Venu Sports announced / 40M watching Netflix ads / "3 Body Problem" renewed / Charlyne Yi "Time Bandits" allegations

Plus today's calendar, "Ultraman: Rising" trailer, "South Park" takes on Ozempic craze, "007: Road to a Million" returning, and more

Inside Streaming For May 16, 2024

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Good morning/afternoon and thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming. Netflix has renewed "3 Body Problem" for more episodes, which will conclude the story, but in a puzzling move, the streamer declined to specify how many new episodes or seasons that actually entails. Maybe they're just being coy, but it seems more likely that co-creators and showrunners David Benioff, DB Weiss, and Alexander Woo haven't actually decided yet. Before the show debuted, the trio was saying they'd need four seasons of TV to adapt all three of the original Cixin Liu novels. It seems unlikely to me that this is a three-season renewal from Netflix, both because they would just announce that if they had made that decision, and also because that would be a massive up-front investment considering the expansive series' budget per-episode. More likely, I think, Netflix said "bring this in for a landing in way less than three more seasons," and the creative team is currently putting their heads together figuring out how to get through all the remaining story in a single 6-10 episode run. Maybe not GREAT news, considering Benioff and Weiss are the two guys who sped through the concluding chapters of HBO's "Game of Thrones." But here's hoping they devise a workable plan. Lon p/lon-harris

1 The joint sports-focused streaming service from Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox will be named Venu Sports (pronounced like the word "venue"). The new product remains on track for release in the fall. More: In a statement confirming the name, CEO Pete Distad called the service "an all-new streaming home where sports fans outside of the traditional pay TV ecosystem can experience an incredible collection of live sports." The company also launched a promotional website at Venu.com; a message on the site notes that Venu is operating as a subsidiary of the Fox Corporation. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the three companies have yet to finalize their agreements around Venu's launch, and the collaboration still needs to secure approval from regulators.

2 At its annual upfront presentation in New York, Netflix announced that its ad-supported tier now has around 40 million monthly active users. At last year's presentation, the tier boasted "nearly five million" sign-ups; the number had apparently reached 15 million by November 2023. More: According to Netflix, over 40% of new sign-ups now go to ad-supported plans. While Microsoft was the streamer's exclusive ad tech partner at launch, Netflix will introduce complimentary systems from The Trade Desk, Magnite, and Google's Display & Video 360. During the presentation, Netflix executives confirmed that Oscar-winning filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow plans to direct a film for the streamer, and that Adam Sandler is developing sequel to his classic 1996 golf comedy "Happy Gilmore." The streamer also announced a 10-part docuseries about the Dallas Cowboys and the team's development and progress under owner Jerry Jones in the 1990s.

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3 DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, MAY 16 BRIDGERTON: The smash hit period romance series from "Grey's Anatomy" vet Shonda Rhimes, based on the books by Julia Quinn, returns this week with the first half of its third season. The new episodes track the romance between adventurous sibling Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and gossipy wallflower Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). Four episodes premiere today; Part 2 follows in June. [Netflix] MAESTRO IN BLUE: The Greek mystery-drama series from star, writer, and creator Christoforos Papakaliatis returns to Netflix in the US today with a second season. Papakaliatis stars as a troubled musician who relocates to the small Ionian island of Paxos in order to restart a local music festival, only to become immersed in the locals' lives, rivalries, and problems. [Netflix] MONSTER: 2024 horror thriller from Indonesia, about two middle schoolers who are drugged and kidnapped by a mysterious stranger, then must summon all of their strength and bravery to plot an escape. Sultan Hamonangan and Anantya Kirana co-star; Rako Prijanto directs. [Netflix] OUTER RANGE: The sci-fi Western series -- starring Josh Brolin as a Wyoming rancher who discovers an inexplicable void with supernatural properties on his land -- returns for a second season on Thursday. Imogen Poots, Lili Taylor, Tom Pelphrey, and Tamara Podemski co-star; Charles Murray ("True Story") takes over for series creator Brian Watkins as showrunner this year. [Prime Video] ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS: The award ceremony streams live with ads on both Amazon's Freevee and Twitch platforms from the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas on Thursday night, starting at 8 pm ET. Performers include Jason Aldean, Jelly Roll, Miranda Lambert, Post Malone, Noah Kahan, Kelsea Ballerini, Avril Lavigne, Nate Smith, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, and Parker McCollum; Reba McEntire hosts. [Freevee / Twitch] BRONX ZOO '90: CRIME, CHAOS, AND BASEBALL: Sports docuseries looking back at the 1990 New York Yankees, when the team was notorious both for its poor performance in games and unpredictable off-field antics involving both players and management. The series is inspired by the writings of New York Post columnist Joel Sherman, who regularly reported on the so-called "Bronx Zoo" at the time. [Peacock] CAILLOU: Animated series from WildBrain, based on Canadian author's Christine L'Heureux beloved character, who previously starred in an iconic '90s and '00s series that aired on PBS in the US. Curious 4-year-old Caillou investigates the world around him along with his father, mother, and younger sister, Rosie. A batch of new Season 1 episodes hit Peacock today. [Peacock] QUEEN ROCK MONTREAL: Updated and remastered version of the classic Queen concert film "We Will Rock You," originally recorded at the Montreal Forum in Quebec in November of 1981. This is the first streaming concert film made available with IMAX-enhanced sound by DTS. [Disney+] ROYAL RULES OF OHIO: Debut reality series, produced for the Freeform cable network, following the lives of the Agyekum sisters -- descendants of one of Ghana's richest and most influential aristocratic families -- after they move to Columbus, Ohio. New episodes air Wednesday evenings on cable and hit Hulu on Thursdays. [Hulu] WOMEN ON DEATH ROW: Six-part true crime docuseries from A&E chronicling the stories of women who have been convicted of murder and sentenced to death, a relative rarity in the US criminal justice system. Season 1 aired last year on cable and hits Hulu in the US today. [Hulu] MURDER IN THE HEARTLAND: The Investigation Discovery true crime doscuseries examines real murder cases which tore apart otherwise quiet Midwestern communities. Season 6 aired earlier this year on cable and hits Max today. [Max]

