Friday January 7, 2022

Saturday’s Premieres
A&E: BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer at 9p; Vienna Blood at 10p
Fubo Sports Network: Drinks with Binks at 6p
HGTV: Unfinished Business at 9p
Magnolia Network: Mind for Design at 11a; The Johnnyswim Show at 7p; Home Work at 9p

Sunday’s Premieres
HBO: Euphoria at 9p; The Righteous Gemstones at 10p
Magnolia Network: Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines at 1p; Zoe Bakes at 2p; Family Dinner with Andrew Zimmern at 8p
PBS: All Creatures Great and Small on Masterpiece at 9p
Travel: Monsters Caught on Camera at 8p

Sunday’s Finales
A&E: Vienna Blood at 10p
Paramount+: Mayor of Kingstown
Showtime: Dexter: New Blood at 9p

IN THE NEWS

The CW’s CEO Mark Pedowitz yesterday confirmed co-owners Warner Bros. and ViacomCBS are exploring the sale of a controlling stake in the 15-year-old broadcast network. Nexstar Media Group, the CW’s largest affiliate group following its acquisition of Tribune, is reported to be among interested suitors. Pedowitz addressed the sales speculation in an internal memo to staff. Given the current transformative time in media, he wrote, “ViacomCBS and Warner Bros. are exploring strategic opportunities to optimize the value of their joint venture in The CW Network.” He also noted that “it’s too early to speculate what might happen,” and shared his vision for The CW heading into 2022: “More original programming than ever, this season’s expansion to Saturday night, our growing digital and streaming platforms.”

Climate change satire “Don’t Look Up” broke Netflix’s weekly viewing record with a whopping 152.29 million hours watched around the globe December 27-January 2. Data also shows the Adam McKay-directed film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence is already the streamer’s third most-watched film of all time, behind only “Bird Box” and “Red Notice”—a feat the new title achieved in 28 days. Netflix also revealed the Maggie Gyllenhaal-directed “The Lost Daughter” scored the No. 3 spot on its list of most-viewed English-language films for the week with 18.26 million hours viewed.

Rosario Dawson and Vanessa Hudgens will announce the nominees for the 28th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards next Wednesday, January 12 on Instagram Live at 10a. The awards will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, February 27 at 8p.

Omicron claims another live event. The International Documentary Assn. is bumping its 37th annual IDA Documentary Awards ceremony from its originally scheduled early February in-person date to March 4, and the event will now be online-only. “Summer of Soul” leads the docs this year with four noms; PBS leads among platforms with 14 noms, followed by Netflix and Hulu with seven apiece.

Join leaders in OTT and CTV to outline where the risks and opportunities lie in this complicated and fast-changing sector. To better understand, and leverage, where the $80 billion TV ad spend market will spread.

REGISTER FREE NOW

A doc about the cultural impact of Anna Nicole Smith, the Playboy model and reality TV star who died in 2007 at the age of 39, is on tap at Netflix. The untitled project, directed by Ursula Macfarlane (“The Lost Sons”), will feature never-seen footage from an unreleased doc about a young Smith balancing motherhood and stardom. Alexandra Lacey will produce; exec producers include Caryn Capotosto and Propagate execs Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens and Jonathan Schaerf.

Alison Roman, author of “Nothing Fancy” and “Dining In,” is headed into the kitchen for CNN+. Roman will host a cooking series, pegged as “highly opinionated and never finicky,” for the upcoming subscription streaming service. The show is slated to debut later this year.

Entertainment One inked a first-look television deal with director/producer Tim Story (“Ride Along,” “Think Like a Man”) and his The Story Co. production shingle. The Story Co., which hired former Freeform development chief Lynn Barrie to serve as his company’s head of television, will develop series for broadcast, cable and streaming.

Sony Pictures Entertainment signed an overall deal with writing/producing duo Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman under their new production house RaqMar Entertainment, with a focus on multicultural content. Cisneros co-wrote and co-produced the 2013 Spanish-language flick “Instructions Not Included”; the two wrote and produced Amazon Prime Video/Sony Pictures International Productions’ Spanish-language comedy “War of Likes,” among other projects.

Sky set cast and production schedule for drama series “A Town Called Malice.” Filming begins later this month on the series from Vertigo Films, Rogue State and Sky Studios, which is slated to air on Sky Max and Now TV next year. Nick Love (“Bulletproof”) is lead writer. NBCUniversal Global Distribution will run international sales of the series on behalf of Sky Studios.

Filming on NBC drama “Chicago Fire” hit the pause button after several positive Covid tests showed up, including cases among the cast and those who directly interact with them.

In related news, Tyler Perry is requiring vaccinations for casts and crews in Zone A, which comprises actors and those in close proximity to them, of all shows at his Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. The mandate follows similar moves by Netflix and Disney, which have adopted blanket policies for their US productions, requiring vaccinations for everyone working in Zone A.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Fubo Sports Network original “Drinks with Binks” returns for a fifth season Saturday, January 8 at 6p. Host Julie Stewart Binks will be welcoming Olympic gold medalists Tara Lipinski and Meghan Duggan in the first new episode.

