Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, September 30th, 2021

It appears I was actually drinking*not* sleepy tea

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, September 30th, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities, where AllYourScreens HQ is drinking sleepy tea and...oh no, I've been drinking *not* sleepy tea by mistake.

OWN ORDERS THIRD SEASON OF 'ALL RISE'
When CBS decided not to pick up the legal drama All Rise for a third season earlier this year, part of the decision was the result of continued worries about the stability of the production side of the show. All Rise was generally well-liked by TV critics and the ratings were solid (although not spectacular). But the show had also been embroiled in a series of confrontations centering around then-showrunner Greg Spottiswood, Last October, five of All Rise‘s original seven writers — including the show’s three highest-ranking writers of color — announced they would not be returning for Season 2 after clashing with Spottiswood (who is white) over the series’ depiction of race and gender.

Those complaints led to an investigation by Warner Brothers Television that led to Spottiswood being fired in late March of this year:

"Warner Bros. Television has relieved All Rise executive producer Greg Spottiswood of his duties, effective immediately," the studio said in a statement. "Executive producer Dee Harris-Lawrence will continue to serve as showrunner of the series, working closely with fellow executive producers Michael M. Robin and Len Goldstein. We remain committed, at all times, to providing a safe and inclusive working environment on our productions and for all employees."

And my sense from talking to people at the network over the spring was that while lots of people liked the show, there was a fear that the chemistry of the show was broken in a way that couldn't be fixed. And that seems to have been a primary reason why CBS didn't pick up the show, despite Harris-Lawrence's successful running of the show through the later episodes of season two.

But Warner Brothers Television had continued to shop the show and announced late Wednesday that it had brokered a multi-window deal that will bring the show back for a third season. Discovery/Oprah Winfrey-owned cable net OWN has ordered a 20-episode third season of All Rise and will also air episodes of the first two seasons of the show leading up to the premiere of the new episodes. HBO Max and Hulu have acquired the subscription streaming rights to all episodes of the series via a deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The first two seasons of the show will be available on both streamers beginning on December 1st.

It's not clear why HBO Max didn't also pick up the new season of All Rise, although my guess is that the various concerned parties felt the female-centric OWN was a better for the new episodes.

DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER SEEKING TV COMEBACK
When I read that Duane "Dog The Bounty Hunter" Chapman was giving interviews claiming that he was on the hunt for Brian Laundrie — the person of interest after his fiancée, Gabby Petito, was found dead in Wyoming, my first cynical thought was "Oh man, I bet he's working on a new TV show." And it turns out I was right, with Variety reporting that he has teamed up with the production company behind shows such Marriage Boot Camp on a new reality series.

I believe in second chances, but if Chapman has proved anything over the years, is that he really doesn't deserve to get another shot at TV stardom. He has repeatedly exhibited behavior that is fairly reprehensible:

Chapman has faced plenty of his own controversy; in 2007, production paused on the A&E series after Chapman’s use of racist slurs became public; he later apologized. But more recently, after the Unleashed project was canceled in March, the company told E! News that an independent firm’s investigation into Chapman’s conduct found that he “used racial and homophobic epithets to attack young African-American kids who star with his daughter in UTV’s The System, a show that profiles police misconduct and follows protests against white supremacy in policing.”

ITS TURNING INTO A BUYERS MARKET FOR STREAMING CUSTOMERS
There are a number of discounts and special deals in the streaming TV world right now, particularly if you spend any time on Facebook. Here are just two of the ads I spotted when I was on the social media service earlier today:

My hunch is that in both these cases, this is less about dropping the price to increase subscriber numbers and more about locking new subscribers up for a longer period to help slow down churn.

SPEAKING OF THINGS I'VE NOTICED TODAY
At some point Hulu Live TV added a "Hotstar" section to its "Hub" vertical. It looks to be primarily Hotstar Originals from the streaming service of the same name. Hotstar is an Indian subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Disney that reported having nearly 44 million subscribers in July. 

ODDS AND SODS
* Linda Martindale has a great recap of Wednesday's season finale of Big Brother. 

* Mandalorian spin-off The Book Of Boba Fett to premiere on Disney+ in December.

* Epix to premiere two-part docu-series about the history of A&M Records.

* Amazon launches IMDb TV in the UK.

SEE YOU FRIDAY

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