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| Thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming brief! It's the weekend, so I'm gonna use this space to make a straight-up recommendation today. Watch Daniel Kaluuya's debut as a co-writer/co-director on Netflix, the UK sci-fi drama "The Kitchen"! It's set in a dystopian near-future London in which the authorities are trying to force residents of the last standing housing estate (The Kitchen) to evacuate, but they're mounting an organized resistance. But while that's sort of the background, it's mostly a very emotionally affecting father-son kind of story. Kaluuya and his collaborator, Kibwe Tavares, are very clever about using the sci-fi stuff to grab your attention, but always maintaining their focus on the more intimate, human story. I thought it was really well done, and Netflix isn't doing a good job of getting the word out, at least among the Americans I've spoken with. Here's the trailer. Thanks for reading! We'll see you back here next week with more updates! Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | The Directors Guild of America (DGA) revised its latest deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), seven months after the close of initial negotiations. The DGA secured some of the additional gains negotiated during the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike last year, including the same streaming performance bonus. More: - The DGA will also get the same access to streaming viewership data that the WGA receives.
- As well, the DGA secured an increase in employer contributions to both pension and health plans of 0.5%, starting in the second year of the agreement.
- DGA membership ratified its new agreement with AMPTP in June, 53 days into the writers' strike, but before writers started picketing outside the studios.
- Revisions to an AMPTP deal are not unheard of, but it's unusual for them to happen so long after the initial agreement is set.
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| 2 | | Fubo introduced a new beta AI feature called "Instant Headlines," allowing viewers to skip directly to specific segments within a news broadcast. According to Fubo, this is the first time a live TV service has allowed users to jump directly to a news story from the homepage, as it's airing. More: - Fubo plans to expand the feature for more kinds of sports and entertainment programming down the road.
- The AI program determines the content of current news topics, summarizes them as roughly 10-word headlines, and then links to them directly from a constantly-refreshing carousel on the Fubo homepage.
- Instant Headlines is currently available for Fubo users on the FireTV and Android TV platforms; for now, it works exclusively with a few national news networks and local stations.
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| 3 | | WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, JANUARY 26 MASTERS OF THE AIR: Limited war drama series, based on the 2007 book by Donald L. Miller, and recounting the true story of the US Air Force's 100th Bomb Group (aka the "Bloody Hundredth") and its exploits during World War II. The large ensemble cast includes Austin Butler, Barry Keoghan, Callum Turner, Sawyer Spielberg, Raff Law, and Lauren McQueen. Several "Band of Brothers" vets collaborated on the new series, including co-creator John Orloff and executive producers Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, and Steven Spielberg. [Apple TV+] EXPATS: Debut drama series, based on the 2016 novel "The Expatriates" by Janice Y. K. Lee, and set among a tight-knit group of foreigners living and working together in Hong Kong. Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, and Ji-young Yoo co-star; "The Farewell" filmmaker Lulu Wang created the series and co-wrote the adaptation. [Prime Video] THE UNDERDOGGS: Sports comedy feature from Amazon MGM Studios, starring Snoop Dogg as a former NFL great who agrees to coach a youth football team in order to avoid a prison sentence. Tika Sumpter, George Lopez, and Mike Epps co-star; Charles Stone III ("Uncle Drew") directed. [Prime Video] YOU HURT MY FEELINGS: 2023 comedy-drama reteaming "Enough Said" writer/director Nicole Holofcener and actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She stars as Beth, an author and creative writing teacher who suffers an emotional crisis after overhearing her husband Don (Tobias Menzies) criticizing her latest novel. Michaela Watkins, Arian Moayed, and Owen Teague co-star. [Paramount+] HIGHTOWN: The crime drama series returns this week for a third and final season. Monica Raymund stars as a Massachusetts State Trooper on Cape Cod battling addiction while investigating cases tied to organized crime and the opioid epidemic. Riley Voelkel, Amaury Nolasco, Dohn Norwood, and James Badge Dale co-star. [Starz] SON OF A CRITCH: The Canadian sitcom -- originally produced for CBC Television -- returns to CW in the US this week for its third season; new episodes hit the app and website on Fridays. The coming-of-age series is based on the real childhood of comedian Mark Critch, who co-stars as his father; Benjamin Evan Ainsworth plays Critch as a junior high student. [CW] THE GOOD MOTHER: 2023 crime thriller film, starring Hilary Swank as an Albany journalist investigating the murder of her estranged son, along with help from his pregnant girlfriend (Olivia Cooke). Jack Reynor, Dilone, and Hopper Penn co-star; Miles Joris-Peyrafitte ("Dreamland") co-wrote and directed. [Hulu] DELIVER US: 2023 direct-to-VOD horror film, starring Maria Vera Ratti as a pregnant nun who claims to have immaculately conceived and believes her soon-to-be-born twins will become the Messiah and the Antichrist. Lee Roy Kunz, Alexander Siddig, and Thomas Kretschmann co-star. [Hulu] SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 LIL NAS X: LONG LIVE MONTERO: Intimate HBO documentary profile of the pop star, taking a behind-the-scenes look at his Love Live Montero live tour and his personal experiences after publicly coming out as gay. Carlos López Estrada ("Blindspotting") and cinematographer Zac Manuel co-directed. [Max] DOCTOR SLUMP: Debut Korean romantic comedy series starring Park Shin-hye and Park Hyung-sik as former high school rivals-turned-doctors whose careers hit the skids at the same moment, forcing them to stay together in a small rooftop apartment. Yoon Park, Kong Seong-ha, and Oh Dong-min co-star. [Netflix] | | | |
| 4 | | Amazon MGM Studios grabbed the US rights to the action-thriller film "Levon's Trade," starring Jason Statham. David Ayer, who recently collaborated with Statham on "The Beekeeper," will direct; Sylvester Stallone did a pass on the script. More: - The film is based on the first novel in author Chuck Dixon's "Levon" series.
