Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, May 20th, 2021

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, May 19th, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities suburbs, where AllYourScreens HQ is powered by unsweetened ice tea.

WELCOME TO THE NEW SUBSCRIBERS
The piece I wrote on Jason Kilar for yesterday's newsletter turned out to be a bit of a viral hit, so much so that I broke it out into a separate piece for the web site so it was easier for people to share. Here is the link. I also heard from number of people who had thoughts about his possible exit from WarnerMedia. If you have any comment, email me at Rick@allyourscreens.com and with your permission, I'll share it in tomorrow's newsletter. And if you'd like to talk to me on or off-the-record about the situation, I'd also like to hear from you.

For those of you who are new subscribers, each daily newsletter is divided into two parts. Part one is a mix of commentary, reporting and links to reporting I think you should read. The exact mix depends on the news of the day. Part two is highlights of the new programs premiering that day on linear television and streaming.

QUIBI SHOWS PREMIERE ON ROKU CHANNEL
The first round of 31 shows from the archives of the late mobile-first streaming service Quibi premiered today on the Roku Channel. They are ad-supported and available on the Roku Channel app if you have a Roku. You can also stream them online at this link.

No matter what you think of Quibi's business model or management, the service created some impressive shows and watching them on a screen reminds you that the company's biggest flaw was to wait so long to make its programming available on the big screen. Shows such as The Fugitive, #FreeRaychawn and Most Dangerous Game look as impressive as the programming on any existing streaming service. But as much as people watch programming on mobile, they seem to also want to option of watching it on a bigger screen.

Here is a rundown of all the Quibi programming available today, with some brief descriptions.

DIVERSITY AND THE WORLD OF TV AND MOVIE CRITICS
I have a soft spot for the Chicago Tribune, in large part because I sold my first freelance pieces to the newspaper back in the dinosaur days. Nina Metz writes about TV and the movies for the Chicago Tribune and in this piece, she tackles a thorny problem with the entertainment press: if diversity matters when it comes to who makes TV and film, then it’s just as important when it comes to who writes about the stories about those projects. She spoke with several POC critics about the problems they face with access and just getting the same opportunities as their white, often male, colleagues. TV and movie critic Sharronda Williams described the problem this way:

“When you’re a Black journalist and you ask for a screener, they send you to the multicultural PR agency, which only deals with POC journalists, talent and movies,” she said. “So because I’m Black, I have to be segued to a whole different department.”

Why does she think that’s the system in place? “I’m sure the studios have these multicultural departments in order to make sure they’re including us. But if my white colleague can go directly to a studio contact but you automatically send me to a multicultural contact because I’m Black, that’s modernized segregation.

And often, she said, her requests are denied or simply ignored. Many critics of color express similar frustrations.

Williams also expresses frustration over the fact that POC critics often are pigeonholed by studios and publicists:

“Editors come out of the woodwork every Black History Month saying, ‘Can you write something?’ and then disappear until the next year. Or the only time they’ll reach out to you is to write about a Black title. But we watch all types of films and TV shows! Black people loved ‘The Undoing.’ We love watching messy dramas that don’t necessarily center around the Black experience. But outlets and the studios think that Black people don’t watch white movies or sci-fi or comic book movies, or that Black critics aren’t covering these things. We’ve really been put in a box as to what we supposedly consume.”

It's a really good piece and it highlights a problem that could be fixed by simply hiring a more diverse staff and then making sure they all have the same access and opportunities.

APPLE HAS 'LOST INTEREST' IN TV, CLAIMS ANALYST
Speaking at Freeview’s Out Of the Box event, top analyst Benedict Evans said that “ownership of content has no strategic value to tech companies,” and specifically said that “Apple has lost interest in TV.” The analyst said that “it is important to remember what the tech players are trying to achieve by investing in video” and suggested that the device-agnostic nature of streaming services is antithetical to the strategy of companies like Apple and Google.

I don't think this take is entirely accurate. I do think that even though Apple TV+ is more than a year into its existence, company executives still can't figure out how to create a service that is easy to use and compelling enough to get millions of people to subscribe. Apple TV+ has created some really top flight programming. But not enough to make it anywhere close to a "must subscribe" service, which is why Apple keeps extending various free offers to keep subscribers around. And without a deeper catalog of titles, Apple TV+ feels more like a niche product than a robust streaming service.

ODDS AND SODS

* How much do the 'Real Housewives' get paid? And who pays for those trips?

* In the category of "okay, whatever," Disney+ announced today that Hocus Pocus 2 is coming to the streamer in 2022. No details yet, other than the fact that Bette Midler will be involved.

* Season eight of Brooklyn Nine-Nine will premiere August 12th on NBC.

