Make the faith-based viewers PAY, says Big Streaming
The likelihood of me ever watching faith-based Prime Video drama House of David is pretty slim. But, I do think it is lousy that when the show returns, viewers will be forced to pay US$8.99 to access it on Prime Video through subscribing to the new Wonder Project subscription service.
The second season of the show will be exclusive for a limited time to the new subscription service which launches with “over 1,000 hours of highly curated movies and TV series that reflect the company’s mission: to entertain the world with courageous stories, inspiring hope and restoring faith in things worth believing in.”
It’s frustrating. Viewers should have a certain amount of assurance that if they start a series with one subscription service or pricing tier, that experience should stay consistent from season to season. I appreciate occasionally there will be a long-running show that just runs so long that it will inevitably move between eras of business strategy. Or take such a big gap between seasons that it’s fair enough that a business will have shifted.
This just feels like price-gouging for an audience that is known to stay loyal to this sort of programming. For faith-based audiences, watching this sort of thing is like an accountant engaging in career development for CPD points.
Read more: Variety
Yet another adaptation of The Stand
It seems like nobody is willing to leave The Stand alone. The original Stephen King book was updated by the author himself in the 90s, moving the setting of the book from the late 70s into the 90s, while adding about 400 hundred extra pages of material (for the many New Kids on The Block references, I’d assume).
It was followed by the mostly pretty good TV mini-series directed by Mick Garris and starring, among others Molly Ringwald, Gary Sinese, and Rob Lowe.
There was the better in some parts, but broadly more forgettable Paramount+ adaptation in 2020 with James Marsden and Greg Kinnear.
Apparently now it is being done as a film, with cinema enthusiast Doug Liman set to direct it for Paramount.
I’m pretty sure this won’t be the final adaptation. That said, I prefer the idea of The Stand as a TV limited series over a feature film. It’s a pretty dense text.
Read more: The Wrap
News Desk
UK actors union Equity claims thousands of UK actors have been digitally scanned on set without their informed consent. Read: Deadline
Charisma Carpenter from Buffy / Angel has started her own episode-by-episode rewatch podcast. Read: Bleeding Cool
It’s Pat got gut from SNL’s Cancelled Characters remembrance on the 50th anniversary special. Read: Cracked
Journeyman actor Joe Marinelli has died, aged 68. Recently, you may have seen him as the studio director on Apple TV+’s The Morning Show. Read: Deadline
Ransom Canyon has been renewed for a second season at Netflix. Read: TV Line
Apparently 50m people watched the tremendously awful Reese Witherspoon/Will Ferrell Prime Video comedy You’re Cordially Invited. Read: Deadline
An Olivia Newton-John documentary is in the works at Netflix. I do hope it gives A Mom For Christmas the attention it deserves. Read: Deadline
Danny DeVito almost died while filming an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Read: NY Post
Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Richard Madden will star in the latest Jed Mercurio show for Netflix, Trinity. Read: THR
Todd Haynes will write and direct HBO series Trust, reuniting him with star Kate Winslet. Read: Variety
In the US, Paramount+ is renaming it’s premium tier. It’ll no longer be branded Paramount+ With Showtime - instead it’ll be the less awkwardly named Paramount Premium. Read: Deadline
Netflix show Bet has been renewed for a second season. Read: TV Line
Johnny Knoxville will host a Fear Factor revival series for Fox. Read: THR
Fantastic Apple TV+ kids cartoon Sillwater is coming back for a fourth season August 1. This might be my favourite kids show - the show promotes mindfulness with this wise, very measured panda. He’s the ultimate Gen Z sex symbol. Read: thefutoncritic
And in terrible news, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood has been renewed for an eight season. That guy is such a dweeb. Read: Variety
Trailer Park
We’re caught in a trap! Suspicious Minds debuts July 10 on Hulu.
The 6-part series introduces Amber (Silvia Alonso), one of the most brilliant thieves in the world who, after a failed robbery in Las Vegas, prepares her next heist. This time it will take place in Isla Esperanza, an idyllic place lost in the middle of the Pacific. Her target is the tiara of saint Agatha, a jewel valued at 240 million dollars, that the daughter of Mexican oil tycoon Emilio Villegas (Asier Etxeandia) will wear during her wedding. To prepare the robbery, Amber has been infiltrated in the Villegas family for three years as a school governess. But her meticulous plan goes awry when Rui (Álex González), a cheeky and mysterious thief with whom she had a troubled relationship in Las Vegas during a spectacular heist, shows up on the island.
Irish Blood debuts on Acorn TV August 11.
Divorce lawyer Fiona Sharpe (Alicia Silverstone) receives a message from her estranged father, embarking on a journey to Ireland. She uncovers family truths and her father's dark past, realizing her life's abandonment story was a protective lie.
That’s the newsletter for today.
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