Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, October 7th, 2025:
BARI WEISS INTRODUCES HERSELF TO CBS NEWS STAFF
In Tuesday's 9:00 am editorial call with CBS News staff, Bari Weiss introduced herself to staff by declaring that she wants to "win," which she defined as "restoring trust" to CBS. She expressed her hope that the CBS staff will learn more about The Free Press and use it as a resource. She ended her remarks by saying: "Let's do the fucking news."
To say that the call didn't reassure staffers is an understatement, based on what I have been hearing in the last few minutes. I have been speaking with various CBS News staffers over the past few days, trying to gauge their perspective on Weiss's hiring as editor-in-chief. And circling back with some of those same sources this morning, their concern over the hire has only grown after the call.
As you might imagine, opinions varied wildly depending on who I spoke with, but the overriding concern seems to center around two main issues: her lack of hard news experience and an uncertainty about why she was chosen for such an influential news role.
"Look, I'm open to all sorts of approaches," one longtime employee with several decades of experience explained to me yesterday. "But I am struggling to understand what she brings to CBS News, other than her experience being a troll of mainstream media. I'm willing to learn. I just don’t know what she has to offer at this point. Other than her total contempt for what we do."
Another staffer worried that current employees didn't understand the amount of disruption her hiring means for the organization. "I was in a meeting last week when someone said, 'Oh, I'm sure she won't mess with a success like 60 Minutes.' And my response was, 'Of course she will. Making moves to rein in our biggest success and make it more to the liking of our new owner is why she's here. You don't hire Bari Weiss because you think she's going to make the company more money. You hire her to break things you don't like.'"
That theme has been the overarching concern from people I have spoken with at CBS News. The hiring of Weiss (and the purchase of her The Free Press) is seen as an effort by Skydance owner David Ellison to send a message. But the message he is sending seems to be different depending on who you speak to.
One indication of where this is headed comes from the NY Post this morning, which reports thatWeiss has hired Adam Rubenstein as the new deputy editor at CBS News. He will also hold a similar position at The Free Press. Rubenstein has been a close ally since they worked together at the New York Times and made news last year when he wrote a piece for The Atlantic explaining how he was once ostracized at the newspaper for liking Chick-fil-A.
Another concern from some staffers I spoke with was Weiss's well-known support of Israel. "She isn't just a supporter of the current Israeli government," one staffer told me. "She has gone after people she argues are even mildly supportive of Palestinians or residents of Gaza. It's scary to think how those opinions might play out across our platforms."
It's notable that nearly everyone I have spoken to at CBS News has admitted the organization needs a revamp and that it still struggles to remain relevant with viewers. But at the same time, I didn't speak with anyone who thought Weiss was the answer. "It's a bit like deciding your bedroom needs a makeover, and instead of giving it a new paint job, you hire someone to come in and randomly whack it with a sledgehammer. And then when they're done, they'll complain that the room can't be saved."
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WHAT CAN REPLACE THE BET HIP HOP AWARDS?
BET has suspended its annual Hip Hop Awards this year. NPR's Rodney Carmichael, who attended the first Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta in 2006, wonders what that means for the genre’s spirit of resistance in an era where institutions are winding down DEI efforts left and right:
The lasting strength of an award show isn't found in its overnight ratings. It's in the power it has to shape cultural memory long after it airs. A TV award show is just another popularity contest defined by a narrow slice of the zeitgeist. But what it becomes in the aftermath is a public archive that can shape, and even warp, our cultural memory. There's power in that, the power to own the narrative. The power to write, and in some cases rewrite, history. We're witnessing, in real time, the extreme lengths those in power will go to wrest away control of the historical narrative. The Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, have come under attack for focusing too much on "how bad slavery was," according to President Trump. The Kennedy Center's programming and board got taken over for programming "woke culture."
The "suspension" of the BET Hip Hop Awards was the result of a number of factors, including Paramount's overall belt-tightening. But it's hard to imagine the new owners will put much of a priority in something that doesn't fit easily into the new "we're going to show all sides of an issue" regime currently in editorial control.
