WGA urges gov't investigation / "Suits" still #1 / "Royal Blue" spikes Prime Video sign-ups / Another "Big Brother" controversy

Plus the weekend calendar, "Painting with John" canceled, Harbour talks "Stranger Things" finale, "Selling the OC" S2, and more

Inside Streaming For August 18, 2023

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Happy Friday! "Suits" is officially unstoppable. The former USA Network series has dominated the Nielsen streaming charts for a full month now, basically becoming America's favorite show of the summer. It's already one of the most popular licensed shows in Netflix history, despite NEVER reaching this level of mainstream attention during its actual original TV run.  This really undermines so much of the thinking during the Peak TV era. Though binging can briefly give a show like "Squid Game" or "Tiger King" a kind of universal saturation, in which EVERYONE seems to be watching the same thing at the same time, it's clearly no match for the satisfaction factor of the old-school episodic model in terms of longevity. "Tiger King" had already started to fade by this point, while "Suits" is still going strong, as audiences barrel through 9 full seasons of content. Anyway, it's worth noting that old-fashioned villain of the week episodic storytelling is not only not DEAD, but significantly more popular than the cinematic season-long arcs we've been getting almost exclusively since "Game of Thrones."  Have a great weekend. We'll see you back here on Monday. Lon p/lon-harris

1 The WGA West released a new report calling for additional government regulation of "anti-competitive practices" in the media and streaming industry. The report specifically accuses Disney, Amazon, and Netflix of abusing their central, powerful positions in the industry to "raise prices for consumers," "disadvantage competitors," and "push down wages for the creative workforce." More: The report is titled "The New Gatekeepers: How Disney, Amazon, and Netflix Will Take Over Media." The guild has been in active talks with the AMPTP, which represents the major streamers and studios, throughout the week on a new agreement. The report goes through each company individually, making the case that Hollywood's new "monopolistic model" concentrates control over the entire industry in the hands of "just a few large and powerful corporations"; for creatives, the WGA argues, that means "fewer buyers for their work," and employers with more leverage to cut pay and diminish working conditions.

2 "Suits" was the most-streamed series on Nielsen's domestic chart for a fourth week in a row. The former USA Network legal comedy-drama was streamed for 3.88 billion minutes across both Netflix and Peacock between July 17-23, setting yet another viewership record for an acquired series in a single week. More: Last week, "Suits" broke its own record with 3.67 billion minutes streamed; it's performing better than any other acquired series since Nielsen started tracking streaming shows in 2020. Two other shows topped the billion minutes-streamed milestone in mid-July; "Bluey" on Disney+ and "Steel Magnolias," also on Netflix. "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" returned to Nielsen's Top 10 streaming originals list on July 17-23, as Paramount+ dropped two episodes.

