"Experiences" coming to Disney+ / "Loki" Season 2 viewership / Justin Lin thriller to Apple / "Twisted Metal" renewed for S2

Plus the weekend calendar, Romano joins "No Good Deed," "Curb" returns for Season 12, AFI Top 10 of 2023 lists, and more

Inside Streaming For December 08, 2023

Happy Friday and thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming brief. I caught Ridley Scott's "Napoleon" in theaters yesterday and really enjoyed it, though I definitely think the Apple TV+ "director's cut" will be an improvement. The film is less of a complete overview of the man's life and career, and more of a character study about his strange relationship with wife and confidant Josephine. Still, you can feel Scott rushing to get through everything in under 3 hours. More time to set up some of the international conflicts and diplomatic struggles will definitely make things clearer and more direct. Still, what fun. Great battle scenes and terrific performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby. One to look out for when it hits streaming next month! Have a great weekend. Lon p/lon-harris

1 According to Variety, Disney is exploring the addition of "shopping and gaming experiences" to the Disney+ platform. Disney has a presentation scheduled for Las Vegas on January 10, where it will reveal "the next level of ad innovations" to potential sponsors. More: The presentation will coincide with the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Vegas. An ad-supported Disney+ tier was introduced in 2023; according to Disney Advertising Sales chief Rita Ferro, the streamer already has more than 1,000 advertisers around the globe. Amazon will debut its new ad-supported Prime Video tier in early 2024.

2 According to figures from Nielsen, the Season 2 finale of "Loki" performed significantly better than previous Season 2 episodes, with nearly 200 million additional minutes viewed during its debut week. Season 2 of "Loki" trailed Season 1 in terms of viewership throughout its run. More: Between November 6-12, "Loki" was viewed for a total of 753 million minutes, a 34% jump over the previous week; the Season 2 finale debuted on November 9. The previous Season 2 record was just 588 million minutes, between October 9-15. In all, Season 2 was viewed for around 3.39 billion minutes on Disney+; Season 1 reached 5.23 billion minutes. David Fincher's crime drama "The Killer" was the #1 streaming film between November 6-12, with 650 million minutes viewed.

