"Shrink Next Door" lawsuit / Apple TV+ grabs "Sugar" / Longoria CNN+ travel doc / "Afterparty" trailer

Plus today's calendar, Roku's "Slugfest," "Music Box" renewed, Netflix's "God Country" adaptation, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network December 15, 2021

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Journalist Joe Nocera -- whose podcast "The Shrink Next Door" inspired the Apple TV+ series of the same name -- has sued his former employer, Bloomberg News, over profits from the show. Nocera had originally conceived of the project while working as a columnist for The New York Times, but ultimately brought it to Bloomberg News, which in turn sold the concept to podcast producers Wondery. More: The podcast and series concern the tumultuous, decades-long relationship between New York therapist Isaac Herschkopf and one of his patients, Marty Markowitz; Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell co-star as Herschkopf and Markowitz in the series. Nocera conceived of the series after moving into a Hamptons home next to Markowitz, where Herschkopf had been living. Nocera's legal team maintains that he was a major creative force behind the project who deserves half of whatever Bloomberg earns from commercializing the story; a spokesperson for Bloomberg News said "Mr. Nocera was treated fairly in all of his dealings" with the company. WASHINGTON POST

Apple TV+ acquired the genre-bending series "Sugar," from writer/creator Mark Protosevich ("The Cell"), following a bidding war. Colin Farrell will star in the series as a private detective in Los Angeles. More: "X-Men" franchise vet Simon Kinberg will executive produce the series; he also produces Apple TV+'s sci-fi drama series "Invasion," which was just renewed for a second season. Farrell is also set to reprise his role as The Penguin from the upcoming comic book film "The Batman" in a new series for HBO Max. In addition to the film "The Cell," Protosevich wrote "Poseidon" and Spike Lee's "Oldboy" remake, and also received a story credit on the Marvel Cinematic Universe film "Thor." SLASHFILM

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DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15 RON'S GONE WRONG: 2021 animated comedy film from UK studio Locksmith Animation and "Arthur Christmas" vet Sarah Smith, about a middle-school kid (Jack Dylan Grazer) in the near-future who receives a defective and glitchy "robot buddy" (Zach Galifianakis) as a belated birthday present. The voice cast also includes Ed Helms, Olivia Colman, Rob Delaney, and Justice Smith. [HBO Max] SELLING TAMPA: Debut reality series, from the team behind "Selling Sunset," following the all-female staff at Tampa's Black-owned Allure Realty as they sell luxury homes and properties in one of America's hottest markets. [Netflix] THE HAND OF GOD: The latest film from acclaimed Italian writer/director Paolo Sorrentino -- Italy's official submission for this year's Academy Awards -- won the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Venice Film Festival. It's a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story starring Filippo Scotti as a young man living with his family in '80s Naples whose life is forever changed by both a shocking tragedy and a chance encounter with his hero. [Netflix] ELITE SHORT STORIES: These short film collections provide a bridge between main seasons of the Spanish teen drama series "Elite." Three new holiday-themed episodes -- finding Cayeta (Georgina Amorós) trying to get over her ex (Pol Granch) with the help of new friend Felipe (Àlex Monner) -- arrive today. [Netflix] MASHA AND THE BEAR: Animated kids series from Russia, based on a classic folk story, about a little girl named Masha and the paternal bear who watches over her and keeps her safe. The 5th season hits Netflix today, along with a collection of short nursery rhyme-themed clips. [Netflix] RUMBLE: Animated sports comedy feature, based on the graphic novel "Monster on the Hill" by Rob Harrell, and set in a world where giant monsters compete in a popular professional wrestling circuit. Geraldine Viswanathan stars as an aspiring teen trainer who's working with an inexperienced monster underdog (Will Arnett). The voice cast also includes Terry Crews, Charles Barkley, Roman Reigns, Tony Danza, Ben Schwartz, and Becky Lynch. [Paramount+] SURVIVOR: SOUTH AFRICA: Season 8 of the South African incarnation of "Survivor" was subtitled "Immunity Island," and was filmed in the Wild Coast region of the country's Eastern Cape during the COVID lockdown. Nico Panagio hosts. [Paramount+] FOODTASTIC: Original Disney+ reality competition series in which skilled artists create elaborate scenes and larger-than-life sculptures -- all inspired by Disney shows and films -- entirely out of food. Keke Palmer hosts; Amirah Kassem and Benny Rivera serve as judges. [Disney+] LIFE BELOW ZERO: The latest season of the National Geographic reality series -- which follows subsistence hunters and other survivalists living in remote areas of Alaska -- is either the 15th or the 17th, depending on which source you check. Regardless, the cast includes Sue Aikens, Ricko DeWilde, The Hailstones, Andy Bassich, and Denise Becker. [Disney+] SCIENCE OF STUPID: Humorous docuseries from National Geographic in which scientists examine "fail" videos and other clips depicting accidental mishaps, and break down the physics of what specifically went wrong. Season 8 hits Disney+ today. [Disney+] GIGANTOSAURUS: The animated Disney Channel series is based on the children's book by Jonny Duddle, and follows the adventures of four curious dinosaur pals. Season 3 comes to Disney+ today. [Disney+] GRAND CREW: Debut NBC sitcom from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" vets Dan Goor and Phil Augusta Jackson, centered on a group of Black friends who are regulars at their local wine bar. The ensemble cast includes Echo Kellum, Justin Cunningham, Nicole Byer, Carl Tart, Aaron Jennings, and Grasie Mercedes. New episodes will air Tuesdays on NBC and stream on both Hulu and Peacock on Wednesdays. [Hulu and Peacock] GORDON RAMSAY'S ROAD TRIP: CHRISTMAS VACATION: One of three Fox travel specials featuring Chef Ramsay hitting the road with his friends Gino D'Acampo and Fred Siriex. In this installment, the trio venture north in search of great food and, hopefully, a meeting with Santa Claus. [Hulu] RISING WOLF: 2021 sci-fi thriller starring Charlotte Best as a young activist who's kidnapped and held hostage in a high-speed Shanghai elevator. [Hulu]

CNN+ announced a food and travel docuseries featuring actor/producer Eva Longoria. "Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico" -- a follow-up to Stanley Tucci's "Searching for Italy" series -- will launch on CNN+ in 2022. More: The six-part series will follow Longoria as she travels across Mexico and samples local cuisine and food preparation techniques, including cooking traditional mole in Oaxaca and harvesting blue agave for tequila. RAW, the production company behind "Searching for Italy," will also collaborate on the new series; Tucci is also on board as an executive producer. Tucci's series debuted on the cable network CNN; according to Deadline, pushing the Longoria series to CNN+ demonstrates the central significance of the new streaming platform to the brand's future strategy. DEADLINE

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"The Afterparty" NEW TRAILERS SLUGFEST: 10-part documentary series examining the long-time rivalry between comic book publishers Marvel and DC. "Avengers: Endgame" directors the Russo Brothers executive produced; Kevin Smith provides narration. The series was originally commissioned by Quibi but will now debut as a Roku Original on December 24. [Roku] THE AFTERPARTY: Debut mystery-comedy series about a high school reunion afterparty that culminates in a murder, and the ensuing police investigation. Each episode is related from the perspective of a different character, in a unique visual and aesthetic style. Chris Miller ("21 Jump Street") created the series and serves as showrunner; the cast includes Tiffany Haddish, Dave Franco, Sam Richardson, Zoë Chao, Ben Schwartz, Ike Barinholtz, Ilana Glazer, Jamie Demetriou, and John Early. It arrives on January 28. [Apple TV+]

"Music Box" trailer HBO renewed the documentary anthology series "Music Box" for a second season. The final film in the initial six-movie collection -- "Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss" -- debuts on December 16. More: "30 for 30" vet Bill Simmons produced "Music Box" through his Spotify-owned company, Ringer. The initial line-up of "Music Box" films included "Woodstock 99: Peace, Love and Rage"; and profiles of Alanis Morissette, DMX, Kenny G., Juice WRLD, and rock manager Robert Stigwood. DEADLINE

Jim Mickle Netflix ordered a feature adaptation of the Donny Cates/Geoff Shaw comic book "God Country." The studio behind the film, Legendary, also produced the recent Netflix YA mystery-adventure "Enola Holmes." More: "Sweet Tooth" showrunner and co-creator Jim Mickle will co-write the script with Cates and direct the film. "God Country" centers on an elderly widower, Emmet Quinlan, whose body and spirit are renewed and reinvigorated after he discovers an enchanted sword. Mickle directed four episodes of "Sweet Tooth," which was adapted from a Vertigo comic book series by Jeff Lemire; Netflix has renewed the show for a second season. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

QUICK HITS Paramount+ renewed the scripted dark comedy anthology series "Why Women Kill" -- from "Desperate Housewives" vet Marc Cherry -- for a third season. "CSI" and "Chicago Med" vets Melissa Byer and Treena Hancock will adapt the T.J. Middleton novel "Cliffhanger" into a quirky drama series for Fox; the book centers on a British cab driver in Dorset who's plotting to kill his wife. AMC+ picked up a new TV adaptation of the Len Deighton novel "The Ipcress File" from UK network ITV; the six-part series stars Joe Cole as British spy Harry Palmer.  The BBC unscripted series "The Repair Show" will stream on Discovery+ in the US; the platform will get all three seasons so far, and debut Season 4 when it arrives next year. Netflix released some preview images from the upcoming second season of the sci-fi adventure series "Raising Dion"; it's been over two years since the debut of the show's first season. The upcoming Hulu/Onyx Collective drama series "Reasonable Doubt" added five new cast members, including Michael Ealy, Thadeus J. Mixson, and Aderinsola Olabode. The eight-episode Apple TV+ mystery drama series "Suspicion" -- starring Uma Thurman as a prominent businesswoman who's kidnapped from a New York hotel -- debuts on February 4; "Man in the High Castle" writer Rob Williams created the series, based on an Israeli original. Amazon's video-on-demand edit of last weekend's "Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert" features very little footage of Drake's performance, despite his billing as co-headliner of the event. John Waters teased his guest role in the fifth and final season of "Search Party" -- as the head of a crooked adoption agency -- for Vanity Fair. Paramount+ announced the new animated series "Big Nate," based on the kids' books and comic strip from writer/artist Lincoln Peirce; the voice cast will include Ben Giroux, Dove Cameron, and Rob Delaney. The romantic drama series "Sweet Magnolias" returns to Netflix for a second season on February 4. Apple TV+ ordered a first season for the live-action kids and family series "Surfside Girls," based on the graphic novels by Kim Dwinell. Netflix ordered the six-part Mexican food and travel series "Heavenly Bites (La Divina Gula)" from Vice Studios. TV Line released its list of the "15 Coolest Scenes" of 2021, including the bathroom fight from "Cowboy Bebop," Naomi nearly running out of oxygen in "The Expanse," the car chase from "Hawkeye," and a single-take beach scene from "Midnight Mass." Austin's City Council joined a number of other Texas cities in demanding that streaming services -- including Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ -- pay municipal fees for delivering their service through public transmission lines.

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.

Velocity Global helps companies build distributed workforces in 185 countries and 50 U.S. states.

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