New Science Channel series “Spycraft” probes the tools and technologies developed for spies, with intelligence experts offering a look behind the CIA’s most secretive operations throughout history and the devices that made them possible. The series premieres Tuesday, January 11 at 10p.

ViacomCBS’ Awesomeness dropped the first teaser for season 3 of content creator reality competition “Next Influencer.” Premiering on Paramount+ on Thursday, January 13, the new run, hosted by TikTok star Owen Holt, includes 10 episodes and a reunion special.

Discovery+ original series “King of the Con” debuts Friday, January 14 to reveal conman Barry Minkow’s story of deception, redemption and deception again across four decades.

“Saturday Night Live” is returning with its first episodes of 2022 beginning January 15 with host Ariana DeBose, star of “West Side Story,” and musical guest Roddy Rich. In addition to the live broadcast on NBC, “SNL” will stream the remainder of the season live on Peacock.

Fox Nation will debut “The Miseducation of America” on Tuesday, January 18. The five-part series examines how the American education system has evolved during the last hundred years and the current state of the classroom.

National Geographic is unleashing five new eps of “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” Wednesday, January 19 for streaming on Disney+. In this final installment of the second season, Goldblum brings viewers back to uncover secrets behind seemingly familiar topics and objects like puzzles, backyards and birthdays.

Crackle follows six male socialites as they come together for original unscripted docuseries “Men of West Hollywood.” Premiering Thursday, January 20, the series features the likes of Mr. California, The Human Ken Doll, a celebrity photographer, a top underwear model, a YouTube star, and a luxury property owner. Let the drama begin.

“Ozark” heads into its fourth and final season Friday, January 21 on Netflix, which dropped a trailer that hints at where Marty and Wendy’s loyalties will land in the end. The Jason Bateman-Laura Linney thriller will air in two parts, consisting of seven eps each.

The first three episodes of Hulu original “Pam & Tommy” will debut Wednesday, February 2. Set in the early days of the Internet, the series is rooted in the true story of the Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan) sex tape, which was stolen from the couple’s home by a disgruntled contractor (Seth Rogen).

TLC is expanding its transformation oeuvre with “1000-Lb Best Friends,” debuting Monday, February 7 at 10p. The series builds on the success of the net’s “1000-Lb Sisters,” and features larger-than-life best friends who are battling obesity.

COMING UP

BBC America will air “The Graham Norton Show” New Year’s special in the US tonight (January 7) at 11p. Guests include Jessica Chastain, Claire Foy, Michael Sheen, Peter Dinklage and comic Joe Lycett.

MotorTrend+ and MotorTrend TV are revving up for 24 hours of live coverage of mammoth collector car auction Mecum Kissimmee 2022, with coverage from Florida January 12- 5, from noon to 6p daily. The livestream and TV broadcast marks the first of more than 160 hours of live coverage of 11 Mecum Auctions on MotorTrend+ and MotorTrend TV in 2022. Additionally, Discovery will simulcast two hours of the event live Saturday, January 15.

STREAMING

Tuesday night’s telecast marked the highest rated telecast for “La Desalmada” among Adults 18-49 (1.1 Million), Adults 18-34 (343,000) and Total Viewers 2+ (2.4 Million) since its debut in August, surpassing Monday night’s performance for the top spot in all three demos. This is the most viewed novela telecast on the Univision Network among Adults 18-49 and Total Viewers 2+ since “Jose De Egipto,” grande finale airing on August 7, 2017.With 1.1 million Adults 18-49 on Tuesday night, “La Desalmada” ranked as the #2 program on all of television regardless of language, behind NBC’s “This is Us” (1.4 Million), marking the sixth consecutive night of audience growth in the demo.The series is currently averaging 1.8 million Total Viewers 2+, 745,000 Adults 18-49 and 261,000 Adults 18-34.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network is now available to Hulu + Live TV subscribers. The offering expands the list of Discovery channels available on Hulu + Live TV, including Discovery Channel, Food Network, HGTV and TLC. Additional Discovery nets are available via Hulu’s entertainment add-on package.

Cinedigm continues to expand its streamingofferings with the addition of 10 channels, 7,500 titles and the acquisition of ad network Digital Media Rights. Although financial terms were not specified, the deal is reported to be in the $20 million-$25 million range. Once the transaction closes, Cinedigm will operate more than 30 streaming services, 15 of which are wholly owned, with 46,000 hours of programming attracting 40 million monthly viewers.

CASTING

Pascale Armand (“Eclipsed”), Yolonda Ross (“The Chi”), Charles Malik Whitfield (“Chicago Med”), Denise Boutte (“Meet the Browns”) and Kendrick Cross (“Ambitions”) will topline season 2 of AllBlk’s horror anthology series “Terror Lake Drive”… The CW’s “Kung Fu” reboot added Vanessa Yao, Annie Q. & JB Tadena to the season 2 cast in recurring roles.

