even more people really wanted to watch Jon Stewart this week – Emma Keates, A.V. Club * NBC declares sitcoms about witches are finally back, baby – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Reba McEntire Is Returning to TV With a New NBC Comedy: Details – Jackie Manno, NBC * Tim Allen Returning to ABC With Comedy ‘Shifting Gears’ – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * Hollywood Contraction: Actors Struggle To Find Jobs As TV Castings Dry Up – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * ‘Ghosts’ Showrunners Discuss Season 3 Premiere’s Big Reveal & Future Consequences Of That Character’s Departure – Katie Campione, Deadline * Abbott Elementary is a local landmark in an exclusive clip from Sunday's post-Oscars episode – Saloni Gajjar, A.V. Club*
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Hihi, this week we’re going undercover with Donald Glover and Maya Erskine on their new Amazon Prime Video original Mr. & Mrs. Smith. It’s inspired by the 2005 blockbuster Brangelina action rom-com, but this new darkly comedic martial thriller has more in common with FX’s The Americans than the title suggests…
…and speaking of FX: Peak TV prognosticator (and veteran FX chief) John Landgraf is back with his annual tally of scripted originals and an ominous prediction. With the number of new series in decline, is the era of Peak TV is truly over? (He’s only predicted it twice before, so this time might be for real!)
But first!
- Sony once again poses the question: Should you start hoarding physical media in the attic?
- Chris explores the wide world of Plex channels…
- …and Dianne plays a brand new game called Plex or Not?!
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📺 Review: Mr. & Mrs. Smith🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes (starting at 20:35) 🚨
- Total Episodes: 8 Episodes (All Episodes Now Streaming)
- Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video
- Renewal Status: TBA
- Related Titles: Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
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🔗 Links: Crunchyroll Adds All Funimation Content, Sony Phasing Out Funimation – Todd Spangler, Variety * Funimation is shutting down — and taking your digital library with it – Emma Roth, The Verge * Streamer Plex launches its long-promised movie rentals store | TechCrunch – Sarah Perez, TechCrunch * Peak TV Is Officially Over: FX Tallies 14 Percent Drop in Scripted Series for 2023 – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * Amazon’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith series is a clever interpolation of the classic spy fantasy – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Donald Glover and Maya Erskine on Real-Life Marriage, Professional Divorce and When to Walk Away – Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter * Donald Glover also compares Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith exit to divorce – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club*
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We’re closing the case on our Cozy (and/or Spooky) Winter Mysteries Tour with this winter’s buzziest, prestige-iest detective show: HBO’s True Detective: Night Country. Premiering a decade after the original season— with a whole new creator and showrunner— it’s a show that poses the question “So, like, what is a True Detective, man?” [Insert your best McConaughey voice here.]
But first! Will cartoon villain David Zaslav ruthlessly murder Coyote vs. ACME… again?! Can Taylor Swift save Disney+? Can hastily retooling a Moana streaming series as Moana 2 save Disney’s holiday box office? Can anyone explain what Bob Iger is talking about?? And whoops! They made a Sports Hulu!
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📺 Review: True Detective Night Country🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes (starting at 36:38) 🚨
- Total Episodes: Anthology, 6 Episodes
- New Episodes Drop: Sundays at 9 PM ET (through February 18)
- Where to Watch: HBO (Streaming simultaneously on Max)
- Related Titles: True Detective (2014)
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🔗 Links: Coyote Vs. Acme is probably getting scrapped anyway, in appalling movie news – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * The Final Days of ‘Coyote vs. Acme': Offers, Rejections and a Roadrunner Race Against Time | Exclusive – Drew Taylor, The Wrap * Taylor Swift Sells 'Eras Tour' Concert Film to Disney+ for $75 Million – Todd Spangler, Variety * Disney is re-tooling a Moana TV show into Moana 2, shoving it into theaters this November – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Disney Plus will start its password-sharing crackdown this summer – Emma Roth, The Verge * Hulu is cracking down on password sharing, just like Disney Plus and Netflix – Sean Hollister, The Verge * Disney invests $1.5 billion in Epic to create ‘persistent universe’ tied to Fortnite – Andrew Webster, The Verge * Streaming ESPN without cable should launch in 2025. – Richard Lawler, The Verge * ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. are putting together a juggernaut sports streaming app – Emma Roth, The Verge*
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It’s week two of our Cozy Winter Mysteries Tour and we’re headed to the south of France for vintage cars, red wine, and a whole lotta Clive Owen (literally) in Monsieur Spade.
But first! The Marvels hits Disney+ just as new questions plague the future of the MCU’s streaming plans (RIP our beloved She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law) and we try to unravel Max’s decision to give arch-rival Netflix the keys to Carrie Bradshaw’s kingdom.
All that plus a thrilling installment of BUNDLE WATCH. It’s an episode of Streamageddon you can’t afford to miss!
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📺 Review: Monsieur Spade🚨 Spoiler Alert: First Episode (starting at 31:16) 🚨
- Total Episodes: Limited Series, 6 Episodes
- New Episodes Drop: Sundays (through February 18)
- Where to Watch: AMC+
- Related Titles: The Maltese Falcon (1941)
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🔗 Links: You’ll be able to watch The Marvels on Disney Plus very soon – Amrita Khalid, The Verge * Tatiana Maslany says She-Hulk: Attorney At Law has likely been thrown out of court – Emma Keates, A.V. Club * Vincent D'Onofrio wants Kingpin to get his own Joker – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Max grounds Kaley Cuoco's The Flight Attendant – William Hughes, A.V. Club * HBO’s ‘Sex and the City’ Is Coming to Rival Netflix – James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter * Netflix Premium and Starz is $25.99 per month for Verizon customers – Sheena Vasani, The Verge * T-Mobile's 'Hulu on Us' perk now available - 9to5Mac – Chance Miller, 9to5Mac*
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The streamers have decreed: Winter is time for cozy mysteries and hard-boiled detective hijinks! We’re investigating this intriguing trend, starting with a review of Hulu’s new series Death and Other Details, starring Mandy Patinkin and a slew of beautiful people who will make you go “I think I know them from something!”
But first!
- The 2023 strikes come back to haunt us… with good news?!
- Has our (late) night watch come to an end? We’re here with the most unexpected edition of Daily Show Host Watch yet.
- And is Netflix just, like, cable now? Hit the proverbial bong with us and get ready to have your mind and/or budget blown by the latest moves from the streaming king.
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📺 Review: Death and Other Details🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 3 Episodes (starting at 35:32) 🚨
- Total Episodes: 1 Season, 10 Episodes
- New Episodes Drop: Tuesdays (through March 5)
- Where to Watch: Hulu
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🔗 Links: DGA Announces Revisions To Film & TV Contract, Including Addition Of Streaming Bonus To Match WGA’s – Katie Campione, Deadline * Jon Stewart Returns to 'Daily Show' as Monday Host, Executive Producer – Brian Steinberg, Variety * John Oliver “Surprised” That Jon Stewart Is Returning To ‘The Daily Show’ & Backs Amber Ruffin Or Roy Wood Jr. To Be Permanent Host – Peter White, Deadline * Holy crap, look how small and old 'The Daily Show's' audience has gotten – Peter Kafka, Business Insider * Netflix is turning into cable TV – Alex Cranz, The Verge * Netflix Adds 13M Subscribers In Blockbuster Earnings Report – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * Netflix is going to take away its cheapest ad-free plan – Emma Roth, The Verge*
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Whoops, we accidentally predicted the future too well in our last episode! So we’re back to catch up on the doom and gloom at Paramount+, the mass hysteria surrounding Amazon Prime Video’s turn to ads, and more news from the past month.
Then we’ll make the case for why Marvel’s new “Spotlight” series Echo breathes new life into their struggling TV formula… if you can make it through the first 25 minutes of franchise-mandated flashbacks.
Plus it’s a new year, so it’s time to get your streaming house in order. We’ll help you budget with the return of our awards-pending advice segment Add/Keep/Cancel.
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📺 Review: Echo🚨 Light Spoilers: First 3 Episodes (starting at 42:35) 🚨
- Total Episodes: 1 Season, 5 Episodes (all released)
- Where to Watch: Disney+ and Hulu
- Spinoffs: Hawkeye (Disney+)
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🔗 Links: Warner Bros. Discovery in talks to merge with Paramount – Sara Fischer, Axios * A merging of Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount would be very bad – Alex Cranz, The Verge * Max sinks Our Flag Means Death after two seasons – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club * Amazon Cutting Hundreds of Jobs at Prime Video and MGM Studios – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * Amazon Prime Video will start showing ads on January 29th – Chris Welch, The Verge * The Mandalorian Has Become the Next Star Wars Movie – Germain Lussier, Gizmodo * Star Trek races to announce it's getting a new movie too, okay? – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Echo review: A quietly lovely (and very bloody) entry in the superhero canon – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * All the 2024 TV Show Premiere Dates to Add to Your Calendar – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter*
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It’s our Second Annual Streaming Superlatives Spectacular! Featuring your favorite yearbook-inspired awards plus a host of new categories generated by the true star of 2023: ChatGPT.
Plus we predict which streaming service won’t survive the new year (spoiler alert: the headlines already indicate we might be right!).
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🏆 The Categories:🥇 Round 1: The Extremely High School Superlatives Life of the Party * Class Sweetheart * Class Clown * Best Couple (Platonic or Romantic) * Best Glow-Up (aka Most Improved) * Best Hair and/or Best Dressed * Most Likely to Succeed * Returning Champion (Best Returning Series or Character) * “Miss Congeniality” (The Best Show We Didn’t* Review)
🥈 Round 2: The Best Ofs (and Worst Ofs) Throwback of the Year (Best Reboot, Revival, etc.) * Franchise of the Year * Biggest Surprise of the Year * Biggest Disappointment of the Year * Villain of the Year (Real Life or Fictional) * Best Finale (Season or Series) * Best Thing You Watched This Year (In Any* Medium/Genre)
🥉 Round 3: The Streaming Service Showdown The Most Overrated Streaming Service of 2023 * The Most Underrated Streaming Service of 2023 * The Streaming Service You Couldn’t Live Without in 2023*
🔮 And Finally… Predictions! The Streaming Service Least Likely to Survive 2024* (we swear we recorded this before the headlines told us that we’re probably right!)
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The holidays are here but we’re cursed with more streaming news for you!
- Find out the exciting new bundle of the week!
- Experience deja vu with the news of Showtime’s confusing rebranding!
- And you’ll never guess where Disney’s synergy is headed next!
Plus we review the first two episodes of Nathan Fielder’s The Curse. (You might not want to listen to that part with the kids…)
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📺 Review: The Curse🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes (starting at 11:52) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1 (Season in Progress)
- Where to Watch: Sundays on Paramount+ with Showtime
- Content Warning: Descriptions of sex acts!
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🔗 Links: 'Grey's Anatomy' To Be Available On Disney One-App – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * Showtime to be swallowed up by Paramount Plus, and shows are already getting canceled – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * The Curse is a fully bizarre and brilliant maze of a show – Alissa Wilkinson, Vox*
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The holidays are here and Bob Iger is celebrating by stuffing Hulu into the Disney+ stocking (some exceptions may apply). We’ll prepare you to answer your relatives’ streaming questions with everything you need to know about the historic level of Disney synergy sweeping the nation:
- Dianne walks us through the new Hulu Hub on Disney+
- Chris confesses his love for (Disney’s) Doctor Who and (Disney’s) Wheel of Fortune
- And we’ve got your one-stop guide to all five seasons of FX’s Fargo (streaming now on Disney’s Hulu Hub!)
Plus, updates from every corner of the Disney universe: From ABC to Pixar to Star Wars to Marvel. Even NatGeo makes an appearance! That’s right, Disney owns National Geographic, too!
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📺 Review: Fargo (Season 5)🚨 Spoiler Alert: The First 4 Episodes of Season 5 (starting at 1:08:51) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 5 (Season In Progress)
- Where to Watch: Tuesdays on FX (Next Day on Hulu)
- Where to Stream Past Seasons: Hulu
- Spinoffs: Yes, it is!
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🔗 Links: Iron Man is not coming back – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * 'Star Wars': Dave Filoni Upped to Chief Creative Officer Lucasfilm, Talks 'Ahsoka' Season 2 – Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline * Pixar’s Turning Red, Soul, and Luca are getting theatrical releases in 2024 – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Hulu’s Only Murders In The Building is heading to regular TV – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * As 'Only Murders In The Building' Nears TV Run, Data Shows Minimal Hulu-ABC Overlap – Dade Hayes, Deadline * 'Doctor Who' Has a Disney+ Release Date — But There's a Disappointing Catch – Dais Johnston, Inverse * How the new Doctor Who specials are fixing the show's biggest misstep – Cindy White, A.V. Club * Doctor Who On Disney+ Is A Massive Missed Opportunity – Kaillaby, Screen Rant * Why Disney Plus’s new Hulu integration was such a huge, high-stakes challenge – Harry McCracken, Fast Company * Disney+ Integrates Hulu Content for Bundle Subscribers in Beta Launch – Todd Spangler, Variety * Disney Plus and Hulu’s one-app experience is launching in beta – Emma Roth, The Verge * ‘Fargo’ Review: Jon Hamm, Juno Temple and Jennifer Jason Leigh Sink Their Teeth Into a Juicy Season 5 – Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter*
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Streaming bundles are all the rage these days! From Verizon’s new Netflix/Max deal to Instacart’s groceries and Peacock combo (a real thing, we swear!). Join us as we navigate the murky waters of the great big Bundle-verse and who knows? Maybe you’ll find a bundle of joy along the way.
Plus we’re revisiting this fall’s strike-fueled hit: The Golden Bachelor. And stick around at the end for our discussion of everything that went wrong (and right!) with The Marvels.
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📺 Review: The Golden Bachelor (Season Finale)🚨 Spoiler Alert: All Episodes (starting at 36:16) 🚨
- Renewal Status: Almost definitely renewed for season 2
- Where to Watch: ABC and Hulu
- Spinoffs: It’s Bachelor Nation, Baby. Everything has spinoffs.
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🎬 Bonus Review: The Marvels🚨 Spoiler Alert for the full movie (starting at 1:03:32) 🚨
- Where to Watch: It might still be in a few theaters, but you’ll have to hurry!
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🔗 Links: Peacock Hits 30M Subscribers; Comcast Exec Touts NBCUniversal as More Creator-Friendly Than Rivals – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * Verizon’s new Netflix and Max bundle costs $10 / month with ads – Emma Roth, The Verge * PlayStation To Delete A Ton Of TV Shows Users Already Paid For – Ethan Gach, Kotaku * Numlock News: December 4, 2023 • Godzilla, Garth Brooks, Lead Pipes – Walter Hickey, Numlock News * TV Ratings: ‘Golden Bachelor’ Finale Hits 32-Month Franchise High – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘Golden Bachelor’: Gerry Turner and Fiancée to Marry in Wedding Ceremony Airing Live on ABC – Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter * The Golden Bachelor is a morally corrupt nightmare – Emma Keates, A.V. Club * The Golden Bachelor’s Not-So-Golden Past – Suzanne O'Malley, The Hollywood Reporter*
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We’ve got sizzling Thanksgiving episode stuffed full of news, gossip, and… America’s favorite game show?!
- First: Will lackluster AI protections sink the SAG-AFTRA deal?
- Then we raise a glass to the latest victim of the streaming wars: Showtime Anytime.
- Speaking of Paramount-related news: IT’S DAILY SHOW HOST WATCH! (Second timers edition!)
- But wait, there’s more! Because after that we feast on an irresistible helping of David Zaslav news.
- And finally: We head the big (enough) screen and stream the new Netflix movie The Killer featuring Michael Fassbender as the titular assassin, framed by David Fincher’s direction.
All that, plus: Can you out-score Dianne on a post-strike edition of Renewed or Canceled?! We’ve got 12 shows across TV and streaming that have been hanging in the balance for months now. (Spoilers in the links below!)
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📺 Review: The Killer (Movie)🚨 Light spoilers only! (starting at 51:10) 🚨
- Where to Watch: Netflix
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🔗 Links: SAG-AFTRA’s new contract hinges on studios acting responsibly with AI – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Actors’ AI Protections Are a Step Forward, But There’s Reason to Worry – Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter * How David Zaslav Blew Up Hollywood – Jonathan Mahler, James B. Stewart, Benjamin Mullin, The New York Times * Behind CNN Turmoil, a Series of Shattered Friendships – James B. Stewart, Benjamin Mullin, The New York Times * Congressman Slams Warner Bros. for Canceling ‘Coyote vs. Acme,’ Calls for Federal Investigation – James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter * Warner Bros. Changes 'Coyote vs Acme' Decision After Filmmakers Rebel – Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter * What's Warner Bros. Discovery's next move? David Zaslav and John Malone offer clues – Alex Sherman, CNBC * The Killer review: David Fincher shoots to thrill – Brent Simon, A.V. Club * ‘The Bear’ Renewed for Season 3 – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * Elle Fanning Speaks Out Following ‘The Great’ Cancellation: “I Discovered Parts of Myself I Didn’t Know” – Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘Young Sheldon’ to End With Season 7 on CBS – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * Kaley Cuoco's 'Based on a True Story' Renewed for Season 2 on Peacock – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘The Boys’ Spinoff ‘Gen V’ Renewed at Amazon – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * Freeform’s Animated Comedy ‘Praise Petey’ Canceled – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘Welcome to Flatch’ Canceled at Fox – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘The Rookie: Feds’ Canceled at ABC – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘Futurama’ Lands Two-Season Renewal at Hulu – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * Futurama got renewed, so you can expect 30 more episodes on Hulu – Emma Roth, The Verge * 'iCarly' Sequel Canceled at Paramount+ – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘Fatal Attraction,’ ‘Rabbit Hole’ Canceled at Paramount+ – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter*
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Our long national nightmare is finally over!
(Are we referring to the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike or the Loki finale? You’ll have to listen to find out!)
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📺 Review: Loki Finale🚨 Spoiler Alert: All Episodes of Loki, also the last Ant Man movie, also probably some other Marvel stuff (starting at 20:49) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 2 (All Episodes Available)
- Where to Watch: Disney+
- Spinoffs: If a Spinoff is a Spinoff of a Spinoff is it actually called a Spinsoff?
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🔗 Links: The Screen Actors Guild’s strike-ending deal has entered its final step – Wes Davis, The Verge * So, what the heck did SAG-AFTRA actually get from all that striking? – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Disney will start testing a combined Disney Plus and Hulu app next month – Emma Roth, The Verge * Previously: Disney will bring Hulu content into Disney Plus and raise its ad-free prices – Emma Roth, The Verge * Marvel's The Marvels opens at the top of the weekend box office, and let’s leave it at that – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * Reports of The Marvels being good have not been greatly exaggerated – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * MacGuffin – Wikipedia * Yeah, that's probably it for Loki – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Loki’s season 2 finale dug deep to find a meaning in all of Marvel’s madness – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Loki Season-Finale Recap: This Is the Bad Place – Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture * Loki season 2 finale: Loki ends, surprisingly perfectly – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Previously: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ End-Credits Scenes Tease Future MCU Villains – Sydney Odman, The Hollywood Reporter*
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It’s a big week for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (but please don’t make us call it that), and we’re celebrating with a deep dive into Loki ahead of this Thursday’s finale that seems destined to set up the next phase of Avengers mayhem (whether we like it or not).
We’ll be back in your feeds next week with our thoughts on the season finale, but that’s not the only Marvel-ing in the news: After months of reshoots and delays The Marvels hits theaters this weekend and promises to reunite us with some of our favorite characters from the Disney+ series WandaVision and Ms. Marvel (if only we can remember those long-ago shows).
We’ll dive deep into the interconnected Marvel mess and discuss whether the company’s new “Spotlight” branding for more standalone series will chart a new path forward.
But first! We’re asking the hard questions that the streaming universe refuses to answer:
- Just how much is a Hulu worth these days? (Disney is about to find out!)
- What’s going on with the forbidden episode of Bluey?
- Who has the better strategy to jam ads in our eyes: Netflix or Amazon?
- Why is YouTube willing to lose over a billion dollars a year just to carry NFL Sunday ticket?
- And should Marvel arch-villain Kang be replaced?? (Spoiler alert: Yes!)
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📺 Review: Loki (Season 2)🚨 Spoiler Alert: All Episodes through Season 2, Episode 5 (starting at 46:45) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 2 (Season In Progress)
- Renewal Status: Doomed to set up another movie
- Where to Watch: Disney+
- Season Finale Premiers: Thursday, November 9
- Spinoffs: It’s more like an ouroboros at this point (get it?)
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🔗 Links: Disney to acquire remaining stake in Hulu for expected $8.6 billion – Oliver Darcy, CNN * In a first, Marvel’s Echo is coming to both Disney Plus and Hulu at the same time – Alex Cranz, The Verge * I watched the forbidden episode of Bluey that Disney refuses to stream – Oli Welsh, Polygon * Netflix’s ad-supported plan will reward binge watchers with ad-free episodes – Emma Roth, The Verge * Fire TV banner ads are about to get worse – Jared Newman, Tech Hive * YouTube's NFL Sunday Ticket Faces $1.27 Billion in Annual Losses – Anthony Crupi, Sportico * Numlock News: November 6, 2023 • Sunken Treasure, Leap Seconds, Blizzard – Walter Hickey, Numlock News * NFL TV Partners in Bind Despite Massive Ratings, Record Ad Rates – Anthony Crupi, Sportico * Marvel’s new Spotlight branding will help you cut through the MCU’s noise – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Inside Marvel's Jonathan Majors Problem: 'The Marvels' Reshoots, More – Tatiana Siegel, Variety * In Marvel we no longer trust – Alex Cranz, The Verge * Echo to launch new Marvel Studios label with less emphasis on "larger MCU continuity" – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * Disney hires Loki's Benson and Morehead to try to fix its busted Daredevil show – William Hughes, A.V. Club*
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1990s Pacific Northwest radio icon Dr. Frasier Crane is back, but is the new Boston-set reboot of Frasier really listening to what viewers want? We’ll share some of our favorite classic Frasiers and compare them to the new Paramount+ reboot (which, like the sherry at a Bean Town bar, we found… questionable).
But first!
- Chris shares his love of CNN Max (he’s aware this makes him a middle aged man now, thanks for asking!)
- The Daily Show announces more guest hosts (including some returning favorites!)
- Dianne learns the difference between Space Whales and Earth Whales (it’s a sci-fi thing!)
- Price hikes at both Netflix and Disney+ leave Chris and Dianne wondering how much spaceships and comic books are really worth these days…
- …and it turns out Marvel is asking itself the same thing?? We’ll explain!
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🥗 Review: Frasier (2023)🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 3 Episodes 🚨
- Where to Watch: Paramount+
- New Episodes Release: Weekly, on Thursdays
- Spinoffs: Yes, it is.
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🍳 Bonus Review: Frasier (1993)🚨 Spoiler Alert for… oh come on, it’s Frasier! 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 11
- Where to Watch: Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu!
- Spinoffs: Yes, it is.
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🔗 Links: CNN's New Streaming Counterpart Features A Big Chunk of Linear Schedule – Brian Steinberg, Variety * Here are your Daily Show guest hosts for the fall – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club * Hasan Minhaj reportedly out of contention for the Daily Show gig – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Here comes another Netflix price hike – Emma Roth, The Verge * Netflix subscribers surge as company announces price hikes in some regions – Alexandra Canal, Yahoo! Finance * Netflix is planning to launch retail destinations in 2025 – Andrew Webster, The Verge * ‘Daredevil’ Hits Reset Button as Marvel Overhauls Its TV Business – Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter * Marvel’s TV experiment wasn’t a failure—until Marvel decided it was – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * Disney reveals size of ESPN's biz for the first time – Sara Fischer, Axios * 'Frasier' Best Episodes Ranked – LaToya Ferguson, Variety * 21 Frasier Episodes That Defined Its Beloved Original Run – Bethy Squires, Vulture * Frasier and Niles Were Supposed to Open a Theater Together – Devon Ivie, Vulture * Why Frasier Needs Longer Seasons (and a Network Home) – Josef Adalian, Vulture * Oops we forgot this one last time: Why Did The Golden Bachelor Have to Be Like This? – Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture*
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We’re celebrating the end of the WGA strike with a tribute to some of the most emotionally manipulative creative fiction on TV: The Golden Bachelor.
But first we’re wrapping up the big strike settlement, catching up on the return of late night TV, and sharing our streaming advice for YOU in an autumn edition of Add? Keep? Cancel?!
Join us as we bravely enter the Bachelor-verse, even though we’re generally Bachelor-averse!
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📺 Review: The Golden Bachelor🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes 🚨
- Where to Watch Live: ABC (Thursdays at 8 PM Eastern)
- Where to Stream: Next Day on Hulu
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🔗 Links: How the Writers Deal Got Done: Inside the Room – Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter * Netflix is planning to raise prices... again – Emma Roth, The Verge * Amazon is sticking ads in Prime Video shows and movies unless you pay more – Jess Weatherbed, The Verge * Paramount turned Mean Girls into a Quibi to celebrate October 3, reportedly skirt residuals – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club * Jimmy, Jimmy, and Stephen also returned, more or less as normal – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * Roy Wood Jr. says he's leaving 'The Daily Show' but he doesn't hold a grudge – Eric Deggans, NPR * Roy Wood Jr. Exits Daily Show Amid Host Search – Brian Steinberg, Variety * Roy Wood Jr. is leaving The Daily Show – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * 'Suits' Breaks Nielsen's All-Time Overall Streaming Record – Denise Petski, Deadline * Frasier director James Burrows doesn't know if sitcoms have a future – Emma Keates, A.V. Club * Well, here are the candidates for The Golden Bachelor – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club*
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The rumors are true… Fall is here! And we’re celebrating with an Oktoberfest-themed German show swap: Babylon Berlin and Deutschland 83.
Plus: Is this the future of cable?!
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📺 Review: Babylon Berlin🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 4
- Renewal Status: Renewed
- Where to Watch: Netflix
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📺 Review: Deutschland 83🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes 🚨
- Where to Watch: Hulu
- Sequels: Deutschland 86 & Deutschland 89
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🔗 Links: Old Yellowstone still tastes pretty good to 6.6 million viewers – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club * Max to Add Sports Tier for $10 Per Month After Promo Period, Launching in Time for MLB Playoffs – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * Cable’s Biggest Hit? A Paramount+ Show From 2021 – Josef Adalian, Vulture * The cable bundle of the future is officially here – Alex Cranz, The Verge * Loki’s second season will debut a day early – Jay Peters, The Verge*
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We’re teaming up and uncovering all the secrets inside the House of Mouse: From the drama over Bob Iger’s bathroom (really!) to the mysterious disappearance of ESPN and other Disney-owned channels for Charter and Spectrum cable customers. (We even have the latest details on the last-minute deal they struck on Monday!)
Plus: Why is Comcast eagerly moving up the Hulu sale? What does Brian Roberts know that we don’t?? And is it the identity of Ben Glenroy’s killer?!
Yes, we’re also digging into season 3 of Only Murders in the Building, which just passed the halfway point and is turning into quite the whodunit. Except this season one of the whos who might’ve dunit is none other than Meryl Streep. What does her celebrity star power do to the carefully-balanced gravity of our beloved Hulu comedy? Listen through to the end of the episode to find out our opinions on "the Meryl of it all" and our predictions about the identity of the latest killer stalking the halls of the Arconia.
But first! Join us as we…
- Catch up on the Hollywood strikes!
- Discuss Rolling Stone’s bombshell piece about the toxic culture at Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show.
- And pour one out for Quibi (again!).
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📺 Review: Only Murders in the Building (Season 3) 🚨 Spoiler Alert: All Episodes through Season 3, Episode 6 (starting at 41:23) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 3 (Season In Progress)
- Where to Watch: Hulu
- When to Watch: New episodes release Tuesdays
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🔗 Links: * Roku turns to layoffs (again) and removes streaming content to cut costs – Chris Welch, The Verge * Roku Channel Content Removals Target Originals Unpopular With Viewers – Todd Spangler, Variety * SAG-AFTRA is seeking authorization to strike against the video game companies, now, too – William Hughes, A.V. Club * 'One Piece' Season 2 Scripts Are Finished, Producers Say – Jennifer Maas, Variety * Warner Bros. TV suspends high-profile development deals, because studios don't want to pay anyone – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * AMC cuts a separate deal to keep filming Walking Dead and Interview With The Vampire – William Hughes, A.V. Club * In a bid to build buzz, a whole lot of AMC shows are coming to Max ad-free – Wes Davis, The Verge * Inside Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show: 16 Staffers Allege Erratic Behavior – Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone * Jimmy Fallon Apologizes to ‘Tonight Show’ Staff Following “Toxic Workplace” Accusations – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * Marvel delays Agatha, What If...?, Echo, and X-Men '97 – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Comcast and Disney Move Up Hulu Sale Talks to September 2023 – Jennifer Maas, Variety * ESPN’s standalone streaming channel is included in Charter and Disney’s new deal – Emma Roth, The Verge * Disney and Charter reach deal to end cable blackout, expand access to streaming services – Lillian Rizzo, CNBC * Disney Says Charter Dispute Is Driving A 60% Increase In Hulu + Live TV Subscriptions – Dade Hayes, Deadline * Disney's wildest ride: Iger, Chapek and the making of an epic succession mess – Alex Sherman, CNBC * Bob Iger and Bob Chapek’s CEO battle made Disney the pettiest place on Earth – Emma Roth, The Verge
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We’re back from our hot streaming summer vacation and ready for a sweaty (and depressing) streaming fall! We’ll summon some laughs with our review of FX stalwart What We Do in the Shadows (wrapping its fifth season this week!) and try our best to conjure some good news after a bleak August.
But first! Get excited for a surprise round of Renewed or Canceled?! (Discouraging Vibes ONLY Edition) and a deep dive into the existential questions plaguing the streaming universe:
- What exactly will be airing on network TV this fall? And just how many of those things are Bachelor-themed?
- What’s the deal with the price hikes at Disney+ and Hulu? Listen in as we struggle to understand our options in real time!
- And speaking of Disney: What are they going to do with ESPN?!
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📺 Review: What We Do in the Shadows (Season 5) 🚨 Light Spoilers for this Vampire Comedy (starting at 26:15) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 5 (Season Finale This Week)
- Where to Watch: FX (Next Day on Hulu)
- Where to Stream Past Seasons: Hulu
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🔗 Links: * Fall TV Season Is Looking Mel Gibson-Bleak, and It’ll Only Get Worse – Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone * Dune: Part 2 delayed into 2024 as studios really start to panic – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * The Golden Bachelor takes over Grey's Anatomy's ancestral timeslot – Emma Keates, A.V. Club * Disney Plus and Hulu are about to get even more expensive – Chris Welch, The Verge * How ESPN Went From Disney’s Financial Engine to Its Problem – Kevin Draper, Brooks Barnes, The New York Times * Walt Disney Pictures VFX Workers Move to Unionize – Jazz Tangcay, Variety * 'The Idol' Canceled: The Weeknd/Sam Levinson Series Won't Get Season 2 – Selome Hailu, Variety * 'A League Of Their Own' Canceled: No Second & Final Season On Amazon – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * A League Of Their Own and The Peripheral both just got their second seasons yanked away by Amazon – William Hughes, A.V. Club * 'Nautilus' UK Series Not Going Forward At Disney+ – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline
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We’re sharing life lessons this week with our favorite episodes of HBO’s How To With John Wilson (now in its third and final season) plus the inaugural edition of our new segment that helps you make the most of your streaming budget: Add / Keep / Cancel (like F@%& / Marry / Kill, but for streaming!).
But wait, there’s more! Because we’re digging into the Animayhem at Hulu, and playing America’s favorite game— with a twist! Yes, it’s a special all-animation edition of Renewed or Canceled!
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📺 Review: How To With John Wilson 🚨 Light Spoiler Alerts for… 🚨
- How To Find a Public Restroom (S3 E1)
- How To Make the Perfect Risotto (S1 E6)
- How To Throw Out Your Batteries (S2 E4)
- Number of Seasons Overall: 3 (Season In Progress)
- Renewal Status: Ending
- Where to Watch: HBO (a.k.a. “The Max App”)
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🔗 Links: * BREAKING: WGA Negotiations to Resume on Friday with Studio Response – Gene Maddaus, Variety * RECENTLY: WGA & AMPTP Can’t Agree To Resume Negotiations; Strike To Go On Indefinitely – Peter White, Deadline * WGA Introduces New Health Care Demands That Could Prolong Strike – David Robb, Deadline * General Hospital is using scab writers, and it’s complicated – Ash Parrish, The Verge * WandaVision background actors say Disney scanned them, didn't say why – William Hughes, A.V. Club * With two strikes pummeling Hollywood, CBS pivots to Yellowstone for fall schedule – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club
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We’re swapping shows and spending a night streaming in each other’s shoes:
- Will Chris jive with sad jazz law procedural The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix?
- And will Dianne boldly go where no Dianne has gone before watching a sci-fi rom com episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+?
But first! In the predictably apocalyptic news:
- Comcast doesn’t want ESPN (we called it!) but maybe the sports leagues do?
- Marvel’s Secret Invasion was a bust, but Barbenheimer is a hit! What does that say about IP?
- Netflix is hiring a Quamputer expert in the midst of a double strike…
- … and speaking of the strike: Is Netflix really poised to outlast the competition? Or is their international strategy falling flat?
- Oh, and guess what? DVDs are back, baby! And we love to see it.
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🚙 Summer Show Swap: The Lincoln Lawyer 🚨 Extremely Light Spoilers for Season 1, Episode 1 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 2 (Season In Progress)
- Where to Watch: Netflix
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👽 Summer Show Swap: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 🚨 Extremely Light Spoilers for Season 2, Episode 5 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 2 (Season in Progress)
- Where to Watch: Paramount+
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🔗 Links: * Comcast Exec Shoots Down Possibility of ESPN Deal With Disney – Todd Spangler, Variety * Disney’s new vision for ESPN might include part ownership by the NBA, NFL – Emma Roth, The Verge * Paramount Plus is (kind of) saving Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies with a DVD and digital release – Emma Keates, A.V. Club * Netflix lists $900,000 AI job as actors and writers continue to strike – Lawrence Bonk, Engadget * Netflix Global Content Strategy May Not Pay Off as Hoped – Tyler Aquilina, VIP+ * Netflix just axed its basic ad-free plan in the US and UK – Emma Roth, The Verge * A theory on Netflix the killing ad-free Basic plan: The password sharing crackdown prompted mass downgrades and they panicked. US/Canada revenue is down from last quarter despite 1M+ new subscribers. – Jared Newman, Mastodon * 'Star Trek': Jonathan Frakes on Directing Next Generation, Lower Decks – Adam B. Vary, Variety
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We’re gathered in the Streamageddon war room with a clear-eyed (panicked), sober (not), and thoroughly researched (hastily googled) analysis of the shocking double strike that seems destined to paralyze TV and streaming productions for months to come. In less than 40 minutes we promise to (maybe) explain:
- Why Netflix might be willing to throw their “peers” in the AMPTP under the bus
- Which shows are still in production (and why!)
- Who stands to lose the most with the shift away from residuals
- And why that Black Mirror episode about AI CGI Annie Murphys was probably more accurate than we were willing to admit…
You’ll even learn why Ronald Reagan’s name was in the news again last week!
But that’s not even the only emergency-pod-worthy news we have for you!
- The Emmy nominations are here, they’re weird, and apparently we have to get used to calling The Bear a comedy now.
- Speaking of TV comedies: Wait, where did all the TV comedies go? And why aren’t any of them on NBC?
- At least ABC has Abbott Elementary… at least until Disney’s Bob Iger says something ominous that gets us asking our favorite question-slash-segment: “What’s That, Bob?”
Also, we have an extremely legitimate pitch for John Oliver to buy The Disney Channel. (Just hear us out, Bob!)
Finally, we’ll lighten the mood with two spoiler-free streaming recommendations!
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🔗 Links: * Actors say Hollywood studios want their AI replicas — for free, forever – Andrew Webster, The Verge * Hollywood Studios Anticipate Writers Strike Lasting Until October – Dominic Patten, Deadline * The Dune prequel series is still zigzagging forward during the strike – Emma Keates, A.V. Club * 'House of the Dragon' Can Continue Filming Due to U.K. Union Rules – Manori Ravindran, Variety * The CW’s Jesus show resurrected amid actors strike – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * Emmy voters desperately need to watch more television – Saloni Gajjar, A.V. Club * Are TV Comedies Disappearing? 2023 Emmy Nominations, Commentary – Dave Nemetz, TV Line * Under Susan Rovner, NBC Universal Lost Its Voice – Daniel D'Addario, Variety
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Hollywood is in turmoil but what does that mean for your fall streaming?! We’re digging into the upheaval with a super-sized round of Renewed or Canceled?! that will leave you screaming… and then apologizing to the people around you for screaming (tell them to subscribe!).
Then we’re digging into the show of the summer: The Bear.
Join us for some hospitality, won’t you?
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📺 Review: The Bear (Season 2) 🚨 Spoiler Alert: All Episodes through Season 2, Episode 10 (starting at 34:46) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 2 (All Episodes Available)
- Where to Watch: Hulu
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🔗 Links: * ‘The Other Two’ Ending at Max Amid HR Complaints – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * The Other Two is the funniest, timeliest show on TV right now – Saloni Gajjar, A.V. Club * HBO's 'A Black Lady Sketch Show' Will Not Return for Season 5 – Angelique Jackson, Variety * 'Single Drunk Female' Cancellation Proves Millennials Are Left Behind – Samantha Bergeson, indiewire.com * 'Single Drunk Female,' 'The Watchful Eye' Canceled at Freeform – BreAnna Bell, Variety * Hulu to Remove ‘Alaska Daily,’ ‘The Company You Keep’ as Content Purge Continues – Lucas Manfredi, thewrap.com * The Super Mario Bros. Movie will start streaming on Peacock in August – Jay Peters, The Verge * GQ Editor Who Pulled David Zaslav Story Producing Movie for WB – Tatiana Siegel, Variety * GQ pulls article slamming Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Zaslav after complaint – Will Sommer, The Washington Post * Max begins fixing its ‘disrespectful’ creator credits – Jess Weatherbed, The Verge * One of Disney's latest streaming movies had a shelf life of about 7 weeks – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * Pretty Much Everyone Was Dying to Guest-Star on The Bear – Jen Chaney, Vulture * The Bear season 2 should have been a weekly release – Saloni Gajjar, A.V. Club
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Black Mirror is back, but in a truly shocking twist: One of us has never watched it! We’ll rewind time to 2011 and compare the original season 1 premier (“The National Anthem”) with the star-studded season 6 kickoff (“Joan is Awful”). Plus: Chris shares some of his favorite episodes from past seasons (no spoilers!) to help you find the perfect Black Mirror entry point for everyone in your streaming life.
But first! A dizzying trip through the headlines:
- Paramount+ pulls a “Max” and purges everything from Amy Schumer to Star Trek…
- … and purges their cheapest ad-free plan along the way (But hey, at least you get whatever’s left of Showtime included now!)
- Netflix tells new Canadian customers “No cheap ad-free tier for you, either!”
- Warner Brothers Discovery casually threatens to murder classic films
- And Wheel! Of! Fortune!
☀️ All that and more on a particularly summery Streamageddon. ☀️
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📺 Review: Black Mirror 🚨 Spoiler Alert: All Episodes through Season 6, Episode 1 (But it’s an anthology, so don’t panic!) (starting at 25:06) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 6 (All Episodes Available)
- Where to Watch: Netflix
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🔗 Links: * Fran Drescher Talks SAG-AFTRA Strike On ‘GMA’: Making Headway “In Some Areas”, But “In Some Areas We’re Not” – David Robb, Deadline * Wheel Of Fortune keeps on turning, gets new U.S. and U.K. hosts – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * Graham Norton to Host 'Wheel of Fortune' U.K. Reboot on ITV, ITVX – Naman Ramachandran, Variety * Netflix drops its cheapest ad-free plan in Canada – Emma Roth, The Verge * Paramount Plus just increased the price of its cheapest plan – Emma Roth, The Verge * TCM Fans Are Right to Worry – Josef Adalian, Vulture * Scorsese, Spielberg, P.T. Anderson on Turner Classic Movies – Zoe Guy, Vulture * Warner Bros. Signs Deal for AI-Driven Film Management System (Exclusive) – Tatiana Siegel, The Hollywood Reporter * Warner Bros. Discovery reportedly looks to unload half of its music catalog – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club * Star Trek: Prodigy, Rise Of The Pink Ladies, and more series canceled, to be removed from Paramount Plus – Saloni Gajjar, A.V. Club * Star Trek: Prodigy Has Been Cancelled—and Will Be Removed From Paramount+ – Cheryl Eddy, Gizmodo * Inside Amy Schumer among second round of series gutted by Paramount Plus – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * Showtime gets its HBO on, removes exclusive shows from its streaming platforms – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club
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BREAKING NEWS: Less than 12 hours after we said “yeah but they probably won’t fire him this week…” CNN CEO Chris Licht was driven to a beautiful farm upstate by WaBro Disco CEO David Zaslav. The Hollywood Reporter has a full obituary of the Chris Licht era.
We also apparently summoned the cancellation of I Love That For You on Showtime, so rest assured: We’re back from vacation and more cursed than ever before!
Join us for a trip through the latest strike news, the existential cringe at CNN, and some shows on MAX that you’ll actually enjoy watching (if you can ever find them in that garbage interface). And as a bonus: We score our TV Tarot predictions after the Succession finale! (Spoiler alert: We’re more Kendall than Tom, if you know what we mean.)
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📺 Review: Clone High 🚨 Spoiler Alert: All Episodes through Season 2, Episode 3 (starting at 34:02) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 2 seasons, 20 years apart (and confusingly separate entries with identical names in the MAX app)
- Where to Watch: MAX (or is it “max” all lower case? WHO KNOWS!)
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📺 Review: The Other Two 🚨 Spoiler Alert for All Episodes through Season 3, Episode 6 (starting at 47:08) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 3 Seasons
- Where to Watch: MAX (or “max”, your choice!)
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📺 BONUS: Succession (Final Thoughts!) 🚨 Spoiler Alert for All Episodes (starting at 1:11:04) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 4 Seasons
- Where to Watch: StarGo
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🔗 Links: * 'I Love That For You' Canceled at Showtime – J. Kim Murphy, Variety * Directors Guild Reaches Tentative Deal With Studios and Streamers – Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter * Deadpool 3 has started filming—and Ryan Reynolds isn't allowed to improvise – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Thunderbolts becomes latest Marvel movie to be hit by writers’ strike – Jon Porter, The Verge * This Max credits thing is apparently gonna be a big, stupid mess to fix – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Inside the Meltdown at CNN – Tim Alberta, The Atlantic * Devastating profile dogs CNN boss Chris Licht – Mike Allen, Axios * Chaos looms over CNN – Sara Fischer, Axios * CNN drama, Act 2: Zucker's revenge – Mike Allen, Axios
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The fall TV lineup is taking shape and it’s looking bleak if you’re a fan of… scripts. We’ll have the latest on the WGA strike, plus some big reveals from the biggest streamers:
- Disney loves Hulu (and ads)
- ~~HBO~~ Max loves bundles (and ads)
- And Netflix just loves ads!
Speaking of ads, we’re diving into the FAST-paced world of Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV with Amazon Freevee and the charmingly odd original series Jury Duty.
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📺 Review: Jury Duty🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes (starting at 33:00) 🚨
- Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 2
- Where to Watch: Amazon Freevee (all episodes streaming)
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🔗 Links: ABC Unveils Strike-Proof Fall 2023 Schedule – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * ABC debuts a fall lineup almost completely devoid of writers – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * The CW Sets Acquisition-Heavy 2023-24 Schedule – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * Jimmy Fallon's Staff Being Put On 'Unpaid Leave Of Absence' During Writers Strike – Marina Fang, HuffPost * Disney's planning an (optional) app that will smoosh Disney+ and Hulu together – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Hulu and Disney+ Content to Be Combined In One App, Services Stay Apart – Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter * 'Only Murders In The Building' Gets Premiere Date On Hulu – Denise Petski, Deadline * 'Loki' Season 2, 'Echo' Set Premiere Dates for Disney+ – Adam B. Vary, Variety * Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav: It’s Time to Bundle More Streaming Services Together – Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter * Warner Bros Discovery Posts Wider Loss In Q1, But Notes "Meaningful Turn" Toward Streaming Profitability A Year Ahead Of Schedule – Dade Hayes, Deadline * Almost 5 million people are using Netflix’s ad tier – Jess Weatherbed, The Verge * The future of streaming is ads – David Pierce, The Verge * These are the FAST services you need to know about – Emma Roth, The Verge * Tears of the Kingdom sold 10 million copies in just three days – Ash Parrish, The Verge*
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The Writers Guild of America is on strike demanding a more equitable deal for streaming rights and we’re here with the entirely biased news and analysis you deserve as a true connoisseur of streaming. Coincidentally (really!) we’re reviewing the $300 million Russo Brothers spy series Citadel that just premiered on Amazon Prime Video. (Spoiler alert: We think there are better ways to spend $300 million.)
Plus:
- We’ll take a look at which shows are immediately impacted by the strike.
- Roy Wood Jr. hosts the White House Correspondents Dinner.
- The Super Mario streaming story gets Super Confusing… again.
- And, oh yeah, the head of NBC got fired in a scandal that tangentially involves Vladimir Putin and somehow that’s not the biggest story of the week.
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📺 Review: Citadel🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes (starting at 40:53) 🚨
- Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 2
- Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video (Streaming Weekly)
- Spinoffs: Several reportedly in the works
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📼 Rewind Review: The Night Agent🚨 Spoiler Alert for ALL EPISODES (starting at 1:00:38) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 2
- Where to Watch: Netflix
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🔗 Links: Roy Wood, Jr. COMPLETE REMARKS at 2023 White House Correspondents' Dinner (C-SPAN) – YouTube * Writers Strike Picket Lines Day 2: Bowen Yang, Krista Vernoff, Michael Schur, Cynthia Nixon – Sean Piccoli, Deadline * Hollywood execs scrambling for response to writers strike literally everyone saw coming – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Writers Strike: TV Shows Affected Include Night Court, Cobra Kai – Denise Petski, Deadline * Writers Strike Shuts Down Late-Night Shows After WGA Talks With Studios Fail – Peter White, Deadline * Hollywood writers are striking over low wages caused by streaming boom – Jess Weatherbed, The Verge * Directors Guild Set To Fight For More Global Streaming Residuals In Contract Talks – David Robb, Deadline * The Super Mario Bros. Movie has made a cool $1 billion – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * The Mario Movie's Digital Launch Has Been Indefinitely Delayed – Josh Coulson, thegamer.com * NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell Firing Involved an Affair, Egos and Putin – Tatiana Siegel, Variety*
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You might lose sleep over this meaty episode, because we’re digging into the 2 hottest new shows on Netflix this week: The Night Agent and BEEF. They’re both dominating dominating the charts, but they couldn’t have less in common. We’ll tell you why we’re obsessed with both of them and what their success says about Netflix’s ever-evolving strategy.
Speaking of Netflix… We picked apart the news from the company’s Q1 earnings call and (spoiler alert for your old roommates!) learned that the password crackdown is coming for U.S. customers any day now. But in a twist worthy of The Night Agent we also discovered a shocking truth: Netflix’s Basic with Ads plan might actually be… good now?!
Plus the latest on the looming Hollywood writers strike and, after months of anticipation, Dianne delivers a special report on Netflix’s Nike training collab. That’s right, we’re breaking a sweat so you won’t have to.
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📺 Review: The Night Agent🚨 Spoiler Alert for First 3 Episodes (starting at 42:43) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Number of Episodes Overall: 10 (All Episodes Available)
- Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 2
- Where to Stream: Netflix
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📺 Review: BEEF🚨 Spoiler Alert for First 3 Episodes (starting at 58:17) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Number of Episodes Overall: 10 (All Episodes Available)
- Renewal Status: TBD
- Where to Watch: Netflix
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🔗 Links: As strike looms, The Bear, CSI: Vegas, and more TV writers tell us what it's really like behind the scenes – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * Love Is Blind Livestream Problem Explained by Netflix CEOs – Jennifer Maas, Variety * Netflix’s shares tumble as much as 12% as it struggles to attract new subscribers and stokes concerns that its big growth days are over – Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg (via Fortune) * Netflix delays its password-sharing crackdown to sometime before July – Emma Roth, The Verge * Downstream #42: The Sitcom-Industrial Complex – Relay FM * Netflix is shutting down its original DVD business after 25 years – Jay Peters, The Verge * Looking for Nike Fitness Classes on Netflix? Here's Everything You Need to Know About Nike Training Club – Amanda Richards, Tudum (The Netflix Blog) * 'The Night Agent' Creator Shawn Ryan Interview: Plot Twists & Season 2 Ideas – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * 'The Night Agent' Renewed For Season 2 By Netflix – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * The Night Agent Climbs To No. 6 On Netflix Most Popular List – Katie Campione, Deadline * Beef is the best show Netflix has had in recent memory – Alex Abad-Santos, Vox * Netflix Submits 'Beef' for Limited/Anthology Series Emmys: Steven Yeun – Clayton Davis, Variety * Beef's creator says he has three seasons planned for the Netflix series – Gabrielle Sanchez, A.V. Club*
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HBO Max is dead! Long live HBO… and, uh… Max! Just separately! But together! Also House Hunters is there! MAX!
(Don’t worry, we’ll explain.)
But first! Join us as we cruise through the week’s other big streaming stories sipping champagne with Conor and the gang (like the HBO loving coastal elite we know you are):
- The Mario Movie broke records, but finding it on streaming will only break your brain.
- WWE and UFC merged, but what will that mean for everyone’s favorite streaming bird: Peacock?
- Disney tries to reassure fans that Star Wars is definitely, maybe, probably going to make another movie…
- … and that they promise they won’t make us watch another season of Obi-Wan Kenobi (uhh… kind of a weird flex, but okay!).
- But no troubled franchise is troubled quite like Amazon’s The Rings of Power, which even fans struggled to finish. We’ll share the eye-popping details from Kim Masters at The Hollywood Reporter.
- Rumor has it the mad scientists at HBO are getting ready to invent prequel inception with a Game of Thrones prequel prequel…
- … but first we’re all taking a trip to Thailand with The White Lotus!
And, of course, we convene an emergency check-in after last weekend’s big episode of Succession.
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📺 Review: Succession (Emergency Check-In)🚨 Spoiler Alert for All Episodes through Season 4, Episode 3 (“Connor’s Wedding”) (starting at 34:20) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 4
- Renewal Status: Going out on top, y’all!
- Where to Watch: HBO, Sundays at 9 PM ET
- Where to Stream: HBO Max (Er, “MAX”)
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🔗 News Links: When The Super Mario Bros. Movie Starts Streaming – David Thompson, The Direct * UFC owner Endeavor to acquire WWE in $9.3 billion deal – Sara Fischer and Tim Baysinger, Axios * Kathleen Kennedy on 'Star Wars' Future, Daisy Ridley and Taika Waititi – Amon Warmann, Variety * Star Wars not "actively" working on Rian Johnson movies or Obi-Wan season 2, says Kathleen Kennedy – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Inside Amazon Studios: Big Swings Hampered by Confusion and Frustration – Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter * HBO is apparently considering another Game Of Thrones prequel, set before the other prequel – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * 'Game of Thrones' Prequel About Aegon's Conquest Eyed at HBO – Joe Otterson, Variety * 'White Lotus' Season 3 Location: New Season Will Be in Thailand – Ethan Shanfeld, Variety * ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3: Which Thailand Hotel Will Star? – Lisa Liebman, Architectural Digest * HBO Max Renamed Max With Discovery+ Merger; Price and Launch Date – Todd Spangler, Variety * Introducing Max - The One to Watch | Official Promo | Max – , YouTube * HBO’s Run as a Mass-Market Streaming Brand Comes to a Merciful End – Felix Gillette, Bloomberg * Newly minted "Max" announces a new Harry Potter series, a new Westeros series, and a whole lot more stuff – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * Colin Farrell goes full Tony Soprano in The Penguin teaser – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club * Max is charging more money for 4K, and that means it can’t suck this time – Alex Cranz, The Verge*
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🔗 Succession Links:Spoiler Alert, of course!
- How Brian Cox Felt About That Big Episode 3 Twist in ‘Succession’ – Austin Considine, The New York Times
- The Succession writers used "Larry David" as the code name for that big thing this week – Katie Chow, A.V. Club
- 'Succession' Season 4 Episode 3 Ratings: 2.5 Million Viewers – Selome Hailu, Variety
- Succession | Inside the Episode: Season 4, Episode 3 | HBO Max – , YouTube
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See that “Explicit” content rating? That can only mean one thing: The final season of Succession is here and we’re dissecting the first episode (F-bombs and all) before sharing our predictions for the show’s ultimate winners, losers, and slime puppies. 🥰
But first! It’s a big week for Disney news: There’s a royal showdown in Florida, Mickey snubs the Metaverse, and personnel shakeups rock Marvel. But the real drama in the house of mouse? It’s the fate of Hulu, which might turn out to be a victim of its own success…
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📺 Review: Succession (Season 4 Premier)🚨 Spoiler Alert: All Episodes through Season 4, Episode 1 (starting at 33:12) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 4 (Season In Progress)
- Renewal Status: Going out on top, baby!
- Where to Watch: HBO, Sundays at 9 PM ET
- Where to Stream: HBO Max
- Spinoffs: Yes, please!
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🔗 Links: Disney’s Rock (ESPN) & Hard Place (Hulu) - 500ish – M.G. Siegler, 500ish.com * Netflix announces that Arrested Development isn't going anywhere, actually – William Hughes, A.V. Club * How I Met Your Father is coming to regular television – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * Disney's Reedy Creek Board Vote "Completely Circumvents" DeSantis' Authority – Tom Tapp, Deadline * Disney reportedly eliminates metaverse division in first round of layoffs – Jon Porter, The Verge * Marvel Entertainment Chairman Ike Perlmutter Let Go At Studio – Anthony D’Alessandro, Deadline * The Saga of Victoria Alonso's Firing From Marvel Studios Heats Up – Germain Lussier, Gizmodo * Jonathan Majors Charged With Assault and Harassment – Rebecca Rubin, Variety * The hive is strong: Yellowjackets' season opener is Showtime's most-streamed premiere ever – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club * Peacock adds 'Morning Joe' and 'Squawk Box' – Alex Sherman, Twitter * ‘Succession’ Season 4 Episode 1 Hits Series High Ratings – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter*
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After over a decade off the air the comedy Party Down is back, but can it still serve the laughs? (First you’re going to have to figure out how to give STARZ your $3 to tune in, but we’ll get you caught up in meantime!)
Plus: Peacock doubles down on the success of Poker Face by reminding us that they’ve got plenty of Monk to tide you over until season 2 of the Natasha Lyonne hit. Oh, and maybe they’re threatening to kill off Monk in a new Monk movie? No biggie.
Speaking of movies: What the heck is going on with Netflix’s movie strategy and why don’t they want spend $180 million on the new Nancy Meyers romcom? (But $150 million was totally cool, obvi.)
And HBO celebrates another breakout hit with The Last of Us surpassing House of the Dragon, but that’s not enough to make Disney+ pay to keep streaming HBO’s content in India.
Wait, why is Disney streaming HBO’s content in India? Where’s MAX in all this mess? Someone get us David Zaslav, STAT! (And while we have his attention could he greenlight our Barry spinoff starring NoHo Hank?)
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📺 Review: Party Down🚨 Spoiler Alert: The first 3 episodes of Season 3, plus assorted spoilers from Seasons 1 & 2 (starting at 24:30) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 3 (Season In Progress)
- Where to Watch: STARZ
- Where to Stream Past Seasons: Hulu
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🔗 Links: Great news, Shalhoubophiles: Monk is getting a revival movie on Peacock – William Hughes, A.V. Club * ‘The Last of Us’ Passes ‘House of the Dragon’ in Full-Season Viewers – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * 'Gattaca' TV Series in Development at Showtime – Joe Otterson, Variety * Barry Season 4 | Official Teaser – YouTube * HBO’s ‘Barry’ Ending With Season 4 – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * Bill Hader Explains Why Season 4 of ‘Barry’ Will Be Its Last – Kate Aurthur, Variety * Soon, not streaming on Disney+ Hotstar: HBO content – Manish Singh, TechCrunch * Netflix Offloads Inheritance, House/Wife as Filmmakers Shop Projects – Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter * Netflix Pulls Plug Ways With Nancy Meyers Next Project – Justin Kroll, Deadline * Party Down’s new season says hustle culture is a scam – Alissa Wilkinson, Vox * How Party Down became a cult phenomenon – Saloni Gajjar, A.V. Club * ‘Party Down’ Is Back. Did You R.S.V.P.? – Alexis Soloski, The New York Times*
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There’s the threat of a writers strike looming over Hollywood, so this week we invited the new Bing chatbot to join us in the hopes of befriending our new cloud-based creative overlords. Take it away, Bing!
"Hello, this is Bing. Welcome to Streamageddon, the podcast where we review everything streaming and TV. In this episode, we’ll take a look at two mid-season network sitcoms: Not Dead Yet on ABC and American Auto on NBC.
"But that’s not all. We’ll also check in on the guest hosts at The Daily Show, discuss the impending end of Succession, try to explain Paramount’s new pricing strategy and play America’s favorite game: Renewed or Canceled?!
"You don’t want to miss this episode of Streamageddon!"
(Check out the bonus segment at the end of the episode where we fact check Bing!)
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📺 Review: Not Dead Yet🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes (starting at 48:36) 🚨
- Renewal Status: Not Announced
- Where to Watch: ABC
- Where to Stream: Hulu
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📺 Review: American Auto🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes of Season 2 (starting at 1:02:19) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 2
- Renewal Status: Not Announced
- Where to Watch: NBC
- Where to Stream: Peacock
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🔗 Links: Paramount Plus will go up in price when it combines with Showtime – Emma Roth, The Verge * Here's why Warner Bros. is suing the South Park guys and Paramount for $200 million – William Hughes, A.V. Club * 'The Daily Show' guest hosts (so far): Why Leslie Jones soared and D.L. Hughley sank – Eric Deggans, NPR * Get set for March TV madness – Saloni Gajjar, Matt Schimkowitz, Tim Lowery, Mary Kate Carr, Jen Lennon, Cindy White, A.V. Club * Pilot Season 2023: Volume Takes Another Dive Amid Looming Strike – Peter White, Deadline * Glass Onion is getting a director’s commentary on Netflix today – Andrew Webster, The Verge * Don't sleep on NBC sitcoms American Auto and Grand Crew – Saloni Gajjar, A.V. Club * TV Ratings: ‘Magnum P.I.’ Drops in NBC Debut, ‘Not Dead Yet’ Gets Big Streaming Boost – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * Two birds with one stone: Disney cancels The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers and Big Shot – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club * Goodbye, Goldbergs: ABC sitcom ending with tenth season – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * Warner Bros. cancels Judge Mathis and burns down The People's Court – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Judge Mathis is already getting a new TV show – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * David Fincher confirms that Mindhunter was too expensive for Netflix to want more – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * Succession is ending later this year – William Hughes, A.V. Club*
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Rian Johnson’s Poker Face is a sly new case-of-the-week detective series anchored by Natasha Lyonne’s performance as Charlie Cale, a woman on the run with one special skill: She can always tell when someone is lying. Oh, and everywhere she goes someone seems to die. Thankfully the lie thing usually helps her solve the murders, so it all works out in the end!
The series is arguably Peacock’s first bonafide hit, but is it any good? We unpack the pros and cons of the show’s throwback format: Inspired by classics like Columbo and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (classics, I say!) each episode of Poker Face reveals the murderer at the start of the episode and asks us to watch Charlie try to piece it together.
Plus! We check-in on The Last of Us and answer these burning questions about the streaming universe:
- Why is Paramount+ absorbing Showtime and who chose the service’s terrible new name?
- Why is Discovery+ not being absorbed into HBO Max anymore? (Except it still sort of is, but then what does that mean??)
- How many Billiions spinoffs is too many Billions spinoffs?
- Is anyone actually going to pay for Peacock?!
- And speaking of money: How much could one banana cost, Michael? Ten dollars? (Apparently too much for Netflix! We’ll explain…)
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📺 Review: Poker Face🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 4 Episodes (starting at 35:47) 🚨
- Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 2
- Where to Watch: Peacock
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📺 Check-In: The Last of Us🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 5 Episodes (starting at 56:13) 🚨
- Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 2
- Where to Watch: HBO/HBO Max
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🔗 Links: Get ready for a lot more Poker Face – Katie Chow, A.V. Club * Review: ‘Poker Face’ Is the Best New Detective Show of 1973 – James Poniewozik, The New York Times * There's never been a better time to watch Columbo – Gabrielle Sanchez, A.V. Club * Showtime gets its HBO on, removes exclusive shows from its streaming platforms – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club * Showtime to be swallowed up by Paramount Plus, and shows are already getting canceled – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * Discovery+ Now Expected to Survive as Stand-Alone Streaming Service as HBO Max Expands – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘Night Court’ Renewed For Season 2 At NBC – Rosy Cordero, Deadline * Netflix orders a second season of That '90s Show – William Hughes, A.V. Club * 'Arrested Development' Seasons 1-5 Leaving Netflix In March 2023 – Drew Ryan, whats-on-netflix.com * NBCU Ends Peacock Free Tier for New Users – Todd Spangler, Variety * Comcast Xfinity Subs Losing Free Peacock Premium Summer 2023 – Todd Spangler, Variety * Marvel's Kevin Feige talks Phase 5, Kang, and the future of the MCU – Devan Coggan, EW.com * Teasing season 2 of The Last Of Us, Bella Ramsey tells homophobic viewers to "get used to" gay people – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club*
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This week we’re coming at you with a double feature of deja vu starring a pair of reboots: Night Court (NBC/Peacock) and That 90s Show (Netflix).
Do these spiritual successors capture the essence of their original runs? And honestly, should they? The original Night Court was horny on main years before we even had a term for it, and That 70s Show thrived in the cynical heyday of early 2000s Fox.
Join us as we discuss the many challenges involved in successfully rebooting any show— but especially comedies!— and how we draw the line between Reboots, Revivals, and Spin-Offs.
And yes, we’re going to answer the BIG question we already know you’re asking: Is the upcoming Frasier series a reboot or a revival? Spoiler alert: Dianne makes a shocking case for deeming it a spin-off (!!!) and Chris proposes retconning a new title for the entire Frasier canon in order to make it work. So if you’re listening, Paramount execs, My Seattle Life! is just waiting to be green-lit…
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📺 Review: Night Court🚨 Spoiler Alert: The First 2 Episodes of Night Court (2023), plus the original series (starting at 30:36) 🚨
- Where to Watch the Reboot: NBC and Peacock
- Where to Watch the Original: Freevee and Amazon
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📺 Review: That 90s Show🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes of That 90s Show, plus the original series (starting at 41:23) 🚨
- Where to Watch the Reboot: Netflix
- Where to Watch the Original: Peacock
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🔗 Links: It's time to sling some 'derves in a new Party Down season 3 trailer – Hattie Lindert, A.V. Club * The bar is low for television reboots. Night Court clears it. – Sara Morrison, Vox * Mila Kunis calls out Jackie and Kelso timeline in That ‘90s Show – Ellis Cochrane, Cosmopolitan*
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Finally, a show that answers the age-old question: “What if The Mandalorian let us see Pedro Pascal’s face and had a sidekick who can talk?”
Yes, this week we’re streaming a different -ageddon: It’s the kind of armageddon that puts the “fun” in fungal… but is it any good? We’re reviewing the pilot of HBO’s The Last of Us in order to find out!
On the way we’ll discuss the latest streaming news and TV’s rich history of post-apocalyptic fare (and not-so-rich history of live action video game adaptations).
But first it’s an emergency round of America’s favorite game: Renewed or Canceled?! Play along as Dianne guesses the fate of these streaming shows:
- Abbott Elementary (ABC/Hulu)
- FX’s The Bear (Hulu)
- Uncoupled (Netflix)
- Workaholics (Comedy Central/Paramount+)
- Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin (Peacock)
- Chucky (SyFy)
- Reginald the Vampire (SyFy)
- Snowpiercer (TNT)
- Minx (HBO Max)
- Mel Brooks’ History of the World Part I (Really!)
Can you go 10 for 10? Lock in your guesses now and find out in this week’s episode.
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📺 Review: The Last of Us (Series Premier)🚨 Spoiler Alert: First Episode (starting at 38:42) 🚨
- Where to Watch: HBO/HBO Max
- Total Episodes: 9 Episodes, 1 Season (In Progress)
- Renewal Status: Not announced (but based on the ratings we’d be surprised if it doesn’t get the green light soon)
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🔗 Links:Contains spoilers for Renewed or Canceled?!
- ‘The Last Of Us’ Premiere Draws 4.7M Viewers – Peter White, Deadline
- HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ Review – Jen Chaney, Vulture
- HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ Adaptation: A Review for Non-Gamers – Scott Meslow, Vulture
- The Last of Us’ co-creators say a TV show was always “lurking inside the game” – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge
- Can 'The Last of Us' Cordyceps Fungus Really Infect Humans? – James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter
- CNN wants comedian to save it from being a joke in primetime ratings war: report – Ariel Zilber, New York Post
- The Education of CNN’s Chris Licht – James B. Stewart, The New York Times
- HBO Max Hikes Price for the First Time (But Not the Last) – Savannah Salazar, Vulture
- Abbott Elementary Renewed for Season 3 After Globes Wins – Zoe Guy, Vulture
- ‘The Bear’: FX Sets Summer Premiere; Season 2 Upped To 10 Episodes – Rosy Cordero, Deadline
- Adam DeVine ‘Butt Hurt’ Over Canceled ‘Workaholics’ Movie – Rebecca Alter, Vulture
- Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin Scores Season 2 Renewal At Peacock – Katie Campione, Deadline
- ‘Uncoupled’ Canceled After One Season at Netflix – Joe Otterson, Variety
- Syfy to keep playing with Chucky for a third season – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club
- ‘Snowpiercer’ Season 4 Won't Air On TNT In Content Write-Off, Shopped – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline
- Minx finds a new home following HBO cancellation – Gabrielle Sanchez, A.V. Club
- History Of The World, Part II teaser: Stars come out for Mel Brooks sequel series – William Hughes, The A.V. Club
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We love a good storytelling gimmick and this week we’re sharing our favorites (and least favorites) as we unpack the new Netflix heist series Kaleidoscope.
Plus we answer all your burning questions, like:
- What did HBO Max erase from existence while we were on vacation?
- Who is hosting The Daily Show now that Trevor Noah is gone?
- Why is Netflix teaming up with Nike?
- And is the streaming universe doomed in 2023?!
But first it’s a surprise round of America’s favorite game: Renewed or Canceled?! Play along as Dianne guesses the fate of these streaming shows:
- 1899 (Netflix)
- 61st Street (AMC)
- Wednesday (Netflix)
- Dangerous Liaisons (Starz)
- Step Up (Starz)
Can you go 5 for 5? Lock in your guesses now and find out in this week’s episode.
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📺 Review: Kaleidoscope🚨 Spoiler Alert starting at 43:34 🚨
- Where to Watch: Netflix
- Total Episodes: 8 Episodes, 1 Season
- Renewal Status: No Renewal Announcement (Limited Series)
- Watched for Review: All 8 Episodes
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🔗 Links:Contains spoilers for “Renewed or Canceled?!”
