| Thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming brief! Hope you had a great holiday weekend. Starting today, I'm adding a little section under the calendar highlighting my favorite streaming shows and films of the year. Today we're starting with unscripted and documentary series and films. Returning shows, 2023 debuts, and special events will follow later on this week! Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | A survey by Nielsen, cited this week by The Wall Street Journal, found that Netflix's share of US streaming viewership by young kids -- ages 2 through 11 -- fell by 21% in September from the same period two years earlier. YouTube, meanwhile, boosted its share of the same demographic, up to 33% from 29.4% two years ago. More: - According to WSJ, a number of major streamers have responded to these trends by pulling back on their investment in programming for young kids; according to Ampere, the eight largest US streamers added just 53 originals geared toward young kids and families in the first half of this year, down from 135 in the first half of 2022.
- A number of media companies are also shifting content intended for kids off of conventional streamers and over to YouTube or kid-friendly platforms like Roblox; Sony produces the animated preschool series "The Creature Cases" for Netflix, but posts clips and episodes on YouTube to draw in additional viewers.
- Streamers have cut down on content for children, despite data showing that popularity among this demographic significantly cuts down on churn.
- According to Canadian animator and media executive Michael Hirsh, many young viewers are drawn to short-form content that's challenging for streamers to program and curate.
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| 2 | | Apple and Netflix adjusted their compensation packages for top executives in 2023. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the moves could signal a larger shift within the industry away from such massive annual CEO payouts. More: - Apple announced a pay cut for CEO Tim Cook at the start of 2023; on December 8, Netflix disclosed changes to its executive pay structure as part of an SEC filing.
- Back in June, Netflix shareholders rejected compensation plans for the company's top executives, though this vote was non-binding and seen as mostly symbolic.
- Due to the timing of regulatory findings, in 2023, many executive compensation packages were announced just as writers and actors were preparing to go on strike, leading to what THR terms "ugly optics."
- Large pay packages for top executives at companies like Disney, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery also arrived during a year that saw repeated layoffs across the industry.
- Disney and Apple both reveal their plans for executive pay in January, while other entertainment companies traditionally follow suit in March or April.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26 DISNEY PARKS MAGICAL CHRISTMAS DAY PARADE: This year's parade was filmed at Walt Disney World and Resort in Florida, and features colorful floats, musical performances, appearances from beloved Disney characters, and a tour of the park. Performers include Ariana DeBose, Chrissy Metz, The Smashing Pumpkins, Michael Bolton, and the Broadway and touring casts of "Aladdin." Derek and Julianne Hough host alongside Mickey Guyton and Jesse Palmer. The special aired Monday night on ABC and hits Disney+ today. [Disney+] LETTERKENNY: The Canadian comedy series -- set among various social cliques in the fictional town of Letterkenny, Ontario -- returns to Hulu this week for its 12th and final season. Jared Keeso created the series and stars; the cast also includes Nathan Dales, Michelle Mylett, K Trevor Wilson, and Dylan Playfair. [Hulu] SOUND OF FREEDOM: 2023 crime thriller from Angel Studios and co-writer/director Alejandro Monteverde, inspired by the life of Tim Ballard and his organization, Operation Underground Railroad (OUR). The film stars Jim Caviezel as Ballard, a former US government operative who embarked on missions to rescue trafficked children in Colombia. (Earlier this year, the real Ballard exited OUR amid accusations of sexual misconduct.) [Amazon] BUILDING OUTSIDE THE LINES: Debut renovation reality series from Magnolia Network, following along as designer and builder Jared "Cappie" Capp and his daughter, Alex, transform boring pre-build structures into imaginative cabins and retreats. [Max] SUPERCHEF GRUDGE MATCH: The Food Network cooking competition series returns this week for a second season. Four celebrity chefs, some with long-standing rivalries, face off in one-round, single-dish battles for a $10,000 prize. (The losing