3 WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8 LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND: 2023 psychological thriller from writer/director Sam Esmail ("Mr. Robot"), based on the novel by Rumaan Alam. Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke star as a couple on vacation with their kids on Long Island when an apparent cyberattack takes out all communication devices. The situation gets even more complicated when a pair of mysterious strangers (Mahershala Ali and Myha'la) arrive unexpectedly. [Netflix] THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW: HOLIDAYS: The holiday-themed UK reality competition series returns to Netflix in the US for its sixth season this week. Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith serve as judges; Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding co-host. [Netflix] BLOOD VESSEL: Survival thriller film from Nigeria about six refugees, escaping deadly oil pollution in their delta community, who stow away on a mysterious ship, only to find themselves in even greater danger. Adaobi Lilian Dibor, David Ezekiel, Levi Chikere, Obinna Okenwa, Slyvester Ekanem, and Alex Budin co-star; Moses Inwang ("Bad Comments") directs. [Netflix] MR. MONK'S LAST CASE: A MONK MOVIE: Original 2023 crime comedy film, spun off from the classic USA Network series "Monk." Tony Shalhoub returns as obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk, who comes out of retirement after his stepdaughter Molly's fiancé dies in an apparent bungee-jumping accident. Melora Hardin, Ted Levine, Traylor Howard, and Hector Elizondo co-star; original "Monk" creator Andy Breckman wrote the script. [Peacock] CHRISTMAS AT THE OPRY: The two-hour holiday country music special aired Thursday night on NBC and hits Peacock on Friday. Performers include Kelly Clarkson, Chrissy Metz, Adam Doleac, BRELAND, Brenda Lee, Trace Adkins, and others; Wynonna Judd hosts. [Peacock] BABY SHARK'S BIG MOVIE! Animated feature from Nickelodeon and Pinkfong, in which the viral YouTube character and his family leave their old lives behind and move to the underwater metropolis Chomp City. The voice cast includes Kimiko Glenn, Luke Youngblood, Natasha Rothwell, Eric Edelstein, Patrick Warburton, Debra Wilson, Ashley Tisdale, and Ego Nwodim.  [Paramount+] THE MISSION: Feature documentary from National Geographic and "Boys State" filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, examining the 2018 death of American missionary John Allen Chau. While attempting to make contact with the Sentinelese, a remote indigenous community living on an island in the Indian Ocean, Chau was shot and killed by arrows. "The Mission" premiered at this year's Telluride Film Festival. [Hulu and Disney+] DIARY OF A WIMPY KID CHRISTMAS: CABIN FEVER: This holiday comedy is the third animated "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" film, and the seventh overall adaptation of the beloved YA book series by Jeff Kinney. Middle schooler Greg Heffley (Wesley Kimmel) just wants to be good so he can collect his Christmas presents, but his friend Rowley (Spencer Howell) can't help but cause trouble. Kinney wrote the adaptation himself; Luke Cormican ("Teen Titans Go!") directs. [Disney+] CULPRITS: First-year British crime thriller series from creator, writer, and co-director J Blakeson ("I Care a Lot"), based on a short story anthology edited by Richard Brewer and Gary Phillips. The former members of a heist crew discover they're being picked off one by one by an unknown adversary. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Gemma Arterton, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Niamh Algar, and Kamel El Basha co-star. [Hulu] YOUR CHRISTMAS OR MINE 2: Sequel to the 2022 UK holiday rom-com "Your Christmas or Mine?" in which the Hughes and Taylor families visit the Alps together, leading to further mix-ups. Asa Butterfield, Cora Kirk, Daniel Mays, Angela Griffin, and David Bradley reprise their roles; Jane Krakowski joins the ensemble. [Amazon] MERRY LITTLE BATMAN: Animated holiday comedy film, inspired by characters from DC Comics, in which young Damian Wayne must confront his father's most iconic foes when he's left home alone at Wayne Manor. The voice cast includes Luke Wilson, Yonas Kibreab, James Cromwell, Natalie Palamides, David Hornsby, Dolph Adomian, and Reid Scott. [Amazon] DATING SANTA (SANTA MI AMOR): Spanish-language holiday rom-com from Mexico, starring Ana Serradilla as a lonely single mom who tells her daughter (Olivia Duflos) that the new man she's seeing (David Chocarro) is actually Santa Claus. José Sierra directs. [Amazon] DEALING WITH CHRISTMAS (UN STUPÉFIANT