Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Monday, April 8th, 2024
The never-ending pain of Warner Bros Discovery shareholders
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, April 8th, 2024:
THE NEVERENDING PAIN OF WARNER BROS DISCOVERY SHAREHOLDERS
While it's a bit technical, if you wonder why you're seeing another round of "Will Warner Bros Discovery Buy/Merge With A Rival" stories popping up today, it's because a two-year lock-up period has ended, which allows the company (and more notably, shareholder like CEO David Zaslav) to involve the company in merger and acquisition moves without suffering a large tax penalty.
The Hollywood Reporter has a nice rundown of what the various stock market analysts think of the current state of the company and its possibilities for some M&A activity. And while there is some very modest optimism for WBD, most of the comments were along these lines:
“Even with progress on DTC and studio profitability, management may still be forced to explore divesting assets in order to accelerate its debt reduction and unlock value.” And they warned: “Or it may become the subject of an activist campaign looking to break up the company. Still, $40 billion-plus of debt is a significant impediment for most outsiders.”
I've written a lot about the company over the past couple of years and I haven't really changed my approach. I think the merger with Discovery was a bad idea, because it saddled the combined company with a massive amount of debt it had to pay down as soon as possible. And that forced the hand of Zaslav and other executives, who cut projects and initiatives that could have led the company to a better place in this increasingly streaming-centric world.
(It’s also worth noting that Warner Brothers was already saddled with debit dumped on it by AT&T)
And to be honest, the more I see of the strategy of current management, the more I am convinced that they are incapable of thinking out of the box in a way that can move the company onto a more positive path.
I'm not arguing that WBD might not end up either being acquired or in some suicidal business move, decide to acquire another company. But I am arguing either option would be a bad idea. Because as an old Wall Street veteran once told me, if the car in your driveway is on fire, the answer is not to solve the problem by burning down your house.
TUESDAY WATCH LIST
Here are three things to keep on your radar for Tuesday:
Brandy Hellville & The Cult Of Fast Fashion (HBO)
Every generation of young female teens have their own specific "must have" clothing brand. In the early 2010's, that brand was Brandy Melville, a brand that featured tiny "one size fits most" clothes and an early Instagram esthetic. Sadly, you will not be surprised to learn that behind-the-scenes, the company that set impossible beauty standards on social media and in real life for its customers and employees was also the scene of a troubling toxic work environment and discriminatory recruiting methods.
But the documentary also uses the Brandy Melville as a jumping-off point for a bigger examination of the working conditions for overseas workers making fast fashion for Brandy Melville and other mainstream fashion brands. It's one of those stories that is both expected and also profoundly depressing.
Mud Madness (Discovery)
When it comes deciding which automotive and vehicle-related unscripted programs I plan to watch on a regular basis, I employ what I like to describe as the American Chopper test. If you eliminate all of the conflict and personal storylines from the show, is there enough left to keep me around every week? Because if you were a regular viewer of American Chopper, you remember the point when it shifted from "family who argues, but makes really cool motorcycles" to "family yells at each other while standing in vicinity of motorcycles."
Mud Madness is a new series that follows the racing and more than occasional drunken antics taking place on the fall Mud Racing tour and it's a really nice mix of cool racing machines (many of them home built), combined with some petty grudges, near death experiences and the "must win" events. It's not a world I was familiar with and you couldn't get me to race a car through three feet of mud with the windows down if you held a gun to my head, but the show is a fun, goofy watch.
Judged By Matt Walsh (Daily Wire)
The conservative news outlet Daily Wire launched its SVOD Daily Wire+ several years ago and while it distributes a number of conservative talk podcasts, they have also been rolling out a number of mostly conservative-oriented original video programs. Judged By Matt Walsh is a People's Court spoof and given that I literally received the screener for the premiere as I was writing this, I can't offer up a firm opinion on the show aside from what is in the trailer. Which might be funny? It's honestly hard to tell.
I'm fascinated by what they're doing at Daily Wire+, especially since they seem to be focusing on scrappier, more unpredictable programming than their biggest direct competitor, Fox Nation. No matter your politics or willingness to watch more snarky humor, it's worth keeping shows like this on our radar. And I'll have a full review tomorrow.
CBS ANNOUNCES SEASON FINALE DATES
CBS announced the season finale dates for the bulk of its primetime lineup today, with most of it spread across May:
Thursday, May 2nd:
Ghosts Season Three Finale
Monday, May 6th:
The Neighborhood Season Six Finale
Bob (Hearts) Abishola Series Finale
NCIS Season Twenty-One Finale
NCIS: Hawaii Season Three Finale
Wednesday, May 15th:
The Amazing Race Season Thirty-Six Finale
Thursday, May 16th:
Young Sheldon Series Finale
So Help Me Todd Season Two Finale
Friday, May 17th:
S.W.A.T. Series Finale (CBS)
Fire Country Season Two Finale (CBS)
Blue Bloods Season Fourteen Finale (CBS)
Saturday, May 18th:
48 Hours Season Thirty-Six Finale
Sunday, May 19th:
60 Minutes Season Fifty-Six Season Finale
The Equalizer Season Four Finale
Tracker Season One Finale
CSI: Vegas Season Three Finale
Tuesday, May 21st:
FBI Season Six Finale
FBI International Season Three Finale
FBI Most Wanted Season Five Finale
Wednesday, May 22nd:
Survivor Season Forty-Six Finale
Thursday, May 23rd:
Elsbeth Season One Finale
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
MONDAY, APRIL 8TH:
* Chillin' In Another World With Level 2 Super Cheat Powers Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Eclipse Across America (ABC, Hulu, NatGeo, NatGeo Wild)
* Ishura Series Premiere (Hulu)
* NCISVerse: The First 1,000 (CBS)
* Spirit Rangers Season Three Premiere (Netflix)
* Surviving Nova (Vice)
* Tadaima, Okaeri Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* 30 For 30: 26.2 To Life (ESPN)
TUESDAY, APRIL 9TH:
* Bail Jumpers Season Finale (Investigation Discovery)
* Brandy Hellville & The Cult Of Fast Fashion (HBO)
* Finding Your Roots Season Ten Finale (PBS)
* Grand Cayman: Secrets In Paradise Series Premiere (Freeform)
* Hope Street (Britbox)
* Judged By Matt Walsh Series Premiere (Daily Wire)
* Mud Madness Series Premiere (Discovery)
* Neighborhood Wars Season Premiere (A&E)
* Neil Brennan: Crazy Good (Netflix)
* Oblivion Battery Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Roadkill Season Premiere (Motor Trend)
* Surviving Hamas: A Benjamin Hall Special (Fox Nation)
* Unnamed Memory Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
SEE YOU ON MONDAY!