Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Tuesday, September 24th, 2024

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, September 24th, 2024:

A FEW THOUGHTS FROM FAT JOE
Legendary gangster rapper Fat Joe has a new talk show coming to Starz and based on the episode I've seen - an interview with Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man - the show is smack in the middle of the network's new urban focus.

I had the opportunity to speak with him today ahead of the premiere of Fat Joe Talks on Friday, October 4th. I'll post the entire interview next week closer to the premiere, but I wanted to pass this exchange along today. The conversation was really fascinating and I think you'll see an unfamiliar side of him if you only know him from his music.

You've been talking about the changes that you've went through, and wanting to reveal the personal side of the artist. So I wanted to ask you about your son Joey, who has autism. I also have a son with autism and it has changed my life in so many ways. You look at life an entirely different way when you have a son with autism. And I suspect having Joey might have had the same impact on you.

He's an angel. He has blessed us with so much love. Joey is non-verbal. He also doesn't walk. But he is just in a state of happiness. Rarely do you see Joey upset. Rarely do you see that smile come off of his face. He just smiles all day. He's beyond love.

When he is around my other kids, they look at him like he's the Don of the family. Joey sits at the corner of the table. He looks at them. He knows his little sister, his little brother. And it's the biggest blessing. 

And I am so glad to have had my mother and father to help raise him. To help me out. Because without them, there would be no Fat Joe the rapper. Because I would just have to be with Joey 24 hours a day. But he's just so special.

Speaking of interviews, yesterday I interview PBS Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, Ira Rubenstein about that company's digital efforts, ranging from YouTube to its Passport streaming service. I'll include an excerpt of that interview in Friday's newsletter and post the entire lengthy conversation on Sunday.



IF YOU ENJOY TRUE CRIME TV, OR ALIENS, OR JUST WEIRD-ASS PEOPLE
Sure, there are maybe a half dozen other shows premiering tonight. But if enough people watch it, I expect there will be a lot of talk about the bat-shit crazy Hulu true crime (and I am being kind here) series Out There: Crimes Of The Paranormal, which also premiered today.

It's structured and looks like a normal true crime series with a modest budget and a lot of talking heads. But the stories are just insane: 

"A UFO enthusiast in Long Island is arrested for allegedly attempting to poison elected officials. But he insists he's innocent  - and alleges the real criminals are the officials covering up remains from a nearby UFO landing."

"When a space-obsessed mechanical genius mysteriously vanishes after building a UFO in his backyard, his friends and family are left to investigate the possibility of an intergalactic journey."

"A Navaho woman is murdered in Flagstaff, Arizona. When a local white man confesses, his attorney's explosive defense  - that a "skinwalker" did it - forces the victim's family to fight centuries of anti-Native racism for justice."

There's the 16-year-old girl rumored to have been killed by the Jersey Devil, Louisville teens killed trying to catch a glimpse of the so-called "Evil Goatman" and of course, the six-year-old rumored to have been kidnapped by a giant, hairy "Wildman" who is definitely not Bigfoot.

The show is just as dumb as you might imagine and not every episode is as interesting as the logline. But in a week where we could likely all use a laugh or two, this is a good place to start. And if you're still not sold, here's a look at the show's trailer.

TWEET OF THE DAY


ODDS AND SODS
* ICYMI, I enjoyed the premiere of the CBS reboot of Matlock. Until I didn't.

* Here are the global TV and streaming video stories that should be on your radar for Tuesday, September 24th, 2024.

* One of the unexpected joys of reading someone's Substack every day is that you start to get a sense of the person they are. And in the case, of Chris Cillizza, we have very similar ideas about family and the joys of spending time with your son.

* The Bulwark reports that this month, Comcast sent $50,000 to Ron DeSantis’s Florida Freedom Fund, the political action committee launched by the governor to block an abortion rights initiative in the state.

* It's another big day for trailers, with new ones for Hulu and Disney+'s doc Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen And The E-Street Band, the new Netflix series Tyler Perry's Beauty In Black, the Apple TV+ Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline series Disclaimer, and the new Roku Channel show-within-a-show comedy The Charlie Puth Show.

* Disney+ announced two new animated projects. The four-episode Inside Out universe series Dream Productions (which premieres December 11th) and the original series Win Or Lose (which premieres February 19th).

* MGM+ has ordered a new ten-episode series Robin Hood, based on the iconic book. It's set to begin production in February and debut in late 2025. Like an increasing number of TV shows, it is being produced in Serbia.

* This is one of the crazier stories of the election year. The NY Times has a long breakdown (gift article) of the more than two decade feud between Kamala Harris and former Fox News star Kimberly Guilfoyle.

* Netflix announced the new documentary Sweet Bobby: My Ten Year Catfish Nightmare. Inspired by the hit podcast, it will premiere on Wednesday, October 16th. 

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2024:
* Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval (Netflix) 
* Evolution Of The Black Quarterback (Prime Video)
* Fly (NatGeo)
* Last Bite Hotel Series Premiere (Food) 
* Murder In A Small Town Series Premiere (Fox) 
* Out There: Crimes Of The Paranormal Series Premiere (Hulu) 
* Penelope Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Windy City Rehab Season Premiere (HGTV)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2024:
* Chicago Fire Season Thirteen Premiere (NBC)
* Chicago Med Season Ten Premiere (NBC)
* Chicago PD Season Twelve Premiere (NBC)
* Court Cam Season Premiere (A&E)
* Everybody Still Hates Chris Series Premiere (Comedy Central)
* Grotesquerie Series Premiere (FX) 
* Jailbreak: Love On The Run (Netflix)
* Mama Cake Series Premiere (Hulu)
* Midnight Family Series Premiere (Hulu)
* Mr. McMahon (Netflix)
* The Floor Season Two Premiere (Fox)
* The Judge From Hell Series Premiere (Hulu)
* The Masked Singer Season Twelve Premiere (Fox)
* Women In Blue Season Finale (Apple TV+)

SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY!