Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week!
#1 - HBO MAX TO BECOME MAX IN MAY
It has been anticipated for awhile but it became official this week. HBO Max will officially merge with Discovery+ to become a new service simply called "Max" on May 23. This was part of a deliberate attempt to remove the "HBO" name from the platform but it's heading from a unique platform (& look) to something so generic in its title and visuals. Do we really need another blue-themed streaming service after Prime Video, Paramount+ and Disney+? I liked that Hulu was green, Netflix was red, HBO Max was purple and so on but I digress. The pricing mostly aligns with current HBO Max pricing and while customers can still get Discovery+ as its own entity, that will not be the case for people who just want the HBO Max content and don't care about Discovery+ (*raises hand*). I don't fully understand the business behind all of this and I get that those Discovery shows are very popular. But I just think losing the HBO brand is bad for the image of carefully curated and top notch content. Of course, there will still be HBO proper as a channel and all those shows will continue to air on Max. But I just don't like it. I think it's a terrible name and a terrible pivot.
Amidst the Max news was also a lot of news on the HBO & Max front. Max has commissioned a Harry Potter TV series that will span ten years and cover all seven books. This news comes as no surprise with the streamers always trying to maximize their IP. But no one really thinks this is necessary with the beloved films still fresh in everyone's mind and the recent issues with J.K. Rowling and her views. Casey Bloys, who is usually well prepared to deal with press, was caught flat-footed talking about Rowling yesterday which didn't help matters. We'll see what happens with these shows but it feels a little bit like an unnecessary cash grab. In other development news in the world of IP, there's a new series being developed in the universe of The Big Bang Theory and another new Game of Thrones sequel has been ordered. Plus HBO gave us several teasers for some highly anticipated shows such as the new edition of True Detective with Jodie Foster and the Kate Winslet series The Regime.
In an unsurprising development, NBC renewed all six of their Dick Wolf shows - the Chicago trio and the Law & Order trio for 2023-24. This will be Season 25 for Law & Order: SVU and Wolf proudly declared that those shows are responsible for 84 seasons on NBC. All orders are for 22 episodes except for Law & Order: Organized Crime, which will be 13 episodes. The news also broke that most cast members on the shows will only be appearing in 18-20 episodes to help cut costs. That will probably exclude a couple actors like Mariska Hargitay but it will be true for most of the rest of them. With the way Wolf does revolving doors of characters, it probably doesn't matter much. Between these six shows and the FBI trio on CBS (also already renewed), he knows how to make broadcast procedurals.
#4 - KIM KARDASHIAN JOINING "AMERICAN HORROR STORY"
In the most derided casting news of the week, Kim Kardashian has joined the new season of American Horror Story alongside Emma Roberts, who is returning to the franchise and Matt Czurchy, fresh off The Resident. The new season will be a pregnancy/Rosemary's Baby themed plot. We'll see if Kardashian has what it takes, but this is such a Ryan Murphy move. Maybe it's something the show needs because recent seasons have come and gone without much attention.
#5 - SCRIPTED PREMIERES THIS WEEK
Here's a look at this week's scripted premieres!
Today: Amazon has the premiere of the final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. One of the streamer's defining shows with its many awards, the show lost some momentum last season and its final season hasn't gotten the buzz that other final seasons like Succession, Barry and possibly Ted Lasso have gotten. But its still a hallmark show for its platform so the ending is notable. Apple TV+ has the premiere of the limited Jennifer Garner thriller The Last Thing He Told Me. This marks Garner's second regular TV role this spring after appearing in the recent season of Party Down. Starz has the second season premiere of Blindspotting, which didn't really break through in its first season.
Sunday: HBO premieres the fourth and final season of Barry. The acclaimed series looks to be getting even darker and further from its original comedic basis for the final season. Showtime has the premiere of the limited series Waco: The Aftermath, which is a follow-up to its Waco series and seems especially timely for the current political climate.
Thursday: Peacock has the premiere of Mrs. Davis, a sci-fi drama series starring Betty Gilpin. The series comes from Damon Lindelof, who is well-liked by critics from Lost, The Leftovers and Watchmen. It seems to be a very unique but odd show so we'll see if it can break through on Peacock. Netflix has the premiere of the drama The Diplomat starring Keri Russell in her first regular series role since The Americans. Paramount+ has a new season of Bevis and Butthead.
My pick for the week:
Lots to choose from this week but I have to go with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The series has been one of my favorites since it premiered and while I did agree with the many who said the fourth season wasn't quite as good, I still think it was pretty darn awesome. This is among my all time favorite shows so I'm excited to see how it ends but I'll be sad to see it go. I'm also quite interested in seeing how Barry ends. Among the new shows, I have a lot of interest in The Last Thing He Told Me and The Diplomat. Mrs. Davis seems a little bit too out there for me but we'll see.
Check back next week for a new week of blog posts!
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