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| Good afternoon, Inside Streaming readers, and thanks for opening today's daily brief. I was pleased to see that "Leo" is performing solidly for Netflix. The animated musical comedy from Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions is very charming, and the sort of thing likely to appeal to kids and their parents alike. I maybe could've done without some of the songs, which feel a bit tossed off and unnecessary. None are particularly catchy or memorable. But this is a relatively small gripe. The movie is bright and colorful and fast-paced and surprisingly funny for a release from the Sandler Factory. Enjoy today's edition. We'll see you back here tomorrow for lots more news and analysis. Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | According to Nielsen, the USA Network legal drama series "Suits" was streamed for just 997 million minutes between October 23-29. That makes it the first week since June that the series failed to surpass 1 billion minutes viewed. More: - In all, "Suits" was streamed for over 1 billion minutes for 18 weeks straight; the only show in streaming history with more than 18 weeks at this level of viewership is "The Office."
- The romantic comedy "No Hard Feelings," starring Jennifer Lawrence, took over the top spot on Nielsen's list in late October, and was the only title to surpass 1 billion minutes viewed for this week.
- Netflix's "Fall of the House of Usher" hit third place, with 944M minutes of viewership.
- "Friends" received a surge in viewership following the sudden death of series regular Matthew Perry on October 28; within just a few hours, the show was viewed for 583 million minutes, good enough for #7 among all acquired or licensed streaming titles.
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| 2 | | According to Netflix's internal numbers, Adam Sandler's "Leo" had the most-watched debut week of any animated film in the platform's history. "Leo" debuted at the top of the streamer's English-language films list, with 34.6 million views between November 20-26. More: - Musical comedy "Leo" stars Sandler and Bill Burr as a tuatara and turtle, respectively, who live in a tank in an elementary school classroom.
- The reality competition series "Squid Game: The Challenge" debuted at #1 on Netflix's English-language TV list with 1.6 million views.
- New entrants onto Netflix's top TV list also included the animated spinoff series "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off" and Mike Birbiglia's stand-up special "The Old Man and the Pool."
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29 AMERICAN SYMPHONY: Documentary profile following a tumultuous life in the year in the life of musician Jon Batiste, during which he embarks on his most ambitious project to date as his wife -- the writer and motivational speaker Suleika Jaouad -- learns that her long-dormant cancer has returned. Matthew Heineman ("Cartel Land," "The First Wave") directed. [Netflix] BAD SURGEON: LOVE UNDER THE KNIFE: True-crime docuseries examining the case of Italian thoracic surgeon Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, who was world-renowned for his innovative stem cell-infused windpipe transplants, until colleagues observed that his patients frequently suffered further medical issues or even death following his procedures. Dr. Macchiarini is also the subject of Season 2 of the Peacock scripted anthology series "Dr. Death." [Netflix] THE ARTFUL DODGER: Limited period drama series from Sony Pictures Television, serving as a sequel to the Charles Dickens novel "Oliver Twist." Former pickpocket Jack Dawkins (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) leaves his "Artful Dodger" persona behind and moves to Australia in the 1850s to work as a seemingly respectable surgeon, but the re-emergence of his old mentor Fagin (David Thewlis) complicates his plans. Maia Mitchell, Damon Herriman, and Miranda Tapsell co-star. [Hulu] LOST CITIES REVEALED WITH ALBERT LIN: In this debut docuseries from National Geographic, the scientist and explorer uses state-of-the-art technology to locate and examine ancient cities and settlements that have disappeared back into nature and been lost to time. Season 1 premieres this week on Hulu, Disney+, and cable TV. [Hulu and Disney+] LIFE BELOW ZERO: The National Geographic reality series follows hardy individuals living in relative isolation in the frigid wilderness of Alaska. Season 21 aired on cable earlier this year and hits both Hulu and Disney+ in the US today. [Hulu and Disney+] PRETTY HARD CASES: The Canadian mystery comedy-drama series returns to Amazon Freevee this week for its third and final season. Meredith MacNeill and Kelly Duff co-star as detectives Wazowski and Duff, who reunite in the Guns and Gangs division after eight months apart. [Freevee] HELP! MY HOUSE IS HAUNTED: In this UK spinoff of "Ghost Adventures," created by Zak Bagans, a team of paranormal investigators helps out families who believe that their homes may be infested by spirits. Ian Lawman, Barri Ghai, and Jayne Harris co-host. It's back this week for a fifth season. [Max] STREET OUTLAWS: FARMTRUCK AND AZN: DOWN UNDER: In this spinoff of the Discovery reality racing series, duo Sean "Farmtruck" Whitley and AZN travel to Australia seeking new challenges and primo fishing spots. [Max] | | | |
| 4 | | Amazon is developing another spinoff of the satirical superhero comedy-drama series "The Boys." "The Boys: Mexico" comes from "Blue Beetle" scribe Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and executive producers Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal. More: - Though Luna and García Bernal are recognizable actors (who memorably appeared together in the 2001 film "Y Tu Mamá También"), they will likely only take small roles in the series, and won't appear as regulars.
- The search is underway for a co-showrunner to work alongside Dunnet-Alcocer; "The Boys" creator Erik Kripke is on board as a producer, as are Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg through their company, Point Grey Pictures..
- "The Boys" is based on a comic book series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson; it's set in a world in which powerful superheroes are as popular, and self-serving, as celebrity influencers.
- The show's prior spinoff, the college-set "Gen V," has been renewed for a second season.
