A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY

THE GLOBAL LEADER IN SPORTS,
ENTERTAINMENT, NEWS AND LIFESTYLE

MOMENTS THAT MOVE US
LIVE EVENTS THAT THRILL US
HEADLINES THAT DEFINE US
REAL-LIFE STORIES THAT CONNECT US

WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY
OUR STORY STARTS WITH YOU

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM NEWSMAX

Greta Is Back . . . on NEWSMAX!
Famed host Greta Van Susteren is back on cable with her new
signature show — ‘The Record with
Greta Van Susteren’ — premiering on June 14 on NEWSMAX,
now the 4th highest-rated cable news network in the U.S. See more
about Greta’s plans here . . .
Greta Van Susteren Links Here: https://www.newsmaxtv.com/gretashow

IN THE NEWS

“Stranger Things” season 4 broke the all-time Netflix viewership record in its premiere weekend. Volume 1 of the series logged the biggest premiere weekend ever for a Netflix original series, with 286.79 million hours viewed, lifting the previous seasons of the drama with it. This is the first season of the drama show to reach #1 in 83 countries, setting another record.

Leslie Mann and Tim Robbins have unplugged from “The Power.” Both roles will be recast and reshot in Amazon Studios’ drama series, based on Naomi Alderman’s 2016 sci-fi novel.

The AMC+ hit show “Better Call Saul” finished the first half of its sixth and final season as the top acquisition driver in the history of the streaming service. The mid-season finale delivered more than 2.2 million viewers in Nielsen live+3 ratings, with the audience nearly doubling each week. Series first began as a spinoff of “Breaking Bad,” and has since established itself as a fan favorite in its own right.

Cox Communications entered into an affiliation agreement with Jewish Life Television. “It’s a powerful statement that at this critical time, Cox Communications is leading the charge in supporting diverse voices by signing a national affiliation agreement with Jewish Life Television,” said Brad Pomerance, JLTV’s Senior Vice President of Programming.

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ set a Memorial Day Weekend Record with $160.5 million in North America. The success of the sequel to the 1986 film raised hopes in Hollywood for a strong box-office summer for big movies without Marvel characters, including “Jurassic World Dominion” (June 9), “Elvis” (June 24) and “Nope” (July 22).

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Sony and Mandalay Pictures teamed up to create sci-fi film “Omega.” Simon McQuoid, director of “Mortal Kombat,” is set to direct the upcoming film, about a woman in rural Texas who discovers a reality-warping power that thrusts her into a dark underworld of ancient origins.

Showtime ordered comedy series “Entitled,” starring and executive produced by Brett Gelman. The show follows an American widower who must get to know his British wife’s estranged family in their gothic mansion in the English countryside, as they compete for his affections and his newly-inherited fortune. The eight-episode half-hour series created by Matt Morgan comes from the producers of “Fleabag” and “Back to Life,” and is scheduled to premiere in 2023.

Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen will return for “Book Club 2 – The Next Chapter,” which has begun production in Italy. The original 2018 film centered on four lifelong friends whose lives were changed after reading “50 Shades of Grey” in their monthly book club. Paramount Pictures saw the film gross upwards of $104 million worldwide against its $14 million budget. The sequel follows the quartet to Italy for a girls’ trip.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

“Physical” will return to Apple TV+ on June 3 for its second season. The show stars Rose Byrne as Sheila, a housewife who starts a fitness video business in 1980s San Diego. New episodes will air weekly on Fridays.

Three-part series “Devil’s Advocate: The Mostly True Story of Giovanni Di Stefano” to premiere on MSNBC on June 5 at 10p. The Sky Original series follows the famed attorney’s slide to disgraced conman, and the investigation that unraveled the true identity he’d hidden. Episodes 1 and 2 will be available to stream on Peacock on June 6, and episode 3 will premiere on MSNBC on June 12.

Season 5 of hit drama series “The Chi” will premiere on June 24 on Showtime. Centering on life in a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, “The Chi” features characters who are linked by coincidence but bond over the need for redemption.

