CNN+ to shut down / HBO Max to 76.8M subs / Netflix Animation changes / Giuliani on "Masked Singer"

Plus today's calendar, Elba joins Apple's "Hijack," Amazon's "The Suck," "Genius" MLK and Malcolm X season, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network April 21, 2022

According to Variety, Warner Bros. Discovery plans to shut down CNN+. The report anticipates that the company will release more details on Thursday afternoon. More: Spokespeople for CNN and WB Discovery declined to comment on the report, which was based on information from two unnamed sources. This would mark the first major strategic adjustment since the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery less than two weeks ago. CNN+ launched last month but has struggled to secure viewership. VARIETY

According to AT&T's latest earnings report, HBO and HBO Max collectively hit 76.8 million subscribers by the end of the first quarter of 2022. That's a 3 million subscriber increase over the previous quarter, and an increase of 12.8 million from the same time period last year. More: Though AT&T reported the subscriber count for Q1, the company that owns HBO and HBO -- WarnerMedia -- is now part of a new company, Warner Bros. Discovery. The numbers were revealed just one day after Netflix posted its disappointing Q1 numbers, the streamer's first net subscriber loss in a decade. CNBC

DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, APRIL 21 THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT: The darkly comic spy thriller series -- starring Kaley Cuoco as titular air hostess Cassie Bowden -- is back for a second season. The new episodes find Cassie newly sober, living in Los Angeles, and doing part-time civilian operative work on behalf of the CIA. Zosia Mamet, T.R. Knight, Griffin Matthews, Michelle Gomez, and Deniz Akdeniz return from Season 1; newcomers include Mae Martin, Mo McRae, and Sharon Stone. [HBO Max] MARLON WAYANS PRESENTS: THE HEADLINERS: Hour-long comedy special, shot at the Belasco Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, in which emcee Marlon Wayans introduces audiences to five of his favorite up-and-coming stand-ups. Performers include D.C. Ervin, Tony Baker, Chaunté Wayans (Marlon's niece), Sydney Castillo, and Esau McGraw. [HBO Max] AMSTERDAM: Spanish-language romantic comedy series from Mexico starring Sebastián Buitrón and Naian González Norvind as a musician and actress going through an amicable, mutual breakup who agree to split custody of their rescue dog. [HBO Max] LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS 2022: This year's award ceremony will air live on Telemundo and stream on Peacock from the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, with the red carpet kicking off at 7 pm ET. Performers include Gloria Trevi, Jhay Cortez, Chiquis, Ozuna, CNCO, and Black Eyed Peas with Ukrainian pop artist NK. Bad Bunny leads this year's nominations with 10. [Peacock] CAPTIVE AUDIENCE: True-crime docuseries delving into the strange case of Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped at age 7 in 1972, only to return home nearly a decade later. Sadly, even after Steven survived his initial ordeal, the intensity of the media spotlight caused his family to further unravel, with tragic consequences. The series was made with the participation of members of the Stayner family, including Steven's daughter, Ashley. [Hulu] CURB YOUR CARBON: Documentary feature, originally produced for the CBC, outlining strategies employed by various everyday individuals to minimize their carbon footprints. Examples include an exterminator who eats bugs, a racecar driver who gets around the track without using gas, and a family that "steals garbage." Ryan Reynolds narrates. [Discovery+] FREDDIE MERCURY: THE FINAL ACT: Documentary special, originally produced for the BBC, chronicling the final years of the Queen frontman's life and taking a behind-the-scenes look at preparations for the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness. The film features recollections from Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, along with The Who's Roger Daltrey and concert promoter Harvey Goldsmith. It aired Wednesday night on CW in the US and hits the app and website today. [CW] VIRUS:32: Spanish-language horror film from Uruguay, set in Montevideo during a viral outbreak that turns people into intelligent, fast-moving zombies. Paula Silva stars as a desperate survivor and mother who discovers that, following each wave of zombie attacks, she has a 32-second window to get to safety with her daughter (Sofía González). Daniel Hendler co-stars. [Shudder] HE'S EXPECTING: Debut Japanese comedy-drama series starring Takumi Saitoh as Kentaro Hiyama, a cisgender man and successful ad executive who confronts social inequities after discovering that he's become pregnant. Juri Ueno co-stars as Kentaro's lover, who begins preparing for her unexpected new role as a mother. [Netflix] ALL ABOUT GILA (TODO ES GILA): Spanish-language comedy special in which a variety of performers reinterpret the classic monologues of Miguel Gila, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of his death. Comics include Arturo Valls, Dani Rovira, Joaquín Reyes, Ana Morgade, Ignatius Farray, Ernesto Sevilla and others. [Netflix]

"Bone" by Jeff Smith A report in The Wrap indicates that Netflix will reorganize its animation division, with a particular focus on content for kids and families. The streamer let go Phil Rynda, the former director of creative leadership and development for original animation and a veteran of the shows "Gravity Falls" and "Adventure Time," along with some members of his team. More: An animated adaptation of Jeff Smith's comic series "Bone" was canceled, along with a new series ("Toil and Trouble") from "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" vet Lauren Faust. A planned animated series based on the Roald Dahl children's book "The Twits" will now be reworked as a feature. According to The Wrap, Netflix wants original shows that reach the same audience numbers as "Boss Baby," an animated series the platform licensed from DreamWorks. News about the shake-up to Netflix Animation arrived on the same day that the company announced disappointing Q1 earnings numbers. VULTURE

