I’m not sure how you are planning to celebrate, but this Sunday September 14 will be the 40th anniversary of The Golden Girls debuting on NBC.
The show debuted September 14, 1985 and ran for seven seasons through to May 9, 1992.
This was a show I grew up with as a kid and have appreciated for my entire life. What is incredible about the show is how good and contemporary the show still is. Yeah, it *looks* every bit like a sitcom from the 80s aesthetically, but the themes of it are timeless and feel more culturally resonant now than they did back in the day.
This is a show about three women (and one elderly mother) who are all nearing the age of retirement who are in various stages of financial distress following the deaths and divorce of their husbands. It’s about woman finding vitality in life and support structures as they enter an uncertain future.
Also, it is wildly funny with killer jokes and a great cast of comedy TV legends who all had tremendous runs on other hugely successful shows (Maude and The Mary Tyler Moore Show) before being cast in The Golden Girls.
I appreciate that the show gets used as a slightly ironic, slightly earnest punchline these days, but I encourage you all to accept the earnest attitudes around what is still fantastic TV.
And yes, everyone is invited to my place on Sunday for cheesecake.
News Desk
In outstanding news, the Letterman FAST channel on Samsung TV is adding the Late Night With David Letterman archive to its schedule, following a deal with the pinheads at GE, ah, I mean NBC Universal. It will be full episodes of the show and not just compilations. Read: Variety
David Zaslav says he wants users to fall in love with HBO Max before he cracks down on password sharing and increases prices. I dated a girl like that once. Read: Variety
The Warner Bros Discovery split will take place in April, with the company divided into Global Networks and Streaming & Studios. Read: Deadline
Larry Ellison has topped Elon Musk as the world’s richest person. Please don’t embarrass me by looking for my name on the list... Read: Bloomberg
Fun fact: the most-watched Emmy-nominated show is Survivor. Read: THR
Ahead of Halloween, HBO Max has removed Scooby Doo. Read: Polygon
MSNBC has apologised for comments made by analyst Matthew Dowd re: the political assassination of Charlie Kirk. Read: Variety
In the moments before he was shot, Kirk was on stage commenting on mass shootings. I’ll keep my thoughts to myself on this one because MSNBC won’t apologise on my behalf. Read: Complex
European tech company Bending Spoons, is buying streamer Vimeo in an all-cash deal valued at approx $1.38 billion. Read: Bloomberg
Eunice Kim, Netflix’s chief product officer, is leaving the company after a five year run. Read: THR
Fox News is shaking up the weekend schedule - among the changes is the cancellation of the nonsense MediaBuzz media commentary show. Read: THR
Quote of The Day
My dream project is to do a limited series of Silence of the Lambs with Mads and Zendaya as Clarice Starling. If I could put anything out into the universe, I would put that into the universe.
-Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller
Trailer Park
The Rip debuts on Netflix Jan 16.
Upon discovering millions in cash in a derelict stash house, trust among a team of Miami cops begins to fray. As outside forces learn about the size of the seizure, everything is called into question — including who they can rely on. Starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck & Directed by Joe Carnahan.
Murdaugh: Death in The Family debuts on Hulu Oct 15.
Maggie and Alex enjoy a lavish life of privilege as members of one of South Carolina's most powerful legal dynasties. But when their son Paul is involved in a deadly boat crash, the family is faced with a test unlike any they've ever encountered. As details come to light and new challenges emerge, the family's connections to several mysterious deaths raise questions which threaten everything Maggie and Alex hold dear. Inspired by the popular Murdaugh Murders Podcast.
Memement of Zen
That’s the newsletter for today.
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I find HBO Max resets passwords every time I log in to activate a new device. And that includes two HBO Max accounts for other family members who signed up through Foxtel. So it seems some form of limiting account sharing is already in place.