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| 5 | | Instacart announced a new partnership with NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service. All Instacart+ subscribers in the US will get access to Peacock Premium at no additional charge. More: - Instacart+ provides free delivery on all grocery orders over $35, among other benefits; it costs $99/year or $9.99/month.
- The specific terms of the deal were not disclosed; Variety suggests NBCU are likely receiving a per-subscriber fee from Instacart.
- A collaborative ad for Instacart, featuring clips from popular Peacock shows, will also start airing across NBCU's linear, social, and streaming platforms.
- The Instacart service will also make a few appearances in upcoming NBCU programs, including the holiday special "Christmas in Rockefeller Plaza" and an upcoming episode of Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen."
- Instacart is a frequent advertiser on NBCUniversal shows and platforms.
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| 6 | | A new social feature from Plex could potentially reveal more about users' viewership habits than they wish to share. The platform's "Discover Together" offering includes an Activity tab, that reveals what friends have been watching, reviewing, or adding to their watchlists. More: - Plex announced the new feature in a "week in review" email, after it had already debuted on the platform.
- Plex is a hybrid streaming and hosting service that allows users to not only watch curated content, but also add their own local files to a shared server.
- The feature is opt-out, requiring users to take a few steps in order to stop sharing their behavior.
- Several users on Reddit and social media complained that the feature represents an invasion of privacy.
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| 7 | | According to various South Korean media reports, two of the country's largest streaming services -- TVing and Wavve -- are in "advanced merger talks." Based on a report from the Korean Economic Daily, TVing majority owner CJ ENM and Wavve backer SK Square could reach an agreement as soon as next week. More: - According to Variety, the move is designed to help the services better compete against international rivals, particularly Netflix.
- Korean Economic Daily reports that CJ ENM would likely serve as the majority owner of the merged service.
- Both companies confirmed that negotiations are ongoing.
- Both services offer free ad-supported plans along with paid subscriptions; TVing apparently has around 5.1 million monthly active viewers (MAUs) in Korea while Wavve counts around 4.23 million MAUs.
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| 8 | | QUICK HITS - Competitors are killing your efficiency. Read how Greenhouse gained $85mil in revenue from reps who used Klue over non-Klue users.*
- Peacock released trailers for the "Ted" prequel series, in which Seth MacFarlane's talking teddy bear attends high school in the 1990s along with Season 2 of the scripted true-crime anthology drama "Dr. Death," landing on December 21.
- Creator J.T. Rogers previewed Season 2 of the Max period crime drama series "Tokyo Vice" for Entertainment Weekly; the new episodes premiere in February.
- Season 2 of the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series "The Last of Us" will feature content that was cut from the second "Last of Us" video game, and then restored in the new remastered edition.
- Actor Kelli Giddish will reprise her role as Det. Amanda Rollins on the Season 25 premiere of "Law & Order: SVU"; she was a series regular through the midpoint of Season 24, and made a guest appearance in the Season 24 finale.
- Apple dropped a trailer for "Murder Without a Trial," a true-crime docuseries about the 1980 shooting of rock icon John Lennon; the "deeply researched examination" of Lennon's death at the hands of assassin Mark David Chapman debuts on December 6.
- Amazon Fire TV Channels added a few new free 24/7 feeds for sports fans, including content from Fox Sports and the Locked On Podcast Network, and highlights from the NBA, Big Ten, SEC, and Big 12.
- On the "Inside of You" podcast, when asked about a potential Season 4 for the sci-fi comedy/drama series "The Orville," co-star Adrianne Palicki responded "No, no longer doing that" and suggested that the show has likely ended its run.
- A Chinese student, Li Hao, has reportedly died from exhaustion after being contracted to stream for 240 hours over a period of just 26 days; Henan Qinyi Culture and Media Co. has denied that it determined Li's streaming schedule.
- Netflix grabbed "Incoming," the feature directorial debut of "It's Always Sunny" vets John and Dave Chernin; the coming-of-age comedy, which the Chernins also scripted, centers on four freshmen attending their first high school party.
- Diablo Cody ("Juno") and Ryan O'Connell ("Special") joined the writing staff for Max's series adaptation of the DeuxMoi novel "Anon Pls."
- Paramount promoted two TV executives: Jeff Grossman will now serve as programming chief on Paramount+ while Amy Kuessner will serve in the same role at Pluto TV.
- The dubbed English-language version of debut anime series "Pokémon Horizons" hits Netflix on February 23 of next year, just ahead of Pokémon Day 2024 on February 27.
- Speaking at a conference in London this week, Ofcom chair Michael Grade suggested that Netflix and Disney are overhyping concerns about UK's Media Bill; in contrast to what Netflix executives have argued, Grade suggested that international streamers won't need to trim their content for British audiences to comply with the new regulations.
- Showrunner Noah Hawley explained to Entertainment Weekly why the fifth season of "Fargo" is packed with so many references to the classic animated musical "The Nightmare Before Christmas."
- "Wheel of Time" executive producers Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon are developing "immersive experiences" based on the Robert Jordan novels along with ArtsDistrict Studios and Vortex Immersion.
- Hulu grabbed the rights to "The Contestant," a documentary feature that debuted at this year's Toronto Film Festival; the film profiles aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, who became a Japanese TV sensation while participating in an extreme reality show in 1998.
- The Indonesian thriller "24 Hours with Gaspar," a festival hit based on a 2017 detective novel by Sabda Armandio, has been acquired by Netflix.
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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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