Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Tuesday, November 21st, 2023

More than anything, I really need a nap.

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, November 21st, 2023. 

A BRIEF PROGRAMMING NOTE
Today's newsletter is shorter than I had planned. I had some minor surgery last Friday and while that went extremely well, I managed to pick up some viral thing which has apparently turned into bronchitis. I had originally planned to edit and post an interview with a SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee member, but that wasn't possible. Hopefully, I'll feel better tomorrow and can get it up before the holiday break.

THIS IS THE STORY I WISH I HAD BROKEN
Longtime readers of this newsletter have likely figured out that I hate being beat on a story that breaks in a subject I consider to be one of my specialties. But despite that somewhat irrational approach, I don't have a problem highlighting a story I wish I would have broken. 

The Anker's Elaine Low has a piece revealing that the WGA has sent a "sternly worded" letter to Amazon, accusing it of failing to reopen a number of the writers rooms as it was obligated to do under the terms of the recently negotiated minimum basic agreement between the studios and Hollywood's writers:

Writers rooms were supposed to have been revived once the strike ended in late September — now, nearly two months after the conclusion of the 148-day work stoppage, sources tell The Ankler that series such as Marvel’s Silk: Spider Society and other Amazon series are still dark as of Thanksgiving week, with staff writers not being paid, and yet unable to go find new work as they are contractually still obligated to the paused series.

We’re told the writers on Silk, a hotly anticipated co-pro from Marvel and Sony helmed by Angela Kang (who has an overall deal with Amazon), Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, were a number of episodes deep into the season before the strike began; meanwhile, a separate series’ development room was halfway completed ahead of the stoppage.

One of the under-reported aspects of the recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike negotiations was the aggressive moves by Amazon. While company executives didn't have the high public profile of Disney's Bob Iger or Warner Bros. Discovery's David Zaslav, Amazon made it presence known behind-the-scenes, particularly when it came to the negotiations over AI.

I'm interested to see Amazon's reaction to this letter from the WGA - both publicly and privately.

FOX ANNOUNCES ITS ABBREVIATED SPRING SCHEDULE
NBC announced the delayed season premieres of many of its shows today, with a few exceptions. On the animation front, the big change is that Fox's long-running animated series Family Guy is moving to Wednesdays on Match 6th. The show is currently in its 22nd season and has aired on Sunday nights since season four.

Tuesday, January 2nd:
8:00 PM ET/PT    CELEBRITY NAME THAT TUNE (Winter Premiere)
9:00-PM ET/PT    THE FLOOR (Series Premiere)

Wednesday, January 3rd:
8:00 PM ET/PT     I CAN SEE YOUR VOICE (Season Premiere)
9:00 PM ET/PT     WE ARE FAMILY (Series Premiere) 

Sunday, January 7th:       
8:00 PM ET/PT     GRIMSBURG (Special Preview)
8:30 PM ET/PT     KRAPOPOLIS (New Episode)
9:00 PM ET/PT     BOB’S BURGERS (New Episode)
9:30 PM ET/PT     THE GREAT NORTH (Season Premiere)

Monday, January 22nd:
8:00 PM ET/PT     TMZ INVESTIGATES (Season Premiere)
9:00 PM ET/PT     AMERICA’S MOST WANTED (Season Premiere)

Sunday, January 28th:
10:00 PM ET         NEXT LEVEL CHEF (Special Preview)

Tuesday, February 1st:
8:00 PM ET/PT      NEXT LEVEL CHEF (Time Period Premiere)
9:00 PM ET/PT      FARMER WANTS A WIFE (Season Premiere)

Sunday, February 18th:
8:00 PM ET/PT      THE SIMPSONS (New Episode)
8:30 PM ET/PT      KRAPOPOLIS (New Episode)
9:00 PM ET/PT      THE GREAT NORTH (Time Period Premiere)
9:30 PM ET/PT      GRIMSBURG (Time Period Premiere)

Tuesday, March 5th:
8:00 PM ET/PT      THE CLEANING LADY (Season Premiere)
9:00 PM ET/PT      ALERT: MISSING PERSONS UNIT (Season Premiere)

Wednesday, March 6th:
8:00 PM ET/PT      THE MASKED SINGER (Season Premiere)
9:00 PM ET/PT      ANIMAL CONTROL (Season Premiere)
9:30 PM ET/PT      FAMILY GUY (Spring Premiere)

THE EASIEST SLAMDUNK IN ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALISM
There are certain stories that are guaranteed to garner lots of traffic and viral sharing. Because while the premise of the stories might be wrong, they feed into what some people want to believe. 

The "Why Did Netflix Cancel Your Favorite Show?" is one of the top performers in the category of faux outrage fodder and this piece in Screenrant - which cranks out drummed up outrage with a terrifying efficiency - argues that "The frequent cancellations of beloved shows like Warrior Nun and Shadow And Bone are eroding the trust of Netflix subscribers, making them more hesitant to invest time in new television shows on the platform."

Now, the fact that I haven't seen the slightest bit of evidence that is the case is apparently besides the point. Because Screenrant knows that fans of both shows will share the article and drive up site traffic. 

The sad thing is that after a bunch of complaints about Netflix's unwillingness to passionate fanbases, journalist Dhruv Sharma admits that *perhaps* Netflix might have made the decisions based on actual metrics and not the hurt feelings of fans of the two shows:

Warrior Nun and Shadow And Bone's recent seasons may not have performed as well as Netflix had hoped. However, both shows have massive fan bases. The fact that their viewers are actively rallying around them post-cancellation and running fan campaigns to bring them back proves that they have a passionate following but still got canceled by the streaming giant. Warrior Nun and Shadow And Bone are not the first two shows to meet this fate. Series like The OA, 1899, and I'm Not Okay With This showed immense potential in their opening seasons and even earned worldwide critical acclaim. Unfortunately, that did not hold Netflix back from canceling them because their financial returns and viewership numbers did not match the streaming service's expectations.

Generally speaking, you nearly always get into trouble when you try and clump a number of random shows into one group in an effort to make some ginned-up point. For instance, as much as I enjoyed 1899, it was an expensive show that underperformed with viewers. And it wasn't until the final couple of episodes of season one that things began to gel. It's not a surprise to anyone who wasn't a hardcore fan of the series that it was canceled. In fact, you can make a pretty good argument Netflix was doing the rational thing by canceling it.

Each of the other shows mentioned have their own story. But at the end of it all, in most cases, Netflix cancels shows for the same reasons as other networks and platforms. It's a combination of costs, viewer response and future potential. Writing pieces that claim otherwise might be good for site traffic purposes. But it's lazy journalism.

ODDS AND SODS
* The true crime series Fatal Family Feuds premieres Saturday, December 2nd on Oxygen.

* The Muppets Mayhem has been canceled after just one season at Disney+.

* Not that it's a big surprise, but TBS has canceled Miracle Workers after four seasons.

* Season two of Hallmark's The Way Home premieres on Sunday, January 21st.

WHAT'S NEW TODAY AND TOMORROW:

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST:
* Bye Bye Barry (Prime Video)
* Fargo Season Five Premiere (FX)
* Hard Knocks: In Season With The Miami Dolphins Season Premiere (HBO)
* Killing JFK: 60 Questions (Reelz)
* Leo (Netflix) 
* Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man And The Pool (Netflix)
* Nick Cannon Presents: Future Superstars Series Premiere (VH1)
* Obituary Series Premiere (Hulu)
* The Choice Is Yours (Paramount+)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22ND:
* A Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving Special (NBC)
* A Season For Family (Hallmark Movies And Mysteries)
* Comedy Island Japan (Prime Video)
* Countdown To Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (NBC)
* Crime Diaries: The Celebrity Stylist (Netflix)
* Genie (Peacock)
* Good Burger 2 (Paramount+)
* Hannah Waddingham: Home For Christmas (Apple TV+)
* High On The Hog Season Two Premiere (Netflix)
* Hope Street (Britbox)
* I Don't Expect Anyone To Believe Me (Netflix)
* Squid Game: The Challenge Series Premiere (Netflix)
* The Making Of 'Spirited' (Apple TV+)
* The Naughty Nine (Disney+)
* The Velveteen Rabbit (Apple TV+)

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.