AIM TV announced that “Let Freedom Ring in Ukraine” to benefit Ukrainian refugees, will premiere July 2. The initiative will provide grassroots, long-term financial and tangible assistance to displaced Ukrainian refugees and citizens affected by the Russian invasion. “We can show a different, potentially more uplifting angle of this tragedy that may inspire people to support the many good folks and organizations helping Ukraine on the ground, long after the raw emotion of Russia’s 2022 invasion has subsided,” said Robert G. Rose, executive producer and host of the series.

COMING UP

NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will face up against Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen in a premier golf series on Capital One’s “The Match.” The Sports Emmy-nominated live event series will be simulcast on TNT, truTV and HLN with international distribution through Warner Bros. Discovery Sports today at 6:30p.

Spectrum On Demand is celebrating Pride Month with a collection of films focusing on LGBTQ+ stories, beginning today. Movies such as “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Carol,” “Moonlight” and “Boy Erased” will be available on the portal under the category ‘Pride Month,’ throughout June.

Fox News Channel will present special live coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, beginning tonight. The network’s broadcast will highlight the life and ongoing legacy of the longest-reigning British monarch in history, commemorating Her Majesty the Queen of England’s 70 years of service to the United Kingdom. Ainsley Earhardt and Piers Morgan are set to join Martha MacCallum to anchor special editions of “The Story” live from London throughout the week.

The 61st Monte-Carlo Television Festival will host a premiere screening of action comedy “Ze Network,” starring David Hasselhoff. The brand-new eight-episode series tells the fictional story of Hasselhoff’s lead role in a theater play in Germany that plunges him into the center of an international conspiracy of former Cold War assassins. The festival will be held from June 17-21.

Weigel Broadcasting will commemorate the Juneteenth holiday with “Story Television Presents: Elevating Black Voices.” The day-long event on June 19 will highlight extraordinary figures of the abolition movement, civil rights, the arts and entertainment.

Disney+ will premiere an all-new live-action “Pinocchio” on September 8. The film stars Tom Hanks, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Cynthia Erivo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Keegan-Michael Key, Lorraine Bracco, and Luke Evans. As part of Disney+ Day, the streaming service will reveal new content from its marquee brands and announce more premieres from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic for the coming months.

STREAMING

Vice FAST will launch on Fox’s streaming platform Tubi. Vice Distribution struck a deal for the free, ad-supported streaming channel to include 200 hours of programming, now available on Tubi for the first time. Vice FAST features programs such as culture, entertainment, tech, food and sports documentaries.

E! News debuted “While You Were Streaming Friday,” a Twitter livestreamed show focused on the biggest shows on television. Hosted by Danielle Robay, the show will feature guests, including experts, past stars and writers of the shows being spotlighted, and will incorporate features from the social network, including polls and video-on-demand clips.

“Silos Baking Competition” will drop on Magnolia Network and discovery+ on June 12. The new one-hour special celebrates the joy that comes from time spent in the kitchen, as bakers are challenged to perfect their favorite recipe for a chance to have their treat featured at Magnolia’s Silos Baking Co.

HBO Max celebrates pride with its launch of a custom short-form content series through the LGBTQ+ Voices collection. Produced by Human By Orientation, the series will showcase the voices of HBO Max LGBTQ+ talent such as Hannah Einbinder, Dashaun Wesley, Leiomy Maldonado and Jameela Jamil. The collection will seek to uplift, educate and inspire all members of the LGBTQ+ community year-round, beginning on June 1.

The K-drama series “Why Her?” will debut on Rakuten Viki on June 3. The legal-meets-love story follows Oh Soo Jae, a lawyer who restarts her career as an adjunct professor at a local law school, where she develops a relationship with a university student.

TECH TALK

‘Shoppable media’ is expected to accelerate in 2023, according to a new study by the World Federation of Advertisers and Dentsu International. The report cited increases in the supply of interactive commerce advertising formats that encourage consumers to “buy now” or “add to basket” in real-time.

CASTING

Rachel Zegler will play Lucy Gray Baird in Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” The “West Side Story” actress joined the Francis Lawrence-directed movie, which will hit theaters globally on Nov. 17, 2023.

