Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, October 29th, 2025:
IN THE END, EVERYONE IS JUST TRYING TO SPIN EVERYONE ELSE
If you have been a reporter for awhile, you should learn that nearly every source who agrees to talk to you on background is trying to spin you. Maybe they are attempting to make themselves sound more important than they are - although more often than not, they're trying to lessen their culpability in whatever disaster you are trying to uncover. But if you're a decent reporter, you learn that someone speaking with you on background is the beginning of the journalism, not the end game. If you talk to enough people, you can often figure out the truth. But if you're just talking to a couple of people, you're mostly just a gossip stenographer.
Which brings us to one of my least favorite genres of journalism - the CEO profile. They do tangentially deal with some of the more unpleasant aspects of their CEO journey. But these profiles are heavy on quotes from close associates and company investors, as well as sources described as being "familiar with the CEO's thinking." And spoiler alert, sometime they are familiar with the thinking because they are family members or perhaps even the CEO themselves. These profiles are designed to make the often very CEO sound down-to-earth accessible. Sure, he's worth a few billion dollars. But hey, he also likes fly fishing and the occasional artisanal low fat hot dog.
You may remember that in the weeks before and just after the merger that created Warner Bros. Discovery, new CEO David Zaslav was featured in several of these non-hit pieces. None of them featured quotes from Zas, but there were plenty of quotes from fellow CEOs and investors touting his business acumen and easy going style. He was often described as being "talent friendly," which I suppose was supposed to denote he liked talent so much he wouldn't try to screw them over. He also insisted that he would devote the resources to providing Warner Brothers with everything it needed for success.
He was fond of describing how he planned to have Warner Brothers produce fewer films, but better ones. As if that's a thing that is doable. No executive greenlights projects and thinks "Well, this one really blows. But, what the hell."
And while I don't have every passage in those profiles committed to memory, I don't recall any of the people "familiar with his thinking" say something along the lines of "David plans to make hundreds of millions of dollars while getting rid of people with the efficiency of John Wick avenging the death of his dog." And yet, here we are.
In the past few days, we begun to see similar profiles surfacing about Paramount Skydance head David Ellison. And these profiles are filled with an impressive amount of "David is just a regular entertainment industry-loving guy. He's totally not going to take Paramount and Warner Brothers and run them through the entertainment industry equivalent of a non-licensed strip mining operation in Venezuela.
As an example, let's take a look at "David Ellison Is Moving Fast and Spending Big to Remake Hollywood," which was just published in the Wall Street Journal. Now, given that the company just announced it was laying off another 1,000 people, cynics might suggest that "remake Hollywood" is a fancy synonym for "express moving formerly employed people to the unemployment line." But I digress.
This profile includes all the standard tropes of the genre, including highlighting his early love of the entertainment business:
Ellison got bit with the film bug as a teen, seeing movies with his mother and his younger sister Megan—also a movie producer—and going to the University of Southern California to study filmmaking.
Deciding he could learn more on a set than in a classroom, Ellison dropped out and began acting. He co-starred with James Franco in “Flyboys,” a 2006 movie about World War I pilots that was funded mostly by his father. After a second movie he was planning to act in fell apart, he pivoted to producing full-time.
With cash from his father and mentors including Steve Jobs and David Geffen, he launched Skydance Media in 2010.
See! He was just a guy with a dream! And hundreds of millions of dollars from his billionaire father (a fact the article doesn't mention), along with Steve Jobs & David Geffen. How many times have we heard this kind of riches-to-even-more riches story?
The profile goes on to highlight the parts of his current business Ellison believes are most important. Including why he appears determined to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery:
The deal got caught up in a lengthy regulatory review that, while frustrating, gave Ellison time to plan for his next acquisitions and start considering Warner Discovery so that he could build an entity that could truly compete with Netflix and have plenty of intellectual property to fuel a strong theatrical business, people familiar with his thinking said.
I hear this "building a company large enough to compete with Netflix" argument being cited frequently from sources in the Ellison camp and I can't decide if they have convinced themselves it's at least a bit true or they are just making the least-egotistically driven argument that can be made in these circumstances.
Competing with Netflix isn't a matter of size. Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery are not making widgets. The entertainment business is ephemeral enough of a product that you can't scale your way to higher margins. Yes, Netflix is big. But they got big by consistently delivering for customers and being laser focused on delivering an enjoyable viewing experience.
And even if none of that was true, combining Paramount+ and Warner Bros. Discovery would still leave the combined viewing of both platforms well behind Netflix. According to the latest data provided by Nielsen, the combined platform viewing of the two companies at 3.3%. Just ahead The Roku Channel's 2.8% and well behind Prime Video's 3.9%, Disney's 4.5% and Netflix's 8.3%. So while it's not exactly accurate, claiming you will be able to equally compete with Netflix is a better argument is better than proclaiming, "We plan on kicking Tubi's ass."