- What’s the Best Way to Watch Randomized Heist Series Kaleidoscope? – Keith Phipps, Vulture
- Netflix’s ‘Kaleidoscope’ Invites You to Scramble Its Storyline: TV Review – Daniel D'Addario, Variety
- Kaleidoscope is a generic heist story but a fascinating experiment – Andrew Webster, The Verge
- ‘The Daily Show’ to Enter Its Guest-Host Era With Leslie Jones – Hershal Pandya, Vulture
- Chelsea Handler on New Netflix Special, Returning to Late Night – Elizabeth Wagmeister, Variety
- Nike Training Club Launches On Netflix – Armando Tinoco & Dade Hayes, Deadline
- Warner Bros. Discovery CFO: Restructuring, Write-Off Frenzy Is Over – Jennifer Maas, Variety
- HBO Max Removes 256 ‘Looney Tunes’ Shorts, Three Seasons of ‘The Flintstones’ – Todd Spangler, Variety
- ‘Dangerous Liaisons,' ‘Becoming Elizabeth’ ‘Step Up’ Pulled From Starz – Peter White, Deadline
- ‘Wednesday’ Is Returning to Nevermore for Another Semester – Jennifer Zhan, Vulture
- No, Netflix isn't going to let Prime Video get its hands on Wednesday that easily – Emma Keates, A.V. Club
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We’re stuffing your stocking with a spoiler-packed bonus episode about this holiday’s streaming hit: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
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📺 Review: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery🚨 Spoiler Alert: Full Movie 🚨
- Where to Watch: Netflix
- Related Watching: Knives Out (Netflix)
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We saw the latest Knives Out mystery in theaters and we have spoiler-free thoughts to share to help you get excited to stream it on at home!
We’ll discuss Netflix’s latest experiment with a hybrid theatrical/streaming strategy, plus the other mysteries plaguing the streaming universe, such as…
- Cecily Strong’s sudden departure from SNL!
- Peacock’s puzzling pivot!
- And all the suspicious disappearances plaguing HBO Max…
It’s a case only Benoit Blanc can solve, but unfortunately you’re stuck with us instead!
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📺 Review: Glass Onion🚨 Extremely light spoilers starting at 44:29, but really we’re not spoiling this one for you!🚨
- Where to Watch: Netflix (December 23)
- Sequel To: Knives Out, baby!
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🔗 Links: Cecily Strong Says 'My Heart Is Bursting' After 'SNL' Exit: 'I Am Ready to Go' – Zack Sharf, Variety * Peacock Adjusts Development Strategy, Orders James Wan Horror Drama – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * ‘Raised By Wolves’ & ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ Removed HBO Max For FAST – Peter White, Deadline * ‘Los Espookys’ Canceled After Two Seasons at HBO – Joe Otterson, Variety * HBO fast-tracks new Julio Torres show after canceling Los Espookys – Katie Chow, A.V. Club * Season two of Minx is still filming after getting canceled by HBO Max – Katie Chow, A.V. Club * ‘Westworld,’ ‘Minx’ Moves: Warner Bros. Discovery’s Licensing Pivot – Lesley Goldberg and Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘MILF Manor’: TLC & Discovery+ Drop Trailer for New Dating Show Straight Out of ’30 Rock’ – Meredith Jacobs, TV Insider * Netflix to Let Tens of Thousands of Subscribers Give Early Feedback on Content – Sarah Krouse and Jessica Toonkel, The Wall Street Journal * Knives Out may get lots of sequels, but absolutely no prequels from Rian Johnson – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * ‘Glass Onion’ Is Box-Office Hit, But Leaving Theaters – Jason P. Frank, Vulture*
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It’s kill or be killed (or just, like, have a so-so vacation) in the explosive finale of The White Lotus in Sicily! We’ll dish out the details, including the results of our White Lotus Murder Bracket in less time than it takes to drive to Taormina.
Plus: Will HBO Max drop the HBO and go all-Max all the time? Can you even trademark the word “Max” and does this mean people named Max will be signing up for “Max’s Max”??
But that’s not the only madness brewing in the streaming universe this week, because Warner Brothers Discovery CEO is picking a fight with the big dogs at Netflix. And we have real news about the next chapter of fake news now that The Daily Show is officially without Trevor Noah.
Pour another glass of white wine and join us as we bid arrivederci to one of the year’s best shows!
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📺 Review: White Lotus (Season 2 Rewind) - Part 1🚨 Spoiler Alert: All Episodes through Season 2, Episode 7 (starting at 22:13) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 2 (All Episodes Available)
- Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 3
- Where to Watch: HBO, HBO Max
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🔗 Links: The Daily Show Will Feature Celebrity Guest Hosts Until Fall 2023 – Josef Adalian, Vulture * Warner Bros Discovery close to picking ‘Max’ for name of HBO Max replacement – Alex Sherman and Lillian Rizzo, CNBC * New Streaming War Brewing? Warner Bros. Discovery Boss David Zaslav Takes Aim At Netflix Over Payment Terms – Peter White, Deadline * List of Warner Bros. Discovery television programs – Wikipedia * Sure, that HBO Max - Discovery Plus hybrid service will cost more, but at least it'll also have more ads – William Hughes, A.V. Club * The White Lotus wraps up season 2 with an electrifying episode – Manuel Betancourt, A.V. Club * Aubrey Plaza psychologically tortured Adam DiMarco on The White Lotus set – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club * Sabrina Impacciatore on Valentina’s ‘White Lotus’ Sex Scene – Valentina Valentini, Vulture*
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2022 was a wild year for streaming and we’re here to crown the winners (and a couple of losers) in our First Annual Streaming Superlative Spectacular!
Which news story captured the essence of streaming in 2022? Which characters were the best couple? Who was best dressed? Which show was the life of the party? Who gave us the best finale? And who delivered the biggest disappointments of the year?
We’ll answer those questions (and more!) but don’t worry: No spoilers, just superlatives!
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🏆 Winners: Abbott Elementary (ABC, Hulu) * The Rehearsal (HBO, HBO Max) * Barry (HBO, HBO Max) * Derry Girls (BBC, Netflix) * Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon (HBO, HBO Max) * The Bear (FX on Hulu) * Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max) * A League of Their Own (Amazon) * Stranger Things (Netflix) * The White Lotus (HBO, HBO Max) * Minx (HBO Max) * Andor (Disney+) * The Lord of the Rings Franchise (Amazon) * The Knives Out Franchise (Netflix) * The Boys (Amazon) * Never Have I Ever (Netflix) * Ghosts (US) (CBS, Paramount+) * Ghosts (UK) (BBC, HBO Max) * The Patient (FX on Hulu) * Hacks* (HBO Max)
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🏅 Honorable Mentions: I Love That For You (Showtime) * What We Do in the Shadows (FX on Hulu) * Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+) * Reboot* (Hulu)
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🔗 Links: The CW: Nexstar’s Next Battle to Make Numbers Work – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter*
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Has franchise fatigue doomed the excellent Andor to streaming obscurity? Or is the hype cycle about to go to hyperspace as viewers binge the full season? We’ll dissect the data then unpack our favorite moments from season 1 (don’t worry, we’ll warn you before we get to the spoilers!).
But first! Is a Fraiser reboot still a reboot if only Frasier returns? Where do we draw the line between reboot, spin-off, and spiritual successor? And if reboots are all the rage can someone do us a favor and reboot Whose Line Is It Anyway? before the series ends this winter?
Plus: The Disney Empire Strikes Back, but will the Return of the Jed-Iger bring A New Hope to the rebel alliance that ousted Emperor Bob Chapek? Will the returning Bob prove to be more of a Phantom Menace or is he the only Rogue One capable of navigating the Disney+ through the Attack of the Clones (by which we mean the ever-expanding universe of indistinguishable streaming services)?*
All that and more on this week’s Streamageddon!
*We aren’t even going to try to squeeze the sequel trilogy in there. Make of that what you will.
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📺 Review: Andor (Season 1 Rewind) 🚨 Spoiler Alert: Season 1, All 12 Episodes (starting at 25:46) 🚨
- Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 2
- Where to Watch: Disney+
- Spinoffs: Uh… spoiler alert for 2016’s Rogue One
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🔗 Links: * Frasier Is Going to Be Awfully Lonely in the Reboot – Vulture * Whose Line Is It Anyway Ending on The CW – Brandy Clark, Collider * Walt Disney CFO, Others Brought Concerns to Board Over Bob Chapek – Robbie Whelan, Emily Glazer, Joe Flint, and Jessica Toonkel, The Wall Street Journal * Disney pulled some funky tricks to make Disney Plus look like it's losing less money – William Hughes, A.V. Club * ‘Andor’ Finally Topples ‘House of the Dragon’ on Most In-Demand New Shows List | Chart – Parrot Analytics, The Wrap * Andor’s season finale solidifies it as one of Star Wars’ greatest stories – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * What we expect to see in Andor's second season for Cassian, Mon Mothma, Kino Loy and more – Scott Huver, A.V. Club * Andor’s Tony Gilroy is worried about more important things than discourse – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Andor’s designers approached it like a Star Wars period drama – Andrew Webster, The Verge * Nicholas Britell Explains the Score of ‘Andor’ – Roxana Hadadi, Vulture
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Disney’s board is bringing Bob Iger out of the Disney Vault and we’re stockpiling the hot corporate goss like limited edition Beauty & The Beast DVDs in 2002. It’s like if Succession had a PG rating… and we’re loving every minute of it!
But don’t worry, because we’re still thankful for Peacock’s latest shenanigans (somebody pardon this bird, STAT!) and our beloved Hulu. Yes, little Hulu. The stepchild of the Great Big Bob Breakup. What will happen to poor Hulu??
… We might not have the answer to that question, but we do have a glowing review of Hulu’s latest FX joint: Fleishman Is in Trouble.
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📺 Review: Fleishman Is in Trouble 🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes (starting at 28:14) 🚨
- Where to Watch: Hulu
- Releases: Thursdays through Dec 29
- Based on: The novel Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
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🔗 Links: * Bob Iger Returns as Hero in Waiting to Save a Battered Disney – Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter * Disney's big succession fail: The return of Bob Iger – Sara Fischer, Axios * Bob Iger announces restructuring at Disney, top media exec to depart – Sara Fischer, Axios * 40 percent of US Disney Plus subscribers picked the bundle with ESPN Plus and Hulu – Emma Roth, The Verge * ‘Andor’: First Two Episodes Head To ABC, FX, Freeform & Hulu – Denise Petski, Deadline * Peacock makes big play for cord cutters with live TV from all local NBC stations – Chris Welch, The Verge * ‘Monster’ Renewed for Season 2 & 3, ‘The Watcher’ Renewed for Season 2 – Joe Otterson, Variety * HBO Cancels 'Westworld' in Shock Decision – James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter
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Ciao! And welcome back to another season of sexy potential murder victims (and Jennifer Coolidge victims) on HBO’s breakout hit The White Lotus (now with extra Sicily!). We’re sharing our thoughts on the season premier, discussing why expectations for the show might be unrealistically high, and making our predictions for this new installment of Mike White’s excellent anthology series.
But first we’re unpacking three strange news stories you might’ve missed:
- The holidays are almost here which means we’ve got a roundup of all the exclusive merch Disney is dying to sell you… if you subscribe to Disney+ (Bob Chapek would hate to see this limited edition Lightsaber fall into the wrong hands…).
- Is Disney merch not your style? Well then Netflix would like to invite you to your local Wal-Mart for some good old fashioned corporate synergy (and popcorn!).
- And just in case you forgot that the holiday are almost here (terrifying, we know) Peacock is continuing its grand pivot from NBC-style comedies to… Hallmark original movies? Sure, why not?!
Plus a startling Simpsons confession from Dianne, our favorite anthologies of all time, and we accidentally introduce a brand new segment: TV TAROT!
So join us, won’t you? It’s in the cards…
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📺 Review: The White Lotus (Season 2) 🚨 Spoiler Alert: Season 2, Episode 1 (starting at 37:19) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 2 (Season In Progress)
- Where to Watch: HBO and HBO Max
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🔗 Links: * Disney Plus subscribers are getting first dibs at new Marvel and Star Wars merchandise – Chris Welch, The Verge * Hallmark Channel on Peacock in New Streaming Deal, Includes Live Channels – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * Walmart opening in-store Netflix hubs — complete with streaming gift cards – Marianne Wilson, Chain Store Age * Who’s Who in The White Lotus season two – Cindy White, A.V. Club * Yes, that was Laura Dern cussing out Michael Imperioli in the season two premiere of The White Lotus – Gabrielle Sanchez, A.V. Club * Let the speculation begin—who’s going to die on The White Lotus this season? – Cindy White, A.V. Club
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Death pays us a visit as we go on a spoiler spree with a full season review of Hulu’s killer Steve Carell/Domhnall Gleeson drama FX’s The Patient (…on Hulu).
But don’t worry! We promise not to sneak up on you with any spoilers, because there’s plenty to talk about first:
- Did HBO retake the iron throne of prestige fantasy drama (which is definitely still a thing) with its HotD?
- Disney CEO Bob Chapek dreams of using your Disney+ viewing data to create a panopticon of magic on your next visit to one of his many all-seeing, all-knowing theme parks. What’s not to love about that?
- Netflix prepares us for the pending password crackdown by ending some of its home-sharing pilots in Latin America…
- … but don’t you want to pony up for a new season of Girs5Eva? Peacock punts the third season of the comedy to Netflix and leaves us wondering if Peacock still Peacocks comedy.
Plus: Join Dianne as she plays the hot new game that proves Peacock still has wings: It’s Peacock or NOT?!
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📺 Review: The Patient (Rewind Review) 🚨 Spoiler Alert for All 10 Episodes (starting at 29:36) 🚨
- Where to Watch: Hulu
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🔗 Links: * 'Interview With the Vampire' Renewed for Season 2 at AMC – Joe Otterson, Variety * The House Of The Dragon is shuttered until 2024, HBO says – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Disney wants to use your viewing history to personalize your park experience – Emma Roth, The Verge * Netflix ends password-sharing fees that sparked backlash in Latin America – Andrew Deck, Rest of World * Netflix cruelly steals Girls5eva from rival Peacock – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * Battlestar Galactica's Streaming Reboot Suffered A Big Setback Behind The Scenes – Adrienne Jones, Cinemablend * Peacock Greenlights Amy Poehler Produced 'Swedish Death Cleaning' Show – Wilson Chapman, Variety * Will There Be a Season 2 of 'The Patient'? Domhnall Gleeson Reflects on The Finale And The Future – Nicole Gallucci, Decider
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We’re taking a bite out of spooky season by doing the scariest thing imaginable: Trying a new streaming service! 😱
Join us as we explore the haunted halls of AMC+ with a truly terrifying game designed to test your undead knowledge (because like half the shows on AMC+ are Walking Dead spin-offs). If you dare survive this hair-raising trial you’ll be treated to our surprisingly enthusiastic review of Interview with the Vampire, which is so good it just might lure you into subscribing…
BUT FIRST:
- A boatload of Netflix news!
- No, really! The password crackdown is nigh!
- Some Trevor Noah news!
- Some Trevor Noah NETFLIX news!
- And, yes, even MORE Netflix news!
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📺 Review: Interview with the Vampire 🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes (starting at 32:24) 🚨
- Renewal Status: To Be Announced
- Releases: Weekly, Sundays through November 13
- Where to Watch: AMC and AMC+
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🔗 Links: * Netflix is trying to crack down on password sharing with new test – Julia Alexander, The Verge * What Happens to The Daily Show After Trevor Noah Leaves? – Josef Adalian, Vulture * Netflix Adds 2.4 Million Subscribers, Reversing a Decline – Benjamin Mullin, The New York Times * Orphan Black: Echoes Images Show Krysten Ritter's Sci-Fi Spin-Off – Madalyn Watson, Collider * Netflix password-sharing crackdown will roll out globally in “early 2023” – Emma Roth, The Verge * 'Daily Show's' Trevor Noah May Be Replaced by Host Rotation – Brian Steinberg, Variety * Netflix announces Profile Transfers — for when it forces you to finally pay up – David Pierce, The Verge * Trevor Noah ‘I Wish You Would’ Netflix Special Premiere Date – Hershal Pandya, Vulture * 'Interview With the Vampire' Renewed for Season 2 at AMC – Joe Otterson, Variety
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We’re smashing our way through season 1 of She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law in this spoiler-packed Rewind Review!
BUT FIRST:
- Troy and Abed: Reunited?!
- Trevor Noah’s last day: REVEALED!
- Are these the end times for Showtime?
- An Andor mid-season vibe check!
- And Netflix finally adds a tier for the most underserved streaming community of them all: The BASICS among us.*
(*Seriously, we have everything you need to know about Netflix’s new “Basic with Ads” option that you will undoubtedly be forced to sign up for when they crack down on that password you’ve been sharing with your roommate who moved out in 2016.)
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📺 Rewind Review: She-Hulk (Season 1) 🚨 Spoiler Alert: All 9 Episodes (starting at 30:30) 🚨
- Renewal Status: To Be Announced
- Where to Watch: Disney+
- Spinoffs: Uh… how many MCU properties did they tease?
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🔗 Links: * She-Hulk: Steve Rogers' Virginity, CGI Changes, 'Fleabag' Inspiration – Adam B. Vary, Variety * She-Hulk tried to save itself from Marvel’s finale formula by jumping the shark – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Netflix With Ads Will Cost $7 Per Month, Nov. 3 Launch, Nielsen Will Measure – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * Cobra Kai karate-kicked the crap out of both of those big fancy fantasy shows, Nielsen says – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Showtime chief’s departure signals Paramount is moving forward on its plan to merge streaming services – Alex Sherman, CNBC * Trevor Noah is officially leaving The Daily Show on December 8 – William Hughes, A.V. Club * 'Community' Movie Could Still Include Donald Glover, Dan Harmon Says – Jennifer Maas, Variety * Chevy Chase may be out, but Donald Glover is probably in for Community movie, says Dan Harmon – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club
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Generational comedy works best when the writers understand the generations involved, but does Hulu’s new Hollywood satire Reboot deliver on the pilot’s surprising twist? You’ll have to listen to our review of the first there episodes to find out!
