Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week!
After NBC, ABC and FOX all announced midseason plans on the same day last week, CBS announced its midseason plans this week. There wasn't too much to see with only two new shows joining the fold. A RuPaul hosted version of the game show Lingo will make its debut on January 11, airing between The Price is Right at Night and Tough As Nails. Then on February 23, a sneak preview premiere of the new drama True Lies will air after Young Sheldon and Ghosts. It will then settle into its regular Wednesday 10pm slot after the return of Survivor on March 1. Elsewhere, as previously announced, freshman drama Fire Country will get the coveted post-AFC Championship Game slot on January 29 and a three show NCIS crossover event will kick off the midseason on January 2.
The show that defies all odds, Yellowstone, returned for its fifth season on Sunday night on Paramount Network and it once again set ratings records. The premiere totaled 12.1 million viewers, growing by double digits percentages in key demographics to an eye-popping 5.6 cumulative 18-49 demo. The cable hit easily outpaced everything on Broadcast TV these days and was the top scripted premiere of the year. The success of Yellowstone is such an outlier. Not only is Broadcast TV declining but Cable TV is declining even harder and faster and yet Yellowstone continues to show growth. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility to say that Yellowstone could be cable's last ever real big hit. The fact that it continues to grow is almost unfathomable but quite impressive.
The upcoming MGM+ (currently still known as Epix) is making a play to be a more relevant channel. It has greenlit a Spider-man universe series called Silk: Spider Society and announced that the Sony Marvel characters (which includes some of the Spider-man universe) will get more live action adaptations. Although it won't be the marquee superhero names, this is definitely an attempt by Epix to get back in the conversation ahead of its name change. It's not a bad gamble but it doesn't seem like a big enough move to make a dent without some other quality programming.
#4 - "HUNTERS" TO END WITH SEASON 2
Amazon announced a premiere date for the long-delayed second season of Hunters while also announcing its cancellation at the same time as the series will end with Season Two. The series, which premiered in February 2020 to some fanfare due to the presence of Al Pacino, did not really catch on and now it will return on January 13. That's nearly three years since the first season and it seems like the show has mostly been forgotten. I found the first season interesting but slow, though I liked the finale and tee-up to Season 2.
#5 - SCRIPTED PREMIERES THE NEXT TWO WEEKS
With my blog on a break for next week, here's a look at the next two weeks of premieres!
Sunday: Showtime has the third season premiere of The L Word: Generation Q. It hasn't reached the cultural zeitgeist the way the original The L Word did and I must say I'm surprised to realize this is already the third season.
Tuesday: Hulu has the premiere of limited series Welcome to Chippendales. The series stars Kumail Nanjiani and could be a player in the limited series awards conversation especially if it can get some public attention. This seems like an odd time in the calendar to release a show like this.
Wednesday: Netflix has the much hyped premiere of Wednesday, the Tim Burton-directed series starring Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzman and based on The Addams Family. This is a big budget, pricey holiday release that seems like to get some attention over the holiday weekend. Speaking of IP, Peacock premieres Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, focused on Adam Devine's character. The movies were popular but was Devine really the reason? I think not. Plus there's the whole Peacock of it all. Apple TV+ has the premiere of Echo 3, a thriller in both English and Spanish.
Thursday: On Thanksgiving Day, Paramount+ has the revival of Criminal Minds with Criminal Minds: Evolution. Many cast members from the CBS drama return for the revival, which will be more serialized than the procedural drama that aired for more than a decade on Wednesday nights.
Week of 11/28: Nothing much to see the week after Thanksgiving except for the second season premiere of the HBO Max reboot of Gossip Girl on December 1.
My pick for the week:
I am going with Wednesday. Although I am so-so on the brand of The Addams Family, I have been curious about this show for a long time and the trailer has looked intriguing. I also think it's fun to have Tim Burton doing a series. I will also probably watch Criminal Minds: Evolution because the original was a guilty pleasure of mine. I may check out Pitch Perfect or Welcome to Chippendales if the buzz is good.
Happy Thanksgiving! Check back November 29 for a new week of blog posts!
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