Disney+ Basic launch / Zelensky-Letterman interview / Peacock's "Yellowstone" bump / "Election" sequel

Plus the weekend calendar, Egerton joins Apple's "Firebug," "Hunters" Season 2 teaser, "Backstreet Holiday" canceled, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network December 09, 2022

Disney+ launched its lower-cost ad-supported tier this week. The new Basic tier, priced at $8 per month, leaves Apple TV+ as the only major US subscription service without an ad-supported offering. More: Netflix, which had for years resisted the notion of adding commercials to its platform in any form, launched their own ad-supported tier just last month. Disney+ Basic launched with around 100 ad partners, and runs about 4 minutes of ads per hour of content. The "Duo Basic" package bundles ad-supported versions of Disney+ and Hulu for $9.99/month, while "Trio Basic" adds ESPN+ for $12.99. The Disney+ Basic tier remains unavailable for viewers on Roku devices; neither company has publicly disclosed any reasons for the delay. DEADLINE

A new episode of David Letterman's Netflix interview series -- "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction" -- will find the talk show host sitting down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Letterman traveled to Kyiv to record the segment, which was produced in an active subway station 250 feet below the wartorn capital city. More: The episode hits Netflix on Monday. Letterman told The Washington Post that Zelensky reminded him of "Winston Churchill fending off Hitler." Apparently the interview is genuinely interrupted at times by the sounds of passing trains as well as air raid sirens. The episode also features Letterman exploring Kyiv, and at one point, performing comedy at an underground club. WASHINGTON POST

WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9 EMANCIPATION: Period action film from director Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day"), inspired by the true story of Gordon, the former slave who posed for an iconic photograph with his scarred back exposed. Will Smith stars as an escaped slave, here named Peter, who flees a Louisiana plantation and ultimately joins up with the Union Army. Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Steven Ogg, and Mustafa Shakir co-star. [Apple TV+] LITTLE AMERICA: The anthology drama series, chronicling the inspiring and touching stories of American immigrants and based on a photo essay series from Epic Magazine, returns for a second season. Lee Eisenberg ("WeCrashed") and Siân Heder ("CODA") co-created the series; Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani executive produce. [Apple TV+] PUPPY PLACE: Family series -- based on the popular kids' books by Ellen Miles -- following the adventures of young animal lovers Charles and Lizzie Peterson (Riley Looc and Brooklynn MacKinzie), who find foster homes for dogs in need. It's back for a second season. [Apple TV+] GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO: Stop-motion animated musical adaptation of the classic 1883 Italian novel, inspired by Gris Grimly's illustrations. Oscar-winning filmmaker Del Toro co-directed along with Claymation vet Mark Gustafson; the voice cast includes Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Burn Gorman, John Turturro, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton. [Netflix] DRAGON AGE: ABSOLUTION: Six-part animated Netflix fantasy series, based on the popular "Dragon Age" video games from BioWare. The story centers on a group of misfits who unite to steal a valuable artifact from a powerful mage. The voice cast includes Ashley Burch, Matthew Mercer, Phil LaMarr, Josh Keaton, and Kimberly Brooks. [Netflix] DREAM HOME MAKEOVER: The reality home improvement series followers designers Shea and Syd McGee of Studio McGee as they help clients reimagine their living spaces, while also chronicling their lives together and improvements to their own home. Season 4 hits Netflix today. [Netflix] HOW TO RUIN CHRISTMAS: THE BABY SHOWER: The English-language South African comedy series "How to Ruin Christmas" returns for a third season, now subtitled "The Baby Shower." The new episodes find the Sellos and Twalas working through their differences as they welcome a new member to their growing family. [Netflix] MONEY HEIST: KOREA – JOINT ECONOMIC AREA: The Korean "Money Heist" spinoff is back for the second half of its first season. Yoo Ji-tae stars as "The Professor," a criminal mastermind inspired by the events of the original series, who devises a plan to pull off an elaborate heist on a reunified Korean Peninsula. [Netflix] GOD'S CROOKED LINES (LOS RENGLONES TORCIDOS DE DIOS): Psychological thriller film from Spain, based on the novel by Torcuato Luca de Tena. Alice Gould stars as a detective who goes undercover in a psychiatric ward while investigating a murder case. Oriol Paulo ("The Invisible Guest") co-wrote and directed. [Netflix] CAT: Punjabi-language crime thriller series from India, starring Randeep Hooda as a former police informant who must return to service in order to save the life of his brother. [Netflix] IDINA MENZEL: WHICH WAY TO THE STAGE? Documentary profile of the actress and singer, best known for voicing Elsa in "Frozen" and her work on the Broadway stage. The film, from editor and first-time director Anne McCabe, follows Menzel on a 16-show national tour and culminates in a headlining performance at New York's Madison Square Garden. [Disney+] RETROGRADE: Documentary feature from National Geographic and filmmaker Matthew Heineman ("Cartel Land"), shot during the final nine months of America's war in Afghanistan, and centering on the close bonds that formed between Green Berets and the local officers they helped to train. The film debuts Friday on Disney+ and hits Hulu on Sunday. [Disney+] NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: KAHMUNRAH RISES AGAIN: Animated sequel to the live-action "Night at the Museum" film trilogy, in which security guard Nick Daley (Joshua Bassett) forgets to lock the basement door, prompting a deadly encounter with the undead Egyptian prince Kahmunrah (Joseph Kamal). The voice cast also includes Jamie Demetriou, Alice Isaaz, Gillian Jacobs, Thomas Lennon, and Zachary Levi. [Disney+] CMA COUNTRY CHRISTMAS: The annual ABC holiday concert special aired on Thursday night, and hits both Hulu and Disney+ on Friday. Performers include Dan + Shay, Scotty McCreery, Maren Morris, Old Dominion, and The War and Treaty; Carly Pearce both performs and hosts. [Disney+ and Hulu] RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS: The avant-garde HBO comedy series from star and creator Terence Nance combines scripted and documentary segments, animation, and musical performances to comment on daily life in America and the media landscape. Season 1 debuted way back in 2018; the long-awaited second season premieres on Friday. [HBO Max] SILOS BAKING COMPETITION: HOLIDAY EDITION: Magnolia Network special in which five home bakers from across the US attempt to create the ultimate Christmas cookie and other seasonal treats in front of a live audience at The Silos in Waco, Texas. Winners get their recipe featured on the menu at The Silos, along with a $25,000 prize. Joanna Gaines judges along with special guests Andrew Zimmern and Zoë François. [HBO Max and Discovery+] IN WITH THE OLD: Home restoration series from Magnolia Network in which designers and builders reimagine and transform abandoned historic structures while preserving their legacy and historical integrity. Season 3 debuts on Discovery+ on Friday. [Discovery+] IT'S A WONDERFUL BINGE: Original comedy feature from producers American High ("Big Time Adolescence"), serving as a sequel to the 2020 comedy "The Binge." The films are set in a near-future in which all drugs and alcohol are illegal, except for one day a year; in the new film, "Binge Day" is moved to Christmas Eve. Eduardo Franco, Dexter Darden, Zainne Saleh, Marta Pierkarz, Danny Trejo, Tony Cavalero, Nick Swardson, and Kaitlin Olson co-star. [Hulu] FATE OF A SPORT: Sports documentary from ESPN Films tracking pro lacrosse player Paul Rabil and his brother Mike's efforts to launch the Premier Lacrosse League during the pandemic. Michael Donegar ("Brampton's Own") directed. [Hulu] THE MIGHTY ONES: The animated series follows the adventures of a twig, pebble, leaf, and strawberry who live together in a messy backyard. Season 4 debuts today on both Hulu and Peacock. [Hulu and Peacock] WHITE ELEPHANT: 2022 indie action film from co-writer/director Jesse V. Johnson ("Avengement") starring Michael Rooker as a former Marine-turned-Mob enforcer who tries to save a police officer (Olga Kurylenko) targeted by his ruthless boss (Bruce Willis). John Malkovich co-stars. [Hulu] MY FAVORITE GIRLFRIEND: 2022 direct-to-VOD rom-com starring Tyler Johnson as a guy who falls in love with a woman (Bonnie Piesse) who has multiple personalities, including a sassy Southern belle, an internet influencer, and a hard rocker. [Hulu] SOMETHING FROM TIFFANY'S: Original holiday romantic comedy, based on the novel by Melissa Hill. Zoey Deutch stars as a woman who's accidentally given an engagement ring that was meant for someone else, then feels a romantic spark when she returns it to the groom-to-be (Kendrick Sampson). [Amazon] HAWA: This 2022 mystery-drama, a French-Bangladeshi co-production, centers on a group of fishermen who catch a beautiful, mute woman in their net in the middle of the sea. As they search for answers about her origin, tensions rise and eventually give way to violence. Chanchal Chowdhury and Nazifa Tushi co-star. [Amazon] THE THREE WISE MEN VS. SANTA (REYES CONTRA SANTA): Holiday family fantasy-comedy film from Spain in which the Three Wise Men battle Santa for the attention of the world's children, accidentally waking up the villainous Krampus in the process. [Amazon] CHRISTMAS BLOODY CHRISTMAS: Indie holiday horror-comedy about a robotic toy store Santa Claus display that comes to life and goes on a killing spree, forcing local record store owner Tori (Riley Dandy) to suspend her drunken Christmas Eve plans and put an end to the rampage. "VFW" vet Joe Begos wrote and directed. [Shudder] AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN: THE NEXT GENERATION: Debut reality competition series, spun off from the classic PBS cooking show, in which 11 home cooks face off for a shot at a $100,000 grand prize plus their own cookbook deal. Judges include "ATK" vets Julia Collin Davison, Jack Bishop, Elle Simone Scott, and Cook's Illustrated editor-in-chief Dan Douza; Jeannie Mai Jenkins hosts. [Freevee] THE MOST COLORFUL TIME OF THE YEAR: Hallmark holiday rom-com starring Christopher Russell as a colorblind elementary school teacher who falls for the mother (Katrina Bowden) of one of his students, who also happens to be an optometrist. [Peacock] SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10 ATSUKO OKATSUKA: THE INTRUDER: The comedian's first HBO special was filmed at Elsewhere in Brooklyn, and directed by fellow comedian Tig Notaro. Topics include going viral on TikTok and attending a "Magic Mike Live" show with her grandmother. [HBO Max] CHRISTMAS CLASS REUNION: Romantic comedy feature from Hallmark about a group of friends gathering during the holiday season for their 15th high school reunion. Aimee Teegarden, Stephanie Bennett, Tanner Novlan, Miriam Smith, and Dejan Loyola co-star. [Peacock] THE GIFT OF PEACE: Holiday drama from Hallmark starring Nikki Deloach as a widow struggling to get through her second Christmas without her late husband. Seeking inspiration, she joins a grief support group. Princess Davis, Brennan Elliott, and Pete Graham co-star. [Peacock] OFFSEASON: 2021 supernatural horror film from writer/director Mickey Keating ("Carnage Park"). Jocelin Donahue stars as Marie, who enters a waking nightmare upon visiting the desolate island where her mother's grave was reportedly vandalized. Joe Swanberg, Richard Brake, Melora Walters, and Larry Fessenden co-star. [Hulu] ALCHEMY OF SOULS: The Korean fantasy-drama series, set in a world in which mages have developed the ability to switch bodies, returns on Saturday for the second half of its first season. Jung So-min stars as an elite warrior whose soul has become trapped in the body of a much weaker woman, forcing her to pose as a servant for a noble family. [Netflix] SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11 NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING: The annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree -- held on the Ellipse in Washington DC's President's Park -- will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on Sunday night at 8 pm ET/PT. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, will all be in attendance; Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland will give some brief remarks. This year marks the ceremony's 100th anniversary. [Paramount+] MUST LOVE CHRISTMAS: Holiday rom-com feature from CBS, starring Liza Lapira as a romance novelist who gets snowbound in the charming small town of Cranberry Falls. While there, she gets to know a charming reporter and reunites with a childhood crush. Neal Bledsoe and Nathan Witte co-star. [Paramount+] THE HOLIDAY SITTER: Another Hallmark holiday rom-com, this one stars Jonathan Bennett as a workaholic who agrees to babysit his niece and nephew for Christmas, then seeks desperate help from a handsome neighbor (George Krissa). [Peacock]

