Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Monday, February 8th, 2021

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, February 8th, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities suburbs, where AllYourScreens HQ is powered by lemonade and breakfast sausages.

ISN'T IT TIME FOR NETFLIX TO PULL 'CHEER?'
I am generally not someone who believes a network or streaming service should pull a series from distribution the first time one of the cast members is involved in a controversy. I'm able to separate some random misdeed from the show itself and unless the alleged crime is egregious, I am more than willing to let viewers decide for themselves if they feel comfortable continuing to watch the show.

But there exceptions to that rule for me, and I think the Netflix series Cheer might have crossed the line from "uncomfortable" to "this should be pulled."

Cheer is a reality series that focuses on the nearly 40-member Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team from Corsicana, Texas. It premiered in January 2020, and the story of the cheer squad as they prepare for the 2019 National Championships garnered a lot of attention from Netflix subscribers. The show received extensive media coverage and while Netflix doesn't share much about viewing numbers, it seems to have been widely viewed.

But in the year since the series debuted three different men associated with the series have faced allegations of some sort of sexual misconduct. In September, Jeremiah 'Jerry' Harris was accused of child sexual exploitation and abuse, according to a lawsuit filed by two attorneys representing the two alleged victims. The lawsuit claimed Harris "exploited his popularity and position of fame" following the release of Cheer to engage in inappropriate behavior with two 13-year-old males. An attorney for Harris has categorically disputed the charges.

Then last week, two other men who appeared on Cheer faced allegations of their own. On Wednesday, Navarro College cheer team member Mitchell Ryan, 23, was arrested near Dallas on Wednesday on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Also on Wednesday, Chesterfield County, Virginia Police arrested coach and choreographer Robert Joseph Scianna Jr., 25, based on allegations of indecency with a child and "use of an electronic communication device to solicit sex."

All three men have issued statements proclaiming their innocence. But given that there are now three people involved with Cheer that are facing allegations of sexual misconduct, this feels to me to be the threshold where Netflix should just pull the series until the allegations are resolved. I don't know that I have a hard-and-fast rule for how different allegations of sexual misconduct should warrant removing a series from the public. But right now, three seems like a good number.

THE FLASH IS COMING TO FORTNITE
Keeping any game feeling fresh is a challenge, but one thing Fortnite does very well is continue to add pop-culture skins and characters to the game - generally for a limited amount of time. In the past year, players have been able to play with weapons and characters from Star Wars, the greater MCU Universe as well as many other lesser pieces of IP. Next up for the game are some characters from DC and first up is The Flash.

A Flash Cup will be available for play on February 10th and it will be a two-player game. Here's a look at the character:

TODAY'S PREMIERES
1) Balthazar (Acorn TV)
This sexy French-language crime drama (with English subtitles) follows the suave, smart, and somewhat strange Raphaël Balthazar (Tomer Sisley, Messiah, We’re the Millers) who can make the dead “speak” like no one else. He helps solve Paris’ most disturbing and complex crimes, but there’s one case that continues to haunt him—the murder of his wife, Lise (Pauline Cheviller, Le Secret d’Elise), over a decade ago.

2) Black Lightning Season Premiere (The CW)
Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) is still mourning the death of his long-time friend Detective Henderson. Meanwhile, Gambi (James Remar) is presented with an interesting opportunity. Lastly, Lynn (Christine Adams) and Jefferson are still not able to see eye to eye.

3) Finding Bigfoot: The Search Continues (Discovery+)
The team sets out to examine compelling Squatch evidence in Ohio and West Virginia.|

4) Independent Lens: Women In Blue (PBS)
This documentary shines a spotlight on the police women within the Minneapolis Police Department working to reform it from the inside, as the national conversation around police reform still resonates loudly across the country. Filmed from 2017 to 2020, the documentary focuses on MPD’s first female police chief, Janeé Harteau, and three of the women in her department as they each try to redefine what it means to protect and serve.

5) VH1 Family Reunion: Love & Hip Hop Edition (VH1)
Love & Hip Hop cast members from New York, Atlanta, Hollywood and Miami gather to celebrate Black joy and discuss important social issues -- and of course, turn up.

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.

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

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.