Bakish talks Showtime / Comcast, Disney debate Hulu value / "Blade Runner" series / Brunson guests on Kimmel

Plus today's calendar, Hulu's "Back in the Groove," Suriname upset over "Narco-Saints," new Stephanopoulos series, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network September 15, 2022

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Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia & Tech Conference this week, Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish confirmed internal discussions about merging the Showtime and Paramount+ streaming services. Bakish added: "If we weren't having that conversation, you should fire all of us." More: The Wall Street Journal first reported the rumors about Showtime's standalone streaming service winding down earlier this week. Paramount+ already offers Showtime content as an add-on. Bakish also said that "Top Gun: Maverick" would make its Paramount+ debut before the end of the year, but didn't specify a release date, and dismissed apocalyptic concerns over a softening ad market as "overblown." DEADLINE

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts pushed back at suggestions, made last week by Disney CEO Bob Chapek, that Hulu's value has recently declined. Disney assumed operational control of Hulu in 2019, after taking over most of 21st Century Fox's assets; Disney has the option of purchasing Comcast's remaining share in Hulu starting in 2024. More: Roberts responded to Chapek's Hulu comments during the Goldman Sachs Communacopia & Tech Conference this week. Chapek previously spoke at the same conference, and said that he'd ideally like to package Hulu and Disney+ together as a "hard bundle," once the transaction with Comcast is completed. Roberts described Hulu as a "phenomenal business" and theorized that it would inspire a "robust auction," were Disney to put it up for sale. DEADLINE

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DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: 15 NFL games throughout this season will stream live on Prime Video, starting with this week's match-up between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers. The livestream from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City begins at 4 pm PT. [Amazon] VAMPIRE ACADEMY: Debut YA fantasy-horror series, based on the novels by Richelle Mead and set at a boarding school for young vampires and vampire-human hybrids. Sisi Stringer, Daniela Nieves, Kieron Moore, and André Dae Kim co-star; "Vampire Diaries" franchise vets Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre developed the adaptation. The first four Season 1 episodes hit Peacock today. [Peacock] MEET THE PRESS REPORTS: The NBC News Now series explores a single topic per episode "through the Meet the Press lens." NBC News political director and "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd hosts. Season 5 debuts on Peacock today. [Peacock] THE CULTURE IS: LATINA: One hour special from MSNBC, spun off from the network's "The Culture Is" series, featuring actor Justina Machado in a roundtable discussion with a number of other notable Latina creatives. The panel includes Julissa Arce, Gloria Estefan, Maria Hinojosa, Gloria Calderón Kellett, Bricia Lopez, Janel Martinez, Mónica Ramírez and Gina Torres. [Peacock] CLASSIC UNIVERSAL HORROR MOVIES: A large collection of horror and monster films released by Universal Pictures between the 1930s and the '60s are hitting Peacock today, including 1931's "Dracula" and "Frankenstein," "The Invisible Man," "The Mummy," "It Came From Outer Space," two versions of "Phantom of the Opera," and 1935's "The Raven." [Peacock] 'TIL JAIL DO US PART (ARMAS DE MUJER): Debut Spanish-language drama series from Telemundo about four rivals who must team up to survive after their husbands -- who all work for the same criminal organization -- get arrested together. Jeimy Osorio, Sylvia Sáenz, Kate del Castillo, and Roselyn Sánchez co-star. The full first season comes to Peacock today. [Peacock] FLUX GOURMET: Dark comedy from writer/director Peter Strickland ("In Fabric") centering around a strange group of performance artists practicing a process they call "sonic catering," in which disturbing sounds are extracted from everyday foods. The cast includes Asa Butterfield, Gwendoline Christie, Ariane Labed, and Fatma Mohamed. [Shudder] SPEAK NO EVIL: Horror-thriller from Danish co-writer/director Christian Tafdrup ("A Horrible Woman"), about a casual weekend gathering between two families that turns increasingly unpleasant and even sinister. Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch, Fedja van Huêt, and Karina Smulders co-star. [Shudder] THE LOST GIRLS: 2022 fantasy drama from the UK, based on the novel by Laurie Fox, which reimaginges the story of Peter Pan from the perspectives of four generations of Darling women. Writer/director Livia De Paolis also stars as an adult Wendy Darling, who teams with her grandmother and mother (real-life mother-daughter duo Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson) to stop her own daughter (Ella-Rae Smith) from being pulled into Peter Pan's (Louis Partridge) dangerous orbit. [Hulu] RUN & GUN: 2022 action thriller starring Ben Milliken as a reformed criminal who's lured out of retirement for one last job, only to find himself double-crossed and targeted by a pair of ruthless assassins. Screenwriter and videographer Christopher Borrelli made his directorial debut with the film. [Paramount+] DOGS IN SPACE: Animated action-comedy series about a crew of genetically-enhanced astronaut dogs sent into deep space to find a new homeworld for humanity. The voice cast includes Haley Joel Osment, Sarah Chalke, Kimiko Glenn, Chris Parnell, and William Jackson Harper. Season 2 comes to Netflix today. [Netflix] TERIM: Sports documentary from Turkey profiling legendary soccer manager Fatih Terim, in which the man himself looks back at his own life and career, first as a player and then a coach. [Netflix] THE LIGHT IN THE HALL (Y GOLAU): Six-part thriller series from the UK -- which was recorded in both English and Welsh language versions -- starring Alexandra Roach as a journalist who's investigating a close friend's murder, which occurred when they were still teenagers. Iwan Rheon and Joanna Scanlan co-star; Regina Moriarty ("Murdered by My Boyfriend") created the series. [Sundance Now / AMC+]

