Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, April 1st, 2025:
THE BEST SHOW YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT WATCHING
Season three of the Netflix series Love On The Spectrum premieres Wednesday on Netflix and if you haven't watched the previous seasons of the series you can jump right in. But I'd recommend bingeing it from the beginning in order to watch a show that will pull your heart in every direction imaginable.
The series follows a group of men and women on the Autism Spectrum struggling to date, navigate love and learn how to work through their challenges and find the personal lives they deserve. Like any other relationship experience, it doesn't always work out and sometimes watching that failure play out is just heartbreaking. But the show is also a reminder of the strength of the Autism community and how it's possible for anyone to find love - the process can just be a bit more complicated for some people.
I have a teenage son with Autism, ADHD and anxiety issues. He has such a big heart and is capable of being such a strong partner to the right person. But watching him navigate just the possibility of dating is sometimes more than my soul can take. In those times when it seems like an impossible task, watching a show like Love On The Spectrum is a reminder that there is someone out there for everyone.
The gentleness and optimism of the show is one reason I responded so strongly to comedian Shane Gillis describing someone who appeared on Love On The Spectrum as a "retard." It's not funny, it's not "anti-woke." It's just soulless cynicism, no different than kicking a dog and then laughing when it whelps.
Watch the show. It's just what you need in the middle of all of this chaos.
IN THE MOST PREDICTABLE CONSEQUENCE FROM BEING PAT McAFEE
The Pat McAfee Show is one of ESPN's rating jewels. In theory, the TV talker is supposed to focus on the sports world and much of the time, that is what is discussed on the daily show. But there is also a fair amount of smug, borderline offensive talk and Pat McAfee have danced around his sometimes controversial statements by claiming "oh, I was just joking," or using weasel phrases such as "allegedly" or "people are saying online." Because lot of lot of people who say these things, McAfee often doesn't have the stones to stand by his jokes and commentaries.
But words do have consequences and those consequences are laid out in horrifying detail in this piece in The Athletic:
He teases the subject, asking Schefter: “Have you heard about Ole Miss?” One of his cohorts says, “There is a ménage à trois …” that, McAfee adds, “has really captivated the internet.” After some more buildup, McAfee dives in.
“Some Ole Miss frat bro, k? Had a K-D (Kappa Delta) girlfriend,” McAfee says, and then he stresses the word “allegedly.”
“At this exact moment, this is what is being reported by … everybody on the internet: Dad had sex with son’s girlfriend.” Another person on set chimes in – “Not great” – and then McAfee adds: “And then it was made public … that’s the absolute worst-case situation.”
Schefter, looking befuddled and uncomfortable in the chair closest to McAfee, tries to redirect the conversation: “So where is (Ole Miss quarterback) Jaxson Dart in all this?”
McAfee never names the 18-year-old college freshman at the center of the rumor, but he jokes about shoehorning Ole Miss fathers into NFL Draft analysis — “We’re just wondering. His dad … We’re just trying to combine evaluate …” Then another person on set interjects: “Ole Miss dads are slinging meat right now.”
While McAfee didn't mention her by name, the rumor he referenced was about 18-year-old college freshman Mary Kate Cornett. According to the rumor, which first surfaced on the college-centric social media platform Yik Yak- Cornett supposedly slept both with her boyfriend and her boyfriend's father. Everyone involved the allegations, but once McAfee highlighted the story, it exploded across the sports world:
The following day, McAfee became the most influential sports personality to address the rumor when he shared it with his ESPN viewers. (His show also has 2.8 million subscribers on YouTube.) But he was not alone. Former NFL receiver Antonio Brown posted a meme about Cornett on X. Two Barstool personalities — KFC Barstool and Jack Mac — referenced the rumor on their personal social media accounts (the former posted a video that was later deleted, and Mac promoted a memecoin with Cornett’s name on X). ESPN radio hosts in St. Louis eagerly dissected the “saga” on their morning show, with Doug Vaughn, a longtime local sportscaster-turned-host, doing a dramatic reading of a purported Snapchat message that accompanied one of the original posts. The station then promoted the clip on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram as part of an “Infidelity Alley” segment.
The aggravating thing about this is that there's no reason for McAfee to even insert himself into the story. It only filled up a couple of minutes of airtime, and while it provided he and his crew the chance to make a few cheap jokes, he could have easily considered the impact it would have on Cornett and just not mention it.
And what is most infuriating is I have no doubt that if someone made the same comments about his daughter once she's 18, he would burn down the Earth to get his revenge:
Before he broadcast the rumor about Cornett to his masses, McAfee opened his Feb. 26 show talking about his young daughter, how he took her to Disney World (Disney is ESPN’s parent company) and how witnessing his daughter’s “pure joy” brought tears to his eyes.
“Am I a big, sappy softy now that I have a daughter?” he asked his stooges. “I think so.”
Hypocrite.
ODDS AND SODS
* I wrote earlier today about the unsettling and sometimes creepy fully AI-generated mini-series based on The Bible's Book Of Ruth.
* In a move that shouldn't be surprising, Steve Kornacki is leaving MSNBC for a new role at NBC News. MSNBC will be separating from Comcast and NBC later this year and this new NBC deal allows Kornacki to not only do election coverage, but also continue his appearances on NBC Sports.
* Chris Cillizza has called for the end to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, arguing that "our present media moment is uniquely unsuited to the Dinner and all it represents."
* Paramount+ has Dexter: Original Sin for a second season.
* The Walt Disney Studios has licensed ten 10 classic and contemporary films to the streaming service BroadwayHD. The titles include The King & I, Evita, Mary Poppins, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Hello, Dolly!
* Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett is accusing Simon & Schuster of stealing his book idea and giving it to another MAGA personality who works at Breitbart.
* Hulu has greenlit The Handmaid’s Tale sequel The Testaments, with Elisabeth Moss co-executive producing the series.
* Investigation Discovery has ordered a third season of The Playboy Murders, with Holly Madison returning as host of the true crime series.
TWEET OF THE DAY
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
TUESDAY, APRIL 1ST:
America's Test Kitchen: The Next Generation Season Premiere (Prime Video)
Catch Me At The Ballpark! Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Once Upon A Witch's Death Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
The Death Coast (History)
Would I Lie To You? (Britbox)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2ND:
Banger (Netflix)
Fix My Frankenhouse Season Two Premiere (HGTV)
Garnachas: Glorious Street Food! (Netflix)
Love On The Spectrum U.S. Season Three Premiere (Netflix)
Oklahoma City Bombing: One Day In America (NatGeo)
Please Put Them On, Takamine-san Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
The Beginning After The End Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside By My Fiancé and Sold To Another Kingdom Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY!