WGA strike updates / Amazon's new licensing division / "1883" to Paramount Network / "Beef" Nielsen debut

Plus the weekly calendar, Mayer regrets Tumblr deal, Applegate retires from on-camera acting, early Max screenshots, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network May 08, 2023

Production paused on the fifth and final season of Netflix's "Stranger Things" due to the writers' strike. Co-creators and showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer tweeted a statement saying "writing does not stop when filming begins" and "we hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work," including the hashtag #wgastrong. More: Plans to record the MTV Movie & TV Awards live on Sunday night were also scrapped after WGA members announced their intention to picket outside and host Drew Barrymore bowed out of the ceremony. "Game of Thrones" author George R. R. Martin expressed his support for the striking writers, and announced that pre-production on the spinoff series "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Night" would pause for the strike's duration. Production on Season 4 of Paramount+'s "Evil" wrapped up earlier than anticipated after WGA members picketed outside the set in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn; IATSE-affiliated crew members refused to cross the picket line. Production paused in New York on Season 2 of Apple TV+'s "Severance" after IATSE members and Teamsters refused to cross a WGA picket line. Meanwhile, Disney+ announced that production on "Andor" Season 2 will continue during the strike, without the participation of writer and showrunner Tony Gilroy. A Monday piece in The New York Times signals that this strike could last for some time, as writers and studio executives remain significantly far apart on a number of key issues. CNN

"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Amazon created a new division -- Amazon MGM Studios Distribution -- which will jointly license Amazon Studios, Prime Video, and MGM library titles to third-party networks and streamers. This means original Prime Video series such as "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" could soon be syndicated to other platforms. More: Former MGM distribution chief Chris Ottinger will head the newly-merged division. Amazon Studios films set for wider distribution include "All the Old Knives," "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," "Coming 2 America," "Without Remorse," and "The Tomorrow War"; on the TV side, projects include "Goliath" and "Hunters." MGM's catalog includes the James Bond and "Rocky" film franchises, along with shows like "The Handmaid's Tale," "Vikings," and "Fargo." Amazon content will be available for various "windows," including TV syndication on free and basic cable, along with other ad-supported or even subscription streaming platforms. VARIETY

WEEKLY CALENDAR MONDAY, MAY 8 TO THE END: 2022 political documentary profiling four women of color who are key figures in the Green New Deal movement, attempting to address climate change and economic justice via new legislation. Subjects include Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sunrise Movement co-founder Varshini Prakash, Justice Democrats executive director Alexandra Rojas, and Roosevelt Institute climate policy director Rhiana Gunn-Wright. Rachel Lears ("Knock Down the House") directs. [Hulu] SPIRIT RANGERS: Animated series for preschoolers from creators Karissa Valencia and Chris Nee ("Doc McStuffins"), centering on the adventures of three Native American siblings who join forces to protect the national park they call home. Season 2 hits Netflix today. [Netflix] TWO SIDES OF THE ABYSS (ZWEI SEITEN DES ABGRUNDS): Crime thriller series from Germany, starring Anne Ratte-Polle as a police officer whose daughter's killer is released early from prison, setting off a chaotic and violent string of events. Kristin Derfler ("Brüder") created and wrote the series; Anno Saul (“Charité”) directed. [Max] TUESDAY, MAY 9 EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: The annual European music and songwriting competition streams on Peacock in the US, beginning with the Semi-Finals on Tuesday at 3 pm ET. The second Semi-Final round streams on Thursday, with the Grand Final following on Saturday. [Peacock] HANNAH GADSBY: SOMETHING SPECIAL: The Australian comedian's third Netflix special is a self-described "feel-good" show, with material centered around their 2021 wedding to Jenney Shamash (who also directed). The special was filmed at the Sydney Opera House in Fall 2022. [Netflix] DOCUMENTARY NOW! Each episode of the IFC anthology comedy series parodies a different classic movie documentary. Season 4 aired on cable in late 2022 and hits Netflix today. The cast includes Fred Armisen, Alexander Skarsgård, Cate Blanchett, Jonathan Pryce, John Rhys-Davies, Jamie Demetriou, and Liliane Rovère; Helen Mirren hosts. [Netflix] JEOPARDY! MASTERS: Primetime ABC game show, pitting six legendary champions against one another in a high-stakes tournament to determine who is the ultimate Jeopardy! Master. Contestants include Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio, Mattea Roach, Andrew He, Sam Buttrey, and James Holzhauer; Ken Jennings hosts. New episodes air Mondays on TV and hit Hulu on Tuesdays. [Hulu] THE LAST WARRIOR: ROOT OF EVIL: Live-action 2022 fantasy-comedy feature from Russia, a follow-up to the 2017 film "The Last Warrior." Viktor Khorinyak stars as Ivan, a man from modern-day Moscow who finds himself magically transported to a fairy tale version of Ancient Russia known as "Belogorie." [Hulu] TILL: 2022 scripted biographical drama profiling educator and activist Mamie Till-Bradley (Danielle Deadwyler), whose 14-year-old son Emmett (Jalyn Hall) was abducted and murdered in 1955 Mississippi. The film centers on Till-Bradley's pursuit of justice for her son, and the ways in which her efforts helped to jumpstart the American Civil Rights Movement. Kevin Carroll, Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, and Whoopi Goldberg co-star; Goldberg also executive produced. [Amazon] THE GHOST OF RICHARD HARRIS: Documentary profile of the iconic British musician, writer, and actor, hosted by his three sons: Jared, Jamie, and Damian. The film looks both at Harris' career on stage and screen, and his at times tumultuous personal life. BBC vet Adrian Sibley ("Steve Martin: Seriously Funny") directed. [Britbox] PETER O'TOOLE: ALONG THE SKY ROAD TO AQABA: Documentary feature profiling Irish actor Peter O'Toole, which a specific focus on his theatrical legacy. The film features archival footage of O'Toole looking back on his own career, along with insights from Anthony Hopkins, Brian Cox, Petula Clark, Stephen Fry, Derek Jacobi, Kenneth Branagh, and others. [Britbox] WEDNESDAY, MAY 10 THE MUPPETS MAYHEM: Limited musical comedy series starring the Muppet rock band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, and centering on their efforts to record an album for a major label. Lilly Singh, Tahj Mowry, Saara Chaudry, and Anders Holm co-star alongside the familiar Muppet characters. All 10 episodes hit Disney+ on Wednesday. [Disney+] CLASS OF '09: Limited suspense thriller series from FX, following three newly-recruited FBI agents at three different moments in time, as they engage with and utilize artificial intelligence on the job. Brian Tyree Henry, Kate Mara, Raúl Castillo, Jake McDorman, and Sepideh Moafi co-star; novelist Tom Rob Smith ("The Assassination of Gianni Versace") created the series. [Hulu] JUDGE STEVE HARVEY: Humorous primetime reality courtroom show from ABC featuring the comedian and actor moderating personal conflicts and making rulings on small claims cases. New episodes air Tuesdays on network TV and hit Hulu on Wednesdays. [Hulu] QUEEN CLEOPATRA: Each season of the historical docuseries anthology "African Queens" will relate the story of a different female monarch utilizing interviews with experts and dramatic re-enactments. The new second season centers on Queen Cleopatra VII; the casting of Black British actress Adele James in the lead role has stirred controversy in Egypt. Jada Pinkett Smith executive produces and narrates. [Netflix] MISSING: DEAD OR ALIVE? Debut true-crime docuseries, following officers from the Richland County Sheriff's Department's Missing Persons Unit in Columbia, South Carolina as they investigate disappearances within the first 48 hours after they're reported. [Netflix] DANCE BROTHERS: Netflix's first original drama series from Finland centers on two brothers  (Samuel Kujala and Roderick Kabanga) who fund their dream of becoming professional dancers by opening a nightclub together. [Netflix] THURSDAY, MAY 11 ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS: The annual ceremony, honoring the best in country music, will stream live on Prime Video from the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas, on Thursday, starting at 5 pm PT. Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton co-host. [Amazon] RICK AND MORTY: The animated sci-fi comedy series' sixth season aired in late 2022 on Adult Swim and hits Max today in the US. Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon co-created the series, which centers on the wacky misadventures of a brilliant scientist and his neurotic grandson (both voiced by Roiland). The voice cast also features Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, Sarah Chalke, and Keith David. [Max] INTELLIGENCE: A SPECIAL AGENT SPECIAL: Comedy special, spun off from the UK sitcom "Intelligence," about the working relationship between a pompous American NSA agent (David Schwimmer) and his British computer analyst counterpart (Nick Mohammed). Jennifer Saunders guest stars. [Peacock] BAR FIGHT! 2022 direct-to-VOD comedy starring Melissa Fumero and Luka Jones as a couple that breaks up, then squares off to see who keeps custody of their favorite local watering hole. Rachel Bloom co-stars; Jim Mahoney ("Klaus") wrote and directed. [Hulu] ROYALTEEN: PRINCESS MARGRETHE: YA romantic drama feature from Norway, serving as a sequel to the original 2022 film "Royalteen," and based on the next book in authors Randi Fuglehaug and Anne Gunn Halvorsen's series. Princess Margrethe (Elli Müller Osborne) attempts to protect her family from scandal while preparing for a visit from Prince Alexander of Denmark (Sammy Germain Wadi). [Netflix] ULTRAMAN: Netflix's anime "Ultraman" revival series returns on Thursday for a third and final season. In the new series, the son of the original Ultraman must rise to the challenge when a new alien invasion strikes the Earth. [Netflix] FRIDAY, MAY 12 AIR: 2023 biographical sports drama film, chronicling the actual events that led to the release of Nike's Air Jordan line of basketball shoes in the 1980s. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, and Viola Davis co-star; Affleck directed. [Amazon] THE MOTHER: Action-thriller film starring Jennifer Lopez as an assassin who comes out of hiding to protect the daughter (Lucy Paez) she gave up as a young woman and never got to know. Paul Raci, Gael Garcia Bernal, Edie Falco, and Joseph Fiennes co-star; Niki Caro ("Mulan") directs. [Netflix] QUEER EYE: Season 7 of the makeover-themed reality series brings the Fab Five to New Orleans, where they'll help a new crop of struggling dudes reinvent themselves and their outlooks on life. Jonathan Van Ness, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski, and Tan France all return for the new episodes. [Netflix] MULLIGAN: Animated sci-fi comedy series for adults about the ragtag band of survivors who attempt to rebuild human civilization after a devastating alien attack. The voice cast includes Daniel Radcliffe, Kevin Michael Richardson, Tina Fey, Dana Carvey, Chrissy Teigen, Ayo Edebiri, Nat Faxon, and Sam Richardson. "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" vets Robert Carlock and Sam Means co-created. [Netflix] BLACK KNIGHT: Debut Korean sci-fi drama series, based on comics by Lee Yoon-kyun, set in a dystopian future in which the global population has been devastated by toxic air pollution. Kim Woo-bin stars as a skilled delivery driver -- known as a "knight" -- who meets and agrees to train a young protege (Kang You-seok). [Netflix] CITY ON FIRE: Debut crime drama series from creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage ("The OC," "Gossip Girl"), based on the book by Garth Risk Hallberg. In 2003, an investigation into the murder of a young woman (Chase Sui Wonders) in New York's Central Park leads to a number of surprising revelations about the downtown music scene, a string of fires around the city, and more. Wyatt Oleff, Jemima Kirke, Nicol Tortorella, and Ashley Zukerman co-star. [Apple TV+] STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE: Documentary profiling the legendary Canadian actor and advocate, with a focus on his ongoing struggles with Parkinson's disease and the optimistic outlook that allows him to keep pushing forward. Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth," "He Named Me Malala") directed. [Apple TV+] THE GREAT: The period dark comedy series -- a satirical take on the rise to power of Russian monarch Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) -- returns on Friday for a third season. Nicholas Hoult co-stars as Peter III; "The Favourite" screenwriter Tony McNamara created. [Hulu] SAINT OMER: Legal drama feature from France, inspired by a true story, following the trial of a Senegalese woman (Guslagie Malanda) accused of murdering her 15-month-old child. Kayije Kagame co-stars as a pregnant novelist who observes the trial in order to write about the case. Documentarian Alice Diop makes her feature debut with the film, which received the Grand Jury Prize at Venice. [Hulu] RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE ALL STARS: The reality competition series -- a spinoff of the original "Drag Race" in which popular contestants return for a shot at joining the "Hall of Fame" -- is back on Paramount+ this week for an 8th season. RuPaul hosts and judges, along with panelists Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, and Ts Madison. The companion series "Untucked" also returns with new episodes this week. [Paramount+] CRATER: Coming-of-age sci-fi adventure film about a group of kids from a lunar mining colony who hijack a rover and leave the safety of their home to explore a mysterious crater. Isaiah Russell-Bailey, Mckenna Grace, Billy Barratt, Brady Noon, and Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi co-star. [Disney+] THE CORONATION: A DAY TO REMEMBER: 90-minute special, produced for BBC America, featuring highlights from last week's coronation ceremony for King Charles III and Queen Camilla, held at London's Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. [AMC+] HUESERA: THE BONE WOMAN: This 2022 Spanish-language horror film is the feature debut of writer/director Michelle Garza Cervera. Natalia Solián stars as Valeria, a pregnant woman who comes to believe she's under threat by dark occult forces. The film debuted at 2022's Tribeca Festival and won multiple awards. [Shudder] SATURDAY, MAY 13 THE LOCKSMITH: 2023 direct-to-VOD thriller starring Ryan Phillippe as an expert locksmith trying to go straight after a stint in prison, who nonetheless finds himself pulled back into the world of crime. Kate Bosworth and Ving Rhames co-star. [Hulu] SUNDAY, MAY 14 FEAR THE WALKING DEAD: The zombie drama -- a spinoff of the original "Walking Dead" based on the same comic book series -- returns this weekend for its eighth and final season. Lennie James, Colman Domingo, Danay Garcia, Austin Amelio, Mo Collins, Jenna Elfman, Rubén Blades, and Kim Dickens co-star. [AMC+]

The full season of the "Yellowstone" prequel series "1883" will air on cable's Paramount Network. The show was originally produced for the Paramount+ streaming platform. More: "1883" begins is cable run on Sunday, June 18 at 8 pm; Paramount Network will show behind-the-scenes featurettes after each episode. The show comes from "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan, and centers on members of the Dutton family embarking across the Great Plains in the titular year; it stars Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Billy Bob Thornton. The main "Yellowstone" series -- a Paramount Network original -- will wrap up its run after its current fifth season ends; Paramount has announced a spinoff series, potentially starring Matthew McConaughey. DEADLINE

The Netflix dark comedy series "Beef" debuted at the #4 position on Nielsen's streaming charts during the week of April 3-9 this year. "Beef" premiered on April 6, giving it only 4 days of availability for that first week. More: According to Nielsen, "Beef" was viewed for around 962 million minutes during those first four days on Netflix. "Beef" will compete for Emmys in the limited series category, though creator Lee Sung Jin has suggested he has potential ideas for future seasons. The show became embroiled in controversy after a 10-year-old podcast episode resurfaced in which supporting actor David Choe relates a story about committing sexual assault; Choe later claimed the story was fabricated. The #1 Netflix series for the week of April 3-9 was "The Night Agent," which is now the streamer's fifth most-popular English-language series of all time. VARIETY

In a new interview with Tech Brew, former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer expresses regret about purchasing Tumblr in 2013 rather than a nascent streaming service. Mayer says that, with the benefit of hindsight, she now believes Netflix or Hulu "would have been a better acquisition" at the time. More: Yahoo grabbed "microblogging platform" Tumblr for $1.1 billion in 2013, seeking a "transformative acquisition." According to Mayer, Yahoo executives also considered acquiring a streaming platform at that time. By Mayer's estimates, Netflix would've cost the company $4 billion to acquire, while Hulu would have been comparable to Tumblr, at a cost of around $1.3 billion. In 2016, Yahoo wrote down the value of Tumblr by $230 million; after Verizon acquired Yahoo in 2019, they sold Tumblr to WordPress owner Automattic Inc. for an undisclosed sum, reportedly under $3 million. Yahoo ultimately did create its own in-house streaming service, Yahoo Screen, which produced some original shows, including a sixth season of the network sitcom "Community"; it folded in 2016. DEADLINE

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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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