Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Tuesday, February 7th, 2023

Network news is apparently more fun that you might expect.

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, February 7th, 2023.

CBS APPARENTLY DECIDES THAT WHEN IT COMES TO LATE NIGHT, LESS IS....LESS
Deadline is reporting that CBS is close to finalizing a decision of a replacement for The Late Late Show With James Corden. After looking at five different pitches, the network has apparently decided to go with a reboot of the old Comedy Central talker @Midnight:

This marks the latest synergy move within Paramount Global, with CBS rebooting an old late-night format from a cable network on the Viacom side of the merged company. @midnight is likely to appeal to a slightly younger audience, who generally watch online or through clips on social media.

The original Comedy Central show, in its first incarnation, was an Internet-themed panel game show where three guests competed in a series of improv games. These included Rapid Refresh, where contestants choose an answer based on an Internet meme or headline, tweet-themed Hashtag Wars and Live Challenges, where contestants wrote answers over the commercial break, as well as a plethora of recurring games.

As each episode progressed, the third place contestant was eliminated and the final two contestants played the final round FTW (For The Win).

Expect the games to change, but the general format to remain the same.

From a financial perspective, the decision makes sense. The move will cut production costs by more than half. But it also likely means that the network is giving up whatever level of viral buzz it would get from a true talk show format. Sure, @Midnight will get some viral attention, but the format doesn't lend itself to the same amount of attention. And the CBS theory @Midnight will draw a younger audience feels more like wishful thinking than anything.

Apparently original @Midnight host Chris Hardwick is not expected to have direct involvement in the reboot. Sources told Deadline CBS plans to have a female host and wants to have a "diverse cast and crew."

AS IT TURNS OUT, NETWORK NEWS IS A LOT MORE FUN THAN YOU MIGHT EXPECT
When the Cut’s Angelina Chapin started following up on the irresistibly juicy saga of ousted GMA3 co-hosts T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach, she learned that Holmes was not an outlier but part of a larger cultural problem at the company. Source after source said that ABC News was an incestuous pressure cooker: 

Their affair became a bright spot that carried her through grueling shifts. Sascha started doing her hair and dressing nicely for work. During breaks, she’d visit Holmes’s office, where they’d have sex behind a locked door. It didn’t seem crazy to her at the time given what she describes as ABC News’s “rampant culture of sex.” Sascha had heard rumors that other colleagues slept together in an edit bay, where the window was covered by a poster, and that after having affairs with executives, certain women had been promoted. “It was a pretty scandalous place,” she says, especially on the overnight shift.

MY FAVORITE SEMI-POINTLESS DATA POINTS
The entertainment-centric vMVPD Philo sent along its list of the most-watched TV shows and movies on its service for the week ending last Sunday:

Top Five Most-Watched Shows:
Sistas (BET)
Love After Lock Up (WE tv)
VH1 Family Reunion: Love & Hip Hop Edition (VH1)
The Oval (BET)
The First 48 (A&E)

Top Ten Most-Watched Movies
Sweeter than Chocolate (Hallmark)
Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral (BET)
Nobody’s Fool (BET and BETher)
Acrimony (VH1)
Love in Glacier National: A National Park Romance (Hallmark Channel)
Madea’s Family Reunion (BET)
Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation (Lifetime)
Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini (Lifetime)
Groundhog Day (AMC)
A Valentine’s Match (Hallmark Channel)

WHIP MEDIA WEEKLY STREAMING REPORT
This report is the first time that a Netflix series hasn't made Whip Media weekly most-watched list. I suspect there are a couple of factors. Several other streamers had very strong weeks, including Paramount+ and Peacock. But it's also true that Netflix had a surprisingly modest run of premieres over the last couple of weeks. With You returning on Thursday and a new Love Island format on Friday, I suspect that will change next week.

WHAT'S NEW FOR TUESDAY:

Alice Nevers Season Two Premiere (MHz Choice)
All That Breathes (HBO Max)
History's Greatest Heists With Pierce Brosnan Series Premiere (History)
Love In Season Two Premiere (MHz Choice)
Make It At Market (BritBox)
State Of The Union Address (Various)
Superchef Grudge Match Series Premiere (Food)
The Real Housewives Of New Jersey Season Thirteen Premiere (Bravo)
The 7 Toughest Days On Earth (NatGeo)

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.