Poker Face: Cancelled. But... if it somehow comes back, there'll be a twist
ALSO: Netflix is getting real serious about games
NBC Universal streamer Peacock has cancelled the Natasha Lyonne mystery dramedy Poker Face after two seasons. The show, an homage to detective shows like Columbo, was hugely buzzy for its first season, but returned to what comparatively felt like crickets for the second season. Viewership was also down, but still stood as one of Peacock’s best-performing originals.
What likely did it in was the budget.
The cancellation obviously sucks as it is a pretty good show. But, it’s also not a huge surprise and one can understand the motivation behind cancelling it.
While there’s no future going forward for the show at Peacock, creator Rian Johnson is going to shop the series around elsewhere. Depending on the financials, it feels like the sort of show that could find a home on a different streamer. Johnson has also gone public with a pretty attractive lure…
If the show is picked up elsewhere, it will be with an entirely different star playing the lead role - the gender-neautrally named Charlie Cale. Out will be Natasha Lyonne… in playing Charlie will be Peter Dinklage.
The plan, should the show get picked up again, would be for the show to switch out its lead actor every two seasons.
This, as per THR:
“We’ve been germinating this next move together since writing the season two finale,” Johnson and Lyonne said in a statement. “We love our Poker Face and this is the perfect way to keep it rolling. Give us a beat and we may just see Charlie Cale again down that open highway.”
All of this has me far more excited about the series than anything offered up by season two of the show. In fact, I’d suggest that they get even bolder and just switch out the lead every season. This show would be fantastic seeing different interpretations of the lead character. Jodie Foster as Charlie. Jeffrey Wright as Charlie. Tina Fey as Charlie. Ethan Hawke as Charlie. Maya Hawke as Charlie.
I’d obviously suggest Jon Hamm as Charlie… but maybe lets just instead just make a Fletch series happen….
English Teacher. Also cancelled. No new home likely.
It was genuinely disappointing to see the very clever and often very funny English Teacher cancelled after two seasons at FX. If you aren’t across the show, the comedy was about 30-something teachers in a Texan school who were regularly butting up against the generational cultural views that they shared versus the parents of the students versus the (confusingly very conservative, but at times exceedingly liberal) school kids themselves.
No reason was given for the cancellation of the show, but it always felt like a ticking time-bomb of a show with the show either one episode away from sparking offence in the uber sensitive cultural climate of the moment. And then there was the constant hum of a sexual assault allegation laid against series star (and creator/writer) Brian Jordan Alvarez.
Ebeling alleged Alvarez assaulted him while filming the series, Vulture reported at the time. Alvarez, through his attorney, denied the claims.
“We reviewed the allegations presented to us by another media outlet prior to the show’s launch. Mr. Ebeling never reached out to us with any concerns,” FX wrote in a statement following the Vulture story. “We will have no further comment at this time.”
It took the Disney-owned FX close to half a year to renew the show for a second season, suggesting it was a hard-fought-for renewal. And when the second season debuted, every episode was dropped at once (first season saw a weekly release schedule), and it was with next to no fanfare.
Read: THR
Paramount’s kids shows cancelled too. A new home possible.
The latest Dora The Explorer cartoon, the CGI ‘Dora’ has been cancelled after three seasons. A further two have already been produced, but their fate remains unclear.
Tales of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a spin-off from the big screen Mutant Mayhem film, will also end after just two seasons.
Third-party licensing opportunities will be explored for both shows, with their cancellations coming as part of a restructure intended to slim down Paramount’s cable TV output.
Read more: Deadline
Netflix gets serious about games
It looks like Netflix was able to become HQ Trivia before HQ Trivia could become Netflix.
Best Guess Live, which will be available only in the US, is basically Netflix’s version of the long-departed and badly-managed HQ Trivia. It’s a real-time game show that every weekday will offer cash prizes. Hunter March and Howie Mandel will host the show which sounds both like HQ Trivia and also every other trivia game: “contestants are given a series of clues and limited time to guess the right answer.”
But that isn’t the extent of Netflix’s gaming announcements.
Last month Netflix rolled out a set of party games to its connected TV apps. They included: Boggle Party, LEGO Party, Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends, Pictionary: Game Night, and Tetris Time Warp. Also announced was the still-yet-to-debut Dead Man’s Party: A Knives Out Game.
At an event yesterday, Netflix announced more titles.
“Our vision is simple,” Netflix Games president Alain Tascan said in kicking off the presentation in front of a standing room only crowd. “Can we make playing a game as simple as streaming a movie on a Friday using the same innovative mindset that led Netflix to transform itself from a company shipping DVDs to streaming, movies, shows and now games. I tell my team almost every day we have a golden ticket, the opportunity to reinvent the way people play games, but also engage and reengage with IP and worlds they are familiar with. So hopefully today you’ll see the potential of what can be games on Netflix and on the TV, where the majority of our audience is.”
New titles are mobile-only and include:
LEGO DUPLO World (Out Now)
Now your toddler can play with their DUPLO blocks anywhere. This open-ended digital world is a safe, creative place where exploration, storytelling, and learning rule the day.
Barbie Color Creations (Out Now)
This digital coloring book is perfect for aspiring artists and Barbie fans alike. Each scene has near limitless options for creativity and customization, with pens, markers, and a whole lotta glitter.
Toca Boca Hair Salon 4 (Out Now)
Trim, shave, highlight, and more in the latest hairstyling game from Toca Boca. Express yourself with straight irons, braiders, and color sprays; then hit the style station for a new outfit before jumping in the photo booth to show it all off.
PAW Patrol Academy (Coming Soon)
Your pre-schooler or kindergartner has a whole new way to explore Adventure Bay in PAW Patrol Academy. The educational mini-game collection focuses on things like spelling and vocabulary; shape, number, and letter recognition.
WWE 2K25: Netflix Edition (Coming Soon)
The most extreme, the most intense, the most dominant WWE mobile experience is available only from Netflix. In this console-quality wrestling sim, you’ll ascend the ranks through the WWE Universe as one of 40-some superstars including Roman Reigns, Trish Stratus, Undertaker, and Rhea Ripley. Pre-register now and prepare to make your way through tag matches, no-disqualification singles matches, and more as you fight your way to the top of the WWE Universe in your quest for glory. How you get there and how powerful your superstar will be by then is up to you. (Pre-register now for WWE 2K25.)
Red Dead Redemption (Coming Soon)
What Grand Theft Auto III did for mafia stories, Red Dead Redemption did for Westerns. And for the first time, you can play it on mobile. It comes complete with the zombie-infused Undead Nightmare story expansion. You play as John Marston, a gunslinger caught between a rock and a hard place. His family’s been kidnapped by the Pinkertons, and to get them back he has to hunt down the remaining members of his old gang. It’s high time for a trip back to the Dead West. (Click here to pre-register.)
My daughter loves that Toca Boca Hair Salon game.
Netflix also announced a new app dedicated to playing daily puzzles:
Get ready for a plethora of daily puzzles featuring Netflix favorites such as Stranger Things, Squid Game, KPop Demon Hunters, Bridgerton, and Emily in Paris. You’ll find classics like sudoku, fresh takes on old favorites like crosswords and word searches, and more. Play on Android and iOS, and —for the first time — play on Tudum.
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News Desk
The BBC has apologised to the short-fingered vulgarian. It has also said that it disagreed that the edit merited a defamation claim, and it did not indicate it would compensate the president as the big baby had demanded. Read: Axios
FX has announced new cast members and the writers/directors on board for season 2 of Shogun. Read: Variety
Spotify will make its music video functionality available for US users. Read: The AV Club
A new CBS drama, in which Jared Padalecki would play a doctor serving patients in rural Texas, has opened a development writers room. Read: THR
Amazon says it is blocking apps that allow users to illegally stream content on its Fire TV Stick. RIP Amazon Fire. Read: The Verge
In today’s quarterly earnings, Disney chief Bob Iger said that the company is set to lean further into games and also has the door open to AI video. Read: Variety
James Longman will serve as lead producer of the upcoming UK SNL, with Liz Clare as director and Daran Jonno Johnson as head writer. Read: THR
Mad Men, a show that always felt like it should have been on HBO, will make its HBO Max debut in the US on Dec 1 where it’ll be available in 4K. Read: THR
Apple is getting rid of the Major League Soccer paywall, bringing every MLS game to all Apple TV subscribers beginning next season. Read: THR
Trailer Park
Fallout returns for season 2 on Dec 17. Joining the cast: Kumail Nanjiani and Macaulay Culkin.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters returns for season 2 on Apple TV Feb 27.
Goodbye June debuts on Netflix Dec 24.
The film takes place just before Christmas, when an unexpected turn in their mother’s health thrusts four adult siblings and their exasperating father into chaos as they navigate messy family dynamics in the face of potential loss.
That’s the newsletter for today.
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