According to data from Nielsen, Peacock received a significant viewership boost ahead of the Season 5 premiere of the hit cable drama "Yellowstone." Though "Yellowstone" airs on the Paramount Network -- and has spinoffs streaming on Paramount+ -- the first four seasons currently stream on NBCUniversal's Peacock platform due to licensing deals. More: Peacock made its first-ever appearance on Nielsen's streaming series chart on the week of November 7-13, thanks to library episodes of "Yellowstone." The Western drama -- which stars Kevin Costner as powerful Montana rancher and patriarch John Dutton -- was viewed for 607 million minutes that week, ranking in fifth place on Nielsen's chart. The only previous appearance by Peacock on any Nielsen streaming charts was for the film "Halloween Ends," which hit the Top 10 list for movies over two weeks back in October. The most-viewed series from November 7-13 was the sci-fi drama "Manifest," followed by the royal drama series "The Crown," both on Netflix. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Witherspoon in "Election" Star Reese Witherspoon and writer/director Alexander Payne plan to reunite for a sequel to the 1999 satirical comedy "Election." The new film, "Tracy Flick Can't Win," will stream exclusively on Paramount+. More: The original "Election" was based on a novel by author Tom Perrotta; the sequel will be loosely based on his follow-up book, released this past summer. Payne will write the new script along with his "Election" collaborator, Jim Taylor. "Election" focused on ambitious go-getter Tracy Flick (Witherspoon) and her cutthroat campaign for high school president, which triggers an increasingly inappropriate rivalry with her US government teacher (Matthew Broderick). The new film rejoins Tracy in her 40s, now working as an assistant principal in a suburban New Jersey high school. EW

Egerton Actor Taron Egerton and the creative team behind "Black Bird" will re-team for the Apple TV+ scripted true-crime drama "Firebug." The new series, inspired by the crimes of California arsonist John Leonard Orr, centers on a troubled investigator tracking a pair of serial arsonists. More: "Black Bird" creator Dennis Lehane will write the new series; "Black Bird" producers Richard Plepler, Kary Antholis, Bradley Thomas, and Dan Friedkin are also onboard the new project. Orr, a former firefighter and arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department, was hired to seek out serial arsonists before ultimately being convicted of the crime himself. Producer Antholis hosted a podcast about the case, also known as "Firebug," for Crime Story Media. DEADLINE

Amazon posted a teaser for the second and final season of the period thriller series "Hunters." The new season introduces legendary actor Udo Kier as Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, who in the world of the show escaped to South America after World War II. More: Jennifer Jason Leigh also joins the cast for the show's second season as a core member of the show's Nazi-hunting team. Al Pacino, Logan Lerman, Jerrika Hinton, Lena Olin, Josh Radnor, Tiffany Boone, Carl Kane, and Kate Mulvany all reprise their Season 1 roles for the new episodes. "Hunters" Season 2 arrives on January 13, 2023. EW

QUICK HITS ABC canceled the musical TV special "A Very Backstreet Holiday," following an allegation of sexual assault against Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter. Peacock shared a trailer for the unconventional comedy series "Paul T. Goodman," from "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" director Jason Woliner and producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg; the series debuts on January 1. Paramount+ launched in a number of German-speaking countries across Europe this week; the platform is now available in 45 global markets. A number of niche cable networks -- including CNN-owned HLN -- have seemingly hit a point of rapid and intractable decline, losing audience share, relevance, and ad revenue to streaming services. HBO's upcoming political documentary-slash-comedy special "This Place Rules" finds British journalist and comedian Andrew Callaghan interviewing activists and members of extremist movements in the months ahead of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol; Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, and Jonah Hill produced. In this week's new episode of Showtime's "Ziwe," guest Amber Riley discusses the allegations of racially insensitive behavior against her former "Glee" co-star, Lea Michele. Emmy winner Archie Panjabi ("The Good Wife") signed on for a lead role in "Under the Bridge," Hulu's upcoming limited series based on Rebecca Godfrey's true-crime memoir; Riley Keough will star as Godfrey. Taking care of yourself matters, and BetterHelp connects you to a therapist within 48 hours, without having to leave home. Get 25% off your first month.* *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 Eduardo Garcia is a writer and editor based in New York. He is the author of "Things You Can Do," an illustrated book about climate action. Bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, Slate, Scientific American, and others. In one of his previous lives, Eduardo worked as a Reuters correspondent in Latin America for nearly a decade.

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