One of my big frustrations with streaming services is that the kids and family sections are way too broad. It takes me far too much time to find a family movie or TV show that is suitable for a four year-old. The umbrella term ‘kids and family’ just isn’t helpful.

It’s also difficult finding shows that are enjoyable for the whole family. Netflix really delivered with Floor is Lava and Is It Cake, but beyond those, we haven’t had much success. Recommendations are welcome.

Something that may plug the gap for us is a new Gabby’s Dollhouse spin-off at Netflix.

Hosted by Laila Lockhart Kraner (as Gabby) and inspired by the global hit show Gabby's Dollhouse, the Untitled Gabby's Dollhouse Competition Series follows talented young baker-and-maker duos as they compete in whimsical baking and crafting challenges inspired by the magical world of Gabby. Four holiday-themed episodes will arrive later this year, along with new episodes in 2027.

Okay, this may prove to be a bit too kiddy in focus, but I’m desperate for viable options.

The success of Gabby’s Dollhouse is too frequently overlooked. As the announcement for the reality show mentioned, Gabby’s Dollhouse season 14 was the number 4 show on Netflix in the second half of 2025 with roughly 108 million views.

That is staggeringly huge.

Meanwhile my quest continues for something enjoyable I can watch with my kid. Good options shouldn’t be this difficult.

News Desk

• Hot Ones is getting a spin-off show, with a series of live episodes streamed live on Netflix. The first special of Hot Ones: Extra Heat will feature Will Ferrell, Fortune Feimster, and Jimmy Tatro. Coincidentally, they also star in Netflix’s upcoming golf comedy series The Hawk. Read: THR

• Exec Hannah Minghella has just been promoted to lead Netflix Animation Studios. She was previously head of feature animation and live-action family films. Read: The Wrap

• Madonna has detailed how her biopic (autobiography pic?) fell apart at Universal Pictures and the struggle she had then trying to produce something similar at Netflix as a series. Who isn’t moving heaven and earth to make a Madonna film or show at their studio???? Read: THR

• HBO is setting an all-women team of directors for season 2 of Task. Read: Deadline

• Warner Bros Animation has announced feature films based off TV series properties Thundercats and The Powerpuff Girls. Read: Dark Horizons

• The BBC has commissioned Shaun The Sheep spin-off Let’s Go Timmy! from Aardman. Read: C21

• GTA VI fans are being scammed by invites to test a beta of the game to quash buys ahead of its official release. Read: The Guardian

• Criminal Minds star Paget Brewster (though, I like to think of her as Huff star Paget Brewster) has apologised for criticising a writer from entertainment site ScreenRant. I’m torn – what Paget wrote was shitty… but it was also a writer from ScreenRant… Read: Deadline

Trailer Park

Ricky Gervais’ Alley Cats debuts on Netflix August 7.

Alley Cats is an adult comedy animation series from the razor-sharp mind of Ricky Gervais. It follows a gang of foul-mouthed feral cats who cause havoc while musing on the meaning of life and fighting for survival in a brutal human world.

HBO has released a trailer teasing the weeks ahead on House of The Dragon.

Golden Kamuy - The Abashiri Prison Raid debuts on Netflix July 13.

In a fierce three-way fight over a hoard of Ainu gold, Asirpa and Sugimoto head to Abashiri Prison, where Noppera-Bo and the truth about her father wait.

Sparks of Tomorrow debuts July 5 on Netflix.

In an alternate past, an unlikely duo team up to look for a missing catalog that could bring electricity to the smoke-filled streets of Kyoto.

The Five Star Weekend Official Podcast debuts alongside The Five Star Weekend on July 9 at Peacock.

Best-Selling Author Elin Hilderbrand Hosts "The Five Star Weekend Official Podcast" Video and Audio Series Featuring Stars Jennifer Garner, D'Arcy Carden, Gemma Chan, Regina Hall, Chloë Sevigny and More, Plus Producers, Directors, and the Crew Behind Summer's Most Anticipated Series

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The activation used the same space in the Wynyard tunnels that was occupied just a few months ago by a Netflix activation to promote the final season of Stranger Things.

As I walked through the installation, the similarities were pretty hard to ignore. Mostly I just found myself comparing and contrasting the two.

The HoTD activation felt a little more textured and larger in scale, but there were two elements holding it back.

The activation itself just seemed a little tonally off. It felt more like a horror version of HOTD and didn’t quite feel like the show. Admittedly, I have only seen the first season, so maybe there was a major vibe shift that I’m not across. Even so, I always liked that the Game of Thrones show and its spin-offs felt more tactile and real than most fantasy dramas. This activation felt more like what one would assume the show is without actually watching it.

The second thing was that the Netflix Stranger Things activation was smart in that it used the tunnel walk with all of its ‘spooky shit’ as a secondary concern. The main event there was a spooky 80s era KFC serving up 80s-era menu staples. That was a smart and cool brand tie-in.

There’s limited brand tie-ins one could make while still remaining faithful to the HoTD IP (outside of maybe a bazoomer.com sponsorship). But, with tickets limited to people aged 15+, there was always the potential for a series-appropriate bar or similar to win over ticket holders.

Yeah, it was a free ticket, but the bar has been raised so highly by these events now that I think the promotional events need to always take things to the next level.

Regardless, it was pretty cool.

Some photos:

RIP James Burrows - TV’s most famous director?

There are not many TV directors who have become household names. TV, traditionally more of a writer/producers medium, generally leaves its directors unsung outside of a credit on the episode.

James Burrows was a household name. Maybe not the most-discussed of household names. But he had cut-through.

A well-deserved legend built up around Burrows, which led him to be seen as one of the most vital, successful creatives in US TV comedy. His career took him from learning the craft on MTM Productions shows through to working on Taxi where he met the Charles brothers, Les and Glen. Together the three went on to create the underperforming, TV failure Cheers. Or at least, that was the narrative in its first season.

We all know Cheers eventually found its audience and went on to become one of not only TV’s most successful shows of all time, but also one of TV’s most critically-beloved shows of all time.

Burrows was instrumental to that success. He had a deft hand with talent and did a great job to find the chemistry with a cast and make the show sparkle on screen. Even if the only thing he was ever known for was Cheers, that should be enough. Go and watch what he did with the pilot of that show… the term masterclass gets used too often, but this pilot absolutely qualifies.

Here’s the opening scene of the episode:

And then the next scene where Sam meets Diane:

The 236 episodes of Cheers he went on to direct were pretty good too.

He then went on to become the go-to director for sitcom pilots. It wasn’t a sure thing that sitcoms would go on to tremendous success if Burrows was directing. It wasn’t even a sure thing that the show would go on to be greenlit. But the chances of success were seen to have included considerably if Burrows was on board. We don’t remember Conrad Bloom, Chicago Sons, or Union Square. But we all know Cheers, Frasier, Friends, Newsradio, Will & Grace, Third Rock From The Son, Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory.

From the NYT obituary:

“The laughter behind me is so rewarding for my soul, I would almost do it for free,” he told The Times in 2023. “And it’s nice to be able to go back to what happened to me 50 years ago and still have this feeling of creativity. When pilot season comes this year, I hope there is a pilot that I like.”

The great The Agency burn-off

Where is the publicity for The Agency? Outside of a couple of articles on the UK’s Radio Times in my RSS feed this morning, it has been tumbleweeds.

Season two of the very good spy thriller was released on Paramount+ over the weekend with all ten episodes now streaming. Season one was released with new episodes week-to-week.

This feels like Paramount+ is burning off episodes of a show the current executives have no appetite for. It was a hugely expensive drama commissioned by the previous administration. I liked the first season a lot and if this plays out like I think it will, in a few months time when Paramount+ announces its cancellation, maybe I’ll need to finally bite the bullet and watch the French original The Bureau (AKA Le Bureau des Légendes).

Australia’s Howard Stern wannabe

Australian media is facing killing fields right now with a number of companies announcing layoffs of teams ahead of the end of financial year (June 30). There are also the tectonic plates shifting beneath the industry with the impact of the shift to digital/rise of AI really being felt.

It is all being felt this year more than at any other time that I can recall. None of that is exactly unique to Australia. But what is perhaps interesting about it is that it is happening at the same time as we are seeing some of Australia’s biggest name talent making the shift to the creator economy.

Recently we saw the launch of The Karl Stefanovic Show, a podcast with a strong emphasis on YouTube distribution that has the longtime host of Today hosting a politically right to far right podcast where Karl is one part David Frost, two parts Joe Rogan as he shamelessly panders to the ‘quiet Australians’ out there.

Politically this is interesting as one assumes it is this same audience that is supporting the rise of the One Nation party, with its own far right ideology. I’m not prepared to suggest that Karl is responsible for the increase of support of One Nation, but rather the same dissatisfaction with Australia’s political options is fuelling both.

Why mainstream, politically neutral network Nine still has Stefanovic on air is questionable.

Also this week you have the One Nation-supporting, but more entertainment-orientated Kyle Sandilands newly-free from his lawsuit against former radio home ARN, where he hosted one of Australia’s number one rated breakfast shows on our local Kiis station.

He’s now out to set up his own digital venture where he plans to live-stream a version of his former radio show for four hours every day, from 6am to 10am. While Kyle seems to be thinking of this still in an audio context, he will also be streaming it as video. Expect it to lean more on video the deeper Kyle gets into this.

He’s planning on a subscription model, which suggests an owned and operated platform. Ultimately, he’s making the bet that like his radio hero Howard Stern, he can bring his audience with him to a paid platform.

Here’s audio commentator James Cridland writing about the economic realities of Sandilands making the move:

The radio world is littered with people who left commercial radio, and believed their own hype enough to try and launch a subscription service. Here’s just one, from 2005. It’s fraught with difficulty - not least, the rights issues around playing music, which Sandilands says is going to be part of the show. Howard Stern was successful in his move from FM to satellite radio; but he was one channel in 150.

Sandilands says he needs 50,000 paid subscribers to cover costs. We don’t know the subscription fee he is planning, but if it’s a $4.99 subscription fee, that’s (AUD) $250,000. The show will also, he says, be ad free (though that doesn’t mean it won’t carry sponsorships or other brand activity).

Across all platforms, KIIS in Sydney and Melbourne had 1.1 million listeners each week for breakfast. Kyle’s show on KIIS had 96,000 online listeners a week. Would half of those pay to listen to Kyle instead? Would some of the 291,000 “listeners” to the podcast also pay up? (His investors apparently think that he could get 500,000 or even a million).

Good on Sandilands for taking a big bet on himself. My initial assumption is that he won’t be able to generate the sort of expected subscriber base as he’d ideally like. But… if he can keep the show reasonably accessible in terms of its focus, I can see a scenario where Kyle can develop an international audience. A 6am Sydney breakfast live stream delivers a drive-time 4pm Audience on the US east coast and a late night 9pm audience in the UK. That could work well for him.

A million subscribers globally? That’s not completely out of the question.

News Desk

• Aubrey Plaza’s animated comedy Kevin, about a cat searching for identity/a home where he feels wanted, has been mercifully put down by Prime Video after just one unfunny season. Read: Deadline

• Netflix has won the bidding war for the feature film rights to Sesame Street. It was a three-way bidding war between Netflix, Warner Bros, and Universal. The first Sesame Street live-action film Follow That Bird holds up as a pretty entertaining feature, so the bar has been set… Read: THR

• Judge Dredd co-creator John Wagner has been awarded an MBE in King Charles III's Birthday Honours for 2026. Read: Bleeding Cool

• James Wan will direct multiple episodes of the upcoming RoboCop TV series. Read: World of Reel

• Ni surprises in THR’s reporting on the reason Netflix dumped The Buroughs after one season: The audience wasn’t high enough to justify the cost of production with limited wriggle room due to bad blood at Netflix stemming from the Duffer Brothers defection to Paramount. Read: THR

• Event Cinemas parent EVT has inked a deal with Korea’s CJ 4DPLEX for a further four ScreenX auditoriums across Australia and New Zealand. They’re set to open by year’s end with Bondi Junction marked as one of the locations. It will bring the number of ScreenX auditoriums in Australia to sixteen. Read: IF

• Jeremy Clarkson says his prostate cancer is in remission just days after announcing it to the world. Read: Deadline

• A 3D CGI animated series based on Pippi Longstocking is in the works at StudioCanal. Read: THR

• Peacock has made a straight-to-series order for a live-action series based on the Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG books. Read: Dark Horizons

• Ubisoft co-founder Claude Guillemot has died following a plane crash in France. Read: Polygon

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A few thoughts on what is actually available:

• The most interesting show to debut this week is The Season, a show that is being billed as The White Lotus meets Crazy Rich Asians. It looks lightweight, but fairly entertaining. It debuts on the US Hulu today, but it doesn’t seem to be available internationally via Hulu/Disney+.

• Returning is one of my favourite shows of the moment. My Adventures With Superman is one of the best screen adaptations of Superman to date. It’s very charming and has done a lot to evolve the character for modern audiences, leaning heavily into an anime style.

• One of the films I have been looking forward to the most this year is Never Change! Written by and starring John Reynolds (Stranger Things, Search Party), the film was directed by Joe Pera Talks With You’s Marty Schousboe. It has a dumb plot about a legal technicality making the class of 2008 come back to high school. It’s got a great cast of funny people in it like Jo Firestone, Patti Harrison, Zach Cherry, and Carmen Christopher. While I’m excited to check it out, I note that reviews have not been kind.

What I would recommend watching:

• The show of the moment is Widow’s Bay on Apple TV. If you haven’t yet checked out this horror comedy, the final episode of season one has just been released. Now is absolutely the time to give the show a look.

• The Bear and House of The Dragon are both back next week. Maybe an opportunity to catch up if you’ve fallen behind on either show (that’s me).

Returning TV

Sugar (s02), My Adventures With Superman (s03), BAKI-DOU: The Invincible Samurai (s03-B)

New TV

The Season — Hulu [US]

Who’s in it: Jessie Mei Li, Toby Stephens, Chris Pang, Justin Chien, Celina Jade, Yvonne Chapman, Karena Lam, and Kōki

What’s it about? Set against the opulence of Hong Kong’s elite boating scene, a privileged group of friends gather for a summer of sun-drenched luxury as the season begins. What starts as a glamorous escape soon spirals into deception, power struggles, and life-altering consequences, with newcomer Cola (Jessie Mei Li) arriving with an ulterior motive of her own.

I Will Find You — Netflix

Who’s in it: Sam Worthington, Britt Lower, Milo Ventimiglia, Logan Browning, and Chi McBride

What’s it about? An innocent father serving a life sentence for the murder of his own son receives evidence that his child may still be alive, and must break out of prison to find out the truth. An eight-episode limited series adapted from Harlan Coben’s 2023 novel.

Oasis — Netflix

Who’s in it: Ana Garcés, Tomy Aguilera, Victoria Kantch, Berta Castañé, Paco Tous, and Verónica Sánchez

What’s it about? At the country’s most luxurious resort, a summer reserved for the wealthiest families turns into a locked-room investigation when police storm the property over a mysterious disappearance. In a place where everyone has something to hide, no one is allowed to leave until the culprit is found.

New Movies

Never Change! — Hulu

Who’s in it: John Reynolds, Sofia Black-D’Elia, Carmen Christopher, Jo Firestone, Rudy Pankow, Topher Grace, Jackie Cruz, Ana Gasteyer, Patti Harrison, and Zach Cherry.

What’s it about? In 2008 the graduating class of North Meadows High School had their senior year cut short due to a disastrous tornado. Now in their mid 30’s they’re being forced to return home and finish high school once and for all. Old flames, second chances, this is what nightmares are made of.

Voicemails for Isabelle — Netflix

Who’s in it: Zoey Deutch, Nick Robinson, Nick Offerman, Lukas Gage, Harry Shum Jr., and Ciara Bravo

What’s it about? Jill (Zoey Deutch), an aspiring pastry chef, copes with the death of her sister Isabelle (Ciara Bravo) by continuing to leave voicemails on her old number. When the number is reassigned to Wes (Nick Robinson), an Austin real estate agent, he begins receiving the hilariously confessional messages and slowly falls for her from afar.

Husbands in Action — Netflix

Who’s in it: Jin Sun-Kyu

What’s it about? A detective teams up with his ex-wife’s new husband to chase down her kidnappers. Can this unlikely duo put aside their differences for one wild rescue?

