Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Tuesday, August 1st, 2023
If I was Nikki Finke, I would be writing TOLDJA!
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, August 1st, 2023.
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IF I WAS NIKKI FINKE, I WOULD BE WRITING TOLDJA!
Over the past few days, I've been writing about what to expect in the next few days as we see both sides try and find a face-saving way forward to solving the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Yesterday, I noted that we were starting to see pieces quoting unnamed studio sources arguing that AMPTP wants to get back to the negotiating table. They just have a few things to work out. Which means we were likely to at least see some level of discussions would resume.
For instance, this piece from Deadline earlier this evening seems to rely heavily on AMPTP-friendly sources to lay out the story that the studios are ready to restart talks. They just need to agree on a few small things:
Some of the studio bosses, including Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Disney’s Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, weighed in on the matter with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Friday. Discussing both the SAG-AFTRA and WGA labor actions, the gathering of execs was intended in no small part to “bring the temperature down,” according to one well-positioned source.
Sources told Deadline that the real work is now being done by the attorneys, part of a classic playbook of establishing harmonious labor relations. Lawyers, including outside counsel, as well as in-house labor-relations experts and business-affairs chiefs are now looking to establish communication – essentially opening the door for both sides to head back to Sherman Oaks.
“It’s headed in that direction,” said one insider. “It’s on the precipice of happening, and they’re gearing up for it.”
And then Tuesday night, the WGA released a brief statement announcing they would meet with AMPTP negotiators on Friday:
A couple of takeaways here. Friday's meeting apparently isn't going to be the restart of negotiations. It will be a meeting to discuss the restart of negotiations.
It's also interesting that apparently AMPTP hasn't made a similar offer to SAG-AFTRA yet. It could be that AMPTP is simply following its traditional approach to only negotiate with one union at a time.
But it also might have at least a bit to do with the fact that I am hearing from several sources that one of the biggest sticking points from the studio side is the SAG-AFTRA proposal to allocate 2% of the studio revenue to actors who participated in the project.
Overall, I'll be curious to see if actual scheduled negotiations come out of Friday's meeting. Or is this just a way for AMPTP to argue they're willing to restart talks, but the WGA remains unreasonable.
ODDS AND SODS
* Based on an updated Production List that hit this week, it appears that Amazon's Blade Runner 2099 is eyeing doing some non-WGA/SAG-AFTRA filming in October in Ireland.
* So what did fan videos look like the days before YouTube. This 20+ year-old video of someoneinserting themselves into a scene fromAirwolfoffers one answer.
* One of the best things about watching episodes of old episodes of 1970s shows such as Columbo is seeing glimpses of old school Los Angeles. And as this post notes, 1970s era L.A. restaurants.
* Remember TV Everywhere? This piece argues that in a different world, those TV Everywhere apps were best positioned to take on new streamers such as Netflix.
BROADCAST TELEVISION'S PERPLEXING LACK OF INTEREST IN BREAKING NEWS
Special Prosecutor Jack Smith has brought charges against Donald Trump in connection with the events leading up to the January 6th riots at the U.S. Capital. And as you might expect, the cable news networks are all in on their coverage. For instance, MSNBC brought in powerhouse Rachel Maddow to host beginning at 8:00 pm.
But somewhat to my surprise, the broadcast networks seem to be letting their digital news channels handle the story in primetime. ABC and Fox appear to be sticking with their regularly scheduled schedule of new game show episodes and NBC is sticking with the two-hour America's Got Talent and Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge. And unless they've changed things without my realizing it, CBS is sticking with its lineup of three FBI universe show reruns.
Especially in the case of CBS, blowing out an hour of reruns for breaking news seems like a no-brainer. Yes, on one level this is just another Trump indictment. But the charges are incredibly serious and it's an opinion-heavy story that feels perfect for television. If CBS doesn't have the news assets on the mothership network, then why not simply pick up coverage from CBSN?
TWEET OF THE DAY
THE BEST ACTION MOVIE YOU DIDN'T STREAM THIS WEEK
Journalism is tough and everyone needs to think a bit outside the box in order to make a living.
But seeing this advertorial on Variety dressed up to look like a regular story is a bit disheartening.
Think I'm being unfairly harsh? This is the main shopping page on Variety.com, which describes the various shopping-related stories as the "Latest News"
WHAT'S NEW TODAY AND TOMORROW:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 1ST:
* Granite Harbour (Britbox)
* Mixtape (Paramount+)
* Untold (Netflix)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2ND:
* Big Brother 25 Season Premiere (CBS)
* Does Murder Sleep? Series Premiere (Investigation Discovery)
* Head To Head (Netflix)
* Hijack Season Finale (Apple TV+)
* Iconic America: Our Symbols And Stories With David Rubenstein Series Finale (PBS)
* Mark Cavendish: Never Enough (Netflix)
* Physical Season Three Premiere (Apple TV+)
* Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food (Netflix)
* Reservation Dogs Season Three Premiere (FX)
* Soulcatcher (Netflix)
* Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (Disney+)
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.