Let's kick off the first newsletter of 2023 with a look at the top 10 shows pirated in 2022. Here's what folks were torrenting:

  1. House of the Dragon (HBO)
  2. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon Prime)
  3. The Boys (Amazon Prime)
  4. Moon Knight (Disney+)
  5. Halo (Paramount+)
  6. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+)
  7. The Book of Boba Fett (Disney+)
  8. Stranger Things (Netflix)
  9. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Disney+)
  10. Andor (Disney+)

All nerd-friendly shows, which both makes sense when you consider the technical know-how and dedication to pirating TV, but also shows seeking more general audiences don't really have a lot to be worried about with piracy.

(Of course, this is individual shows and doesn't take into account the streaming on illicit sites of sporting events and news channels).

‘House of the Dragon’ Is The Most Pirated TV-Show of 2022 * TorrentFreak
‘House of the Dragon’ is the most-pirated TV show released on torrent sites in 2022. The Game of Thrones successor replaces ‘Wandavision’.
TF PublishingErnesto Van der Sar

Kaleidoscope review

THR's Angie Han on the new Netflix crime drama Kaleidoscope - a heist drama that can supposedly be watched with episodes in any order. No, I don't quite understand why viewers would want that either.

In practice, Kaleidoscope feels like a slick but forgettable two-hour movie puffed up into a jumbled six-hour saga. The main advantage of its unorthodox structure is that it helps obscure how generic some of its component pieces really are. A love triangle subplot hinges on relationships so thinly sketched that I kept assuming I hadn’t gotten around yet to whatever chapter was finally going to explain these people. It wasn’t until I’d gulped down the whole season that I realized that, no, the person at its center was simply never granted an inner life to begin with.
‘Kaleidoscope’ Review: Netflix Series’ Time Scramble Offers Mild Confusion More Than a Compelling Hook
Giancarlo Esposito leads a heist drama with an unusual twist: The episodes are designed so viewers can watch them in any order.
The Hollywood ReporterAngie Han
  • 12 year-old EastEnders character Lily Slater will be revealed to be pregnant in an upcoming episode of the UK soap. Read: Radio Times
  • RIP iconic US news reporter Barbara Walters who died at age 93. Read: NYT
  • Barbara Walters, the daughter of a Broadway producer (nepo baby?), saw her career rise in line with the rise of TV news as a cultural force. Read: Variety
  • Here's Barbara Walters 10 biggest interviews. Read: THR
  • CNN neglected to mention the strike of midnight in the central timezone during its new years eve telecast. That's a lot of Yellowstone viewers ignored. Read: Deadline
  • Avatar: The Way of Water has passed $1.38 billion worldwide over the weekend. I ask: At what point does Disney make an announcement that they are moving ahead with Avatar films 3 and 4? Read the box office analysis: Deadline
  • Metropolis, Sherlock Holmes, and more enter the public domain this year. Read: Polygon
  • While this newsletter focuses on all things screen, it would be remiss not to mention the passing of music publisher Stanley Mills who popularized the song The Chicken Dance. Read: Variety

That's it for today. The newsletter will continue to be a bit sporadic this week in line with however much news of interest their is. I assume it'll be back to normal from next week.