Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, February 4th, 2025:
MEA CULPA
As an independent journalist, all I really have at the end of the day is my reputation for accuracy and so I am extremely cognizant that I need to be 100 percent on the mark. But also take responsibility when I flub something.
In yesterday's piece about Leslie Goldberg joining The Ankler, I mentioned a salary number I had both heard and read a couple of places. And it seemed high, but since I had seen it more than once, I decided to mention it offhandedly, while writing that I didn't know if it was accurate. At the time, I went back-and-forth about whether I should even mention it. And I should have listened to my instincts, because I heard from several people who insisted that number was quite inflated.
So I should have been more discerning between what I know for sure and what I've been told or seen elsewhere. My apologies.
However, sometimes it's difficult to know what is ultimately the truth and all I can do is report what I've been told and let the reader decide.
I posted a piece earlier on Joe Shields exiting The Hollywood Reporter. I spoke to a number of people about the move and was told by multiple people at THR and Penske Media that it was not voluntary. Penske Media did confirm he had left, but didn't provide any additional info. And was unable to reach Shields before I posted the story.
I heard from him after the it was published and he insisted he left voluntarily and that THR's Events business was doing well. Which may indeed be true. But then it opens up the question of why the people I spoke with at the company had such a different take on the situation. I spoke with about a half dozen people this morning, as well as two outside ad buyers, and they all had such a different take. And I followed up with some of them after hearing from Joe and they insisted he was let go.
So I added his comments to the story and will leave it up to the News Gods to see how this ultimately shakes out. Sometimes when stories are being spun, that's the best you can do as a journalist.
FOX TO LAUNCH A STANDALONE APP
Fox announced earlier today that it plans to launch a standalone Fox app later this year that will include the various Fox Sports channels as well as Fox's linear cable networks. There are almost no details, so it's a bit of a fools game to really try and figure out if this is a good idea.
But as was the case with the failed Venu Sports app, Fox executives seem to be conflating the subscriber base they hope to have with the one they're likely to get. They repeatedly argued during the lead up to the Venu Sports app launching that the audience for it would be "primarily cord cutters and those without a current cable TV subscription." And that is the same sentiment Rupert Murdoch expressed during today's press conference.
The problem is that when Venu Sports commissioned a story to determine who the potential audience might be, the overwhelming percentage of people interested in the sports-centic app who those looking to get rid of their current pay cable subscription. And I suspect that will also be the case with this upcoming Fox app.
PBS HOPES TO PROVE ITS VALUE
Axios reported today on a new internal study commissioned by PBS which it hopes will help remind legislators of its worth and overall popularity with the public. Congressionally approved government funding amounts to roughly 15% of the overall PBS budget across PBS and hundreds of its local member television stations. And Republicans are once again arguing the funding should be cut for an organization some of them refer to as "partisan.":
The new internal poll, conducted in conjunction with YouGov, shows 65% of Trump voters think the public broadcaster is either underfunded or adequately funded, according to a copy of the poll obtained by Axios. 82% of voters, including 72% of Trump voters, said they valued PBS for its children's programming and educational tools.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Monday called on the CEOs of NPR and PBS to testify at a DOGE subcommittee hearing on what she described as "systemically biased content" from federally funded radio and TV organizations.
PBS has been pretty successful in the past when it comes to fighting off Congressional efforts to cut funding. But the current group of legislators include some who are determined to pursue cultural battles wars, no matter whether their arguments really make sense.
READER FEEDBACK
I received a lot of great feedback from my piece in yesterday's newsletter about the sometimes not-so-subtle efforts by TV executives to push back against what they see as too much diversity in their programs. I have a lot more to share in upcoming days, but this was a spectacularly horrifying example from a showrunner working on a streaming series:
"One of the recurring cast was wearing a Malcolm X t-shirt for part of an episode and an executive back on it. Can't we do something about it, I think it sets the wrong tone. Can't we at least have him say something that lets the audience know he's wearing it ironically?"
As always, if you have a story you'd like to share, email me confidentially at
ODDS AND SODS
* After serving as a mentor to contestants on American Idol last year, Jelly Roll is joining the show this season as an artist in residence. Whatever that means. Speaking of Jelly Roll, I highly recommend his appearance on The Roku Channel series (albeit four episode season) original series What Drives You With John Cena. Jelly Roll has quite a background and came off as thoughtful and quite interesting.
* HBO is releasing a new installment of Henry Hampton’s landmark 1987 series Eyes On The Prize titled Eyes On The Prize III: We Who Believe In Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015. It will premiere Tuesday, February 25th on HBO.
* I would never want to admit that just the name of a show is enough to convince me I probably won't like it. But if a title could do that, it would probably be the new series Denise Richards And Her Wild Things, which will premiere Tuesday, March 4th on Bravo.
* Hulu has canceled How To Die Alone after one season.
* Fox announced/reminded viewers today that season four of The Cleaning Lady and season three of Alert: Missing Persons Unit both premiere on Tuesday, March 25th. These are two shows that seem to have no real presence in the entertainment news press. They are both barely mentioned except for the season premieres. And yet they are both successful enough to continue on.
* The Food Network has ordered House Of Knives, a new series from the producers of Harry Potter: Wizards Of Baking. Although Deadline describing that show as a "franchise" after one season feels optimistic. The show will be hosted by Scott Conant and "will feature Culinary Council members Judy Joo and Marcus Samuelsson. The eight-part series sees a group of contenders who must use their cooking, strategy and survival skills to make it to the throne." Sigh. One thing we know for sure. Don't feed Conant raw onions.
* The Streamable is reporting that Hulu removed a number of seasons of several popular anime series on February 1st, including Digimon, Dragon Ball and One Piece.
* For Latenighter, Bill Carter writes about how the late night talk shows are responding to the Trump Presidency.
* Season two of Marie Antoinette will premiere Sunday, March 23rd on PBS.
* TLC has announced a heartfelt new series following a couple who also happen to share the same rare brittle bone disorder. Jay & Pamela premieres Tuesday, March 4th.
* While I have to admit that I would rather have my eyes plucked out by cocaine ducks than watch an episode of any television show starring former Flip or Flop stars and exes Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack, thankfully for HGTV, I am not representative of their audience. The network sent out a press release touting that their new show The Flip Off "delivered HGTV’s highest-rated freshman series premiere among Adults 25-54 since September 2022." The hilarious thing about this show is that was set up to be Tarek El Moussa and his new wife competing against his ex-wife Christina Haack and her new husband. But they broke up during production, which led to HGTV removing him from advertising for the show.
* Bill Owens, executive producer of 60 Minutes, has told his staff that they didn't do anything wrong and that he won't apologize as part of any settlement between Paramount and the Trump administration.
* Peter Kiefer is joining The Hollywood Reporter as that outlet's writer-at-large. He previously was a staff writer at The Ankler.
TWEET OF THE DAY
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH:
Burden Of Guilt (Paramount+)
Tree On A Hill (Pren ar y Bryn) (Britbox)
Wicked Game: Devil In The Desert (Hulu)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH, 2025:
Celebrity Bear Hunt Series (Netflix)
Envious (Netflix)
Kinda Pregnant (Netflix)
Life Interrupted: Isabella Strahan's Fight To Beat Cancer (ABC)
Love You To Death (A muerte) (Apple TV+)
Prison Cell 211 (Netflix)
Re:ZERO -Starting Life In Another World- (Crunchyroll)
Sintonia Season Premiere (Netflix)
Super Bowl Greatest Commercials: Funniest Of All-Time (CBS)
Wild Cards Season Two Premiere (The CW)
SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY!