Here's a look at my Top 5 TV news stories of the week!
In a surprising announcement on Thursday night, Trevor Noah announced he will be leaving The Daily Show after seven plus seasons as host. Noah took over for the legendary Jon Stewart in 2015 and there was a lot of skepticism about him when he started. After a rough beginning, he found his voice and settled into a critically acclaimed run. While The Daily Show didn't quite have the cultural awareness it had during the Stewart years, Noah's incarnation still received multiple Emmy nominations while Noah became an increasingly respected figure. No successor has been named nor has there been a timetable for Noah's departure but it's another change in the late night scene along with James Corden's pending departure in Summer 2023. Comedy Central is also in a much different place than it was when the last transition happened as Cable TV struggles to find its way in the streaming world. They won't give up on their flagship show but it's hard to imagine it being anywhere close to as big a deal as when Noah took over for Stewart.
Last weekend marked Netflix's "Tudum" global fan event. While it is Netflix's typical way to not do things like TCA days and instead run things their own way, we were given a ton of information including premiere dates for new seasons of The Crown, Emily in Paris, You and the final season of Dead to Me along with premiere dates for new series The Watcher and Wednesday. The Crown is already getting some backlash from the royal family especially in light of Queen Elizabeth II's death, but Netflix made the choice to not push things back. Between these new seasons and shows announced and the promising Blockbuster, there are a lot of things I'm excited about coming to the streamer in the coming months compared to recent months where there's been almost nothing of interest to me.
Yep, we're getting another streaming/premium service with a + in its name. Epix, the little watched premium cable network and streaming service, will be rebranding as MGM+ in January to coincide with the third season of its most visible series, Godfather of Harlem. This is clearly an attempt to build more awareness of the content using an iconic Hollywood studio name in its title. Along with the name change, the soon to be MGM+ has ordered new scripted series Belgravia: The Next Chapter and Hotel Cocaine. It seems hard to believe that this will break through more but I guess MGM is certainly a more recognizable brand than Epix.
#4 - APPLE TV+ PREMIERE DATES
On Thursday, Apple TV+ announced premiere dates for four returning shows including a few that haven't been seen for quite awhile. The second season of The Mosquito Coast returns November 4, the third season of Mythic Quest drops a week later on November 11 and the second season of Slow Horses comes out on December 2, less than a year after the first season aired. However, the best news was buried at the end of the press release. The second season of Little America will premiere on December 9. The immigrant anthology series had an absolutely excellent first season way back in January 2020 that seemed to fly far under the radar. Everyone should check that out between now and the second season premiere!
#5 - SCRIPTED PREMIERES THIS WEEK
As the Fall Season marches on, here's a look at this week's premieres!
Today: Hulu has the long-awaited return of Ramy. Last seen way back in May 2020, the critically acclaimed series will return for its third season with all episodes dropping.
Sunday: Following an NFL double-header and 60 Minutes, CBS has the return of The Equalizer for a third season and it is followed by new cop drama East New York. It's a show that feels like it could have been on the air 20 years ago but we'll see, it might fit in well to CBS. AMC has the premiere of the TV adaptation of Interview with the Vampire. The Anne Rice property was a popular novel and film but vampires don't seem to be a big draw currently.
Monday: ABC has the return of The Good Doctor for its sixth season. It wouldn't surprise me if this ends up being the final season of the medical drama.
Tuesday: OWN has the second season premiere of anthology Cherish the Day. The first season, which didn't get much traction, premiered its first season way back in January 2020, making it one of the rare current shows left to have last premiered pre-pandemic.
Wednesday: The CW kicks off its fall season with the return of Kung Fu for a third season. Syfy/USA has the second season premiere of Chucky, which certainly had its supporters for its first season last fall. It is followed on Syfy by Reginald the Vampire, yes another vampire show premiering this week. This one is more of a comedy.
Thursday: On a busy day for premieres, the ABC lineup premieres with the sixth season premiere of Station 19, the 19th season premiere of Grey's Anatomy (a season that will feature less Ellen Pompeo) and the premiere of new drama Alaska Daily starring Hillary Swank, which could be compatible with Grey's but might skew older. Peacock premieres the creepy new limited series A Friend of the Family, starring Jake Lacy and Anna Paquin. The CW has the third season premiere of Walker and its new prequel, Walker: Independence, which is clearly trying to capitalize on the Yellowstone franchising. Finally, HBO Max has the third season premiere of the insanely titled Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler.
My pick for the week:
Even though it looks a little more generic than I hoped it would, I'm still curious about Alaska Daily because I like the idea of an Alaska-set newspaper drama. I will probably check out East New York, but I doubt it will give us anything different. And I'll also check out A Friend of the Family at some point because it looks intriguing enough to me. I'm also interested in the third season of Ramy. I will not be checking out the vampire shows though I do like What We Do in the Shadows.
Check back next week for a new week of blog posts!
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