"Westworld" exits Max / Yacht rock docuseries / Marc Anthony livestream suit / New "Drag Race" spinoffs

Plus today's calendar, "The Drop" trailer, "Shadow & Bone" returns for S2, "Strange World" on Disney+, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network December 13, 2022

"Westworld," "The Nevers" Two additional series -- the sci-fi drama "Westworld" and the period fantasy "The Nevers" -- will both exit HBO Max entirely. The streamer additionally canceled a number of comedy series, including "The Minx" -- which had previously been renewed for a second season -- and the rom-com anthology "Love Life." More: "Westworld" was recently canceled after four seasons; "The Nevers" aired for a single six-episode run in 2021. "The Nevers" was intended to return for the second half of its first season, with six additional episodes; those were never scheduled to air. It's possible that "Westworld" and "The Nevers" will both relocate to other platforms. The canceled comedy shows, on the other hand -- including the recently-axed single-season sitcom "The Gordita Chronicles" -- will likely disappear from view entirely as part of a tax write-off. DEADLINE

Paramount+ will stream the three-part soft-rock docuseries "Sometimes When We Touch" starting on January 3. The series chronicles the rise and fall of the musical sub-genre, sometimes known as "yacht rock." More: Notable artists profiled in the series include Hall & Oates, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Air Supply, The Carpenters, and Lionel Richie. Interview subjects include Sheryl Crow, Stewart Copeland of the Police, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Susanna Hoffs, Richard Marx, Ray Parker Jr., and LA Reid. The film features a lot of archival interviews and concert footage, along with a consideration of the contemporary impact of these songs as hip-hop samples, movie soundtrack needle-drops, and even inspiration for TikToks. The doc arrives in the UK, Australia, and Latin America the day after its US debut, on January 4; it will hit other Paramount+ markets in the spring. VARIETY

DAILY CALENDAR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13 KINDRED: Debut fantasy-thriller series from FX, based on the acclaimed 1979 novel by Octavia E. Butler. Mallori Johnson stars as an aspiring writer who finds herself pulled between the present moment -- where she has relocated to Los Angeles out of familial obligation -- and the year 1815, where she's trapped on a Maryland plantation. Ryan Kwanten, Gayle Rankin, Austin Smith, and Micah Stock co-star; Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins ("Watchmen") wrote the adaptation and showruns. [Hulu] THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN: Critically-acclaimed 2022 dark comedy-drama from writer/director Martin McDonagh ("In Bruges," "Three Billboards..."), starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two residents of a fictional Irish island whose lifelong friendship comes to an abrupt and unexpected end. Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan co-star. [HBO Max] PELOSI IN THE HOUSE: Documentary profile of Democratic Congresswoman and outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, directed by her daughter, the filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi. The film chronicles the full span of Pelosi's political career and includes footage of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol building that was screened for the House select committee. This is Alexandra Pelosi's 14th original film for HBO. [HBO Max] LAST CHANCE U: BASKETBALL: The sports documentary spinoff series is back for a second season, following the East Los Angeles College Huskies' 2021-2022 season, the team's first since returning from the COVID pandemic and lockdown. Original "Last Chance U" veteran Gret Whiteley returns as producer and directed some episodes. [Netflix] TOM PAPA: WHAT A DAY! The comedian's second hour-long Netflix special was recorded at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston, and features material about parenting, over-reliance on modern technology, and his evolving relationship with his rescue pug. [Netflix] SINGLE'S INFERNO: In the Korean reality dating series, nine singles get to know one another while surviving together on the deserted "Hell Island." When two people pair up, they move on to "Paradise" and enjoy luxury accommodations. It's back for a second season. [Netflix] GUDETAMA: AN EGGCELLENT ADVENTURE: Series of hybrid live-action/animation shorts from Japan starring the Sanrio character Gudetama, a lazy anthropomorphized egg yolk. In the new show, Gudetama reluctantly embarks on a road trip with Shakipiyo, a newly-hatched chick determined to find its mother. [Netflix] DR. SEUSS BAKING CHALLENGE: Debut cooking competition series in which bakers are tasked with crafting large-scale confections and desserts inspired by classic Dr. Seuss books and stories. Tamera Mowry-Housley hosts; Clarice Lam and Joshua John Russell serve as judges. Episodes are available ad-free on Amazon Prime Video, and with ads on Amazon's Freevee platform. [Amazon / Freevee] SAMPLED: Travel docuseries from MTV Entertainment Studios following along as musicians explore various international cities during world tours, in the days leading up to their local concerts. Featured artists include Arlo Parks, Bas, GoldLink, Marc Rebillet, NGHTMRE, and Tinashe. [Paramount+]

