Megan Thee Stallion Netflix deal / Garlin exits "Goldbergs" / TikTok testing Live Studio / "Severance" trailer

Plus today's calendar, new "Crime Scene" season, Netflix's "The House" anthology, "Goonies" drama to Disney+, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network December 16, 2021

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Megan Thee Stallion signed a first-look deal to produce new series, specials, and films for Netflix. The 26-year-old Houston rapper, who was born Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, told The Hollywood Reporter "I've always had a passion for telling creative and entertaining stories" and called the deal "the next step in my journey as an entrepreneur." More: Earlier this week, Megan graduated Texas Southern University with a bachelor of science degree in health administration. Megan has been nominated for four Grammys and won three: Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance for her single, "Savage." Netflix's head of comedy, Tracey Pakosta, praised Megan as a "creative force who has consistently made her mark on culture." HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Jeff Garlin will exit the ABC comedy series "The Goldbergs" following an HR investigation into multiple allegations of on-set misconduct. Deadline reported that Garlin and producers mutually agreed that he should depart the show, effective immediately. More: Sony Pictures Television, the studio behind "The Goldbergs," declined to comment on Garlin's departure. Garlin has starred on "The Goldbergs" for nine seasons; his work on Season 9 of the show was nearly complete at the time of his exit. Sony and ABC have yet to announce a decision on whether or not to bring back "The Goldbergs" for a tenth season. The series lost another cast member earlier this year when actor George Segal passed away in March at age 87. Garlin also executive produces and co-stars on the HBO comedy series "Curb Your Enthusiasm," currently in the midst of its 11th season. DEADLINE

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DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16 STATION ELEVEN: 10-episode limited series based on the post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel by Emily St. John Mandel. It's set 20 years after a flu pandemic wiped out most of the Earth's population, among a group of survivors who eke out a living as traveling performers. Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, David Wilmot, Nabhaan Rizwan, Daniel Zovatto, and Lori Petty co-star; Patrick Somerville ("Maniac") wrote the adaptation and serves as showrunner. [HBO Max] JUICE WRLD: INTO THE ABYSS: Documentary feature, the final entry in Season 1 of HBO's "Music Box" anthology, profiling the late Chicago rapper Juice WRLD. Tommy Oliver ("40 Years a Prisoner") directs. [HBO Max] FINDING MAGIC MIKE: Reality competition in which 10 regular guys train, both physically and mentally, for a chance to perform on stage in Las Vegas' sexy Magic Mike Live show and a $100,000 cash prize. "Magic Mike" actor Adam Rodriguez will serve as a mentor to the contestants; guest judges include Whitney Cummings, Nikki Glaser, Nicole Scherzinger, Amanda Seales, and Robin Thede. [HBO Max] THE FUNGIES!: Animated series developed by Cartoon Network, set in the prehistoric metropolis of Fungietown, which is populated by talking fungi-like creatures and dinosaurs alike. Season 3 debuts today. [HBO Max] 2nd ANNUAL HA FESTIVAL: THE ART OF COMEDY: Debut comedy special capturing sets from the Latino comedy festival, which was held in September at various venues throughout San Antonio, Texas. Performers include Paul Rodriguez, Chingo Bling, Jessica Keenan, Steve Trevino, Carlos Santos, Lisa Alvarado, Dave Jay, and Renee Santos. [HBO Max] DIEGO, THE LAST GOODBYE (DIEGO, EL ÚLTIMO ADIÓS): Documentary chronicling the final year in the life of Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona, who suffered cardiac arrest and died in November of 2020. The film includes footage of the icon's dramatic funeral, held during the height of the COVID pandemic. [HBO Max] MACGRUBER: Action-comedy series based on the "Saturday Night Live" sketch and its 2010 film spin-off, starring Will Forte as an all-American hero (loosely modeled on TV's MacGyver) locked in a life-or-death struggle with a mysterious foe from his past (Billy Zane). Kristen Wiig and Ryan Phillippe reprise their roles from the "MacGruber" film, while Sam Elliott and Laurence Fishburne join the ensemble. [Peacock] 100th ANNIVERSARY MISS AMERICA COMPETITION: The Miss America Pageant moves from broadcast TV to streaming this year, as a Peacock exclusive. (This will be the first year the pageant is not televised since 1954!) The reigning Miss America, who will crown her successor tonight, is Camille Schrier of Virginia. The event streams live from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, starting at 8 pm PT. [Peacock] THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF MIAMI: New revival of the Bravo reality series, which originally aired for three seasons from 2011 to 2013. Previous "RHOM" stars Alexia Echevarria, Larsa Pippen and Lisa Hochstein are back for the new episodes, alongside newcomers Guerdy Abraira, Julia Lemigova, and Nicole Martin. [Peacock] DAYS OF OUR LIVES: A VERY SALEM CHRISTMAS: Original holiday movie based on the iconic soap opera, centering on Will Horton (Chandler Massey) as he hurriedly writes a festive screenplay ahead of a Christmas Eve deadline. Zach Tinker, Drake Hogestyn, Eileen Davidson, and Jackée Harry co-star. [Peacock] A CHRISTMAS VILLAGE ROMANCE: Holiday rom-com that debuted on the Lifetime network, starring Jeni Ross as a romance novelist who sponsors a Christmas gala to help save a charming pioneer village before encountering unexpected resistance from a local blacksmith and historian (Jake Epstein). [Peacock] SOUTH PARK: POST COVID: THE RETURN OF COVID: The second Paramount+ exclusive "South Park" special continues the story from "Post COVID: Part 1," with another look at South Park 40 years in the future, after the pandemic has finally ended. [Paramount+] CLOSE TO ME: Six-episode drama series from the UK -- which debuted on Europe's Viaplay platform -- starring Connie Nielsen as a woman who loses an entire year of her memories following a bad fall. As she recuperates, she begins recalling unsettling truths about her life. Leanne Best, Christopher Eccleston, and Nick Blood co-star. [AMC+ and Sundance Now] FIREBITE: Eight-episode horror-fantasy series from filmmaker Warwick Thornton ("Sweet Country") about two Indigenous vampire killers (Rob Collins and Shantae Barnes-Cowan) attempting to take out a colony of bloodsuckers in the South Australian desert. [AMC+] PUFF: WONDERS OF THE REEF: Nature documentary taking in Australia's Great Barrier Reef from the perspective of a tiny baby pufferfish, utilizing advanced super macro cinematography techniques. Rose Byrne narrates. [Netflix] A CALIFORNIA CHRISTMAS: CITY LIGHTS: Sequel to the 2020 Netflix holiday rom-com "A California Christmas," catching up with Callie (Lauren Swickard) and Joseph (Josh Swickard) one year later, as they visit San Francisco to deal with business and family obligations. Co-star Lauren Swickard also wrote the film. [Netflix] A NAIJA CHRISTMAS: English-language holiday romantic comedy from Nigeria about three sons in a race to get married, in order to make their mother's Christmas wish come true, and claim the grand prize that comes attached. Rachel Oniga, Kunle Remi, Segilola Ogidan, and Efa Iwara co-star; Kunle Afolayan ("Diamonds in the Sky") directed. [Netflix] AGGRETSUKO: The Japanese anime series -- a co-production of Netflix and Sanrio -- centers on a single 25-year-old red panda who works as an accountant by day, and sings death metal at karaoke by night. Season 4 debuts on Netflix today. [Netflix] DEAD ASLEEP: True-crime documentary examining the case of Randy Herman Jr., who claims to have been sleepwalking when he murdered his roommate and close friend in 2017. The film features commentary from Herman and his family, along with both prosecution and defense attorneys, journalists who covered the case, forensic psychiatrists, experts in parasomnia, and others. Skye Borgman ("Abducted in Plain Sight") directs. [Hulu] CRYPTOZOO: Animated sci-fi/fantasy film from writer/director Dash Shaw ("My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea"), about a group of "crypto-zookeepers" who capture and care for legendary creatures, while keeping them hidden from the rest of humanity. The voice cast includes Lake Bell, Michael Cera, Grace Zabriskie, Thomas Jay Ryan, Zoe Kazan, and Peter Stormare. [Hulu] TED BUNDY: AMERICAN BOOGEYMAN: 2021 crime drama based on the stories of FBI agents Kathleen McChesney and Robert Ressler (Holland Roden and Jake Hays), who led the manhunt to locate infamous serial killer Ted Bundy (Chad Michael Murray) in the mid-1970s. [Hulu] IHEARTRADIO JINGLE BALL 2021: Recorded stream of the annual holiday concert event, held on December 10 in New York City, and rebroadcast last night on CW. This year's show featured sets from Ed Sheeran, Jonas Brothers, Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, Saweetie, Kane Brown, and others. [CW] PRINCE PHILIP: THE ROYAL FAMILY REMEMBERS: BBC special recorded during Prince Philip's 100th year, and featuring personal recollections and anecdotes from Queen Elizabeth II, Philip's four children, his eight grandchildren, and other close family members. Philip passed away in April 2021 at age 99. [Discovery+] KID CORRESPONDENT NEW YEAR'S EVE SPECIAL: Holiday special from SoulPancake's "Kid Correspondent" channel, in which anchors Riah and Titus have to track down their Countdown Correspondent Jack in time to ring in the New Year. [YouTube]

According to TechCrunch, TikTok has started testing desktop streaming software for Windows systems, called TikTok Live Studio. The program would allow desktop computer users to stream live directly to their TikTok accounts. More: The program is currently being beta-tested with a few thousand users in Western markets. TikTok Live Studio contains a number of features associated with video game streaming, but currently lacks some of the bells and whistles found on comparable software from OBS and Streamlabs. TikTok apparently hopes the program will encourage users to stream more content within TikTok, rather than directing followers to platforms such as Twitch or YouTube Gaming. TECHCRUNCH

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"Severance" NEW TRAILERS BEANIE MANIA: Original documentary looking back at the pop culture obsession that developed around Ty Warner's Beanie Babies toys in the 1990s, leading to a frenzy by speculators and collectors, and an unprecedented investment bubble. The film arrives on December 23. [HBO Max] CRIME SCENE: THE TIMES SQUARE KILLER: The true-crime anthology series returns for a new season, this time centering on the search for a serial killer preying upon sex workers in late '70s New York. (Season 1 centered on the mysterious death of Elisa Lam at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles.) Season 1 helmer Joe Berlinger returns to direct all three new episodes, which debut on December 29. [Netflix] THE HOUSE: Each installment of this surreal three-part stop-motion animated anthology comes from a different director, and centers on a different resident of the eerie titular home. The voice cast includes Helena Bonham Carter, Matthew Goode, and Mia Goth. It premieres on January 14. [Netflix] SEVERANCE: Sci-fi drama series set at Lumen Industries, an innovative company that offers employees a chance to surgically separate their at-work memories from their personal lives. Adam Scott stars as a Lumen staffer with a dark past who volunteers for the procedure, known as "Severance"; the cast also includes Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, and Christopher Walken. The series comes from first-time creator Dan Erickson and executive producer/director Ben Stiller. It debuts on February 18. [Apple TV+]

"The Goonies" A drama series about a group of kids making their own shot-for-shot remake of "The Goonies" moved from Fox to Disney+. Fox passed on the concept back in May; it will now be re-developed for a possible spot on the streaming platform. More: The project, currently known as "Our Time," comes from "The Bold Type" creator Sarah Watson, and would be produced by original "Goonies" studios Warner Bros. and Amblin. The Fox version of the project centered around a woman who gives up on her New York dreams and takes a substitute teacher job in her hometown, where she agrees to help three students working on a "Goonies" remake. Original "Goonies" director Richard Donner -- who passed away in July -- was attached to the project as an executive producer, along with his wife and business partner Lauren Shuler Donner. DEADLINE

