Why Peep Show star Robert Webb skipped the reunion baking special... and other news stories
Ending the week with just a big ol’ blast of news stories from the TV news desk.
Enjoy your weekend - expect the Always Be Streaming newsletter in your inboxes over the weekend. If you’re one of the ABW readers based on Australia’s east coast… stay cool this weekend… it’s going to be a blistering hot one.
And now… onto the news of the day…
News Desk
Consider all those media writers talking about Paramount Skydance being in the lead to take ownership of Warner Bros Discovery… Paramount has written a letter to WBD accusing the bidding process of being tainted by management conflicts. This is hardly the tactic of a company that senses it is winning. Read: Variety
It’s pretty unusual to see Happy Days Don Most on an entertainment news site like Deadline these days, let alone announced as starring in a new independently-produced TV show. This is a show where the lead is Charlotte Kirk, an actress who you really can’t put out there as the face of a new TV show. So, Donny Most it is. Read: Deadline
Peep Show star Robert Webb has explained why he had to sit out the reunion of the cast on The Great Celebrity Bake Off Christmas special (he was busy working on a different show): “Some of us have got to work for a living – not like Olivia Colman!” Read: Radio Times
Bari Weiss will host A Town Hall With Erika Kirk for CBS News, airing on a low stakes Saturday night. Read: Variety
Peacock will be the home for the scripted Clue series that was being shopped around. Read: Deadline
MS Now will launch a subscription digital service. While it’ll offer a live feed of the opinion news channel formerly known as MSNBC, it is being built around the idea of progressive community. Finally Facebook has a challenger for your grandparents attention. Read: THR
This is pretty far from a TV news story, but RIP the great Steve Cropper, who has died aged 84. Read: The Guardian
A very Netflix Xmas
Last night Netflix hosted a Christmas party for media partners, buyers, influencers, etc. Somehow I found my way in there (just late enough to miss out on substantial food, but I did score a pretty tasty meringue for the dessert that would be my dinner for the night).
Trailer Park
The Burbs debuts on Peacock 8 Feb.
Inspired by the 1989 horror-comedy film of the same name and set in present-day suburbia, THE ‘BURBS follows a young couple who have reluctantly relocated to the husband’s childhood home. Their world is upended when a new neighbor moves in across the street, bringing old secrets of the cul-de-sac to light, and new deadly threats shatter the illusion of their quiet little neighborhood.
Apple TV’s spy thriller Tehran has, understandably, had its season 3 return delayed a number of times since the Oct 7 attacks. But, it is back on the calendar for Jan 9 with Hugh Laurie in the cast. A fourth season is currently in production.
The Great Flood debuts on Netflix Dec 19.
When a raging flood traps a researcher and her young son, a call to a crucial mission puts their escape - and the future of humanity - on the line.
The Fakening debuts on Netflix Dec 11.
Failed entrepreneur and struggling dad Sattam finds himself tangled in a madcap scheme when he decides to repay his debts - by kidnapping his own father.
Born To Be Wild debuts Dec 19 on Apple TV.
The Elephant debuts on Adult Swim Dec 12 and HBO Max Dec 13.
Love From 9 To 5 debuts on Netflix Jan 1.
A hardworking employee and the boss’s charming son compete for the CEO position at a major underwear company, but romance threatens to sabotage them.
Hey AJ debuts on Disney+ Jan 13.
Inspired by children’s book author and former Super Bowl champion Martellus Bennett, the upcoming new series is a whimsical and music-filled family comedy about an imaginative young girl who, along with her stuffed bunny sidekick Theo, uses her big imagination to make ordinary life moments extraordinary.
That’s the newsletter for today.
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