Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, October 27th, 2022

It's time for some election night activations

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, October 27th, 2022.

PEACOCK'S 'GIRLS5EVA' HEADED TO NETFLIX
In a move that surprised pretty much everyone today, Netflix announced that the Peacock original comedy Girls5Eva is headed to the streamer for its third season. 

When it came time to shop the series after it had been canceled by Peacock, Netflix made the obvious choice. It has a track record of picking up canceled shows with a small but devoted fanbase and using its massive subscriber base to turn the show into a hit. But Netflix also had a couple of pre-existing ins with the show's producers. Tina Fey and Robert Carlock had previously placed their series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt at Netflix and Girls5Eva creator Meredith Scardino had worked as a writer and producer on that series. 

But there was also a more direct connection. Current Netflix global head of TV Bela Bajaria had helped develop Kimmy Schmidt for Universal TV when she worked there and current Netflix head of comedy Tracey Pakosta apparently wanted to acquire Girls5Eva when she was working at NBC as a co-president of scripted television.

There are a few random things that strike me about this move. It's fair to ask what is going on at NBC's comedy wing, given that they continue to pass on shows that find some success elsewhere. And while I understand the financial risk/benefit equation that led to Peacock canceling Girls5Eva, it also seems as if the streamer should have looked at this as more than just a matter of "it's not getting enough of an audience." Peacock is notably not sharing its viewing numbers and the streamer hasn't had an original comedy last longer than two seasons. I would argue Peacock would have been better off ordering another season of one of its rare shows that has received positive reviews. They could have pretended it was a hit and used it as a way to slowly build the sense they are on the rise.

Instead, Peacock executives seem to be convinced that their upcoming lineup of originals is so strong that none of this matters in the short run. Granted, they do have some big moonshot-level shows premiering in the next three months. But I don't know that they can afford to put too much faith in any upcoming lineup of originals.

It's also clear that Peacock PR people knew this move would provide some bad press, because they seem to have made an effort to spin the press coverage a bit. While I don't know this for a fact, I suspect someone at Peacock provided the background information for this piece on the move in Deadline, which includes some very Peacock-friendly context:

The move is a shock as it’s one of the first original series to move between rival streaming services but Deadline hears that the Tina Fey-produced series was actually canceled at Peacock before Netflix swooped in to save it.

Although the comedy series, which stars Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Busy Philipps and Paula Pell, has been well received critically and was arguably the closest thing to an awards contender that the streamer had, Girls5eva wasn’t one of its most-watched shows and didn’t bring in the same audiences that the likes of dramas Bel Air and Dr. Death did.

If you're not convinced of the source of the info at this point, let me pass along this additional snippet:

We hear that the streamer was forced to make the tough decision to prioritize other shows and cancel it after its second season finished in June.

The "tough decision?" Yeah, this totally from someone at Peacock. Which is fine, but it also illustrates that at least some Peacock realized the optics on this decision were not great. 

One last thing. While I haven't seen any specifics, the deal seems to be limited to primarily the U.S., since the show has already been sold for the life of the series to other networks and streamers worldwide. I would be interested in knowing how all of that is dealt with financially given that Netflix will be paying for the upcoming season. 

WHIP MEDIA ANTICIPATION REPORT FOR NOVEMBER

IT'S TIME FOR SOME ELECTION NIGHT ACTIVATIONS
I was complaining on Twitter a couple of days ago that I wish there was the equivalent of a sports bar locally that catered to political junkies. I'd love to have someplace to go on election night, watch the coverage and given that I'm a Democrat, likely drink a lot and moan.

But it got me thinking that MSNBC is missing out on building its audience (or at least providing some additional engagement) with their upcoming election night coverage. How great would it have been to organize a series of events across the country where locals could go to a sports bar or other venue, watch the network's live coverage and socialize? The events would be a logical place for local NBC affiliates to visit along with the traditional events organized by the political parties. With a bit of planning, the parties could included some cheap MSNBC swag and some other goodies. And having some of these events near college campuses would at least be a small step towards lowering the increasingly elderly cable news network demo.

Why didn’t I suggest CNN do this? Let’s be honest. What are the chances that anyone would show up for a “Watch CNN election coverage” event? CNN might be a lot things, but having devoted super fans is not one of them.

ODDS AND SODS
* Season two of the HBO Max reboot of Gossip Girl premieres on Thursday, December 1st.

* A review of the new Netflix animated series Daniel Spellbound, which is a fun, action-packed romp.

* The CW will air the World Electronic Music Awards on Saturday, May 27th, 2023.

* Starz has picked up The Serpent Queen for a second season. The season one finale airs this Sunday.

* Showtime has canceled City On The Hill after three seasons. 

TWEET OF THE DAY

WHAT'S NEW FOR THURSDAY:

Here's a quick rundown of all the new stuff premiering today on TV and streaming:

Amazon Music Live Series Premiere (Prime Video)
Cici (Netflix)
Daniel Spellbound (Netflix)
Dubai Bling Series Premiere (Netflix)
Earthstorm (Netflix)
Romantic Killer (Netflix)
Siesta Key: Miami Moves Season Premiere (MTV)
Star Trek: Prodigy Season Premiere (Paramount+)
True Crime Story: Indefensible Season Premiere (Sundance)

Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.

SEE YOU FRIDAY!

If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.