Are you thinking what I'm thinking? South Park spin-off!
Following up from last week’s fairly incredible South Park episode, it was going to be pretty hard to top it. So, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone aren’t even going to try.
They are taking this week off.
Instead, the show will be back on August 6. There’s a preview that has been published which either may or may not actually have anything to do with the episode that will actually air.
Apparently the hiatus was planned ahead of time and isn’t connected to blow back from last week’s episode.
But, there’s something that got me thinking about seeing Donald Trump appearing in the preview…
Back in 2000, Trey Parker and Matt Stone made a second TV show (their only other TV show). It was a 6-episode live action sitcom about the then-President of the United States called That’s My Bush!
I’m watching Trump in that preview and there’s something disgustingly magical about South Park’s Donald Trump character. It really pops off the screen.
Is anyone else thinking spin-off?
Could Parker & Stone attempt to deliver an animated comedy about Trump and his erotic relationship with the disinterested Satan? Their current version of where their creative muse was taking them in 2000.
The better question would be whether Paramount would ever let them? And obviously, that isn’t really a question. We all know the answer to that right now.
New sign-ups down under
An interesting report from Worldpanel by Numerator this week with a bunch of stats surrounding SVOD services in Australia. The Q2 report found that HBO Max has launched well locally, with the new entrant into the market leading sign-ups. Which you would expect.
What I didn’t expect was that Netflix would be 9th on the list.
This is what I wrote in Mediaweek today:
As a big, new high-profile service, Max understandably led new sign-ups in the market (19.8 per cent), with Worldpanel by Numerator reporting Stan coming in second (12.1 per cent) and Disney+ in third (10.5 per cent). Worldpanel by Numerator attribute promotions from Stan and Disney+ aiding in the quarter-on-quarter growth.
Netflix trailed behind at 9th on the list with 4.3 per cent of new sign-ups. A possible sign of the service nearing a ceiling of potential new subscribers in the market.
And look - it makes sense. Netflix has kinda signed up most of the available market in Australia already. The game for them now is all about retention.
News Desk
In a massive blow, Slow Horses writer and showrunner Will Smith is leaving after season 5. Read: Variety
The Eric Bana Netflix limited series Untamed has proven such a success it has been given a very quick season 2 greenlight. Read: Deadline
I have a great fondness for Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, but my fondness for Dean Cain has dissipated over the years due to the assortment of bonehead comments made on conservative talk shows. Variety has a really interesting feature story on him and his political views today. I don’t know that it is PR rehab exactly, but it does do a great job to give him texture and a relatable humanity. Read: Variety
YouTube videos that drop an F-bomb in the first seven seconds are now eligible to access full ad revenue. Gosh yeah! Read: The Verge
Following fan speculation, Days of Our Lives issued a statement to say that Suzanne Rogers (who has been with the show since 1973) is not leaving. Read: Deadline
Jack Reynor from Midsommar will star opposite Rachel Brosnahan in season 2 of Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent. Read: Deadline
Joining production on the Netflix Pride and Prejudice show: Rufus Sewell, Louis Partridge, Fiona Shaw, and Daryl McCormack Read: THR
Happy Gilmore 2 was the biggest US opening weekend of all-time for a Netflix movie, beating beloved classics like Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Read: TV Line
Former Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteer Marian Price is suing Disney over her portrayal in Say Nothing, seeking damages and for a pivotal sequence to be removed from the Emmy-nominated series’ final episode. Read: THR
Trailer Park
The Lost Bus debuts on Apple TV+ Oct 3.
The film is a white-knuckle ride through one of America's deadliest wildfires, as a wayward school bus driver (Matthew McConaughey) and a dedicated school teacher (America Ferrera) battle to save 22 children from the terrifying inferno.
Fixed debuts on Netflix August 13.
From visionary director Genndy Tartakovsky comes "Fixed," an adult animated comedy about Bull, an average, all-around good dog who discovers he's going to be neutered in the morning!
Tempest debuts on Hulu in the US and Disney+ internationally on Sept 10.
When an assassination attempt is made on a presidential candidate, a multinational conspiracy involving rogue nations, security agencies, and classified intelligence will threaten the stability of the Korean peninsula.
That’s the newsletter for today.
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