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| Good morning! HUGE news day today, so I'll be brief. We've got some disappointing but ultimately unsurprising news from the strike front. Studio chiefs seem to believe that creatives can be appeased by a few piecemeal compromises, but it's becoming clearer that, for the writers at least, this is being viewed as a generational conflict. I think there's a widespread understanding that this generation of writers and actors are not going to get another shot at this; they either lock in new rules now, providing them with a solid career path moving forward, or they start looking around for teaching gigs. If I'm right, this strike could go on for a very long time indeed. People who believe that they're on the front lines, protecting the future of their business and way of life, are not going to be inclined to accept half-measures. Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | Talks have once again stalled between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA). The AMPTP opted to release the details of their latest proposal to the public, just days after a sit-down meeting between WGA leadership and several top-ranking Hollywood executives failed to produce positive results. More: - The AMPTP's latest proposal includes a 13% wage increase over three years; additional residuals; a new compesation structure; protections against the use of AI; more data transparency around streaming viewership; and a pathway to train novice writers to become producers and showrunners.
- According to the writers, the AMPTP still does not intend to negotiate; rather than "good faith talks," the WGA accused the studio CEOs of offering them "a lecture about how good their single and only counteroffer was."
- Executives attending the meeting included AMPTP chief Carol Lombardini, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, Universal Pictures chairperson Donna Langley, Disney CEO Bob Iger, and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
- Wednesday marks the 115th day of the writers strike.
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| 2 | | Another watchdog group released new findings, indicating that YouTube is still tracking data on children's videos. The latest report comes from the children's advocacy group Fairplay. More: - Last week, a report from a separate company -- Adalytics -- found that Google was collecting data from young viewers in order to serve personalized YouTube ads, despite promises from the company in 2019 that it would abandon the practice.
- Under federal privacy law, Google must obtain parental consent before collecting any personal information for users under the age of 13; YouTube has vowed not to track any data from users watching videos aimed at children.
- Fairplay used YouTube's own tools to place a variety of $10 ads on various children's videos, targeting adult viewers; the ads were shown on videos from Cocomelon, Talking Tom, and other channels popular with young kids.
- In response to the findings, Fairplay and a collection of other nonprofits have lodged a formal complaint against Google with the Federal Trade Commission.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23 AHSOKA: Limited "Star Wars" series from "The Mandalorian" duo of Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, following up directly on Filoni's animated "Rebels" series. In the period following "Return of the Jedi," Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) -- Anakin Skywalker's former apprentice -- joins with some old friends to investigate an emerging threat to peace in the galaxy. Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lars Mikkelsen, David Tennant, and the late Ray Stevenson co-star. [Disney+] INVASION: The sci-fi series dramatizes a devastating alien invasion of Earth from the perspectives of a few ordinary people around the globe. It's back for a second season. Golshifteh Farahani, Shamier Anderson, Shioli Kutsuna, and Billy Barratt co-star; Simon Kinberg ("The Twilight Zone") and David Weil ("Citadel") co-created. [Apple TV+] BS HIGH: Feature documentary from HBO investigating the Bishop Sycamore Centurions, a fake high school football team that managed to schedule and compete in a string of marquee games against real, in some cases elite schools and academies. In August of 2021, the Centurions had a blowout loss to IMG Academy that was televised on ESPN. Adam McKay and Michael Strahan executive produced; "Two Distant Strangers" collaborators Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe co-directed. [Max] WHY THE HECK DID I BUY THIS HOUSE? In the HGTV reality series, San Antonio designer and renovator Kim Wolfe (a former "Survivor" winner) helps homeowners experiencing buyer's remorse to remodel and transform their homes into living spaces that they