- Statham stars as Levon Cade, a former covert operative who retires to live a simple life; when his boss' daughter vanishes, he takes up the hunt using his special skills and training.
- The film starts production in London later this year.
- Amazon will release the film theatrically in the US, and also controls the rights in international territories where Prime Video is available.
- Amazon is also in final negotiations to acquire the Sundance selection "My Old Ass" for a reported $15 million.
- Director Doug Liman has taken issue with Amazon's decision not to release his upcoming film "Road House" to theaters; he plans to boycott the film's premiere at this year's SXSW festival.
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| 5 | | Kate Hudson took the lead role in an upcoming Netflix sports comedy series from creator Mindy Kaling. The still-untitled series will be set in the front office of a professional basketball team. More: - Netflix ordered a 10-episode first season way back in 2021.
- Hudon stars as Isla Gordon, the new president of the "Los Angeles Waves" who must prove herself to her skeptical brothers, board of directors, and the sports world at large.
- Though mostly known for films -- including Netflix's "Glass Onion" -- Hudson previously starred in Season 2 of Apple's anthology mystery series "Truth Be Told."
- Kaling executive produces alongside Los Angeles Lakers president Jeanie Buss, Hudson, and frequent collaborators Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen; Stassen will also serve as showrunner on the series.
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| 6 | | Netflix entered a multi-year partnership with Japan animation house Studio Ponoc, founded in 2015 by Studio Ghibli vet Yoshiaki Nishimura. Netflix is the exclusive international streaming home for the studio's upcoming projects. More: - Ponoc specializes in films and shows with global appeal specifically for younger viewers.
- The first film released under the new agreement will be 2024's "The Imaginary"; the film will open in theaters in Japan, and go direct to streaming around the globe.
- "Imaginary" centers on a young girl whose imaginary friend introduces her to an alternate reality, filled with magical creatures.
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| 7 | | Jeremy Clarkson explained the decision to wrap up the automotive and travel series "The Grand Tour." In an interview with Times of London, Clarkson -- who is now 63 -- said that the show is "immensely physical" and had become more challenging for him due to becoming "unfit and fat and old." More: - Clarkson also explained that, after years of producing the series, the creative team had started running out of great ideas, adding "we've done everything you can do with a car."
- Clarkson along with co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond announced the end of the series late last year; the final two installments, set in Mauritania and Zimbabwe, will hit Amazon Prime Video later this year.
- Clarkson will continue to appear in Amazon's reality series "Clarkson's Farm"; Season 4 enters production in the spring.
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- In a memo to employees, Paramount CEO Bob Bakish confirmed that layoffs are imminent, as part of an effort to "operate as a leaner company and spend less"; Bakish did not indicate how many employees would be impacted.
- Verizon announced a new streaming bundle, offering Netflix Premium and Starz subscriptions for a combined $25.99 per month; myPlan unlimited subscribers get an extra $5 off the deal.
- "Young Sheldon" remained in the #1 spot on Nielsen for all streaming programs in the final week of 2023, with 1.31 billion total minutes of viewing time; kids and family favorite "Bluey" on Disney+ came in second place.
- Amazon released a trailer for "Ricky Stanicky," from "Dumb & Dumber" vet Peter Farrelly; John Cena and Zac Efron star in the comedy, about a friend group that invents a fake person to use for convenient excuses, then has to prove he's real.
- HBO announced an all-star line-up of directors for Season 2 of the post-apocalyptic drama series "The Last of Us," including "Succession" vet Mark Mylod, Kate Herron of "Loki," and Stephen Williams of "Watchmen."
- Bobby Berk explained his departure from Netflix's "Queer Eye" in a post to Instagram; after the Fab Five's contracts expired in 2022, Berk says he assumed the show was over and moved on to other projects.
- Prime Video ordered the sports docuseries "The Money Game," about the impact of NIL policies ("Name, Image, and Likeness") on college sports, and specifically the athletics program at Louisiana State University.
- Paramount+ canceled the YA supernatural drama series "Wolf Pack" after a single season.
- Netflix Head of Drama Jinny Howe will now oversee more content for the streamer, including the "Spectacle + Event" category and other current shows, as part of an effort by Scripted Series chief Peter Friedlander to streamline his division.
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 | 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 | |
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