Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, April 23rd 2025:
PRODUCTION NOTES
Thanks for your patience, I only had to miss one newsletter. I'm moving slow tonight, but work is happening. The procedure that was done yesterday morning involved being sedated, but semi-conscious. So the surgeon informed me I was getting Valium and "mini-doses of fentanyl every 15 minutes." Although I was informed it's "not street fentanyl," which I suppose is a plus. But I certainly feel as if I've been dosed with fentanyl tonight.
I HAD SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT '60 MINUTES'
As you have likely heard already, Bill Owens, executive producer of 60 Minutes, announced his resignation on Tuesday, I wrote a piece about the situation today and argued that it is time for all of us to stand up for the show which has spent more than 50 years fighting against the powerful and providing a voice to people who don't have one:
First, let's see some protests at CBS Headquarters. As many as possible, as frequently as possible. Lots of TV coverage-friendly signs and chanting. Turn this into a story that doesn't go away.
Second, this applies to a smaller subset of readers. But if you are one of the unfortunate people still holding onto Paramount Global stock, sell it. Not just because it puts at least a bit of financial pressure on the company. But also because it seems likely that any effort to rein in the editorial independence of 60 Minutes will have a long-term downward effect on the value of the company.
Third, if you have a subscription to Paramount+, cancel it if you can. Many people don't have that option. They are receiving it as part of a bundle with their cellphone account and removing the streamer can be tough. But if you are able to do so, cancel the streamer. David Ellison has said he sees Paramount's streaming future as a core part of the new business. So lowering overall subscriber numbers is something that has both an immediate and long-term effect on the company.
If you have other ideas, I'd love to hear them. It's clear that both Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News, and Skydance Media, controlled by entrepreneur David Ellison, will do nearly anything in order to close this merger. And if we let them, I have no doubt they'll neuter 60 Minutes in order to get it done.
THE PITT'S VERY HORNY FANDOM SWALLOWED THE WEB
Allegra Rosenberg has written a really fascinating take on the obsessive shipping that has surrounded the premiere season of The Pitt for Garbage Day. And how some of the most controversial shipping between Mel and Frank:
Doctors Mel King (Taylor Dearden) and Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball) are, at least as far as I have seen, the most controversial ship on the show, and controversy over their paring is currently the center of The Pitt’s shipping discourse maelstrom. From what I understand, Mel is autistic-coded and Langdon is an on-the-verge-of-divorce drug addict and the idea of pairing them up has bothered a lot of fans. Some viewers simply prefer other pairings for the characters and think putting them together is bad — which is standard fandom beef — but others seem to hate the idea of shipping anyone on the show at all, which is weirder and more sinister. This is not exactly a new phenomenon, but it is a little reactionary.
And then there are the fans who seem to object to any shipping of two characters who are both white and straight:
But there’s another, newer layer to all the Pitt discourse that is a bit different from the fandom wars of the late 90s. Some Pitt fans have latched on to a peculiar, zero-sum idea that shipping a white man and a white woman, Langdon and King, respectively, in a program where there are other potential relationships that could involve queer people or people of color, is bad. And, even stranger, some fans have decided that writing fan fiction about any characters that aren’t explicitly written by a show’s creator as a couple is Not Allowed. Which is just as ridiculous.
CBS ANNOUNCES SOME MOVES FOR THE FALL
While the broadcast network hasn't announced its programming grid for the fall, CBS did announce some cancellations and pickups for the fall today.
Canceled: Poppa's House and The Summit. CBS also decided against picking up the Zarna pilot, as well as the spinoff pilots of The Neighborhood and The Equalizer (starring Titus Welliver)
Newly Ordered: The procedural Einstein and DMV, a single-camera comedy set at a motor vehicle office.
Previously Ordered: CIA (an FBI spin-off), Sheriff Country (a Fire Country spin-off) and Boston Blue (a Blue Bloods spin-off).
TWEET OF THE DAY
ODDS AND SODS
* Today the timelines of two of my favorite things collided when I learned that fledgling Chicago Cubs superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong is the son of actors Ashley Crow and Matthew John Armstrong, both of whom were recurring actors on the NBC series Heroes.
* Part one of season two of Wednesday will premiere Wednesday, August 6th on Netflix. Part two of the season will premiere Wednesday, September 3rd.
* The animated movie 7 Bears will premiere Thursday, July 10th on Netflix. Here is the official logline: "Forget the Seven Dwarfs, here come the 7 Bears! So, look out Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White, because this lovable pack of furballs is putting a fuzzy twist on the fairytales we thought we knew. Based on the acclaimed graphic novels by Emile Bravo, The 7 Bears is brought to animated life by the award-winning animation studio, Folivari."
* Freeform and Hulu have ordered the reality series Love Thy Nader, starring Sports Illustrated model and contestant on Dancing with the Stars Brooks Nader and her sisters Sarah Jane, Grace Ann and Mary Holland in New York City.
* The new relationship series Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark is premiering Wednesday, May 21st on Netflix. Here is the official logline: "Six sexy singles check into a motel in pursuit of true love, only to be reunited with their long term booty calls, or “sneaky links.” With the help of host Chloe Veitch (Too Hot to Handle, Perfect Match) and relationship expert Spicy Mari, guests must navigate three exciting phases, each designed to challenge the rules of sneaky linking. As they face daring challenges and fun dates, the guests must decide whether to deepen their connection with their sneaky link, explore new romantic possibilities, or leave the motel single." Here is a first look at the trailer.
* The new film Heads Of State is the answer to the question "Why doesn't someone make a buddy movie starring a U.S. President and British Prime Minister?" Here is the logline: " The film is an action-packed comedy about the U.S. President (played by John Cena) and the UK Prime Minister (played by Idris Elba), who must set aside their rivalry to thwart a global conspiracy and save the world — if they can work together." Heads Of State will premiere Wednesday, July 2nd on Prime Video. Here is a first look at the trailer.
* The AP's David Bauder has an interview with MSNBC's Jen Psaki, who will replace Rachel Maddow beginning May 6th. The interview is fine, I guess. It's short and Psaki says pretty much what I would expect. These types of interviews are designed to be fairly safe havens and that comes across in this one. I'm interested to see how she does. She's smart and has really solid camera skills. I think the trick will be whether she's able to carve out her own identity, but also retain some of the things that made Maddow's show so distinctive - most notably, her reluctance to lean on the network's usual cast of faces that are on every other show throughout the day. I think the other challenge will be walking that line between drawing on inside knowledge of how the system works vs being an "insider" show. Which I honestly don't think is where the MSNBC audience is right now.
* Hosted by Amanda Holden, Cheat: Unfinished Business brings together 8 ex-couples torn apart by cheating. The new series premieres Wednesday, April 30th on Netflix. Here is a first look at the trailer.
* Now this show is more in my sweet spot. In the new drama Secrets We Keep, "Cecilie grows suspicious when her neighbor's young Filipino au pair, Ruby, disappears from an affluent Copenhagen neighborhood. Driven to uncover the truth, Cecilie launches her own investigation, only to find more than she bargained for." It premieres Thursday, May 15th on Netflix and here is a first look at the trailer.
* Netflix has renewed Sweet Magnolias for a fifth season. It has also ordered the new drama series, Unaccustomed Earth, based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s award-winning collection of short stories. As well as a limited-series adaptation of Age Of Innocence, Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of forbidden love in 19th century New York.
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23RD:
A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054 (Netflix)
Battle Camp Series Premiere (Netflix)
Bullet Train Explosion (Netflix) - (first look video)
Carlos Alcaraz: My Way (Netflix)
Life Or Death: The Negotiators Series Premiere (NatGeo)
Mysteries Of The Abandoned: Hidden America (Discovery)
The Children Of October 7 (Paramount+)
The Cleaner (BritBox)
The Quincy Avery Effect (Hulu)
THURSDAY, APRIL 24TH:
Black Snow (AMC+)
Étoile Series Premiere (Prime Video)
I, Jack Wright Series Premiere (BritBox)
Ronja, The Robber’s Daughter Season Two Premiere (Viaplay)
Vanderpump Villa Season Premiere (Hulu)
You Season Premiere (Netflix)
SEE YOU ON THURSDAY!
