Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, March 28th, 2025:
HOLLYWOOD CAN'T SIT OUT THE CULTURE WARS
I wrote a piece two years ago when Disney was tangling with the state of Florida over its comments about the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law in which I argued that Disney and other media companies can't sit out the upcoming culture wars. That conservatives were going to keep pushing for concessions, no matter how much ground the industry is willing to give hoping to keep the peace:
It's the "stay quiet or I'll shoot this dog" approach to politics. Conservatives in Florida were acting not out of real outrage or even practical political machinations - the bill was already law before Gov. DeSantis pushed the state legislature to revoke Disney's special tax district. And there certainly wasn't any factual reason to begin referring to Disney World employees as "groomers" or pedophiles. This is all about fear. It's about making the price of supporting diversity so high that corporations will be scared off from doing anything but the occasional Black History month campaign.
The problem with cowering to this mob is that recent American history has shown us that winning a battle isn't enough. Like hostage-takers everywhere, the cultural purists of the conservative movement see this as a literal do-or-die cultural war. And once you win one battle, you don't celebrate. You move on to your next target.
I was remined of that piece today when I saw the news that Disney is reportedly being threatened by the head of the FCC over DEI and diversity issues:
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said today that he sent a letter to Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger announcing that the agency had opened an investigation into whether Disney and ABC “have not been violating FCC equal employment opportunity regulations by promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination.”
“While I have seen reports that Disney recently walked back some of its DEI programs, significant concerns remain,” Carr said.
This story might sound familiar if you have been reading this newsletter for awhile, since I reported back in February that Disney had received an inquiry from the FCC about their diversity and DEI programs. That letter was not a formal notice the commission had launched an investigation, but it was clear two months ago that was likely on the way:
While Disney had been working on changes to the employee guidelines internally for months, sources at the company tell me the timing was prompted by an inquiry from the FCC about Disney's DEI and diversity initiatives. The belief within the executive ranks was that making the changes and making sure it was seen by Trump Administration officials (in this case, by leaking it to Axios) would put off any formal investigation similar to the one just launched against Comcast.
As I have written many times, if there is one lesson media companies need to learn, is that you can't dodge this battle by giving in by bending the knee and hoping for the best. This approach has yet to work with any media company, law firm or university that has given it a try. What will Disney do when it's suggested that they allow the Trump Administration to install a person at the studio who is responsible for tracking casting, scripts and more to ensure there isn't any DEI or diversity being snuck into productions? That is the approach that is being taken at places such as Columbia University and it seems like a logical next move in this culture wars escalation.
AND AT THE KENNEDY CENTER TONIGHT...
The newsletter The Handbasket is reporting that there was an unexpected act of protest tonight at the Kennedy Center:
Tonight at the Kennedy Center, legendary alternative rock band Guster took the stage to perform with the National Symphony Orchestra. But the audience got an extra surprise when the band brought on part of the cast of Finn—a children’s musical whose run at the center was recently canceled because of the new presidential administration’s vicious crackdown on the arts—to help them perform their song Hard Times.
This is the statement that was read by Guster’s Ryan Miller as he introduced members of the cast:
"I have a friend named Michael who wrote the songs for a musical called Finn. In the before times they were booked to play here at the Kennedy Center. But as all of you know, things happened, and the show is no longer presenting here. As the new administration has made abundantly clear, Finn’s themes of inclusivity, love, and self-acceptance aren’t going to be welcome in this building while they are in control.
So tonight our band is here to say our stage is your stage. We are your allies, we stand with the LGBTQ community, and we want you to sing with us. Please welcome the cast of Finn and composer Michael Kooman.
They belong here."
REELZ LAUNCHES ITS OWN STREAMING PLATFORM
While I don't watch much of its programming, I've admired the ability of Reelz to stay in business in a difficult business environment. The network is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting and as a result, the channel has always struggled to negotiate favorable carriage deals. It started out as a cut-rate knock-off of E! and over the years has worked its way through low-cost licensed scripted titles, true crime documentaries, rock music specials and its current incarnation, its the home of Cops and On Patrol: Live, a series so similar to Live PD that it was sued by A&E.
The biggest challenge facing Reelz right now is the collapse of the cable bundle. When demand drops and cost-cutting takes place, the less-important channels find themselves being dropped or shunted off into some little-watched bonus programming package. As a result, the Reelz share of pay television households in the United States, has dropped from 68 million in 2015 to 35 million last year.
So Reelz has been attempting to find its way in the streaming world. Last year, Reelz signed a deal with Peacock in which that streaming service would carry a live linear feed of Reelz, as well as a collection of on-demand programs for the Peacock library.
And now Reelz has launched its own stand-alone streaming app, called Reelz+. It includes "the live linear network with full on demand access to REELZ programming, including all episodes of hit series On Patrol: Live and its lead-in On Patrol: First Shift."
Reelz+ costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 annually. Although "viewers who already get Reelz as part of a cable or satellite subscription they can now get REELZ+ at no additional charge through an industry standard authentication process."
So Reelz has launched an SVOD TV Everywhere app?
TWEET OF THE DAY
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND THIS WEEKEND
FRIDAY, MARCH 28TH:
Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip (Disney+)
Fight For Glory: 2024 World Series (Apple TV+)
Mid Century Modern Series Premiere (Hulu)
Number One On The Call Sheet (Apple TV+)
The Lady's Companion Series Premiere (Netflix)
The Life List (Netflix)
The Rule Of Jenny Pen (Shudder)
SATURDAY, MARCH 29TH:
Hearts Around The Table: Shari's Second Act (Hallmark)
The Stalker Of The Bride (Investigation Discovery)
Wife Stalker (Lifetime)
Wildlife Rehab Series Premiere (NatGeo Wild)
SUNDAY, MARCH 30TH:
Call The Midwife (PBS)
Fit For Murder (Lifetime)
MobLand Series Premiere (Paramount+)
The Body In The Toolbox (Investigation Discovery)
The Last Anniversary (Sundance Now)
The Simpsons (Fox)
The Unaware Atelier Meister Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
MONDAY, MARCH 31ST:
An Oprah Winfrey Special: The Menopause Revolution (ABC)
Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer (Netflix)
In Dispute: Lively v Baldoni (Investigation Discovery)
Promised Hearts (Netflix)
Rhythm + Flow Italy Season Premiere (Netflix)
Sword Of The Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentosho Series Premiere (Hidive)
Truelove (Acorn TV)
SEE YOU ON MONDAY!