Here's a look at this week's Top 5 TV news stories!
The ill-fated experiment known as Quibi is now dead after just seven months. The streaming service was conceived as an on the go service or "quick bites" that would air 7-10 minute episodes of all sorts of shows, scripted and unscripted. The service has been mercilessly mocked since its premiere and the out of touch ideas from its leaders, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman. Although the service did pick up a few Emmys for its short form programming, there was little to no buzz and the subscription base reportedly plummeted after free trials expired. Those who were involved are putting heavy blame on the pandemic. While admittedly the timing was not great for a launch, you will never be able to convince me that this would have worked in a normal year. I don't think people need a service to tell them how to watch shows in small chunks. Whether it's a few minutes of a podcast or a Netflix show, people are used to consuming things in fits and starts. The idea of a service needing to tell people how to do that is as obsolete as telling people exactly when to watch their favorite shows. It was a terrible idea. The pandemic probably just made the end happen quicker but it did not cause the service to fail. No word on what will happen to its many original shows. A few might find homes elsewhere but I'm predicting most will be dead.
It's the end of an era (for now) as the popular Charlie Brown holiday specials ("It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown," "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas") will not be airing on a broadcast network this year. Instead, they will air exclusively on Apple TV+ with limited days of free access. The specials have aired every year on broadcast TV since they were first broadcast (for "A Charlie Brown Christmas," that goes all the way back to 1965). All have been airing on ABC since the early 2000s and usually pull it pretty decent ratings so this is definitely a loss for the network and I wouldn't be surprised to see less media/streaming savvy people to be upset about this.
After COVID delayed production on the second season of HBO's dark teen drama Euphoria, it was announced that there will be two new bonus episodes that will air before the second season. This will start on December 6 with a Christmas themed episode with another to air at a later date. It's not surprising that HBO is trying to get something on the air especially with Zendaya's surprise win for Outstanding Drama Lead Actress at the Emmys.
#4 - NETFLIX CANCELS "AWAY"
Netflix has cancelled its new Hilary Swank space drama Away after one season. The reasons were not very clear but it was likely an expensive drama that did not pull in enough viewers. Though we never know exact figures for Netflix shows, it was on Netflix's Top 10 list for a little while. The series was on my list of shows to watch but I was not super excited about it. I'll probably remove it from the list knowing it will not see a second season.
#5 - BIG STARS JOIN NEW PROJECTS
There were a lot of big stars who got attached to new projects this week. Connie Britton will head up a limited resort-set series The White Lotus for HBO. Kristen Bell will star in a Rear Window-themed limited Netflix series The Woman in the House. Jake Gyllenhaal will appear as a series regular for the first time in limited HBO series The Son.
Check back next week for another week of blog posts!
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