"Wednesday" renewed / WBD CFO talks HBO Max app / Kidman joins "Lioness" / Plec's "Freeman" to Peacock

Plus the weekend calendar, Delta-Paramount+ deal, "Truth Be Told" Season 3, Negga joins "Presumed Innocent," and more

Inside.com Part of   Network January 06, 2023

Netflix renewed the smash-hit teen mystery-comedy series "Wednesday" for a second season. The show ranks among Netflix's biggest hits of all time, and is currently its third-watched series in history behind only "Stranger Things" Season 4 and "Squid Game." More: The news follows widely-debunked online rumors that Amazon -- which owns MGM, the studio behind "Wednesday" -- might shift the series over to Prime Video. Creators and showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar will return for the new episodes; it's unclear how involved director Tim Burton, who helmed half of the first season's episodes, will remain in Season 2. According to THR, executives at Netflix and MGM are also considering potential spinoff series. According to Nielsen, "Wednesday" is one of just four streaming shows that have been viewed for more than 5 billion minutes in a single week. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Gunnar Weidenfels During a talk at the Citi 2023 Communications, Media & Entertainment Conference, Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Gunnar Weidenfels conceded that the HBO Max app currently offers a "subpar" and "frustrating" experience. He teased an upgraded app, bringing together HBO Max and Discovery+ content, launching in the spring. More: Weidenfels described controversial decisions to cut costs by pulling content from HBO Max as "noise" and "a reflection of an industry that went overboard" on a "spending frenzy." He added that the company is "done with that chapter" and has no plans to pull additional HBO Max content for tax write-downs. Weidenfels also argued that streaming subscriptions are "priced way too low" and predicted that monthly fees will begin gradually increasing this year. INDIEWIRE

DAILY CALENDAR FRIDAY, JANUARY 6 THE PALE BLUE EYE: Mystery-thriller from writer-director Scott Cooper ("Out of the Furnace," "Hostiles"), based on the novel by Louis Bayard. Christian Bale stars as a veteran detective investigating a bizarre string of murders at the West Point military academy in the year 1830, who enlists cadet Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling) as his assistant. Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Toby Jones co-star. [Netflix] THE WALKING DEAD: The 11th and final season of AMC's post-apocalyptic horror-drama series comes to Netflix in the US today. Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan, Christian Serratos, Josh McDermitt, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquand and many others co-star as survivors facing off against the large network of communities known as The Commonwealth. [Netflix] PRESSURE COOKER: Debut reality competition series in which 11 professional chefs both work and live together as they square off for a shot at a $100,000 prize and the title of "Ultimate Chef's Chef." [Netflix] MUMBAI MAFIA: POLICE VS. THE UNDERWORLD: English-language true-crime documentary from the UK looking back at a crime wave in 1990s Mumbai and the so-called "encounter cops" who took the law into their own hands and started assassinating the men responsible. [Netflix] THE ULTIMATUM: FRANCE: In the reality dating series, six couples on the verge of making a lifetime commitment swap partners for three weeks, then face a final decision to get engaged or split up for good. Season 1 of the French remake debuts today.  [Netflix] BMF: The crime drama series is loosely based on the true story of Demetrius and Terry Flenory, the Detroit brothers who founded the Black Mafia Family money laundering and drug trafficking organization in the late 1980s and early '90s. Demetrius Flenory Jr. stars in the series as his father; rapper 50 Cent produces. Season 2 debuts Friday on the Starz network and streaming service. [Starz] BOYS IN BLUE: Four-part sports docuseries chronicling the 2021 season of the Polars football team of Minneapolis' North High School. The series follows the team, composed mostly of Black students and mentored by members of the Minneapolis Police Department, as they navigate daily life following the police killing of George Floyd and amid the subsequent social justice movement. Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights") produced. [Showtime] THE RIG: Debut supernatural thriller series from Scotland, about the crew on a North Sea oil rig who find themselves surrounded by a mysterious fog that cuts off all communication with the outside world. Emily Hampshire, Iain Glen, Martin Compston, Mark Bonnar, and Rochenda Sandall co-star. [Amazon] COSMIC LOVE FRANCE: In this French remake of the reality dating series, four singles embark on new relationships with the aid of an astrological matchmaker. Nabilla Vergara hosts. [Amazon] WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE? The CNN chat series returns for a second 10-episode season this week, featuring host Wallace in conversation with George Clooney, Shania Twain, Tyler Perry, Meghan Trainer, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Quentin Tarantino, and others. [HBO Max] DC'S STARGIRL: The third and final season of the CW superhero drama -- based on DC Comics characters -- comes to HBO Max today. Brec Bassinger stars as high school student Courtney Whitmore, who becomes the superhero Stargirl and forms the Justice Society of America after finding a long-lost hero's cosmic staff. [HBO Max] VESPER: 2022 sci-fi thriller starring Raffielle Chapman as a head-strong 13-year-old girl living after the collapse of Earth's ecosystem along with her ailing father (Richard Brake). When she meets a mysterious crash survivor (Rosy McEwen), they set off together for "The Citadel," a new kind of city where oligarchs live in relative comfort. Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper co-directed. [AMC+] BROMATES: 2022 direct-to-VOD comedy about two middle-aged friends (Josh Brener and Lil Rel Howery) who break up with their girlfriends at the same time, and decide to move in together. Brendan Scannell, Asif Ali, Jessica Lowe, Flula Borg, Kevin Davitian, and Taryn Manning co-star. [Hulu] SATURDAY, JANUARY 7 2023 ALL-AMERICAN BOWL: The annual football game features many of the top high school players in the country, and often helps launch draft picks into the recruitment cycle. This year's game will be played at Panama City Beach Publix Sports Park in Panama City, Florida; NBC's coverage starts at 1 pm ET. [Peacock] THE WEDDING VEIL EXPECTATIONS: The latest film in Hallmark's "Wedding Veil" franchise finds Avery (Lacey Chabert) and Peter (Kevin McGarry) struggling to keep their romance alive while juggling new home renovations and responsibilities at work. [Peacock] NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL: Saturday's games include Vanderbilt at Missouri, Ole Miss at Mississippi State, and San Diego State at Wyoming. CBS' coverage begins at 12:00 pm ET and streams live on Paramount+. [Paramount+] HOUSE OF DARKNESS: 2022 horror-comedy from writer/director Neil LaBute ("In the Company of Men," "Nurse Betty"). Justin Long stars as a guy with ulterior motives who offers a stranger (Kate Bosworth) a ride home, only to discover that the shadowy figures in her creepy castle have their own plans for him. [Hulu] CESAR MILLAN: BETTER HUMAN, BETTER DOG: In the Nat Geo Wild educational reality series, the famed dog behavior and training expert works to rehabilitate troubled dogs and also heal their relationships with their owners. Season 3 comes to Hulu today. [Hulu] SUNDAY, JANUARY 8 SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: In NFL Week 18 action, the Detroit Lions head to Lambeau Field to face Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers for the final NFC Wild Card spot. NBC's coverage begins Sunday at 7 pm ET. [Peacock] NFL ON CBS: A double-header of Week 18 NFL games kicks off at 1 pm ET on CBS and Paramount+. (Check local listings or Paramount+ for specific match-ups.) [Paramount+] ANNE RICE'S MAYFAIR WITCHES: First-year supernatural thriller series, based on author Rice's "Lives of the Mayfair Witches" novels. Alexandra Daddario stars as a neurosurgeon who learns she's the heiress to a powerful dynasty of witches, and shares in the family's dark curse. Harry Hamlin, Tongayi Chirisa, and Jack Huston co-star. The series is part of AMC's "Immortal Universe" of Rice adaptations, along with "Interview with the Vampire." [AMC+] THE WINTER PALACE: 2022 romantic comedy-drama, produced for the Great American Family network, starring Danica McKellar as a novelist who takes a job as winter caretaker at an empty chateau to finish her latest book. Her plans are interrupted when the property's owner, Prince Henry (Neal Bledsoe), brings his royal entourage for a surprise visit. [Amazon]

Nicole Kidman will star alongside Zoe Saldaña and Laysla De Oliveira in the Paramount+ CIA drama series "Lioness." The show comes from "Yellowstone" and "Tulsa King" vet Taylor Sheridan; it's his fifth original series for Paramount+. More: The series -- inspired by a real CIA program -- centers on a division that recruits and trains undercover female operatives, known as the Lioness Engagement Team. Kidman will play the senior supervisor overseeing the division; De Oliveira co-stars as a young Marine who's recruited to join the team. Kidman has recently appeared in a number of high-profile TV series, including HBO's "Big Little Lies" and "The Undoing," and Hulu's "Nine Perfect Strangers." Sheridan created "Lioness" and will also executive produce and serve as showrunner. VARIETY

Plec and Starks Peacock entered development on the mystery drama series "Freeman" from "Vampire Academy" veterans Julie Plec and Adam Starks. The project was the subject of a bidding war between multiple streamers and networks. More: The action follows a family that moves to a small, picturesque Georgia town after inheriting a mysterious old home, Freeman Manor. Starks will write and executive produce the series; Plec produces through her My So-Called Company banner. Plec previously created "The Vampire Diaries" and its multiple spinoffs; Starks has also worked on HBO Max's "Pretty Little Liars" reboot, "Original Sin," and Netflix's "Freeridge." DEADLINE

Delta signed a new agreement to stream Paramount+ content on flights. Members of Delta's free-to-join "SkyMiles" loyalty program will get free access to the premium tier of Paramount+ as part of their in-flight entertainment packages. More: Once they connect to the in-flight wifi, SkyMiles members will get full access to the Paramount+ library, along with a free trial for use at home. The offer will be available for all flights originating in the US. The airline is also rolling out high-speed satellite internet upgrades to more than 700 of its aircraft, in order to better serve Paramount+ streams to passengers. Peacock has a similar agreement in place with JetBlue. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Apple released a trailer for the third season of the anthology mystery series "Truth Be Told." The series is based on the novel "Are You Sleeping" by Kathleen Barber, and follows the investigations of true-crime podcaster and journalist Poppy Parnell (Octavia Spencer). More: Season 3 finds Parnell teaming up with an unorthodox school principal (Gabrielle Union) to locate a group of missing girls, only to uncover a potential sex trafficking ring. In addition to Parnell, returning cast members include Mekhi Phifer, David Lyons, Ron Cephas Jones, and Tracie Thoms. Spencer also executive producers the series; Nichelle Tramble Spellman ("Snowfall") created the series and writes episodes. Season 3 hits Apple TV+ on January 20. TV LINE

QUICK HITS Therapy is where resolutions become reality. Make them happen in 2023 with BetterHelp and save 25%.* Ruth Negga joined Jake Gyllenhaal in the cast of Apple's upcoming legal thriller series "Presumed Innocent," based on the 1987 novel by Scott Turow and its 1990 film adaptation; David E. Kelley wrote the new series and will serve as showrunner. "The Last of Us" TV creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann discussed making changes to the video game franchise's lore -- including shifting the timeline of the narrative from the near-future to the present day -- for the new HBO adaptation in an interview with CNET. Marvel's "Black Panther" sequel "Wakanda Forever" makes its Disney+ debut on February 1. Netflix's behind-the-scenes pro tennis docuseries "Break Point" -- from "Drive to Survive" producers Box to Box Films -- debuts on January 13 with its first five episodes; the second half of Season 1 arrives in June. Amazon dropped a trailer for the second season of the ensemble comedy series "Harlem," from "Girls Trip" writer Tracy Oliver; new episodes hit Prime Video weekly starting February 3. The third and final season of the scripted musical biopic series "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" kicks off on Hulu this February 15. "Stranger Things" actor Noah Schnapp came out as gay in a video posted to his TikTok account on Thursday, adding a reference to his character on the popular Netflix series: "I guess I'm more similar to Will than I thought."  The zombie-themed anime comedy series "Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead" will make its US streaming debut in July on Hulu. *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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