| Good morning/afternoon and thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming brief. Amazon has a stranglehold on Dad TV the likes of which I've never seen. The same company that produces "TV for Guys Who Love TV" like "Reacher," "The Terminal List," "Bosch," and "Jack Ryan" just announced that they're producing not one but TWO SEASONS of "Alex Cross," starring Aldis Hodge and James Patterson's iconic detective. (This is the same character Morgan Freeman played in a pair of '90s films, "Kiss the Girls" and "Along Came a Spider." Remember those?) It all makes a certain kind of branding sense. Amazon's already where you go to buy novels. Now Prime Video is your one-stop shop for procedurals based on those same stories. It's just fascinating to see how relentlessly and aggressively they're pursuing this one particular genre and demo. Anyway, the "Alex Cross" series sounds promising. As a 45-year-old man, I'm excited to check it out. Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | Fubo dropped all networks owned by Warner Bros. Discovery from its line-up this week, and accused the company of charging "above-market rates" for its content. In addition to the "Turner Sports Trio" -- TNT, TBS, and TruTV -- WBD also owns the cable networks Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, and TLC. More: - In a statement released on Tuesday, Fubo said it attempted to renew its contract for Discovery content with WBD, but found that the company was unwilling to negotiate in "good faith" and did not provide them with a fair counter-offer.
- The company argued that WBD's approach limits consumer choice and drives up prices industry-wide.
- In 2020, Fubo had a similar conflict with a previous incarnation of the company, WarnerMedia, dropping TNT, TBS, TruTV and other networks following a price increase.
- Fubo has filed a federal lawsuit attempting to block WBD's plans to launch a joint sports-focused streaming service along with Disney and Fox; the company suggests this collaboration would violate antitrust laws.
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| 2 | | Ahead of its annual NewFronts presentation to advertisers this week, Roku made a number of announcements. Most notably, the device maker and free ad-supported streamer will team with NBCUniversal on a content partnership around this summer's Olympic Games in Paris. More: - During the Summer Games, Roku will have a dedicated hub -- NBC Olympic Zone -- pointing viewers to Peacock's live coverage, while also featuring curated replays, clips, and highlight reels.
- Roku also announced an expansion in its relationship to ad tracking firm iSpot; the two companies will share their ad measurement capabilities and systems.
- Roku Channel announced the comedy series "Tightrope!", reimaginging the '50s mystery-drama of the same name; Ty Burrell stars as a detective solving cases as he searches for his lost love, while Bryan Cranston executive produces.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 ACAPULCO: The period comedy series -- produced in a mix of English and Spanish -- is back this week for a third season. Eugenio Derbez stars as Máximo, who recollects his time as a young man (Enrique Arrizon) working at the glamorous beach resort Las Colinas in the mid-1980s. Fernando Carsa, Damián Alcázar, Camila Perez, Vanessa Bauche, and Regina Reynoso co-star. [Apple TV+] SHARDLAKE: Debut period crime drama series from the UK, based on the novels by C.J. Sansom. Arthur Hughes stars as a sheltered 16th Century barrister who's assigned by Thomas Cromwell (Sean Bean) to investigate a death in the remote town of Scarnsea during a time when monasteries are being dissolved and repressed. Anthony Boyle, Babou Ceesay, and Paul Kaye co-star; Stephen Butchard ("The Last Kingdom") wrote the adaptation. [Hulu] LIFE BELOW ZERO: FIRST ALASKANS: The National Geographic reality series -- part of its "Life Below Zero" franchise -- chronicles the lives of Indigenous Alaskans making a home on their ancestral lands and facing climate-related challenges. Season 3 debuted earlier this year on cable and hits both Hulu and Disney+ today. [Hulu and Disney+] ONE MORE SHOT: 2024 action film from the UK, following up on the 2021 film "One Shot." Scott Adkins returns as Navy SEAL Jake Harris, who's accompanying a terrorist suspect (Waleed Elgadi) on a dangerous journey to Washington DC for interrogation. Michael Jai White, Alexis Knapp, and Tom Berenger co-star. [Netflix] DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE (FIESTA EN LA MADRIGUERA): Spanish-language comedy-drama feature from Mexico, about a wildly privileged 10-year-old boy (Miguel Valverde Uribe) who dreams of adding a Namibian pygmy hippo to his private zoo, and the dedicated father (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) who will do anything to make it happen. Debi Mazar, Teresa Ruiz, and Daniel Giménez Cacho co-star; "The House of Flowers" vet Manolo Caro directed. [Netflix] HEERAMANDI: THE DIAMOND BAZAAR: Debut Hindi-language period drama series from India, chronicling the late British Raj and growing Indian independence movement of the 1940s from the perspectives of a group of courtesans in Lahore. Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Richa Chadha co-star; Sanjay Leela Bhansali ("Padmaavat") created. [Netflix] THE UNBROKEN VOICE (ARELYS HENAO): Season 2 of the Colombian telenovela series -- inspired by the life of singer Arelys Henao -- hits Netflix today. Verónica Orozco takes over the role of Henao for Season 2. [Netflix] FRANKLY SPEAKING: First-year romantic comedy series from South Korea, starring Go Kyung-pyo as a TV personality who develops a rare disorder, causing him to speak his mind without forethought. Kang Han-na co-stars as an entertainment writer covering his strange case. [Netflix] DEAW SPECIAL: SUPER SOFT POWER: Feature-length comedy special from Thai stand-up Udom Taephanich, featuring stories and reflections from his everyday life. [Netflix] PAW PATROL: The animated action-adventure series centers on a group of dedicated puppies who protect the community of Adventure Bay. Season 9 aired last year on Nickelodeon and hits Parmaount+ today. [Paramount+] | | | |
| 4 | | Sony's anime-focused streamer Crunchyroll announced its first price increases in around five years. The increases will impact the platform's Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan subscription tiers in certain countries, including the US. More: - In the US, the Mega Fan tier will increase from $9.99/month to $11.99/month; the Ultimate Fan tier will go up from $14.99/month to $15.99/month.
- The lowest-cost tier, the $7.99/month Fan tier, remains unchanged.
- Prices will also go up in Argentina, Colombia, France, and Portugal.
- The platform reduced the length of its free trial period from 14 days down to 7 days.
- In a statement, Crunchyroll explained that the price increases are funding new content acquisitions, which have significantly expanded the platform's catalog.
- Crunchyroll now features more than 45,000 episodes of TV, along with a collection of films, music, games, and other perks.
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| 5 | | Kenan Thompson and Kevin Hart will co-host an Olympics recap series for Peacock. The streamer ordered eight episodes of "Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson," to run throughout this summer's Games in Paris. More: - On the show, Hart and Thompson will show the best and most unexpected moments from throughout the Olympics Games while providing humorous recaps and commentary.
- The series debuts July 26 on Peacock, the same day as the Olympics opening ceremony; 2-3 fresh episodes will then roll out each week.
- In addition to highlights, the show will also feature in-studio competitions and interviews.
- Hart and Thompson previously teamed for Peacock's 2022 year-end recap "Back That Year Up"; Hart also co-hosted a Tokyo Olympics recap show for Peacock in 2021 along with rapper Snoop Dogg.
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| 6 | | Amazon renewed its series adaptation of James Patterson's "Alex Cross" novels for a second season, prior to the debut of Season 1. Aldis Hodge stars as Cross, a troubled detective and family man who hunts serial killers with a single-minded obsession. More: - No release date for the show's first season has yet been set, but Amazon was apparently impressed enough with what they've seen to pre-approve Season 2.
- Pre-production and casting have already begun on the show's second season.
- Isaiah Mustafa and Ryan Eggold co-star with Hodge in Season 1; "Hand of God" creator Ben Watkins wrote the adaptation and will serve as showrunner.
- Amazon has produced several shows based on characters that have appeared in long-running book series, including "Reacher," "Jack Ryan," "Bosch" and its spinoffs, and "The Terminal List."
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| 7 | | Apple released a teaser for its eight-episode series adaptation of the Scott Turow novel "Presumed Innocent." The book previously inspired a popular film starring Harrison Ford in 1990. More: - Jake Gyllenhaal takes over the lead role of Chicago deputy prosecutor Rusty Sabitch, who's accused of murdering his mistress and colleague, Carolyn Polhemus (Renate Reinsve).
- Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, Elizabeth Marvel, Peter Sarsgaard, and Lily Rabe co-star in the series.
- "Big Little Lies" and "The Undoing" vet David E. Kelley created the series and wrote the adaptation; he executive produces alongside Gyllenhaal and filmmaker J.J. Abrams.
- The first two episodes hit Apple TV+ on June 12.
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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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