Jackie Cruz replaced Stephanie Beatriz as co-lead in horror-thriller film “History of Evil,” opposite Paul Wesley. In the film, a family on the run from a corrupt state takes refuge in a safe house with an evil past – a last stop on a near-future Underground Railroad. Cruz is best known for her role as Marisol “Flaca” Gonzales in “Orange Is the New Black.”

Kate Miner of “Shameless” and Jason Canela of “The Rookie” will lead “Stay Safe,” a horror-thriller about a pandemic hot zone. The film follows Army Surgeon Eva Shepherd as she attempts to uncover the truth behind a subliminal message she received from a patient.

Adrienne Warren will star in the Hulu drama series “Black Cake.” From “Women of the Movement” creator Marissa Jo Cerar, “Black Cake” is a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery that takes place across generations in Jamaica, Rome, Scotland, England and Southern California.

GOING GLOBAL

MBC greenlit an Arabic-language version of British comedy “The Office.” Following a deal struck between BBC Studios and local producer-broadcaster MBC, the show will air in the Middle East later this year. The 20-part series will be renamed “Al Maktab,” and will be set in a courier services company, helmed by a self-absorbed yet lovable boss. Local versions have been produced in 10 other territories but the MBC version is the first in the Arabic language.

Disney+ Hotstar amassed 5 million subscribers in Indonesia, which has been emerging as one of the largest and most competitive streaming markets in Southeast Asia. “Indonesia continues to be an arena for competition and scale for local, regional and global streamers, with growing pressure on incumbents to stand out in brand, content, marketing and bundling in order to impact time and wallet share,” said MPA analyst Dhivya T.

Nutopia struck a deal with former Travel Channel and BBC Productions head Pat Younge to develop a slate of global TV franchises to focus on diversity and inclusion. Younge and Nutopia plan to create shows “rooted in the stories and perspectives of the African and Asian diaspora.”

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RATINGS

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Friday, May 27
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Soul of a Nation: Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage 1.90 (0.3), 20/20 2.25 (0.3)
CBS: Come Dance With Me 2.39 (0.3), Magnum P.I. 2.62 (0.2), Blue Bloods 2.98 (0.2)
ION: will come in around 4:00 from ION, open the Cynopsis tab up top
FOX: WWE Friday Night Smackdown 1.88 (0.4)
NBC: The Blacklist 2.82 (0.2), Dateline 2.38 (0.3)
Telemundo: La Casa de los Famosos 0.97 (0.3), Amor Valiente 0.71 (0.2), Pasión de Gavilanes 0.66 (0.2)
Univision: La Rosa de Guadalupe 1.15 (0.3), Soltero con Hijas 1.25 (0.4), Mi Fortuna es Amarte 1.52 (0.4), El Último Rey: El hijo del Pueblo 1.15 (0.3)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Pixar co-founder and longtime Disney Animation President Ed Catmull joined Baobab Studios’ Board of Directors. Catmull will guide creative and operations as the studio accelerates its storytelling across both emerging and traditional mediums.

24i appointed Andrew Read as new SVP of sales. With Read, the end-to-end video streaming company looks to expand their market presence and strengthen its reputation as a streaming innovator globally.

Xilam Animation named Julie Apperé as their newly created Talent Scout. Apperé will play a large role in developing the company’s social policy by leading across all activations in support of their principles and values.

MPower Media, a new joint venture between MerryMedia, Inc. and Ridini Entertainment Corp., opened for business. The company’s services include promotional content creation and public relations, and it is dedicated to promoting and publicizing businesses in a variety of industries.

This Day in History
1638 – The first earthquake was recorded in the US, at Plymouth, Massachusetts

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which series was set in the fictional NYPD 55th precinct? “Third Watch” (1999-2005). Kudos to: Lee Houck-Habitat LA/LA; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./New York; Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta; Charles Lore/New York; JoAnn DiNapoli-DeSales Media/Brooklyn; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
Who was Samantha’s neighbor in “Bewitched” (1964-1972)? (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.)

Cynopsis Team