NBA rights deal / Netflix's Tom Brady roast / "Bluey" may be ending / "The Office" reboot adds to cast

Plus today's calendar, Netflix grabs "Calabasas" project, "Family Guy" holiday specials, Roku renews "American Baking Show," and more

Inside Streaming For April 22, 2024

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Hello again and thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming! As sometimes happens, a recent film popped up on Netflix that hadn't been announced on their official release calendar, so it slipped by me last week. It's a low-key 2023 British period drama called "Freud's Last Session," and it's now streaming over there. I added it to today's calendar. I actually watched this movie pretty recently on a plane, on my return trip to LA from Florida. It's pretty good, though basically just a long conversation between two guys -- mostly centering on their very different takes on faith and religion -- so if you're more of an action movie fan, this may be one to skip. But I enjoyed it for the most part. Anthony Hopkins plays influential psychoanalyst and author Sigmund Freud (an athiest) and Matthew Goode co-stars as author and professor CS Lewis (a Christian). There's no historical record of this encounter ever happening, by the way. It's entirely imagined, based on the two men and their perspectives, but it is POSSIBLE that they ran into one another at some point. Anyway, a solid plane movie, if you have any flights coming up. Lon p/lon-harris

1 According to The Athletic, the NBA is currently holding talks with a variety of networks and streamers about its next big licensing deal. The league's current rights deal with Disney's ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery's TNT expires in 2025. More: The Athletic suggests that the NBA is meeting with conventional media companies, such as Comcast's NBCUniversal, along with tech giants like Amazon, which it identifies as "the perceived favorite." The report indicates that the league is hoping to sign a long-term deal that would cover broadcast and/or streaming for the next 10 years. Disney and WBD's exclusive financial negotiation window expires Monday night at 11:59 pm ET; the league will then be freed to have specific discussions with new potential partners.

2 Netflix announced its first ever livestreamed celebrity roast special, featuring former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. "The Roast of Tom Brady" streams live and unedited on Netflix this May 5 from the Kia Forum in LA. More: The event is part of the "Netflix is a Joke" comedy festival, being held in venues across Los Angeles throughout May. Kevin Hart will host the special; no other participants were announced, but the roster will apparently include guests "from the comedy, sports, and entertainment world." 7-time Super Bowl champion Brady makes his debut as a football broadcaster and analyst later this year.

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3 DAILY CALENDAR MONDAY, APRIL 22 TIGER: Earth Day special from Disneynature chronicling the life and experiences of a young tigress named Ambar as she raises her cubs in the forests of India. Priyanka Chopra Jonas narrates; Mark Linfield (Disney's "Chimpanzee") directs. [Disney+] TIGERS ON THE RISE: Another Earth Day nature special, this one celebrates the global rebound of wild tiger populations, with a focus on the human heroes -- including vets, scientists, and local activists -- who made it possible. Blair Underwood narrates. [Disney+] SECRETS OF THE OCTOPUS: Debut nature series from National Geographic -- part of its ongoing "Secrets Of..." franchise -- offering insights and little-known facts about the familiar yet mysterious aquatic creatures. Alex Schnell hosts; Paul Rudd narrates. [Hulu and Disney+] HIP-HOP AND THE WHITE HOUSE: Documentary feature from Andscape -- produced as part of the studio's "&360" anthology series -- examining the historical relationship between hip-hop music and the American presidency. Atlanta rapper Jeezy, who predicted Obama's election in the hit single "My President," narrates; Jesse Washington ("Bearing Witness: A Portrait of Darnella Frazier") directs. [Hulu] 90 DAY FIANCÉ: LOVE IN PARADISE: In the "90 Day" reality dating spinoff from TLC, couples who met during tropical vacations see if they can transform their flings into more permanent relationships. Season 4 premieres this week on Max and cable. [Max] JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS - PART ONE: 2024 direct-to-VOD animated superhero film from Warner Bros., based on the classic DC Comics storyline, and serving as the first installment in a planned trilogy. The Justice League faces off against the Anti-Monitor, who plans to eradicate Earth from all parallel dimensions. Matt Bomer, Jensen Ackles, Darren Criss, Meg Donnelly, Stana Katic, Jimmi Simpson, and Zachary Quinto co-star. [Max] THE GREEN PLANET: The 2022 BBC nature docuseries is described as "Planet Earth from the perspective of plants," and delves into survival strategies employed by vegetation around the world. Sir David Attenborough hosts. [Max] RESTORATION ROAD WITH CLINT HARP: The Magnolia Network series finds the carpenter and TV personality traveling across the US, looking for unique and noteworthy historic renovations. Season 5 premieres on Max and cable this week. [Max] UGLIEST HOUSE IN AMERICA: The HGTV series follows comedian Retta as she travels the US, checking out homes with gaudy designs, botched renovations, and other serious aesthetic issues. The "winning" home receives a $150,000 renovation supervised by designer Alison Victoria. It's back for a fifth season. [Max] FREUD'S LAST SESSION: 2023 drama film, based on the stage play by Mark St. Germain and the Armand Nicholi book "The Question of God," centering on a fictional religious debate between author C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) and Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins), held just days after the start of WWII. Matthew Brown ("The Man Who Knew Infinity") wrote the adaptation and directed. [Netflix] FERN BRADY: AUTISTIC BIKINI QUEEN: Stand-up special recorded in Bristol during the Scottish comedian's 2022 tour, featuring her humorous reflections on serious topics like death and the disappointments of middle-age. [Netflix] COCOMELON LANE: This animated series for preschoolers is the first-ever dialogue-driven project from "CoComelon" studio Moonbug Entertainment. It follows JJ and his friends as they experience important childhood milestones together. Season 2 hits Netflix today. [Netflix]

