Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, March 20th, 2025:
I'M NOT SURE I'M IN THE MOOD FOR DYSTOPIAN APOCALYPSE
The new trailer for season two of The Walking Dead: Dead City came out today and while I am not supposed to say this out loud, I just have no interest right now in seeing it. I thought season one was fine, although I find myself getting tired of what is essentially the same show with a couple of little tweaks being repeated throughout The Walking Dead universe.
But watching the trailer, I realized that for me personally, I'm not sure I'm in the mood to watch a show that is built around a dark, dystopian view of humanity. That doesn't mean I wouldn't watch a series that features that point of view. But for me right now, I emotionally need something more than "when the world goes sideways, we're all going to turn into murderous dicks."
Television can enlighten and educate and open our minds to all sorts of wonderful things. But as 2025 plays out, I find myself more drawn to TV's ability to entertain and soothe my troubled soul. I know that's probably not the attitude a TV critic should have in general. But I do think it's a very human reaction.
THE FOOD NETWORK'S INCREDIBLE SHRINKING CONTENT SPEND
If streaming and linear television have one thing in common, it's that the primary differentiation between success and stagnation is a steady stream of new stuff. Sure, a buzzy show can help a bit. But the collapse of every linear network or struggling streamer began the moment some executive decided "we can cut back on our content spend, our viewers won't notice."
That's why I was fascinated when I recently read that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav talked about his company's linear networks and how he could continue to cut costs in order to maintain a steady revenue stream with those declining assets. He argued if the company was producing 500 hours of new programming a year, they would do just as well if they were producing 400. Or maybe even 300.
The problem is that no matter how strong the brand, viewers aren't complete idiots. They begin to notice when less money is being spent. Not just on the programming itself, but on everything else that surrounds the programming.
Let's take a look at the Food Network. Today that network's PR folks sent out an email detailing the lineup of new programming coming to the network in April 2025:
primetime: 31 new episodes
daytime: 13 new episodes
Let's compare that to the numbers that premiered on the network in April 2021:
primetime: 57 new episodes
daytime: 17 new episodes
And even worse for viewers, the bulk of the April 2025 lineup relies on familiar programs: new episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped, Diners, Drive-ins & Dives, Spring Baking Championship, Guy's Grocery Games, etc. The only newer primetime shows are the rookie series House Of Knives (which premiered in March) and the second season of Last Chef Standing. And on a side note, of the 31 new primetime episodes in April, Guy Fieri is hosting 12 of them.
But the fine folks at the Food Network aren't just cutting back on original TV programming. There seem to be a lot of cutbacks happening behind-the-scenes, on things which a healthy network wouldn't ignore.
As an example, my wife and I were catching up on this season's Tournament Of Champions. One new feature for this season involves a new segment in which Simon Majumdar interviews the judges for the episode, who provide some explanation of their vote. In previous season, Majumdar had appeared as one of the show's two "correspondents," who provided commentary and an explanation of the completed dishes to the judges. But a few months ago, he revealed he had been battling a rare form of brain cancer for the past two years, and given that he is doing the new segments sitting in a lawn chair, I suspect they are really there just to provide him a safe role on the show.
But the segments are obviously much longer than the 60 seconds or so that appear in the episode. So I wondered if the longer version was available somewhere. It certainly felt like low-hanging fruit and an easy way to create a bit more buzz.
First I checked the Food Network YouTube channel, which primarily includes short recipe videos and a few random full episodes of Food Network shows. No Simon Mujumdar videos, although there was this random "Most Controversial Food Opinions" video from two weeks ago. Which was shot on the set of the show, although it doesn't actually have anything to do with what is going on in the show. In fact, there are a few Tournament Of Champion videos that have a theme such as "Culinary Myths" or "Food Hot Takes." But they are all essentially clip videos and all of the footage was likely shot in one afternoon and then just chopped up. Aside from the fact they were shot on the set of Tournament Of Champions, none of the videos had anything directly to do with the new season.
So I decided to check out the FoodNetwork.com video page for the show. Which doesn't have any video at all from the current season - season six. 
And things aren't any more promising on The Food Network's TikTok page, where the most recent Tournament Of Champions video dates back to 2022.
I think it's pretty clear the Food Network has cut back on its social media efforts for the show, which is strange considering the series is one of the most-watched programs on the network.
Why does this matter? Because this is one of those cutbacks that illustrates how these budgeting decisions have real world consequences. Some executive decides no one will notice if the network posts fewer videos. But given that social media is a growing part of any modern promotional effort and it's combined with a decline in original programming....well, that doesn't bode well for the future of the network.
THE TV CRITIC ASSOCIATION'S MOST ANTICIPATED TV SHOWS
Members of the TCA recently voted to name their most anticipated series of 2025 — here are the results, in no particular order:
The Last of Us (HBO)
Alien: Earth (FX)
Andor Season 2 (Disney+)
Daredevil: Born Again (Disney+)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light (PBS)
The Bear Season 4 (FX)
The Studio (Apple TV+)
Your Friends & Neighbors (Apple TV+)
TWEET OF THE DAY
'ULTRAMAN' IS COMING TO FAST TV PLATFORMS
OTT and CTV ad-supported company Future Today announced a partnership with Mill Creek Entertainment today that will bring Ultraman to some FAST TV platforms.
Under the terms of the deal, 19 Ultraman movies and 8 specials will become part of Future Today's content library. The programs will be available for free on Future Today's HappyKids FAST app, which is available on most streaming devices. There will also be an Ultraman FAST channel available on the Roku Channel and Amazon app stores.
ODDS AND SODS
* I tweaked my story in last night's newsletter about border entry and Hollywood into a stand-alone piece, which is receiving a lot of traction today. I should also have a follow-up piece tomorrow.
* A new study just released by the UCLA Center For Scholars & Storytellers shows the impact of the PBS Kids series Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on their personal and emotional development.
* Season two of the competitive cooking series America's Test Kitchen: The Next Generation will premiere Tuesday, April 1st on Prime Video.
* The eight-episode limited series The Four Seasons will premiere Thursday, May 1st on Netflix. Here is the official logline: "Six old friends head for a relaxing weekend away only to learn that one couple in the group is about to split up. The three couples, Kate (Tina Fey) and Jack (Will Forte), Nick (Steve Carell) and Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver), and Danny (Colman Domingo) and Claude (Marco Calvani), are completely upended by the news. Over the course of a year, we follow the friends on four vacations, and watch how this shake-up affects everyone’s dynamic — sending old issues and new bubbling to the surface."
* Former 7th Heaven actor Stephen Collins is the subject of the first episode of the new Investigation Discovery series Hollywood Demon, which premieres Monday, March 24th. Here is a first look at the trailer for that series.
* Season four of Harry Wild will premiere Monday, May 5th on Acorn TV.
* Walt Disney Company shareholders voted today 99-1 percent to reject an anti-LGBTQ+ proposal, requesting that the company sever its relationship with the Human Rights Campaign and HRC's Corporate Equality Index. Disney Board recommended shareholders vote against the proposal.
* A MAGA influencer known for posting sensationalized videos of homeless people in San Francisco and appearing on Fox News such as Jesse Watters Primetime was indicted Tuesday on federal charges of producing child sex abuse material.
* Sherri Shepard's daytime talker Sherri has been renewed for a third season.
* The eighth and final season of Big Mouth will premiere Friday, May 23rd on Netflix.
* Season seven of The Chi will premiere on Paramount+ on May 16th and on Showtime on May 18th.
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
THURSDAY, MARCH 20TH:
Accused: Guilty Or Innocent? Season Premiere (A&E)
Bet Your Life Series Premiere (Netflix)
Darwin (ALLBLK)
Farmer Wants A Wife Season Premiere (Fox)
Happy Face Series Premiere (Paramount+)
Home Is Where The Heart Is Series Premiere (Hallmark+)
Last One Laughing UK Series Premiere (Prime Video)
Ludwig Series Premiere (Britbox)
O'Dessa (Hulu)
The Residence Series Premiere (Netflix)
Tyler Perry's Duplicity (Prime Video)
Wolf King Series Premiere (Netflix)
FRIDAY, MARCH 21ST:
Animals, They're Just Like Us! Series Premiere (NatGeo Wild)
BE@RBRICK Series Premiere (Apple TV+)
Go! (Netflix)
Life After Lockup Season Premiere (We TV)
Little Serbia (Netflix)
Mystery League Series Premiere (PBS Kids)
Revelations (Netflix)
Severance Season Two Finale (Apple TV+)
Trapped In Her Dorm Room (LMN)
Wolf King Series Premiere (Netflix)
SEE YOU ON FRIDAY!