NOËL): French-language holiday comedy, about a dedicated cop's daughter whose magical Christmas wish causes her dad to swap places with her favorite fictional family man. Matthias Quiviger, Eric Judor, and Arthur Sanigou co-star; Sanigou also co-wrote and directed. [Amazon] WORLD'S FIRST CHRISTMAS (O PRIMEIRO NATAL DO MUNDO): Holiday comedy about a newly-blended family who wake up in a world that has magically forgotten about Christmas. Now they'll need to work together and teach everyone how to properly celebrate. [Amazon] THE SACRIFICE GAME: 2023 indie horror film from co-writer/director Jenn Wexler ("The Ranger"). In the 1970s, two boarding school students are waiting out the Christmas break alone when a murderous gang with dark intentions takes over the campus. Olivia Scott Welch, Chloë Levine, Mena Massoud, and Gus Kenworthy co-star. [Shudder] SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 WWE NXT DEADLINE: Annual live WWE event, featuring wrestlers from the company's NXT division. This year's event streams live from the Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut, at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on Saturday night. Matches include both the Men's and Women's Iron Survivor Challenge. [Peacock] MAGIC IN MISTLETOE: Hallmark holiday rom-com starring Paul Campbell as a successful author who has turned into a bitter recluse, and Lyndie Greenwood as the new publicist who brings him back to his hometown, and out of his shell, just in time for Christmas. [Peacock] DOCTOR WHO: THE GIGGLE: The British sci-fi adventure series returns for its third and final 60th Anniversary special. The Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) and companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) face off against the villainous Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris), who's driving all of humanity insane with a mysterious puppet. [Disney+] MEET ME UNDER THE MISTLETOE: Holiday rom-com, produced for the Great American Family network, about rival realtors who must somehow find a way to work together to sell the home of a celebrated mistletoe grower before Christmas. Sarah Fisher and Simon Arblaster co-star. [Hulu] MAESTRA: 2023 feature documentary from first-time filmmaker Maggie Contreras, following five women from around the world as they compete in "La Maestra," a prestigious competition for female conductors. "Maestra" premiered at this year's Tribeca Film Festival. [Hulu] SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 A GRAMMY SALUTE TO 50 YEARS OF HIP HOP: Concert special recorded earlier this week at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the hip-hop genre. Performers include Black Thought, Common, De La Soul, Jermaine Dupri, Talib Kweli, LL Cool J, The Pharcyde, Queen Latifah, Questlove, Rakim, Remy Ma, 2 Chainz, Too $hort, Latto, E-40, Big Daddy Kane, Three 6 Mafia, Cypress Hill, and many others. The show airs on CBS and streams on Paramount+ Sunday night at 8:30 pm ET/8:00 pm PT. [Paramount+] KEVIN HART & CHRIS ROCK: HEADLINERS ONLY: Comedy documentary taking viewers behind-the-scenes for Kevin Hart and Chris Rock's 2022 tour, as they discuss their long careers and friendship while preparing for a string of four sold-out performances in New York. Rashidi Natara Harper ("Hip Hop Uncovered") directs. [Netflix] UNDER PRESSURE: THE US WOMEN'S WORLD CUP TEAM: Four-episode sports docuseries following the members of the US Women's World Cup team -- among the most decorated teams in international soccer history -- as they prep for the 2023 championship. Participants include Alex Morgan, Lindsey Horan, Alyssa Thompson, Lynn Williams, Kristie Mewis, and Savannah DeMelo; Rebecca Gitlitz ("Split Screen") directed. [Netflix] SINGLES INFERNO: The Korean dating competition series follows singles living together on a tropical island who avoid elimination by pairing up, while keeping the details of their personal lives a secret for as long as possible. It's back for a third season in which former contestant Kim Jin-young (aka DEX) joins the panel of hosts/commentators. [Netflix] A CHRISTMAS OF YES: Holiday comedy, produced for the Oprah Winfrey Network, starring Michele Weaver as a workaholic who loses her job just ahead of the holidays, then starts saying "yes" to all the parties and opportunities she would have previously turned down. Jeff Pierre co-stars. [Max] CHRISTMAS ON CHERRY LANE: Holiday romantic comedy following the ups and downs of three different couples at different stages of their lives and relationships. Catherine Bell, Jonathan Bennett, John Brotherton, Erin Cahill, James Denton and Vincent Rodriguez III co-star. [Peacock]

