James Corden is leaving his show

James Corden has announced he will step down as host of The Late Late Show.

Corden extended his contract (booooo!), but he will finish up in just over a years time - the US Summer 2023.

There's no word yet on who will replace Corden. Quietly, I'd be happy with a return of former Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson, but you can never go home again.

I've been an avowed hater of James Corden for almost a good decade now, so this is the sort of news that will leave a smile on my face for much of the day. I'd like to leave you all with my favourite James Corden story. (Usually I don't buy into such scurrilous online tales, but boy does this one just seem so true...).

I don’t know if this Popbitch story about James Corden is true, but the fact that it *could* be tells you everything about him. pic.twitter.com/Kne7ySjskm
— Seb Patrick (@sebpatrick) October 15, 2017

Too. Much. TV. No, really!

I have never bought into the idea that there could ever be too much TV. I've long said that people don't need to watch everything and that one should just pick and choose what appeals to them the higher we climb Peak TV mountain.

But there's legitimately too many things right now that *I* want to see. I don't know how you're feeling, but it's all becoming too much. In the lead-up to the end of May, there are 60 new scripted shows and a further 30 returning shows.

Why so many? They're all seeking to debut ahead of the cut-off period for the Emmy Awards nominations on May 31.

It's too much. I can't cope. And a sick part of me is asking for even more. Pappa Dan is a junkie and he wants his fix.

Netflix staff hit with layoffs

Ten full-time editorial staff have been laid off from Netflix content site Tudum. It is not known if there will be more Tudum layoffs. Why are these specific staff being laid off? Not sure - Netflix have issued a statement saying it is still committed to Tudum.

I wasn't hugely impressed by Tudum at launch. And looking at it today... it's fine, I guess. But I do know that there doesn't seem to be a great deal of social sharing - I can't recall once ever seeing a Tudum article shared into my feed. I don't know if the official Netflix accounts are posting links - I had to unfollow most of them on account of them largely being inane and there's only so much time I have for that.

Speaking of Netflix...

By now you may have read the Kim Masters feature about the woes of Netflix in The Hollywood Reporter (sorry, I was going to include the article yesterday, but just ran out of time). But if you haven't, it is one of many finger-pointing articles trying to find reason in Netflix's negative growth numbers.

Masters posits this theory:

Several important Netflix creators voice a very consistent theory about what’s gone wrong with the streamer’s culture. They see a link between Netflix’s problems and the 2020 fall of Cindy Holland, who played a key role in launching the service’s originals — brilliantly and often expensively — with House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black and Stranger Things, among others.

These sources say Holland was the one who nurtured strong relationships with talent and took time to offer thoughtful development notes while still making people feel safe and supported in pursuing their passion projects.

Important multihyphenates who work or have worked with Netflix say it was Holland rather than Ted Sarandos, then chief content officer, who gave Netflix its profile as a home to buzzy, quality shows. (It was also Holland who warned Sarandos, to no avail, that continuing to order specials from one of his comedy heroes, Dave Chappelle, would lead to internal strife and bad press.) “That service was built on the back of Cindy Holland’s taste,” says one. “I could give you a list of names of people who would lie down on railroad tracks for her. Ted is a fan [of content], not a picker. He’s a cheerleader and a good cheerleader, to a degree.”

I'm absolutely sure that is reflective of the experiences that those within Hollywood have had to Netflix over the past two years, but it misses the bigger picture element that Netflix is a company trying to change what it means to be a global streamer. Netflix identified that for longterm viability, the company needs to fully embrace its status as a global player and not just broadcast US content out to the world - it needs to be commissioning titles from across the globe and platform them in such a way as to give them equal stature to the US content.

I would argue that Netflix has potentially moved too quickly in this direction. For a global viewing community who have been watching a hefty diet of US programming for decades, what Netflix is doing (which is really being a premium, global SBS On Demand) has given viewers a sense of whiplash. Many viewers complain that Netflix isn't making good shows any more - I'd suggest it just isn't making the sort of premium shows we are used to. The Netflix experience has changed as a direct result of the international content now produced at such a high volume.

Frankly, HBO Max and its output just feels so much more familiar.

Judge Judy gives longtime bailiff a show

Remember a few months back, Petri Hawkins Byrd was asked about Judy Justice, Judge Judy's new TV show for Amazon. He mentioned his disappointment that after decades of working on her show, he wasn't invited to join the new show. It all sounded a bit shitty.

Good news! He now has his own show. It'll be on FreeVee, Amazon't free TV streaming service in the US (and presumably on Prime Video internationally). "Judge" Judy Sheindlin is also on board as the producer of the new show, Tribunal. It's great to hear there has been eventual justice for Byrd.

TeeVee Snacks

June Diane Raphael co-created and wrote a spin-off starring her Grace & Frankie character. No, Netflix has not greenlit it. Read: THR
Alan Cumming is searching for Tonka, his chimpanzee co-star from the movie Buddy. He is paying $10k for information on his whareabouts. Read: Uproxx
Virtual TV production technology is the big thing this year at the NAB Show in Vegas. Read: TV News Check
FBOY Island is being adapted for four European territories with the reality show launching in Denmark, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The more you discover the world, the more alike you learn we all are... Read: TBI
Golden Con, a Golden Girls convention, attracted 3500 attendees. I'll try and get along next year, friends and confidants. Read: LA Times

Trailer Park

The Pentaverate is a new Mike Myers TV show debuting on Netflix May 5. In it he plays multiple characters. Oh, behave!

Legendary season 3 debuts on HBO Max May 19.

This is a smart promo. Ahead of season 2, Amazon Prime Video is streaming all 10 hours of its dystopian youth drama The Wilds on YouTube as a marathon.