Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, October 1st, 2025:
A VIEW FROM INSIDE THE ACTING TRENCHES OF HOLLYWOOD
I received a lot of very thoughtful feedback after I posted my recent piece wondering who was going to be Hollywood's modern-day Jane Fonda. I thought this email was especially enlightening and I wanted to pass along after receiving permission from the author. I stripped out the name other identifying details by request, but otherwise didn't do any editing.
"You ask a provocative question and it is something I think about a lot. Politically, I'm more AOC than Kamala. So if I decide to discuss my politics with someone I don't know, there is a better than even chance they might not agree with me.
I think you're right when you frame this as wondering how stars are going to address this moment in time. It's an odd calculation. Most people don't become stars unless the public sees them as accessible and a bit like them. And that usually means not saying or doing anything that might break that illusion. Which is why most stars aren't overtly political, no matter what they believe. It's just not on-brand.
But stars also ironically also have the greatest ability to overcome bad press. You mentioned Jane Fonda and when it comes to political actions, so was as dumb and naive as it is possible for one person to be on Hollywood. A lot of former fans hated her and it did affect her career quite a bit. But she is also Jane Fonda, and most people eventually got over it. That's the upside of being a star. People want to root for you, even when they suspect they shouldn't.
I have been a working actor for decades. My IMDB is about as a long as a novella, but none of the roles necessarily stand out to the general public. Most people don't know my name, and when I pop up on the screen, they'll say to themselves "Oh, that guy." They know they've seen me before and hopefully have fond memories. But they likely can't even place what other show or film they've seen me in. When I was younger, that used to just tear me up inside. Because like most actors, I have a pretty healthy ego. At some point, I realized I wasn't going to be a star and that was okay. I was going to be able to work as an actor. It was my career and that's an accomplishment in itself.
I've also had to come to realization that my place in the industry also makes me especially vulnerable in these times. No one needs to see me in a project. And if the only thing the public remembers about me was that I just said something about Trump that pisses them off, that has an impact on my career. That starts to make the story about me and that is Kryptonite for a character actor. I'd like to speak out. And I suppose if I was braver, I would be willing to potentially torch my career to stand up for the country. It's a cynical calculation, but political bravery doesn't pay the bills.
However, knowing all that also makes me more irate with some of the star in our industry. I just saw an interview with George Clooney, who said he was done with speaking out after all of the negative feedback he received after he spoke about Biden's condition. Really? You're freaking George Clooney and you're folding because some people were mean to you? And look at Taylor Swift. I have no idea how political she is privately, although she seems to be fairly liberal from what I can tell. She endorsed Harris in the last election but carefully didn't go any further. And in a time when someone of her stature could speak out in a way that could still retain her fanbase, she's focused on figuring out how many album variants she can release this year. She's allowed to do what she wants. But it's a disappointing choice.
And it's not just liberals who make that calculation. Most viewers understand Tim Allen is conservative, maybe very conservative. But unless you've spent time around him, you have no idea how far to the right he is in his beliefs. But he carefully curates his public comments. He knows that the more he speaks out politically, the more likely some percentage of his audience won't like it. And that would be a problem for someone trying to be a mass-market comedian.
I think you asked some important questions. But coming from someone in the trenches, it's a more complicated situation than most people might realize."
YES, 'HEARTLAND' IS AVAILABLE ON A NUMBER OF STREAMING PLATFORMS
A new report from Ampere Analytics found that 39 percent of all the 67,000 television seasons and 172,000 movies on U.S. streaming platforms appear on two or more streaming services.
Titles simultaneously available on at least three different VoD platforms rose from 9% in 2020 to 21% in 2025. And there is an increase of crossover between SVOD and AVOD, 43% of titles spanning both SVOD and AVOD (representing 29,000 titles) and 12% spanning multiple SVoD services (8,300 titles).
A few things jumped out at me, most notably that 35 percent of Peacock’s library also appears on Prime Video. That's up from 14 percent in 2020.
There is also this factoid, which illustrates how much HBO Max's library depends on content from its linear networks: By July 2025, 51% of HBO Max’s catalogue was simultaneously available on Discovery+. Which means that slightly more than half of HBO Max's library is episodes of linear shows.
The most widely available show is Heartland, available on 13 different services. The most widely available film is 2006’s The Illusionist, available on 12 different platforms. 45% of shared titles overlap between AVoD platforms. The largest pairs in July 2025 were Tubi and The Roku Channel (23,600 titles) and Tubi and Plex (21,700).
I'M NOT SAYING THAT NO GOOD CAN COME FROM THIS. BUT.....
This bit of reporting from Oliver Darcy's Status isn't surprising, based on what I have been hearing. But I kept hoping that at the end of the day, Ellison wouldn't follow-through on his decision to bring in Bari Weiss to run CBS News:
CBS News’ Paramount-installed leadership is starting to arrive inside the building. On Monday, Kenneth Weinstein, the network’s newly appointed ombudsman, visited the network and met with senior leadership, I’m told. While Weinstein has been an outspoken Donald Trump advocate and proud MAGA member, I'm told the meetings he held did go smoothly and that he was received well by staffers who participated in the sessions. At the same time, according to people familiar with the matter, Bari Weiss’ appointment to the top of CBS News is imminent. Paramount is set to formally announce its acquisition of The Free Press in the coming days, with Weiss set to named editor in chief of CBS News
TWEET OF THE DAY
ODDS AND SODS
* About an hour after I sent out my newsletter yesterday which highlighted live TV streaming options, Philo TV announced that it is raising the price on its core live TV package five dollars, to $33 a month. But subscribers will now receive free ad-supported subscriptions to HBO Max and Discovery+, which is a really good deal for $5.
* If you'd like to help a Dad out, consider subscribing to my son's free Substack. He doesn't post frequently - maybe every week or so - and it is very sports trivia oriented. But he really enjoys talking stats and I want to encourage his hobbies. Also, Go Cubs, Go!
* Netflix announced a new live special coming in 2026 featuring world-renowned American rock climber Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to free solo one of the tallest buildings on the planet: Taipei 101. In a related note, next year I plan to climb three flights of stairs, although it won't be televised. Although paramedics might be on stand-by.
* Pluto TV is adding several new BET-related FAST channels to its programming grid: BET Comedy Movies and BET Christmas Movies.
* Hunted By My Husband: The Untold Story Of The DC Sniper premieres Tuesday, October 28th on Investigation Discovery.
WHAT'S COMING TOMORROW
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1ST:
* Abbott Elementary Season Premiere (ABC)
* Chicago Fire Season Premiere (NBC)
* Chicago Med (NBC)
* Chicago PD Season Premiere (NBC)
* Fatal Engineering Series Premiere (Science)
* Ice Road Truckers Season Premiere (History)
* Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast For Spirit Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Let's Roll Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Love Is Blind Season Premiere (Netflix)
* Play Dirty (Prime Video)
* Riv4lries Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Shifting Gears Season Premiere (ABC)
* The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Halloween (The Roku Channel)
* The Friday The 13th Murders (Investigation Discovery)
* The Real Murders On Elm Street (Investigation Discovery)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2ND:
* Charlotte's Web (HBO Max)
* Dudes Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Karen Pirie Season Two Premiere (BritBox)
* Pass The Monster Meat, Milady! Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Rockstar: DUKI From The End Of The World (Netflix)
* The Game: You Never Play Alone Series Premiere (Netflix)
* The Graham Norton Show Season Premiere (BBC America)
* This Monster Wants To Eat Me Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Wasp Woman: The Murder Of A B-Movie Queen (Sundance Now)
SEE YOU EARLY THURSDAY MORNING!