Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, August 26th, 2025:
IF TV WON'T MAKE 'ROOTS' IN 2025, IT'S PARTIALLY YOUR FAULT, SAYS THIS STREAMING EXECUTIVE
I asked last week if Roots would be made by a TV network or streamer and the piece sparked a lot of comments and feedback. And one of the most passionate emails came from someone who asks to be described as "a development executive at a major streamer." We have gone back-and-forth quite a bit in recent days and they agreed to talk publicly, if I didn't disclose their identity or where they worked. It turned out to be a sprawling, often unexpected conversation and it has been only lightly edited for clarity.
Your initial email to me was pretty forceful and I'm curious about why the question of doing a modern-day Roots sparked such a strong response from you?
It felt like an indirect criticism of what I do. That the people who are developing TV in 2025 are somehow more gutless or less willing to take on potentially controversial material than executives were back in the 1970s. And I don't believe that is the case.
You really don't think believe executives are being more careful right now about the types of projects they green light? That is certainly not the perception many people on the creative side of the business have right now.
Oh, it might be more conservative. But that's not a reflection of any of our personal beliefs. It is primarily a reflection of the business right now. If audiences supported more adventurous material, someone would figure out a way to get it done. When Roots was announced, there were some TV stations that balked at airing it. But the mini-series was massive. I think it might be one of the most-watched shows in television history. It's amazing how that level of success can turn even the biggest racist into someone saying "we've got to get us some more Roots."
I remember you wrote about Clean Slate when it premiered on Amazon (Prime Video) and that was a chance for the audience to step up and support a major show with a trans actress lead. And it mostly disappeared without a trace. It wasn't a work of art, but it was worth watching. And none of the people cranking out Substack think pieces about supporting trans rights bothered to mention the show. Which would have helped that show succeed and maybe even encouraged some like-minded other series.
People's money matters. Remember when Bob Iger returned to Disney and one of the first things he did was back off the company's stance towards Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law? He has continued to say he doesn't want the company doing anything that seems political and there have been a number of occasions when Disney removed mentions of same-sex relationships from shows and movies or pushed writers to make less-diverse choices.
And yet, none of that has stopped most LGBTQ fans from spending thousands of dollars on trips to Disney World. It's amazing how many people seem to care both about LGBTQ rights, but don't want to miss out on a trip to someplace they love.
That seems like a pretty harsh assessment and maybe more than a little unfair....
Maybe. But why should people like myself have to be the gatekeepers of diversity? You see a few actors and producers speaking out against what is going on in the country right now. But very, very few. So I suppose I'm a bit angry that the same people complaining that I should be more brave with decisions that would affect my job aren't willing to face a little heat when it comes to their careers.
But developing projects is your job and you have a substantial say in what does or doesn't get made. As well as how diverse it might be on its way to the screen.
I understand that and I am not attempting to make excuses for any decision I or any of my colleagues might make. I am just arguing that it is more complicated than just saying "Oh, they're scared or somehow embracing racism."
Getting back to Roots, it does feel as if the audiences have changed in some fundamental way in recent years. When Roots aired, white audiences could watch the story and see it as almost a historical document in a way. Now they would look at that story and assume every creative decision was part of some political document. "Oh, sure slavery is bad. But weren't there plenty of whites who opposed it? Why didn't we see any white slave owners who treated their slaves well?"
I was going to suggest you were exaggerating things, but thinking about it a bit, I'm not sure that you are.
I am probably making this more complicated than it needs to be. I suppose I wanted to talk about this because it's not just an issue of "Oh, we need to have more diverse characters." That's not the answer. I also wanted to stress that when all is said and done, the audience has more power than they seem willing to acknowledge. Money drives this business and the way decisions are made. If audiences aren't willing to fogoe things they love to make an economic point, then things are never going to change.
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THIS IS THE WORLD WE ARE LIVING IN RIGHT NOW
As you may have heard, YouTube and Fox are in the middle of a carriage disagreement, which may lead to the various Fox-owned channels disappearing from YouTube TV for a bit.
FCC head Brendan Carr weighed in this afternoon on the disagreement via his X account and let's just say he didn't exactly stay neutral:
And several hours later, YouTube weighed in with its own response:
WHY USING AI IS A LOT LIKE APPEARING ON 'AMERICAN IDOL'
This piece by Janina Matthewson does a nice job of capturing the mindset of people who use AI to create art. And one of the ways she explains it is through the lens of being a contestant on American Idol:
The early rounds of the show were obviously awful, exploitative shit, but there was a repeated refrain among the people who would go on to crash and burn in the audition. They were there because they just felt they were supposed to be a star.
