Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Friday, January 17th, 2025

The cowardice of big media companies

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, January 17th, 2025:

THE COWARDICE OF BIG MEDIA COMPANIES
I've received some feedback from readers this week after writing several times about Hollywood and the big media company's willingness to surrender in advance to the incoming Trump Administration. Some people complained that I was being too political, embracing some "far left" agenda.

I realize it isn't easy to separate these moves from the politics behind them. But I would feel as passionate about this if we were talking about a Harris administration. In my eyes, this is beyond politics. If you are a media company and are willing to change editorial policies in hopes of currying favor with an unfriendly White House, then what good are you? Sure, maybe that cowardice might help boost the stock price of your company over the short term. But at what cost? If you are seen as docile and servile to power by your customers, what kind of future do you have?

As for the question of why I am writing about this so consistently, in large part, it's because I suspect I'm one of the few industry reporters who is in the position to do so. While the Hollywood Trades are more than content to write about policy moves in the abstract in order to game more clicks, none of them - and I include the non-Penske outlets in this statement - are going to take a chance on rocking the boat. Being seen as editorially unfriendly to an Administration is not helpful if you're trying to snag industry advertising and launch live events with cooperative creatives.

I sadly do not nab a lot of industry advertising, and I don't have any related businesses to worry about. It's just me, and I am at that age where I truly don't care if someone comes after me. Not that it necessarily makes me a braver person. I just have less to lose, and if all of this goes under, then the only person out of work is me.

I write all of this as a precursor to talking about a story broken this evening by The Wall Street Journal. Executives at CBS’s parent company have discussed settling Trump’s lawsuit against CBS News and 60 Minutes, because they need the Trump administration to sign off on a planned corporate merger:

Paramount, owner of CBS, its namesake studio and several cable channels, has a major piece of business in front of the new administration: its planned merger with Skydance Media. It’s become clear to executives at both companies that Trump’s dissatisfaction with CBS News will make the review tougher than they anticipated, and that they’ll likely need to offer concessions to win approval, people familiar with the situation said.

Incoming Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr gave Paramount executives a warning to that effect at a reception late last year following the taping of the Kennedy Center honors in Washington, according to people familiar with the exchange, and he has echoed the message in public remarks.

The FCC has the authority over the transaction because it would involve the transfer of broadcast-TV licenses held by local CBS-owned stations.

Trump’s lawsuit against CBS, which seeks $10 billion in damages, alleges that the network committed election interference by editing portions of an interview with Harris, favoring her campaign for president. Trump claimed CBS aired one version of the interview on “60 Minutes” and another version on its show “Face the Nation,” each containing different answers about Israel. CBS has said it aired a more succinct version of Harris’s interview on “60 Minutes.”

To be blunt, this is a bullshit lawsuit. There's no indication the network manipulated the editing to make Harris look better. But apparently, that might not stop Paramount Global and Skydance Media from rolling over in advance. And why is that a bad thing? Well, what is going to happen the next time the Trump Administration is unhappy with some CBS News story? Paramount Global is always going to have some business in front of the government and suddenly this begins to resemble a long, drawn-out hostage situation.

To be fair to the fine folks at Paramount, they are not the only news company that has recently rolled over and admitted wrongdoing over a case in which they did nothing wrong:

CBS News is not alone in drawing Trump’s ire. Last year, he filed a defamation lawsuit against Disney’s ABC News and star anchor George Stephanopoulos over comments he made on air stating that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. A federal jury determined Trump was liable for sexual abuse. Last month, Disney settled the suit, agreeing to contribute $15 million to Trump’s presidential foundation or museum and to pay $1 million in legal fees to Trump’s lawyer.

And the irony is that even if Paramount settles this lawsuit, there is no guarantee the merger will be approved anyway:

The Paramount-Skydance deal could face other serious challenges. John Moolenaar, the Republican chairman of the House select committee on China, said Wednesday that the merger warranted review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. China’s Tencent Holdings, which was recently added to a U.S. blacklist of Chinese military-linked companies, is an investor in Skydance. A Skydance spokeswoman said the Tencent investment in the new Paramount would be less than 5%.

I know these discussions can be unpleasant and I am not turning into the media industry's equivalent of Michael Moore. But these are important issues and even if you are a Trump supporter, you should not want a precedent set in which political pressure from an unfriendly White House is blatantly used to influence press coverage.

Maybe I'm overreacting. After all, this disclaimer was included in the WSJ piece:

A person close to Skydance said David Ellison would support measures to promote unbiased journalism.

Well, that's reassuring. Oops, on the other hand:

Since then Redstone and David Ellison have spoken about the need for changes at CBS News to make sure it is objective, according to people familiar with the situation.

We're doomed.

I WISH I COULD TALK ABOUT THIS SHOW
In a time when it feels as if every media company is dodging any topic that might be culturally controversial, Prime Video's upcoming comedy Clean Slate is a hilariously reassuring breath of fresh air. Reviews are embargoed until February 4th, so I will just pass along this official logline:

From producer Norman Lear comes a heartfelt comedy that follows Harry (George Wallace), an old-school car wash owner in Alabama who has a lot of soul searching to do when the child he thought was a son returns as a proud, trans woman, Desiree (Laverne Cox). Her homecoming brings together a hilarious cast of friends and neighbors, as Desiree and Harry try to get it right the second time around.

Honestly, it's not clear to me how much direct impact the elderly Norman Lear had on the direction of this show. But watching it was like watching All In The Family or Good Times for the first time. It's the show we need right now and I can't wait until I can talk about it in depth.

In the meantime, here is the trailer.

ODDS AND SODS
* Paramount+ has canceled the Frasier reboot after two seasons.

* Peacock has canceled Teacup after one season.

* This year’s AFI Awards luncheon will now take place on Thursday, February 6th, AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale announced on Friday evening.

* The Critics Choice Association said it has rescheduled its 30th annual Critics Choice Awards for Friday, February 7th.

* David Lynch was in the midst of creating a new limited series for Netflix when he passed away this week, according to Ted Sarandos.

* CNN reached a settlement with a security consultant this afternoon, hours after a jury found the network liable for defamation and awarded him $5 million.

* CBS is leaning into the brand extension programming philosophy, with spin-offs of both The Equalizer and The Neighborhood in the early planning stages.

* Gladiator II is set to premiere on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Canada on January 21st.

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND THIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17TH, 2025:
Back In Action (Netflix)
Henry Danger: The Movie (Nickelodeon)
Molly-Mae: Behind It All Series Premiere (Prime Video)
NFL Icons (MGM+)
Real Time With Bill Maher Season Premiere (HBO)
Roy Wood Jr.: Lonely Flowers (Hulu)
Severance Season Two Premiere (Apple TV+)
Shark Tank Spring Premiere (ABC)
Silo Season Two Finale (Apple TV+)
The Couple Next Door Series Premiere (Starz)
The Liberation (La Liberación) Series Premiere (Prime Video)
The Lies We Bury (LMN)
The Roshans Series Premiere (Netflix)
Undercover Party Crasher (MIssão Porto Seguro) (Prime Video)
Yellowstone Wolves: Succession (NatGeo)
Young, Famous & African Season Three Premiere (Netflix)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 18TH, 2025:
Girl In The Garage: The Laura Cowan Story (Lifetime)
My Argentine Heart (Hallmark)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 19TH, 2025:
Mystic (UP tv)
The Killer Is Calling (Lifetime)

MONDAY, JANUARY 20TH, 2025:
9-1-1 Lone Star Spring Premiere (Fox)
Rescue: Hi-Surf Spring Premiere (Fox)

SEE YOU ON MONDAY!