4 A surprise new episode of "Bluey" could serve as the series finale. The episode, titled "Surprise," closes with what appears to be an epilogue, featuring a grown-up Bluey raising a child of her own. More: Last week's "Bluey," an extended half-hour edition called "The Sign," seemed to wrap up some of the show's storyline. Collectively, "The Sign" and "Surprise" close out the Australian animated family favorite's third season. "Bluey" executive producer Daley Pearson suggested last week that, while this version of "Bluey" may be concluding, more projects featuring the characters are in development, including a potential feature film. "Bluey" is one of the most popular streaming shows in the US; it's available on Disney+.

5 Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore joined the cast of Universal Television's "The Office" reboot. The new series doesn't take place at the Dunder Mifflin paper company, and features a new roster of characters, but it's set in the same fictional universe. More: Original "The Office" co-creator Greg Daniels developed the new show with "Nathan for You" and "Girls5eva" writer/producer Michael Koman. Koman is married to Ellie Kemper, who co-starred on the original "Office" as receptionist Erin Hannon. Impacciatore was Emmy nominated for her role in Season 2 of "The White Lotus." Gleeson co-starred in the streaming series "Frank of Ireland" and "The Patient"; he's also known for playing the villainous General Hux in the "Star Wars" sequel film trilogy.

6 Netflix grabbed the rights to the in-development YA drama series "Calabasas" following a bidding war with other networks and streamers. The series is based on the novel "If You Lived Here, You'd Be Famous Now" by Via Bleidner. More: "Pretty Little Liars" creator I. Marlene King will write the adaptation and serve as showrunner; she co-created the series along with producer Alexandra Milchan ("Tár"). Kim Kardashian and Emma Roberts are on board the project as executive producers. The story centers on a 16-year-old from the Midwest whose family moves into the elite but shadowy world of Calabasas, California. Kardashian is a noteworthy resident of the real town of Calabasas who helped to elevate its status and notoriety.

7 Two Fox "Family Guy" holiday specials will stream exclusively on Hulu later this year. The animated comedy series celebrates its 25th anniversary this year; the cast participated in a PaleyFest LA panel over the weekend to commemorate the achievement. More: During the PaleyFest event, creator and star Seth MacFarlance said he sees no reason to wrap up the show any time soon: "People still love it. It makes people happy and it funds some good causes." The "Family Guy" Season 22 finale debuted last week on Fox and Hulu.

8 QUICK HITS Roku renewed "The Great American Baking Show" and "Honest Renovations" for additional seasons, along with seasonal specials for both shows. Netflix grabbed the US and some international rights for the upcoming BBC Three series "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder," based on the novel by Holly Jackson; "Wednesday" vet Emma Myers stars as a teen investigating a high school student's death five years ago. After Watcher Entertainment's switch from YouTube to a paid subscription service prompted a backlash from fans on social media, the company has reversed course; new episodes of its shows will go up for free on YouTube one month after their debut behind the paywall. Netflix announced its slate for this summer's Annecy Film Festival in France, including the world premiere of "Ultraman: Rising," a first look at Zack Snyder's Norse mythology series "Twilight of the Gods," and an exhibition of puppets and figures from the upcoming "Wallace & Gromit" sequel. "Saturday Night Live" collaborators Molly Shannon and Steve Koren have reteamed for a new comedy series that's now in development at HBO; Shannon stars as a tabloid-obsessed woman who's sent to a celebrity rehab clinic in Malibu. The YA drama "The Tearsmith" is the first-ever Italian production to hit #1 on Netflix's global movie chart for non-English language films; it's based on a novel by author Erin Doom. CBS canceled "CSI: Vegas" and "So Help Me Todd," the network's least-watched drama series last season.

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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 Lon Harris

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