The best The Simpsons TV fast food tie-in, a bunch of keen trailers, and this week's Cool-o-meter
We have well and truly in the doldrums of a very quiet June-July TV season. But, the good news is that we are on the cusp of August where there are a bunch of new and returning shows that will liven things up.
Over the next month we’re seeing returns for Ted Lasso, Futurama, Reacher, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Lioness, Diarra From Detroit, and Dark Matter. And then there’s new shows including Lanterns and The Shards.
It’s just nice to be excited about watching some new television again.
The return of the Cool-o-meter
A disgusting(ly) appealing fast food tie-in with The Simpsons
The KFC x The Simpsons menu is now available at participating KFC locations across Spain and Portugal. I’m not quite sure this is worth flying to Spain or Portugal for, but I’m also not convinced that it isn’t.
(It’s actually really not… but also…)
Here’s what they’re pumping into your arteries:
The Rosquiburger: A KFC fried chicken sandwich with bacon, cheese, and Kentucky Gold sauce served between Homer’s signature pink-frosted donut topped with rainbow sprinkles.
Chillibites of Madness: Melted cheese and spicy red chili bites inspired by Homer’s infamous encounter with the Guatemalan insanity pepper.
Fresisuis: A frozen Kwik-E-Mart-inspired Squishee made with ice cream, milk, sour cranberry syrup, and cream.
Catsup: A reference to Mr. Burns’ iconic struggle to choose between ketchup and catsup.
Themed packaging and five limited-edition collectibles inspired by memorable moments from the series.
What I like about this is that the meal is AN EXPERIENCE. Krispy Kreme donut buns have been done on burgers before… but pink iced donuts are quintessentially The Simpsons. But add to that the spicy snack inspired by the chilli episode El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Our Homer) (which I do acknowledge is a reach), the Kwik-E Mart frozen drink, and some small collectibles. I don’t know what else you might want from a fast food tie-up.
News Desk
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has filed a $150m antitrust suit against Penske Media, alleging PMC (which owns Variety, THR, Deadline and Billboard) orchestrated a “corrupt scheme” to drive down the value of the Golden Globes and monopolise trade publishing, awards and FYC advertising before acquiring the show. It’s seeking damages and a reversal of the Globes sale. Read: AV Club
Bari Weiss has announced her new hires to join CBS‘s 60 Minutes. Ross Douthat is leaving the New York Times to join, alongside new correspondents Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni and Trevor Phillips. Read: The New York Times
Mike Flanagan is in talks to executive produce, showrun, write and direct Henry Cavill‘s Warhammer 40,000 series for Amazon MGM. Read: Deadline
Amazon Prime Video has struck a 12-year deal to stream exclusive Wednesday-night NHL games in Canada, sublicensed from Rogers. Read: Deadline
MGM+ has picked up Embassy, a six-part action thriller starring Anna Kendrick as a US diplomat, Sam Heughan and J.K. Simmons as the ambassador, after mercenaries storm the US Embassy in London. It’ll stream on Prime Video in Australia, the UK, Ireland, and other markets. Read: thefutoncritic
HBO Max is launching HBO Max Shorts, a TikTok-style vertical feed of clips and scenes selected by an in-house AI tool to aid discovery, plus an experimental AI conversational search — initially testing with select US iOS users. Read: Futon Critic
Babylon Berlin has set its series finale for Sept 10 on ARD, with a final eight-episode arc, taking place during Hitler’s 1933 rise to absolute power. Volker Bruch and Liv Lisa Fries return; the creators are also launching a tie-in video game, documentary and audio drama. Read: THR
The Twin Peaks cast — Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Dana Ashbrook and more — will tour the US again from mid-September into early 2027, including stops at Washington filming locations and an L.A. event honouring David Lynch. Read: THR
Hulu has bought animated comedy pitch Detective Agent Derek from Nick Kreiss and animation trio Big Grey Mass — a prestige cop show filtered through the internet’s weirdest subcultures, starring a nunchuck-wielding, anime-obsessed protagonist the world inexplicably treats as a hero. Read: Deadline
A comedy series starring stand-up Atsuko Okatsuka about modern marriage is in development at Amazon, with Hiro Murai and Ramy Youssef among the executive producers. Read: Deadline
Acorn TV has renewed art-crime drama Art Detectives, starring Stephen Moyer as DI Mick Palmer, for a second season to film in Belfast. Read: THR
Trailer Park
Ted Lasso returns for season four Aug 5 on Apple TV.
Below debuts on Netflix Oct 8.
Calvin Penney (Josh Hartnett) is a big‑hearted but stubborn fisherman living in a small Newfoundland town, who’s still haunted by his father’s mysterious death from decades ago. When an unidentified sea creature begins terrorizing his hometown, Calvin must fight to hold his close-knit community together. Determined to keep his son Wade (Charlie Heaton) and the rest of his family safe, he teams up with a visiting marine researcher (Mackenzie Davis) to confront the creature and reveal the island’s buried secrets before it’s too late. Blending local myth, thrilling suspense, and heartfelt humour, this twisty six-part limited series dives into themes of family, community, and change - both terrifying and inevitable.
The Airport Chaplain debuts August 26 on SBS and SBS on Demand in Australia, with Netflix distributing it globally elsewhere.
At the centre of The Airport Chaplain is Tobias Wallace (Hugo Weaving), a fast-moving fixer with a constantly ringing phone, pockets full of cash and an unorthodox approach to the daily crises unfolding inside the terminal. Convinced the airport couldn’t run without him, Tobias has never encountered a problem he couldn’t solve. Until he meets his formidable new boss Mira (Shabana Azeez), who considers him a walking liability. Their clash sparks a power struggle that reverberates through the terminal, affecting the cleaners, baggage handlers and passengers who are all navigating their own hopes, challenges and life-changing moments amid the constant flow of arrivals and departures.
Here The Whole Time debuts on Netflix Aug 19.
Felipe just wanted a quiet summer with his artsy mom and every musical he could binge... when his childhood crush knocked on his door to join the party.
The Last Sunrise debuts on Prime Video August 26.
Based on the beloved novel, The Last Sunrise follows Ry (Maia Reficco), a college student with a chronic illness, on a summer escape to Mallorca with her mother (Eva Longoria). As she unexpectedly falls for Julián (Fernando Lindez) and begins to embrace living in the moment, her worsening condition and long-hidden family secrets threaten to unravel everything before the summer ends.
That’s the newsletter for the today.
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