Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, October 1st, 2020

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, October 1st, 2020. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities suburbs, where AllYourScreens HQ is powered by room temperature coffee and Cheez-Its. After battling a cold for a few days, it's good to be somewhat back to normal.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR THE TCA?
ABC has just wrapped up two days of a virtual press tour that connected television critics and journalists with stars from a number of current and upcoming ABC shows. While the phrase "the new norm" is overused to the point of being a cliche, these virtual press tours are the new norm. A bunch of journalists sitting on Zoom calls all day.

Which has got me thinking about what the future holds for one of the primary ways that TV journalists connect with the people they cover: the twice-a-year gatherings of the Television Critics Association (TCA). Each January and July, 200 or so people who cover television on a regular basis spend a couple of weeks in a Pasadena hotel participating in panels and presentations presented by the various TV networks, cable channels and streaming services. It's the opportunity to meet people face-to-face, put together interviews for the upcoming months and eat a lot of bacon. 

The July 2020 gathering was postponed and then canceled, replaced with a patchwork of virtual press tours and while no one is talking publicly about the future, it's difficult to see a scenario in which the upcoming January gathering will take place in person. To be honest, based on the latest scientific data, it's likely the gathering set to take place in July 2021 will be virtual as well. And given that, what does that mean for the future of in-person TCA gatherings?

I've long argued the the practice of getting together twice a year is a nice idea that has outlived its usefulness. An argument which hasn't won over many critics, but it has meant that I'm not a member of the TCA. And that has generally not been a problem for me. Other than the fact that many networks use the TCA membership list as their defacto contact list for TV critics. So I spend an inordinate amount of time making sure networks keep me in the loop when they're setting up interviews and doing press events.

Meeting people in the industry face-to-face is great. There are chances to speak off-the-record and over drinks. I love set visits for this very reason, but as I write this it's difficult to imagine when those will happen again.

But from a strictly business point of view, assembling a couple of hundred critics in a room and presenting a cast for questions is a very old-school idea. It dates back to a time when most new shows premiered in the spring and fall and when a couple of weeks of panels could cover every new show worth knowing. We now live in an industry where TV is premiering every single day of the year and the flood of new programs is more than any one person could possibly cover. Combine those facts with the growth of technology that makes virtual conference calls more seamless and it increasingly makes less sense to gather critics together in person when most of the same goals can be accomplished online for a lot less money.

And that's a challenge for the TCA, since their primary qualification for membership is the willingness to attend those twice-yearly gatherings and take advantage of the access. There's a version of the future that could include a mostly-virtual TCA serving as primarily a clearinghouse for vetting who matters and who doesn't. But does that mission really meet the needs of the networks and other industry partners?

IS IT TOO EARLY TO DESCRIBE AMAZON'S 'UTOPIA' AS A FAILURE?
Since we only can generally only judge a streaming show's success or failure using vague metrics like social media "buzz" and search interest, it can be challenging to determine just how successful any individual program might be just a week after its release. But based on the reaction from audiences and the resulting lack of buzz over the past week, I'm leaning towards labeling the new expensive original drama Utopia a well-meaning failure.

The original version of Utopia aired for two seasons on the U.K.'s Channel 4 and the series was just a magnificent explosion of color and violence that reminded me a lot of Twin Peaks. Dennis Kelly created a show that was unique and entertaining and in theory, some American network or streamer should have just picked up that version of Utopia. Instead, David Fincher decided he wanted to reimagine the series and took the project to HBO. But after that network passed on the series due to concerns about the cost, Fincher's Gone Girl partner Gillian Flynn decided to take over the project and ultimately sold it to Amazon.

The series premiered last Friday on Amazon and in some ways, the timing of the reboot is unfortunate. At this point in 2020,  a series about a pandemic might seem a bit too real. Even if the pandemic in the show is caused by an evil corporation. But the bigger problem with this version of Utopia is that it stripped everything that was distinctive out of the original and made the premise more American and much more linear. In the end, Amazon's Utopia is a well-made but not especially compelling drama that is most notable for what it doesn't quite get right.

And those flaws were enough to keep audiences from embracing the series. Or at least, that's the impression I get from the outside.

Here is a rundown of the new television programs premiering today:

1) All Because Of You aka Pasal Kau (Netflix)
After falling for a guest, an unsuspecting hotel staff becomes embroiled in a hostage scheme and discovers true love in an unlikely place.