I don't want to dunk on people who were humiliated on international television, but what's interesting to me is how many people believed they could rock up and become, not just a professional singer, but a famous one when they've clearly never put in any work towards being able to sing. They haven't sung enough to know they're bad at it, which raises the question of whether they actually even like to sing.
I'm not saying there aren't people who sing a lot and are still not great at it – it's me, I'm the problem it's me – but if you sing a lot and you're not great at it you learn that you are not great at it and you work at it to improve.
A big part of why there are so many defenders of using AI to make art is that there are a lot of people who want be a popstar but who have no interest in being a singer (which famously involves working late). There are a lot of people who want to adopt the identity of being an artist but who have no interest in the work of making art. A lot of people don't realise that it is work, that the work is the point, and they don't believe you when you tell them.
TWEET OF THE DAY
WILL SMITH'S CONCERT CROWDS ARE REAL, BUT AI IS BLURRING THE LINES
Will Smith is being accused of generating fake fans with AI, but it's complicated: the crowds are real, but the videos were manipulated by Smith's team and YouTube itself:
For the last two months, it turns out that YouTube was quietly experimenting with post-processing YouTube Shorts videos: unblurring and denoising videos with often-unpleasant results.
That explains why the entire YouTube Shorts video has that smeary look to it that isn’t present throughout the copy posted on Instagram, but both versions have those terrible audience shots with AI artifacts and garbled signage.
After looking at it, I believe that Will Smith’s team was using a generative video model — but not to create entirely new audience footage, like most people suspect.
Instead, they started with photos shot by their official tour photographers, and used those photos in Runway, Veo 3, or a similar image-to-video model to create a short animated clip suitable for a concert montage.
These are the type of issues that are going to be more common in the future and it's another reason why studios and networks can't just post video on YouTube without having some sort of ongoing quality control in place.
ODDS AND SODS
* Season three of Billy The Kid premieres Sunday, September 28th on MGM+. Here is a first look at the trailer. And here is the official logline: "Billy The Kid resumes following the end of the Lincoln County War, as both Billy the Kid and Sheriff Pat Garrett have important issues to resolve — there is a reckoning to come. Billy is still at large, and Garrett is out to capture him, dead or alive. And with a bounty on his head, Billy has the opportunity to quit New Mexico altogether and pursue a future with Dulcinea, the love of his life. But he has unfinished business with Garrett, who has betrayed him, and decides to stay. Meanwhile Jesse Evans, Billy’s longtime friend, rival, and enemy, also remains in Lincoln, searching for a newfound purpose and perhaps atonement for his sins. As the saga comes to a close, Billy will fight like hell to try to finally find the justice that has long eluded him, even if it means he’ll die trying."
* The Lowdown premieres Tuesday, September 23rd on FX. Here is a first look at the trailer and here is the official logline: "Sterlin Harjo’s follow up to his award-winning comedy Reservation Dogs, The Lowdown stars Executive Producer Ethan Hawke as “Lee Raybon,” a scrappy self-proclaimed “truthstorian” in a cowboy hat who drops some poetry, gets beat up frequently, and outsmarts a lot of no-good bad guys in this gritty, funny, Tulsa noir. The show also features a stellar supporting cast that includes Keith David, Kyle MacLachlan, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kaniehtiio Horn, Michael “Killer Mike” Render, Tim Blake Nelson and Tracy Letts, among many more."
* The comedy series I Love LA, from creator and star Rachel Sennott (Bottoms, Shiva Baby), will premiere Sunday, November 2nd on HBO. What is it about? Well, the sparse official logline won't be much help with that question: "An ambitious friend group navigates life and love in LA."
* Netflix has renewed the Trainwreck documentary series for a second season.
* Hulu has renewed Deli Boys for a second season.
WHAT'S COMING TOMORROW
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27TH:
* Court Cam Season Premiere (A&E)
* Fantasy Football Ruined Our Lives (Netflix)
* Katrina: Come Hell and High Water (Netflix)
* Planet Single: Greek Adventure (Netflix)
* Shipwreck Hunters Australia (Disney+)
* The Terminal List: Dark Wolf Series Premiere (Prime Video)
THURSDAY, AUGUST 28TH:
* Barbie Mysteries (Netflix)
* Family Lockup Series Premiere (A&E)
* Imported (Hulu)
* Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story (AMC+)
* Millionaire (Netflix)
* My Life With the Walter Boys Season Premiere (Netflix)
* The Thursday Murder Club (Netflix)
* Trust Her If You Dare (LMN)
SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT!