Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, May 2nd, 2024

I'm not saying that the topic of binge releasing is "the" most annoying top in streaming TV. But it's a close second.

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, May 2nd, 2024:

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Thanks to the readers who let me know last night that I had written the John Mulaney comedy Mulaney aired on NBC, when it actually aired on Fox. 

PRODUCTION NOTES
There won't be a newsletter on Friday. I am taking an entirely-too-rare day off and plan to spend Friday and Saturday driving around Minnesota and Wisconsin buying stuff I don't need at the 100-Mile Garage Sale. No laptop, no work. Quality time with the family. 

But since there won't be a newsletter tomorrow, I'm adding the complete weekend's listings below for those of you who use them to keep track of what to watch.

CBS ANNOUNCES ITS FALL 2024 AND SPRING 2025 SCHEDULE

I'M NOT SAYING THAT THE SUBJECT OF BINGE RELEASING EPISODES IS *THE* MOST ANNOYING TOPIC IN STREAMING TV. BUT IT'S A CLOSE SECOND
At least for me, one of the most tiring and pointless conversations in the streaming TV business centers around binge releasing original programs. Netflix really pioneered the idea and executives there continue to insist that releasing an entire season of episodes at once continues to be the preference at that streamer.

But there is a deeply-held belief in the TV industry that binge-releasing an entire season of a show is almost always a bad idea. According to critics, it's harder to promote a binge drop and writing the ever-popular episodic recaps is a lot less helpful if six or eight episodes are released the same day. "Shows get lost and are often forgotten a month after they are released," is a complaint I hear on nearly a daily basis.

And because so many people distrust the idea, every time Netflix or another major streamer releases a program on a weekly basis - or one with several multi-episode drops - you hear the same predictable comments.

So when Netflix announced on Thursday that it is splitting the supersized season six of Cobra Kai across three release dates: part one on July 18th, part two on November 28th and the "finale event" in 2025, the usual anti-binge chuckleheads came out in force. 

"I thought they said they'd never give up binge releases!"

"See, I predicted this would happen!"

"They're doing this because they know it will get more attention for the show."

I'm fascinated by the complaints because these people apparently must believe two conflicting things: a) Netflix has access to lots of subscriber behavior data, and b) Netflix is releasing episodes in a binge drop despite what subscribers want.

I reached out to a Netflix executive today whom I had spoken with in the past and they gave me a walk-through (on background) of some of the factors that led to this specific decision on Cobra Kai. And strangely, none of them included "we're giving up on binge releases."

According to this executive, one of the factors is just timing. The dual Hollywood strikes pushed everyone's production dates around and that had an impact on Cobra Kai. It's not just that work is still taking place on the latter parts of the season. The strikes have resulted in a scramble for things such as subtitles and dubbing. Netflix's general policy is to build time into the release schedule to roll out a complete set of dubs and for a major title, that process can take several months. And according to this executive, there are some severe kinks right now in that process, especially with dubs into languages where there are fewer available people to do the job. Many of them are already overbooked, so it's made that part of the production process more complicated.

There were also apparently some fairly robust conversations between Netflix and Sony over the timing of the release. Sony owns the rights to the franchise and has a new Karate Kid theatrical film coming out in May 2025 (it was recently pushed back from its original December 2024 release date). Sony wants there to be a bit of space between the two projects, but still have the show wrap up in a way that builds attention for the film. Netflix was reluctant to wait until late 2024 or early 2025 to release the entire final season, so this step release became a compromise for both sides.

In the end, the decision was to split the final season into three parts, with the hopes that releasing the first batch in July would maximize the interest for the remaining episodes. There are also apparently some mundane talent scheduling issues they were able to finesse by splitting the episodes (and the resulting promotional duties) into a rolling release.

I know I've said this many time before. But the binge vs. weekly release argument is pointless one. There is no clear-cut answer, the best approach really depends on the project and a bunch of other factors that can hard to discern from the outside.

ODDS AND SODS
* In today's new show that sounds like a piece in The Onion,  Below Deck's Captain Lee Rosbach is hosting a new true-crime series Deadly Waters with Captain Lee, which premieres Saturday, June 1st on Oxygen. Here is the official Onion-friendly logline: "Using his nautical expertise, Capt. Lee will unravel the secrets of remarkable homicide investigations on rivers, lakes and even the open seas, and will expose the murky, maritime clues that sunk the perps and ultimately led to their capture."

* Linda Martindale took a look at Wednesday night's trainwreck of  a Lifetime special, Dance Moms: The Reunion.

* According to The Hollywood Reporter, Byron Allen's media firm is set to "undergo a notable round of layoffs."

* Aubrey Plaza will executive produce a series adaptation of her movie Emily The Criminal. 

* The two-night special The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson will air on June 1st and 2nd on Lifetime. 

* Although nothing is official yet, reports are swirling that ABC is going to pick up The Connors for a final, abbreviated season of perhaps six episodes.

* Robin Wright is returning to TV in Prime Video's adaptation of Michelle Frances' 2018 novel The Girlfriend. Wright will also direct the series.

* Some Password fans believe that Jimmy Fallon cheated on Tuesday's episode of Password.

SOCIAL MEDIA OF THE DAY

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW

THURSDAY, MAY 2ND, 2024:
* A Man In Full Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Beautiful Rebel (Netflix)
* Ghosts Season Three Finale (CBS)
* Hacks Season Three Premiere (Max) - [first look video]
* Selena + Restaurant Series Premiere (Food)
* Scrublands Series Premiere (Sundance Now)
* Secrets Of The Neanderthals (Netflix) - [first look video]
* Taste: The Flavor Of Life Series Premiere (Curiosity Stream)
* The Contestant (Hulu)
* The Idea Of You (Prime Video)
* The Tattooist Of Auschwitz (Peacock)
* T P Bon Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Turtles All The Way Down (Max)
* Welcome To Wrexham Season Three Premiere (FX)

FRIDAY, MAY 3RD:
* A Disturbance In The Force (Vice)
* Clarkson's Farm Season Three Premiere (Prime Video)
* Dinner Budget Showdown Series Premiere (The Roku Channel)
* John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's In LA Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Postcards Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Prom Dates (Hulu)
* Selling The OC Season Premiere (Netflix)
* Shark Tank Season Finale (ABC)
* The Unbroken Voice (Netflix)
* The Unexplained: Mysteries Of The Universe Series Premiere (History)
* Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story (Netflix) - [first look video]
* Zillow Goes Wild Series Premiere (HGTV)

SATURDAY, MAY 4TH:
* A Threat To My Family (Lifetime)
* Katt Williams: Woke Foke (Netflix)
* Love & Marriage: Huntsville Season Premiere (OWN)
* My Hero Academia Season Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Star Wars: Tales Of The Empire Series Premiere (Disney+)
* The Atypical Family Series Premiere (Netflix)

SUNDAY, MAY 5TH:
* MaryLand (PBS)
* My Life Is On The Line (Lifetime)
* Parish Season Finale (AMC)
* People Magazine Investigates: Surviving A Serial Killer (Investigation Discovery)
* The Greatest Roast Of All Time: Tom Brady (Netflix)
* The Real Housewives Of New Jersey Season Premiere (Bravo)

MONDAY, MAY 6TH:
* Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (NatGeo)
* Bob (Hearts) Abishola Series Finale (CBS)
* NCIS Season Twenty-One Finale (CBS)
* NCIS Hawaii Season Three Finale (CBS)
* Next Baking Master: Paris Series Premiere (Food)
* OMG Fashun Series Premiere (E!)
* The Neighborhood Season Six Finale (CBS)

SEE YOU ON MONDAY!