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3 WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, AUGUST 18 THE MONKEY KING: Animated fantasy-comedy feature for the whole family, loosely inspired by the classic 16th Century Chinese novel "Journey to the West." In 600 AD, the super-powered egomaniacal outcast Monkey (Jimmy O. Yang) must defeat 100 demons in order to realize his destiny and become immortal. Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Bowen Yang, Jo Koy, Ron Yuan, Stephanie Hsu, and B.D. Wong co-star. [Netflix] MASK GIRL: Debut Korean dark comedy/thriller series, based on the digital comic by Mae-mi. Go Hyun-jung stars as Kim Mo-mi, an insecure everywoman who secretly leads a double life as a masked internet personality. Nana, Ahn Jae-hong, Yeom Hye-ran, and Choi Daniel co-star. [Netflix] LOVE, SEX & 30 CANDLES: English-language romantic drama film from South Africa, following the lives of a group of best girl friends in the year that they all turn 30. Amogelang Chidi, Bahumi Madisakwane, and Gabisile Tshabalala co-star; Stephina Zwane directs. [Netflix] 10 DAYS OF A BAD MAN (KÖTÜ ADAMIN 10 GÜNÜ): Crime drama feature from Turkey -- a direct sequel to "10 Days of the Good Man" -- in which broken-down private investigator Sadik (Nejat İşler) seeks answers in a convoluted murder case. Senay Gurler, Hazal Subasi, and Hazal Filiz Kucukkose co-star. [Netflix] LEGO DISNEY PRINCESS: THE CASTLE QUEST: Animated comedy special in which LEGO versions of Tiana, Moana, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Ariel join forces to save their fantasy kingdoms from "Beauty and the Beast" villain Gaston's evil plot. Original Princess voice actors Mandy Moore, Auli'i Cravalho, Jodi Benson, and Anika Noni Rose reprise their classic roles; Jim Cummings, Corey Burton, Jeff Bennett, Jo Anne Worley, and Richard White co-star. [Disney+] HARLAN COBEN'S SHELTER: Debut YA mystery-thriller series, based on the novels by author Coben. Jaden Michael stars as Mickey Bolitar, who moves to New Jersey to embark on a new life after the death of his father, but soon finds himself investigating the mysterious disappearance of a fellow student. Constance Zimmer, Adrian Greensmith, Abby Corrigan, and Tovah Feldshuh co-star. Netflix has produced a number of Coben adaptations; this is the author's first collaboration with Amazon. [Amazon] UNSEEN: 2023 thriller, produced by Blumhouse, starring Midori Francis as a nearly-blind woman being pursued through the woods by her murderous ex. Her only chance for survival is a random phone call to a convenience store clerk (Jolene Purdy), who attempts to serve as a guide. Yoko Okumura ("50 States of Fright") directs. [Amazon] NEW BANDITS (CANGAÇO NOVO): Debut Brazilian crime drama series, starring Allan Souza Lima as a São Paulo bank clerk who discovers his estranged father was secretly the leader of a mystical cult-slash-crime organization. When the cultists discover his close physical resemblance to his dad, they insist that he take over as their new leader. Alice Carvalho, Thainá Duarte, and Ricardo Blat co-star. [Amazon] TIME OF ESSENCE: Five-part docuseries from Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) looking back at the history and legacy of ESSENCE Magazine, in commemoration of its 50th anniversary. The series features insights from Winfrey, Beverly Johnson, Halle Berry, Whoopi Goldberg, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Regina Hall, Taye Diggs, and many others. [Max] MARKKIM + CHEF: In this international remake of "Selena + Chef," Thai TV stars Kimberley Anne Woltemas and Mark Prin Suparat receive home cooking lessons from a string of celebrity chefs. [Max] SNOOPY PRESENTS: ONE-OF-A-KIND MARCIE: Debut animated special, based on the classic "Peanuts" comic strip by Charles M Schulz, in which the typically introverted Marcie considers a run for class president. [Apple TV+] CHRIS FLEMING: HELL: The comedian's unconventional new hourlong special was recorded at the Dynasty Typewriter venue in Los Angeles, and includes stand-up along with original songs, sketches, dancing, and even puppets. [Peacock] PUPPY LOVE: Romantic comedy feature starring Lucy Hale and Grant Gustin as a mismatched pair whose first date goes horribly awry. But when it turns out their dogs are going to have puppies, they end up getting a second chance at love. The film was produced by BuzzFeed Studios, based on the 2015 digital series, "Puppylove." [Freevee] THE FRIENDSHIP GAME: 2022 horror film about a group of teens who discover a strange object that seemingly has a mind of its own, and finds ways to test their loyalty to one another. Peyton List, Brendan Meyer, Kelcey Mawema, and Kaitlyn Santa Juana co-star; Scooter Corkle ("Hollow in the Land") directed. [Hulu] WAR OF THE WORLDS: THE ATTACK: 2023 sci-fi thriller -- inspired by H.G. Wells' classic novel -- about three young astronomers working together to track a meteorite who find themselves in the midst of an alien invasion. Sam Gittins, Lara Lemon, and Alhaji Fofana co-star; Junaid Syed co-wrote and directed. [Hulu] SATURDAY, AUGUST 19 STAND UP TO CANCER: The annual telethon raises money for cancer research, and celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. Elizabeth Banks, Jessica BIel, Don Cheadle, Katie Couric, Danai Gurira, Tony Hale, Julianne Moore, Justin Timberlake and many others are scheduled to make appearances. The show airs live on NBC and streams on Peacock starting at 8 pm ET. [Peacock] BAD THINGS: 2023 indie horror film from writer/director Stewart Thorndike ("Lyle"), about a group of friends on a weekend getaway who discover the deserted motel at which they're staying holds a number of terrifying, bloody secrets. Gayle Rankin, Hari Nef, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Molly Ringwald, Holland Smith, and Rad Pereira co-star. [Shudder] TO CATCH A KILLER: 2023 crime drama about a troubled police officer (Shailene Woodley) who's recruited by the FBI's chief investigator (Ben Mendelsohn) to help him track down a disturbed criminal terrorizing Baltimore on New Year's Eve. Acclaimed Argentine filmmaker Damián Szifron ("Wild Tales") co-wrote and directed. [Hulu] SUNDAY, AUGUST 20 THE WINTER KING: Debut fantasy drama series from the UK, based on author Bernard Cornwell's "Warlord Chronicles" novels, and featuring a dark retelling of the King Arthur legend. Iain De Caestecker stars as Arthur Pendragon, an exiled warlord who returns to Britain on the eve of the Saxon invasion. Jordan Alexandra, Stuart Campbell, Ellie James, Eddie Marsan, and Nathaniel Martello-White co-star. [MGM+] SAN FRANCISCO SOUNDS: A PLACE IN TIME: Two-part docuseries looking back at the Bay Area music scene of the 1960s and '70s, which gave rise to artists include the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin, along with the influential Monterey Pop festival. "Laurel Canyon" vets Alison Ellwood and Anoosh Tertzakian directed. [MGM+] DISAPPEARED: The Investigation Discovery true-crime docuseries highlights cases in which individuals mysteriously went missing, utilizing interviews with relatives, investigators and law enforcement, along with dramatic re-enactments. Season 11 debuts this weekend with a two-part special examining the vanishing of 10-year-old Tionda Bradley and her 3-year-old sister Diamond from their Chicago apartment in 2001. [Max] SISTER WIVES: The TLC reality series centers on Kody Brown, a polygamist with four wives and 18 children. The show's 18th season debuts this weekend on Max and cable. [Max] NEVER TOO LATE TO CELEBRATE: Romantic drama from Hallmark Channel starring real-life couple Alexa and Carlos PenaVega as a dentist and Spanish teacher who join forces to plan a quinceañera party that celebrates her newly-rediscovered Hispanic heritage. [Peacock] AMSTERDAM: 2022 comedic thriller from writer/director David O. Russell, based on a real 1930s political conspiracy to replace President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington co-star as three friends who met during WWI, and reunite years later to investigate the alleged murder of a Senator. Alessandro Nivola, Andrea Riseborough, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Robert De Niro, and Michael Shannon co-star. [Hulu]

4 According to Amazon's internal data, the romantic comedy feature "Red, White & Royal Blue" brought in a "huge surge of new Prime membership signups." Prime Video reported that the film is now its most-viewed internationally, and already ranks among its "top three most-watched romantic comedies of all time." More: The film is based on a 2019 novel by Casey McQuiston, and centers on the complex relationship between the son of the US President (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and a British prince (Nicholas Galitzine). Uma Thurman co-stars as America's first female president. Director Matthew López calls the film a "wonderful fairy tale" for LGBTQ+ audiences.

5 A recent episode of "Big Brother" in which hearing-impaired houseguest Matt Klotz was asked to participate in a challenge that involved decoding audio clues prompted backlash on social media. Klotz is the first-ever deaf competitor in "Big Brother" history. More: Klotz was one of six houseguests to participate in a veto competition called "Twisted Tasks"; competitors were asked to solve puzzles after listening to a series of recordings. Klotz did not finish in the Top 3 during the competition, leading to complaints from viewers on Twitter. Producers have explained that they had made attempts to accommodate Klotz during the competition; in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, EP Allison Grodner noted that special equipment had been provided, along with monitors displaying rules and prompts from producers. 27-year-old Klotz is a champion swimmer who won a gold medal at the 2017 Deaflympics event.

6 HBO canceled the unconventional chat series "Painting with John" after three seasons. Series creator and host John Lurie announced the cancellation on Twitter, noting "I am sad about it but it is a miracle that it ever happened at all." More: The show originally debuted on HBO in 2021; the third season aired and streamed in June and July of this year. In all, Lurie filmed 18 total episodes. The series featured the musician, painter, and actor working on his watercolors while having fireside chats, often along with executive producers Nesrin Wolf and AnnMary James. The series was something of a spiritual sequel to the '90s IFC and Bravo series "Fishing with John," in which non-expert Lurie and a rotating group of celebrity friends embarked on largely uneventful fishing expeditions.

7 QUICK HITS The AWS Cookbook - packed with practical insights and hands-on examples - is a must-have for your cloud toolkit.* In an appearance on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, "Stranger Things" star David Harbour revealed that he saw Season 5 scripts ahead of the WGA strike and confirmed that "they're terrific, as per usual" and "bigger than anything we've done in the past." The "Selling Sunset" spinoff series "Selling the OC" returns to Netflix for a second season on September 8. Author Jeff Pearlman -- whose nonfiction book forms the basis for HBO's "Winning Time" series -- implored fans to watch the show's second season in greater numbers, as its future "hangs in the balance." In a new Instagram video, former "Big Brother" houseguest Luke Valentine -- who was removed by CBS after saying the N-word during a livestream -- blames sleep deprivation, malnutrition, and "the psychological distress of being under studio lighting 24/7" for his outburst. Prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Tiffany Haddish spoke with The Verge about her upcoming film "Landscape with Invisible Hand"; the film is set in a dystopian future in which aliens invade Earth, with the sole intention of streaming human couples as entertainment. The classic HBO sports comedy-drama series "Ballers" -- starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a former NFL player turned financial manager -- has surprised some viewers by migrating over to Netflix; it's also available to stream on Max. Amazon greenlit the UK comedy-thriller series "Dead Hot"; Bilal Hasna and Vivian Oparah co-star as best friends Elliot and Jess, who receive a strange message supposedly from Peter, his late twin brother who was also her boyfriend. The "Letterkenny" spinoff "Shoresy" returns to Hulu in the US for a second season on October 27. Netflix inked a new deal with Indian telecom operator Jio Platforms, and will bundle a mobile-only version of its streaming service along with the company's "pay-as-you-go" wireless and data plans. Netflix's new Vietnamese reality competition and travel show "Let's Feast Vietnam" includes an unconventional cross-promotion with Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms; contestants on the show are required to regularly produce social media clips along their journey. IPOs are a rare chance to invest in VC-backed startups, but this AI company opened its round to retail investors. Invest and learn more about Jurny.* *This is sponsored content

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Lon Harris 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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