Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Monday, March 1st, 2021
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, March 1st, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities suburbs, where AllYourScreens HQ is powered by room temperature coffee and a BLT.
SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON TO BE VIRTUAL ONLY IN 2021
It's not a huge surprise, but the SDCC announced today that its July Comic-Con will be a virtual event again in 2021:
While we are buoyed by the rollout of the vaccine and the growing number of individuals being inoculated, it appears July will still be too early to safely hold an in-person event of the magnitude of Comic-Con. For this reason, we have made the challenging decision to postpone Comic-Con 2021 as an in-person event until our 2020 dates, and once again hold this year's celebration as the free online Comic-Con@Home. Unfortunately, the challenges of this past year and the multipole postponements of our two largest events have left us with limited financial resources, so this year the online experience will be reduced to a three-day event, spanning July 23rd-25th, 2021.
Given this cancellation, it's hard to see how the Television Critics Association can hold their summer 2021 gathering in-person in late July, although apparently no decision has been made yet.
In both cases, the interesting question will be whether these events can return to their previous importance following two years of virtual events.
IT'S NICE TO SEE THAT PARAMOUNT+ IS STARTING OFF WITH AS MUCH TRANSPARENCY AS MTV USUALLY DELIVERS
One of the showcase new shows for Paramount+ at is launch is the reunion series The Real World Homecoming: New York. The NY Times has a long semi-puff piece about the series today, which includes this inexplicable couple of paragraphs:
Naturally, the roommates’ return to their downtown Manhattan lodgings came with some ready-made reality-TV drama. Eric Nies, the fashion model who parlayed his “Real World” fame into hosting roles on MTV programs like “The Grind,” said that he made it as far as a New York hotel room and was never actually able to set foot in the SoHo loft for “Homecoming.”
Asked why, Nies said in a phone interview, “I’m not sure how much I can get into that right now.”
Nies, who was able to communicate with the other housemates over a video monitor, elliptically added that the circumstances of his separation were “definitely not by my choice, but I accepted the outcome — more will be revealed in the future.” (MTV declined to comment on this.)
I would assume this probably means that Nies tested positive for COVID and producers want to save the official announcement for a "real life" moment in the show. Which seems like a very 1994 television production moment to me. This show is supposed to be look back at a classic moment of MTV history. But it's already a reminder of the manipulation that was always the worst part of The Real World franchise.
SPEAKING OF STREAMERS
I am fascinated with all of the little ways Discovery+ is quietly trying to move viewers off of their linear television viewing schedules. I noticed over the weekend that viewers can watch the upcoming episode of Discovery's long-running reality series Gold Rush (along with the spin-off Gold Rush: White Water) on Discovery+ a week early. Which is not a small thing, given that Gold Rush remains one of Discovery's highest-rated shows.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Here are a couple of things I recently posted on AllYourScreens.com that you might find interesting:
A review of the Lebanese drama Awake which is currently streaming on MHz Choice.
Taylor Swift is unhappy with a line about her in Netflix'sGinny And Georgia. And not surprisingly, her fans are not taking it well.
TODAY'S PREMIERES
1) Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season Premiere (Bravo)
The first charter gets rocky when the guests get in a drunken personal fight. The next morning, the guests' excitement to sail puts Daisy and Natasha at odds over serving breakfast on heel. Jean-Luc realizes he may have lost two guests at sea.
2) Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell (Netflix)
Featuring rare footage and in-depth interviews, this documentary celebrates the life of The Notorious B.I.G. on his journey from hustler to rap king.
3) Debris Series Premiere (NBC)
Two agents from two different continents and two different mindsets must work together to investigate when wreckage from a destroyed alien spacecraft has mysterious effects on humankind.
4) Easter Basket Challenge Series Premiere (Food)
The Easter Bunny takes center stage as host Sunny Anderson welcomes seven bakers. They attempt to wow judges Jordan Adino and Claudia Sandoval with their jelly bean-inspired pop art pastry tarts and oversized confections.
5) Harry And Meghan: The Price of Freedom (True Royalty TV)
As we reach the anniversary of the Sussex's shock announcement and await the Queen's decision on their future role - this doc examines what really happened behind closed doors.
6) Meghan Markle: Changing Traditions (True Royalty TV)
This documentary explores the background and first year of the Sussex's marriage in which it became clear that they were determined to forge their own royal role and not conform to expectations.
7) Playing With Power: The Nintendo Story (Crackle)
Discover the humble beginnings of a gaming business that began many decades before the invention of television, and ride along the bumpy road of hits, misses, and wild ideas that turned Nintendo from a local playing card maker into a worldwide household name. The electrifying story is presented by an ensemble of Nintendo personnel, celebrity icons, and industry veterans including Wil Wheaton, Alison Haislip, Reggie Fils-Aimé, and Phil Spencer.
8) Prime Suspect: The Madeleine McCann Case (Discovery+)
A new suspect might finally solve the mysterious case of Madeleine McCann.
9) Ruth: Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Word (Starz)
This documentary tells the remarkable story of how Ruth Bader Ginsburg – who, at the outset of her career, was deemed unhireable on the basis of her gender despite graduating top of her class from both Harvard and Columbia Law Schools – went on to become the second woman ever appointed to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The film uses Ginsburg’s own words and actions to reveal, in exquisite detail, the full breadth of her life and career – from her work as a trailblazing litigator for the ACLU's Women's Rights Project, to her groundbreaking work as an appellate judge, to her appointment to serve as a justice on America's highest court, where she was eventually anointed by her admirers “The Notorious RBG” – a cultural icon and social media firebrand. Using archival footage and interviews, as well as evocative animations and illustrations, director Freida Lee Mock deftly dramatizes the confluence of factors – personal, psychological, social and political – that shaped Ginsburg’s worldview and influenced the trajectory of her accomplished career.
10) The Voice Season Premiere (NBC)
Yes, it's another season of singing. And being competitive.
This newsletter is called "Too Much TV" because....well, it's hard to keep track of all the new television premiering everyday. To help you prioritize your viewing, click here to see our list of more than 400 upcoming television premieres, movies and finales. You'll find listings from more than 70 networks, as well as streaming services and web shows.
I'll be back with another one tomorrow. If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.