Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, February 11th, 2025:
DISNEY MINI-CAVES ON DEI ISSUES
One of the most distressing things for me has been the willingness of media companies to walk, if not run, away from DEI and diversity initiatives. They're doing it before being pressured, apparently under the impression that if they show they're willing to give up without a fight, the Trump Administration is less likely to come after them.
Axios reported today that Disney is rolling back a number of its DEI and diversity initiatives, ranging from the way employees are evaluated to the disclaimers that run in front of some older, more problematic titles:
In a note to employees sent this morning, chief human resources officer Sonia Coleman outlined ways Disney's DEI efforts will change.
- Other Performance Factors. Beginning this fiscal year, Disney will replace the "Diversity & Inclusion" performance factor that it used to evaluate executive compensation with a new "Talent Strategy."
- New website and DEI rebranding. Disney is getting rid of its controversial Reimagine Tomorrow initiative and the corresponding website, which was used to highlight stories and talent from underrepresented communities.
Between the lines: While not announced as part of Coleman's note, sources confirmed to Axios that Disney is updating the language of the content advisories that run before certain titles on its streaming services and moving them to the details section of those titles.
- The entertainment giant is removing the auto-play content advisory disclaimers that run before some older titles on Disney+, like "Dumbo" and "Peter Pan," that warn viewers the film "includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of peoples or cultures."
- Instead, the shortened advisory in the details section will read, "This program is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions," two sources familiar with the changes confirmed to Axios.
No matter what you think of the decision, from a PR point of view it seems like a short-sighted decision. From what I can tell, there wasn't any external pressure to do this. Apparently Disney made the calculation that doing this now would lessen criticism later. Which I think is a very optimistic on the situation.
On Wall Street Disney CEO Bob Iger is seen as a strong and forceful advocate for the company. But when it comes to culture war issues, Iger seems to have decided that "family friendly" means caving to conservative complaints about diversity. I get it. Iger is concerned about threats to tie up upcoming affiliate deals and retransmission negotiations. But I suspect he'll look back and some point and regret that he folded so easily.
HOW THE 'SQUID GAME' DUBBING TEAM TRANSLATES TERROR
From the beginning of the streaming era, Netflix has been much more aggressive than its rivals when it comes to dubbing of non-English content. While many streamers will only offer a handful of dubbed language tracks, Netflix will often offer a dozen or more. That can lead to some unexpected challenges, such as finding someone capable of dubbing from Norwegian to Spanish.
Liz Shannon Miller has a fascinating piece in Consequence.net about the process of dubbing Squid Game into English. There are a lot of fun details:
During the translation process, there’s no clear rule about preserving the original meaning versus catering to the English-speaking audience. One issue that emerged regarding Squid Game was the games being played — some might be familiar to North American audiences, but others are more specific to Korea. Take the first game played in both Seasons 1 and 2, which English-speaking audiences know as Red Light, Green Light. “That is not the literal translation of that game in Korean, but it was agreed that that’s such a familiar game, that’s what we should call it in the English dub,” DeMita says. (If you’re curious, the game’s Korean name translates as “The Mugunghwa Flower Has Bloomed.”)
Additionally, while shows from some countries feature very American acting and storytelling styles, that’s not true globally. Chun remembers dubbing an emotional scene in Season 1, in which Seong Gi-hun is “utterly incredulous” over another character’s suggestion. “Lee Jung-jae’s shock manifested itself in very, very big choices — Korean acting can be a lot more theatrical, it’s just a stylistic difference,” he says.
Go read the entire piece.
THE DUMBEST PIECE OF JOURNALISM YOU'LL READ TODAY
I wrote in yesterday's newsletter about the PBS decision to shutter its DEI apartment. I spent a lot of time today talking to people at the network about the move and I hope to have an update in the next couple of days.
But while I wrote about the decision today, it was in connection with a piece about the move reported by the conservative news outlet The Daily Press. And predictably, I've already received a few random threats over it.
Honestly, I don't care. It needed to be said and I had fun whacking the outlet's reporting around like a pinata:
But does that make any sense? I don't have any inside information on the decision-making process at PBS. But it's hard to imagine that the two women were slated to stay at the network until the email arrived from The Daily Press. Then within hours, the division was closed and the two women were moving on.
Honestly, it's much more likely (by perhaps a 98/2 probability) that the decision was already in the works and the email from The Daily Press just happened to hit on the same day the decision was to be announced. This seems to be the best scenario, especially given the fact that as much as I appreciate PBS, it is not known as a nimble, fast decision-making organization. The odds this was all done in 3-4 hours seems...unlikely.
Also, I'm perplexed by the allegation that PBS wanted to "hide" Loving and Leow in a different department. It's not as if the two were running a pirated movie website and moving them would allow them to continue to break the law in a different setting. They were in charge of the PBS DEI efforts. And unless you're trying to make the argument that working in DEI is by its nature a firing offense, what difference does it make if the two women are moved to a different department?
Read the entire piece. It was fun to write.
TWEET OF THE DAY
ODDS AND SODS
* Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party is a special that aired once on MTV in February 1983. It was Cameron Crowe's first directing jobs and it hasn't had a wide release since it originally aired. It premieres on streaming Tuesday, March 11th on Paramount+. And given that streamer's habit of moving music documentary's on and back off the platform within months, I'd advise watching it as soon as can. If you're interested, here is a first look at the special.
* Reality Blurred's Andy Dehnart has a really fascinating interview with executive producer and showrunner of Extracted Rob Buchta. On a side note, how do I get in on the "do set visits for social media" job?
* Crunchyroll has announced that the season finale of Dragon Ball DAIMA will premiere Friday, February 28th on the streamer.
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH:
Felipe Esparza: Raging Fool (Netflix)
50,000 First Dates: A True Story Series Premiere (Prime Video)
Muslim Matchmaker Series Premiere (Hulu)
Pitino: Red Storm Rising (Vice)
Stags Series Premiere (Sony Pictures Core)
The Witcher: Sirens Of The Deep (Netflix)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH:
Benefits With Friends (Amor da Minha Vida) Series Premiere (Hulu)
Between Walls Series Premiere (Hulu)
Cooked (Hulu) - (first look video)
Death Before The Wedding (Netflix)
Eric Clapton Unplugged...Over 30 Years Later (Paramount+)
Harlem Ice (Disney+)
Honeymoon Crasher (Netflix)
Summer House Season Premiere (Bravo)
The Masked Singer Season Premiere (Fox)
The Simpsons: The Past & The Furious (Disney+)
SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY!