As an Australian, the relationship US viewers have with TV baffles me. Here, almost everyone has an antenna stuck to their roof and watch broadcast (or as y'all call it in the US "over the air") TV that way. But the US has had a much longer, more established, relationship with cable television services. That means the antenna on the roof is not the norm.

This opened the door for services like Locast. It streamed local TV networks to viewers for free. But streams would be interrupted if viewers didn't cough up money for a recurring "donation" to Locast. The company was run as a non-profit.

As you can assume, local station owners weren't into this idea at all. After all, they don't want a third-party company establishing itself as a middle-man. And the "donation" was really anything but that.

So they went to court. Today Locast has announced it is suspending operations. The story played out as you would expect. But, it's probably worth considering that Locast isn't the first company to try this sort of product and get squished by the broadcasters. There's clearly a market gap/consumer demand that simply isn't being filled.

TV streaming service Locast suspends service after court ruling
Bad news for Locast users.
The VergeChaim Gartenberg

TeeVee Snacks

  • Alfred Molina will star as a police detective in a new Amazon series filming in rural Quebec. Three Pines, produced by Left Bank, begins filming in December. Read: Deadline
  • Rainn Wilson has joined the cast of AMC series Dark Winds, a 70s-set murder mystery thriller following two Navajo police officers. Read: Variety
  • SBS has revived Letters & Numbers. Plot twist: It's a celebrity version. Rest assured, Lily Serna and David Astle will be back on screen. Read: TV Tonight
  • Big Shots will return for season 2 on Disney+. Read: Variety
  • Animated film Diary of a Wimpy Kid debuts Dec 3 on Disney+. Read: thefutoncritic

The Band of Brothers podcast

Sept 9 marks 20 years since the debut of the rather excellent Band of Brothers mini-series on HBO. It is being marked with the launch of a high-end podcast that explores each episode of the TV series, interviewing cast members and producer Tom Hanks.

The podcast is available in the usual places where you listen to podcasts.

The Parks and Recreation podcast

I remember a time when your average joe could launch a podcast that looked back at a TV series one episode at a time. But now, the only way to do that and find listeners is if you were actually involved with the show.

Cue: Parks and Recollection. One-time series star Rob Lowe is joined by series writer Alan Yang (maybe best known for serving as the bassist of Mouse Rat). The two will look back at Parks and Recreation one episode at a time.

As Rob Lowe was only on the show for just a few seasons, I'm hoping a bigger Parks & Rec star might come along and squeeze him out of the market with their own podcast.

It will be available in the usual podcast places.

A secret Steven Soderbergh movie

A few years ago director Steven Soderbergh left movie making behind with plans to do other stuff. He was burned out by the process of, not making movies per se, but of getting a movie made. All the business stuff surrounding the movie was getting to be tiresome. So, he quit for a while and when he came back it was with new approaches to getting his films out in the world. He tried self-distribution with the film Logan Lucky. That didn't quite pan out. His recent deal with HBO Max seems to be working out well for him. He's  just making movies and HBO Max is releasing them.

Now, there's no announcement that HBO Max is involved with this... but I'd assume that's where the film will land...

Soderbergh has made a new movie in secret. What is it called? Nobody can say. Who is in it? Again, tumbleweeds. But it has been made and will be unveiled at TIFF.

TIFF co-heads Joana Vicente and Cameron Bailey announced the world premiere screening on Thursday, explaining that the event was programmed in “top secret collaboration with Soderbergh,” with details of the mystery screening, including ticket availability, to be revealed at a later date.
Secret Steven Soderbergh Movie Gets Special Screening at TIFF
Director Steven Soderbergh is making a special, surprise appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), by debuting a brand new, never-before-seen movie. TIFF co-heads Joana Vicente …
VarietyAngelique Jackson

Trailer Park

Yellowstone returns for season 4 on Paramount Network in the US on Nov 7.

Red Notice, with its very well-known cast, debuts on Netflix Nov 12.

An Interpol-issued Red Notice is a global alert to hunt and capture the world’s most wanted. But when a daring heist brings together the FBI’s top profiler (Johnson) and two rival criminals (Gadot, Reynolds), there’s no telling what will happen.

Insecure returns for its fifth and final season Oct 24.

The Wheel of Time debuts on Amazon Prime Video Nov 19.

Set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it, the story follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers. There, she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save or destroy humanity.

The Cleaner debuts on BBC1 Sept 10.

The Cleaner follows Paul ‘Wicky’ Wickstead, a state-certified cleaning technician with a very special field of work – he is a crime-scene cleaner responsible for the removal of any signs of death. Armed with chemicals, scrubbing brushes and cleaning rags, Wicky removes the gruesome mess at the scene of the crime.

Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space debuts on Netflix Sept 6.

Squid Game debuts on Netflix Sept 17.

Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits - with deadly high stakes.

What's next? Tomorrow.