CNN+ shutting down / AMC orders "Straight Man" / "Stranger Things" spiraling costs / Netflix's massive drop

Plus the weekend calendar, HBO's "One for the Road," "World's Best" to Disney+, FX's "Old Man," and more

Inside.com Part of   Network April 22, 2022

CNN+ will shut down on April 30, just three weeks after launching. The decision was announced on Thursday afternoon by newly-formed parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. More: The news came just two days after Netflix reported its first quarterly decline in subscribers in a decade, and projected two million more subscriber losses over the next three months. CNN had sunk "tens of millions" into the new venture, including the recruitment of notable anchors (such as Chris Wallace and Audie Cornish) from other networks. CNN+ was the brainchild of former CNN president Jeff Zucker, who departed the company in February after revealing a previously undisclosed romantic relationship with a subordinate; former WarnerMedia chief executive Jason Kilar nonetheless went ahead with the platform's launch on March 29. According to The New York Times, Discovery executives -- including global head of streaming JB Perrette -- met on the first business day of the new company's control over CNN to discuss winding down the service. NEW YORK TIMES

AMC greenlit the comedy-drama series "Straight Man," starring Bob Odenkirk. The show is based on a novel by Richard Russo. More: Odenkirk will star as an English Department chairman at a Pennsylvania college who's having a mid-life crisis; the actor will also executive produce the series. Odenkirk currently stars on "Better Call Saul," which just kicked off its sixth and final season on AMC and AMC+. Aaron Zelman ("The Killing") and Paul Lieberstein ("The Office") will write the adaptation and serve as co-showrunners; filmmaker Peter Farrelly ("Green Book") will direct. Another "Better Call Saul" vet -- actor Giancarlo Esposito -- has also set up a post-show project at AMC: the drama series "The Driver." VARIETY

WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, APRIL 22 POLAR BEAR: Disneynature documentary film following a mother polar bear as she cares for her cubs in the harsh environment of the Arctic. Catherine Keener narrates. The team behind Disneynature's "Penguins" -- Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson -- reunited for this new feature. (The film will stream alongside a behind-the-scenes special about its production, titled "Bear Witness.") [Disney+] EXPLORER: THE LAST TEPUI: Hour-long documentary special produced by National Geographic, following biologist Bruce Means, elite climbers Alex Honnold ("Free Solo") and Mark Synnott, and their team on an expedition to a massive "island in the sky" -- known as a tepui -- in the Amazon rainforest. Once there, Means searched sheer cliff walls for previously undiscovered animal species. [Disney+] THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM: THE RETURN: Debut documentary special, following up on the 2018 feature "The Biggest Little Farm," which chronicled former Los Angeles couple John and Molly Chester's development of a sustainable 200-acre farm in Ventura County, California. The new special looks back on John and Molly's 10-year journey at Apricot Lane Farms and introduces some more of their favorite animal friends. [Disney+] THE SIMPSONS: WHEN BILLIE MET LISA: The fourth "Simpsons" short produced specifically for Disney+ finds Lisa Simpson jamming in the studio alongside singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and her brother/collaborator Finneas. [Disney+] OPRAH + VIOLA: A NETFLIX SPECIAL EVENT: Interview special in which iconic TV personality Oprah Winfrey speaks with Oscar winner Viola Davis about the actress' new memoir, "Finding Me." The discussion touches on Davis' impoverished upbringing, her journey toward finding peace and forgiveness, and the progression of her acting career. [Netflix] SELLING SUNSET: The reality series returns this week for its fifth season, which finds the LA realtors from The Oppenheim Group on vacation in Greece. Returning cast members include Jason and Brett Oppenheim, Chrishell Stause, Mary Fitzgerald, Heather Rae El Moussa, Christine Quinn, and Amanza Smith; newcomer Chelsea Lazkani joins the team this year. [Netflix] HEARTSTOPPER: Eight-episode coming-of-age drama series, based on the webcomic and graphic novels by Alice Oseman, tracking the relationship between teenage boys Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor), which starts out as friendship but soon blossoms into something more. Oseman created the series and wrote the adaptation herself; Euros Lyn ("His Dark Materials") directed. [Netflix] ALONG FOR THE RIDE: Teen romantic drama feature, based on the novel by Sarah Dessen, starring Emma Pasarow and Belmont Cameli as two insomniacs who bond over nighttime walks in the sleepy seaside town of Colby. Kate Bosworth, Andie MacDowell, and Dermot Mulroney co-star; "To All the Boys..." vet Sofia Alvarez wrote and directed. [Netflix] HOLD TIGHT (ZACHOWAJ SPOKÓJ): Polish mystery drama series, based on the novel by Harlan Coben, about an affluent Warsaw suburban community that's torn apart following a bereaved teen's sudden disappearance. Magdalena Boczarska and Leszek Lichota co-star. [Netflix] THE 7 LIVES OF LÉA (LES 7 VIES DE LÉA): Fantasy-thriller series from France, starring Raïka Hazanavicius as a woman who stumbles on to a teenager's dead body, then mysteriously travels back in time to 1991. There she discovers, in order to solve the crime, she'll have to inhabit the bodies of seven different witnesses. [Netflix] THEY CALL ME MAGIC: Four-episode documentary profile of basketball great Earvin "Magic" Johnson, from childhood, through his career in the NBA and the Olympics, and the cultural impact of his decision to publicly discuss his HIV diagnosis. Rick Famuyiwa ("Dope") directed. [Apple TV+] THE LONG GAME: BIGGER THAN BASKETBALL: Five-part docuseries centering on hot young basketball prospect Makur Maker, who made the notable decision to forgo the NBA draft and attend Howard University. Maker's now the highest-ranked high school player in the modern era to attend a historically Black university. Seth Gordon ("The King of Kong") directs. [Apple TV+] A VERY BRITISH SCANDAL: The three-episode period drama series aired on BBC One in the UK in December and comes to Amazon in the US on Friday. Paul Bettany and Claire Foy co-star as Ian and Margaret Campbell, the Duke and Duchess of Argyll whose divorce proceedings in 1963 set off a media frenzy. Sarah Phelps ("The Pale Horse") wrote and created the series. [Amazon] A TINY AUDIENCE: The music series from HBO Latino, featuring Latin music stars performing before an intimate crowd while relating the stories behind their most popular songs, returns on Friday for a third season. Participating artists include Becky G, Jay Wheeler, Jessie Reyez, Justin Quiles, Jon Secada, Guaynaa, Manuel Medrano, Robin Thicke, and Leslie Grace. [HBO Max] PRETTY HARD CASES: The CBC comedy series stars Meredith MacNeill and Adrienne C. Moore as a pair of mismatched middle-aged detectives working the vice beat in Toronto. Season 2 debuts on IMDb TV Friday in the US. [IMDb TV] UNRAVELED: ONCE A KILLER: The latest five-part installment of the ongoing "Unraveled" true-crime podcast and documentary franchise surveys so-called "one and done" killers, who commit a single murder without providing investigators with sufficient evidence to track them down, resulting in an unsolvable case. Alexis Linkletter and Billy Jensen co-host. [Discovery+] LITTLE BIG WORLD: Immersive documentary special taking a look at everyday spaces -- including a kitchen counter and a backyard -- from a shrunk-down perspective. [Discovery+] SNAKE EYES: G.I. JOE ORIGINS: 2021 superhero action film, based on the Hasbro G.I. Joe toy line, and serving as an origin story for the Snake Eyes character. Henry Golding stars as the deadly martial artist, who joins the ancient Arashikage ninja clan in an effort to track down his father's killer. Andrew Koji, Úrsula Corberó, Samara Weaving, and Iko Uwais co-star. [Paramount+] SUNDAY, APRIL 24 BARRY: The crime comedy-drama series, starring Bill Hader as a low-level assassin pursuing a mid-career shift to acting, returns this weekend for a third season. Hader co-created the series with "Seinfeld" vet Alec Berg. Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan, Henry Winkler, and Sarah Burns co-star. [HBO Max] THE BABY: Debut horror-comedy series from the UK, starring Michelle de Swarte as a 38-year-old new mom who discovers her baby possesses dark, supernatural powers. Siân Robins-Grace ("Sex Education") and Lucy Gaymer co-created the series; Amira Ghazalla, Amber Grappy, Patrice Naiambana, and Sinéad Cusack co-star. [HBO Max] GASLIT: Political thriller series relating the story of the Watergate scandal from the perspective of Martha Mitchell (Julia Roberts), the wife of President Nixon's loyal Attorney General, John Mitchell (Sean Penn). The cast also includes Dan Stevens, Betty Gilpin, Shea Whigham, Hamish Linklater, Patton Oswalt, and Darby Camp. Robbie Pickering ("Mr. Robot") created the series, which was inspired by Season 1 of Slate's "Slow Burn" podcast. [Starz] THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH: Debut sci-fi series from creators Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman ("Clarice"), based on the 1963 novel by Walter Tevis, which was previously adapted into a 1976 film starring David Bowie. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Faraday, an alien who comes to Earth on a mission to save his own species during a pivotal moment in the history of humanity. Naomie Harris, Jimmi Simpson, Clarke Peters, Rob Delaney, and Bill Nighy co-star. [Showtime] NAVALNY: Feature documentary from filmmaker Daniel Roher ("Once Were Brothers") profiling Russian dissident and Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Navalny, and chronicling the investigation into his alleged poisoning by Russian security agents in 2020. The film features interviews with Navalny, his family, and key eyewitnesses. It debuted at this year's Sundance festival. [CNN+] BILLY THE KID: Eight-episode Western drama series from "Vikings" creator Michael Hirst, relating the life story of notorious outlaw and gunslinger Billy the Kid (Tom Blyth). Daniel Webber, Eileen O'Higgins, Dakota Daulby, Sean Owen Roberts, and Jonah Collier co-star. [Epix]

