Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Tuesday, August 30th, 2022

So when is the "Knives Out" sequel hitting movie theaters? Here's the latest.

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, August 30th, 2022.

NETFLIX'S THEATRICAL WINDOW SCHEDULING CHALLENGES
The general perception in the movie industry is that Netflix is institutionally opposed to releasing most of its original film lineup into movie theaters. Which isn't the case. What Netflix wants to do is not adhere to the 45 or even 30-day window preferred by the major theatrical movie chains. Netflix wants the flexibility to adjust the window to best fit their marketing needs. And that flexibility is at the heart of its running dispute with the larger movie chains.

Today the company announced that Bardo, a movie it acquired in April, is being released into theaters first and in the U.S. there will be a 45-day window before it hits Netflix. A lot of reporters are making a big deal about that 45-day delay and suggesting it's a sign Netflix is pulling back on its desire to set the theatrical window on a film-by-film basis.

But today I spoke with two people familiar with the thinking at the streamer as well as someone in a decision-making role at one of the biggest theater chains. And one of the takeaways was that reporters shouldn't read too much into the Bardo move. "There are some very specific contractual limitations at play with the film, which is why the movie is opening first in Mexico, then doing a regional theatrical roll-out," says one source. The source also told me that while Bardo is a prestige title for the streamer, it's also not seen as a title that will move subscription numbers in the U.S. "And that is one of the factors that helps determine the parameters of these decisions."

The big question now is what happens theatrically to Netflix's Knives Out sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which is set to premiere Friday, December 23rd on Netflix. According to my sources, that date was a hard and fast one for company executives, who wanted to use the high profile title as a subscriber driver as the year was drawing to a close. And with many people off for the Christmas break, a new family-ish title was seen as a must.

But setting the date complicated the theatrical window discussion. Netflix can't risk opening the film in anything less than a wide theatrical release, because a limited open would likely lead to headlines that focused on the total weekly box office open instead of what they expect to be a healthy per-theater number. “No one wants to see a ‘Glass Onion’ opens in sixth place headline,” one source told me. In an ideal world, the film could have premiered in theaters in mid-October, at a time when the theatrical movie release schedule will be in the middle of a drought. But that didn't mesh with the December 23rd Netflix premiere plan.

A 45-day window pushes the theatrical opening into mid-November, which I was told was problematical for a couple of reasons. There were concerns Netflix couldn't find enough screens for a wide open and more importantly, no one was eager to compete head-to-head with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which opens on Friday, November 11th.

The problem is that the 30-day window is not any less challenging. The Thanksgiving weekend brings the opens of the Steven Spielberg film The Fabelmans and Disney's animated movie Strange World (featuring Jake Gyllenhaal). And with theaters likely to still be selling lots of Blank Panther tickets, Netflix has apparently been unable to as of yet secure either the screen commitments or the ad buy bandwidth executives believe is necessary to provide Glass Onion the proper theatrical launch.

I've been told that apparently Netflix has been so far unable to convince the larger American movie screen chains to agree to a 14-day window. But even if that were to happen, a 14-day theatrical window from December 23rd sets Glass Onion's premiere opposite films such as the Sam Mendes movie Empire of Light and the Tom Hanks film A Man Called Otto, both of which are seen internally as competing for the same audience as Glass Onion. 

So what is going to happen? 

No one I spoke with had any clarity on the final determination, which will be made at the very top of the company. Based on my discussions, my hunch is that Netflix will soon announce a 45-day window mid-October theatrical release for Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (which premieres on Netflix December 9th) and schedule Glass Onion with a 30-day window if it can clear the screens. One theory I heard about that Thanksgiving-ish date is that Netflix executives might tentatively plan for that timeframe, but wait until The Fabelmans premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in early September. "If the reviews on the movie aren't spectacular," said one source, "that would probably make the final decision much easier." The other factor will be the critical reception of Glass Onion, which will also have its global premiere at TIFF. "If it is spectacular, then you'll see the chains bite the bullet on a 30-day window," I was told. "But if the reaction is lukewarm, then Netflix will have to scramble."

To be clear, all of this is more informed speculation than a prediction. No one I spoke with is the ultimate decision maker, but they do provide as much insight as we are likely to have ahead of the formal announcement.