Color Book — Netflix

Who’s in it: William Catlett, Jeremiah Alexander Daniels

What’s it about? A devoted single father adjusts to life after his wife’s passing while raising his son with Down Syndrome. They embark on a journey through Metro Atlanta to attend their first baseball game.

Stepfather — Tubi

Who’s in it: Taye Diggs, Tamar Braxton

What’s it about? A desperate man hunts for the perfect family, but when his new wife and daughters fear he may be deranged, escaping him will have deadly consequences.

That’s the newsletter for this week.

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Themed around the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series (the original and the best), the restaurant is an officially licensed pizza shop brought to life by Andy Nguyen, a restauranteur who has previously opened restaurants based around Hello Kitty and Sonic the Hedgehog.

FYI for Australian readers of ABW, there are Hello Kitty Cafes at Pacific Fair in Surfers Paradise and there’s also one in Melbourne.

The TMNT pizza joint is opening on Saturday along Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade.

There are plans to open two more TMNT-themed Pizzarias by the end of this year with Sao Paolo and Mexico City locations. I’d hope for an Australian outpost, but to be real, unless the pizzas are amazing, at the prices being charged at the pizzaria, I think I’ll just stick to my beloved nearby pizza joint My Mothers Cousin.

In an article on the launch at THR, the team behind the restaurant and at license-holder Paramount are keen to emphasise that they have taken great care in creating the pizza range:

Paramount’s core belief is that brand extensions — including, in the current vernacular, immersive experiences such as restaurants — can’t be exploitative. “It needs to be a brand deposit, not a brand withdrawal,” as Silverman puts it.

To that end, Nguyen brought in pizza consultant Angelo Womack to advise on the pies. “If we weren’t going to be in New York, we needed a New York pizzeria chef to help us build a true product,” he says, adding: “We don’t want this to be a novelty gimmick. This place can’t just look cool. The food is the surprise element. It’s good. We know we need to beat expectations. Otherwise, fans crush you.”

A vet of the acclaimed Brooklyn pizzeria Roberta’s, Womack explains that the challenge with this project is “wanting to please everyone from the pizza snobs to the Ninja Turtles snobs — excuse me, maybe we call them both ‘connoisseurs.’” The resultant Santa Monica TMNT pizzeria is most inspired by New York City cult favorites Scarr’s, Mama’s TOO! and Brooklyn DOP. (The Shredder’s Revenge, with its spicy mix of pepperoni, jalapenos and Mike’s Hot Honey, is an ode to the Scarr’s staple Hotboi.)

Under Womack, the cheese is Grande, the tomatoes are California Stanislaus, the flour from King Arthur and the local water pH-balanced to match Manhattan. There’s no single leaf of basil on a slice. “I couldn’t see Donatello eating that,” he says, “and kids don’t want to see it.” But bright green basil-infused olive oil does feature in the TCRI pie. “It looks like TCRI glowing ooze,” Womack says, referring to the radioactive mutagen from the TMNT universe.

The problem with the pizza menu is that true fans of the 1987 cartoon would know that the ninja turtles loved weird toppings on their pizza. I don’t see a single marshmallow on the menu.

News Desk

• Netflix is turning schoolyard game Simple Simon into a game show. The last time I saw this game adapted for the screen, John McClane had to stop billions of dollars from being stolen by European thieves. Read: THR

• Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson is leaving Warner Bros Television with a new five year deal signed at the Disney-owned 20th Century Television. I can’t help but suspect we’ll hear of a number of big name talent leaving Warner Bros over the next few months… Read: Deadline

• Ryan Coogler is leaving Disney as his own five year deal expired and is setting up shop over at Netflix. Read: Deadline

• Former TV star Stephen Colbert (remember him?) has made a public appearance at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, appearing in a tan suit. Read: USA Today

• Jay Leno reckons Joe Rogan is the new Johnny Carson. This week former President Joe Biden appeared on Leno’s YouTube show. Read: Deadline

• Emily Mortimer, Manny Jacinto, and Thomasin McKenzie have joined the season three cast of Fallout. Read: thefutoncritic

Trailer Park

The Gilded Age returns for season four later this year on HBO Max.

I don’t really understand why The Room Returns exists when one could just watch the original. But, this is coming to (likely select) cinemas and digital channels very soon after.

Treasure and Dirt debuts on Australia’s ABC July 19.

Treasure & Dirt is set in the scorched, dust-choked opal mining town of Nulla, where the brutal beheading of local miner pulls big-city detective Ivan Lucic (Dorman) into a labyrinthine case with no easy answers. Assigned to him is ambitious rookie detective Nell Buchanan (Hewson) who knows Nulla's lawless, corrupt underbelly far better than he does. Together, they’re drawn into a strange, surreal underworld of secrets, greed, and old sins that won’t stay buried.

Deeso debuts on Netflix July 17.

When a married lawyer starts an affair with her daughter's swim coach, a torrid romance turns into a twisted game where everyone loses control.

Outer Banks returns for its fifth and final season on Netflix August 20.

23,000 Lives debuts on Netflix July 17.

A group of young people sets sail for the Mediterranean to save the lives of refugees - a mission that puts their ideas of law and justice to the test.

Sons of Galicia returns to Netflix for a third and final season.

The Amazing Digital Circus final episode debuts June 19 on Netflix.

The East Palace debuts July 17 on Netflix.

A man who walks the spirit world and a court lady who hears the dead enter the East Palace by the king's orders - can they unravel its dark secrets?

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Keep in mind that the show is being submitted as a comedy, so it won’t be up against proven award winners like The Pitt. I guess it is as much a comedy as The Bear is…

Voters will, of course, have the finale in mind as they cast ballots this week (voting ends on Monday). This is nothing new: Take The Bear, which technically won the top comedy-series Emmy for its first season — yet Academy members had just watched the beloved second season as they cast their final votes. (The second season then, ironically, lost, as voters had the divisive third season fresh in mind.) Widow’s Bay has similarly carved its own runway. None of its competitors are on the air right now, and some — like returning players The Bear and Nobody Wants This — haven’t shown new episodes since 2025.

What caught my interest in the article is the way it is framing it around a win for supporting actor K Callan. I’ve loved K Callan since discovering her as Martha Kent in Lois & Clark in the early 90s and have always been enthused watching her in countless guest roles in the years since.

What is surprising to me is that she wasn’t originally cast to have her absolutely knockout performance delivered in Widow’s Bay’s season finale (an episode that is technically not eligible for these Emmys, but may still see her score a win regardless).

Off the strength of this episode, it will have a nomination for Callan at the top of mind for many voters:

“If I’m being totally honest, we cast K before the finale was written, off of taped sides for the first few episodes where she had a couple lines and acts as a comedic sidekick — I could tell that she was a good actor, but it was more about timing and just making those scenes work,” says Murai, who directed both the pilot and the finale. “By the time the finale came, we didn’t know what she was going to do with a seven-page scene with Matthew on a couch — and it was kind of mindblowing just to watch her go toe to toe with him. She was asking a lot of questions and busting Matthew’s balls, and it was kind of an incredible thing. Katie and I looked at each other like, ‘Thank God we picked K. This would not have worked at all with somebody else.’”

Some voters who’ve just watched the episode and have yet to cast their votes surely now have Callan top of mind. Many have probably worked with her over the years. And there’s good news for them: Callan is indeed on the ballot for comedy supporting actress. Whether they take the technically ineligible finale into consideration as they make their final choices is, ultimately, at their discretion.

The screen format battle for your attention

Since the mainstream adoption of television, cinema has been in a constant fight for viewers attention. In the 50s, cinema differentiated itself with the introduction of big widescreen formats like CinemaScope's 2.35:1 (combatting TVs boxy 4:3 ratio). Technological innovation, such as improved sound and gimmicks like 3D have been introduced over time.

And I note that 3D is almost entirely a gimmick when not employed by James Cameron.

In the last couple of years there has been a rapid embrace of IMAX, driving considerable interest in cinema exhibition again. This is at a time where viewer interest has never been more divided, with deep on-demand TV and movie libraries, video games, and addictive phone use all fighting for our attention. It’s also worth considering just how good the home theatre experience has become for many people (with large TVs and surround sound setups in dedicated rooms).

It’s exciting to see that there’s genuine competition taking place in cinemas to drive viewers. IMAX has been king these last few years, but ScreenX is making a bigger play.

