Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, July 18th 2025:
READER FEEDBACK
Yesterday's newsletter sparked a lot of feedback and comments from readers and here are some of the highlights:
You write: One rule of messaging is that anytime someone says, "We're making this decision, but not for the reason everyone thinks," it is almost certainly precisely for the reason everyone thinks.
Then you write: Tonight’s newsletter is heavier on politics than normal. But I don’t see how I can write about the media business without acknowledging the politics that increasingly dominate our industry.
You lack self awareness. Your newsletter tonight is not heavier on politics than normal. It is typically heavy on politics through your very bias prism.
--Paul
Donald Trump is scum.
That's it. That's the comment.
-- Decarceration
Keep up the thoughtful and passionate work. Your newsletter tonight convinced me I should sign up for a paid subscription. I appreciate your point of view. Keep it up!
-- Susan L.
I am canceling my subscription because I did not appreciate your joke about Nancy Pelosi and support stockings.
-- Alice P.
DONALD TRUMP FILES PROMISED LAWSUIT
Donald Trump has filed his promised libel suit against the Wall Street Journal, the two reporters who reported the Epstein note story, as well as Rupert Murdoch and News Corp in federal court in south Florida. The lawsuit asks for damages of at least $10 billion.
I'll be honest, I'm not sure what the play is here by Trump. Perhaps he is assuming that Murdoch, etc. will make the same sort of deal that Paramount and ABC have made in recent months. But given the WSJ issued a statement tonight that stands behind the story and promising to fight the charges, that seems unlikely. Especially since the outlet also posted a story recounting the many lawsuits Trump has filed and either settled early in the legal proceedings or dismissed completely.
The most likely scenario is that he'll drop the case at some point before it comes to trial and somehow attempt to claim victory. Because despite the President's social media post earlier tonight that he looks forward to deposing Murdoch and others, I can't imagine he would be insane enough to let the process get to the point where he would have to sit down under oath himself.
As I mentioned last night, it's going to be interesting to see how this affects the coverage on Fox News moving forward. Fox already was forced to pay close to $800 in damages after vigorously repeating the President's claims about Dominion voting machines. It's inconceivable the WSJ would have published this story without having the receipts.
WHILE I APPRECIATE THE SCREENERS...
I'm not sure that I need a new email for every episode that is now available...
WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND
Billy Joel: And So It Goes (HBO)
I once met Billy Joel for about three minutes. It was maybe 1978 or 1979, and I was living in Los Angeles working my way through college doing everything from stand-up to every possible type of freelance writing. One outlet I was writing for was for a small, long gone local alt-paper, where I was primarily cranking out album reviews with the typical attitude of any young writer who doesn't give a damn about anything except being noticed.
So imagine my shock to learn from my editor that I was going to interview Billy Joel, whose team had apparently asked for me specifically. Okay, I admit it, I was flattered, Joel's career had just kicked into fast gear after the release of The Stranger, which was spinning off hit after hit. I was told he was doing a very limited number of local interviews and ended up in a small conference room, waiting for his arrival.
When he entered the room, I stood to introduce myself and he fixed me with this angry gaze that threw me completely. He told me someone had showed him my review of his previous album, Turnstiles, and then essentially told me I was a hack writer who didn't know music. And with that, he turned and left. Which made for an interesting phone call later with my editor.
The funny thing is that my review wasn't terribly harsh, although it might have been a bit snarky. I simply argued it wasn't it best work and it felt like a holding action rather than a step forward. But it stuck with me is that here is a guy who is at the top of the world. But who still took the time to be pissed at some random college student.
That has always been the dichotomy of Billy Joel. He is an exceptionally talented composer, and a brilliant entertainer. Yet, there are probably hundreds of people who have a similar story about him. I once heard someone describe Joel as the "most unhappy successful man I've ever met," and that seems on point. Catch him in the right mood and he'll thoughtfully for hours about his music. But even in the most in-depth interview, he is either unable or unwilling to reflect about himself.
All of this comes across in the new five-hour documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, which is split across tonight and next Friday on HBO. There is enough archival footage and behind-the-scenes to thrill any longtime Joel fan. And the singer reflects more on his career and life than I would have expected. But what struck me is that ultimately we learn more about what makes Joel tick from other people who were interviewed about him than from the singer himself. And he continues to have these intense beefs about old reviews, which any other performer would have shrugged off years ago.
Unless you're a hard-core Joel-head, the documentary is probably about an hour too long. But it's by far the best profile of a talented composer and performer who seems to still be ill at ease with his life.
De-Extinction (Curiosity Stream)
Every since the release of the first Jurassic Park film, people have wondered if it is indeed possible to bring back long extinct animals such as the Dinosaur. And in fact, science is pushing in that direction, albeit not quite in the way you might expect.
This original documentary focuses in large part on the work of Colossal Biosciences, a biotech company in the spotlight for its work on the long-extinct dire wolf. But one of the things that comes across while watching it is that it's not possible to resurrect a species that is extinct. But it might be possible to combine the DNA of a long-gone animal with an animal that shares a common ancestor in order to create a creature which looks like the extinct animal, even though it's just an approximation.
For instance, there is now enough DNA to "de-extinct" the woolly mammoth. But scientists aren't technically bringing the woolly mammoth back to life. They're taking the DNA of an elephant and adding mammoth DNA in order to make it look and act like what scientists think a woolly mammoth would be.
The work is being justified as a way to save endangered species. For instance, you could alter an elephant's DNA in order to allow it to live in a colder climate, where it might be safer. But then are you really "saving" the elephant or just creating something new?
The documentary is fascinating, in part because it points out just how misunderstood this science is by the general public. Researchers can do some amazing things with this technology. But are the results really what we expected?
ODDS AND SODS
* TV Line's Ryan Schwartz is reporting that Eric Graise and Abby McEnany have departed CBS‘ Tracker. That leaves the procedural with just two series regulars heading into Season three: Justin Harley (Colter Shaw) and Fiona Rene (Reenie Green).
* Here is the WGA statement on Paramount’s decision to cancel The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
* The Los Angeles Times has a nice piece on the impact the public media cutbacks will have on local Southern California NPR and PBS stations.
* Deadline is reporting that Mehcad Brooks is departing NBC’s Law & Order after three seasons as Detective Jalen Shaw ahead of the venerable crime drama’s upcoming 25th season. The outlet reports the exit was "mutual."
* Hulu has renewed Vanderpump Rules for a third season by Hulu.
TWEET OF THE DAY
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
SATURDAY, JULY 19TH:
* Faith In The Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story (Lifetime)
* Kaiju No. 8 (Crunchyroll)
* Love & Marriage: Huntsville Season Premiere (OWN)
* Trafficked With Mariana Von Zeller Season Five Premiere (NatGeo)
SATURDAY, JULY 19TH:
* Faith In The Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story (Lifetime)
* Kaiju No. 8 (Crunchyroll)
* Love & Marriage: Huntsville Season Premiere (OWN)
* Trafficked With Mariana Von Zeller Season Five Premiere (NatGeo)
SUNDAY, JULY 20TH:
* Air Jaws: The Hunt For Colossus (Discovery)
* Dancing With Sharks (Discovery)
* Great White Assassins (Discovery)
* Robot Chicken: Self-Discovery Special (Adult Swim)
* The Wife Who Knew Too Much (Lifetime)
* Wildlife ER (NatGeo Wild)
MONDAY, JULY 21ST:
* The Hunting Wives Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Trophy Wife: Murder On Safari (Hulu)
SEE YOU ON MONDAY!