RIP Estelle Harris

Seinfeld star Estelle Harris has died, aged 93. She appeared in 27 episodes of the legendary sitcom where she delivered some of the show's greatest moments.

Her career on screen began later in life, initially starring in commercials and small roles in films from the late 70s. Notable pre-Seinfeld roles included a small part in Once Upon a Time in America and a recurring role in Night Court.

Harris was surrounded by high energy comedic energy and some very broad performances in Seinfeld, but I was always impressed that she kept Estelle Costanza grounded. I know a couple of Estelle Costanzas in real life and she absolutely rang true to them all.

Estelle Harris was hilarious. It is sad to hear she has passed.

Estelle Harris, ‘Seinfeld’ Scene-Stealer and ‘Toy Story’ Series’ Mrs. Potato Head, Dies at 93

Estelle Harris, who memorably played George’s mother Estelle Costanza on “Seinfeld” and was the indelible voice of Mrs. Potato Head in the “Toy Story” franchise, died …

VarietyWilliam Earl

Will Smith's career takes a nose dive

In the past week Will Smith has:

• Resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences before they canned his membership.
• Seen development on Bad Boys 4 quietly paused.
• Had his Netflix film Fast and Loose shelved.

Is it something he did?

The Netflix film was set to film this coming August, but after director David Leitch opted to leave the project last week, the production was scrambling to find a replacement. Following the incident at the Oscars, Netflix is reportedly not exactly rushing to find that replacement anymore.

Smith does have one film already in the can - slave drama Emancipation for Apple TV+. Reportedly this was seen as another possible Oscars contender, but that seems pretty unlikely now unless Smith is able to turn around the PR on his career. One would suggest he'd need Chris Rock on side to make that happen and reportedly Smith still hasn't actually apologised to Rock (a statement from a publicist in an Instagram post is not an apology).

Netflix Backs Away from Will Smith Film ‘Fast and Loose’ (Exclusive)

The project had already lost director David Leitch before the infamous Oscars slap, and now the streaming service has quietly moved the film to the back burner in the awards ceremony’s wake, according to sources.

The Hollywood ReporterKim Masters

What if you (re)launched a TV channel and no one came?

Seems shocking to hear, but the BBC's efforts to launch a youth linear TV channel in the UK in 2022 has resulted in a TV channel that isn't being watched. The £80 million relaunch of BBC3 has resulted in shows being watched by under 50,000 viewers on linear.

The BBC has argued that linear figures don't tell the whole story - you need to consider the high online viewership across 28 days to see how well a show is performing. Which begs a really obvious question about the decision to launch a linear TV channel.

BBC Three Struggles To Find Audiences After £80m Relaunch: Critics Slam “Complete Waste Of Money”

The linear relaunch of BBC Three, the broadcaster’s TV channel dedicated to younger viewers, has been branded a flop and, following its £80million relaunch, a complete waste of money. Critics have …

DeadlineCaroline Frost

Want to better understand TV from South Korea?

TBI's Nick Edwards has a fantastic deep dive into the production industry in South Korea and how it differs from the rest of the world.

While Korean drama is booming, the chance to work directly with English-speaking countries on co-productions remains limited. “Co-production is not really that active right now but the opportunities are still open,” says Lee. Additionally, a Korean drama won’t be of interest to a local broadcaster unless “99% of it is in the Korean language,” says Youn. “Only the global streamers would consider [anything different].” The success of Apple TV+’s upcoming Pachinko – based on a British novel with a narrative that switches between Korean, Japanese and English – therefore could be pivotal in changing the current status quo.

There are other challenges on taking Korean dramas global, too. The standard run of a K-drama on TV is long in comparison to most English-language series, with around 16 episodes. Fitting such a format into standardised schedules is another barrier to selling K-drama abroad.

Korea: Dreaming big

Everybody knows about Squid Game, but how much do you know about the TV industry that created it? Nick Edwards takes a deep dive into South Korea’s production industry and finds out what makes it tick By the far the ‘buzziest’ show of 2021 was Netflix’s comic-book like dystopian thriller Sq...

TBI VisionNick Edwards 7 hours ago

• Australia's own version of The Walking Dead, variety show Hey Hey It's Saturday, is set to return for three more specials in 2022. Read: Herald Sun
• After CODA won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Apple TV+ viewing went up 25%. Does anyone else feel like that isn't a lot of Apple TV+? Read: Variety
• Gillian Anderson says she would only return to The X-Files if it was with all new writers. That's absolutely fair. Read: Indiewire
• Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel swapped shows on April Fools Day. Read: Indiewire

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debuts on Paramount+ May 5.

Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive is coming soon to Netflix.

Season 2 of Undone, the follow-up to the incredible Amazon series from quite a few years ago, debuts April 29 on Amazon Prime Video.

Doctor Who: Legend of The Sea Devils presents a great opportunity to sit down and find out what your kids are watching. It debuts April 17.

Prehistoric Planet debuts May 23 on Apple TV+.

That's it for today. More newsletter tomorrow.