Amazon Studios ordered a first season for "Blade Runner 2099," a live-action series based on the cult sci-fi films. Ridley Scott, who directed the original 1982 film "Blade Runner," will executive produce the series. More: The new series, the first live-action "Blade Runner" show, will follow up on the events of the 2017 sequel "Blade Runner 2049," from director Denis Villeneuve. The story is set in a dystopian future Los Angeles in which humans work alongside synthetic, bio-engineered individuals known as "replicants"; Blade Runners are law enforcement officers who hunt down and terminate rogue replicants. The original "Blade Runner" was based on the Philip K. Dick novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" "Shining Girls" vet Silka Luisa wrote the pilot script and will executive produce alongside Scott. DEADLINE

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Quinta Brunson joked about her recent Emmy's controversy during a Wednesday appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" As part of a comedy bit during Sunday's Emmy telecast, Kimmel laid down on stage -- pretending to be a dead body -- during Brunson's "Abbott Elementary" acceptance speech. More: Brunson got her revenge for the Emmy's bit -- which proved unpopular on social media -- by interrupting Kimmel's opening monologue and finishing her acceptance speech. During the interview segment, Kimmel apologized to Brunson for intruding on her moment; she thanked him and accepted the apology. Brunson had told reporters in the Emmy press room that Kimmel's bit didn't really upset her, adding "I don't know what the internet thinks." "Abbott Elementary" picked up 3 Emmys this year, for casting, writing, and Sheryl Lee Ralph's supporting performance. PEOPLE

Actor Taye Diggs will host the new Hulu unscripted dating series "Back in the Groove." The show will follow three women in their 40s who visit the Dominican Republic's "Groove Hotel" hoping to find love with significantly younger men. More: This marks the first Hulu original series from Walt Disney Television's Alternative division. Season 1 will feature eight episodes and center on 43-year-old Atlanta resident Sparkle; 41-year-old Steph from Miami; and 42-year-old Brooke from Los Angeles. "FBoy Island" vet Elan Gale will serve as showrunner. The series is unofficially inspired by the 1996 novel "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" and its 1998 film adaptation, which co-starred Diggs. DEADLINE

Netflix's "Narco-Saints" The Latin American nation of Suriname is apparently exploring legal action against the producers of the Korean Netflix series "Narco-Saints." The show -- titled simply "Suriname" in Korea -- relates the story of a civilian who's recruited to join a secret operation to kidnap a Korean drug lord operating out of the country; it was inspired by a true story. More: Korean residents of Suriname have been advised to watch out for their safety by the local embassy following the release of the series. Suriname officials claim the show promotes a negative and outdated image of their country as a criminalized narco-state. Neither Netflix nor the creative team behind "Narco-Saints" commented on the story. REUTERS

ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos' new eight-part reality series "Power Trip – Those Who Seek Power and Those Who Chase Them" premieres on Hulu on September 25. In the series, Stephanopoulos serves as an adviser and mentor for seven young ABC News reporters, as they cover the 2022 midterm elections. More: The show will combine real on-the-ground reporting with scenes depicting the mentor/student relationship, inspired by reality shows like "The Voice." Major news networks frequently rely on relatively inexperienced young reporters -- known as "embeds" -- going out in the field during political campaigns and serving as their eyes and ears around the country. "Power Trip" will provide a rare glimpse behind-the-scenes at how embeds do their jobs; it's part of a new trend in alternative approaches to news and political programming. VARIETY

Hulu dropped a trailer for Season 3 of the comedy series "Ramy." All 10 new episodes arrive on September 30. More: Series creator Ramy Youssef stars in the semi-autobiographical series, as a first-generation Egyptian-American living in New Jersey and encountering personal and financial hardships. The cast also includes Mahershala Ali, MaameYaa Boafo, Laith Nakli, Hiam Abbas, and May Calamawy. Model Bella Hadid will make her acting debut in Season 3, as a woman who goes out with Ramy's friend Steve (Steve Way). AV CLUB

QUICK HITS Organize your startup business the right way with ClickUp. Create tasks and projects for each business division.* Hulu announced its first "Huluween Dragstravaganza" holiday variety special, hosted by "RuPaul's Drag Race" vets Monét X Change and Ginger Minj; the special, featuring five original musical numbers as well as comedy sketches and surprise cameos, debuts on October 1. Season 2 of the horror-comedy series "Chucky" -- a continuation of the "Child's Play" film franchise from original creator Don Mancini -- debuts on both USA and Syfy on October 5; eventually, the new episodes will move to Peacock, where Season 1 is currently streaming. Joseph Morgan and Cristina Rodlo joined the cast of Paramount+'s sci-fi action series "Halo" for its upcoming second season. "Mama's Boy" -- a documentary profile of screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, based on his 2019 memoir -- hits HBO and HBO Max on October 18; Laurent Bouzereau ("Five Came Back") directed. Andy Samberg's animated Comedy Central series "Digman!" added several actors to its voice cast, including "I Think You Should Leave" star Tim Robinson, Melissa Fumero of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," and "SNL" vet Tim Meadows. ABC released a trailer for the new spinoff cop drama "The Rookie: Feds," premiering on September 27. *This is sponsored content

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