Plus all the news you didn’t know you needed to know:
- SNL’s Charmin Bears deny any undue Charmin influence
- Peacock is thrilled to announce that they finally convinced some people to watch Peacock (just don’t ask them about their Bundle Envy)
- Comedy Central’s identity crisis comes Ito focus
- Paramount’s late night dominance is in doubt
- HBO Max’s disco daddy Warner Bros. Discovery continues its animation purge (Anime Edition!)
And we play everyone’s favorite game: Renewed or Canceled?!
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📺 Review: Reboot 🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 3 Episodes (starting at 30:13) 🚨
- Renewal Status: To Be Announced
- Releases: Weekly, Tuesdays through October 25
- Where to Watch: Hulu
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🔗 Links: * 'Modern Family' Creator Steven Levitan on Why His New Show 'Reboot' Isn't a Hollywood Takedown - The Hollywood Reporter – Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter * SNL Charmin Sketch and Video Ad Were Coincidental, NBC Says – Brian Steinberg, Variety * Peacock adds 2 million paid subscribers following months-long drought – Emma Roth, The Verge * Peacock in a Streaming Bundle: No One Wants It – Tony Maglio, IndieWire * Streaming bundles are forming, but don't expect a cable TV-like package any time soon – Alex Sherman and Lillian Rizzo, CNBC * As Trevor Noah Exits, Comedy Central Finds Itself in Crisis Mode – Lacey Rose and Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * Trevor Noah Leaving Daily Show: Paramount Has Problems in Late Night – Brian Steinberg, Variety * ‘Community’ Movie Is Finally Real: Peacock Orders Feature With Original Stars – Peter White, Deadline * Adult Swim Just Purged Five Anime Series From Its Website – Rafael Motamayor, Slashfilm * Flatbush Misdemeanors Canceled by Showtime After Two Seasons – Jason P. Frank, Vulture * Phil still fed as Somebody Feed Phil gets sixth-season renewal – William Hughes, The A.V. Club * Outer Range and its Spooky Hole renewed for a second season at Amazon – William Hughes, The A.V. Club * Peacock cancels Queer As Folk reboot – Sam Barsanti, The A.V. Club * Wait, no, Don Cheadle's MCU show Armor Wars is going to be an MCU movie now, instead – William Hughes, A.V. Club * ‘Industry’ Creators Writing Season 3 Of HBO Drama Ahead Of Renewal – Peter White, Deadline
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After months of speculation the new season of Saturday Night Live is here and we’re ready to share our unsolicited thoughts and feelings like a certain purple McDonald’s mascot. Yes, those nine absences in the opening credits were a shock (don’t worry, Cecily Strong will be back!), but… guess what? They kind of owned it! And one of the new guys got the Pete Davidson slot on Weekend Update! And then, there were the sponsored sketches…
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, because this special edition of Streamageddon kicks off with BREAKING-ish NEWS in the late night comedy world: The Daily Show is beginning its search for host #4 after Trevor Noah stunned his audience (and reportedly his bosses at Paramount) by announcing his retirement after 7 years on the job.
We’re breaking down all the news about the fake news (the good kind) this week, and if that sounds intimidating just relax, because Dianne already made Chris cut his 30-minute rant about the clashing serifs in the new SNL fonts so you have nothing to fear!
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📺 Review: SNL (Season 48 Premier) * Featuring: Miles Teller and Kendrick Lamar * Where to Watch: NBC * Where to Stream: Peacock!
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🔗 Links: * Trevor Noah’s Moment of Zen – Matthew Belloni, Puck News * 'The Daily Show' Will Continue (on Comedy Central) Without Trevor Noah - The Hollywood Reporter – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * Miles Teller Makes Himself at Home as Saturday Night Live’s 48th Season Gets Off to a Wobbly Start – Rosa Sofia Kaminski, Paste Magazine * After a major cast shake-up, 'SNL' confronts its weaknesses — but can't overcome them - Los Angeles Times – Lorraine Ali, The L.A. Times * Miles Teller soars but can't save SNL from autopilot – Trae DeLellis, A.V. Club
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This week we’re chasing the cure for Star Wars ennui (like regular ennui, but backwards you say it)… and thankfully it’s easily accessible on the streaming app that's steadily consuming the galaxy as we know it: Disney+
Yes, we’re completely obsessed with the 3-episode premier of Andor and everything it does right in a cinematic universe that has done so much wrong (say some!) as of late. Where else can you find a show brave enough to combine Star Wars with Blade Runner with… the thrilling reality of statistics-based policing and the corrosive effect it has on society at large? (Really!)
Plus, in the news: What to expect in Season 48 of SNL, the Peacockalypse comes for your favorite comedies, and all the Tudum news that’s fit to print (but not on Tudum, because they fired all those people).
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📺 Review: Andor * 🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 3 Episodes (starting at 28:06) * Renewal Status: Picked up for 2 seasons, 12 episodes each * Releases: Weekly, Wednesdays through November 23 * Where to Watch: Disney+ * Spinoffs: Uh, he kinda dies in the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, doesn’t he? (And before you say something about spoilers let us remind you that this movie came out when Barack Obama was President.)
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🔗 Links: * Andor Is the Cure for Star Wars Ennui – Roxana Hadadi, Vulture * Star Wars timeline: When does Andor take place? – Cindy White, The A.V. Club * Andor doesn’t look or feel like Star Wars—and that’s a good thing – Cindy White, The A.V. Club * James Earl Jones lets AI take over the voice of Darth Vader – Emma Roth, The Verge * SNL to kick off its new season with Miles Teller, Megan Thee Stallion, and Brendan Gleeson – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club * SNL announces four new cast members for its 48th season – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Chris Redd Exits 'SNL' After Five Years – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * Lorne Michaels Discusses the ‘Year of Reinvention’ Coming to ‘S.N.L.’ – Dave Itzkoff, The New York Times * The biggest news and trailers from Netflix’s Tudum event – Andrew Webster, The Verge * Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' English Voice Cast Includes Giancarlo Esposito and More – Ryan Dinsdale, IGN * Fueled by Netflix and patches, ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ gets a ‘second chance’ – Gene Park, Washington Post * Netflix is on a good run with anime lately – Andrew Webster, The Verge * 'Modern Family' Creator Steven Levitan on Why His New Show 'Reboot' Isn't a Hollywood Takedown – Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter
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We don’t want to alarm you, but this week we find ourselves trapped inside a cursed mirror… and loving every minute of it!
That’s because we’re talking about the one-of-a-kind comedy Los Espookys, which just returned to HBO and HBO Max for its second season after a terrifying 3 year hiatus.
Plus we’ll explain why rumors of Warner Bros. Discovery’s demise are nothing to worry about, then discuss why we’re worried that Warner Bros. Discovery is doomed anyway (at the hands of Comcast?! The horror!). And speaking of horror: We’re going to unpack Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s “hard bundle” even if it means risking “organ rejection” (his words!). Tune in… if you dare!
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📺 Review: Los Espookys * 🚨 Spoilers for Season 1 (All Episodes) starting at 24:01 * 🚨 Spoilers for Season 2, Episode 1 starting at 49:29 * Number of Seasons Overall: 2 (In Progress) * Releases: Weekly, Fridays at 11 PM ET * Where to Watch: HBO and HBO Max
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🔗 Links: * HBO's 'Los Espookys' Star Ana Fabrega – It’s Been a Minute, NPR * Disney’s Chapek Hints at All-in-One Streaming App Once Hulu Secured – Robbie Whelan, The Wall Street Journal * Disney has some beautiful dreams of letting Disney Plus devour Hulu at last – William Hughes, A.V. Club * 'Batman' Animated Series Being Shopped As David Zaslav Shifts Strategy – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * Warner Bros. just does not give a crap about its streaming service, huh? – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Warner Bros. Discovery Has Bigger Problems Than Its DC Search – Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter * Amazon is making a Blade Runner TV show – Jay Peters, The Verge
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We don’t know our hobbits from our harfoots (really!), but that won’t stop us from reviewing THE MOST EXPENSIVE TV SHOW EVER.
Yes, we’re journeying to middle-earth to discuss the first three episodes of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. It’s a show that promises an epic story, sumptuous visuals, and even more rings than the movies!
Does this big budget prequel deliver? How is anyone supposed to remember all these character names? And can we stop ourselves from comparing it to House of the Dragon?
But before we answer those burning questions we’ll ask some disturbing new ones posed by this week’s news. Questions like “who resurrected the Teletubbies and why is Titus Burgess hiding behind them?”
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📺 Review: Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 3 Episodes (starting at 15:49) 🚨
- Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video
- Seasons: 1 (in progress)
- Releases: Weekly, through October 14
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🔗 Links: * Netflix is resurrecting the Teletubbies with a new series – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Soap Opera Fans in a Lather as ‘Days of Our Lives’ Leaves NBC to Stream on Peacock – David Marcelis, Wall Street Journal * ‘Days Of Our Lives’ Plugs Benefits Of Peacock: No More Breaking News Interruptions – Greg Evans, Deadline * The Handmaid's Tale's sixth season will be its last, but we're not done with Gilead completely – Savannah Olson, A.V. Club * Secret Invasion trailer: Nick Fury gets his very own paranoid spy thriller – William Hughes, A.V. Club * Marvel announces Armor Wars, Don Cheadle's own Disney Plus show – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club * Every MCU and Star Wars trailer Disney released today – Alex Cranz and Emma Roth, The Verge
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Pick up some pork buns and chain your ankle to the floor because we’re digging into a delicious drama this week with the intriguing short-form limited series The Patient now streaming via our favorite FX: FX on Hulu.
Speaking of favorites: It’s about time we made our case for the emotionally satisfying— if imperfect— season finale of Peacock’s The Resort.
All that plus dwarves, trolls, and the ancient history of a mystical land known as the CW!
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📺 Review: The Patient 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Episodes 1 and 2 (starting at 36:10) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1 (In Progress)
- Where to Stream: FX on Hulu
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📼 Rewind Review: The Resort 🚨 Spoiler Alert for ALL EPISODES (starting at 55:15) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Stream: Peacock
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🔗 Links: * ‘Harley Quinn’ Season 4 Survives the Warner Bros. Discovery Purges – Bethy Squires, Vulture * Harley Quinn’s new showrunner sets her sights on season four – Matt Schimkowitz, The A.V. Club * HBO puts whole first episode of House Of The Dragon on YouTube to screw with LOTR – William Hughes, The A.V. Club * Rings of Power: User Reviews Delayed on Amazon in Initiative to Filter Trolls – Adam B. Vary and Jennifer Maas, Variety * Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Draws More Than 25 Million Viewers – Joe Flint, The Wall Street Journal * Russo Bros.’ Amazon Series ‘Citadel’ Creative Overhaul Balloons Budget to $200M-Plus – Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter * Is this the end of The CW as we know it? – Mary Kate Carr, The A.V. Club * The CW Widens Its Scope To Include Sitcoms & Procedurals, Outside Studio Deals – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * SNL departures: Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat, Aristotle Athari exit – Samantha Chery, The Washington Post * 'Rutherford Falls' Canceled After Two Seasons at Peacock – Joe Otterson, Variety * ‘Succession’, ‘Abbott Elementary’ & ‘White Lotus’ Emmy Series Winners? – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * John Oliver Continues Emmy Streak With Writing Win – Peter White, Deadline * Nathan Lane Wins First Emmy For ‘Only Murders In the Building’ In Seventh Try – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline
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We’re going big and going green this week with a review of Marvel’s first streaming comedy, She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law, plus a deep dive into Hulu’s pending “Peacockalypse” and a Rewind Review of the green streamer’s hit comedy Only Murders in the Building.
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📺 Review: She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Season 1, Episodes 1 and 2 (starting at 48:16) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1 (In Progress)
- Where to Watch: Disney+
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📼 Rewind Review: Only Murders in the Building 🚨 Spoiler Alert for ALL EPISODES (starting at 1:19:50) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 2 (Renewed for 3!)
- Where to Watch: Hulu
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🔗 Links: * Despite the wigs, House Of The Dragon's ratings continue to climb – Matt Schimkowitz, The A.V. Club * ‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 2 Viewership Inches Up 2% From Last Week’s Premiere Episode – Selome Hailu, Variety * Tweet – Dave Itzkoff * Huh, a whole bunch of people from The Rehearsal are on Cameo now – William Hughes, The A.V. Club * Wednesday Ratings: The Resort's NBC Outing Places 5th for the Night – Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine * ‘Community’ Movie Is ‘A Matter of When and Not If,’ Dan Harmon Says – Adam Chitwood, The Wrap * Next-day streaming of NBC shows like Law & Order and SNL jumps from Hulu to Peacock next month – Emma Roth, The Verge * Hulu will start to lose new NBC content in September – Sam Barsanti, The A.V. Club * Hulu Makes Money, So Why Is There a Good Chance It Could Disappear? – Tony Maglio, IndieWire * 'Knives Out 2' Sets Release Date, Reveals First Look Images – Wilson Chapman, Variety * Netflix’s holiday movie lineup is led by Enola Holmes and Knives Out sequels – Andrew Webster and Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * ‘She-Hulk’ Head Writer on Reshaping the Pilot, Cutting CGI, and Steve Rogers’ Virginity – Adam B. Vary, Variety * The answer in She-Hulk’s first post-credits stinger ‘came from the top’ – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge
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This episode isn’t TV. It’s HBO.
… Max.
Plus: We all scream for Yahoo Screen, home of your favorite streams.
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📰 News: * What’s going on at HBO Max?! * A brief history of HBO: The network no corporate merger can kill. * Is Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zazlav actually making HBO HBO again? * What’s the combined WaBroDisco brand? And what are they going to name it?? * And finally, some news that’s pretty pretty good.
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📺 Review: House of the Dragon 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Episode 1 (starting at 28:54) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1 (In Progress)
- Where to Watch: HBO / HBO Max
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📼 Rewind Review: The Rehearsal 🚨 Spoiler Alert for ALL EPISODES (starting at 52:40) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: HBO / HBO Max
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🔗 Links: * NBC to Give Peacock’s ‘The Resort’ A Network Bump – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * The HBO Max Rumors Were Wrong, But There’s Still Pain Ahead – Josef Adalian, Vulture * HBO Content Chief Casey Bloys Explains Restructure, Layoffs in Memo – Michael Schneider, Variety * HBO Max abruptly pulls 200 Sesame Street episodes – Jay Peters , The Verge * ‘Last Week Tonight’ Host John Oliver Calls HBO Max “a Series of Tax Write-Offs to Appease Wall Street” – Kimberly Nordyke, The Hollywood Reporter
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Ed. Note: The episode was re-posted due to an editing issue. Apologies if it appears in your feed twice!
It’s summer vacation season here in the northern hemisphere, which means it’s the perfect time to get lost in a great book by the pool. But why do that when you can find a missing teenager’s 15-year-old cell phone and drag your spouse on a booze-fueled vigilante investigation all across the Yucatan peninsula instead?
If that sounds exhausting, don’t worry! It’s actually the plot of the new Peacock original series The Resort and once the mystery gets going it’s anything but exhausting to go along for the ride. We’ll discuss the first three episodes and where we think the already-unpredictable story will take us next.
Then we say “yes, chef!” to a spoiler-filled review of the full first season of Hulu’s surprise summer hit: FX’s The Bear (including that big finale moment!).
All that, plus big Krumholtz energy, a surprise round of Renewed or Canceled?!, and a deep dive into some very interesting graphs and charts that we looked at so you won’t have to!
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📺 Review: The Resort
🚨 Spoiler Alert for Season 1, Episodes 1-3 (starting at 33:25) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1 (In Progress)
- Where to Watch: Peacock
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📼 Rewind Review: The Bear
🚨 Spoiler Alert for ALL EPISODES (starting at 1:07:11) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: Hulu
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🔗 Links:
- David Krumholtz To Reprise Bernard In ‘The Santa Clauses’ For Disney+ – Lynette Rice, Deadline
- 'Abbott Elementary' to Stream on Both Hulu and HBO Max – Selome Hailu, Variety
- Full Frontal With Samantha Bee is the next victim of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger – Mary Kate Carr, The A.V. Club
- ‘Gordita Chronicles’ Canceled After One Season At HBO Max – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline
- Netflix Sues Co-Creators of Unofficial ‘Bridgerton’ Musical – Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter
- Parrot Perspective: Framing A Franchise – Parrot Analytics
- Netflix is turning The Gray Man into a cinematic universe – Andrew Webster, The Verge
- The Harry Potter movies are jumping from HBO Max to Peacock again next month – Sam Barsanti, The A.V. Club
- William Jackson Harper & Cristin Milioti To Headline ‘The Resort’ – _Denise Petski, Deadline_Notes go here
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This week is all about classic sitcom shenanigans as we devote an entire episode to the state of the network sitcom (plus our usual Netflocalypse-of-the-Week). We’ll investigate the mysterious resurgence of network sitcoms that suddenly seem to be haunting the streaming landscape with our review of one of last season’s most successful new shows: The CBS comedy Ghosts.
But don’t look behind you, because there’s another show looming in the shadows this week… and it’s the BBC’s Ghosts (boo!). We’re comparing the original UK pilot with the US remake and picking apart the network sitcom like it’s a rotting corpse (which we swear it isn’t!).
And if that’s not enough sitcom excitement we’re continuing the conversation with a Rewind Review of Abbott Elementary’s excellent season finale! We’ll discuss our hopes are dreams for the show’s next season and share some exciting news (but you’ll have to attend class to learn all about it).
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📺 Review: Ghosts (US & UK)
🚨 Spoiler Alert for both the US & UK pilots, but also it’s just a goofy show about ghosts so maybe just calm down? (starting at 19:05) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1 (US) and 3 (UK)
- Where to Watch (US): Paramount+, CBS
- Where to Watch (UK): HBO Max
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📼 Rewind Review: Abbott Elementary
🚨 Spoiler Alert for Season 1 (starting at 51:54) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Stream Season 1: Hulu (now), HBO Max (soon!)
- Season 2 Premiers: September 21
- Where to Watch Season 2: ABC (next day on Hulu)
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🔗 Links:
- Netflix Homes test applies an extra fee for TV streaming outside the home – Emma Roth, Jay Peters, and Richard Lawler, The Verge
- Netflix Admits Some Shows Won’t Make It To Ad Tier – Peter White, Deadline
- Calling all New Yorkers! ‘Succession’ needs you on set for its next season – Phil de Semlyen, TimeOut New York
- Disney Plus adding R-rated Marvel movies Deadpool and Logan – Michael McWhertor, Polygon
- Lightyear will be available to stream on Disney Plus starting August 3rd – Jay Peters, The Verge
- Disney Plus supposedly trying to snag streaming rights for the new Doctor Who – William Hughes, The A.V. Club
- Abbott Elementary's second season will be 22 episodes, not just 13 – William Hughes, The A.V. Club
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We’ve spent weeks practicing this podcast so we can anticipate every possible outcome of our review of the new HBO series The Rehearsal. The show marks Nathan Fielder’s return to the experimental reality-TV-influenced comedy he pioneered on Comedy Central’s Nathan For You, but don’t worry if you’ve never heard of him! We’ll get you caught up and share our thoughts about ethical quandaries inherent in Fielder’s work.
Plus: Netflocalypse! Serial killers! And our rewind review of Ms. Marvel season 1!
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📺 Review: The Rehearsal 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Episode 1 (starting at 29:45) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1 (In Progress)
- Where to Watch: HBO Max (Also Airing Fridays on HBO)
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📼 Rewind Review: Ms. Marvel 🚨 Spoiler Alert for ALL EPISODES (starting at 52:41) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: Disney+
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🔗 Links: * Nathan Fielder Is Out of His Mind (and Inside Yours) – Lila Shapiro, Vulture * Hulu Renews ‘Only Murders in the Building’ for Season 3 – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘The Bear’ Renewed For Season 2 By FX – Lynette Rice, Deadline * ‘Criminal Minds’ Revival A Go At Paramount+ With Key Cast Members & Showrunner Set To Return – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * Why Netflix's Loss of Licensed Titles Could Spark a Content Crisis – Tyler Aquilina, Variety * Americans Age 50 and Up Are Powering Streaming Growth – Sarah Krouse, Wall Street Journal * Netflix is bringing back its Tudum event in September – Andrew Webster, The Verge * ESPN+ Raises Price in Monthly Subscription by $3 as Disney Strives for Streaming Profits – Brian Steinberg, Variety * BTS is coming to Disney Plus – Monica Chin, The Verge * Utter delight Nathan Lane is the most nominated guest star in Emmy history – Matt Schimkowitz, The A.V. Club
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We’re sending the investigation in a whole new direction this week with our impressions of Season 2 of Hulu’s hit series Only Murders in the Building. It’s a wildly inaccurate portrayal of podcasting, but a delightful and empathetic look at the cloistered lives of quirky city dwellers (Caution: Contains highly relatable and extremely awkward interactions with neighbors).
Then we’re revisiting our review of Season 1 of Showtime’s I Love That For You. It’s a series that piqued our interest but left us worried the dark twist would sink the stellar comedic performances. So, how did it turn out for Joanna Gold at SVN? You’ll have to listen to the end to find out!
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📺 Review: Only Murders in the Building 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Season 1 (All Episodes) and the first 3 Episodes of Season 2 (starting at 22:49) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 2
- Where to Watch: Hulu
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📼 Rewind Review: I Love That For You 🚨 Spoiler Alert for ALL EPISODES (starting at 46:45) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: Showtime
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🔗 Links: * Stranger Things 4 just became the second Netflix show to hit 1 billion hours viewed – David Pierce, The Verge * ‘Stranger Things’ Spinoff and Stage Play, Stephen King’s ‘The Talisman’ Up Next for Duffer Brothers at Netflix – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * Star Wars: Andor’s Second Season Will Jump a Year Every 3 Episodes – James Whitbrook, Gizmodo * HBO Max Halts Originals in Parts of Europe in Major Restructure – Manori Ravindran, Variety * What’s behind HBO Max’s European Originals Strategy Change? – Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter * 'The Simpsons,' 'Family Guy,' 'American Dad!' Production and IT Workers Win Voluntary Union Recognition – Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter * The Wild History of the Real ‘Only Murders’ Building – Penelope Green, The New York Times
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We know nothing says “dark comedy set in Chicago” like beef sandwiches, Wilco, and the actor who played Lip Gallagher on Shameless (Jeremy Allen White), but this is a podcast hosted two natives of the Greater Chicagoland Area! We aren’t just going to give any old Italian beef a pass, so you can trust our sandwich expertise as we dig into a double helping of FX’s The Bear (now streaming on Hulu).
Plus we conduct a bloody post-mortem on Season 3 of Barry in our latest Rewind Review (don’t worry, there are plenty of spoiler alerts before we get there!).
Yes, finally there’s a podcast brave enough to ask: Where have all our David Krumholtz gone?
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📺 Review: The Bear 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Episodes 1-2 (starting at 26:11) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: 2
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1 (All 8 Episodes Out Now)
- Where to Watch: FX on Hulu
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📼 Rewind Review: Barry 🚨 Spoiler Alert for ALL EPISODES (starting at 50:33) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 3
- Where to Watch: HBO and HBO Max
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🔗 Links: * Here’s why Netflix made you wait a month to watch the rest of Stranger Things – Peter Kafka and Rani Molla, Vox * 'Stranger Things' Becomes Nielsen's Most-Streamed Program in One Week – Selome Hailu, Variety * ‘Stranger Things’ Creators Discuss ‘George Lucas-ing’ Will’s Birthday, Updating Season 4 After It Premiered, and Their Not-So-Secret Spinoff Show – Kate Aurthur, Variety * ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Finale Disney+ Viewership Bests ‘Book Of Boba Fett’ – Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline * Disney teases new photo of Santa Clause series ... without Bernard the Hot Elf – Petrana Radulovic, Polygon * MSNBC to replace Rachel Maddow with Alex Wagner four nights a week – Jeremy Barr, The Washington Post * 'A Black Lady Sketch Show' Creator Robin Thede Signs HBO Overall Deal – Joe Otterson, Variety * Review: ‘The Bear’ Is Gorgeously, Addictively Stressful – Jen Chaney, VultureNotes go here
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We’re diving deep into Disney+ this week with our review of the newest Marvel series, Ms. Marvel (which is giving us big Buffy vibes in the best possible way).
PLUS we’re kicking off our “Rewind Reviews” where we revisit shows we reviewed in earlier episodes. First up: The finale of Obi-Wan Kenobi (which, sadly, did not give us any Buffy vibes whatsoever).
What more could you ask for? How about a slew of Disney+ news, intriguing new data on ad-supported vs. ad-free streaming, and an exciting game that will reveal the fate of 18 shows. Were they renewed or canceled? Find out on Streamageddon!
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📺 Review: Ms. Marvel 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Episodes 1-3 (starting at 35:36) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: 3
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: Disney+
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📼 Rewind Review: Obi-Wan Kenobi 🚨 Spoiler Alert for ALL EPISODES (starting at 1:07:10) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: All 6 (including the finale)
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: Disney+
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🔗 Links: * How the leading ad-supported streamers compare – Sara Lebow, Insider Intelligence Trends, Forecasts & Statistics * Why Isn't Disney+'s LGBTQIA+ Pride Special Streaming on Disney+? – Todd Spangler, Variety * Oh no, the dinosaurs are eating Buzz Lightyear's box office money – William Hughes, The A.V. Club * Viacom18 Nabs Streaming Rights to India’s Premier League Cricket for $2.6B, Disney Takes TV Rights for $3B – Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter * Our Flag Means Death is setting sail for a heartbreaking season 2 – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * The Boys renewed for season 4 at Prime Video – Mary Kate Carr, The A.V. Club * 'Made for Love' Canceled at HBO Max After Two Seasons – Jennifer Maas, Variety * Netflix says no to expensive vanity projects, says yes to Is It Cake? season 2 – Sam Barsanti, The A.V. Club * Earth sentenced to watching the trailer for Chrissy’s Court – Matt Schimkowitz, The A.V. Club * 'Raised by Wolves' Canceled at HBO Max After Two Seasons – Jennifer Maas, Variety * Roku Channel Renews 'Doomlands,' Greenlights Two Unscripted Series – Wilson Chapman, Variety * ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * TBS Dating Show ‘The Big D’ Canceled Weeks Before Premiere – Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘Snowpiercer’ To End With Season 4 On TNT – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * ‘How We Roll’ Canceled After One Season By CBS – Peter White & Denise Petski, Deadline * ‘Wendy Williams Show’ Final Episode Airs Without Wendy Williams – Tom Tapp, Deadline * AMC determines Dark Winds strong enough for season two – Matt Schimkowitz, The A.V. Club * Craig Robinson's Killing It renewed for season 2 at Peacock – Hattie Lindert, The A.V. Club
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This week we’re force-ing ourselves to see both the light and dark sides of the newest Star Wars series: Obi-Wan Kenobi (like Ewan McGregor, we are cranky old dad-types now and our jokes will reflect that). We’re reviewing the first four episodes and making our predictions for the final two!
We'll take a look at the “Marvel-ization” of the Star Wars universe that’s accelerated since the launch of Disney+ (try to guess how many Star Wars shows are currently in development!) and we’ll try to answer this week’s big questions from the streaming universe. Questions like…
- Is it cake?
- What is “Breaking News” anyway?
- Wait, Premier League Cricket is worth how much?
- Do you think J.J. Abrams will take our notes about his sci-fi epic Demimonde and give Demi Moore the Emmy she deserves??
- No really, is it cake??!
- And can Netflix pivot to blockbuster movies? In this economy?!?!!
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📺 Review: Obi-Wan Kenobi 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Episodes 1-4 (starting at 26:31) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: 4
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: Disney+
- Spinoffs: Something called “Star Wars”
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🔗 Links: * ‘Law & Order’: Anthony Anderson Not Returning For Season 22 – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * The Ticking Time Bomb That Could Undercut Disney Stock – Gavin Bridge, Variety * J.J. Abrams’ ‘Demimonde’ Dead at HBO – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter * AT&T Drops Free HBO Max From Top Unlimited Wireless Plan – Todd Spangler, Variety * CNN cutting back on over-hyping everything as "breaking news" – Sara Fischer, Axios * Netflix changes how it produces movies to compete with Disney Plus – Alex Cranz, The Verge * Netflix says no to expensive vanity projects, says yes to ‘Is It Cake?’ season 2 – Sam Barsanti, The A.V. Club * ‘Stranger Things’ Surges Past ‘Obi-Wan’ In Streaming Showdown, Posting Biggest U.S. Debut Since March 2020, Nielsen Says – Dade Hayes, Deadline * The Mandalorian season 3 debuts February 2023 – Jay Peters, The Verge * Watch the first trailer for Andor, coming to Disney Plus in August – Jay Peters, The Verge * ‘Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi’ animated anthology series announced – Matt Schimkowitz, The A.V. Club * Star Wars: The Bad Batch – _Wikipedia_Notes go here
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Check out our YouTube playlist featuring some of our favorite SNL moments!
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Live from New York… it’s your favorite podcast about TV and streaming! This week we take a break from reviewing the newest and buzziest shows so we can review one of the oldest and buzziest shows: NBC’s Saturday Night Live. We’ll break down the recent season finale of the sketch comedy show’s 47th year, share some of our favorite all-time SNL moments, and discuss this year’s big cast departures and what it means for the future of the show.
Plus new details on the upcoming ad-supported version of Disney+, the latest on the Netflocalypse, big names coming to streaming news, and Chris corrects the record in regards to Ted Danson.
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📺 Review: Saturday Night Live (Season 47) 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Season 47, Episode 21 (Natasha Lyonne with Musical Guest Japanese Breakfast) (starting at 53:21) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 47 (!!!)
- Where to Watch: NBC
- Where to Stream: Peacock (And Hulu, but only until this fall)
- Spinoffs: Countless
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🔗 News Links: * ‘Mr. Mayor’ Canceled By NBC After Two Seasons – Peter White, Denise Petski, Deadline * MSNBC announces new Jen Psaki streaming show – Sara Fischer, Axios * Chris Wallace to Host Sunday Primetime Show for CNN and HBO Max as Chris Licht Previews Rebooted News Network – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * J.J. Abrams’ ‘Demimonde’ In Limbo Over Budget, Warner Bros Discovery Deal Scrutiny – Nellie Andreeva, Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline * Discovery might not be interested in J.J. Abrams' Demimonde – Matt Schimkowitz, The A.V. Club * Disney Plus with ads will keep the breaks down to four minutes per hour – Emma Roth, The Verge * Paramount will no longer license major IP to other streamers – Mary Kate Carr, The A.V. Club * Landmark UK Research Shine Spotlight On Streamer Churn – Max Goldbart, Deadline * Stranger Things creators pissed after season 4 Monopoly spoilers – William Hughes, The A.V. Club * Bela Bajaria Is on the 2022 TIME 100 List – Mindy Kaling, TIME * Netflix is carving out a little niche for itself as the home of transphobic comedy – Mary Kate Carr, The A.V. Club
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We love this episode for you, and not just because we’re reviewing the new Showtime comedy I Love That For You starring Vanessa Bayer, Molly Shannon, and Jenifer Lewis.
Plus: Netflix accelerates their plan to introduce ads (and crack down on password sharing), Disney+ beats growth expectations, Hulu plans for the post-NBC world by picking up Schitt’s Creek, and we discuss the best (and worst) rated shows on a strange streaming service called Network TV (we hope you like Dick Wolf spinoffs!).
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📺 Review: I Love That for You 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Episodes 1-2 (starting at 59:31) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: 2
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: Showtime
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🔗 Links: * TV Upfronts 2022: Burning Questions for Broadcast Networks – Lesley Goldberg, Rick Porter, and Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * Upfronts 2022: Last-Minute Pilot Buzz – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * Broadcast Rankings: The Highest and Lowest-Rated Scripted TV Series of the 2021-2022 Season – Jennifer Maas, Variety * NBC Renews ‘Law & Order,’ ‘L&O: Organized Crime’ for 2022-23 – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * Disney+ Hits 137.7M Subscribers, Beating Wall Street Expectations in Streaming – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * Netflix Tells Employees Ads May Come by the End of 2022 – John Koblin and Nicole Sperling, The New York Times * 'Schitt's Creek' Will Leave Netflix for Hulu in the U.S. – Todd Spangler, Variety * How Roku Is Trying to Make 'Schitt' Happen With Canadian Sitcom 'Children Ruin Everything' – Jennifer Maas, Variety * Redbox to Be Acquired in $375 Million Deal by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment – Todd Spangler, Variety * ‘Saved By The Bell’ Canceled At Peacock After 2 Seasons – Peter White and Rosy Cordero, Deadline * ‘Jack Ryan’ To End With Season 4, Spinoff Starring Michael Peña Eyed – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * HBO leaks Westworld S4 teaser trailer and June 26th release date – Richard Lawler, The Verge * Creator Jesse Armstrong says writing on Succession season 4 is "almost done" – Gabrielle Sanchez, The A.V. Club * 'Succession' star James Cromwell glues hand to Starbucks counter to protest vegan milk charges – AP News
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This week we’re chasing our Hollywood dreams with HBO’s Barry, which just returned to TV after 3 years where absolutely nothing noteworthy happened in the world. Get caught up (or meet Bill Hader’s Barry Berkman for the first time) as we break our review into two parts: First we’ll revisit the first episode from 2018 and talk about what makes it such a killer pilot, then we’ll dig into a spoiler-packed discussion of the first two episodes of Season 3.
Plus, the latest on the Netflocalypse, a flurry of action from the newly-merged Warner Bros. Discovery (forever known as “WaBroDisco”), and a listener question about the future of streaming news caps off our in memoriam tribute to CNN+.
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📺 Review: Barry 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Season 1, Episode 1 (starting at 40:41) 🚨 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Season 3, Episodes 1-2 (starting at 59:42) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 3
- Where to Watch: HBO
- Where to Stream: HBO Max
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🔗 Links: * CNN+ Streaming Service Will Shut Down Weeks After Its Start – Michael M. Grynbaum, John Koblin and Benjamin Mullin, The New York Times * Warner Bros. Discovery Cuts Scripted Programming at TBS, TNT – Jennifer Maas and Joe Otterson, Variety * Blame the Emmys for This Month's Ridiculous Number of TV Premieres – Michael Schneider, Variety * Netflix’s Big Wake-Up Call: The Power Clash Behind the Crash – Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter * ‘Space Force’ Canceled By Netflix After 2 Seasons – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * Netflix kills the ‘Bone’ show as its Original Animation department pretty much falls apart – William Hughes, The A.V. Club * Netflix’s Sonic show has Sonic and rings and what more could we want – Petrana Radulovic, Polygon * What Do Netflix’s Tudum Layoffs Actually Mean for Media? – Tirhakah Love, Vulture * ‘Barry’: What to Remember Before Season 3 – Brian Tallerico, Vulture * Interview: Anthony Carrigan on NoHo Hank's big reveal in last night's Barry – Alison Foreman, The A.V. Club
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We’re hitting the high seas this week as we cruise through the entire first season of the queer pirate rom com we didn’t know we needed: Our Flag Means Death. But first: Join us as we sail into stormy weather with Netflix’s salty subscriber numbers, search for the treasure buried in the latest video game adaptations, voyage to the far off land of the Amazon (dot-com), and accidentally deliver a eulogy for CNN+ before scattering the young streamer’s ashes into the vast ocean of entertainment.
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📺 Review: Our Flag Means Death 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Season 1 (starting at 42:16) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: 10
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: HBO Max
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🔗 Links: * Netflix Loses 200,000 Subscribers in Q1, Predicts Loss of 2 Million More in Q2 – Jennifer Maas, Variety * Netflix to Launch Advertising-Supported Cheaper Plans – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * Amazon, Disney and Other Streamers Are Embracing Ads – John Koblin and Tiffany Hsu, The New York Times * BREAKING: CNN Plus is shutting down only a month after it launched – David Pierce, The Verge * Scoop: CNN+ looks doomed – Sara Fischer, Axios * CNN+ struggles to lure viewers, drawing under 10,000 daily users – Alex Sherman, CNBC * IMDb TV Streaming Service Rebrands As Amazon Freevee – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * 'Dancing With the Stars' Moves to Disney Plus After 30 Seasons on ABC – Jennifer Maas, Variety * Jason Momoa reportedly in talks to star in the Minecraft movie – Jay Peters, The Verge * Mike Judge and Greg Daniels making Exploding Kittens Netflix show – Sam Barsanti, The A.V. Club * How Our Flag Means Death’s creator made a period romance disguised as a pirate comedy – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Everything the creator of Our Flag Means Death has said about a season 2 – Zosha Millman, Polygon * The Shadow That Queerbaiting Casts on Gay Romance – Emma Sarappo, The Atlantic
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You’ve got questions about The Thing About Pam and we’ve got… even more questions! Those questions include:
- Are we terrible people for slurping down every second of this show like it’s a giant generic fountain soda in the clutches of Renée Zellweger‘s fat-suit-clad hands?
- How should we feel about the complicated ethics of a show— based on a podcast based on an episode of Dateline— that treats the real-life murder at the center of the story like the punchline of a joke?
- And do the tonal similarities to Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber mean that Renée Zellweger is the Joseph Gordon-Levitt of network television??
Listen in as we grapple with these existential questions, catch up on the latest streaming news, and ponder the future of TV shows based on video games. Plus: There’s a new comedy streaming on… Grindr? Sure, why not!
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📺 Review: The Thing About Pam 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Episodes 1-4 (starting at 25:00) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: 3
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: NBC
- Where to Stream: Peacock
- Based On: The Dateline Podcast The Thing About Pam (based on the episode of Dateline)
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🔗 Links: * In “Russian Doll,” Natasha Lyonne Barrels Into the Past – Rachel Syme, The New Yorker * Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Disney Plus premiere will be two days late – Jay Peters, The Verge * James Bond Game Show ‘007’s Road to a Million’ Is Casting – Ashley Shannon Wu, Vulture * HBO Max adds a shuffle button to help you find something to watch – Catie Keck, The Verge * ‘Halo’ Sets Premiere Viewership Record For Paramount+ – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * ‘Fallout’ TV Series: Walton Goggins and Ella Purnell Star – Bethy Squires, Vulture * Bridesman Trailer from Grindr Stars Other Two’s Jimmy Fowlie – Justin Curto, Vulture * 'The Thing About Pam' Premiere Ratings Jump Nearly 400% With Digital – Jennifer Maas, Variety
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We’re bringing sexy back this week with our review of the excellent new HBO Max comedy Minx. But first we share our love of corporations, brainstorm potential MGM reboots for Amazon, and beg our parents not to kick us off their Netflix in response to the streamer’s potential crackdown on password sharing.
Oh, and a story about a pigeon. 🐦
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📺 Review: Minx 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Episodes 1 and 2 (starting at 38:19) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: 2
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: HBO Max
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🔗 Links: * Netflix Adds ‘Servant of the People’ With Ukraine President Zelensky – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * 'Abbott Elementary' Renewed for Season 2 by ABC – Michael Schneider, Variety * Disney reportedly adds same-sex kiss back into Lightyear amid "Don't Say Gay" controversy – William Hughes, The A.V. Club * Netflix to Test Adding Fee for Account Sharing – J. Clara Chan, The Hollywood Reporter * Why Netflix is starting to crack down on password sharing – Catie Keck, The Verge * Christina Ricci Joins ‘Wednesday’, Netflix’s Addams Family Series – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * HBO Max and Discovery Plus Will Be Combined Into One Platform – Jennifer Maas, Variety * Amazon Closes MGM Acquisition in $8.5 Billion Deal – Jennifer Maas, Variety * 'The Thing About Pam' Premiere Ratings Jump Nearly 400% With Digital – Jennifer Maas, Variety * Jake Johnson, Star of HBO Max’s ‘Minx’, Is Pro-Dirtbag – Katja Vujić, The Cut
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This week we’re reviewing Showtime’s Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber and we’re so pumped we might say “super pumped” even more times than Joseph Gordon-Levitt does in the pilot.
But first, in the news: We’re super pumped for the Peacockalypse (coming this fall to Hulu!), but we’re super NOT pumped about Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s pathetic response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. And only time will tell if we’ll ever be super pumped for streaming news services like CNN+ and Peacock’s new “MSNBC Hub on Peacock” (in case you weren’t aware that it’s on Peacock). Oh, and for some reason Chris’s Roku wants him to know that Judge Jeanine Pirro has a thing for American castles (of which there are… many?).
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📺 Review: Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Episodes 1-2 (starting at 39:05) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: 2
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: Showtime
- Where to Watch the Pilot: Free on YouTube!
- Spinoffs: Supposedly in the works
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🔗 Links: * CNN+ to Cost $2.99 a Month at Launch – J. Clara Chan, The Hollywood Reporter * After Zucker exit, CNN pushes ahead with new streaming service – Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times * MSNBC Pivots Streaming Strategy, Will Add TV Shows to Rebranded Peacock Channel – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * NBCU Ends Hulu Next-Day TV Deal With Disney to Keep Shows for Peacock – Todd Spangler, Variety * Disney+ Advertising Tier: Behind a Drive for Streaming Profits – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter * The first trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi teases the ultimate Star Wars rematch – Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge * Disney’s queer characters won’t hide its funding of real villains – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Russian Doll season 2 is coming April 20th – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber | Series Premiere | Free Full Episode – Showtime (via YouTube)
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Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, is a political outsider fighting for his nation’s democracy, but his rise to power involves a hit Ukrainian sitcom about… a political outsider fighting for his nation’s democracy. Yes, we’re here to review the pilot of our new favorite anxiety-ridden satire: Servant of the People.
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📺 Review: Servant of the People 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Episode 1 (starting at 34:51) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: Pilot
- Number of Seasons Overall: 3
- Where to Watch: YouTube
- Spinoffs: The literal presidency of Volodymyr Zelenskyy
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🔗 Links: * You can watch the Netflix Marvel shows on Disney+ starting March 16 – Sarah Whitten, CNBC * New and returning customers can get 80 percent off Paramount Plus for three months – Sheena Vasani, The Verge * ‘Euphoria’ Season 2 Finale Measures 6.6M Viewers, Marks Season Highs – Alexandra Del Rosario, Deadline * SAG Awards Are the Talk of Twitter as 'Euphoria' Finale Wows – Amber Dowling, Variety * Greg Daniels says his idea for a reboot of The Office is a bit like The Mandalorian – Savannah Olson, The A.V. Club * John DiMaggio To Return For ‘Futurama’ Revival On Hulu – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * Chris Licht Expected To Lead CNN After Discovery-WarnerMedia Merger – Ted Johnson, Deadline * Disney and Warner Bros. Will Pause Releasing Films in Russia – Germain Lussier, Gizmodo * Netflix Declines to Carry Russian Propaganda Channels – Naman Ramachandran, Variety * ‘The White Lotus’ 2: Episode Count Revealed As Filming Starts In Sicily & Jennifer Coolidge’s Return Is Confirmed – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy brings an actor’s skill to wartime politics – Emily VanDerWerff, Vox * Before He Was Ukraine’s President, Zelensky Was Ukraine’s Paddington – Justin Curto, Vulture * Russian TV axes show starring Ukraine's leader after Putin joke – Andrew Roth, The Guardian * Volodymy Zelensky Series ‘Servant Of The People’ Sells To Channel 4 – Max Goldbart, Deadline
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OBJECTION! This revival is leading the witness!
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📺 Review: Law & Order (Revival) 🚨 Spoiler Alert for S21 E01 (starting at 1:02:00) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review:
- The Original CBS Pilot, 1988
- S01 E01 (NBC Pilot), 1990
- S05 E01 (The Introduction of Jack McCoy), 1995
- S20 E23 (The “Series Finale”), 2010
- S21 E01, 2022
- Number of Seasons Overall: 21
- Where to Watch: NBC
- Where to Stream: Peacock, Hulu
- Where to Stream Past Seasons: Peacock, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
- Spinoffs: Special Victims Unit, Organized Crime, Criminal Intent, Trial by Jury, LA, True Crime (plus some international versions)
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🔗 Links: * 2022 Winter Olympics viewership: TV ratings don’t capture huge YouTube, social media audience. – Michael J. Socolow, Slate * ‘Abbott Elementary’ Episode 2 ABC Best Comedy Ratings ‘Modern Family’ – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline * All of Netflix’s Marvel shows are moving to Disney Plus in Canada – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Paramount Stock Slips on Aggressive Streaming Plans, Analyst Downgrade – Todd Spangler, Variety * David Zaslav Pledges Cost Discipline After WarnerMedia Merger As Streaming ‘Spending Wars’ Intensify – Jennifer Maas, Variety * Peacock to launch “True Crime Tuesdays” beginning in March – Justin Anderson, Realscreen * The workers behind Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites are unionizing – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * ‘Inventing Anna’ Scores Most Hours Watched For An English-Language Series Since Netflix Revised Ratings – Peter White, Deadline * Stranger Things’ fourth and penultimate season is being split in two – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Law & Order - Wikipedia * Sam Waterston says you’re supposed to get mad at the new Law & Order – Sam Barsanti, The A.V. Club * ‘Law & Order’ Is Having an Identity Crisis – Pete Tosiello, The New York Times
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We’re doing double duty this week with a pair of boozy dramedies: Single Drunk Female (Freeform) and The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window (Netflix).
But first: ViacomCBS is going all-in on their Paramount branding and announcing more new projects than we know what to do with (Smurfs! Sonic! Baby Shark!), Netflix is losing their Marvel shows, and we get a peek at the ratings for The Book of Boba Fett and talk about Disney’s streaming strategy. Grab a glass of wine (or a club soda) and join us!
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📺 Review #1: Single Drunk Female 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Episodes 1-2 (starting at 35:15) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: 2
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: Netflix
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📺 Review #2: The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Episodes 1-2 (starting at 50:58) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: 2
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1
- Where to Watch: Freeform
- Where to Stream: Hulu
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🔗 Links: * NBC's Winter Olympics ratings hit record low – William Hughes, The A.V. Club * Taylor Sheridan sets multiple Paramount Plus shows after Mayor Of Kingstown and 1883 – Saloni Gajjar, The A.V. Club * ViacomCBS Changes Corporate Name to Paramount – Cynthia Littleton, Variety * Halo TV series renewed for a second season – Sam Barsanti, The A.V. Club * Sonic The Hedgehog: ‘Knuckles’ Series With Idris Elba In Works At Paramount+ – Justin Kroll, Deadline * Multiple ‘Smurfs’ Movies in Works at Paramount, Nickelodeon – Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter * Baby Shark will get a full-length movie on Paramount Plus in 2023 – Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge * HBO Max starting out the year on a strong note – @SouthernValue95, Twitter (via @loudmouthjulia) * How To With John Wilson is renewed for a third season – Tatiana Tenreyro, The A.V. Club * John Wilson on making the world of How To With John Wilson even bigger in season 2 – Danette Chavez, The A.V. Club * ‘Barry’: Season 3 Premiere Set At HBO – Rosy Cordero, Deadline * Documentary Now! will finally return for season 4 in 2022 – Saloni Gajjar, The A.V. Club * Marvel's 'The Defenders' Shows Leaving Netflix on March 1st – Kasey Moore, What's on Netflix * ‘Book Of Boba Fett’ Finale Viewership 36% Higher Than ‘Mandalorian’ – Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline * Disney is placing its bets on sports streaming and the metaverse – Catie Keck, The Verge
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This week we’re going back to sitcom school with Quinta Brunson’s excellent new series Abbott Elementary, a family-friendly network comedy that somehow gave us permission to talk about OnlyFans and foot fetishes (thank you, Janelle James). It airs on ABC, we swear!
But first we’ll discuss how to stream the Winter Olympics (Peacock!), our secret desire for an all-Stephen-Root streaming service (Root Premium Plus!), and Amazon’s decision to deliver a price hike for Prime (are there free returns for our feelings?). Oh, there’s also a story about Rudy Giuliani and The Masked Singer in there somewhere, but we’re pretty sure we hallucinated the whole thing (please, please let it be a hallucination).
And at the end of the episode Dianne shares her love of Somebody Somewhere while Chris ponders his place in the ever-expanding Danny McBride-verse as he sings the praises of The Righteous Gemstones. It’s a jam-packed hour of streaming from your favorite 5-star TV podcast! (We’re absolutely going to milk that while it’s technically true.)
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📺 Review: Abbott Elementary 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Season 1, Episodes 1-5 (starting at 22:12) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: First 5
- Number of Seasons Overall: 1 (Currently airing)
- Where to Watch: ABC (Tuesdays, 9 PM Eastern)
- Where to Stream: Hulu
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🔗 Links: * ‘Yellowstone’ Renewed For Season 5 At Paramount Network – Peter White, Deadline * How to stream the 2022 Winter Olympics – Catie Keck, The Verge * Amazon Prime’s price is going up to $139 per year – Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge * Rudy Giuliani ‘Masked Singer’ Reveal Leads Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke To Walk Off – Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline * Preview: The Good, The Bad, And The Cuddly | Season 7 | THE MASKED SINGER – YouTube * Netflix’s 2022 movie slate looks absolutely stacked – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge * Now You Can Easily Tidy Up Your Continue Watching Row on All Devices – Christine Doig-Cardet, Netflix * Quinta Brunson Made Network TV Cool Again – Ashley Ray-Harris, Vulture * ‘Abbott Elementary’ Becomes First ABC Comedy Premiere To Quadruple In MP35 – Alexandra Del Rosario, Deadline
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It’s our first episode and Streamageddon is already living up to its name with an apocalyptic amount of streaming news, including hot takes on the Netflix price hike and the company’s slowing growth.
Then we ask the big questions: Do we Peacock comedy? Also, why does Peacock have so many tiers? And what does wrestling have to do with Peacock anyway? (Related question: Are the wrestlers actual peacocks?)
Finally we gallop into our first review: THE MOST POPULAR SHOW ON CABLE (that you aren’t watching).
📺 Review: Yellowstone 🚨 Spoiler Alert for Season 1 (starting at 32:15) 🚨
- Episodes Watched for Review: First 4 episodes (Season 1)
- Number of Seasons Overall: 4 (Renewed for Season 5)
- Where to Watch: Paramount Network (not to be confused with Paramount+)
- Where to Stream Past Seasons: Peacock!
- Spinoffs: 1883, The Mayor of Kingstown (not to be confused with Mare of Easttown)
🔗 Links: * How ‘Lucifer’ Topped ‘Squid Game’ on Nielsen’s 2021 Streaming Chart — Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter * Netflix stock plunges as company misses growth forecast — Catie Keck, The Verge * Why Netflix keeps cranking up its prices — Catie Keck, The Verge * Peacock Loss Grows to $1.7 Billion in 2021 as Comcast Q4 Tops Expectations — Todd Spangler, Variety * Peacock Subscriber Updates, Stats On WWE Fans Using Peacock — Marc Middleton, Wrestling Inc * Adam’s Netflix Tweet — @AdamSzymkowicz * ViacomCBS — Wikipedia * Paramount Movie Network Put On Ice As ViacomCBS Nixes Rebrand Plans For ‘Yellowstone’ Network — Peter White, Deadline
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