Netflix is testing out a feature that will allow viewers to watch shows at variable speeds.
I’m very much in favour of listening to podcasts at variable speeds - if it is just a panel discussion or a news-based program, essentially it’s delivering an info dump into your brain. But TV is different - regardless of whether it is a documentary or a scripted show, TV is very purposefully edited for a very specific rhythm. Change that and you’re really not watching the show.
Currently the feature is being tested for some Android users.
Source: Variety
Marvel series Cloak & Dagger has been cancelled by TV network Freeform.
Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger followed the story of Tandy Bowen (Olivia Holt) and Tyrone Johnson (Aubrey Joseph)—two teenagers from very different backgrounds who find themselves burdened with and awakened to newly acquired superpowers, which are mysteriously linked to one another. Season two turned the heat up on our young heroes as Tyrone and Tandy tried to find their place as more active heroes in this world.
This leaves Hulu series Runaways and the upcoming Helstrom as the only Marvel shows on the air from the previous administration (ie before Kevin Feige took over the TV division). One wonders how long they have in them before cancellation.
Source: Deadline
French production company The Banijay Group has purchased rival Endemol Shine for a reported $2.2 billion. The two companies produce some of the biggest titles in television:
The combined Banijay and Endemol Shine catalogue approaches 90,000 hours of content, bigger than that of the BBC’s sales arm. Key Banijay titles include dramas “Versailles” and “The Inbetweeners,” and, in unscripted, “Wife Swap.” Endemol has “Big Brother” and MasterChef” among its big-ticket unscripted titles, and “Black Mirror” and “Peaky Blinders” on the drama side.
Why the purchase? It is part of the media consolidation happening across the industry as companies look to scale up to take their products global. For production companies, there will be a squeeze as the large US companies both scale up, but also bring production in-house to cut costs and maintain ownership of shows (which aids them in monetising shows over the long-term globally).
Source: Variety
The new BBC 3-part Dracula series from Steven Moffatt and Mark Gatiss now has a trailer:
And finally…
Gilmore Girls fans will be flocking to the Warner Bros Studio Tour this Christmas. The exterior of the house used on the show and beloved locations like Luke’s Diner will be gussied up with props from the show (such as Loreilai’s Jeep parked out the front of the house).
Truthfully, while it is great to see them highlighting Gilmore Girls like this, you don’t have to attend the tour during Dec 21-Jan 05 to celebrate this. Any visitor to the WB Studio Tour generally gets to visit a lot of Gilmore Girls locations as part of the standard tour all-year round.
And might I suggest that if you visit LA, make the time to go and do this tour. It was absolutely my favourite thing that I did in LA. I’m desperate to go back and do it again - it’s a dream come true for any TV fan.
Here’s a few Gilmore Girls pics from when I did the tour back in Aug 2017:
Find out more about the Gilmore Girls exhibit: WB Studio Tour
