Today’s Premieres
Hulu: Legacy: The True Story of the L.A. Lakers
Netflix: Deepa & Anoop
Smithsonian Channel: Inside the Factory at 8p

Today’s Finales
AMC: Better Call Saul at 9p
Food Network: BBQ USA at 9p

IN THE NEWS

Charter Communications is shutting down Spectrum Originals, launched in 2018, amid rising production costs. The closure will be gradual, as decisions are made about shows like “Joe Pickett,” “Panhandle” and “Beacon 23.”

Jon Baptiste, “The Late Show” bandleader since Stephen Colbert took over as host in 2015, is leaving to pursue other interests. “We’ve been so lucky to have a front row seat to Jon’s incredible talent for the past seven years,” said Colbert during the show. “But we’re happy for you, Jon, and I can’t wait to have you back on as guest with your next hit record.” Baptiste will be replaced by Louis Cato, who has served as interim bandleader this summer.

HBO’s “The White Lotus” was the big winner at the 2nd Annual HCA TV Awards for broadcast and cable shows, taking honors in five categories, including best limited or anthology series. ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” and AMC’s “Better Call Saul” each nabbed four trophies.

2022 THAT BIG TV CONFERENCE

Rates Increasing by $200 on 8/25

This two-day program brings together networks, agencies, brands, tech and research companies with opportunities for discussion, networking, and exposure to senior-level conversations focused on applicable business solutions to the ongoing fluctuations in the media industry. Tickets will increase on 8/25 by $200, so register now while rates remain low!

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Netflix has picked up “Love, Death + Robots” for a fourth season. The series features stand-alone episodes produced by different studios.

About 25 staffers were cut in a round of layoffs at “Dr. Phil,” a move ahead of the talker’s 21st season that “streamlined production to ensure longevity.” A show spokesperson said, “As is typical of this process there were some roles we discovered that we could reduce yet still deliver our dynamic, forward-thinking program.”

Casting notes: Camilla Belle (“Carter”) and Gus Halper (“Fear the Walking Dead”) have joined the season three cast of NBC’s “Law & Order: Organized Crime” as an NYC power couple… Jamie Neumann (“Lovecraft Country”) and Amy Darton (“Sleepy Beauty”) will recur on AMC’s upcoming “Invitation to a Bonfire.” The psychological thriller is set at an all-girls boarding school in New Jersey.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

“Secretos de Villanas,” a new original unscripted series, brings together six iconic telenovela villains. The “Secretos de Villanas: El Reencuentro” two-part episode will air on Canela.TV beginning October 20, followed by the eight-episode reality series continuation, “Secretos de Villanas: Las Vacaciones,” scheduled to air on a weekly basis.

“The BMF Documentary: Blowing Money Fast,” a docuseries following the Black Mafia Family, makes its debut Sunday, October 23 on Starzplay. Also coming up on the streamer is “Dangerous Liaisons,” a reimagined take on the 18th century novel, on Sunday, November 6.

Coming-of-age drama “High School” starts its freshman season October 14 on Freevee, with new episodes dropping Fridays. The series stars TikTok creators Railey and Seazynn Gilliland as twin sisters on journeys of self-discovery.

Nat Geo’s “America’s National Parks,” narrated by Garth Brooks, premieres over five consecutive nights starting August 29 at 9p.

New series “Teen Mom: The Next Chapter,” reuniting the casts of “Teen Mom OG” and “Teen Mom 2,” makes its debut Tuesday, September 6 at 8p on MTV.

BET picked up “House of Vicious,” from creator Jill Ramsey, and set a premiere date for August 17 at 8p. The drama starring Tami Roman (“Unfaithful: Caught in the Act”) follows a fashion designer whose dysfunctional personal life threatens to derail her career.

STREAMING

SportsGrid, a platform offering stats to assist in sports betting, has launched on FuboTV. The move came the week after FuboTV dropped plans to build its own sports wagering service. “We are extremely pleased to join FuboTV – the timing is perfect with the excitement with the upcoming NFL season and FIFA World Cup Soccer Championship,” said Jason Sukhraj, general manager of SportsGrid’s Audience & Canada division. “The SportsGrid program lineup will serve the engaged fans with real-time actionable analytics before and during the live games as well.”

SPORTS

The return of the MLB at Field of Dreams Game once again was a highlight for FOX, which saw an average of 3,132,000 viewers tune in across FOX and FOX Deportes on Thursday. That ranks as the most-watch regular season baseball game on any network this season. Cincinnati led all markets with a 12.2/30. The game was down, however, from 2021 numbers, which saw the Yankees and White Sox square off at the same site.

Meanwhile, ESPN saw it’s telecast of the 2022 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target average 334,000 viewers, for a rise of 86% over the 2021 matchup. With 334,000 average viewers, Wednesday night’s game scored the most viewed MLS All-Star Game on a U.S. English language network since 2018.

TelevisaUnivision inked a multi-year commercial and media partnership with the Dallas Cowboys. As part of agreement, TelevisaUnivision will become the Dallas Cowboys strategic commercial agent in Mexico, helping the team create a local brand building strategy, expand asset development, and bolster commercial sales. The Dallas Cowboys will increase its presence in the Mexico market and continue to build its fanbase outside of the United States through this strategic partnership.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers reached a multi-year agreement with FOX Sports Mexico to broadcast their preseason games and to share exclusive content from the five-time Super Bowl Champions throughout the regular season. The partnership will kick off with two of the team’s three preseason games in 2022.

Inside 100 days until the World Cup, FOX Sports revealed a slate of company-wide, multiplatform initiatives, activations and soccer events aimed at stoking enthusiasm nationwide. The weekend saw the company light up its FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 campaign in celebration of 100 days with promotional images taking over New York City’s Times Square ‘Godzilla Board’ while graphics appeared across FOX Sports programming and game telecasts. Among other activations, FOX Sports Digital launched the first video in a daily series featuring soccer stars and FOX Sports personalities sharing their favorite all-time FIFA World Cup moments, goals, storylines and more.

NASCAR announced a new multiyear partnership with Worldwide Express, naming the company the “Official Logistics Partner of NASCAR.” The news comes on the day of Worldwide Express’ entitlement race, the Worldwide Express 250 for Carrier Appreciation at Richmond Raceway. Worldwide Express expanded its presence in NASCAR, signing on as the entitlement sponsor for this weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, announced earlier this summer. In addition to the NASCAR Official Partnership, Worldwide Express has also been designated the “Official Logistics Partner of Richmond Raceway.”

COMING UP

Hulu original film “On the Count of Three,” a dark comedy about two best friends on the last day of their lives, starts streaming Wednesday, August 17.

Disney Branded Television’s “Under Wraps 2,” the sequel to Disney Channel Original Movie “Under Wraps,” will premiere Sunday, September 25 on Disney Channel.

Lifetime movie “The Bad Seed Returns” premieres Monday, September 5 at 8p. Patty McCormack reprises her role as Dr. March from the 1956 version of “The Bad Seed.”

GOING GLOBAL

Swedish label Meter TV, part of Banijay Nordic, will produce a new adventure reality show, “The Journey – 15 Days in Nepal” for Viaplay Group. Theformat is based on a concept created by Banijay label Mastiff TV Denmark and will air on Viaplay and TV3.

Tubi will expand its footprint in Latin America this month with launches in Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama. The five new territories join Tubi’s current offering in Mexico, where the AVOD platform debuted in 2020.

Top Women in Media

Join us for a magical evening of fun and celebrations!

Cynopsis Media is proud to be hosting the annual Top Women in Media Awards, a ceremony that brings together and honors all of the best senior-level women in the categories of entertainment, tech, and sports. Tables are still available but filling up fast, so register now and mark your calendars for October 11th- it’s a night you won’t want to miss!

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RATINGS

The returns of “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” for season 10B and “Love & Hip Hop: Miami” for season 4B handed VH1 its highest Monday primetime Live+SD A18-49 rating in over two years. “Atlanta” delivered a 0.68 rating and 756,000 total viewers, while “Miami” drew a 0.66 in the demo and 722,000 viewers.

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Thursday, August 11
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Press Your Luck 3.50 (0.4), Generation Gap 2.87 (0.4), The Con 2.15 (0.3)
CBS: Young Sheldon 3.05 (0.3), Ghosts 2.70 (0.3), Big Brother 3.63 (0.8), CSI: Vegas 1.69 (0.2)
CW: Bump 0.36 (0.1), Bump 0.24 (0.0), Great Chocolate Showdown 0.36 (0.1)
FOX: Fox MLB Field of Dreams 3.14 (0.6)
NBC: Law & Order 1.94 (0.2), Law & Order: SVU 2.14 (0.2), Law & Order: Organized Crime 1.69 (0.2)
Telemundo: Top Chef VIP 0.83 (0.2), Amor Valiente 0.86 (0.2), Infiel: Historia de un Engaño 0.98 (0.2)
Univision: La Mexicana y el Güero 1.07 (0.4), La Herencia, Un Legado de Amor 1.29 (0.4), Mujer de Nadie 1.10 (0.3)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Helen Hoehne was re-elected to a second term as President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. “This is a vote of confidence in the changes we have made and the course we have charted in moving the HFPA forward with its reforms towards greater diversity, integrity, and transparency,” said Hoehne.

IN MEMORIAM

Actress Anne Heche was declared dead on August 12 of injuries suffered from an August 5 car crash. She was 53. In addition to her film work, Heche had considerable TV credits, among them her Daytime Emmy-winning role as twins on “Another World”; “Ally McBeal”; “Everwood”; “Men in Trees” and “Hung.”

Actress Denise Dowse died August 13 after battling viral meningitis. She was 64. Among Dowse’s numerous television credits were “Beverly Hills, 90201,” “Seinfeld,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Insecure.”

This Day in History
1911 – Procter & Gamble introduced Crisco shortening.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which US sitcom was a remake of 1979-81 UK series “Agony”? “The Lucie Arnaz Show” (1985). Kudos to: Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; Kelly Paxson-iHeartMedia/Chicago; Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton, FL; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA

Today’s Trivia Question
Who played Lloyd’s mother on “Brotherly Love” (1995-97)? (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