Disney super-sizing Daredevil series

Marvel is doing something kind-of interesting with a new Daredevil TV show announced to debut on Disney+ in 2024. The show is interesting enough in that it is a sequel TV show to a Netflix series that was considerably darker in tone than anything we have seen from the MCU movies and TV shows to date. Will the new show maintain that vibe, or will it take Daredevil into a more accessible, lighter direction? That's TBA.

(Though we do know that Charlie Cox will be playing Matt Murdock AKA Daredevil in the new She-Hulk TV show, which is a lighter comedy show).

What is genuinely interesting to me about the new Daredevil show, which has Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio reprising their characters of Daredevil and Kingpin, is that it will run 18 episodes. That is considerably longer than any of these other Marvel shows, which have run just 6-8 episodes in length. Of course, that might be split across two seasons.

But if it is planned to be a full 18-episode run, could this be a new approach we will see taken by Marvel? Longer run shows with approximately 3 big shows running throughout the full year and a couple of shorter Marvel shows added on top? It would go a long way to sustaining constant engagement in all things Marvel without the stop/start nature of what we have seen from these Marvel shows to date? Something to pay attention to.

The new Daredevil show is titled Daredevil: Born Again, which comic fans will note was the name of the classic Daredevil run from Frank Miller which had the Kingpin discovering Daredevil's secret identity and seeking to destroy his life.

(Though we do know that Charlie Cox will be playing Matt Murdock AKA Daredevil in the new She-Hulk TV show, which is a lighter comedy show).

RIP OAN? Not quite. But it is hurting

A few days in my Twitter feed I saw a conversation about Rupert Murdoch's US papers running negative Trump stories re: Jan 6, signalling a deliberate shift away from supporting the ex-President. Multiple comments in the thread referred to Murdoch signalling support of other candidates during the primaries that saw Trump nominated by the Republicans. According to these reply guys, this is a nothing-burger.

But what I would caution media watchers is to never get too complacent in believing something will be so just because of what we saw in media 5 years ago. Media is constantly evolving and shifting - perhaps no more so than during this past decade.

One of the big changes between then and now is the reduction in prominent right-leading media outlets. In 2022, there is far less weight put behind online outlets like Breitbart, for example. Fox News really is the loudest voice in the room.

But for a few years, it looked like there was the potential for some ground movement there. One America News Network (AKA OAN or should it really be OANN? I've always been confused by that) was building an enthusiastic audience of hardcore Trump loyalists. Trump himself used to talk up its value.

Early this year pay provider DirecTV dumped the channel. Now comes news that cable giant Verizon is also dumping OAN. The 'news' network is now only available via streaming platforms and on some local TV networks throughout the US. Losing carriage on cable is going to severely damage its bottom line. Expect cutbacks in resources and programming.

For All Mankind has been renewed for a 4th season by Apple TV+. Read: thefutoncritic
Disney has picked up the broadcast rights for the Australian cricket in India and other territories in Asia. The deal is worth $350 million. It will stream on Disney Star. Read: Mediaweek
Margot Robbie will return for an appearance in the final episode of Neighbours, which airs this week. Read: Radio Times
Mayans MC has been renewed for a 5th season by FX. Read: TV Line
All 3 seasons of The Orville sill stream on Disney+, part of the ongoing efforts to introduce more adult-orientated content onto the family streamer. Read: Deadline
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will crossover with animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks for some reason. Read: thefutoncritic
New episodes of Aussie panel game show Spicks & Specks were accidentally screened through the middle of the night. Read: TV Tonight
The feature film adaptation of comic The Goon is being made at Netflix. Love Death & Robots filmmaker Patrick Osbourne will direct. Read: Deadline
AMC has announced a new Walking Dead spin-off (limited) series reuniting the franchise with characters Rick and Michonne. It replaces the previously-announced Rick Grimes movie series. Read: Dark Horizons
Animated Marvel show What If.…? Has been renewed for a 3rd season. Read: Deadline
Marvel has announced new animated Spidey series Spider-Man: Freshman Year. It will show Peter Parker's first year as the titular spider-guy. Read: The Verge