I also don't think much of Ellison's argument that the combined streamers will be a great deal for consumers or the entertainment industry. Depending on what tier of two streamers you currently subscribe to, they now cost around $18-$22 a month, although less with an annual plan. So a combined streaming service would have to charge at least that simply to break even with the revenue they generate today. And with all due respect to David Ellison, I suspect the universe of people willing to pay at least $20 a month for a basic ad-supported HBO Maxomount+ is a lot smaller than he realizes.
Ellison also seems to be convinced he can somehow slash another round or two of layoffs from the publicity, communications and marketing departments, which in previous cuts have already experienced a level of losses you usually only see in battle weary WWI trench warfare battalions. I continue to be amazed by the inability of this industry's executives to make a connection between cutbacks in those vital departments and the increasing challenges with content discovery.
I also continue to hear a lot of claims a merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery would be a positive for consumers. Which is rich (so to speak), given the underlying premise of the deal is to provide the combined company more leverage to increase costs to consumers and boost revenue from hapless fans of Star Trek & Harry Potter.
This merger would be terrible for consumers, bad for the overall industry, and even more importantly, won't do anything to solve the problems facing the two companies. On the upside, selling Warner Bros. Discovery will reportedly provide the CEO with up to a half billion dollars in bonuses and vested stock options.
I'm not sure that's what poets meant when they claimed "Hollywood is a magical experience."
ABC ANNOUNCES ITS MIDSEASON SCHEDULE
ABC announced its midseason schedule on Tuesday and there is a lot coming up. Especially for a broadcast TV network:
Sunday, January 4th:
7:00 pm America’s Funniest Home Videos (midseason return)
Tuesday, January 6th:
8 pm Will Trent Season 4
9 pm High Potential (midseason return)
10 pm The Rookie Season 8
Wednesday, January 7th:
8 pm Shifting Gears (midseason return)
8:30 pm Abbott Elementary (midseason return)
10 pm Shark Tank (midseason return)
Thursday, January 8th:
8 pm 9-1-1 (midseason return)
9 pm 9-1-1: Nashville (midseason return)
10 pm Grey's Anatomy (midseason return)
Friday, January 9th:
8 pm Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (midseason return)
9 pm 20/20 (midseason return)
Saturday, January 24th:
8 pm Inside the NBA (on select Saturdays)
8:30 pm Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks
Monday, January 26:
8 pm American Idol Season 24
Wednesday, February 25th:
8 pm Scrubs revival premiere
Friday, February 27th:
8 pm Celebrity Jeopardy! All Stars Season 4
Wednesday, March 4th:
8:30 pm Abbott Elementary
10 pm Shark Tank
Sunday, March 22nd:
8 pm The Bachelorette Season 22
LOOKING AT SOUTH KOREAN TV IN A NEW WAY
I love South Korean television and part of the reason is that there are so many cultural touchpoints that I just don't understand. All of which is why I found this piece from Hanh Nguyen in Salon incredibly fascinating. The piece is nominally about shows such as Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, but it's really about Korean palace cuisine and a reminder that back then, even the food had a political element:
Throughout the series, the palace tasks Chef Yeon with crafting dishes to convey various intangible themes – often with her own life or the country’s future on the line. When instructed to cook a meal “fit for a king,” Yeon turns to venison because deer had symbolized kings, and the tongue is seen as a rare delicacy only he has the privilege to enjoy. Therefore, the thought that goes into the care and feeding of monarchs reaches beyond mere culinary execution but also encompasses ingenuity, knowledge and a sense of diplomacy (not to mention flattery).
“That is just like how it happened in the actual Korean palace,” Park confirmed. “One king, King Yeongjo, actually made a dish called tangpyeong-chae. He made this dish as a cold salad that mixes ingredients of different colors, each color representing a political faction that the palace was divided into. So by serving this dish and announcing the policy of having a quota that his palace is going to hire from all the factions, he was announcing that he wants the palace to be run like that salad – that people from different factions are coming together to create one flavor. So it was not just a dish.”
Apparently, cooking traditional Korean palace cuisine is becoming a lost art, which is a tragedy:
“In Korea, there are government-certified craftsman cooks of Korea, and every single one of them have to know how to make Korean Palace cuisine,” said Park. “As I was learning, I felt baffled that I didn’t recognize the names of the dishes I was making, like neobiani or seopsanjeok, just like in ‘Tastefully Yours.’ That’s because Koreans who were born and raised in Korea actually don’t know about these, they don’t know the names, they don’t know what they taste like, they don’t know how to make them. And because I was baffled, I looked up why it is that we don’t know about it, and got to find out that Korean palace cuisine is dying as a cultural heritage.”
Despite Korean palace cuisine appearing on “Bon Appetit, Your Majesty” and other TV shows, these dishes don’t grace everyday dining tables. A certain level of secrecy and gatekeeping had surrounded these recipes over the centuries, which has led to the predicament the cuisine faces today.
READER FEEDBACK
Here is some of the recent feedback I've received and it covers all sorts of topics:
"I hadn't realized you subscribe to Crunchyroll! I noticed you talk about it more than most people writing in this space (though still not much) and would love to see more of that! There's something there with the growing Sony monopoly over anime in the West."
