If Noah Hawley was hoping for some public support from Ridley Scott as he puts together the new Alien TV series, he should reset his expectations. The director of the original Alien movie is out on the publicity trail for his new film The Last Duel when he was asked about the show:

Wherever they go, whatever they do, “It’ll never be as good as the first one,” he grins. “That’s what I’ll say.”
Ridley Scott: ‘Cinemas should not be allowed to go away’
With ‘Gladiator 2’ in the works, the revered ‘Blade Runner’ director returns with the first Matt Damon and Ben Affleck script since ‘Good Will Hunting’, a tale of duelling and rape in medieval France, plus a film about the murder of fashion designer Maurizio Gucci. He tells James Mottram why film-ma…
The IndependentJames Mottram

Seven 2022 upfronts

Aussie network Seven held its 2022 upfronts. Here are the two key takeaways, as far as I'm concerned:

ONE: Expect more of the same - stripped reality formats (My Kitchen Rules), a couple of new crime-orientated documentary formats (Code 1, Strike Force), and international acquisitions (the weak tea Fantasy Island reboot, and UK drama Harry Palmer: The Ipcress File). The big story is that Seven only announced a single new drama - a 4-part limited series titled Claremont. It's a sad reflection of the times where Aussie TV networks are producing so little scripted drama. But maybe after seeing 2021's RFDS, this should be considered a small mercy?

Seven Upfront 2022: All new & returning shows in 2022 - Mediaweek
Seven Upfront: Seven has announced its content line-up for 2022 with a raft of new and returning programs as well as its sports lineup.
MediaweekMediaweek

TWO: The most quietly interesting streaming platform in Australia is 7Plus. Yes, it does catch-up for all the content on the Seven broadcast channels. But it also has a much deeper than you'd expect library of international titles. Joining the library in 2022 is: ER, Super Fun Night, Lost Girl, Damages, Party of Five, Rescue Me, The Guardian, Cashmere Mafia, Unforgettable, Rookie Blue, Bitten, Hell On Wheels, Ice, and X Company.

Seven Network reveals innovations and new content coming to 7plus
The Seven Network has revealed the market-leading innovations and exclusive content coming to 7plus across the rest of 2021 and into 2022.
MediaweekMediaweek

Today in celebrity endorsements

Here's The Sopranos star Vincent Pastore (he playedfan favourite Big Pussy in the first few seasons of the show) selling Hoagie Bites as 'The Gabaghoul'. A promotion to whoever came up with that great pun.

Meanwhile, The Simpsons have a 10-minute promo short film made for the too-rich-for-my-blood clothing brand Balenciaga.

Read about it: NYT

Trailer Park

  • Mark Harmon has finally left NCIS. Anyone following the behind the scenes of the show knew that the exit was coming. It is mostly just interesting that it wasn't billed as a big TV event - it's quietly just early in the season, preventing a jumping off point for longtime fans of the show. Read: Variety
  • Tales of the Walking Dead is a new anthology series debuting on AMC next year. Read: thefutoncritic
  • RIP animation veteran Ruthie Tompson at age 111 - she worked for 40 years on animated Disney films from Snow White through to The Rescuers. Read: NYT
  • RIP Aussie actor Bruce Kerr who died at age 87. Kerr appeared in, well, pretty much everything. Read: TV Tonight
  • Terry Terrones asks a good question: "Forget Game of Thrones - what is the next This Is Us?" In other words, where is the next emotionally-charged TV drama. A genre that TV has been built on for decades and decades. Read: The AV Club
  • Discovery+ is rolling out in Canada. Read: thefutoncritic
  • Vudu is now THE store on Facebook's Oculus devices to buy/rent movies and TV. Don't dismiss this as trivial news - movie and TV screen consumption is going to be a huge driver of AR/VR headsets. Read: Variety
  • Matt Amodio finished up on Jeopardy! after a mammoth 38 consecutive wins. A break in production killed his mojo. Read: The Washington Post

Trailer Park

Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell star in Apple TV+ series The Shrink Next Door, debuting Nov 12.

Home Sweet Home Alone debuts Nov 12 on Disney+. Watch out 2021 Wet Bandits!

Fairfax is a new animated series dropping Oct 29 on Amazon Prime Video. It looks promising - I like that it has a different animation style and isn't just a Bento Box studio copycat.

Colin in Black and White debuts on Netflix Oct 29.

Here's a first look at the Head of The Class reboot coming to HBO Max.

What's next? Tomorrow.