4 Apple grabbed the rights to a new heist thriller film from "Fast & Furious" franchise vet Justin Lin. Charlize Theron and Daniel Craig will co-star as career thieves who embark on a string of daring jobs together; no other plot details have been revealed. More: Lin is co-writing the film with Dan Mazeau, his collaborator from "Fast X"; the duo came up with the concept while working on the action film and pitched it to co-star Theron. Lin didn't end up directing "Fast X," and was ultimately replaced on that project by Louis Leterrier. Theron and Craig have both previously made high-profile projects for Netflix; she stars in the streamer's "The Old Guard," which is getting a sequel next year, while he plays gentleman sleuth Benoit Blanc in "Glass Onion."

5 Peacock renewed its series adaptation of the "Twisted Metal" video game franchise for a second season. According to the streamer, the action comedy series had the most-binged debut week in the history of the platform. More: "Twisted Metal" also ranks among Peacock's overall Top 3 scripted originals of all time. "Deadpool" and "Zombieland" vets Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick developed the series and executive produce; Michael Jonathan Smith ("Cobra Kai") serves as showrunner and writer. Anthony Mackie and Will Arnett co-star as well as produce; the cast also includes Stpehanie Beatriz, pro wrestler Joe Seanoa, and Thomas Haden Church.

6 Ray Romano secured the lead role in the upcoming Netflix dark comedy series "No Good Deed." The eight-episode series was created by "Dead to Me" vet Liz Feldman. More: The series centers on three families all competing to purchase the same 1920s Spanish-style villa in Los Feliz; Romano will play the property's owner. Feldman says the show was inspired by her obsession with the online real-estate marketplace Zillow, which became a comfort to her during the pandemic. Will Ferrell is among the show's executive producers; "Suits" and "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce" vet Silver Tree will direct the pilot.

7 New data from Tubular Labs indicate that many streaming platforms and TV networks continue to serve wildly divergent audiences, even when owned by the same parent company. The data is drawn mostly by analyzing and comparing YouTube viewership habits. More: Based on analysis of YouTube activity in October, Tubular found that just 12% of people who watched content from ABC also saw content from Hulu. Disney+ and ABC had even less overlap among demographics, with just 9%. CBS and Paramount+ also had very different audiences, with just 17% overlap on YouTube. NBC and Peacock buck the trend with 45% overlap on YouTube among viewers; it's likely that many NBC fans have come to rely on Peacock to catch-up on their favorite shows. The Hulu comedy series "Only Murders in the Building" will air on ABC in January, and seems poised to likely find a brand new audience.

8 QUICK HITS Want to master Kubernetes? The Kubernetes Cookbook is a must-have guide to discover guidance on cloud architecture analytics, optimization, governance, and more.* "Curb Your Enthusiasm" returns to HBO and Max for a 12th season in February 2024; as always, there are rumors that this will be the final season of "Curb," but nothing has been determined definitively. A number of streaming originals found their way onto the American Film Institute's (AFI) list of the Top 10 films and TV shows of 2023; noted films include Apple's "Killers of the Flower Moon," along with Netflix's "Maestro" and "May December" while "The Bear," "Beef," "Jury Duty," "The Morning Show," "Only Murders in the Building," and "Poker Face" scored TV mentions. According to Deadline, a number of studios and streamers -- including Netflix, Paramount, Apple, and Amazon -- have expressed interest in potentially picking up Warner Bros. Discovery's scrapped Looney Tunes film, "Coyote vs. Acme"; Paramount is apparently leading the charge. A documentary profile of iconic video game designer Hideo Kojima -- the creator of "Metal Gear Solid" -- hits Disney+ in the spring of 2024. YouTube TV now gives users the option to reduce broadcast delay for a period of up to 48 hours; according to Google, the change will help sports fans "reduce live spoilers" while watching real-time events. Actors Lamorne Morris and Iris Apatow joined the cast of Rob Lowe's Netflix sitcom "Unstable" ahead of its second season. Hulu dropped a trailer for the reality series "Grand Cayman: Secrets in Paradise," centering on 15 singles living on the Caribbean island while embarking on a new chapter in their lives; the cast includes actor Armie Hammer's ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers, and former Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks. Self-published author William Collier filed a federal lawsuit against Netflix and filmmaker Adam McKay, claiming the satirical 2021 sci-fi comedy "Don't Look Up" borrowed ideas from his 2012 novel "Stanley's Comet." "Big Brother" announced part of the line-up for its "Reindeer Games" holiday event, which includes returning contestants Cameron Hardin, Taylor Hale, and Britney Haynes; the new series debuts on CBS and Paramount+ on December 11. ABC released a trailer for Season 28 of "The Bachelor," starring 28-year-old tennis player Joey Graziadei; "The Bachelor" returns to TV on January 22, and hits Hulu the following day. Netflix ordered a first season for the reality competition series "The Trust"; 11 strangers are given a quarter of a million dollars to split, but can potentially vote one another out to secure a larger share of the prize. Toast to 2024: Key affiliate marketing trends to help your campaigns start off on the right foot in the new year. Get the free report.* *This is sponsored content

Upcoming Events * This is a sponsored event

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 Lon Harris

Discover more on inside.com/streaming Thanks for reading today's issue of Inside Streaming. Explore Explore

Share Email Share on X Open in Browser Open in Browser Open in Browser

Did someone forward this email to you? Get your free subscription here. Interested in sponsoring this newsletter? Connect with our sales team here. You received this email because you are subscribed to Inside Streaming. Manage your subscription or unsubscribe here. 767 Bryant St. #203, San Francisco, CA 94107 Copyright © 2023 Inside.com