ODDS AND SODS
* Netflix has ordered an unscripted competition series based on the board game Clue. Here is the official logline: "Contestants will face physical and mental challenges to collect clues before stepping into a real-life game of deduction and deception. To win, they’ll have to outwit opponents and identify the who, where, and with what of the crime. Guess right and add money to the prize pot; guess wrong and you may be eliminated. With familiar suspects like Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlett, and Professor Plum, viewers can expect suspense, surprises, and plenty of red herrings."
* The holiday series Gingerbread Land: The Biggest Little Holiday Competition will premiere Monday, November 17th on Magnolia Network. Here is the official logline: "In the new series, contestants transform flour, sugar, and candy into intricate works of art, competing in playful rounds that test design, structure, and creativity. Each week, new challenges bring twists and surprises, while Oliver Hudson guides the fun with warmth and humor, inviting viewers into a magical holiday world, where imagination has no limits. Judges for the series include, acclaimed pastry chef, Gale Gand, architect and professor, Michael Ford along with episodic guests, celebrity stylist Brad Goreski, chef Christina Tosi, actress D’arcy Carden and for the finale, Joanna Gaines."
* The animated film The Twits premieres Friday, October 17th on Netflix. Here is a first video look at the film. And here is a photo gallery of images. Here is the official logline: "Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, Phil Johnston, reimagines Roald Dahl's iconic characters, Jim and Credenza Twit, in their first feature animated adventure. The Twits tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Twit, the meanest, smelliest, nastiest people in the world who also happen to own and operate the most disgusting, most dangerous, most idiotic amusement park in the world, Twitlandia. But when the Twits rise to power in their town, two brave children and a family of magical Muggle-Wumps, are forced to become as tricky as the Twits in order to save the city. A hysterically funny, wild ride of a film (chock-full of the Twits’ beloved tricks – from the Wormy Spaghetti to the Dreaded Shrinks), The Twits is also a story for our times, about the never-ending battle between cruelty and empathy. "
* Downey Wrote That, a documentary about legendary Saturday Night Live writer Jim Downey, premieres Friday, October 17th on Peacock.
* Dr. Phil's Envoy TV has signed a carriage agreement with Charter, which is the number one cable operator in the U.S. The agreement will put the network on Spectrum TV Select video packages starting in October.
* The film Sidelined 2: Intercepted premieres Thanksgiving Day on Tubi. According to the streamer, the film "will focus on freshman star quarterback Drayton (Noah Beck) as he struggles with the weight of expectations after a devastating setback, while dancer Dallas (Siena Agudong) begins to question the future she thought she wanted. As their high school relationship begins to unravel under the pressures of distance and self-discovery, they’ll learn that the bravest versions of themselves emerge when they let life redirect them."
WHAT'S COMING TOMORROW
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7TH:
* Alex Vs. America Season Premiere (Food)
* Baylen Out Loud Season Premiere (TLC)
* Campfire Cooking In Another World With My Absurd Skill (Crunchyroll)
* Chitose Is In The Ramune Bottle Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Donkerbos Series Premiere (MHZ Choice)
* La Isla: Desafío Extremo Season Two Premiere (Telemundo)
* Matt McCusker: A Humble Offering (Netflix)
* One Day In October (HBO)
* Ozzy: No Escape From Now (Paramount+)
* Red Alert Series Premiere (Paramount+)
* The Boulet Brothers' Dragula: Titans Season Premiere (Shudder)
* The Young & The Restless Season Fifty-Three Premiere (CBS)
* True Haunting Series Premiere (Netflix)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8TH:
* Caramelo (Netflix)
* Fugitives Caught On Tape Season Premiere (A&E)
* Is It Cake?.....Halloween (Netflix)
* Maintenance Required (Prime Video)
* Nero The Assassin (Netflix)
* Nova: Human: Into The Americas (PBS)
* Stay (Hulu)
* The Dark History Of The Reincarnated Villainess Series Premiere (Crunchyoll)
* The Lost Station Girls (Hulu)
SEE YOU EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING!