Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Friday, July 26th, 2019

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, July 26th, 2019. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities, where AllYourScreens HQ is running on unsweetened ice tea.

ARE YOU READY FOR YET ANOTHER STREAMING SERVICE?
Both Disney+, Apple and HBO Max are launching in the next few months, but Comcast is also planning to launch a streaming service early next year. Steve Burke, CEO of NBCU, said in an interview on Thursday that the company has more than 500 people working on the service, which will be based off Sky’s existing Now TV platform. He continues to be vague on what people can expect, but he says there will a version with ads that will be available for free to Comcast and Sky customers. Everyone else will be able to subscribe to a paid version, that he expects to costs in the range of $12-$14 a month. A price point that is substantially higher than Disney+ but in the same range as HBO Max. The still-unnamed Comcast service will include mostly catalog content - most notably "The Office" - but it will also include a few original programs such as the just-revived "A.P. Bio."

If you'd like to know my thoughts on the idea, check out my recent piece, "What We Know Now About Comcast's Trainwreck Of A Streaming Service Idea."

MORE MOLLY YEH ON THE FOOD NETWORK
Food Network has signed an exclusive deal with Molly Yeh for new episodes of daytime series "Girl Meets Farm" and multi-platform content across all digital platforms, it was announced today by network president Courtney White. The new season of "Girl Meets Farm" premieres on Sunday, September 8th and it will introduce viewers to the biggest change in her household: her new baby daughter Bernie.

ESPN 8: THE OCHO RETURNS FOR A THIRD YEAR ON AUGUST 7TH
ESPN is bringing back its day of wacky & obscure sporting events they call "The Ocho." Even though this year, it's actually airing on August 7th.

Among the newcomers to this year’s event are:

* IDEAL Electricians National Championship: Held in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., the 2018 IDEAL National Championship was a "highly-charged, no holds barred" event to crown the best electrician in North America.

* The Highland Games: Inspired by the Scottish games of yore, the Las Vegas Highland Games feature events such as Open Stone, Braemar Stone, Heavy Hammer, Light Hammers, Heavy Weight for Distance, Light Weight for Distance, Caber, Weight Over Bar and Sheaf

* Acrobatic Pizza Trials: Held this past January in Columbus, Ohio, the USA Acrobatic Pizza Trials feature events such as freestyle acrobatics, largest dough stretch, fastest pie maker and fastest box folder. The Grand Prize for the freestyle event was a trip to Parma, Italy to compete in the World Pizza Championships.

* Cherry Pit Spitting: The 46th Annual Cherry Pit-Spitting Competition is held each year in Eau Claire, Mich., with one goal for competitors—to spit the farthest cherry pit.

* Stupid Robot Fighting League: Created in New Zealand by John Espin (Yes, that is his actual name.), Stupid Robot Fighting is a rather unique form of fighting that pits two life-sized hanging puppets controlled by an operator sitting behind each Stupid Robot.

* Sign Spinning: The 12th Annual World Sign Spinning Championship, held in Las Vegas, brought together Arrow Sign Spinners from more than 50 cities and a dozen countries to asses style, execution, and technical sign spinning ability.

IN CASE YOU NEED ANOTHER NEW SERIES TO BINGE THIS WEEKEND
There is a lot of new television premiering today (see the list below), but if you're looking for another choice, you should check out the gripping 10-episode sci-fi series "Another Life," which premiered yesterday on Netflix. Katee Sackhoff plays an astronaut who leads a crew on a mission to explore the genesis of an alien artifact. The first episode is by far the weakest, since it's tasked with setting up the characters and the premise. But the remainder of the season is a whirlwind of WTF moments wrapped around what quickly seems like it could be a one-way mission. I'm not going argue it's as well-made as the first "Aliens" movie, but if you loved that movie, this series will be a delight to watch.

WHAT'S NEW ON TV TONIGHT:

Here's a rundown of the large amount of television and streaming stuff premiering today:

1) Boi (Netflix)
A young chauffeur who's at a crossroads in his life escorts a p[air of clients around Barcelona and becomes embroiled in their mysterious quest.

2) Dino Dana (Amazon)
A follow-up to the 2015 Emmy award-winning series "Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures," "Dino Dana" is a preschool program that takes viewers on a whole new level of dinosaur encounters. Combining live-action with CGI animation, the series features 11 new prehistoric creatures and, for the first time, two sisters. After a chance encounter with Trek and his Dino Field Guide, Dana (Michela Luci), a "paleontologist in training," begins to see dinosaurs all around her, leading to plenty of action and adventure. Every episode shares interesting dinosaur facts and applies them to kid-relatable experiences. 

3) Girls With Balls (Netflix)
Stranded in the woods and eyeballed by twisted hunters, members of a women's vollyball team bump it up in the most dangerous game of their lives.

4) Light As A Feather Season Two Premiere (Hulu)
Having inherited the curse brought on by the lethal game of “Light As A Feather,” McKenna finds herself plagued by the mysterious chrysalis on her back, a ticking clock compelling her to play a new round of the game…But McKenna refuses, unwilling to put anyone else in harm’s way. However, as the curse begins to destroy her from the inside out, she’s forced to turn to the only person who can possibly help her -- Violet.

5) My First Love Season Two Premiere (Netflix)
In this Korean-made series, due to various personal reasons, a group of Yun Tae-o's friends move into his house, where they experience love, friendship, and everything in between.

6) Orange Is The New Black Season Seven (Netflix)
This critically-acclaimed series from Emmy Award-winner Jenji Kohan about a diverse group of inmates serving time in a women's prison is entering its final season of the show.

7) Sugar Rush Season Two Premiere (Netflix)
Time's the most important ingredient as teams race against the clock - and each other - to bake up the best-tasting sweets.

8) The Boys Series Premiere (Amazon Prime)
A fun and irreverent take on what happens when superheroes – who are as popular as celebrities, as influential as politicians and as revered as Gods – abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good. It’s the powerless against the super powerful as The Boys embark on a heroic quest to expose the truth about The Seven, and Vought – the multi-billion dollar conglomerate that manages these superheroes and covers up all of their dirty secrets.

9) The Son (Netflix)
In this psychological thriller, painter Lorenzo's life spirals out of control as he fears his life is trying to isolate him from their infant son.

10) The Worst Witch Season Three Premiere (Netflix)
After stumbling into a school for witches, a bumbling heroine comes to realize that she just might belong there. Based on Jill Murphy's beloved books.

11) The Wrong Tutor (LMN)
When star high school athlete Eric (Nate Wyatt, Turnt) needs help with his school work, Emily (Ivy Matheson, The Lears) convinces Eric's mother Carol (Vivica A. Fox, Independence Day), that she is the perfect tutor for her son but she has other reasons that stem beyond helping him with his homework. 

For a rundown of all the new episodes of television premiering tonight,click here.

TOO MUCH TV REALLY IS A THING
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.

And if you're a glutton for punishment (or just want to know what you've missed), check out this list of all the shows that have premiered so far in 2019.

If you'd like to get this daily feature as an email, subscribe to our free daily "Too Much TV" newsletter here.

TODAY'S FLASHBACK:
Before Paul Shaffer became David Letterman's long-running band leader, he co-starred in the 1977 comedy "A Year At The Top" with Greg Evigan.  Co-executive produced by Don Kirshner and Norman Lear, they played two singers who made a deal with the son of the Devil - their souls for a year at the top of the music business. The series aired for only five episodes before being canceled by CBS in September 1977.

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.