Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, March 11th, 2021

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, March 11th, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities suburbs, where AllYourScreens HQ is powered by caramel-flavored coffee and a cherry-flavored granola bar.

DISCOVERY+ ADDS SIX PROGRAMS FROM VICE
One of the under-appreciated parts of Discovery+'s long-term goals is the streamer's desire to be the go-to home as much reality, lifestyle, true crime, documentary and unscripted programming as possible. A deal with A+E Networks prior to launch gave it a catalog of mostly older programs from A&E, History and Lifetime. And now a deal with Vice is giving it six older shows from Viceland, encompassing 90 hours of programming:

The streamer has acquired six series — Hamilton's Pharmacopeia, pro wrestling docuseries Dark Side of the Ring and its companion show After Dark, F*ck That's Delicious, Hate Thy Neighbor and Weediquette — that originally aired on the Vice TV cable channel (formerly Viceland) in a deal with Vice Distribution, which launched last year. They'll begin streaming on Discovery+ in April, with specific dates still to be determined.

Another compatible potential partner for Discovery+ is Hubbard Broadcasting, which owns the niche cable channel Reelz. While the channel and its accompanying streaming app don't grab a huge audience, its programming is heavy on celebrity crime stories and documentaries, which meshes well with Discovery+'s programming plan. It is also a type of non-fiction programming that Discovery+ currently doesn't have.

THE DISCOVERY+ LAUNCH GOT SOME HELP FROM TWO NBC VETERANS
I think it's fair to say that the Discovery+ launch went pretty well overall. It seems to be reaching its intended audience and the messaging has been pretty consistent. And as this piece in Variety notes, part of the success might be due to the presence of two veterans from NBC's "Must See TV" years:

Manze and Beckman worked with the Discovery Plus team to produce promos and find other ways to push out the message. This was their first experience launching a streamer, but Beckman and Manze say that while some of the tools are different, the basic idea isn’t: You’ve gotta make noise to get attention in a forever crowded landscape.

“There’s so much of what we did during the Must-See TV years that still applies,” Beckman says. “I’ve always felt the best philosophy you can have in this business is showmanship. And how do you make more out of what you have. What hasn’t changed is how you get people to think that there’s something going on here that they have to be a part of.”

Beckman says the team zeroed in on three goals: educating consumers that the Discovery Plus umbrella includes multiple brands, such as TLC, Food Network, HGTV and ID in addition to the namesake channel; framing Discovery Plus’ monthly $5 price tag as a bargain; and touting the streamer’s library of 55,000 episodes.

The campaign highlighted those messages in spots that featured the song “A Million Dreams” from “The Greatest Showman” and used the tagline “Stream What You Love.”

One thing Discovery+'s marketing can't focus on is the underlying premise of the service. For hardcore fans of the various Discovery networks, the streaming service can easily replace their traditional cable or satellite TV service, especially when combined with free or premium versions of Peacock, Disney+ and Paramount+.

TOP SVOD PROGRAMS FROM A MONTH AGO
Nielsen just released its most-viewed SVOD programs list for the week, which runs about a month behind:

As always, we have to keep in mind the various caveats about the limits of the Nielsen data, but it's interesting to compare the list against the social media buzz.  There was a slight bump in social media chatter when Firefly Lane when it premiered (which was the week this top ten covers). But even a month ago, social media was obsessed with Wandavision. 

TODAY'S PREMIERES
1) Battlebots: Bounty Hunters (Discovery+) Season Premiere (Discovery+)
Next-gen robots trade blows to disable their opponents and reign supreme.

2) Cake Season Premiere (FXX)
Cake is a handcrafted assortment of bite-sized content served up to viewers as a tasty treat for the mind. Featuring a diverse array of narratives from storytellers both new and established, this carefully curated half-hour weekly showcase on FXX features both live-action and animated comedy programs of varied length that are equal parts thought-provoking, laugh-inducing, artistic, authentic and raw. (Not to mention, totally gif-able!)

3) Cold Courage Series Premiere (AMC+)
Based on the award-winning and best-selling novels from Finnish journalist Pekka Hiltunen, Cold Courage follows two Nordic women – Mari (Pihla Viitala, Deadwind, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters), a fierce psychologist fighting for the underdog by any means necessary, and Lia (Sofia Pekkari, The Sandhamn Murders, Wallander), a shy graphic artist on the run from an abusive stalker – as they collide during a series of murders in present-day London. As they are drawn together through a clandestine group called the “Studio,” they seek to right the wrongs of the powerful, influential and corrupt – starting with the dangerous, charismatic politician Arthur Fried (John Simm, Doctor Who, Life on Mars), looking to put the ‘Great’ back into Great Britain.

4) Coven Of Sisters (Netflix)
Basque Country, 1609. To postpone their execution, a group of women accused of witchcraft lure their inquisitor into witnessing the witches' Sabbath.

5) Dinner Impossible Season Premiere (Food)
Robert Irvine takes on epic culinary tests with unbelievable obstacles.

6) Generation Series Premiere (HBO Max)
Generation is a dark yet playful half-hour following a group of high school students whose exploration of modern sexuality (devices and all) tests deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their conservative community.

7) My Beautiful Stutter (Discovery+)
This documentary follows five kids who stutter, ages 9 to 18, from all over the United States and all walks of life, who, after experiencing a lifetime of bullying and stigmatization, meet other children who stutter at an interactive arts-based program, The Stuttering Association for the Young, based in New York City. Their journey to SAY find some close to suicide, others withdrawn and fearful, exhausted and defeated from failed fluency training, societal pressures to not stutter or the decision to remain silent. Over the course of a year we witness first hand the incredible transformation that happens when these young people of wildly different backgrounds experience for the first time the revolutionary idea at the heart of SAY: that it's okay to stutter.

8) Stay Out Of The Fucking Attic (Shudder)
A diverse group of ex-cons-turned-movers—played by Morgan Alexandria (Forever My Girl), Ryan Francis (Sisters) and Bryce Fernelius (Ruling of the Heart)—are convinced by their creepy client, Vern Muller (Michael Flynn, The Outpost), to pull an all-nighter for a generous pay bump. As the night progresses and rooms are cleared, they slowly uncover the horrors that exist inside his old Victorian mansion, including boobytraps, human experimentation, Nazi monsters and more. Will they survive the night?

9) The Block Island Sound (Netflix)
On an island, a fisherman's family faces horrors and dark truths when an ominous force begins killing the wildlife and puts their own lives in danger.

10) Tig N Seek (HBO Max)
From Myke Chilian and Cartoon Network Studios, Tig n’ Seek follows an upbeat and eccentric 8-year-old boy named Tiggy and his cat, Gweeseek. Tiggy not only works at the Department of Lost and Found, finding lost items all throughout Wee-Gee City, he lives there too! 

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.