The streaming service Topic teamed with tech firm Deepdub to create English-language versions of its international catalog of films and TV shows. Deepdub uses proprietary software to create dubbed versions of filmed content that preserves the original audio, including the original actors' voices. More: The initial line-up of Topic shows that will be dubbed by Deepdub includes "Arctic Circle," "Pagan Peak," "The Bridge," and "The Killing." Deepdub is based in Israel and launched in 2019; former Fox, NBC, and HBO Max executive Kevin Reilly joined the company's advisory board in January. Topic, owned by First Look Entertainment, has focused on bringing international series to subscribers in North America. DEADLINE

Apple released a "Ted Lasso" stop-motion animated holiday short, "The Missing Christmas Mustache." The 4-and-a-half minute clip features Ted searching for his lost facial hair alongside Coach Beard, Nate, Rebecca, Roy, Keeley, Jamie, and Higgins, while also learning an important lesson about the true meaning of the holiday season. More: A Season 2 episode of "Ted Lasso" -- titled "Carol of the Bells" -- also centered around Christmas, and featured co-star Hannah Waddingham performing the song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." Season 3 of "Ted Lasso" will debut next summer. TV LINE

QUICK HITS Two women have accused "Sex and the City" star Chris Noth of sexual assault; the accusers do not know one another and approached The Hollywood Reporter separately with their stories. CBS renewed "CSI: Vegas" for a second season; star William Petersen will no longer appear on-screen as Gil Grissom, but will remain attached as an executive producer. Hulu released the first images of Amanda Seyfried in character as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes from the upcoming limited series "The Dropout." "Bel-Air," the dramatic remake of the '90s Will Smith sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," will hit Peacock on Super Bowl Sunday, February 13. Carole Baskin and her husband, Howard, dropped their lawsuit against Netflix and the producers of "Tiger King." During a wide-ranging discussion with Variety, Netflix film chief Scott Stuber teased the forthcoming David Fincher film "The Killer"; the project reunites the director with "Seven" screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, and stars Michael Fassbender as a professional assassin. Netflix announced a female-led Western series based on the Solid Comix title "The Hated"; Michael Starburry ("Colin in Black & White") will executive produce and serve as showrunner. "Good Trouble" vet Odelya Halevi joined the NBC "Law & Order" revival as a series regular; she'll play Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun on the procedural drama. Netflix teamed with Old Spice on a line of deodorants inspired by the fantasy drama series "The Witcher." During a virtual chat with fellow filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, James Cameron floated an innovative type of "fluid storytelling experience": projects that could begin as two-hour films, then expand to longer formats on streaming platforms. Disney Channel released a quick teaser promoting the upcoming animated series "Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur," featuring voice actor and producer Laurence Fishburne. President and CEO of Discovery Streaming and International, JB Perrette, discussed the unique challenges of bringing live sports to streaming platforms at the virtual MoffettNathanson Streaming Wars Summit on Wednesday. Disney+ is developing an animated anthology series, "The Witchverse," based on the "Baba Yaga" short film and VR experience; each episode of the series will explore common misconceptions about witches and witch mythology.

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Lon Harris is the writer and editor of Inside Streaming and was the very first person to ever write an Inside newsletter. He lives in Los Angeles, California, and also writes about TV and film for Fandom, Screen Junkies, Rotten Tomatoes, Gamma Ray and others. Plus he has a Game of Thrones podcast called "Casterly Talk" and competes on The Movie Trivia Schmoedown as "The Professor." Editor Jonathan Harris is a writer for Inside.com. Previously, he wrote for The Huffington Post, TakePart.com, and the YouTube channel What’s Trending.

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