Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, August 5th, 2021

I know, I know..I'm running late today

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, August 5th, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities suburbs, where AllYourScreens HQ is powered by iced tea and a poke bowl.

My apologies for the lateness of today's newsletter. I was having some technical problems on my end. 

THE BIG NETFLIX DEAL THAT ISN'T SHONDA OR RYAN OR OBAMA
When you think of big first look production deals at Netflix, you might not immediately think of Shawn Levy. But as this Hollywood Reporter profile notes, Levy is one of the most reliable hitmakers in Hollywood right now. And he currently has 15 projects lined up at the streamer:

How Levy, 53, finds the time to engage remains something of a mystery. As he settles into his oversized chair at The Street Bar at The Newbury and recommends the lobster bisque, he ticks off a dizzying array of projects on the horizon for his 21 Laps production banner — 15 series in active development at Netflix alone, including an adaptation of Pulitzer Prize winner All the Light We Cannot See. (Right before this meeting, he was working from his hotel room on casting ideas for the limited series.) He is bringing his hit franchise Night at the Museum to Broadway with Alan Menken, who is writing the songs. And he has two films with Reynolds on the tarmac: In addition to Free Guy, which Disney is giving a theatrical-only release Aug. 13 (the studio is not releasing any of the former Fox movies on Disney+), there’s Netflix’s The Adam Project, a time-traveling adventure about a man who must get help from his 13-year-old self.

But in an industry in which megadeals are touted and dissected relentlessly in the media, including those belonging to J.J. Abrams, Ryan Murphy and Shonda Rhimes, little is known about Levy’s. And that’s by design. His five-year, first-look Netflix deal, signed in November, is said to be in the nine-figure range, a staggering sum for a nonwriting producer. The deal is separate from his lucrative pact with Netflix for the global sensation Stranger Things, which he has executive produced since the series’ debut in 2016, and leaves room for outside gigs like producing Paramount’s Arrival, a best picture Oscar nominee.

'SOUTH PARK' CREATORS SIGN $900 MILLION DEAL WITH VIACOMCBS
Matt Stone and Trey Parker have signed a new deal with ViacomCBS to produce two new South Park movies a year for Paramount+. The deal is notable for a couple of reasons. The $900 million deal apparently doesn't include the actual production costs of the films. And it's an interesting way to get South Park content onto Paramount+, since Viacom licensed every episode of its long-running Comedy Central series to rival streamer HBO Max.

I can't say this is a bad deal. When you look at what Netflix or Amazon are spending on their slate of original movies, nearly a billion dollars isn't out of line for a dozen or so "movies." But it is also worth remembering that South Park is not a viable theatrical release IP. It's not accurate to say these movies are "skipping theaters." They are more like the old school "direct-to-DVD" films that have a name familiar enough for viewers to hopefully tune in to watch.

PITCHFORK TAKES ON PEPPA PIG
This is 2021, so I always assume that there's a 50 percent chance that whatever I'm reading is something written primarily to get people to click on the headline. The music site Pitchfork has posted a review of the album Peppa Pig Adventures. And while I know in the abstract that this is satire, it's honestly the funniest thing I've read in a long time:

This minor concern aside, Peppa has proven herself a graceful navigator of a pop scene often hostile to her species. When My First Album debuted, in 2019, on the same day as Iggy Azalea’s In My Defense, Azalea cruelly threatened to turn Peppa into “a breakfast special.” In light of such attacks, Peppa’s unapologetic embrace of her identity is all the more inspirational. She oinks without shame; she celebrates “jumping in muddy puddles” on no fewer than four of this record’s nine tracks. “Birdy Birdy Woof Woof” demolishes preconceived notions about animal vocalists—“The birds go woof, and the dogs go tweet!”—as Peppa enlists friends and frequent collaborators Suzy Sheep, Pedro Pony, and Candy Cat to sing in one another’s styles. 

Bravo. Really hilarious.

FACTOID OF THE DAY
What's the best streaming TV service option between "free with ads" and "paid with no ads"? In a "Monetizing Video" study conducted by Hub Research, consumers were twice as likely to prefer a service that offered a choice of tiers (with or without ads) than a single, limited-ad tier:

WHY IS THIS TELEVISION SO IMPORTANT?
I don't generally point to a thread on Twitter and suggest you read the entire thing. But this thread is pretty crazy and it turns out this particular TV could be the last remaining one of its kind in the U.S. Trust me, if you're a fan of old tech and/or the history of gaming, you'll want to read this one.

ODDS AND SODS
* Amazon Studios has hired Laine Kline to head its local-language production. He is the former head of Sony's local-language production business.

* Roku is in negotiations to produce a Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist holiday movie. It's not quite the new season fans were hoping for, but it certainly would provide Roku will a lot of press coverage for a small amount of money.

* Discovery is picking up Battlebots for two seasons. The episodes will be produced in Las Vegas and will include up to 80 hours of programming.

If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.