Stay tuned as Sports Media Awards, celebrating its 10th anniversary, releases this year’s award categories on Monday, January 10th.

VIEW LAST YEARS WINNERS

While much of syndication slipped in the week leading up to Christmas, “Live with Kelly and Ryan” celebrated its strongest numbers since last May. “Live” was also the only strip in all of syndication to hit a new season best in the session ended December 26. Even with airing holiday encore episodes on December 23rd and 24th, the daytime show finished first or tied for first in talk for the 25th time in the past 33 weeks. A mostly repeat week of “Dr. Phil” was second. Sophomore “The Drew Barrymore Show” scored the biggest year over year improvement of any talk show in the top 10.

Univision’s primetime series “La Desalmada” continues to surge in the ratings ahead of Monday night’s finale, reaching 2.4 million Total Viewers for its Tuesday, January 4 airing.

Netflix’s “Lost in Space” reboot once again grabbed the top spot on Nielsen’s US streaming chart for the week of December 6, racking up more than 1 billion minutes of viewing. The series beat out preschool series “CoComelon,” which had 835 million viewing minutes.

Broadcast Nielsen Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of December 20 ranked in order by HH Rtg
Family Feud (CMV) 5.1 AA
Jeopardy! (CMV) 5.1 AA
Judge Judy (CMV) 4.6 AA
Wheel of Fortune (CMV) 4.6 AA
Inside Edition (CMV) 2.1 AA
The Big Bang Theory (WB) 2.0 AA
Entertainment Tonight (CMV) 1.8 AA
Live With Kelly and Ryan (DAD) 1.8 AA
The Dr. Phil Show (CMV) 1.5 AA
Hot Bench (CMV) 1.4 AA
Last Man Standing (DAD) 1.3 AA

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Wednesday, January 5
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: “The Goldbergs” 3.22 (0.5), “The Wonder Years” 2.28 (0.4), “The Conners” 2.82 (0.4), “Home Economics” 1.82 (0.3), “The Chase” 1.86 (0.3)
CBS: “The Amazing Race” 4.60 (0.7), “The Amazing Race” 3.87 (0.6), “Good Sam” 2.62 (0.3)
CW: “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” 0.33 (0.1), “Batwoman” 0.22 (0.0)
ION: “NCIS: LA” 0.79 (0.1), “NCIS: LA” 0.70 (0.1), “NCIS: LA ” 0.68 (0.1)
FOX: “I Can See Your Voice” 2.18 (0.3), “Next Level Chef” 1.77 (0.4)
NBC: “Chicago Med” 6.75 (0.7), ”Chicago Fire” 6.98 (0.8), “Chicago PD” 5.91 (0.7)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Writer/producer Matthew Tinker is elevated to President at David E. Kelley Productions. Formerly EVP of the production house, Tinker has had a major hand in the company’s success and is exec-producing three new series: “A Man In Full” for Netflix, “The Missing” for Peacock and “Love & Death” for HBO Max.

IFC Films hired Endeavor Contentsenior exec Scott Shooman as SVP of Acquisitions. Shooman has also held exec acquisitions posts at CBS Films, Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group.

BBC News appointed ITN CEO Deborah Turness as CEO. Turness, a former NBC News president, replaces the outgoing Fran Unsworth.

Lauren Abrahams joined Amblin Partners as EVP of Production in the studio’s film group. She’s a veteran of Sony Pictures Entertainment/Columbia Pictures and Walt Disney Studios.

Political analyst Jamal Simmons will step in as Communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a White House official. Simmons succeeds Ashley Etienne, who left Harris’ office last year.

IN MEMORIAM

Tributes continue to pour in honoring Peter Bogdanovich, the iconic director whose films include “The Last Picture Show,” “Paper Moon,” “What’s Up, Doc?” and “Mask.” Bogdanovich died yesterday at his home in LA. He was 82.

Friday Fact
Male cats are more likely to be left-pawed, while female cats are more likely to be right-pawed.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
On which short-lived sitcom did Valerie Bertinelli and Matthew Perry play siblings? “Sydney” (1990). Kudos to: Aymon DeMauro-ADM Media & Marketing/NY; Marni C. Gold/Hawthorne, NJ; Linda Grillo/NY; Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta; Greg West-WATC TV/Atlanta; Andi Leston-Outdoor Sportsman Group/Waukesha, WI; Aaron Paquette-AccelerateSG/Fort Worth, TX; Sandy Spiegel-WTTW/Chicago; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank; Randall Bosley-Studio Talent Group/Santa Monica; An Cheng-Telepictures/Burbank; Gary Moglovkin-CBS TV Studios/Studio City

Today’s Trivia Question
Which TV and Hollywood multihyphenate made a cameo as Admiral Robert Bennett in the 2009 “Star Trek” reboot? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)