2) A World Of Calm Series Premiere (HBO Max)
A timely antidote for our modern lives, each half-hour episode takes audiences on an immersive visual journey into another world. Building on the record-breaking success of Calm’s Sleep Stories™ – bedtime stories for grown ups with over 250m listens – each relaxing tale is designed to transform how you feel. Transporting the viewer into tranquility through scientifically-engineered narratives, enchanting music and astounding footage, to naturally calm your body and soothe the mind. Each story is brought to life by a different iconic voice and will take viewers on a journey everywhere from a noodle maker’s kitchen in Seattle, to the forests of Latvia, and beyond our solar system to the outer stretches of the universe. Launching Thursday, October 1 on HBO Max, the soothing imagery and tranquil narration will provide audiences of all ages a respite from the stress and chaos of everyday life right now.

3) Bellingcat (Topic)
This documentary takes viewers inside the exclusive world of the "citizen investigative journalist" collective known as Bellingcat. In cases ranging from the MH17 disaster to the poisoning of a Russian spy in the United Kingdom, the Bellingcat team's quest for truth will shed light on the fight for journalistic integrity in the era of fake news and alternative facts.

4) Code 404 Series (Peacock)
The series follows DI John Major (Daniel Mays, "White Lines") and DI Roy Carver (Stephen Graham, "Boardwalk Empire"), the best of the best at an elite police unit. After Major's cover is blown and he is met with his untimely death, he is brought back to life with some glitchy AI technology. Now, he's better than ever - or so he thinks.

5) Connecting Series Premiere (NBC)
An ensemble comedy about a group of friends trying to stay close (and sane) through video chats as they share the highs and lows of these extraordinary times.

6) CripTales Series Premiere (BBC America)
A collection of six short films each written, directed and performed by a person living with disabilities. Each film within the collection is a fictional monologue capturing a life-changing moment for a person with disabilities, based on factual research and lived experience spanning the last 50 years of British history. 

7) Gangs Of London Season Premiere (AMC+)
Set in the heart of one of the world’s most dynamic and multicultural cities, Gangs of London tells the story of city being torn apart by the turbulent power struggles of the international gangs that control it and the sudden power vacuum that’s created when the head of London’s most powerful crime family is assassinated. For 20 years, Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney) was the most powerful criminal in London. Billions of pounds flowed through his organization each year. But now he’s dead – and nobody knows who ordered the hit. With rivals everywhere, it’s up to the impulsive Sean Wallace (Joe Cole), with the help of the Dumani family headed by Ed Dumani (Lucian Msamati) to take his father’s place. if the situation wasn’t already dangerous enough, Sean’s assumption of power causes ripples in the world of international crime. Perhaps the one man who might be able to help him and be his ally is Elliot Finch (Sope Dirsu), who up until now, has been one of life’s losers, a lowlife chancer with a mysterious interest in the Wallace family. But as the wind of fate blows, Elliot finds himself transported to the inner workings of the largest criminal organisation in London.

8) Let's Be Real (Fox)
The satirical comedy event will cover politics, pop culture and the 2020 election through topical sketches featuring puppets, celebrity cameos and remote pieces.

9) Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood (Netflix)
1900: A rich newcomer with a shady past arrives in Munich determined to crash the local Oktoberfest with his own brewery. But when his daughter falls in love with the heir to a rival brewery, a violent chain of events is unleashed that will threaten both families’ futures.

10) Released Series Premiere (YouTube)
The series will be YouTube’s prime destination for everything happening in music each week with episodes including unfiltered access to the featured chart-topping artist with exclusive performances and announcements.

11) The Salisbury Poisonings (AMC+)
This limited-run series tells the remarkable story of how ordinary people and public services reacted to a crisis on their doorstep, displaying extraordinary heroism as their city became the focus of an unprecedented national emergency. In March 2018, the eyes of the world turned to the British city of Salisbury when it became the epicenter of what has been described as one of the biggest political events of the 21st century – but until now, the heroic acts behind the headlines have not been told. Within three days of the assassination attempt on double agent and spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, key agencies discovered that a lethal nerve agent called Novichok was used, just half a teaspoon of which could kill 20,000 people. Within four days, hundreds of traces were found across the city, and, just when things were finally thought to be under control, a perfume bottle containing the nerve agent was discovered, throwing the investigation into renewed chaos.

12) The Worst Witch Season Four Premiere (Netflix)
A series of challenges push Mildred and Ethel's magical powers to the limit as they compete for the honor of being named Head Girl.

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.

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.