Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, December 11th, 2024:
VOTING CONTINUES IN THE GLOBAL TELEVISION AWARDS
As a reminder, voting is limited to free and paid Too Much TV subscribers and you can only vote once. Vote in as many or as few categories as you like, odds are there are a lot of titles you haven't seen yet. And that's just fine.
The voting ends at 11:59 pm CT on Sunday, December 15th. The winners will be announced Monday, December 30th.
Here is the link for voting for your favorites: https://tinyurl.com/globaltvawards.
A QUICK UPDATE ON THE DAN SCHNEIDER DEFAMATION CASE
I have been regularly reporting on the defamation case that former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider filed against the producers of the documentary Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV. In the lawsuit, Schneider claimed that the production implied that he was somehow complicit in the sexual abuse that was alleged to have taken place during his time at the network.
The lawsuit was filed in May and both sides have been battling it out in court with back-and-forth efforts to move the case to trial or get it dismissed completely. Lawyers for defendants Warner Brothers Discovery, Inc., Maxine Productions, Mary Robertson, Sony Pictures Television Inc., and Emma Schwartz argued there was no proof Schneider had been defamed by the documentary and that any reasonable viewer would have realized he wasn't part of the sexual abuse cases. They asked the judge in the case to dismiss the charges under a so-called anti-SLAPP motion, which is designed to allow the judge to dismiss charges that are deemed to be frivolous, or an attempt to muzzle free speech.
Los Angeles Superior Court judge Ashfaq G. Chowdhury had previously ruled that there was enough proof to suggest Schneider might be able to prove damages during a trial, but had tentatively dismissed the charges in October because Schneider had failed to sign affidavit or declaration stating that the alleged defamatory statements and implications were false.
A follow-up hearing was held on Friday, November 22nd and centered around a couple of issues. One of which was that while Schneider had filed a declaration with the court that he had "never sexually assaulted or sexually abused a child," the declaration was not signed under penalty of perjury, as is required under the law.
The second issue revolved around whether Schneider had proven the case was baseless or not. In other words, did the producer file the suit in order restrict the free speech of the defendants, or was there reason to believe the plaintiff might be able to prove his allegations in a trial? In this situation, the judge isn't considering the arguments of the defendants. It comes down to whether or not the plaintiff has a reasonable reason to file the lawsuit and is there a reason to believe he might be able to prove those allegations in court?
In the end, Judge Chowdhury suggested he would dismiss the defendant's anti-SLAPP motion, but made that decision contingent on Schneider filing a declaration signed under penalty of law.
Both side returned to court today and the judge issued this short statement:
After discussion with counsel, the Court rules as follows:
Pursuant to prior ruling on Anti-Slapp motion, the Court has received declaration from Mr. Schneider in proper form; all parties agree that the declaration is in proper form; the Court's denial of the defense Anti-Slapp motion becomes final.
The Special Motion to Strike under CCP Section 425.16 (Anti-SLAPP motion) {Res ID:_2276} filed by Warner Brothers Discovery, Inc., Maxine Productions, Mary Robertson, Sony Pictures Television Inc., Emma Schwartz on 07/03/2024 is Denied.
Defendant intends to file an appeal.
The parties agree that filing the appeal will stay the case.
Status Conference is continued to 03/25/25 at 08:30 AM in Department E at Glendale Courthouse.
So unless some sort of settlement is reached in the interim, the case will pick up again in March.
CNBC TO LAUNCH STAND-ALONE APP
Sometimes news comes out and it's not clear what the ramifications might be. That is certainly the case when it comes to the news today that CNBC plans on offering a stand-alone streaming outlet, CNBC+, in the first quarter of 2025.
According to CNBC, the streaming service won't include any new programming, but "will use the broadband outlet to make available a global feed that viewers can use to follow programming from Asia and Europe, as well as the United States, no matter where they are."
There are no details on things such as price or launch date - other than sometime in Q1 2025.
I have a couple of thoughts about this. It sounds like the programming mix of CNBC programming as well as international feeds is an effort to offer a standalone version of CNBC that is different enough from the traditional linear feed of CNBC that it won't impact any current carriage deals.
It also makes me wonder if this new Comcast spin-off company might try a similar approach with MSNBC, although that would be more difficult to pull of without the NBC News assets that go away once the spin-off takes place.
There really isn't a low-cost streaming financial news option available right now that falls between Bloomberg News and smaller start-ups like Cheddar.
It is interesting to me that they are going to try this as a subscriber-driven service and not a FAST channel. Which would seem to be a much safer option.