According to a new report in The Wall Street Journal, Netflix paid around $30 million per episode for the new season of "Stranger Things." That would make "Stranger Things" Season 4 around twice as expensive to produce as the final season of HBO's "Game of Thrones." More: The tidbit comes from a wide-ranging WSJ story about the lavish spending practices of major streaming services. Amazon Prime Video will reportedly spend $500 million per season of its upcoming "Lord of the Rings" series, "The Rings of Power." Episodes of HBO's upcoming "Game of Thrones" spin-off "House of the Dragon," meanwhile, cost about $20 million to produce a piece. AV CLUB

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman -- who leads Pershing Square Capital Management -- lost around $400 million after selling the firm's entire stake in Netflix. The streamer's shares plummeted by over 35% on Wednesday after it reported a net subscriber loss during the first quarter. More: Bloomberg calculated Pershing Square's losses at closer to $435 million. In a letter to investors, signed by Ackman, Pershing Square explained the decision to sell: "in light of recent events, we have lost confidence in our ability to predict the company's future prospects with a sufficient degree of certainty." Ackman purchased around 3.1 million Netflix shares in late January; Pershing Square held a 0.7% stake in the company, and was among its 20 largest shareholders. BUSINESS INSIDER

"Succession" actor Nicholas Braun is developing a musical drama series for HBO along with "Spider-Man: No Way Home" producer Chris Buongiorno. The series, "One for the Road," centers on a talented but dysfunctional indie rock band in the early '00s. More: Braun has co-starred on "Succession" as Cousin Greg for three seasons, and earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in 2020; he also recently appeared in the indie crime drama "Zola." Buongiorno started his career as an assistant to "Spider-Man: Homecoming" director Jon Watts. Braun and Buongiorno will co-write the series and executive produce. VARIETY

Disney+ grabbed a feature film project from "Ghosts" and "The Dropout" vet Utkarsh Ambudkar. The actor came up with the story for the musical comedy project "World's Best," and will also co-write, produce, and co-star in the film. More: The story centers on a young math whiz (Manny Magnus) who tackles a new challenge: becoming the world's best rapper. Ambudkar co-wrote the script with Jamie King ("Jessica Jones"); "7 Days" vet Roshan Sethi will direct. Ambudkar's "Ghosts" co-star Punam Patel will also appear in a supporting role. DEADLINE

QUICK HITS Same old marketing automation not cutting it these days? Get our eBook and power up your customer experiences.* HBO's six-episode series adaptation of the Audrey Niffenegger novel "The Time Traveler's Wife" will debut on Sunday, May 15. The still-untitled Netflix spy series led by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Monica Barbaro added a number of actors to its growing ensemble, including Jay Baruchel, Aparna Brielle, Gabriel Luna, Fortune Feimster, and Travis Van Winkle. The drama series "The Old Man" -- starring Jeff Bridges as a former CIA operative who's been living off the grid for decades, until he's discovered by a relentless assassin -- premieres June 17 on FX and comes to Hulu the following day. "Cruel Summer" will return to Freeform for a second season as an anthology series, introducing a new cast of characters investigating an original mystery; "Power Book IV: Force" vet Elle Triedman will take over as showrunner. Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen spoke with The New York Times about his reasons for not participating in the Netflix behind-the-scenes docuseries "Drive to Survive." Late-night host Stephen Colbert postponed a week of shows after testing positive for COVID. The period drama series "Becoming Elizabeth" -- based on the early life of a young Elizabeth Tudor (Alicia von Rittberg) -- debuts on the Starz app at midnight on Sunday, June 12. Broadway vet Robert Morse -- who memorably played Bertram Cooper on AMC's "Mad Men" -- died on Thursday at age 90. The 2022 Tribeca Festival's TV line-up will include world-premiere screenings of Amazon's "A League of Their Own," ESPN's Derek Jeter docuseries "The Captain," an exposé on Victoria's Secret from Hulu, and the FX workplace comedy "The Bear." Here’s an innovative way to eliminate technical debt. Adopt this low-code technique to quickly clear your tech debt problem and return to innovating quality apps on AWS.* *This is sponsored content

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 and editor who lives in Los Angeles.

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