Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, December 10th, 2020

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, December 10th, 2020. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities suburbs, where AllYourScreens HQ is powered by lemonade and adrenaline.

THE TICKING TIME BOMB THAT IS DAN SCHNEIDER
News broke later yesterday that Paramount+ is working on a reboot of the Nick teen series iCarly, starring three stars from the original series. It's not surprising news, given how all of the streamers are mining whatever old IP they have available. But it's a reminder of the the mysterious disappearance of Dan Schneider, who co-created and produced a number of successful series for Nickelodeon in the 1990s and early 2000s.

After writing and producing on the variety series All That and Keenan & Kel, Schneider created and produced The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, iCarly, Sam & Cat and Henry Danger. At the time, he was described as the "Norman Lear of kids television" and while that's a bit much, he was the most influential teen show producer of the era. But by all reports, he was also a difficult person to work with and work for. He was well-known in the industry for his tirades towards cast, crew and any network executives that were unlucky enough to get in his way. And in early 2018, it all came to an end when Nickelodeon suddenly severed ties with Schneider and his production company Schneider's Bakery. The network paid him some undisclosed amount of money to essentially go away (reportedly in the range of $7-10 million). But he appears to still retain his ownership interest in the series he created and produced. Including iCarly.

Now you wouldn't know that from the coverage of the iCarly news, which seems to all be designed to pretend this problem doesn't exist. Schneider hasn't given an interview since he split with Nickelodeon and I have spent a depressing amount of time over the past two years trying to piece together an in-depth story. No one at Viacom is willing to discuss the matter publicly & despite having spoken with close to 40 people who worked on one or more of his shows, I was never able to nail down some of the primary details enough to publish some of the more troubling allegations.

All of this is made more complicated by some of the crazy stories that surround Schneider. This April 2018 piece of mine discusses some of them, which will send you deep into the Hollywood Pedophilia conspiracy rabbit hole. For the record, while I have heard some allegations of fairly horrific behavior by Schneider, pedophilia isn't one of them. But it's a believable allegation to many people, given some of Schneider's unsettling social media posts, which had a strange fascination with the feet of various cast members of his shows.

The real problem for Viacom is that they apparently received several HR complaints about Schneider, which were ignored and/or settled privately. There were complaints about his behavior from network executives, with one former exec telling me they ultimately refused to deal with him directly. None of this issues were dealt with at the time and all of these allegations are out there just waiting to explode. And if that is going to happen, it's likely to be brought on by former co-workers and employees who haven't forgotten how they were treated. And who see the return of some of his shows as a slap in the face. 

If you are in corporate communications at ViacomCBS, the temptation is to just ignore the issue and hope it doesn't explode. But while it can take much too long, these stories almost always surface. Usually at the worst possible time. Like when you're trying to rebrand and relaunch a streaming service that is the core part of your business moving forward.

FYI, here is some of the pieces I've written about Schneider over the past couple of years. They are not nearly as specific as I would like. But that's the challenge when you are trying to report out a story where so many people are still afraid of the consequences of talking publicly.

03/28/2018: Dan Schneider's Exit From Nickelodeon Leaves Many Answered Questions

04/02/2018: Former Viacom Exec: 'I Never Saw Any Evidence' Of Sexual Misconduct With Dan Schneider

04/04/2018: #Pizzagate, Hollywood And The Great #Pedogate Conspiracy

09/22/2018: Guest Column: 'This Is Me Screaming'

05/20/2020: Whatever Happened To Dan Schneider?

DISNEY INVESTOR DAY 2020
Disney's investor day takes place late this afternoon after I send this out but likely before you read this. So rather than making a bunch of predictions, I'll just note that WarnerMedia's dual release announcement last week gave Disney execs a lot of cover today. They'll likely announce a multi-approach release schedule and the advantage the company has now is that any moves they make will likely seem tame compared to WarnerMedia's move.

NETFLIX'S TOP FOREIGN MOVIES AND TV SHOWS
It's such a crazy day that I don't have much time to spend on this piece in the Wall Street Journal, which touts typically vague numbers provided by Netflix that claims a "50% increase" in the amount of foreign programming being viewed by U.S. subscribers. Now if you've been reading this newsletter for awhile, you know I think international content is an area where Netflix leads its competition and I believe Netflix's increased investment in local production internationally is an extremely wise move. Still, this piece doesn't include a single piece of actual data and while I expect more from WSJ reporting, I know that it's difficult for reporters to say no when offered up some exclusive non-specific data they can use to build a viral story around.

WHAT'S ON TODAY:
Here is a rundown of the new television programs premiering today:

1) Alice In Borderland (Netflix)
A video-game-obsessed young man finds himself in a strange version of Tokyo where he and other visitors must compete in deadly games to survive.

2) Funny Boy (Netflix)
A student must navigate issues of sexuality, identity and family amid Sri Lanka's social turmoil of the 1970s and 1980s.

3) Haute Dog Holiday Special (HBO Max)
It’s a Winter Wonderland – but the competition isn’t heating up, it’s cooling down! Join our groomers as they get in the howl-iday spirit, unleashing festive creations on their furry friends for a shot at a holly jolly gift of $10,000.

4) House Of Ho Series Premiere (HBO Max)
The multi- generational family docusoap House of Ho chronicles the daily lives of patriarch Binh Ho, matriarch Hue Ho, their daughter Judy Ho, their son Washington Ho and his wife Lesley Ho, Aunt Tina, and Cousin Sammy.

5) Let Them All Talk (HBO Max)
Let Them All Talk tells the story of a celebrated author (Meryl Streep) who takes a journey with some old friends (Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest) to have some fun and heal old wounds. Her nephew (Lucas Hedges) comes along to wrangle the ladies and her literary agent (Gemma Chan) also books herself on the trip.

6) One Night Only: The Best Of Broadway (NBC)
Several of Broadway’s best shows will take over the streets of New York City with special performances from the casts of “Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations,” “Chicago,” “Jagged Little Pill,” “Diana: The Musical,” “Jersey Boys,” “Mean Girls,” “Rent” and an appearance by the cast of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”The night will also showcase special sneak peaks at Broadway shows coming in 2021.

7) Summer Camp Island Season Three Premiere (HBO Max)
Let Them All Talk tells the story of a celebrated author (Meryl Streep) who takes a journey with some old friends (Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest) to have some fun and heal old wounds. Her nephew (Lucas Hedges) comes along to wrangle the ladies and her literary agent (Gemma Chan) also books herself on the trip.

8) Time Person Of The Year (NBC)
In addition to the 2020 Person of the Year, the special will spotlight TIME editors’ selections for the categories that recognize the influence of individuals in specific sectors: Businessperson of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, Athlete of the Year and Guardians of the Year. 

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.