chef must also give a prized knife to the winner.) Darnell Ferguson hosts. [Max] WHY THE HECK DID I BUY THIS HOUSE? In the HGTV reality series, San Antonio designer and renovator Kim Wolfe helps out homeowners experiencing buyer's remorse by re-imagining their properties. It's back this week for a second season. [Max] NO ESCAPE: Drama series from the UK, about young best friends who escape their ordinary lives by hitching a ride of a yacht called The Blue, bound for the Philippines. It's based on the novel "The Blue" by Lucy Clarke. Abigail Lawrie, Rhianne Barreto, Jay Ryan, and Sean Keenan co-star. [Paramount+] THANK YOU, I'M SORRY (TACK OCH FÖRLÅT): Swedish comedy-drama feature, starring Sanna Sundqvist as a wife and mom who's suddenly left on her own mid-pregnancy, prompting her erratic sister (Charlotta Björck) to come to her rescue. Lisa Aschan ("Call Mom!") directed. [Netflix] | | | |
| 4 | | LON'S "BEST IN STREAMING" LIST FOR 2023 UNSCRIPTED / DOCUMENTARY / REALITY CATEGORY PHYSICAL: 100 [Netflix] The only reality competition series that I seriously considered for inclusion, this Korean Netflix series starts with a deceptively simple premise. A diverse array of 100 athletes, firefighters, gym rats, and others who take fitness seriously face off in a series of increasingly strenuous challenges, to determine whose physique is genuinely the hardiest and toughest. It's the show's departure from conventional narrative techniques that, I think, really set it apart. Rather than "American Idol" or Olympics-style profiles of the competitors, goosing our emotions by giving us personal backstories to hold on to, the show allowed its contestants to speak for themselves and develop friendships or rivalries organically. PAUL T. GOLDMAN [Peacock] This unconventional hybrid of behind-the-scenes "making of" special, prank, and true-crime docuseries introduces a weird guy named Paul Finkelman (aka Paul T. Goldman) and gives him all the rope he needs to proverbially hang himself. Paul has written a book about some allegedly shocking things that he claims happened to him, and series creator Jason Woliner (a veteran of Nathan Fielder's shows) gives him a large (well, Peacock-sized) platform to tell his own story in his own words. This results in a lot of cringe comedy, as Finkelman delusionally tries to convince others he's an action hero, but also some genuine human insight into the nature of self-delusion and a very specific brand of masculine arrogance. BS HIGH [Max] Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe's HBO documentary examines the Bishop Sycamore High School scandal, when a fake high school football team from Ohio was invited to compete against the prestigious IMG Academy on ESPN. It answers the most pressing questions about what specifically went down, and how this weird story happened, but it's most compelling as a profile of the mastermind behind the con, fake coach Roy Johnson. No run-of-the-mill malignant narcissist, Johnson seems to delight in his misdeeds and participating in a film about them. He's arguably the most hatable on-screen villain of the year. LOVE HAS WON: THE CULT OF MOTHER GOD [Max] I love a good cult docuseries, but few manage to scale the lunatic heights and plunder the terrifying valleys of Hannah Olson's profile of Amy Carlson and her followers. Carlson -- a former McDonald's manager and seemingly everyday American -- came to believe that she was a human incarnation of the divine, and along with her small band of adherents, she started a commune dedicated largely to taking drugs while selling alternative medicines (and quack science) on internet livestreams. It's mostly harmless for a time, until it's very much not, and Olson allows the cult members themselves to dominate the conversation, even in the present, pulling you into their bizarre worldview. The result is harrowing but fascinating and hard to shake. HOW TO WITH JOHN WILSON (Season 3) [Max] It's hard to describe the specific feeling of watching "How to With John Wilson." Episodes tie seemingly disconnected visuals, shot by Wilson as he wanders around mostly New York but occasionally other places, along with voiceover monologues or essays. Wilson's musing about isolation, getting older, the way late capitalist systems are designed around algorithms and formulas rather than the way people actually live, and more line up with his visuals in all sorts of ways, and part of the fun and even excitement of the show is in discovering how he's relating what he's saying to what you're seeing. I've never seen any other show or film utilize this structure. It's completely unique to John Wilson. How many creatives on any level can say that? JURY DUTY [Amazon Freevee] I