Timed with the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day (almost certainly the biggest movie release of the year), it will launch a large format program called “Shot For ScreenX.”

If you’re not familiar with ScreenX, it has a central movie screen with two additional screens running down the left and right sides of the movie auditorium.

It boasts 140 locations across the US and Canada. Here in Australia there is a rollout underway as well. This past week Hoyts announced a ScreenX screen in Sydney’s Broadway complex, but there are a handful around the country. I checked it out last year to see Captain America: Brave New World at Event Cinemas Campbeltown and thought it was fun, but I’d still opt for a huge IMAX screen over it.

As per Variety:

The program is called “Shot for ScreenX” and will be deployed on the company’s immersive 270-degree cinemas. Designed specifically for the company’s screens, the multi-projection format will expand select scenes of a film beyond the traditional frame and onto the sides of the auditorium walls to create a panoramic viewing experience. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” marks the first time that CJ 4DPlex collaborated with the filmmakers from production through distribution to curate imagery and aspects designed specifically for ScreenX.

“CJ 4DPlex and their team came to the set to actually shoot the footage that you will experience on screen in the wings of the chosen scenes of our film,” said Destin Daniel Cretton, the director of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” “This is a first. It’s something truly unique that nobody has experienced before –you’re going to love it.”

Looks like I have an excuse to go and see Spider-Man: Brand New Day a second time…

Corrections Dept

Yesterday, in a mad scramble to get the newsletter out in the morning, I made two not insignificant errors.

1. New late night show Outside Tonight launches in a few hours from now. Not yesterday. I was led astray by a bad blurb I found online.

2. I made reference to the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as the fourth and final season of the show. There’s actually a truncated six-episode final season of Strange New Worlds which will cap off the series. That season has already been filmed.

Shout out to Trek fan and ABW reader ‘FB’ for reaching out.

News Desk

• Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he has been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. Read: Deadline

• Netflix, less invested in the Duffer Brothers business with those guys setting up a film over at Paramount, has cancelled their TV show The Boroughs after just one season. Read: Variety

• New BBC chief Matt Brittin has advised staff, via email, that the BBC will put in place a savings plan to slash £80M from commissioning over the next two years. The plan will involve a review of the BBC’s “broadcast TV channels and radio network portfolio as audiences move online.” Read: Deadline

• CNN host Kara Swisher on plans to leave CNN if the merger goes through: “Let me try to outline it: I don’t want to work for the Ellisons, and I don’t want to work for their handpicked minions because I think they’re incompetent.” Read: Mediaite

• Paramount refused to run a commercial criticising the Paramount Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery from the Freedom of the Press Foundation. Read: Wired

• Grand Theft Auto V players who have the game on PS4 or Xbox One will be able to upgrade to the PS5 or Xbox Series X version at no additional cost. Read: Polygon

• Gen Z political commentator and Scott Jennings agitator Adam Mockler is launching a long-form debate show on YouTube today, titled The Adam Mockler Debate Show. Read: Deadline

• As a fan of sandwiches, I was enthused to see the launch of The Great American Sandwich Show on YouTube this week. Details at THR.

Trailer Park

The Westies debuts on MGM+ July 12.

The Westies is a gritty and kinetic crime drama centering on New York City's infamously violent Irish gang of the same name. The series is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the Westies' home turf in Hell's Kitchen promises a financial windfall. Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one by the Five Families of the Italian Mafia, the Westies' legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente. But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI's ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.

Susana & Elvira: No Plan B debuts on Netflix July 12.

After a fallout abroad, two former best friends reluctantly reunite to plan a high-profile wedding for the hottest artists in town - with no backup plan.

A Shop For Killers returns for season 2 on Disney+ in July.

The Welcome Table debuts June 23 on HBO Max.

From Oscar-nominated director Josh Fox, the film tells the story of climate migrants across six continents, centering the voices and experiences of survivors on the front lines of the climate crisis.

That’s the newsletter for the today.

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But before we do that… here’s two quick tidbits.

First up, later today Outside Tonight with Julian Shapiro-Barnum is launching on YouTube. A new take on the traditional late night TV chat show format, this will have Julian Shapiro-Barnum hosting his show from the streets of New York.

It’s interesting as the show is being funded by YouTube, so expect a bit more buzz around this one than most over the next few weeks.