SPEAKING OF STORIES WITH OPAQUE RAMIFICATIONS
The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against the hit reality show “Love Is Blind” on Wednesday in which it classified the show’s contestants as employees, opening a case that could have ripple effects across the reality television industry. Among other things, the complaint could open the door to unionization in the industry, which could have a massive impact on the reality television business:
The complaint by the National Labor Relations Board outlines provisions in “Love Is Blind” contracts that it deems unlawful.
One is a noncompete provision that says cast members cannot give interviews or make news media appearances on their “own behalf or for any third party” for one year after their last episode airs.
Another is a contractual term saying that if a contestant wishes to leave the show and the production deems that person’s reasoning not “legitimate,” the contestant would be subject to a $50,000 fine. Coelen said in an interview with Variety last year that the penalty had never been enforced, describing it as a “clause that goes back to the earliest days of unscripted television.”
The complaint seeks to make the production companies pay former cast members for any wages they lost by agreeing to those provisions.
This issue is a long way from being settled. But reality television produced in America is going through a bit of a crisis right now and I'm sure this is not what the production companies and streamers want to deal with right now.
YES, YOU'VE SEEN VARIATIONS OF THIS SHOW BEFORE...QUITE A FEW TIMES
One of the things that happens when budgets are tight is that cable networks start to pump out endless variations of what is essentially the same show, with a different host and a slightly different approach to the otherwise familiar content.
The History Channel has just announced a new show which falls right into that programming niche, with Hunting History with Steven Rinella, which premieres on Tuesday, January 28th.
Here is the official logline, which you might find somewhat familiar if you have watched any of the other "Mysteries with a host" shows currently airing on the network:
Unlike any other show about history’s most enduring mysteries, Rinella brings his expert skills as a survivalist to trace what were thought to be untraceable steps and reveal new evidence along the way. Across eight episodes, Rinella teams up with historians, archaeologists, and a mesmerizing cast of outdoor professionals as he takes viewers on an immersive journey. Throughout the series, Rinella hunts for answers to questions that have long baffled experts, including: what happened to the lost colony of Roanoke? Did skyjacker D.B. Cooper survive his famous jump? And what is causing the disturbing cattle mutilations in the American West?
Well, if they haven't answered these questions on any of twenty other shows that have featured these stories, I don't hold much hope they'll crack the case now.
TWEET OF THE DAY
ODDS AND SODS
* Ahead of tonight's season two finale, The CW has picked up a third season of Sullivan's Crossing.
* Netflix has announced the Brian Johnson documentary Don't Die: The Man Who Wants To Live Forever, which "dives into the controversial wellness practices one man is using to maintain youth and vitality, and the effect this journey has on himself and those around him." It will premiere on Wednesday, January 1st, 2025.
* Part six (or, season six) of The Upshaws premieres Thursday, January 9th, 2025 on Netflix.
* Season five of the adult animated series Harley Quinn premieres Thursday, January 16th, 2025 on Max.
* Season one of Fox's animated series Krapopolis is premiering Wednesday, January 15th on Netflix. A couple of other interesting bits of licensing for Netflix. The first five season of NCIS are returning on Thursday, January 23rd. And Netflix will begin streaming a weekly Graham Norton series called The Graham Norton Show: Best Bits.
On the other hand, the full series runs of The Magicians and Monk are exiting Netflix on January 14th and the full series run of New Amsterdam is leaving on January 15th.
* Netflix has announced the new "docuseries" W.A.G.s To Riches, which the streamer promises will "takesyou inside the high-stakes world of ambitious women in Miami, connected to the city’s most elite athletes, musicians, and power players."
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11TH:
* A Motown Christmas (NBC)
* Dream Productions (Disney+)
* Makayla's Voice: A Letter To The World (Netflix)
* Maria (Netflix) - [first look video]
* One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Netflix)
* Queer Eye Season Premiere (Netflix)
* Shetland Season Premiere (Britbox)
* The Kings Of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga (Netflix) - [first look video]
* This Is Not Hollywood Series Premiere (Hulu)
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12TH, 2024:
* All I Need For Christmas (Hallmark Mystery Channel)
* Be Careful What You Say (LMN)
* Bookie Season Premiere (Max)
* E! News Presents NBC's Hot 10 Of 2024 (NBC)
* Happy Holidays From Cherry Lane (Hallmark+)
* La Palma (Netflix) - [first look video]
* Monkey On A Stick: Murder, Madness & The Hare Krishnas (Sundance Now)
* No Good Deed Series Premiere (Netflix) - [first look video]
* Paris & Nicole: The Encore (Peacock)
* Ready, Set, Glow! (Hallmark+)
* The First 48 Presents Critical Minutes Season Premiere (A&E)
* Too Many Christmases (BET+) - [first look video]
* 2024 Billboard Music Awards (Fox)
SEE YOU ON THURSDAY!