The Big Bang Theory spin-off at least sounds creative
To be quite clear, I have little interest in watching a spin-off from The Big Bang Theory. If I have to explain why, that’s a conversation that is not going to be fruitful for either of us.
But, I was impressed by the choices made surrounding spin-offs Young Sheldon and the upcoming Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. Usually the way a sitcom works is that they’ll just build a show around a character from the existing show and try to replicate the original in some way.
“Oh look, Kramer has moved to the San Fernando Valley and he now runs a pizza shop with the estranged brother he never previously mentioned on Seinfeld.” That kind of thing.
What I do love from a spin-off is when they take an actor from a show and the essence of a character and try to build a show around that. The best example is 1977 series Lou Grant, which took the titular Grant from the multicam half-hour sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show and re-established the character in an hour-long drama.
Young Sheldon went the prequel route and placed its titular Young character and situated him in a half-hour single-camera show. Today we hear that spin-off Stuart Fails to Save the Universe will be a special-effects heavy sci-fi show. The premise:
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe follows comic book store owner Stuart Bloom, who inadvertently triggers a multiverse catastrophe after breaking a device created by Sheldon and Leonard. He must restore reality with help from his girlfriend Denise, geologist friend Bert, and quantum physicist Barry Kripke. Along the way, they meet alternate-universe versions of characters from The Big Band Theory. As the title suggests, things don’t go to plan.
At least it sounds very different from what was expected of the show. I’ll press play on an episode of this to check it out. My hopes aren’t high… but they have my attention.
News Desk
Queer Eye is coming to an end at Netflix after 10 seasons. Read: Variety
Duster has been cancelled at HBO after just one season. Can someone please get Josh Holloway a sandwich and get him cast on another show ASAP? Read: Deadline
Mark Gurman at Bloomberg says the next version of the Apple Vision Pro may release as early as this year, with an upgraded M4 processor and a redesigned strap to combat neck and head pain. Read: Bloomberg
The latest Nostradamus report published by Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival has found that the Hollywood-led US soft power is weakening globally. Read: Deadline
Linda Yaccarino is, to no great surprise, out as CEO at X (formerly good as Twitter). Read: NYT
Craig Robinson isn’t actually quitting comedy. But yes, he did star in Hot Tub Time Machine 2. Read: THR
Trailer Park
The Amateur debuts on Hulu and on Disney+ internationally on July 17. I don’t usually include movies that debuted in cinemas in this roundup, but I figure no one saw it on the big screen, so we might as well talk about this as a streaming debut…
The Morning Show returns for season 4 on Sept 17. In Australia, can we drop the nonsense of pretending the series is titled ‘Morning Wars’? No one actually calls it that.
Long Story Short debuts August 22 on Netflix.
Long Story Short is an animated comedy from the creator of BoJack Horseman about one family, over time. Jumping through the years, we follow the Schwooper siblings from childhood to adulthood and back again, chronicling their triumphs, disappointments, joys, and compromises.
Twisted Metal season 2 debuts on Peacock July 31.
Trigger debuts July 25 on Netflix.
That’s the newsletter for today.
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