* Variety has announced a couple of promotions on its TV coverage team.  Diane Garrett has been promoted from her role as an editor in the Focus features department to the title of Senior TV Editor. Michael Schneider - currently senior editor, TV awards - is also adding the title of Deputy TV Editor. Both of them report to Variety co-editor in chief Cynthia Littleton.

* Bravo premieres a new culinary show on July 1st entitled Top Chef Amateurs.

CLASSIFIEDS:
Experience The OZY FEST
OZY Fest, the one-of-a-kind festival described as "TED meets Coachella," is back for a virtual celebration of great entertainment and the biggest conversations, streaming live May 15-16. Hang out with Dr Fauci, Condoleezza Rice, Sevyn Streeter, Malcolm Gladwell, Tig Notaro + more. Register now.

Want to advertise in this newsletter? Email me at rick@allyourscreens.com

TODAY'S PREMIERES
1) Adventure Time: Distant Lands (HBO Max)
When a powerful and dangerous dragon breaks free from its prison beneath the Glass Kingdom, Glassboy—a young bookworm—sets out to find the legendary hero who first defeated the dragon centuries ago: Marceline the Vampire Queen. Marcy, now living in domestic bliss with Princess Bubblegum, is apprehensive about revisiting the Glass Kingdom. It’s a place that holds bad memories for her and Bubblegum. With the help of Glassboy and some new friends, Marceline and Princess Bubblegum will have to confront their rocky past as they face off against an ancient foe.

2) Carmen Christopher: Street Special (Peacock)
In his debut comedy special, Carmen Christopher does stand-up in the toughest room of all: the streets of New York City.

3) Genius Factory (Discovery+)
In the 1980s, eccentric billionaire Robert Graham funded the largest legal genetic experiment in human history to create the world’s smartest kids. Thirty years later, the children of his eugenics experiment walk the streets of America as adults. For the first time, people who worked at the bank are ready to talk, and the genius children are going to meet each other and find out who their fathers are. Never before has nature versus nurture been tested quite like this.

4) Going From Broke Season Two Premiere (Crackle)
Six new cast members drowning in massive debt get help from inspirational guests and financial experts to overcome their financial struggles. The inspirational guests include executive producer Ashton Kutcher, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky, co-founder of Resy, Empathy Wines and VaynerX Gary Vaynerchuk, actor David Costabile (Lincoln, Billions, Breaking Bad), award-winning entrepreneur, investor, and bestselling author Kim Perell, Andi Kirkegaard of Kirkie Cookies and the founder of The Scholarship System Jocelyn Paonita Pearson.

5) Gomorrah Season Premiere (HBO Max)
The new season clearly turns the spotlight on Genny (Salvatore Esposito), the lone Savastano dynasty survivor: a character who has shed countless skins in the process of morphing from Don Pietro's spoiled brat into family boss, husband and father. In fact, the new season sees him on his best behavior precisely for the sake of Azzurra (Ivana Lotito) and little Pietro: with his own family to protect and an activity to reboot, he feels the need for a major life change, committing to legit business while sneaking out, as best he can, from the world his father had him grow up in. His interests in Naples are now entrusted to Patrizia (Cristiana Dell’Anna) who, having first betrayed and then killed Scianel, former female leader of The Alliance, has earned her rank within the Savastano clan. Along with Genny, to level the scores and keep the peace in gangland, they will lean on the Levante clan, a branch of late Donna Imma's family. Meanwhile Enzo (Arturo Muselli) and Valerio (Loris De Luna), having tightened their grip over the central Naples turf, are faced with new challenges. 

6) Special Season Two Premiere (Netflix)
Ryan really needs to get his shit together. It's been two months and he still hasn't spoken to Karen since their fight and he has a gnarly case of writer's block that's getting him in hot water with Olivia. Enter Tanner, a fun, flirty dance instructor who charms Ryan despite not being totally available. When his writer's block eventually lifts, he's inspired to write a longform piece about disability. From there, he begins a journey of self-discovery that creates unexpected complications in his relationship with Tanner. Meanwhile, Kim lets her guard down when she meets Harrison, a sensitive tech mogul with a humble background - but her insecurities and jealous tendencies continue to hamper her personal life and threaten to push Harrison away. With her spiraling credit card debt driving Kim even further towards rock bottom, she makes a hard choice to regain control of her finances and personal life. Since taking care of Ryan was her life's purpose until their fight, Karen realizes that she needs to take an active approach to create a fulfilling life for herself - beyond just taking care of her ailing mother. Will she be content with continuing to clean up everyone else's messes, or will Karen be able to lean into her newfound independence and create a life that centers around her own desires for once?

7) Too Close Series Premiere (AMC+)
Drama starring Emily Watson as dedicated forensic psychiatrist Emma Robertson, who is assigned to assess the sanity of Connie Mortensen, a ‘yummy mummy’ accused of a despicable crime.

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.