can't believe this weird experiment worked. This honestly shouldn't have worked. The idea that they were able to convince Ronald Gladden that he was on an actual jury for an entire week, surrounded by semi-recognizable character actors and very recognizable Hollywood star James Marsden? And there were constantly weird, wacky things happening? And the case involved a guy who might have gotten high off of paint fumes and freaked out at work? And they managed to execute this all with tons of funny and on-point comic timing, and even stuff like stunts? I have zero idea how it actually got pulled off to begin with, let alone turning it into a not just funny but heartwarming series about a good guy who maintains a positive attitude despite craziness swirling all around him. It's like a miracle show. | | | |
| 5 | | In an interview posted to X/Twitter on Christmas Eve, former "House of Cards" star Kevin Spacey -- appearing as his character, Frank Underwood -- told Tucker Carlson "I don't think there's any question Netflix exists because of me." Spacey criticized the platform for firing him from the series in 2017, following multiple accusations of sexual assault. More: - Spacey has posted a number of videos as Underwood -- a shady politician whose rise to power was fueled by corruption and violence -- around Christmas in recent years.
- More than a dozen men have accused Spacey of sexual assault or misconduct; several of these cases have resulted in legal victories for the actor.
- In July, in the UK, Spacey was found not guilty of sexually assaulting for men; in 2022, a jury found that Spacey was not liable for molesting Anthony Rapp when the younger actor was just a teen in the 1980s.
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| 6 | | Over the holiday weekend, social media users around the world came together to celebrate the classic sitcom "30 Rock." Though it's unclear what specifically sparked the renewed interest in the show, discussions around it started surfacing last week. More: - A widely-shared tweet from YouTuber Quinton Hoover -- noting that the show is funnier than comparable sitcoms like "Parks and Recreation," but also probably less relatable for many Americans -- started a number of conversations around "30 Rock," and likely contributed to the trend.
- Some of the discussion revolved around jokes or elements of the show -- which originally aired from 2006 to 2013 -- that would not be seen as acceptable today; four clips featuring characters in blackface were pulled from streaming libraries in 2020 at NBCUniversal and the creative team's request.
- Most of the conversations simply revolved around favorite scenes and moments.
- In the US, "30 Rock" is now available to stream on both Hulu and Peacock.
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| 7 | | Netflix released a trailer for Part 2 of filmmaker Zack Snyder's sci-fi fantasy epic "Rebel Moon." "Part 1: A Child of Fire" hit Netflix on December 21; "Part 2: The Scargiver" arrives on April 19. More: - "A Child of Fire" has sat atop Netflix's US movie chart since its release last week; in a tweet sent Tuesday morning, Snyder declared it "the #1 movie on Netflix worldwide."
- The films, inspired by "The Seven Samurai" and originally conceived as a "Star Wars" pitch, centers on the conflict between a small band of farmers-turned-rebels and a villainous intergalactic empire.
- The first film ends on a cliffhanger, with the evil Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) demanding that his admiral, Noble (Ed Skrein), arrest the rebel leader Kora (Sofia Boutella).
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- The new season of "Doctor Who" -- featuring Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson as the Fifteenth Doctor and his companion, Ruby Sunday -- premieres in May on BBC in the UK and Disney+ around the world.
- A 2024 highlight reel from Amazon Prime Video features early looks at Jake Gyllenhaal's "Road House" remake; Anne Hathaway in the romantic drama "The Idea of You"; Camila Mendes in the rom-com "Upgraded"; and more upcoming shows and films.
- Netflix released new trailers on Christmas Day for Dave Chappelle's new stand-up special "The Dreamer" and the 2022 World Cup behind-the-scenes docuseries, "Captains of the World," along with additional photos from "Bridgerton" Season 3.
- All five seasons of the '00s NBC drama series "Las Vegas" hit Peacock on December 29; this is the first time the James Caan crime drama series will be available to stream on a subscription VOD platform.
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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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