"House of the Dragon" renewed / "Bridgerton" S4 / Watchdogs request YouTube probe / Chestnut vs. Kobayashi on Netflix

Plus today's calendar, Roku motion smoothing issue, Elba & Ferguson circle Bigelow film, "Those About to Die" trailer, and more

Inside Streaming For June 13, 2024

Thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming daily brief! With the finale of "Bridgerton" Season 3 hitting Netflix today, fans are waiting eagerly for Season 4 updates. It's one of the streamer's most popular franchises after all. Sadly, Netflix and showrunner Jess Brownell are suggesting that it could be around 2 years until the next installment of the beloved costume drama. That's a really long time to make people wait, especially as "Bridgerton" seasons are just 8 episodes in total! That's an average of 4 new episodes per year, or one per fiscal quarter.  Network TV runs more like a well-oiled machine, with work constantly going on behind the scenes to produce a lot of content each year, so viewers don't have to wait more than a few months for the next season. Netflix's process, in which a smaller team writes, produces, and edits a full season all at once, doesn't allow for this kind of streamlining. But perhaps they should reconsider! Lon p/lon-harris

1 HBO renewed the fantasy drama series "House of the Dragon" for a third season. Season 2 premieres on both Max and cable later on this week, on the evening of Sunday, June 16. More: The "Game of Thrones" spinoff had the biggest premiere audience in history for an HBO series, on either cable or Max (then HBO Max). Season 1 averaged 29 million viewers per episode, across all platforms. The series is based on a book by "Thrones" author George R.R. Martin, "Fire and Blood," which recounts the history of the Targaryen dynasty; Martin co-created the series with Ryan Condal, who showruns. Several more "Thrones" spinoffs are at various stages of development, including the prequel series "Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" and the "ancient Westeros" epic "Ten Thousand Ships."

2 "Bridgerton" showrunner Jess Brownell teased her Season 4 plans in a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, but suggests new episodes are likely several years away. The second half of "Bridgerton" Season 3 debuts today on Netflix. More: It remains unclear which Bridgerton sibling will be the focus of Season 4; likely contenders include Benedict (Luke Thompson) or Eloise (Claudia Jessie). At the Season 3, Part 2 premiere in the UK, Brownell told THR that Season 4 represents "some of my best work," along with the show's writer's room. For now, "Bridgerton" seasons take around 2 years to produce, suggesting Season 4 may not arrive until late 2025 or 2026. The romantic drama -- set in an alternate version of Regency Era England -- remains one of Netflix's most popular original franchises; Season 3, Part 1 debuted to 45.1 million views in its first week, according to Netflix's internal data.

3 DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, JUNE 13 BRIDGERTON: The second half of the celebrated romantic drama series' third season arrives today, with four additional episodes. This season centers on the courtship of lifelong friends Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). [Netflix] DOCTOR CLIMAX: Debut period comedy-drama series from Thailand about a venereal disease expert in the 1970s whose wildly popular new sex advice column threatens his otherwise comfortable life and marriage. Ter Chantavit, Goy Arachaporn, Tob Chaiwat, and Tonhon co-star. [Netflix] THE BOYS: The satirical superhero comedy-drama series -- based on the comics by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson -- returns this week for a fourth season. This season, The Boys try to keep evil super Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) out of the White House and try to get their hands on the biological weapon from spinoff series "Gen V." Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Antony Starr, and Laz Alonso co-star. [Prime Video] BRATS: Documentary feature from Neon and ABC News Studios reuniting many of the young actors and frequent co-stars who were collectively known as the "Brat Pack" in the 1980s. Former member Andrew McCarthy directs and discusses the phenomenon with Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Jon Cryer, Lea Thompson, and Timothy Hutton, plus writer David Blum, who coined the term "Brat Pack" in 1985. [Hulu] PIRATES: TRUTH BEHIND LEGENDS: Historical docuseries from the UK looking back at the real stories behind fanciful myths and legends of high seas piracy, including the inspirations for Captain Jack Sparrow and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films. Billy Boyd narrates. [Hulu] ROSE'S WAR: Irish biographical drama feature, starring Imogen Poots as Rose Dugdale, an English debutante who rebelled against her wealthy family and volunteered for the militant Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the 1970s. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Jack Meade, Patrick Martins, and Dermot Crowley co-star; Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy co-wrote and directed. [Hulu] TO KILL A STEPFATHER: 2023 drama feature, produced for the Lifetime cable network, starring Alex Camacho as a young woman whose estranged mother is arrested for her stepfather's murder, prompting her to take up the investigation. [Hulu] HANNAH EINBINDER: EVERYTHING MUST GO: Debut hour-long stand-up special from the comedian and "Hacks" co-star, shot at Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre. It features material about her early childhood, her inability to meditate, her thoughts on climate change, and more. [Max] ALIENS ABDUCTED MY PARENTS (AND NOW I FEEL KINDA LEFT OUT): 2023 comic sci-fi adventure for the whole family, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. Emma Tremblay stars as Itsy, a teen journalist writing a profile of her eccentric neighbor (Jacob Buster), who believes his parents have been taken by extraterrestrials. Will Forte and Elizabeth Mitchell co-star. [Peacock] THE DIRTY D: The drama series streamed its first two seasons on Tubi, but moves over to Peacock for Season 3. It's set behind the scenes at a popular but shady Detroit nigthclub where everyone is playing an angle. Phillip Granger, Demaris Harvey, Makeiva Albritten, and Cierra Smith co-star. [Peacock] FAMILY WEEKEND: 2023 direct-to-VOD comedy-drama feature, about a group of siblings who take their parents hostage and try to force them to take child-rearing more seriously. Olesya Rulin, Kristin Chenoweth, Matthew Modine, and Joey King co-star. [Peacock]

4 In an open letter to Justice Department antitrust chief Jonathan Kanter, a collection of tech industry watchdog groups requested a probe into YouTube and parent company Alphabet. The collective suggests that Google intends to dominate home entertainment via the YouTube app and particularly the YouTube TV streaming platform. More: The watchdog groups include The American Economic Liberties Project, Demand Progress, and nine other signatories. They suggest that, as YouTube comes pre-installed on many smartphones, TVs, and other devices in the US, it has an unfair advantage against competing cable, satellite, and streaming TV services. They also point out that Google already dominates internet search and online advertising, accusing the company the using its streaming platform to "crowd out competitors, lock in customers, and force the purchase of bundled services." YouTube is the most-watched streaming platform in the US on televisions, according to Nielsen.

5 Competitive eating champions Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi will bring their legendary rivalry to Netflix. The duo will participate in a livestreamed hot dog-eating competition on September 2, during the Labor Day weekend. More: The special is titled "Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef," and will feature the competitors downing all-beef hot dogs. Chestnut has been banned from Coney Island's famed Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest this year, after signing a promotional deal with rival brand Impossible Foods; he's a 16-time Nathan's champion, and has won the last 8 years in a row. Currently, Chestnut holds the world record, downing 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Kobayashi is a six-time Nathan's champ who won six years in a row in the 2000s.

6 On several online forums, Roku users are claiming that they can no longer turn off "motion smoothing" on their TV sets, following the Roku OS 13 update. The issues seem to mainly be impacting TVs manufactured by TCL. More: The "motion smoothing" option is available on a number of contemporary TV sets under various names, also including "Action Smoothing," "TruMotion," "MotionFlow," and "Auto Motion Plus"; it attempts to make the image less blurry by inserting additional frames into a program. Though favored for sports broadcasts, many users complain that the feature makes films and TV shows appear less cinematic and "hyperreal." This is the first time that Roku has offered a native motion-smoothing option, though users complained that there was no clear way to turn it off. Roku's OS 13 notes do mention a "Roku Smart Picture" feature that optimizes TVs based on the content being viewed.

7 Deadline reports that Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson are in talks to star in a new Netflix film from director Kathryn Bigelow. The project is apparently set in the White House during a national crisis; no other details have been revealed. More: Bigelow's films include "Point Break," "Zero Dark Thirty," and "The Hurt Locker," for which she became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director. This will be Bigelow's first new film since the 2017 period thriller "Detroit." Bigelow had previously been developing a film adaptation of the David Koepp novel "Aurora" for Netflix, but that project has stalled out.

8 QUICK HITS Peacock dropped a full trailer for the Ancient Rome-set drama series "Those About to Die"; all 10 episodes of the gladiator drama, which features Anthony Hopkins as the Emperor Vespasian, debut on July 18. "Euphoria" vet Hunter Schafer joined the cast of Prime Video's "Blade Runner 2099" spinoff series, alongside Michelle Yeoh. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and wife/business partner Dany Garcia signed a new first-look deal with Disney through their company, Seven Bucks Productions; they'll develop films for both theatrical and streaming, along with projects for various Disney divisions. Grace Van Patten will take over the role of Amanda Knox in Hulu's upcoming scriped true-crime drama series from departing lead Margaret Qualley; Van Patten previously starred on Hulu's YA thriller series "Tell Me Lies." John Leguizamo's historical drama series "The Green Veil" -- which surveys the treatment of indigenous populations throughout 20th Century history -- will return for a second season, exclusively on the free, ad-supported streamer The Network. "Tokyo Vice" creator/showrunner J.T. Rogers and EP Alan Poul discussed a potential future for the series, despite Max's recent cancellation, with Variety; studio Fifth Season remains committed to the show, and may seek international collaborators for Season 3. Apple dropped a trailer for the family coming-of-age series "Me," starring Lucian-River Chauhan as an everyday junior high student who realizes that he's developed superpowers; Barry L. Levy ("LA's Finest") created and showruns the series, which arrives on July 12. The two-part HBO docuseries "One South: Portrait of a Psych Unit" takes viewers inside a mental health facility for young adults, chronicling and demystifying the treatment process; it debuts June 25 and 26 on HBO and Max. "Winx Club" franchise creator Iginio Straffi has a new animated kids series, "Mermaid Magic," headed to Netflix on August 22. Africa's Showmax streamer -- in which Comcast/NBCUniversal holds a 30% stake -- increased revenue by 22% last year, to $54 million; the streaming service runs on NBCU's Peacock platform. In a video posted to Instagram, ESPN analyst Austin Rivers -- the son of former LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers -- takes issue with some casting choices on the FX/Hulu drama series "Clipped." The new TLC reality series "Forbidden Love" features couples from different faiths, in which one partner is considering the possibility of religious conversion; the new series premieres July 21 on cable and his Max the following day. Netflix's VP of Games Mike Verdu will transition into an undisclosed new role, reportedly centering around game development; he'll continue in his present job until a replacement is found. During an appearance on "The Tonight Show," Steve Carell revealed that "The Office" reboot star Domhnall Gleeson -- with whom he collaborated on FX's "The Patient" -- called him for advice about joining the beloved comedy franchise.

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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