The jokes for the new Amazon Prime Video series The Sticky will write themselves. But, that's just because the name of the show is schoolboy amusing - the series itself actually sounds pretty fun.
The Sticky (tee hee) is based on a real-life heist - a 2011 robbery of more than $18 million Canadian dollars of Quebec’s national maple syrup reserves. Apparently Quebec's supply makes up about 70% of the worlds supply. Now, I don't need to tell you, but maple syrup is the most important, most delicious condiment of all-time. So, this is a big deal.
The Fargo-ish story centers on Ruth Clarke, “a tough, supremely competent middle-aged Canadian maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to manifest destiny. With the help of Remy Bouchard, a pint-sized local blockhead and an aging Mike Byrne, a low-level mobster, Ruth changes her fate—and transforms the future of her community with the theft of millions of dollars’ worth of maple syrup.”
I am all in on this show. Pancake party at my place when this launches.
James Hibberd
Amazon brands the free
In more Amazon news this morning, Amazon has once again re-branded its free streaming TV service. From April 27, IMDb TV will be known as Amazon Freevee. Okay, sure. Could be worse.
What was worse is IMDb TV. Even worse was its initial brand name: Freedive. That is three rebrandings since 2019. It continues to baffle how Amazon never quite get its TV offering right - nothing about it is audience-friendly, which is strange for such a customer-experience-centric company.
Charles Pulliam-Moore
TeeVee Snacks
- Amy Schumer's Hulu/Disney+ series Life After Beth has been renewed for a second season. Read: The AV Club
- Jesse L Martin is exiting The Flash as a regular to lead a new NBC pilot The Irrational. Read: THR
- Could the third season of The Orville be the series last? The cast are all taking new TV gigs... Read: The AV Club
- Judy Reyes has joined the cast of new HBO Max movie Turtles All The Way Down, which I am reliably informed is not s spin-off of Entourage. Read: Deadline
- The Crown is reportedly casting an actor to play Kate Middleton. Read: People
- Amazon Prime Video will stream the Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide next month as part of a 2-year deal with Swimming Australia. Read: Variety
- The BBC has acquired the HBO Max drama Tokyo Vice for the UK. Read: Deadline
- SBS WorldWatch debuts on free-to-air TV May 23 in Australia. Read: TV Tonight
- As of today, ------- is now available on --— -- in Australia. ----- subscribers can get a free month of ------- if they sign up via ----- before June 30. I'd tell you more, but the news story is under embargo until 9am and I don't want to delay publishing the newsletter. After all, many of you read this while commuting to work/eating breakfast. Related: 9am embargoes are dumb.
Trailer Park
April 22 will see Bosch return to streaming in new spin-off Bosch: Legacy. It streams on Amazon FreeVee in the US and, presumably, Amazon Prime Video everywhere else.
The Kids In The Hall return to the world by way of Amazon Prime Video with a brand new series of Canadian-flavored sketch comedy from May 13.
Made For Love season 2 debuts April 28 on HBO Max.
Bullsh*t The Game Show debuts on Netflix April 27.
The Lincoln Lawyer debuts on Netflix May 13.
Heartstopper debuts April 22 on Netflix.
The Takedown debuts May 6 on Netflix.
Candy debuts May 9 on Hulu.
Tehran returns for season 2 on Apple TV+ May 6.
Wow - that was a lot of trailers. Tomorrow is Good Friday - I'm not sure yet whether there will be enough news to justify a newsletter or not. Maybe don't expect one, but he happily surprised if there is one.
The Always Be Streaming newsletter will be in your inbox tomorrow regardless. Probably a bit earlier than usual. Let's play it all by ear.