You can find it on its YouTube channel.

Second thing: It’s my birthday today. So, if you’d like to celebrate, is there a better way than to take out an Always Be Watching paid subscription? I think we all know the answer to that.

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News Desk

• Netflix says it isn’t interested in buying Lionsgate, despite scuttlebutt. Read: The Wrap

• CBS will pay Peanuts license holder Lee Mendelson Film Productions a fee for use of an unlicensed Peanuts song by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in its final episode. The money will go to World Central Kitchen. Read: THR

• Kiki’s Delivery Service is being adapted into a ten episode live-action show. Read: Variety

• Expect to see The Wombles back in one form or another with Wombles Operations Ltd appointing The Blair Partnership to manage worldwide rights and commercial strategy to take the UK stop motion kids show global. Look out Paddington. Read: Variety

• Mark Hamill has joined the cast of Peacocok’s Twisted Metal for season three. Read: Deadline

• LaKeith Stanfield, Julia McDermott, David Duchovny, Melonie Diaz, Bilal Hasna, and Greg Kinnear have joined the cast of John Lee Hancock’s Netflix movie about a trial against US chemical company Monsanto over use of Roundup. Read: Variety

• Speaking of David Duchovny… if like me, you were wondering why the re-edit of the movie The X-Files: I Want To Believe didn’t debut on Disney+ last week, rest assured that it is still coming – it has been delayed for a bit longer because they are still working on it. Read: Polygon

• Look out Wet Bandits, Disney+ will debut Michey’s Home Alone this “holiday season.” Read: thefutoncritic

• Sony will distribute Netflix’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew (as directed by Freta Gerwig). Read: Dark Horizons

• Hulu has greenlit a third season of UK drama Rivals. Read: thefutoncritic

• Apple TV has greenlit a fourth season of The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy. Read: thefutoncritic

• Prime Video has renewed Bloodaxe for a second season. Once again I must remind myself that this Bloodaxe is not a revival of the 90s Thunderstrike villain. Read: thefutoncritic

Trailer Park

Heartstopper Forever, the feature film resolution to the TV show Heartstopper, debuts on Netflix July 17.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debuts the fourth and final season on Paramount+ July 23.

The Louis CK career redemption continues with new Netflix special Ridiculous on June 30. How long is it until we see his old TV show back on a streaming service somewhere…?

Color Book debuts on Netflix June 19.

A newly widowed father's quest to take his son to his first baseball game becomes a daylong journey of strength and resilience in this moving drama.

The Truthers debuts on Netflix July 24.

After her mother's sudden death, Ruth returns to her hometown and reunites with her father, whose odd behavior makes her question what really happened.

That’s the newsletter for the today.

Consider becoming a paid supporter of Always Be Watching.

Connect with Dan on Bluesky. Connect with Dan on Letterboxd. Connect with Dan on Linkedin. Challenge him on the NYT word game Crossplay. Email Dan @ alwaysbewatching.com or just reply to this email.

The deal will see Fox take control of the TV user interface of around 100 million users globally, with the majority of those in the US. Roku controls around 25% of the connected TV market.

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Anthony Head resonated. The actor, cred…

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• Not Suitable For Work is the latest Mindy Kaling co-created TV show, alongside regular collaborator Charlie Grandy. He last worked with her as a writer on Sex Lives of College Girls and the rhythm of that show can be felt heavily in this one.

  

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Not too far from my house is Jubilee Stadium, a fairly modest stadium that is home for the St George Illawarra Dragons. Filming there this week and next is the new Mark Wahlberg Netflix film The Big Fix.

As per Variety:

Inspired by a true story and based on a book by Brett Forrest, “The Big Fix”…

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The show lasted …

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What you need to know about this movie is that Masters of The Universe is absolutely one of THE WORST movies of 2026. But what you also need to know is that it is also one of THE MO…

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Curated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will debut the Academy Marquee Theatre List. It will list 25 US and 25 international cinemas that demonstrate “exceptional audience experiences, preserve cinemati…

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Here’s Andrew Lawrence at The Guardian with this brutal, because it’s true, line about the show:

Allen inherited the slot with Comics Unleashed, which feels less like a late-night show t…

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