Next week, I will be presenting my regular Schedules of the Past post on Tuesday followed by Emmy Previews on Wednesday & Thursday and then another Friday Five. Then the following week will be my final week for the "season" on the blog with Emmy Previews on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and a Summer Preview to end the week. I am ending my blog posts for the season a little bit earlier this year due to many other things going on in my life but I will be doing the Benjamonster Awards again in July!
Anyway, here are the Top 5 TV news stories of the week!
The week started with a bang with two cable news bombshells that were released within an hour of each other. Tucker Carlson was dropped from FOX News less than a week after FOX's huge settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. Reportedly, the findings from the potential trial resulted in some very troubling details of the work environment at Carlson's show plus his thoughts about management at FOX News. Still, this was a bombshell announcement despite the many rooting for this day to come. Carlson presided over the top cable news show so this was no small story or scapegoat for the conservative media giant. Just as people were grappling with this news, CNN revealed that their morning anchor (and former primetime anchor) Don Lemon was gone, months after he stepped in hot water with a comment about Nikki Haley's age. Lemon was also known for some troubling behind the scenes behavior. Both of these anchors were longtime stalwarts at the network and it certainly represents a seismic shift in cable news as we get into the 2024 election.
With the Emmy window down to a month left, we are starting to get final decisions with category placements. There were two notable moves this week. Kieran Culkin will move from Supporting Actor to Lead Actor for Succession with Sarah Snook likely to do the same in Actress. This makes complete sense given their status on the final season of the show as well as the best play for Succession to win more awards (though Culkin will now have a showdown with Jeremy Strong in Lead, a Snook move would likely prevent her from battling with fellow HBO powerhouse Jennifer Coolidge). The more head-scratching move was the announcement that Schmigadoon will move from Comedy to Scripted Variety where, if nominated, it would compete with stalwarts like Saturday Night Live and A Black Lady Sketch Show. Though Schmigadoon did not get any major nominations for its first season, it has gotten more buzz for its second. The actors will still compete in Comedy categories but the series will be considered a Variety one, which certainly feels like category fraud.
With The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel winding down on its award-winning five season run, its creators are staying with Amazon for a new, high profile project. The next series for the husband and wife team of Daniel Palladino and Amy Sherman Palladino will be Etoile, which has received a two season order from Prime Video and will star Maisel alums Luke Kirby and Gideon Glick among others. The series will follow dancers at ballet companies in New York City and Paris as they attempt to swap their most talented stars. I've been mixed on Palladino projects in the past but I love Maisel so I'll definitely give this a try when it hits the airwaves.
#4 - JERRY SPRINGER DIES
Jerry Springer passed away this week at the age of 79 after a brief illness. For good or bad, Springer was a TV icon. His talk show, The Jerry Springer Show, was one of the most popular of the 1990s and it ushered in the era of "Trash TV" with the tabloid talk shows that featuring physical altercations and insane situations. The series, which started off much more tame, was the poster child for the last dominant era for Daytime Talk Shows. Springer had an illustrious career that also included other media ventures and being the Mayor of Cincinnati for a short time but his talk show will always be his biggest legacy, for good or bad.
#5 - SCRIPTED PREMIERES THIS WEEK
Here's a look at this week's scripted premieres!
Today: Prime Video has the premiere of the hugely expensive Citadel. The global series, starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, has come under scrutiny for its ballooning budget and behind the scenes dysfunction including a showrunner change. The series has already been renewed for a second season but reviews have not been very kind.
Sunday: Paramount+ has the premiere of Fatal Attraction, based on the popular 1980s movie of the same name. This is one of those IP shows that seems a little bit unnecessary and reviews have not been strong.
Monday: HBO has the premiere of the five episode limited series The White House Plumbers. The series has been in the can for quite a long time as it was originally supposed to premiere around the similar-themed Gaslit a year ago. It's a late entry into the odd limited series race at the Emmys so we'll see if it can make any noise. National Geographic has the premiere of the Anne Frank drama A Small Light, which will stream on Disney+ and Hulu the next day (and that's probably where most will see it).
Thursday: It's a busy day with three premieres. Netflix drops Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, the first Bridgerton offshoot coming to the streamer. We'll see if it can capture the zeitgeist like the mothership show did. I'm a little skeptical. Peacock has the premiere of Bupkis, a Pete Davidson comedy also starring Edie Falco and Joe Pesci. We'll see if Davidson's brand of humor can translate to an ongoing scripted series. Finally, HBO Max has the third season premiere of underrated gem The Other Two.
My pick for the week:
There's a lot to choose from this week but I am going with The Other Two, which is a show I wish got more attention. I thought both the first two seasons were excellent and I'm excited to see what the third season brings, which could sadly be its last given its lack of broad appeal. I'm also hopeful for The White House Plumbers because of the subject matter but it seems like HBO has been trying to bury this show and reviews have been mixed. I will probably check out A Small Light and I was more interested in Citadel and Fatal Attraction before seeing reviews.
Check back next week for a new week of blog posts!
No comments:
Post a Comment