Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities suburbs, where AllYourScreens HQ is powered by baked potato chips and hot vanilla tea.
DISCOVERY+ DEAL WITH ALL3MEDIA NABS 250+ HOURS OF PROGRAMMING, INCLUDING MULTIPLE GORDON RAMSAY SHOWS
Streaming service Discovery+ is adding to its catalog of content, thanks to a deal with All3Media International that brings more than 250+ hours of programming. Included in the deal are the North American SVOD rights to 100+ hours of Gordon Ramsay-related content, including six seasons of Kitchen Nightmares, two seasons of Gordon Ramsay’s Great Escape and three documentaries: Gordon Ramsay Behind Bars, Gordon Ramsay: Shark Bait and Gordon Ramsay On Cocaine. Also included are two Gordon Ramsay-hosted cooking competitions – Culinary Genius (UK) and five seasons of The F Word (UK) . A number of these titles had previously been available for streaming in North America via several AVOD platforms.
Also included in the deal are the North American streaming rights to all four seasons of the dating series Naked Attraction, as well as 11 seasons - 45 episodes - of the series The Undateables.
Discovery+ has also picked up the North American rights to the documentaries and specials Generation Porn (3 episodes), The Elephant Hospital (2 episodes), Ski A&E (10 episodes), Extreme Everest and The Parachute Murder Plot.
I like this move and many of the other ones being made right now at Discovery. Even though the North American version of Discovery+ looks very different than the version in Europe, the company is leaning heavily into being the go-to streaming home for a number of popular non-scripted categories. After just a few months, the service has already made it very difficult for someone to launch a competing service. And that's quite the accomplishment in the crowded streaming TV marketplace.
IF YOU ARE CURIOUS ABOUT MY VOICE
Simon Owens recently interviewed me for his "Business Of Content" podcast and newsletter and I think it provides a solid look at the business model for AllYourScreens. It also provides a bit of background about my experience as everything from a hard news journalist to a syndicated talk show and stand-up comic. Oh, and let's not forget...I was also the voice of stock-picking sock puppet named "Stocky" :
But luckily, Rick’s site is lean enough that he can still make a good living even if he's not capturing all the premium advertising dollars. “I like the idea of being the only person at my website. I like that I don’t have to justify why I covered a specific thing. It's really freeing in a way, especially after working for all these different companies that were either startups that didn't know what they were doing or big media companies that were just so bureaucratically weighed down. It's really nice to be in a situation of being a lone wolf. I mean, there are definitely disadvantages, but it's nice not having to justify your decisions to anybody.”
AH...'DEBRIS'
I've written about the ill-fated NBC sci-fi Debris a few times since it premiered a month ago. And while the show has struggled to find an audience, I enjoy it enough that I've been writing a recap of each episode. Which is very unusual for me. The only other show I recap on a regular basis is the super-popular The Curse Of Oak Island and I have a freelancer who recaps The CW's Riverdale. Aside from the fact that I enjoy the show, I write about it because the small audience that does exist for the show is hungry for content. I remain astounded by how little effort NBC seems to be putting into the promotion of the show, and if you think I am being overly harsh with that assessment, it's worth noting that the official NBC Twitter account for the show only has 37 followers. How is that even possible for a broadcast network series?
TODAY'S PREMIERES
1) Beyond The Canvas Series Premiere (PBS)
A new half-hour program showcases some of the nation’s leading cultural creators -- musicians, playwrights, comedians, costume designers, among many others -- who show us how they turn their visions of the world into art.
2) Demi Lovato: Dancing With The Devil (YouTube)
For the first time, Lovato will open up about every aspect that led to her nearly fatal overdose in 2018, and her awakenings in the aftermath as viewers are granted unprecedented access to the superstar’s personal and musical journey over the past three years, including footage from when the initial production for this project began during Lovato’s 2018 Tell Me You Love Me World Tour
3) Life After Killing (MHz Choice)
An Italian jeweler shoots a robber in self-defense in front of his family – now, he must face the consequences of his actions.
4) Loyiso Gola: Unlearning (Netflix)
South African comedian Loyiso Gola serves up practical philosophy and filter-free humor as he tackles topics like race, identity and world politics.
5) Pig Royalty Series Premiere (Discovery+)
Throughout the season, we’ll see each family practice with their prized pigs day and night in order to win the coveted ‘buckles,’ either for showmanship or breed champion, along with scholarships and hefty cash prizes. Audiences are introduced to a whole new universe of fierce pig show coaches and ‘pig parents,’ who live and breathe pig shows and watch over the next generation of competitors. We’ll meet matriarch Michelle Balero and her champion daughters McKayla, McKenzie, and McCall who train their cousin Taytain “The Nugget” Diaz (11) and have a reputation for drama and the buckles to back it up; The Rihn’s, headed up by matriarch Jodi who, along with her daughters Kammi and Keylie, is looking to make her son Kannen (12) a winner and has some scores to settle with The Baleros; and Jody Rihn’s friends the Tyks’, headed by mothers Mandy and Kristen, who are underdogs looking to get their son Brandon (16) back in the game.
6) Secrets Of A Psychopath Series Premiere (Sundance Now)
In August 2012, three fishermen chanced upon a most unusual cache of intimate sex toys, abandoned in a reservoir situated just south of Dublin, Ireland. When police linked the items to the discovery of a decomposed body in a forest seventeen miles away, their investigation took on a more sinister dimension.
7) Who Killed My Son? (Discovery+)
In 1994, Pravin Varughese was a college student at Southern Illinois University when he went missing. As his family searched for answers, they faced prejudice, deception, and frustration with the legal system, constantly being told that their son’s murder was his own fault. In this two-hour documentary, television journalist Soledad O’Brien shares the story of a family who turned their mission into finding the truth.
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.