Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Monday, September 23rd, 2024

Should more direct-to-streaming (DTS) films receive a theatrical release?

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, September 23rd, 2024:

PRODUCTION NOTES
I appreciate everyone's support for my decision to finally take a night off. It was really nice to spend some quality time with my wife without thinking about the newsletter. For those of you in the Twin Cities (or anyone planning to visit), we had dinner at Hola Arepa, which has a distinctive take on Latin street food. I highly recommend the Peruvian Pork Belly and the Plantain Tostones with Shredded Beef.

We then went down the street to the Children's Theater Company to see MOYA by Zap Zap Circus. The show is a bit difficult to describe. Think parts Cirque Du Soliel and Stomp!, but set against a Cape Town skyline. There are comic jugglers, unicycle dancers, acrobatics and an authentic South African gumboot dance, all set against an original soundtrack of South African pop music. It was an extraordinary performance and if it ever shows up near you, I highly recommend it. It's family friendly, but it's not necessary to have kids with you in order to have a great time.

Performances at the Children's Theater will take place through October 20th, before the touring company heads to France for a tour that lasts through the end of the year. But they'll be back in the U.S. in April, with a run at the Victory Theater in New York City.

SHOULD MORE DIRECT-TO-STREAMING (DTS) FILMS RECEIVE A THEATRICAL RELEASE?
This is one of the those streaming industry issues where I find myself arguing against the conventional wisdom on a regular basis. Most industry reporters and analysts will tell you that "Of course, more streaming films should get a theatrical release! They're just leaving money on the table!" But as I have written before (without a lot of success changing the narrative), there are real financial reasons to limit the theatrical release on most films. Also, if you are so smart that you can see the "truth," then either you're smarter than most of the streaming video industry's executives. Or PERHAPS they know something you don't.

Along those lines, Frederic from the essential French TV industry Substack NetflixAndChiffres has done a very impressive deep dive trying to answer the question "Do Theatrical Films Really Massively Outperform Straight-To-Streaming Films?" 

He begins by pointing to the piece by Entertainment Strategy Guy from last year that many reporters use as the definitive answer for this question. And he suggests readers look at that first, because it will help them realize "how the same data, when analyzed and cut in different ways, produce different outcomes."

I'm not going to try and recap his work. The massive piece needs to be read completely and there are plenty of charts and graphs to support his take on the data. But here is one takeaway:

1. Films released directly on streaming platforms generally perform much better than films that were first released in theaters. Whether on Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, or potentially Max, all the most-watched films during their launch period are those released directly on streaming. The most-watched films released directly on streaming are 30 to 40% more watched than the most-watched films released in theaters but watched on streaming. And it feels logical, don't you think?

As for the monetization part of the equation, Frederic touches on that a bit as well. But for a more in-depth look at that question, I'll point you to this piece of mine from last year, which does a pretty deep dive into how streamers such as Netflix define success.

A GREAT WAY TO CELEBRATE SNL'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY
NBC and Lorne Michaels have some big plans this season to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the show. But Latenighter has another suggestion: do a television special that features scenes that have been kept off of streaming because of musical rights issues:

The Sweeney Sisters: Ski Lodge (Season 13) — Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn’s lounge-singing sisters Liz and Candy Sweeney made 10 SNL appearances all told, but a personal favorite is this 1986 installment that sees the clueless duo clang-clang-clang their way through Paul Simon’s musical catalog—in front of a mortified Simon. 

VH1 Storytellers (Season 23) — One sketch that was clearly worth NBC and SNL spending the time and money to clear the musical rights is “More Cowbell.” But Will Ferrell also starred in this similarly themed sketch from the same era, in which Ferrell’s Diamond shares a series of increasingly disturbing stories behind his most famous songs. 

The Fifth Beatle (Season 9) — Eddie Murphy famously saved SNL from cancelation after Michaels and the show’s original Not Ready For Primetime Players left in 1980. Four years in, near the peak of his popularity, Murphy memorably played Clarence Walker (a.k.a .“The Fifth Beatle”), a saxophone player who claims he created the group’s look and music before they kicked him out—and he had the recordings of classic Beatles songs (with saxophone played over them) to prove it.

To be honest, I'm not convinced NBC could air the clips without some sort of rights negotiations at this late point, although I am no expert on the matter. But it would be fun to see some of those clips again. And btw, if you are a fan of late night television, you should be reading Latenighter, which is devoted to all things late night television.

TWEET OF THE DAY

ODDS AND SODS
* I was considering buying the domain name toomuchtv.com and using that as a new home for all my stuff. But given that it's currently being offered for sale for $2,700, I might have to rethink that idea.

* Proving that we are nearing the creative end times, Max has ordered the four-episode game show Fast Friends, which will "take place in the celebrated series’ iconic sets in a fast-paced competition event. From racing through Rachel and Monica’s apartment to darting across Joey and Chandler’s bachelor pad and grabbing a coffee at Central Perk, fans will re-live their favorite moments while being put to the test with trivia, puzzles, and games that will keep even the most die-hard Friends fans on their toes. The quickest team will win the title of Ultimate Friends Fan."

And if you're thinking, "wow, how were they able to keep all the sets from Friends, it turns out it's not QUITE the original apartments: "The game show will be shot at The Friends Experience: The One in New York City, a NYC flagship location featuring 18 nostalgia-filled rooms, activations, and recreated sets, spanning two stories and 17,000 square feet dedicated to the show's history.  The Friends Experience also has long-term locations in London and soon-to-be Las Vegas and has traveled to 25 cities across 8 countries worldwide, with more locations to be announced." And for an upsell charge, you can visit the nearby set where all of the non-white TV twentysomethings live.

* What's On Netflix has a great feature which allows you to search the new Netflix engagement report a number of different ways.

* NBA League Pass is raising the price of its two annual plans for the 2024-25 season by $10 each, and its monthly plan is also increasing by $2. 

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2024:
Brilliant Minds Series Premiere (NBC)
Crossroads: A Conversation With America (PBS)
9-1-1: Lone Star Season Five Premiere (Fox)
The Voice Season Premiere (NBC)
The Wranglers Series Premiere (The CW)

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2024:
Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval (Netflix) 
Evolution Of The Black Quarterback (Prime Video)
Fly (NatGeo)
Last Bite Hotel Series Premiere (Food) 
Murder In A Small Town Series Premiere (Fox) 
Out There: Crimes Of The Paranormal Series Premiere (Hulu) 
Penelope Series Premiere (Netflix)
Windy City Rehab Season Premiere (HGTV)

SEE YOU ON TUESDAY!