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York Mayor and attorney for President Donald Trump, was the latest performer to be revealed on Fox's "The Masked Singer." Giuliani's farewell performance of "Bad to the Bone" on the show prompted judge Ken Jeong to walk off stage. More: Giuliani's "Masked Singer" appearance was first revealed when the episode was shot in February. Clips of shocked audience reactions, and Jeong walking off stage, went viral on social media on Wednesday. Giuliani had performed on the show in the Jack in the Box costume; he said he agreed to do the show as a demonstration to his granddaughter that "you should try everything -- even things that are completely unlike you and unlikely." "The Masked Singer" streams on Fox's ad-supported Tubi service. CNN

Idris Elba signed on to star in the Apple TV+ thriller series "Hijack." The seven-part series comes from "Lupin" and "Criminal" creator George Kay. More: Elba will play Sam Nelson, an accomplished business negotiator who makes practical use of his skills when he finds himself on a hijacked plane bound for London. This is the first project to emerge from an overall first look deal between Apple and Elba's production company, Green Door Pictures. Elba can currently be seen in theaters in "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," and is prepping a feature film spin-off of his long-running detective series "Luther" for Netflix and the BBC. DEADLINE

"Broad City" vet Ilana Glazer is in final talks to star in and produce the Amazon comedy series "The Suck." The show comes from writer/producer Ally Israelson, a veteran of the Paramount+ comedy-drama "Guilty Party" and ABC's "Splitting Up Together." More: "The Suck" starts with the question "What if the last year on Earth was also the best year of your life?" and centers on a woman who heads to London on a journey of self-discovery during the apocalypse. Glazer co-created and starred on "Broad City," which aired on Comedy Central for five seasons. She also recently starred in the Apple TV+ mystery-comedy series "The Afterparty" and the Hulu horror film "False Positive," which she also co-wrote. VARIETY

The upcoming fourth season of the National Geographic/Disney+ biographical drama series "Genius" will center on the civil rights leaders Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This will be the first time a "Genius" season has centered on multiple historical figures. More: "Power" vets Raphael Jackson and Damione Macedon will serve as showrunners on the series; filmmakers Reggie Rock Bythewood ("Swagger") and Gina Prince-Bythewood ("The Old Guard") will executive produce. King was announced as the primary subject for the fourth season of "Genius" back in December 2020; this was also when the show moved from the National Geographic cable network over to Disney+. The series will be released under the title "Genius: MLK/X." Previous "Genius" seasons centered on Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, and Aretha Franklin. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Hulu reported that the reality series "The Kardashians" debuted to the largest U.S. audience of any original series in the streamer's history. The company did not release any specific viewership numbers. More: Hulu also claims "The Kardashians" had the most-watched premiere on both Disney+ and Star+ across all international markets, other than the company's Marvel and Star Wars shows. The show launched on April 14; the viewership data is based on the first three days of its release. "The Kardashians" follows up with the Kardashian and Jenner families after the conclusion of their long-running E! reality series "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." Hulu will release 40 total episodes of "The Kardashians" under their current deal, spread out over 10-episode seasons. VARIETY

QUICK HITS Same old marketing automation not cutting it these days? Get our eBook and power up your customer experiences.* Showtime ordered the eight-part political thriller series "Fellow Travelers" -- based on a novel by Thomas Mallon, and set in McCarthy-era Washington -- from producer and star Matt Bomer. Filmmaker Andrew Dominik discussed plans for a never-produced third season of the Netflix crime drama series "Mindhunter" with Collider. An online rumor, sourced to the blog The Illuminerdi, indicates that actor Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù ("Gangs of London") could be HBO Max's pick to play the lead role in its "Constantine" series, based on the DC Comics character. Hulu released a new poster for the third season of the sci-fi comedy-drama "The Orville," subtitled "New Horizons." Actor Benjamin Bratt joined the cast of the upcoming Peacock mystery series "Poker Face," starring Natasha Lyonne. Producer Patrick Walters chatted with Variety about the development process that brought the beloved Tumblr webcomic "Heartstopper" to Netflix as a TV series. Erika Christensen ("Cheaper by the Dozen") will join Ramón Rodríguez in the ABC pilot for "Will Trent," based on the novels by Karin Slaughter. According to producers Alex Bach and Daniel Powell, Netflix's absurdist sketch comedy series "I Think You Should Leave" has not been formally renewed for a third season, but will likely return once co-creators Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin are pleased with the scripts. Vox Media Studios president Marty Moe and chief creative officer Chad Mumm spoke with Variety about bringing the company's "Land of the Giants" podcast to CNN+ as a docuseries; the show covers the complicated histories of major tech companies, including Apple, Meta, and in the series finale, Netflix. 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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