Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Friday, March 5th, 2021

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, March 5th, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities suburbs, where AllYourScreens HQ is powered by Dr. Pepper and Chex Mix.

WANDAVISION AND THE ART OF BINGEING
The season finale of Disney+'s Wandavision was released early this morning and the anticipation around that event not only knocked the service offline for some subscribers, it prompted a flurry of hot takes arguing (of course), that the success of Wandavision means that Netflix's "drop an entire season at once" approach is flawed. And as if usually the case, much is made about the "communal nature" that comes when you release one new episode a week.

But as I argued in this piece a couple of weeks ago, there is room for all variations of release schedules. It depends on the show and the likelihood that conversation about the series can be sustained over an eight or ten week period:

And that is my response to people who use the success of The Mandalorian or Wandavision as a rationale why all scripted television should be released on a "one-episode-per-week" basis. Those shows are the exception, not the rule. Releasing episodes once a week doesn't guarantee people who spend more time talking about the show. Otherwise, my social media feeds would be filled with conversations about the second season of Snowpiercer. 

The pop culture zeitgeist only has the attention bandwidth to deal with so much bandwidth at one time. And in an industry where there are maybe a dozen potential buzzworthy shows being released each month, dropping an entire season of most of them at once gives more of them a chance to shine-even if it's for a shorter amount of time.

Releasing an entire season at once also plays to the reality of streaming television in 2021. We live in a world with a lot of media distractions. We're discovering things at different times and on a variety of unexpected platforms. Our viewing habits are defined by our friends and social media feeds as anything else. For the most part, we don't live in a pop culture world of entertainment. It's a pod culture world. More and more often, we discover a show because someone we know or follow on social media talk about. I am sure nearly all of us have suddenly had a discussion of an older show dominate our cultural pod because one person discovers it and encourages everyone else to give it a try. 

The biggest issue for TV industry professionals - especially writers - isn't bingeing. It's the short seasons that have become the norm in this streaming television era. Having an 8 or 10 episode season instead of the now traditional 22-episode broadcast order means less money for the crew and writing staff. And as Jose Molina (Agent Carter,Firefly) noted on Twitter several days ago, short seasons don't just impact incomes. They also have the effect of lessening opportunities for younger writers and staff:

Also: normalize 22-episode seasons. Short seasons are destroying writers' and assistants' livelihoods. (This isn't an invitation to discuss the merits of short seasons.) In a season of 22, a show must farm out a freelance or pay a fine. That doesn't apply in a short season.

I would recommend reading the comments on the thread. There are a lot of complex challenges related to short seasons and at this point I don't think anyone has any great answers.

IN THE WORLD OF MARKETING, NO IDEA TRULY GOES AWAY
To celebrate Halfway to Halloween Month in April, Shudder is bringing back its Halfway to Halloween Hotline:

Every Friday in April from 3pm-4pm ET, members are invited to call Samuel Zimmerman, Shudder’s director of programming, to discuss all things horror: from their favorite genre films of all time to the most highly anticipated horror releases of the year. From those conversations, Sam will then use his horror expertise to offer customized viewing recommendations from Shudder’s expansive film collection.

It's a fun idea, but as Jim Maiella pointed out this morning on Twitter, it's not a new idea. ESPN was doing something similar 40 years ago:

WHY I'M NOT REVIEWING 'COMING 2 AMERICA'
As a critic, you need to be aware of your prejudices and respect them. In the case of Arsenio Hall, I know just enough about the guy that I am incapable of fairly judging anything he's in. So I'm not reviewing Coming 2 America, which premieres today on Amazon Prime.

I did standup for more than a decade and early on, I frequently performed at a showcase club in the Chicago suburbs called the Comedy Cottage. At the time, Arsenio Hall was kind of the big fish in that small pond and he was relentless in his efforts to get out of Chicago and into the bigger leagues. He also had a reputation for being fairly cutthroat, which given his later success, I guess was a smart career move. His first big TV break was doing a segment on the TV dance/music/variety series Solid Gold. The set went very well, but it was a bit shocking for the other local comics because as part of his set, Arsenio did a substantial bit belonging to another Chicago comic. A guy named John Tambourino, who spent his days working as a municipal garbageman.

To be clear, Arsenio didn't just do a line or two of John's material. It was an entire bit & it was by far the best material John had at the time. So watching someone else do it on national TV didn't go down very well. When Arsenio returned to the club, there was a huge meeting that included pretty much every comic working in the area. There was a lot of yelling back-and-forth and it ended when Arsenio left the club, never to return. But his parting words were to scream at John, "I'm going to be somebody. You're a garbage collector and you'll always be a garbage collector. Five years from now I'm going to be a star and you're still going to be driving a garbage truck."

Arsenio was right about his future and maybe he's a much better man in 2021. But it's hard for me to watch his work without thinking of that meeting and so I'll pass on the review of his new movie.

To be fair to Arsenio, this was not the first time this type of thing happened in the world of stand-up. For instance, when Mork & Mindy first became a hit, Robin Williams was notorious for "accidentally" using other comic's material on the show. He ended up paying some of the comics for the jokes, but at one point the problem was so contentious that the Comedy Store in Hollywood wouldn't allow Williams to watch other comics perform when he visited. His attribution problem was also how David Letterman ended up making some guest appearances on Mork & Mindy. After Williams used some of Letterman's material on the show, Letterman apparently confronted Williams backstage at the Comedy Store and threatened to punch him unless Williams made it right, The result was a couple of guest slots, which might have helped Letterman more if he hadn't turned out to be a terrible actor. 

TODAY'S PREMIERES
1) Boss Level (Hulu)
Trapped in a time loop that constantly repeats the day of his murder, former special forces agent Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo) uncovers clues about a secret government project that could unlock the mystery behind his untimely death. In a race against the clock, Pulver must hunt down Colonel Ventor (Mel Gibson), the powerful head of the government program, while outrunning skilled ruthless assassins determined to keep him from the truth in order to break out of the loop, save his ex-wife (Naomi Watts) and live once again for tomorrow.

2) City Of Ghosts Series Premiere (Netflix)
Meet the Ghost Club! Their adventures take them all around Los Angeles as they interview ghosts, solve problems and learn about their city's history.

3) Coming 2 America (Amazon)
Akeem and Semmi are back. Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York - where it all began.

4) Dangerous Medicine (LMN)
When Tony's new physical therapist falls in love with him, he unsuccessfully tries to let her down gently. Will her obsession turn deadly?

5) Dogwashers (Netflix)
When a narco past his prime refuses to pay a debt to an upstart, only a secret stash of money can save his men. But guess what the gardener just found?

6) Nevenka: Breaking The Silence (Netflix)
This docuseries examines Spain's historic 2001 lawsuit, in which city councilor Nevenka Fernández accused Mayor Ismael Álvarez of sexual harassment.

7) Pokemon Journeys: The Series (Netflix)
More episodes of this classic, which apparently follows a character named Ash as he travels across Japan, continuously just failing to win Pokemon tournaments.

8) Raya & The Last Dragon (Disney+ Premium)
Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. However, when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned, and it's up to a lone warrior to track down the last dragon and stop the Druun for good.

9) Sentinelle (Netflix)
Transferred home after a traumatizing combat mission, a highly trained French soldier uses her lethal skills to hunt down the man who hurt her sister.

10) Warren Jeffs: Cult of Personality (Reelz)
At the border of Utah and Arizona, a remote theocratic community has been thriving for decades. They live in full obedience to a spiritual leader, whom they believe to be ordained by God. His name is Warren Jeffs, the Prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ and the latter day Saints. On a quiet summer night, Flora Jessup is on a dangerous mission: to rescue two teenage girls who are trying to flee the same religious community that she escaped years before – the FLDS. 

11) Wynonna Earp Season 4b Premiere (Syfy)
This underrated series returns for the final few episodes of its run.

This newsletter is called "Too Much TV" because....well, it's hard to keep track of all the new television premiering everyday. To help you prioritize your viewing, click here to see our list of more than 400 upcoming television premieres, movies and finales. You'll find listings from more than 70 networks, as well as streaming services and web shows.

I'll be back with another one Monday. If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.