A trio of celebrity deaths and the truth about The Madison
I thought I was done writing about Buffy for a while after last week’s fallout following the Hulu decision not to go forward with the ill-fated revival show.
And then original series star Nicholas Brendon died.
His passing was said to be from natural causes at the age of 54. It was interesting to watch the coverage surrounding his death on the weekend. Most articles opted not to go to deep into referring to his mental health issues and multiple instances of domestic abuse charges. To be fair, that shouldn’t be the totality of a person’s life. But he does leave behind a complicated legacy.
The death of Brendon did hurt. He was known primarily for his Buffy role where he played an everyman character who was often the heart and soul of that series.
Also passing over the weekend was comic book artist Sam Keith. He is best known for his comic The Maxx, which spawned a beloved MTV cartoon series in the 90s. It was artistically bold and wonderfully f**king weird. You can read about his passing at Bleeding Cool.
And, of course, there was also the death of Chuck Norris over the weekend at the age of 86. He leaves behind a lengthy filmography, more episodes of Walker: Texas Ranger than you realise, and one heck of a lot of fantastic memes. Is he dead or just laying in wait?
Actual details about The Madison
One of the challenges writing about new Taylor Sheridan show The Madison was that critics had been asked not to reveal that Kurt Russell’s character dies in the first 15 minutes of the show. He is still a presence right through that first season in flashbacks, but clearly there was concern that if audiences knew Russell was killed off early, they might not give the show a look.
Now that the show is out in the world, the publicity team are unshackled and we are now seeing feature stories like this one at THR.
Things I actually know about the show now:
The show isn’t a one-and-done show – the plan is to go on for multiple seasons.
Two seasons have already been filmed.
Kurt Russell filmed all of his scenes when production began on season 2. I had assumed that he hadn’t filmed any scenes with Michelle Pfeiffer in the first season and this confirms that.
Matthew Fox was happy being in the show only because he was killed off early. He has no interest in being on another ongoing series demanding years of commitment. Lost money must be nice.
News Desk
Disneyland now has its own unique live Bluey stage show – Bluey’s Best Day Ever! Read: Variety
With HBO Max launching this month in the UK, Phil Harrison asks what makes HBO still unique? Read: The Guardian
Saturday Night Live UK launched to 226,000 viewers on Sky One in its 10PM slot – a 3.2% share. Read: Deadline
SNL UK has also been extended to eight episodes instead of six. Read: Deadline
Following a video showing The Bachelorette star Taylor Frankie Paul hitting her ex-boyfriend and throwing bar stools at him, the US ABC network has pulled the series. The decision is expected to cost ABC around $30m plus.
Brian Michael Bendis comic Powers was given a live action series for a spell when the Playstation Network had a programming strategy in the mid 2010s. It somehow ran for two years. Netflix is giving the property a go with a new animated series. Read: THR
Starz has announced layoffs, impacting 7% of its workforce. Read: Deadline
Amos Vernon and Nunzio Randazzo, the writers behind Netflix’s rom-com People We Meet on Vacation, will pen the new Care Bears movie for Warner Bros. Read: Deadline
A 25-disc collection of the entire Stranger Things series is coming soon from Netflix. A perfect gift for people who enjoy getting up from the couch unnecessarily. Read: The AV Club
Should we believe rumors that Quentin Tarrantino and Sylvester Stallone are teaming up on a 1930s-era crime TV show to be filmed in black and white with 1930s cameras? Read: TMZ
I’m very keen on new AMC show The Audacity. SBS announced on Friday that it will have the Australian broadcast/streaming rights, set to air fast-tracked after the US.
That’s the newsletter for the today.
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