Hill Street Blues marks 45 years of being careful out there
Today marks the 45th anniversary of the launch of Hill Street Blues on NBC. The show, which ran for seven seasons, is seen by many as one of the major pivot points in US television. It would be incorrect to suggest that it was the first sophisticated drama on TV, but the show was innovative at the time in ways that just seem like regular TV now.
The production used handheld cameras and mixed in natural-sounding background conversations. Dialogue overlapped, like in a Robert Altman movie. And the show took on an ensemble cast with different storylines intercut in a similar way to the way it was done on daytime soaps.
Before Hill Street Blues, TV was just a lot more static.
In Australia you can watch the show on Disney+. In the US it was available on Hulu a few years back, but now it seems like it is only available to rent digitally. And in the UK it is available on the Channel 4 app.
Put five minutes aside and watch the opening for the very first episode:
Also worth a read is this Indiewire oral history of the show by Will Harris. He spoke to cast members Charles Haid, Ed Marinaro, James B. Sikking, and Bruce Weitz about the show in a piece timed with the Shout Factory launch of the complete series on DVD.
Bridgerton in real life
ABW readers know that I love a promotional activation for TV shows - especially ones open to the public. Netflix have announced The Bridgerton Masquerade Parlour.
Timed for the season 4 return of Bridgerton on Jan 29, the activation will be open the weekend starting Jan 31 at 362 Little Collins St.
Entry will be free and will be first come, first served. It will offer a “Bridgerton-inspired space, filled with DIY and guided pampering stations to help esteemed guests perfect their masquerade look.”
Visitors will be encouraged to take pictures for their Instagram.
Cheap(er) Britbox down under
For Australian readers of ABW, know that there is a deal kicking off today offering BritBox for 12 months at $75, which is down from $140. The deal runs from today until Jan 29.
TikTok takes an interest in the micro drama
I’m skeptical about the supposed rise of the micro drama for western audiences. I’m sure there’s an audience, but I can’t imagine that they are especially big in that outside of trend pieces about micro dramas, I just never hear anyone ever talk about them. Plus, I’d imagine that the constant expense of paying for episodes individually has curbed their adoption.
Where I think we will start to see some adoption is if larger platforms like TikTok and YouTube take an active role in distribution and accept the financial cost of the regular transactions needed.
In this article for Business Insider, Lucia Moses reports that TikTok is launching a dedicated section for microdramas. The TikTokMinis section will still demand payments per episode, however.
The short drama apps mostly operate on a freemium model, where users are prompted to pay — often $10 or more per movie — after watching about eight to 10 episodes. They also often offer subscriptions, which can run $40 to $80 a month, for unlimited viewing. With TikTok Minis, there’s a wrinkle: There’s often a 10% discount that incentivizes viewers to stay within the TikTok app rather than click away to the short drama app itself.
The Minis feature could appeal to lesser-known apps that hope to use TikTok’s massive audience to grow their reach. Those with well-established audiences may prefer to keep them on their own platforms, where they can control monetization. Notably, the two biggest players, ReelShort and DramaBox, aren’t represented in the Minis section.
TikTok is exploring ways to bring productions to its platform at no charge to users:
Additionally, two micro drama producers told Business Insider that TikTok pitched them on sharing full, original episodes on the platform — unpaywalled — in exchange for a share of ad revenue. One of them said TikTok offered to pay a licensing fee (up to $10,000 for an original series) plus a share of ad revenue.
The two producers expressed doubts that the economics of TikTok’s revenue-sharing proposal, which would represent a fundamental shift in their business model, would be effective. In theory, the Minis section could help expose micro dramas to new audiences and lower their marketing costs. However, it was unclear whether the licensing and unspecified ad revenue would cover the production costs, which typically range from $100,000 to $300,000 for a full-length movie.
News Desk
Matthew McConaughey’s lawyers have secured eight trademarks to protect his voice and likeness from unauthorized AI use. Among the trademarks: “alright, alright, alright.” Read: Variety
Netflix reportedly plans to switch its offer for Warner Bros to all-cash to hold off the Paramount bid. Currently it is a mix of stock and cash. Read: The Guardian
Netflix has announced its first two original video podcasts. The Pete Davidson Show will debut on Jan 30, while Michael Irvin’s The White House will debut Jan 19. Read: The Verge
ITV America is developing a TV version of YouTube blindfold dating format UpDating. Read: C21
The NZ producers guild Spada says New Zealand will be left behind as Australia’s new content quota laws has changed the competitive landscape. Read: Deadline
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis will create the original score for new Netflix drama Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole. The music will need to be cranked right up to drown out me laughing at the name of the show. Read: Deadline
Keifer Sutherland has been arrested after reportedly assaulting a ride share driver. That’s going to have a terrible impact on his rating. Read: Variety
Hwang Dong-hyuk has revealed that his follow-up to Squid Game will be casino gambling drama The Dealer for Netflix. Read: Radio Times
HBO Max has re-signed its licensing deal with A24 to bring the indie studio’s films exclusively to HBO and HBO Max in the Pay-1 TV window in the US. Read: Variety
HBO Max is now available as a stand-alone service in Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Greece, and Israel. Read: WorldScreen
For the second year in a row, the Golden Globes audience was down. On CBS in 2024 it brought in 9.47 million viewers, in 2025 it had 9.27 million, and this year it is down to 8.66 million. Read: THR
Ryan Hurst will play Kratos in the new Amazon God of War show. Previously he played Thor in the Playstation game God of War Ragnarok. Read: Deadline
A pilot for a reboot of The Rockford Files has been ordered by NBC as part of a push back to an old-school TV pilot season. Read: Deadline
Trailer Park
Euphoria returns to HBO April 12 for season 3.
Paul McCartney: Man on the Run debuts on Prime Video Feb 27.
From Academy Award-winning director Morgan Neville, the film chronicles the arc of McCartney's solo career as he faces down a myriad of challenges while creating new music to define a new decade.
Yo Gabba GabbaLand is back for season 2 on Apple TV Jan 30.
The Lincoln Lawyer is back for season 4 on Netflix Feb 5.
The Bluff debuts on Prime Video Feb 25. This is a different trailer to the one I ran in the newsletter on Tuesday.
As her tranquil life is shattered by the return of her vengeful former captain, a skilled ex-pirate must confront her bloody past to save her family.
Motorvalley debuts on Netflix Feb 10.
Desperate to gain control of her family's racing empire, a young heir hires a reckless driver and a fallen star to compete in the Italian Gran Turismo.
That’s the newsletter for the today.
Consider becoming a paid supporter of Always Be Watching.
Connect with Dan on Bluesky. Connect with Dan on Letterboxd. Connect with Dan on Linkedin. Email Dan @ alwaysbewatching.com or just reply to this email.
Some stars shouldn’t be allowed out without a minder by their side.