'THE REHEARSAL' LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT THROUGH THE EYES OF SOMEONE WITH AUTISM
I am probably more ambivalent about Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal than most critics. I initially enjoyed the series quite a bit, but as the season unspooled, I found myself troubled by the ways in which Fielder seemed to manipulate people emotionally in order to create great television. The scenes with his young "son" are especially troubling and the season finale left me wondering if I would ever want to watch the show again.

I have a teenage son with autism and more than once I have suggested a TV show to him in order to show him the inner workings of people's behavior. Like most people with autism, he struggles with social cues and knowing when certain behavior might not be appropriate. We don't want him to change his behavior, but we do try and stress that he should know why people react unfavorably so he is not surprised or confused.

I had not thought of The Rehearsal as being a show he should watch, but after reading Sam Rosenberg's wonderful piece in Consequence, I think I was wrong. Rosenberg writes about watching the show through the eyes of someone with autism and it was not a point of view I had ever considered:

Fielder also participates in The Rehearsal himself and as he becomes more and more entrenched in this convoluted orchestration, the series gradually shifts its focus more toward his dilemma with interpersonal ineptitude. Case in point: In Episode 1, Fielder calculates the most optimal way to socialize with his first client by constructing a replica of the client’s house to rehearse potential small talk, clever quips, and body movements with a stand-in.

His subtle deception works at first, but after telling an off-color joke and sitting in a chair at an uncomfortably low angle, Fielder worries about the uneven social dynamic between him and the client and that the joke came off more as a criticism. Watching that moment almost felt like a direct adaptation from my own memories of trying to navigate precarious social terrain while dealing with and hiding my autism.

Though neurological disability and social awkwardness aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, The Rehearsal captures how autistic and other neurodivergent folks are conditioned to interact with the world around them. To paraphrase an observational tweet on the matter, Fielder dramatizes the anxieties that many individuals with autism face in the pursuit to belong, by breaking down the cultural norms that uphold and reward neurotypical behavior, ultimately revealing their inanity and futility.

This is a really excellent piece and I love running across a review that I know will have me thinking about it for days.

PHILO'S WEEKLY STREAMING ROUND-UP
Here is a rundown of the most popular titles on the entertainment-centric vMVPD for the week ending Sunday, August 28th:

Top Five TV Shows
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta (VH1)
Love & Hip Hop: Miami (VH1)
Love After Lockup (WE tv)
The First 48 (A&E Network)
2022 MTV Video Music Awards (MTV)

Top Five Movies
Groundswell (Hallmark Movies and Mysteries)
Game, Set, Love (Hallmark Channel)
Unthinkably Good Things (Hallmark Movies and Mysteries)
The Single Moms Club (EPIX)
Dying for a Family (LMN)

THIS IS BASICALLY PASSWORD SHARING ON STEROIDS
It's pretty common for streaming service subscribers to share log-in information with family and friends. But what if you could essentially rent out access to your account in exchange for a monthly fee?

That seems to be the premise of a new service called Gowd that I suspect was originally pitched as an "AirB&B for streaming services." Users can visit the site and pay a small fee for access to one of the streaming services listed or sign up to lease out a portion of their subscription access. Here is how the company describes itself:

"Gowd is neither the issuer, owner, or title holder of the content provided but serves to provide the marketplace for connection by allowing the seller to list the subscription services they are comfortable with sharing. The platform not only lists streaming based services but also has a wide variety of subscription services for various industries such as beauty and fitness. "

Users can subscribe to a wide range of services ranging from Spotify to HBO Max. And while I don't know that the idea is technically illegal, it certainly skirts the edge of what is allowed under most terms of service.

I'll be speaking with company CEO Vivek Shah later this week and will provide an update. It should be a fascinating conversation.

WHAT'S NEW FOR TUESDAY
Here's a quick rundown of all the new stuff premiering today on TV and streaming:

Gasmamman Season Six Premiere (MHz Choice)
I Am A Killer (Netflix)
Pawn Stars Season Premiere (History)
The Patient Series Premiere (FX on Hulu)
Untold: Operation Flagrant Foul (Netflix)

Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.

SEE YOU WEDNESDAY!

If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.