Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Monday, July 29th, 2024

Where are the Siskel & Eberts of TV criticism?

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, July 29th, 2024:

WHERE ARE THE SISKEL AND EBERTS OF TV CRITICISM?
During the TCA Awards show earlier this month, host Wendi McLendon-Covey joked about the organization's lineup of well-known television critics: "There's Alan Sepinwall.....and I'm sure there must be some other people."

It was funny, but also painfully accurate. Because although people in the industry know who Sepinwall is, I don't think he's especially recognizable to the general public. The TV critic industry doesn't have a Siskel or Ebert, despite having some extremely talented journalists.

And you see that reflected in the advertising for various TV shows, which highlight quotes attributed to the publication, not the individual critic:

As opposed to many movie ads, which reference both the writer and the outlet:

And to be honest, I am not sure why this is the case. I suspect that in today's environment, it's more difficult for a TV critic to build a brand and an audience than it is for movie critics. Most TV critics are either freelancers or journalists bouncing around from outlet to outlet. And even more challenging, they often are expected by editors to not just review television shows, but cover TV gossip and whatever television-related lifestyle stories that are hot at the moment.

C'mon, you wonderful marketing folks. Throw us TV critics a bone or two and mention our names along with our pull quotes. 

THE TV AND MOVIE INDUSTRY ISN'T JUST STRUGGLING IN THE UNITED STATES
The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union, which represents 40,000 staff, contract and freelance workers in the UK media and entertainment industries, has released the results of a survey of 2,375 workers and the results are grim:

According to the survey, nearly four out of 10 (38%) film and TV workers plan to leave the sector within five years. The number is significantly higher for workers with a minority ethnic background, with nearly half (44%) of Black respondents, 41% of Asian respondents, and 40% of respondents from mixed or multiple ethnic groups reporting their likely exit from the industry compared with 37% of white respondents.

The UK has some problems specific to that territory, but it also has felt the impact of ongoing restructurings at the BBC and Channel Four:

The broadcaster is proposing to reduce headcount by 18% – around 200 redundancies – and the closure of some 40 unfilled roles. The layoffs are amid a continuous decline in TV advertising. The cost cutting also includes moving out of Channel 4’s central London base on Horseferry Road “in the next few years.” “With 600 roles based outside of London by the end of 2025, lower headcount in London overall, and a shift to flexible working, Channel 4 will find a new fit-for-purpose office space in central London,” the broadcaster said. In addition, Channel 4 is proposing to close small linear channels that “no longer deliver revenues or public value at scale.”

Things are tough all over right now, especially in the English-language markets.

TWEET OF THE DAY

ODDS AND SODS
* ABC has greenlit the multi-camera comedy Shifting Gears starring Tim Allen and Kat Dennings. But writer/executive producers Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully are exiting the series as is actor Froy Gutierrez, who played "Nick" in the pilot.

* Following her successful run on season two of The Traitors USA, Phaedra Parks is returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 16 following a six-season break away from the show.

* ABC has decided not to pick up the Ty Burrell pilot Forgive And Forget.

* The new unscripted series The Secret Lives Of Mormon Lives will premiere on Friday, September 6th on Hulu. All six episodes are being binge-released.

* Former General Hospital actress Haley Pullos was sentenced today to five years probation, 200 hours of community service and a nine-month alcohol program in connection with a wrong-way DUI crash last year on the Ventura (134) Freeway in Pasadena. She served three months in jail following her plea to a felony DUI charge stemming from the April 29th, 2023, collision.

* Kim Johnson, the runner-up of Survivor season three, has died at age 79.

* FX has given a series order to Snowflakes, which the network describes as a “twenty-something ensemble comedy following a group of codependent housemates trying to be good people, despite being neither 'good' nor 'people' yet."

* The three-part true crime docuseries Face To Face With Scott Peterson premieres August 20th on Peacock.

* Prime Video has renewed Betty la Fea, La Historia Continúa for a second season.

*  MHz Choice streamer has picked up Miss Merkel, a series that reimagines Angela Merkel as a small-town detective.

THERE'S A REDDIT POST FOR EVERY OCCASION

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW

MONDAY, JULY 29TH:
* Factores Económicos Series Premiere (Vme TV)
* Futurama Season Premiere (Hulu)
* Prison Chronicles Series Premiere (History)
* Signora Volpe Season Premiere (Acorn TV)
* 30 for 30: American Son (ESPN)

TUESDAY, JULY 30TH:
* Betrayal (Hulu)
* Frontline: Germany's Enemy Within (PBS)
* Grand Tour Of Switzerland Series Premiere (MHz Choice)
* Legendary Grand Hotels Series Premiere (MHz Choice)
* Murder In...Season Thirteen Premiere (MHz Choice)
* Port Protection Alaska Season Premiere (NatGeo)
* Under The Radar: Secrets Of A Swedish Serial Killer Series Premiere (Viaplay)

SEE YOU ON TUESDAY