Monday March 29, 2021

Today’s Finales
CW: “Bulletproof” at 8p
Food Network: “Easter Basket Challenge” at 10p
TNT: “Snowpiercer” at 10p

IN THE NEWS

Sharon Osbourne has left CBS’ “The Talk.” The exit came a review of the co-host’s on-air defense of Piers Morgan, who accused Meghan Markle of lying about her mental health, and allegations of behind-the-scenes racist behavior. Osbourne was the only original cast member of the show, which debuted in 2010. “The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home,” said CBS in a statement. “We concluded that Sharon’s behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace.” While Osbourne blamed producers for blindsiding her with questions about Morgan, CBS said the network “did not find any evidence that CBS executives orchestrated the discussion or blindsided any of the hosts.” The show, which has been on hiatus during CBS’ review, will return Monday, April 12.

OWN and the Association of National Advertisers’ SeeHer movement announced the #WriteHerRight “Black Female Characters: Authentic Representation and Storytelling Guide.” The guide provides a roadmap for creating authentic representation of Black women in media. “The urgency and imperative of doing more to address the unique challenges that Black women face, which is related to how they are portrayed in advertising and entertainment, has grown exponentially since the partnership was announced in 2019,” said Nadine Karp McHugh, President, ANA’s SeeHer.

Dominion Voting Systems is suing Fox News for $1.6 billion, claiming the network “sold a false story of election fraud in order to serve its own commercial purposes, severely injuring Dominion in the process.” Dominion has also sued Donald Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for allegedly damaging its reputation by saying its voting machines were manipulated in favor of Democratic candidates. Fox News responded that its 2020 election coverage “stands in the highest tradition of American journalism,” and it would “vigorously defend against this baseless lawsuit in court.”

Madison Square Garden Entertainment has reached an agreement to acquire MSG Networks in an all-stock deal expected to close in the third quarter. “MSG Entertainment is actively executing a plan designed to grow the company beyond its established collection of assets into one that is pioneering the next generation of entertainment,” said MSG Entertainment President Andrew Lustgarten. “We have always believed in the value of live sports and look forward to welcoming MSG Networks back into the fold as part of a transaction that we are confident would enhance our financial flexibility and set the stage for continued growth and value creation.” The companies had separated in 2015.

Hackman Capital plans to pour $1.25 billion into renovating CBS Television City, built in 1952. Hackman acquired the 25-acre property in 2019 for $750 million. “Television City is one of the great Hollywood studio lots. We are committed to ensuring it remains a robust job creator and world-class studio for decades to come,” said Michael Hackman, founder and CEO of Hackman Capital. “Los Angeles lacks the modern sound stages and production facilities to meet market demand, putting our region at risk of seeing the entertainment industry leave the state if we fail to invest in its future.”

GroupM is revising its expectations for advertising growth in the US in 2021, projecting the ad market to grow by 15% ex-political this year versus 2020, versus a forecast of 12% in December. Full-year activity should be 6% above 2019 levels, indicating a more-than-full recovery. Small business growth is driving much of the advertising growth, and skewing toward digital media, Facebook and Google in particular, notes Brian Wieser, GroupM President of Global Business Intelligence. “Additional economic growth driven by stimulus payments and a whiff of general market inflation supports the revisions to the US numbers,” said WIeser.

Winners at the week-long NAACP Awards virtual experience, which culminated with a live broadcast across ViacomCBS nets on Saturday night, included “Insecure,” “Power Book II: Ghost,” double winner Viola Davis (“How To Get Away With Murder” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), Regé-Jean Page (“Bridgerton”), Issa Rae (“Insecure”), and Anthony Anderson (“black-ish”). Highlights of the event can be accessed here.

Sports Media’s most valuable players are being named and claiming their trophies on April 21 at 1:00 PM ET. We’re announcing the finalists next week, so don’t wait: save your complimentary seat now.

Cynopsis wants to celebrate the women in media who make things happen.
The Cynopsis Top Women in Media Gala is coming up this fall!

Nominate the women who are innovating and inspiring while navigating the day-to-day of our industry.

Nominate by 5/6
(sponsored by TurnkeyZRG)

George R.R. Martin, whose novels were the basis for HBO hit “Game of Thrones,” has inked a five-year overall all deal

to develop content for HBO and HBO Max. Martin is executive producing GoT prequel “House of Dragon,” set for a 2022 debut, as well as “Who Fears Death” and “Roadmarks,” in development for HBO.

Fox is developing a comedy about Americans in the National Guard, written by and starring “The Daily Show” correspondent Roy Wood, Jr. Wood will executive produce with Denis Leary and his son Jack Leary via their production company, Amoeba.

Fox also ordered competition series “Domino Masters,” hosted by Eric Stonestreet (“Modern Family”). The Fox Alternative Entertainment-produced series will be executive produced by Gail Berman, Danny Schrader and Hend Baghdady.

Don Cheadle (“Black Monday”) will narrate ABC’s pilot for a reboot of “The Wonder Years,” as Daniel Stern did for the 1988-93 version. The show comes from Saladin Patterson, Fred Savage (star of the original), and Lee Daniels.

Casting notes: Guest stars Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”) will voice Iron Man, Nathan Fillion (“Castle”) will voice Wonder Man, Whoopi Goldberg will take on Poundcakes and Bill Hader (“Barry”) will voice Angar the Screamer and the Leader in Hulu’s “Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.”, it was announced at WonderCon@Home…Laurence O’Fuarain (“Game of Thrones”) landed a lead role in Netflix’s “The Witcher: Blood Origin.”…Katia Winter (“Blood & Treasure”) landed a role in season three of Amazon’s “The Boys.”

When’s the last time you invested in your career growth and development? Cynopsis Members unlock exclusive survey data, reports, discounts on special events, and more — they’re the first to know what the latest in the media landscape is. Knowledge is power—amplify your career and become a member today.

COMING UP

Animal Planet’s “Pit Bulls & Parolees” moves to corporate sib Discovery for a new season launching Saturday, April 3 at 8p. The series will also be available on discovery+.

San Diego Comic-Con has set November 26 as the start date for an in-person event this year. “While we have been able to pivot from in-person gatherings to limited online events, the loss of revenue has had an acute impact on the organization as it has with many small businesses, necessitating reduced work schedules and reduction in pay for employees, among other issues,” said Comic-Con spokesperson David Glanzer. “Hopefully this event will shore up our financial reserves and mark a slow return to larger in-person gatherings in 2022.” In the past the gathering has taken place in July, but moving this three-day “Special Edition” to November increases the chances that a large public gathering will be feasible.

The Wrestle Week On AXS TV block returns Tuesday, April 20, with profiles and classic IMPACT content, to prepare viewers for IMPACT’s REBELLION pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 25. Leading up to the event, the promotion’s flagship series IMPACT! takes over AXS TV’s Thursday lineup, returning to its traditional night starting April 8.

The SAG-AFTRA Foundation and PEOPLE are teaming for a virtual table read of an episode of “Happy Days.” Henry Winkler will reprise his role as Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli for the 1975 episode “The Motorcycle,” while Glenn Close steps into the role of Marion Cunningham and John Carroll Lynch (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”) plays Howard Cunningham. The episode streams tonight at 8p on People.com.

BritBox struck a deal with ITV Studios to acquire the exclusive US rights to the upcoming season 6 of “Line of Duty,” and will be the exclusive US home for all future seasons. The series, written and created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions, will premiere in May in both the US and Canada.

KIDS CORNER

How do you turn a viral craze like Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark” into a series? Two of the creative minds behind Nickelodian’s animated pre-school show “Baby Shark’s Big Show!”, which premiered Friday, share their stories.

How does the new show aim to turn the viral moment of Baby Shark into a lasting kids experience/program?
Whitney Ralls, co-executive producer: Transforming the goliath cultural moment of Baby Shark into a show has been an exciting task. From the outset, our goal has been to give the world the Baby Shark show that no one saw coming. We were lucky enough to take everything about Pinkfong’s Baby Shark that everyone knows and loves—its cuteness, its silliness, its pure pop goodness—and expand those elements into a whole world. It all starts with Baby Shark’s character: he might be a shark but he’s also a little kid who loves to sing and dance with his family and friends!

Things are not always what they seem in “Baby Shark’s Big Show!”. That same surprising and charmingly unexpected quality extends to the world of Carnivore Cove, the humor of its inhabitants, and the adventures that Baby Shark, William, and friends go on. Each episode is packed to the gills with off-the-wall comedy, original catchy comedic tunes, hyper-cute characters, and jaw-some adventures. But all this fun never overpowers the core of show: its heart. “Baby Shark’s Big Show!” is about two kids exploring their backyard—only their backyard happens to be the whole entire ocean. We hope that kids see themselves in the show’s characters and are thrilled to tag along on their deep sea adventures. We’re even hopeful that parents who might’ve heard the song a few too many times enjoy watching, too! Because who doesn’t need a little humor with heart? Oh yeah, and MUSIC!

How is music being integrated in the show?
Tommy Sica, executive producer: Since this show is based on the world’s catchiest song, we have a responsibility to infuse as much music into “Baby Shark’s Big Show!” as possible, and we don’t take that responsibility lightly! Each episode features one “chart-chomping” hit song that not only entertains but serves as a strong narrative tool by propelling the storylines forward. These songs are so important to the show that we collaborate with in-house and out-of-house composers/producers to make sure they’re everything you want them to be: catchy, comedic, and cool! There will also be many smaller musical moments where Baby Shark and William sing bite-sized tunes we call “Itty-Bitty-Ditties.” And if that’s not enough, we are using our unique audio-first production process to ensure that the onscreen action syncs to the driving beat of the underscore, creating a musical feel throughout each episode. We hope that while you’re watching “Baby Shark’s Big Show!”, you’re also bopping your head and flapping your fins!

Disney Junior pre-school series “Gigantosaurus” introduces dolphin-like characters Plink, Plonk and Plunk today, March 29 at 8:55, while new dinos hatch April 19 and May 24.

GOING GLOBAL

MadeFor, the scripted arm of Banijay Germany, is producing two new shows, LGBTQ+ love story “Loving Her,” and dramedy “Mirella Saves the World” (“Mirella Schulze rettet die Welt”), set to air later this year.

Insight TV landed rights to broadcast the inaugural season of electric motorsports championship “Extreme E” across its global linear and digital networks. The show will visit five remote locations highlighting a variety of environmental issues, in the hopes of raising awareness of the climate emergency.

About Premium Content has signed new international sales for season three of BBC/S4C drama series “Keeping Faith” for AMC Networks International Southern Europe (Spain and Portugal), TG4 Ireland and Pickbox for the Balkans.

Zodiak Kids Studios has secured a co-development deal with Asner Productions to develop a live action TV series for 8-12-year-olds, based on the book series, The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency.

REGISTER NOW

The week of March 14 in Prime, the Discovery portfolio had four top eight cable nets among P25-54 (TLC #3, Discovery #5, Food Network #7, HGTV #8). TLC’s “90 Day Fiancé” was the #1 cable program in Prime for the week among W25-54/18-49/18-34 and on Sunday night, TLC was the #1 network on all of TV among W25-54/18-49/18-34.

“Love & Marriage: Huntsville” drove OWN to be the #1 network on all of TV among African-American W25-54, W18-49, and W18+ on Saturday, March 20, and was the night’s #1 cable network among African-American HHs and P2+.

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Thursday, March 25
Show, P2+ millions, (A18-49)
ABC: “Station 19” 5.25 (0.8), “Grey’s Anatomy” 4.99 (0.9), “A Million LittleThings” 3.06 (0.5)
CBS: “Young Sheldon” 3.95 (0.4), “B Positive” 3.09 (0.4), “Mom” 2.97 (0.3), “Bob Hearts Abishola” 2.33 (0.3), “Clarice” 1.55 (0.7)
CW: “Harry and Meghan’s American Dream” 0.82 (0.1), “Legacies” 0.47 (0.1)
FOX: “Hell’s Kitchen” 2.85 (0.8), “Call Me Kat” 2.11 (0.5), “Last Man Standing” 2.43 (0.5)
ION: “Chicago PD” 1.19 (0.2), “Chicago PD” 1.26 (0.2), “Chicago PD” 1.20 (0.2)
NBC: “Superstore” 2.71 (0.6), “Superstore” 2.41 (0.5), “Law & Order: SVU” 2.64 (0.4), “Dateline” 3.10 (0.4)
Telemundo: Exatlon Estados Unidos 0.99 (0.3), “La Suerte de Loli” 0.94 (0.2), “Buscando Frida” 1.02 (0.3)
Univision: “Vencer el Desamor” 1.95 (0.5), “Te Acuerdas de Mi” 1.44 (0.4), “Hija del Embajador” 1.42 (0.4)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Monica Rodman has been promoted to EVP, Alternative Development at Universal Television Alternative Studio. Rodman had been SVP, Alternative Development.

Future plc announced that John Farrar, formerly Creative Director of B arcroft Studios has succeeded Alex Morris as Chief Creative Officer.

FRAPA, the Format Recognition and Protection Association, has announced the appointment to its general board of Fremantle’s Tony Stern, Banijay’s Carlotta Rossi Spencer and All3Media International’s Nick Smith.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Who was the first woman to produce her own talk show? Oprah Winfrey. Kudos to: John Ferlazzo/London, Claire Hambrick-A+E Networks/NYC, Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC, Rev. Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA, Sandy Spiegel-WTTW/Chicago, Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA, Miriam Aardahl-OMD/LA, Ken DuBow-Access Entertainment/LA, Julie Houston-Tom Scott Agency/Boise, ID, Lori Patterson-Spectrum Reach/NYC

Today’s Trivia Question
Which actress played women named Rachel on “Mad Men” and “Nip/Tuck”? (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.)