--John A.
Thanks for the feedback. I do watch quite a bit of it, but have hesitated to write too much about the programming because I am not at all an expert of the genre. I have toyed with the idea of writing reviews from the standpoint of “This is what a guy who doesn’t know anime thinks,” but I worried it would come off as somehow making fun of the shows.
I genuinely enjoy many of them, but I do miss a lot of the nuances.
"The folks at CBS who think she’s (Bari Weiss) just a troll without any news experience are about to find out that they are exactly why she was hired, and that their days at CBS are numbered…"
Victor U.
Well, I think people at CBS News know why she was hired, and they don't feel it was because she has some useful insight to bring to the organization. Many of the people I spoke with believe she's there to break things, not to make things better, but in order to drive out anyone who is experienced and seen as a "traditional" journalist. I guess we'll see how this plays out.
ODDS AND SODS
* Season five of the series Peyton's Place premieres Sunday, November 2nd on ESPN. Here is a first video look at the season. And here is the brief official logline: "Throughout the season, Peyton attempts to lift the Buffalo curse alongside Bills Mafia and quarterback Josh Allen, dives into the history of the quarterback sneak with former Eagles center Jason Kelce, and heads to Malibu for a wild ride with Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh inspired by The Rockford Files. Along the way, he tackles the QB passer rating with Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, recreates a replacement Lombardi Trophy with Patriots legends Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, and explores quarterback play calling with Joe Burrow and Boomer Esiason. Peyton also goes sky-high to learn about tall receivers with Cris Collinsworth in Cincinnati and commandeers a Goodyear Blimp with Chad Johnson to re-enact the 1970s disaster film Black Sunday, blending history, humor, and unforgettable moments across the NFL."
* Bari Weiss announced to CBS News staff Tuesday morning that she has hired Charles Forelle, the former deputy editor of The WSJ, as one of her lieutenants. Forelle departed
* The theatrical film Freakier Friday, will receive its streaming premiere Wednesday, November 12th on Disney+.
* My son loves sports because it is filled with unexpected coincidences and odd pieces of trivia. For instance, last night’s World Series Game 3 that went to 18 innings had a lot in common with the only other World Series game to last that long: 2018’s World Series Game 3: country singer Brad Paisley sang the National Anthem at both games.
* YouTube TV has added Bloomberg TV+, which has live coverage of breaking business and financial news, and Bloomberg Originals, featuring a slate of original series and documentaries. Both channels premiered today.
* Deadline is reporting that a number of Amazon MGM executives have lost their jobs as part of the massive 14,000 employee round of layoffs at Amazon. Which is strange, because according to company executives, the layoffs are driven by efforts to make the company "leaner," in order to take advantage of gains from AI.
* The stand-up comedy special Jessica Michelle Singleton: Hi, Y'All! premieres Thursday, October 30th on Hulu.
* Season two of One Piece will premiere Tuesday, March 10th on Netflix.
* Disney+ has ended its two-year relationship as home of new episodes of Doctor Who. The move had been expected by fans of the show, and the BBC is vowing to continue the show, beginning with a special Christmas 2026 episode. While there will be a wait for more episodes of Doctor Who, the BBC is moving forward with the spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea, which is set to premiere in the UK on BBC1 before the end of 2025.
* The new drama The Assassin will premiere in the U.S. on AMC+ on Thursday, November 20th.
* After premiering in the UK and Ireland earlier this year, Paramount+ is bringing the six-part limited series Little Disasters to the U.S., Canada, Italy and Latin America on Thursday, December 11th. The series focuses on a decade-long friendship of Jess (Diane Kruger), Liz (Jo Joyner), Charlotte (Shelley Conn) and Mel (Emily Taaffe), four expectant mothers who were thrown together with little in common.
WHAT'S COMING TODAY AND TOMORROW
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29th:
* About Face Series Premiere (TLC)
* Ballad Of A Small Player (Netflix)
* Bigfoot Took Her (Discovery)
* Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Animation (Disney+)
* Down Cemetery Road Series Premiere (Apple TV+)
* Ghost Adventures (Discovery)
* Hazbin Hotel Season Two Premiere (Prime Video)
* Hedda (Prime Video)
* Ink Master Season Premiere (Paramount+)
* Nova: Super Floods (PBS)
* Rulers Of Fortune Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Selling Sunset Season Nine Premiere (Netflix)
* Star Wars: Visions Season Three Premiere (Disney+)
* Ten Pound Poms Series Premiere (Britbox)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30TH:
* Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers (Netflix)
* Amsterdam Empire Series Premiere (Netflix)
* G.R.I.T.S. Series Premiere (ALLBLK)
* Juan Gabriel: I Must, I Can, I Will (Netflix)
* So You're Raising A Warrior Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Son Of A Donkey Series Premiere (Netflix)
* The Witcher Season Premiere (Netflix)
SEE YOU EARLY THURSDAY MORNING!