Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, March 13th, 2025

A busy day on the Culture Wars front in Hollywood. Plus, "The Electric State"

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, March 13th, 2025:

PRODUCTION NOTES:
Tonight's newsletter is going out pretty late. In full transparency, I'm dealing with some medical stuff and it's messing with my work schedule and ability to work at times. I think this will all work out in the end, but it might result in the occasional late or missed newsletter.

WHAT TO WATCH
I'm going to highlight some things I think you should watch in tomorrow's newsletter. But I wanted to remind you that Friday's big streaming premiere is the Netflix pop culture action film The Electric State, which stars Millie Bobby Brown.

It has received pretty middling reviews from critics, which was frustrating for me, because this type of big, dumb action film is my sweet spot. But I wasn't able to convince Netflix to send me a screener. Even though it's screening the film at a number of fan events.

I don't generally complain about not receiving screeners because honestly, I barely have enough time to watch what I receive. But I was able to get access to the film through a less-than-official method and I really enjoyed it. Yes, it's dumb and over-the-top and sometimes feels as if someone collected every pop culture reference and then just randomly dumped them into the script.

But I enjoyed watching it and I wish I could have reviewed it ahead of the premiere. But I won't post a review until it officially premieres tomorrow. Because I don't feel comfortable reviewing something I didn't access officially.

Regardless, check out The Electric State and let me know what you think.

MICHAEL WOLFF CLAIMS CABLE NEWS NETWORKS TOO SCARED TO BOOK HIM
I'm not quite sure how it ended up in the Hollywood Reporter, but author Michael Wolff has a new op-ed in the trade arguing that the once-friendly cable news networks have been reluctant (or even scared) to interview him about his new book All or Nothing: How Trump Recaptured America:

While the book was greeted by gratifying reviews in many print outlets, including The New York Times, and debuted at No. 9 on the Times’ best-seller list, most every significant television news outlet — ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN — has declined to have it discussed on its news shows. MSNBC, a network whose bread and butter is opposition to the president and which had booked me for several shows, including Lawrence O’Donnell, a show I regularly do when I publish a book, canceled those appearances as soon as portions of the book began to leak, followed shortly by the White House tirades.

Jesse Rodriguez, MSNBC’s chief booker, explained to representatives from my publisher, Crown, the Penguin Random House imprint, that the book was being reviewed by “Standards and Legal,” in itself an unusual step. Rodriguez, who kept assuring my publishing team that he hoped we’d soon be back on schedule, seemed to express surprise as this turned into a multiweek and indeterminate process. (Curiously, Sky, Comcast’s division in the U.K., has produced Rewriting Trump, a 90-minute documentary based on my book that is now airing in Europe.)

Rebecca Kutler, the new head of MSNBC, acknowledged to a senior figure in the entertainment community concerned about the blackout who contacted her on my behalf that the decision was out of her hands and rested with executives at NBCU and its parent, Comcast, and noted that the industry was “in a new climate.” (An MSNBC spokesperson firmly denies this.) At this same moment, the network was canceling some of its most left-leaning personalities, including Joy Reid.

It's difficult to know from the outside how much of Wolff's complaints are valid, although they do fit in with things I have heard from other people. Because the Trump Administration pushed back so hard over the book, there might be some reluctance to poke the bees nest, as it were.

It is fascinating to see Wolff not only make the decision to go public with his complaints, but to call out MSNBC's chief booker by name. That certainly suggests he feels as if he has nothing to lose at this point.

READER FEEDBACK
The more I write about what I lovingly refer to as the "comedy trollosphere" on streamers such as Netflix, the more feedback I receive. Here are just of few examples from the past day or so:

Reactions to comedy have always been fascinating. It used to be that liberals were critical of people they considered far-right conservatives criticizing someone like Carlin or Pryor, yet have no problem doing the same thing towards comedians like Louis C.K., Chappelle, or Gillis. Not a huge fan of Gillis, but never really understood the Pearl clutching when it comes to him. He was cancelled (primarily by the left) for using an Asian accent saying “newders” instead of noodles. Really? That’s it? Don’t recall progressives canceling Fallon or Kimmel for literally doing blackface. If you don’t like a comedian that’s perfectly fine of course, but why try to encourage others to not like a comedian just because you don’t? If anything, it just comes across as sheep mentality following a trend.

That's all well and good. But I have never tried to encourage someone not to like any comedian. Honestly, if you see writing a piece that simply lays out what they said as some effort to discourage people from watching them, then the problem lies with what they said, not my reaction to it. And as far as Gillis is concerned, his behavior is so much more than just using an Asian accent. Also, please don't make me defend the comedy stylings of Jimmy Fallon.

People are tired of being "warned." Stop playing hall monitor in life. People were very open, but the last 8 yrs have been abused, and people aren't going to be so open anymore. It really hit the fan when they started targeting the children. People were accepting to most everything till that point. All respect and kindness is off the table at this point.

Wow, there's a lot to unpack here and I'm not sure I can. I have no idea what "targeting the children" means. I'm assuming maybe it's somehow trans related? And I hate to break this to you, but the history of the United States is filled with examples of people not being all that accepting about some things.

But I have also received a number of positive messages from readers thanking me for my reporting and I am incredibly grateful. I owe a number of you responses and I am going to try and get that done this weekend.

And if you’re not able to make that kind of commitment, you can always buy me cup or two of coffee.

ODDS AND SODS
* Following a number of requests, I have compiled and reworked my recent reporting on Netflix stand-up comedy efforts into a stand-alone piece entitled Netflix Comedy Has A Retard Problem that I would encourage you to share widely. While much of it will be familiar to those of you who read the newsletter, I'm trying to get this out to a wider audience.

* I wrote yesterday about Wonder's acquisition of Tastemade and The Wall Street Journal has an interview with Wonder Founder and Chief Executive Marc Lore, which does provide some more details. But honestly, I still have trouble visualizing what this blended business will look like a year from now.

* The mayor of Miami Beach is attempting to evict an independent cinema from city-owned property after it screened No Other Land, the film about Palestinian displacement in the West Bank that just won the Oscar for best documentary.

* The Chicago Tribune's Nina Metz has a great piece on the 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and how the film's message resonates so strongly in 2025.

* Comcast is paying $3 billion to extend its Olympics rights deal through 2036. The renewal with the International Olympic Committee will give two more Olympic Games to NBCUniversal, including the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City/Utah and the 2036 Summer Games in a city to be determined.

* Season four of BMF will premiere Friday, June 6th on Starz.

* Hulu has announced the cast for the upcoming new competitive reality series Got To Get Out, and it is an impressive collection of the most annoying personalities of the reality TV era: Omarosa, Spencer Pratt, Cynthia Bailey, Demi Burnett, Val Chmerkovskiy, Kim Zolciak-Biermann, Susan Noles and Clare Crawley. They battle a group of reality TV newbies for a $1 million prize.

* The six-episode season seven of Black Mirror will premiere Thursday, April 10th on Netflix. Guest stars include: Awkwafina, Milanka Brooks, Peter Capaldi, Emma Corrin, Patsy Ferran, Paul Giamatti, Lewis Gribben, Osy Ikhile, Rashida Jones, Siena Kelly, Billy Magnussen, Rosy McEwen, Cristin Milioti, Chris O’Dowd and Issa Rae, Paul G. Raymond, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jimmi Simpson and Harriet Walter.

* The new three-part docuseries Bad Influence: The Dark Side Of Kidfluencing focuses on YouTuber Piper Rockelle and her friends and allegations of exploitation and cult-like manipulation from their momager Tiffany. It will premiere Wednesday, April 9th on Netflix.

* The Nicole Kidman theatrical film Babygirl will get its streaming premiere Friday, April 25th on Max.

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW

THURSDAY, MARCH 13TH:
Adolescence (Netflix)
Control Freak (Hulu)
Long Bright River Series Premiere (Peacock)
Mystery Island: Winner Takes All (Hallmark Mysteries)
Ruthless (BET)
Secrets At Red Rocks Series Premiere (BYUtv)
The Parenting (Max)
The Wheel Of Time Season Three Premiere (Prime Video)
Top Chef Season Twenty Two Premiere (Bravo)

FRIDAY, MARCH 14TH:
Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years (Hulu)
Dope Thief Series Premiere (Apple TV+)
The Electric State (Netflix)
What Would You Kill For? (LMN)

SEE YOU ON FRIDAY!