Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, May 12th, 2022
Lots of pre-Upfronts decisions being made today
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, May 12th, 2022.
PROGRAMMING NOTE
There won't be a newsletter on Friday. My son is one of the members of his team participating in the state finals and I'm going to spend most of my day offline cheering him on.
THE TYPICAL BEFORE UPFRONTS BLOODBATH
With the network upfronts set to kick off next Monday, the various broadcast networks have been busy today making decisions about the fate of a couple of dozen shows.
Rather than recounting it all here again, just check out this constantly updated list of renewals and cancellations.
A LOOK AT CBS AND ITS PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
It's fitting that on a day when CBS is canceling a bunch of shows, Vulture's Joe Adalian has a look at the network's primetime prospects, along with an interview with CBS president and CEO George Cheeks:
BUFFERING: The press release announcing the network’s ratings victory for the season noted that shows from the network and CBS Studios account for more than half of the top 30 titles on Paramount+, and that they do well on Pluto TV as well. Do you find yourselves guiding CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl and his programming chief, Thom Sherman, to develop series with streaming in mind? Or is the success sort of an after-the-fact fringe benefit?
GEORGE CHEEKS: There’s real intentionality around sitting down with the creative team and saying that this is what we’re looking for, this is our filter now. Our filter cannot just be just solely focused on CBS because we are now a cross-platform brand and we are now an important driver for Paramount+ and Pluto TV — not just as a content engine, but obviously as a marketing support as well. So in scheduling meetings now, when talking about these shows, it’s of course, first and foremost, how we believe they’ll perform on CBS and where they should go. But there’s also quite a robust discussion around whether we believe that this has potential to be a streaming driver as well. The sweet spot is finding those shows that appeal to that core CBS audience, which we know is older, but then finds that unduplicated, younger audience on streaming. And the strategy keeps getting validated because a lot of these shows that we’re launching, as well as our returning shows, are doing very well on both platforms. The average age for CBS shows on Paramount+ is 18 years younger than the age on CBS linear.
Not to be contrary, but there is another way to look at the reasons why so many CBS shows are popular on Paramount+. Yes, the shows could be strong and have a solid fanbase. But rather than it being a case of CBS being this viewing funnel that drives eyeballs to Paramount+, I'd argue it's much more likely that despite CBS's relative popularity, it's reach is still only a fraction of the audience available on streaming. And in the same way shows that under-performed on their original linear home did very well on Netflix (Manifest, You), a lot of CBS shows that most people have heard of but not regularly watched will find a new home on Paramount+.
In a lot of ways, linear television is turning into an audience farm club for streaming. One of the challenges of that reality is that at some point, declining ratings will severely impact the broadcast network's abilities to fund a full schedule of scripted programming.
SPEAKING OF CBS
CBS has picked up three drama pilots to series: Max Thieriot's Fire Country (aka Cal Fire); East New York, starring Amanda Warren and Jimmy Smits, and So Help Me Todd (aka Untitled Mother & Son Legal Drama), starring Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin. The network hasn't picked up any new comedies and after canceling several of their current shows, it sounds as if it might be limiting comedies to a one-hour block on Mondays and Thursdays. I thought they might pick up the Warner Brothers TV pilot Rust Belt News, which I liked a lot.
While CBS didn't pick up the reboot of Early Edition, the reboot of True Lies is apparently still in contention.
I'm really interested to see what happens to the second season of Blood & Treasure. Season one aired in the early summer of 2019 and after a pandemic delay, the second season was completed close to two years ago. I've heard persistent rumors they were just going to send season two directly to Paramount+, but now I'm hearing they might have something else in mind. I enjoyed season one, and it seems strange to keep a completed season of a show on the shelf for so long.
SOME THOUGHTS FROM RON HOWARD
The Hollywood Reporter has a really good interview with Ron Howard and I'd recommend reading the entire extended piece. But I did want to pull out some of his thoughts about streaming:
Unlike some in the industry who point to Netflix’s recent troubles with anxiety and glee, Howard speaks highly of streamers, in particular Disney+, which also is releasing We Feed People, about José Andrés’ nonprofit World Central Kitchen and its work feeding people made vulnerable by natural disasters and war. (Howard also has worked with Netflix frequently in recent years: Hillbilly Elegy was released in theaters Nov. 11, 2020, then on Netflix 13 days later. Films he’s produced or executive produced, like Tick, Tick … Boom!, also went to Netflix.) “I covet the big screen for many of the stories, but I don’t think it’s right for every story. I look at myself and my wife, Cheryl, our whole relationship has been built around going to the movies and, when we’re raising kids, date nights at the movies,” says the father of three daughters and a son. “But … stories need to find the format that best suits [them].”
THERE'S A LOT MORE REALITY TV COMING FROM BRAVO
Bravo just announced their new programming slate and it's a combination of renewals and new shows. The cable network has renewed Project Runway, Married to Medicine, Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, Summer House, Winter House, Family Karma, Below Deck, Below Deck Mediterranean, Vanderpump Rules, and "The Real Housewives" of Orange County, New Jersey, New York City, Potomac and Salt Lake City. It also ordered a 20th season of Top Chef, which will be the first season to be shot entirely outside of the United States.
