Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, December 15th, 2023.
SOME PROGRAMMING NOTES
* The holidays are coming up and I am mindful of the slump in TV and streaming-related news this time of year. Plus, after the 2023 the industry had, most of us are in dire need of a break from the day-to-day grind. That being said, if you've read this newsletter for any amount of time, you know it's unlikely I can stay quiet for two weeks.
Next week, I'll be sending out a regular newsletter Monday-Wednesday. Thursday and/or Friday are currently scheduled to be off-days. But if there are things going on, I'll be here with a new, perhaps shortened, newsletter.
The following week (Christmas week), I'm scheduled to do a shortened newsletter on Wednesday, with regular editions on Thursday and Friday.
If you find yourself in need of additional new coverage in the interim, I'll be posting regularly on AllYourScreens. Because apparently I can't stop myself.
DID NETFLIX FUMBLE THE MESSAGING ON 'REBEL MOON'?
Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire hits Netflix next week and today the embargo lifted as the movie premiered in theaters for a week and the reviews are - to be kind - brutal.
While I understand the reasons for the bad reviews, I actually enjoyed the film quite a bit. But I am sure that a flurry of high-profile bad reviews and a terrible Rotten Tomatoes ranking doesn't thrill executives at Netflix, who see this movie as the cornerstone of their holiday schedule.
But the bad reviews are not helped by comments from Snyder and from Netflix executives, who have mentioned that a longer director's cut of the film exists and that it will likely be released at some point. Snyder has hinted that a lot of what is in that hour-long version will provide some of the context critics found missing in the soon-to-be released version of the film.
Given that we're already looking at a two-part movie without the additional hour (and I assume there will a director's cut of part two as well), maybe it would have made more sense to release the two films with the additional footage as an eight-part series. Or if they wanted the additional hype in April (when part two is set to premiere), then release a six-episode version now and release a much-longer director's cut version of the series in April.
Now Netflix is in the situation of having a high-profile title garnering bad reviews, while audiences are being told a better version exists, but they can't see it yet. This feels like the streamer is trying to replicate the "Release the Snyder Cut" hype, without any real organic request for it.
THE TCAS ARE RETURNING
The pandemic shut down the in-person TCAs for awhile and after an abbreviated gathering last January, the ongoing Hollywood strikes led to the July 2023 gathering being postponed entirely. But the in-person TCAs are back next year, with sessions planned from February 5th-15th.
I should be there for most or all of it, and I'd love to connect with any of you who end up attending. I've had a unusual career path and I tend to know a lot more people on the creative and studio side than I do TV critics. So I'm looking forward to connecting with some old friends and some people I've only meet virtually.
More to come...
THIS IS WHY I AM NOT AN AWARD-WINNING SALESMAN
I am generally a bit uncomfortable selling myself. When I was single, my biggest move was sitting alone at the bar until someone started to talk to me.
It's part of the reason why I don't push the paid-option for this newsletter nearly as much as many newsletter operators do with theirs. As a reader, I don't love having someone push me to upgrade to a paid subscription every time I open their newsletter.
Instead of low-level begging, I am working to add new items for paid subscribers for 2024. This newsletter will always be free, but hopefully there will be some other reasons to lure you into an upgrade. Currently, paid subscribers get access to a daily Monday-Friday morning round-up of the global TV and streaming video stories that should be on your radar. And on Sundays, paid subscribers receive a rundown of the entire week's premiere schedule, complete with links to a lot of show info.
In early January, I'm going to be releasing a book called "Too Much TV: 2023 In Review." It will be a compilation of my best reporting, analysis and reviews from the year. It's essentially a collection of the best pieces from this newsletter, updated as necessary, as well as some exclusive stuff from AllYourScreens.
I'll have more on this next week, but I am mentioning this now because I am asking for feedback about the newsletter that I can use as blurbs for the book. It will also help with some marketing efforts I'll be kicking off at the beginning of the year.
TWEET OF THE DAY
ODDS AND SODS
* The Jamie Dornan drama The Tourist will be moving from Max to Netflix in the U.S. next year. Season one will become available on February 1st, 2024, while season two will land on Netflix on February 29th.
* Starz has picked up a third season of Power Book IV: Force.
* ABC News Studios is expanding its true-crime content portfolio with the launch of three new docuseries exclusively for Disney-owned Hulu, beginning next month. Which is great, but it would be even better if Hulu had a permanent home for its expanding true crime content on its navigation bar.
WHAT'S NEW TODAY AND THIS WEEKEND:
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15TH, 2023:
* Carol & The End Of The World Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget (Netflix)
* Familia (Netflix)
* Face To Face With ETA: Conversations With A Terrorist (Netflix)
* Finestkind (Paramount+)
* Joe Bob's Creepy Christmas (Shudder)
* Love After Lockup: Innocent After Lockup (WEtv)
* Mission To Burnley (Peacock)
* National Christmas Tree Lighting (CBS)
* Reacher Season Two Premiere (Prime Video)
* 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (CBS)
* 91st Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade (The CW)
* Such Brave Girls Series Premiere (Hulu)
* The Family Plan (Apple TV)
* The Secret Gift Of Christmas (Hallmark)
* Yoh' Christmas (Netflix)
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16TH, 2023:
* A Christmas Intern (Lifetime)
* Christmas With A View (UPtv)
* Designing Christmas With View (Great American Family)
* Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?! (HBO)
* Sealed With A Christmas (Hallmark)
* The Christmas Detective (OWN)
* The Holiday Proposal Plan (Lifetime)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17TH, 2023:
* A Christmas Intern (Lifetime)
* Archer: Into The Cold (FXX)
* Dial S For Santa (UPtv)
* Friends & Family Christmas (Hallmark)
* Home Town Holidays (HGTV)
* Merry Magic Christmas (Lifetime)
* 12 Games Of Christmas (Great American Family)
* Willie Nelson's 90th Birthday Celebration (CBS)
MONDAY, DECEMBER 18TH, 2023:
* Gwyneth Vs Terry: The Ski Crash Trial (Max)
* Hello Ghost (Netflix)
* LEGO Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular (Fox)
* Merry Christmas Magic (Lifetime)
* The Rope Curse 3 (Netflix)
Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.
SEE YOU MONDAY!
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Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Friday, December 15th, 2023
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- By Rick Ellis