Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Tuesday, May 9th, 2023

And as if Twitter wasn't already super annoying...

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, May 9th, 2023.

A FOLLOW-UP TO YESTERDAY'S NEWSLETTER
My piece in yesterday's newsletter that included some comments from a Netflix executive received a lot of attention. Including from the executive I quoted. We swapped emails a bit today and I included the follow-up thoughts in a stand-alone piece I posted Tuesday afternoon:

I asked about two arguments I frequently hear from writers: that the small mini-rooms have led to showrunners as well as the other writers being overworked. And that the mini-rooms ironically likely cost the streamers money because not giving the writing room the sufficient time to do their best work combined with not having the writer of the episode on set likely leads to a lower quality end result that costs more money:

"I can't speak for everyone, but my experience is that executives I have spoken with absolutely don't believe the writers are overworked. At least, not on a consistent basis. I've had a closer relationship on a couple of shows, and I've seen some of the problems that pop up. But at this point, no one on our side of the negotiations is willing to change anything due to work load. Their attitude is "if they can get it done, then obviously it's not too much for them." I don't agree, but it's going to be hard to change that mindset.

If we weren't in the middle of a strike, I can see some discussions around whether the current model of "cost-plus" productions, small rooms and no pilots is the best approach. But people are dug in deep now and I don't know of any executive that is willing to entertain changes at this point.

The problem with all of this is that the people at the top have the least experience with the day-to-day operations of a TV series or film. They're just looking at spreadsheets and internal data which tracks how "efficient" a production is compared to a baseline. None of which gives you a sense of how a show gets made and how it can be done more efficiently. The lower-level people here tend to be at least somewhat sympathetic to the WGA stance. Some of them are much more than somewhat sympathetic. But the people in the C-Suite? I think there's a mix of an arrogant belief they're making the right decision combined with a growing anger that the people they employ aren't being sufficiently grateful.

This is not a good mix for anyone."

I'm proud of the reporting I'm doing on this and I'd encourage you to pass along the stand-alone piece to anyone who is following the writer's strike.

Tomorrow I'll have some comments from someone at Prime Video about content valuation at the company as well as some thoughts about the strike. This is someone I've been speaking with off-the-record for a couple of years, so it's taking me some time to negotiate what they want published, even if I am not identifying them.

Speaking of the writers strike, I've started a new daily evening email that includes links to the best coverage of the day about the writer's strike, as well as a fun photo or two. The email is only available to paid subscribers and if you are already a paid subscriber, you need to opt into it. To add the newsletter (or to upgrade your current free subscription to a paid one), click here and you'll be taken to your Substack account page. You'll see a little section that reads "notifications" and you can select the "Writers Strike 2023" button.

TUCKER CARLSON IS HEADED TO TWITTER...MAYBE?
Earlier this evening, former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson posted a video on Twitter that spent about three minutes bemoaning the state of journalism and how there aren't many places left where someone could tell the truth without being fired. He then cited Twitter as perhaps the biggest platform that still allows free speech before announcing he will bringing a version of his Fox News Channel show to Twitter in the near future. 

Of course, there are a few unanswered questions. There has been reporting that Carlson is contractually tied to Fox until January 2025 and in fact, he has publicly complained about it. He had reportedly received offers to host a show from Fox News Channel rival Newsmax as well as the video platform Rumble. But those seem off the board unless Carlson can convince Fox to set him free. So it's not clear if this Twitter show idea falls outside the scope of his Fox deal, or if he is just hoping to escalate the pressure enough that the Murdochs will just decide keeping him on a leash isn't worth the pain.

There is also a question about how Carlson will make money with this Twitter venture. In a series of tweets posted just after Carlson's video, owner Elon Musk touted the platform's freedom, but also stressed that Twitter hadn't signed a contract with Carlson:

On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said.

And, of course, anything misleading will get @CommunityNotes.

I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators. Rewards means subscriptions and advertising revenue share (coming soon), which is a function of how many people subscribe and the advertising views associated with the content. I hope that many others, particularly from the left, also choose to be content creators on this platform.

CBS ORDERS THREE SHOWS FOR THE FALL....OR WHENEVER THE NEW FALL SEASON STARTS
CBS announced today that it has given series orders to three additional show scheduled to premiere this Fall: Matlock, starring Kathy Bates; The Good Wife spinoff Elsbeth; and the Wayans family comedy, which now is known as Poppa’s House.

The trio will air during the 2023-24 season and will be joined by Tracker, starring Justin Hartley, which formerly was known as The Never Game and was ordered to series in December.

I would normally be skeptical of anyone trying to reboot Matlock, but Bates starred as a scrappy lawyer in the very underrated David E. Kelley series Harry's Law, which aired for two seasons on NBC from 2011-2013. Based on that performance, I am feeling much better about the prospects for the show. 

ODDS AND SODS
* The CW has renewed Walker for a seventh season.

* On the other hand, The CW has canceled Walker: Independence.

* Season five of Temptation Island premieres Wednesday, June 14th on USA.

TWEET OF THE DAY

WHAT'S NEW FOR TUESDAY:
* Accused Season Finale (Fox)
* Dancing Queens Series Premiere (Bravo)
* Hannah Gadsby: Something Special (Netflix)
* Judge Steve Harvey Season Premiere (ABC)
* Peter O'Toole: Along The Sky Road To Agaba (Britbox)
* The Ghost Of Richard Harris (Britbox)

Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.

SEE YOU TUESDAY!

If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.