Back in the good old days (1998), when a TV series made an announcement that it was set to do a big budget movie, that meant the film was going to get a release to cinemas. And sure, the only time I recall this ever happening was with The X-Files Movie. But, I digress. Nowadays, a TV show can be spun off into three big budget films - all intended as a TV/streaming release.

Such is the case with The Walking Dead. Today, Rick Grimes was written off the show, but AMC were quick to advise fans that series star Andrew Lincoln would return in a trilogy of films.

"The story of Rick will go on in films," Gimple says. "Right now, we're working on three but there's flexibility in that. … Over the next several years, we're going to be doing specials, new series are quite a possibility, high-quality digital content and then some content that defies description at the moment. We're going to dig into the past and see old characters. We're going to introduce new characters and new situations."

Speaking of TV shows that are becoming movies, Deadwood is currently shooting as of today. Confirmed cast members:

Ian McShane (Al Swearengen), Timothy Olyphant (Seth Bullock), Molly Parker (Alma Ellsworth), Paula Malcomson (Trixie), John Hawkes (Sol Star), Anna Gunn (Martha Bullock), Dayton Callie (Charlie Utter), Brad Dourif (Doc Cochran), Robin Weigert (“Calamity” Jane Canary), William Sanderson (E.B. Farnum), Kim Dickens (Joanie Stubbs) and Gerald McRaney (George Hearst).

On November 16 Netflix will roll out the new Coen Brothers film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. It’s a western anthology.

There really should be a whole lot more live TV around than there is. Especially for broadcast networks trying to define their value proposition in the face of on-demand alternatives like Netflix.

So, I think it is just great that on the night of the US mid-terms, most of the late night shows will be going live. Today Jimmy Kimmel has announced his show will go live, joining Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, and Seth Meyers.

Every evening Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune both bring in over 9 million viewers each, on average. So, when ABC’s broadcast rights were coming up for renewal, Fox pounced at it. ABC came back with the better offer - both shows are now renewed until 2023.

The under-appreciated You’re The Worst is back for its fifth and final season. Check out the trailer:

There is no more tiresome complaint from TV critics than there is too much to watch and it is difficult to stay on top of it all. First of all, that’s a great problem to have. Secondly, it really isn’t that difficult to check out a few episodes of new shows debuting every week. All up, it will take maybe 1.5 days worth of your work week (on the absolute heaviest weeks) to stay on top of everything, if that is so important to you.

The thing is, nobody expects a book critic to have read everything. Most film critics aren’t on top of everything. If you’re a TV critic who is feeling swamped, maybe that means it is time to re-evaluate what you see your role as and how you approach your work.

They call this moment, with some 500 new shows a year, Peak TV, a phrase first used by FX CEO John Landgraf in 2015. I now call it Pique TV, as it triggers my exasperation. I do want to see it all, like I used to, from “The First” to “The Last O.G.”; I want to be the guy with the detailed TV overview. I want to savor — not merely binge — the good shows and note the problems with the bad. But I also need to walk my dog and do my laundry and, oh yeah, write. I need time to eat, people!

Maybe your problem is time management, Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe.

And finally…

I’m no stranger to Internet auctions. There was that time I bid on going to the AFL grand final with Warwick Capper and remained the top bidder for a worrying length of time. And then there was that other time I bid on a genuine Batgirl costume from the 1966 Batman show, which also had me as the top bidder for a worrying length of time.

So, naturally, I am going to need to log off the Internet completely before I go anywhere near the auction site selling a bona fide Superman costume worn by Dean Cain on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

It is expected to go for between $8-10k. If I had the means, I’d purchase it in a heartbeat at that price.

Last year on a trip to the Warner studios in LA, I saw the cape worn by Christopher Reeve in the original Superman movie. I was legitimately breathless.