"Harry & Meghan" sets record / Verizon +play hub / Amazon "God of War" series / "Warrior Nun" canceled

Plus today's calendar, DOJ shuts down World Cup streams, "Kaleidoscope" trailer, Apple "Super League" series, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network December 14, 2022

"Harry & Meghan," Netflix's docuseries chronicling the lives and relationship of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, had the most-watched debut week of any unscripted Netflix program to date. According to the streamer's internal figures, the first three episodes of "Harry & Meghan" were viewed for 81.55 million hours within its first four days of release. More: The first three episodes hit Netflix on December 8; the final three installments arrive on Thursday. The series hit #1 in the UK, and appeared on the Top 10 list in 85 countries; in the US, the most-viewed program remained the teen mystery-comedy series "Wednesday." Though popular, the show has received some negative criticism online, both from fans of the Royal Family, and general viewers complaining that it feels "bland" and overly self-promotional; the series currently has a 12% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. The series was produced by the Duke and Duchess, through their company, Archewell Productions. CNBC

Verizon announced a new streaming hub, +play, that could potentially rival established platforms such as Amazon Prime Video Channels and Roku. Verizon will offer +play viewers a free year of Netflix Premium provided they pay for one other streaming subscription through the hub. More: Services available at launch from +play include NFL+, NBA League Pass, HBO Max, AMC+, and Peloton videos. The service has launched in what Verizon is calling an "open beta." +play subscriptions will be included in a customer's existing cell phone or broadband bill. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14 NATIONAL TREASURE: EDGE OF HISTORY: Action-adventure series, spun off from the film franchise, and starring Lisette Olivera as a 20-year-old explorer who's searching for a lost historical treasure, along with insight into her own family history. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lyndon Smith, Zuri Reed, and Jake Austin Walker co-star, while Justin Bartha and Harvey Keitel make guest appearances reprising their roles from the films. [Disney+] THE OWL HOUSE: The third and final season of the Disney Channel animated fantasy series premiered on cable in October, and begins its run on Disney+ today. The action follows teenager Luz Noceda (Sarah-Nicole Robles), a human girl who accidentally stumbles upon a portal to the "Demon Realm," where she befriends a rebellious witch (Wendie Malick). [Disney+] THE GREAT CHRISTMAS LIGHT FIGHT: The annual ABC holiday reality competition series -- in which families or groups of friends create elaborate Christmas light displays for a shot at a $50,000 grand prize -- is back this year for a 10th season. Carter Oosterhouse and Taniya Nayak co-host and serve as judges. [Disney+] DRAIN THE OCEANS: National Geographic docuseries using a combination of real scientific data and digital recreations to investigate maritime mysteries and explore shipwrecks. Season 5 moves to Disney+ today. [Disney+] KANGAROO VALLEY: Nature documentary tracking the first year in the life of a young Australian kangaroo joey named Mala, whose family lives under the constant threat of dingo attack. "Succession" star Sarah Snook narrates. [Netflix] GRAILS: WHEN SNEAKERS CHANGE THE GAME: Six-part docuseries from ABC News profiling golf champions and Eastside Golf fashion brand co-founders Earl Cooper and Olajuwon Ajanaku. The series takes a behind-the-scenes look at the duo's collaboration with Nike Jordan, and explores their wider influence on both golfing and streetwear culture. [Hulu] DON'T PICK UP THE PHONE: True-crime docuseries looking back on a string of prank phone calls in the 1990s and early '00s, in which a scammer would convince managers at fast-food restaurants to conduct strip searches on their employees. In 2004, after around 70 reported cases, authorities arrested a Kentucky man named David Stewart, after which the calls stopped. [Netflix] I BELIEVE IN SANTA: Holiday rom-com starring Christina Moore as a woman who's shocked to discover that her boyfriend (John Ducey) of 5 months is not only fanatical about Christmas, but still believes in Santa Claus. [Netflix] GLITTER (BROKAT): Period drama series from Poland, set during the 1970s, about a group of fiercely independent women living by their own rules and tackling social taboos. Karolina Piechota, Wiktoria Filus, and Magdalena Poplawska co-star. [Netflix] RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE: Season 13 of the iconic drag competition series aired on VH1 in 2021 and hits Paramount+ today. Judges include RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, and Ross Matthews. The related episodes of the companion series, "Untucked," also hit Paramount+ today. [Paramount+] DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS: MAKING THE TEAM: The CMT reality series chronicles the audition and selection process for new Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Season 15 followed the hiring of the 2020-2021 squad, and comes to Paramount+ in its entirety today. [Paramount+] TRUE LIFE CRIME: True crime series from MTV, a spinoff of the "True Life" franchise, looking into harrowing and shocking mysteries involving young victims. Season 1 aired in 2021 on cable and comes to Paramount+ today. [Paramount+]

Amazon ordered a live-action series based on the Sony PlayStation "God of War" video game franchise. "Wheel of Time" vet Rafe Judkins will serve as showrunner. More: The games center on Kratos, the God of War, who leaves Ancient Greece and resettles in the Norse realm of Midgard to start a family, before being pulled back into a battle against a string of mythological gods and monsters. "Iron Man" and "Children of Men" vets Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby will also write episodes and executive produce. Cory Barlog, creative director of Santa Monica Studio -- which developed the "God of War" games -- will also executive produce the series. Amazon is also developing a live-action series based on the "Fallout" video game franchise, while HBO is set to release a "Last of Us" series adaptation early next year. VARIETY

Netflix canceled the fantasy drama series "Warrior Nun" after two seasons. The show's second and now final season premiered on November 10. More: Season 2 spent three weeks in Netflix's Top 10 English-language series, peaking at the fifth spot. The show attracted a niche but extremely passionate fanbase; it has the highest Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of any Netflix original, with 97% approval. Based on a series of manga novels, the series stars Alba Baptista as a young woman who dies, only to be resurrected and recruited into an ancient order, tasked with fighting demons that have come to Earth. DEADLINE

The US Justice Department shut down several dozen websites that have been used to illegally stream World Cup matches. The US government was apparently alerted to many of the sites by FIFA, who owns the copyrights on the games. More: The year's tournament is expected to attract around 5 billion viewers internationally. The Justice Department did not reveal the names of the sites or services that it had taken down. In the US, World Cup matches are airing on NBC, Fox, Fox Sports, and Telemundo; some matches are also available to stream on Peacock. THE HILL

Netflix dropped a new trailer for the heist thriller series "Kaleidoscope." Viewers are encouraged to watch the unconventional series' eight eipsodes in (nearly) any order that they wish, except for the finale, which must be seen last. More: Though the show's events make sense when viewed in any order, the chronology of episodes will apparently impact the overall experience and how viewers' feel about various characters and scenarios. After each episode streams, Netflix will randomly select a follow-up to run next in the queue. The story centers around a crew of thieves pulling off a complex heist, involving a supposedly uncrackable vault; the action spans a period of 25 years. The cast includes Giancarlo Esposito, Paz Vega, Rufus Sewell, Tati Gabrielle, and Soojeong Son. "Kaleidoscope" hits Netflix on January 1. TV LINE

A new docuseries from Apple TV+ will examine the short-lived 2021 attempt to launch a European football Super League. "Super League: The War for Football" premieres on the service in January. More: The effort involved a number of top European soccer clubs -- including Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus, Real Madrid, and Barcelona -- planning to break off and form their own largely-closed league, focused on midweek competitions. The plans prompted an immediate backlash from fans and condemnation from members of the British government; after English clubs walked away from the proposal, the entire deal collapsed. The series will feature insights from league Presidents, club owners, and some of the individuals behind the planned Super League. Jeff Zimbalist ("The Two Escobars") directed and executive produced. DEADLINE

Showtime released a trailer for the second season of the crime drama series "Your Honor." Bryan Cranston stars as a prominent New Orleans judge who finds himself in a mob kingpin's (Michael Stuhlbarg) inner circle after their sons are involved in a hit-and-run collision. More: Rosie Perez and Hope Davis co-star. The series returns with new episodes on January 15. "Your Honor" was originally based on an Israeli miniseries called "Kvodo"; Peter Moffat ("Undercover") developed the remake. TV LINE

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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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