Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Friday, August 4th, 2023
Being a whistleblower isn't a bad thing
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, August 4th, 2023.
WHAT HOLLYWOOD'S WRITERS AND ACTORS COULD LEARN FROM UNHAPPY U.S. GOVERNMENT CIVIL SERVANTS
Over the past few days, I've been writing about what to expect in the next few days as we see both sides try and find a face-saving way forward to solving the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
One of the interesting side effects of the strike has been how many stories have now surfaced that discuss the myriad of petty and not-so-petty ways the studios and networks have screwed. writers, actors and crew. I think a lot of people's reaction has been "why didn't I know about this?" and that's not an unreasonable question. In almost any other industry, stories of attempts by management to skirt union rules or efforts to just simply not pay employees what they deserve would eventually start surfacing in social media and in news stories. Those reports would spark follow-up reporting and eventually the truth of the situation would become public knowledge.
That is especially the case when you're talking about civil servants or people who work for legislators and the presidential administration. Not every secret will be told, but government workers have no problem speaking with reporters. Even if it could cost them their job.
And you don't see that trend in Hollywood. There are plenty of stories of late pay and abusive readings of the union contracts that are well-known inside the industry. But it takes a lot for those stories to make it into the public discourse.
From what I can tell, there are a couple of factors at play here. One, while the "Hollywood is built on relationships" mantra is a bit over-blown at times, it is true that word-of-mouth plays a substantial role in whether or not someone gets hired. So no one wants to get the reputation of being a rabble rouser or perhaps being someone who has a reputation for not being able to keep a secret.
And then there's the role of NDA's, which are used at just about every step in the Hollywood production process. If you had to sign a NDA agreeing that you wouldn't even disclose you are working on a show until the studio announces it, what are the odds that you are going to be willing to discuss something that happened during the production process? It's not just the immediate impact of breaking an NDA that is a concern. It's being known as someone who is willing to break an NDA. That certainly would make producers very hesitant to ever hire someone in the future.
Entertainment news reporters and media analysts also have a unique role in this. Most sources don't trust reporters motives in general. And that is particularly the case in Hollywood, where the big trade outlets are seen as being primarily more open to the studio side of any discussion. That feeling has only intensified as Penske Media has continued to roll up entertainment news outlets, events companies and industry events such as SXSW. The perception among many in Hollywood is that given that Penske's businesses depend so much on studio advertising, they are not going to publish any story that casts the studios in a bad light. And to be honest, that's not an unreasonable fear. For instance, this was posted Friday afternoon on Penske-owned Deadline:
That's not to say that Hollywood creatives feel that way about all of the reporters working at those trades. A number of times, I've been talking to a source who'll tell me "Oh, X is a really good reporter, even if they work X."
Plus, even if a reporter has the ability to publish a story critical of the studios, those types of stories require a large investment in time. And that's tough to do, given the heavy workload of many industry reporters. I frequently have people ask me how I was able to get some executive to speak with me and I have two interconnected explanations. I am my own boss, so I can carve out the time to speak to people off the record until they are comfortable talking to me. And even more importantly, they know they can trust me.
I have had a few pretty high-profile streaming executive interviews in recent weeks and in every case, it's been the result of multiple conversations. For instance, my well-publicized interview with an Apple TV+ executive was the result of more than a dozen back-and-forth off-the-record conversations in the past few months. And I realized after the fact that they were testing me at one point. I was told a fairly big piece of news off-the-record and it would have made a splash if I had reported it. I certainly could have done so and then just claimed I was told the news by another source. But I kept the news to myself and after that, the source apparently decided they could trust me to keep their identity secret.
The consequences of all of this is that a lot of these stories that are surfacing now should have been revealed much earlier. It would have been good for the public to know and the attention might have motivated the studios to change their behavior.
I don't foresee a future in which actors and writers will be comfortable talking to the press like they were some under-secretary of the FDA. But to the extent that these stories can be told now and in the future, they should be. If you have a story, even just a tidbit of one, find a reporter you trust and share it with them.
ODDS AND SODS
* Apple TV+ has announced the eight-episode drama The Buccaneers, which will premiere "later this year." It's inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Wharton’s unfinished final novel of the same name and it's described this way:
"Girls with money, men with power. New money, old secrets. A group of fun-loving young American girls explode into the tightly corseted London season of the 1870s, kicking off an Anglo-American culture clash as the land of the stiff upper lip is infiltrated by a refreshing disregard for centuries of tradition. Sent to secure husbands and titles, the buccaneers’ hearts are set on much more than that, and saying “I do” is just the beginning…"
* For CNN Style, Brooklyn White-Grier wrote about how "Soul Train" immortalized an exuberant era of Black style and culture.
* HGTV personality Tarek El Moussa says he not responsible for the eviction of some residents of a rent-controlled North Hollywood property. But until they're gone, he can't do the "biggest flip of my career."
WHAT'S NEW TODAY AND THIS WEEEKEND:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4TH:
* Eva The Owlet (Apple TV+)
* Fatal Seduction (Netflix)
* The Big Nailed It Baking Challenge Series Premiere (Netflix)
* The Hunt For Veerappan (Netflix)
* The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart (Prime Video)
* The Marriage Pact Series Premiere (The Roku Channel)
* Witness To Murder Series Premiere (A&E)
* Women On Death Row Series Premiere (A&E)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 5TH, 2023:
* Boy In The Walls (Lifetime)
* Great Chocolate Showdown Season Premiere (The CW)
* Johnson (Bounce)
* Making Waves (Hallmark)
* Recipe For Disaster Series Premiere (The CW)
* Romance At The Vineyard (Great American Family)
* The Wild Sides (BBC America)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6TH, 2023:
* Big Sky Kitchen With Eduardo Garcia Season Premiere (Magnolia)
* Boy In The Walls (Lifetime)
* Evil Lives Here Season Premiere (Investigation Discovery)
* Match Me Abroad Season Finale (TLC)
* The Chi Season Six Premiere (Showtime)
* Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty Season Two Premiere (HBO)
* Worst Cooks In America: Love At First Bite (Food)
MONDAY, AUGUST 7TH, 2023:
* Gabby's Dollhouse (Netflix)
* Inside the Producer's Studio With Kandy Muse (WOW Plus Presents)
* Jimbo Presents: It's My Special Show! Series Premiere (WOW Plus Presents)
* Meet Marry Murder (Lifetime)
* #TextMeWhenYouGetHome (Lifetime)
* Ugliest House In America Season Premiere (HGTV)
Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.
SEE YOU WEDNESDAY!
If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.