Bravo also ordered several new shows and here is a rundown of those:
Below Deck Adventure (premieres Fall 2022)
This series takes wealthy thrill-seekers on the mega-yacht trip of a lifetime to experience thrilling YOLO adventures and daredevil activities all against some of the world’s most beautiful backdrops. Season 1 will be set in the glacial fjords of Norway where charter guests will paraglide, cave repel and cold-water plunge their way through the day, dine on freshly caught seafood straight from the Scandinavian waters in the evening, and still get all steamed up in the hot tub by night. The exacting expectations of high-end luxury coupled with the physical demands of cold-weather adventures will push the crew to new heights and unparalleled pressures that makes this new series one of a kind.
Love Without Borders (working title) (premieres Fall 2022)
In this bold social experiment, six American singles who have struck out at love on their home turf risk everything and step blindly onto a plane to an unknown overseas destination to be paired with their “perfect” life partner. Participants will say goodbye to their jobs, homes and families to see if matchmakers can scour the world for their one ideal match. At the end of the experiment, they will be faced with the stark choice of leaving life as they knew it behind and starting over for love.
Real Girlfriends in Paris (premieres Fall 2022)
Six bold twentysomething American women pack their bags to embark on an exciting international adventure living in the most beautiful city in the world: Paris! While in the City of Lights, they find each other, encounter a romantic rendezvous or two and embrace all the spontaneity that comes with living in an exciting new city. Always looking for a good time, the women find themselves in an extraordinarily rich moment in their lives where the possibilities for true love, unrelenting passion and forging life-long friendships are endless.
Southern Charm: Leva Land (working title) (premieres Fall 2022)
Southern Charm: Leva Land follows the lives of a dynamic social group of friends living in Charleston, S.C., and working together. There’s never a dull day in “Leva Land” with the staff at Republic Garden & Lounge and their powerhouse boss, Leva Bonaparte of “Southern Charm.” Leva owns four restaurants on the hottest street in town and Republic is the crown jewel of her kingdom.
XSCAPE/SWV (working title) (premieres Winter 2022)
Following their epic Verzuz performance, the ladies of Xscape and SWV reunite once again to prepare for a show that promises to reignite their music careers. There is much at stake for these powerhouse women as they navigate different stages in their lives, both personally and professionally. From celebrating the power of collaboration and sisterhood to pushing to overcome obstacles, there is no shortage of wonder, watching two of the most iconic female R&B groups of the ’90s come together for this multi-part limited series.
Life Is a Ballroom (working title) (premieres 2023)
Professional amateur dancing is the fastest growing division of ballroom dance in the world. In this sport, known as Pro-Am, amateur dancers pay professional dance partners to compete with them in competitions around the country each week. No stone goes unturned and no price too high for these women dancers who are obsessed to a spectacular degree. From the producers of “90 Day Fiancé,” this access-driven docuseries will follow and intercut the stories of the most fascinating, talented and obsessed ballroom amateur dancers in the country.
IN CASE YOU WONDERED WHAT JOHN SCHNEIDER HAS BEEN UP TO LATELY
Atlantic has a really depressing and somewhat scary piece called "How Politics Poisoned The Evangelical Church." It's well worth reading, and buried towards the bottom of the piece, actor/somewhat singer John Schneider makes an appearance:
One Sunday morning in November, Locke, prowling the stage in a bright-orange tie, asks how many people have traveled to his tent from outside Tennessee. Scores of people stand up. “And this is every weekend!” Locke cries in his hickory drawl. Eager to put on a show for the visitors, Locke announces that his special guest—he tries to book one every Sunday—is the actor John Schneider, who played Bo Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard. The crowd erupts and everyone hoists their phone in the air, heralding Schneider’s arrival like Catholics awaiting the pope.
Schneider has come to speak and sing. There’s such energy that even some very serious-looking men—dressed in paramilitary gear, firearms strapped to their sides—bounce on their toes and clap along. Between songs, Schneider offers a different catalog of greatest hits. He talks about the flu shot making someone sick. He decries the Christian elites who look down on people like him. He hints at a potential violent uprising.
“We are born for such a time as this. God is calling you to do something,” Schneider says. “We have a country to get back. And if that fails, we have a country—yes, I’ll say it—to take back.”
WHAT'S NEW FOR THURSDAY
Here's a quick rundown of all the new stuff premiering today on TV and streaming:
Brotherhood Season Two Premiere (Netflix)
42 Days Of Darkness (Netflix)
Messy History Of American Food (Discovery+)
Operation Mincemeat (Netflix)
Our Father (Netflix)
The Challenge: All-Stars Season Premiere (Paramount+)
The Circle Season Four Premiere (Netflix)
The Getaway King (Netflix)
The Ignorant Angels Series Premiere (Hulu)
The Quest Season Premiere (Disney+)
The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Season Twelve Premiere (Bravo)
Workin' Moms Season Six Premiere (Netflix)
Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.
SEE YOU MONDAY!
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