love. It's back this week for a second season on both Max and cable. [Max] THE ULTIMATUM: MARRY OR MOVE ON: The reality dating series from "Love is Blind" studio Kinetic Content gives long-time couples eight weeks to choose between getting married or separating forever, during which time they have the opportunity to temporarily date and move in with new people. It's back for a second season. Nick and Vanessa Lachey host. [Netflix] SQUARED LOVE EVERLASTING (MIŁOŚĆ DO KWADRATU BEZ GRANIC): The third film in the Polish "Squared Love" franchise of romantic comedies follows up on "Squared Love All Over Again," which was released earlier this year. In the latest installment, Monika (Adrianna Chlebicka) and Enzo's (Mateusz Banasiuk) engagement faces a serious test after she's promoted to school principal. [Netflix] DESTINED WITH YOU: Debut fantasy romance series from Korea, starring Rowoon as a lawyer who's bound by a 300-year-old curse, and Jo Bo-ah as the civil servant who unknowingly holds the key to setting him free. Ha Jun and Yura co-star. [Netflix] TRAP JAZZ: Documentary series from Andscape in which a group of musicians and producers from Atlanta develop and experiment with an original musical genre, fusing trap and jazz. Sadé Clacken Joseph ("Rap Sh!t," "Good Trouble") directs. [Hulu] THE FIRST OF US (EL PRIMERO DE NOSOTROS): Telenovela from Argentina, about a group of friends in their 40s who learn that one of their group -- Santiago (Benjamín Vicuña) -- has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Paola Krum, Luciano Castro, Jorgelina Aruzzi, and Damián de Santo co-star. The first season comes to Paramount+ in the US today in its entirety. [Paramount+] | | | |
| 4 | | Filmmaker Zack Snyder shared an early look at his epic two-part Netflix sci-fi drama feature "Rebel Moon." Part 1 hits Netflix on December 22; Part 2 will follow in April of 2024. More: - Snyder had originally conceived of "Rebel Moon" as a pitch for the "Star Wars" universe before re-imagining it as a standalone project.
- The story centers on a peaceful colony that's threatened by an interplanetary warlord, and must assemble a group of warriors to mount a defense.
- Sofia Boutella, Ed Skrein, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Bae Doona, Ray Fisher, and Anthony Hopkins co-star.
- An expansive RPG set in the "Rebel Moon" universe is apparently also in development.
- Snyder -- best known for "300," "Man of Steel," and "Justice League" -- previously directed the horror-heist film "Army of the Dead" for Netflix.
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| 5 | | Max renewed the "Sex and the City" spinoff series "And Just Like That" for a third season. The Season 2 finale premieres this week, on August 24, and features a long-awaited cameo from original "Sex and the City" vet Kim Cattrall. More: - Work on Season 3 will not begin until after the resolution of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
- In addition to original "Sex and the City" regulars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon, the cast includes Sara Ramírez, Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker, Karen Pittman, and Mario Cantone.
- John Corbett also reprised his original "SATC" role as Aidan Shaw in Season 2.
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| 6 | | Paramount+ dropped a teaser for the upcoming "Frasier" revival series. The brief animated clip features star Kelsey Grammer performing a new take on the original show's iconic theme song. More: - "Frasier" returns to Paramount+ on October 12.
- While the original "Frasier" credits featured a doodle of the Seattle skyline, the new show updates the iconography for its Boston setting.
- The original "Frasier" debuted in 1993 and aired on NBC for 11 seasons, winning a record 37 Emmys over the course of its run; it was a spinoff of the wildly popular 1980s sitcom "Cheers."
- The new take co-stars Jack Cutmore-Scott as Frasier's now-adult son, Freddy; Jess Salguiero as Freddy's roommate, Eve; and Nicholas Lyndhurst as Frasier's old college buddy, Alan.
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| 7 | | A teaser for the Amazon UK thriller series "Wilderness" includes a brief clip from Taylor Swift's new version of "Look What You Made Me Do." The re-recorded track will appear on Swift's hotly-anticipated remake of her "Reputation" album, and also serves as the "Wilderness" opening credits theme. More: - "Wilderness" stars Jenna Coleman as Liv, who embarks on a road trip across the Western US with her husband Will (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), shortly after discovering that he's having an affair.
- While Will thinks the trip is an opportunity to make amends, Liv is focused on opportunities for vengeance.
- The series premieres on Prime Video in the US on September 15.
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| 8 | | Netflix now ranks "Extraction 2" as its 10th most-streamed English-language film of all time. The action sequel knocked Mark Wahlberg's "Spenser Confidential" off the list. More: - The first "Extraction" is the #3 entry on the Most Popular list; this makes it the first franchise in Netflix history with two films on the list simultaneously.
- According to Netflix, "Extraction 2" has been viewed around 129.3 million times in its first 66 days; the streamer now monitors films for a 91-day window after they debut.
- The first "Extraction" has a total of 135.7 million views to date; that means the sequel could surpass it before the end of its 91-day run.
- The Gal Gadot spy thiller "Heart of Stone" continues performing well on Netflix; it drew 35.2 million views between August 14-20, making it the platform's most-watched English-language film.
- Two entries in Netflix's "Untold" anthology of sports documentaries made it on to this week's Top 10 list: "Hall of Shame" and "Johnny Football."
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| 9 | | Prior to a headline-grabbing lawsuit brought against the singer by three of her backup dancers, Lizzo settled a different dispute with a different group of performers. At issue was a sequence in the 2022 HBO Max documentary "Love, Lizzo," which featured a group of dancers speaking candidly with the artist backstage at the 2019 Video Music Awards. More: - After the documentary's premiere, several dancers featured in the sequence complained that they had not been informed about the inclusion of the footage in the film, had not consented to its use, and had not received any compensation.
- The dancers were working under a union contract for the VMAs and apparently did not sign any non-union agreement over the use of the footage.
- Ultimately, the claims were settled after the dancers were compensated; Lizzo's attorney Martin Singer claims the artist had no knowledge of the situation and "had nothing to do with it."
- In a separate lawsuit filed earlier this month, three former dancers have accused Lizzo of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, among other allegations.
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- During Bethesda's presentation at the Gamescom 2023 conference, the studio showed a brief teaser for Amazon and Jonathan Nolan's adaptation of the "Fallout" video game franchise; the satirical post-apocalyptic series hits Prime Video sometime next year.
- According to creator and showrunner Sam Levinson, the upcoming third season of HBO's "Euphoria" will have "film noir" elements, and centers on Rue's (Zendaya) attempts to lead a principled life in a corrupt world.
- Jamie Hector and Anthony Michael Hall joined the cast of Amazon Freevee's spinoff "Bosch: Legacy"; a separate spinoff series featuring Hector's character, Jerry Edgar, is also in development.
- HBO's period drama "The Gilded Age" returns for a second season on October 29.
- At the Edinburgh TV Festival, Netflix UK announced a documentary tracking the development of the atomic bomb from Albert Einstein's perspective and a new autobiographical series from Jack Whitehall, while Disney+ unveiled a series of musical biographies from Oscar-winner Asif Kapadia.
- HBO renewed the surfing docuseries "100 Foot Wave" for a third season.
- OWN canceled the courtroom drama series "All Rise" after three seasons; the former CBS drama's final 10 episodes debut on September 16.
- Long-awaited Aardman animated sequel "Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget" will make its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival; the film will stream internationally on Netflix starting on December 15.
- Max greenlit a roller-dancing competition series from Magnolia Network masterminds Chip and Joanna Gaines; the "nostalgic, family-friendly" series featuring top rollerskating crews from across the US will debut in early 2024.
- According to TV Line, the current fourth season of CW's "Superman & Lois" may not close out the popular superhero drama, despite major shifts at its home network; CW president Brad Schwartz recently indicated that the door remains open to future seasons of the DC Comics-inspired series, along with popular favorites "Walker" and "All American."
- Legendary TV writer/producer David Jacobs -- who created the CBS soap operas "Knots Landing," "Dallas," and "Paradise" -- died on Sunday at age 84 in Burbank.
- Famed Bollywood production company and music label T-Series is developing its first streaming show, the crime drama "Kaala," for Disney+ Hotstar.
- Netflix announced its first original series from Pakistan, "Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samait Lo"; the series is based on a popular 2013 Urdu-language novel, and centers on the relationship between a law student and an artist who meet in Italy.
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INSIDE STREAMING LEADERBOARD (ALL-TIME) |
 | Writer | | 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." | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia | |
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