A livestreamed 2021 virtual concert featuring musical artist Marc Anthony -- which was ultimately canceled due to technical issues -- has led to a new lawsuit. Promoter Loud and Live filed suit against the streaming platorm Maestro, arguing that the company misrepresented its technological capabilities. More: In the filing, Live and Loud claims that they were assured by Maestro that the platform could handle a stream with over 100,000 concurrent viewers. More than 100,000 fans paid ticket prices between $25 and $40 for the stream, which was ultimately canceled by Anthony after hours of technical problems. In a statement to TMZ, Maestro said "we believe the claims are without merit." TMZ

A new "RuPaul's Drag Race" spinoff series, "Global All Stars," is in production for Paramount+. The streamer also announced three new international versions of the series, launching soon on MTV and Paramount+ in Brazil, Germany, and Mexico. More: "Global All Stars" will also follow the original show's reality competition format, bringing together drag queens from around the world. Previous international installments of "Drag Race" have featured competitors from the UK and Canada. Another spinoff -- "RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race," in which guest stars are given drag makeovers -- has been formally renewed for a third season. The main "Drag Race" series will move from VH1 over to MTV for its upcoming 15th season, and arrives on Friday, January 6. All "Drag Race" shows are developed by the production company World of Wonder. EW

The new Hulu comedy feature "The Drop" stars "Pen15" vet Anna Konkle as Lex, an attendee at a tropical destination wedding who accidentally drops her friend's baby. The film debuts on January 13. More: "Buster's Mal Heart" and "Birds of Paradise" vet Sarah Adina Smith co-wrote the film and directed. The film centers on the aftermath of the incident among Lex's friends and fellow attendees, including her husband, Mani (Jermaine Fowler), even though the baby seems to be totally okay. Jillian Bell, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Robin Thede, Aparna Nancherla, Johsua Leonard (who co-wrote the script with Smith), and Jennifer Lafleur co-star. INDIEWIRE

Season 2 of the fantasy drama series "Shadow and Bone" arrives on March 16. The show is based on novels by Leigh Bardugo, set in a world known as the "Grishaverse." More: Jessie Mei Li stars as Alina, who's searching in the new season for a pair of magical creatures that can amplify her powers. Ben Barnes and Archie Renaux co-star; Eric Heisserer ("Bird Box") and Daegan Fryklind ("In the Dark") serve as showrunners and produce. Season 1 debuted back in April 2021. VARIETY

QUICK HITS Customer trust is critical, but creating a continuous security process for your startup can be complex. Learn from Vanta how to enhance security without overextending your resources.* The animated family sci-fi feature "Strange World" comes to Disney+ on December 23. HBO Max is developing the comedy-drama series "12 Rocks in a Box" -- about a true-crime obsessive who finds herself on the jury for a high-profile murder trial -- from writer Todd Berger ("It's a Disaster") and executive producer Bill Lawrence ("Ted Lasso"). Newly-elected Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, the state's former Lt. Governor, makes a brief cameo appearance in the new Netflix period mystery film "The Pale Blue Eye," along with his wife, Gisele. Recruiting tech ROI of 227%? Here’s how Okta achieves its hiring goals using Greenhouse Recruiting and Greenhouse Onboarding.* *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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