4 Netflix renewed "3 Body Problem" for additional episodes that will conclude the storyline. The streamer did not announce specifics for how many new episodes or seasons will be produced in total. More: The epic sci-fi thriller series is based on novels by Cixin Liu; the adaptation comes from "Game of Thrones" vets David Benioff and Dan Weiss, working in collaboration with Alexander Woo ("The Terror"). Initially Benioff and Weiss had suggested they'd need four full TV seasons to adapt Liu's full trilogy of original novels. Benioff and Weiss renewed their overall deal with Netflix to develop new shows and films; Woo also has an overall Netflix deal of his own. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "3 Body Problem" episodes cost more than $20 million to produce on average, not including the licensing rights to Liu's novels; this ranks it among Netflix's most expensive series in history.

5 Series regular Charlyne Yi claims that they were physically assaulted multiple times on the set of Apple's upcoming "Time Bandits" series. Yi initially made the allegations on their Instagram account on May 7; they declined to provide further details upon request by Variety. More: According to Yi, after suffering "physical and psychological abuse" on set, they were refused workers compensation, were then "gaslit by coworkers, producers, and HR," and finally offered an opportunity to "leave with integrity" rather than pursuing an investigation. Yi alleged that the experiences left them feeling traumatized, in physical pain, and with "suicidal ideation." An unnamed source close to the show told Variety that the incident involved a fellow actor bumping into Yi, and then picking them up, during a scene when actors were running. Though Yi left the production prior to the completion of filming, their character Judy will still appear in the finished series. "Time Bandits" is based on a 1981 film from Terry Gilliam; executive producers include "What We Do In the Shadows" vets Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement.

6 Netflix released a full trailer for the upcoming animated sci-fi adventure film "Ultraman: Rising." The film reimagines the classic Japanese media franchise, which has previously inspired TV shows, films, comic books, and more. More: Christopher Sean stars as pro baseball player Ken Sato, who moonlights as the massive armor-clad superhero Ultraman; his life changes when he discovers a baby Kaiju that just hatched from its egg. "Kubo and the Two Strings" vets John Aoshima and Shannon Tindle co-directed. The film hits Netflix on June 14.

7 The next animated "South Park" special tackles the Ozempic fad. "South Park: The End of Obesity" hits Paramount+ on May 24 in the US and Canada, and goes global the following day. More: In the new special, Cartman becomes determined to get on Ozempic after being denied access to a prescription. This is the seventh "South Park" special produced specifically for Paramount+; regular episodes of the Comedy Central series stream on the Max platform. The show initially debuted on cable back in 1997; it has been renewed through 2027.

8 QUICK HITS Prime Video's reality competition series "007: Road to a Million" will apparently return for a second season, with Brian Cox back as host, according to a new report in Deadline. A documentary chronicling the Hamas attack on Israel's Nova Music Festival, which left more than 400 spectators dead and dozens more kidnapped, will premiere on Paramount+ this fall. ABC dropped its schedule for Fall 2024; "Grey's Anatomy" moves an hour earlier on Thursdays to make way for Ryan Murphy's new medical drama series, "Doctor Odyssey." The CW also released its fall schedule, featuring only two series from before the network's merger with Nexstar: "Superman & Lois" and "Whose Line Is It Anyway."

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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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