Thursday September 16, 2021

Today’s Finales
Lifetime: Little Women Atlanta at 9:30p
NBC: Brooklyn Nine-Nine at 8p
Vice: Darkside of the 90s at 10p, Hear Me out at 11:30p

IN THE NEWS

The Outpost is coming to a close. The CW has decided not to renew the fantasy drama for a fifth season. The series’ final episode will air Thursday, October 7.

There’ll be no new episodes of The Wendy Williams Show for a while. Williams has tested positive for a breakthrough case of Covid-19, delaying the talk show’s scheduled Season 13 premiere. The show announced the news on its official Instagram account, noting that they were giving Williams “time to quarantine and fully recover,” while ensuring that “our production fully abides by SAG/AFTRA and DGA Covid protocols.” The plan is to begin the new season on Monday October 4.

BET has launched BET Studios. Propelled by the infrastructure and financing of BET and ViacomCBS, BET Studios will create television series and films for an array of internal buyers, including Paramount+, Showtime, CBS, Nickelodeon, BET+ and BET, in addition to third-party platforms that seek content from Black creators. Principal partners in the venture include Kenya Barris, Rashida Jones and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, with Aisha Summers-Burke set to lead as General Manager.

Responding to criticism of her upcoming CBS show “The Activist,” which pits six activists against one another in a social media contest, Julianne Hough, who is slated to be a judge on the series along with Priyanka Chopra and Usher, said she has shared critics’ concerns with the powers-that-be, and has “faith and confidence in the beautiful people that I’ve worked with will make the right choice and do the right thing moving forward.” Hough said on Instagram that she will “continue to listen” as she tries to “digest, understand and respond in a way that is authentic.”

What do consumers consider “must-have” networks? In the latest Beta Research cable subscriber study the top ranked basic cable networks receiving high scores on being a “must have” channel were ESPN (40%), Discovery Channel (37%), Food Network (37%), History (37%), CNN (36%), National Geographic (35%) and Weather Channel (35%). Favorite basic networks among women included Food Network (22%), ID (15%), HGTV (14%), Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (14%), Hallmark Channel (13%), TLC (13%), CNN (13%) and Fox News Channel (13%). Favorites among men were ESPN 32%), CNN (20%), History 17%), Fox News Channel (16%), Discovery Channel (15%) and National Geographic (15%). On average perceived value among network viewers, top ranked networks included Disney Channel, ESPN, ID, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, ESPN2, INSP and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

A powerhouse group of late-night talk show hosts are coming together for a cause: climate change. CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” and TBS’ “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” will all focus on the topic on Wednesday, September 22, Climate Night. The event coincides with Climate Week NYC and has been created by Steve Bodow, former “Daily Show” and “Patriot Act” showrunner.

CBS and the Television Academy released its second batch of presenters for the 73rd annual “Primetime Emmy Awards.” Added to the list are Annaleigh Ashford, Awkwafina, Misty Copeland, Michael Douglas, Ava DuVernay, Taraji P. Henson, Gayle King, LL Cool J, Dolly Parton, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Ellen Pompeo, Yara Shahidi, Rita Wilson and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The ceremony airs Sunday at 8p on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

iHeartRadio also announced a crew of celebrity presenters, for the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Festival taking place Friday, September 17 and Saturday, September 18. The list includes 98 Degrees, Debbie Gibson, Teddi Mellencamp, Derek Hough, Chrissy Metz, Olivia Jade, Maddie and Kenzie Ziegler, Joey McIntyre, Donny Osmond, Jana Kramer, Tayshia Adams, Asher Angel, Area21, CL, Olivia Holt and MAX. The event will be broadcast live for fans via iHeartMedia radio stations throughout the country. The CW Network will broadcast a two-night television special on the festive on Saturday, October 2 and Sunday, October 3 at 8p.

Comedy Central will be the new linear home of “Seinfeld” and its full library of shows, starting Monday, October 11. To kick off the move, the network is offering a stunt featuring the most iconic episodes of the series, as voted by the fans, on Saturday, October 9.

Good Morning America staffer Kirstyn Crawford has filed a new claim against ABC. She contends the network retaliated against her after she filed a formal complaint alleging that the show’s top producer sexually assaulted her. Crawford filed a lawsuit against ABC and Michael Corn, the former top producer of GMA, last month, claiming that Corn sexually assaulted her during a trip to Los Angeles in 2015, while covering the Academy Awards. Corn, who denied the claims, departed GMA in April and is now president of Nexstar’s NewsNation.

The Paley Center for Media has kicked off its second annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, A Salute to Hispanic Achievements in Television. The month-long virtual event, which began on Wednesday, highlights creative contributions, influential programs and moments that have shaped Hispanic representation. Among the highlights, the cast and creative team of “Malverde: El Santo Patron” will discuss the upcoming Telemundo drama on Wednesday, September 22 at 10a. Also, PaleyFrontRow presented by Citi: Red Table Talk: The Estefans will feature Gloria Estefan, her daughter, Emily Estefan, and influential niece, Lili Estefan, discussing upcoming new episodes of their Facebook Watch series on Thursday, September 30 at 10a.

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ViacomCBS has partnered with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga in an expansive deal that covers multiple projects across the company’s portfolio, including CBS, MTV Entertainment Group and Paramount+. The agreement ties in with the duo’s new album, Love for Sale, which will be released on October 1.

Dame Helen Mirren is joining J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. Mirren is set to host “Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses,” a competition series honoring the 20th anniversary of the Warner Bros. film franchise’s launch. “I knew someday I’d get a Harry Potter role, and I’m so pleased to take part in the 20-year film celebration,” said Mirren. The event series will be simulcast later this year on Cartoon Network’s ACME Night and TBS, before heading to HBO Max.

Emily Deschanel (“Bones”) is set to star in Daria Polatin’s YA suspense thriller “Devil in Ohio.” Netflix recently greenlit the eight-episode project inspired by a true story and the book by Polatin about hospital psychiatrist Dr. Suzanne Mathis (Deschanel), who shelters a mysterious cult escapee, Mae (Madeleine Arthur).

Disney+’s “The Proud Family” revival, “Louder and Prouder,” has set guest stars and recurring talent. The guest-starring voice cast will feature Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Tiffany Haddish, Debbie Allen and more. New recurring stars announced include Asante Blackk (“This Is Us”), rapper Artist “A Boogie” Dubose and Raquel Lee Bolleau (“Real Husbands of Hollywood”).

Casting Notes: Gwendoline Christie (“Game of Thrones”) has been set as a lead in “Wednesday,” Tim Burton’s live-action Addams Family series for Netflix… Miles Fowler (“Women of the Movement”) is joining the fifth season of Fox’s “The Resident” as a series regular… HBO limited series “We Own This City” added “The Wire” alums Thaddeus Street, Tray Chaney and Chris Clanton in recurring roles.

Krysten Ritter will star alongside Elizabeth Olsen, Jesse Plemons, Patrick Fugit and Lily Rabe in HBO Max’s “Love and Death.” The limited series is about the true story of Texas housewife Candy Montgomery’s murder of Betty Gore in 1980, and hails from David E. Kelley, Nicole Kidman and Lionsgate Television.

Nnamdi Asomugha has inked an exclusive first-look agreement with Amazon Studios via his iAm21 Entertainment. The “Sylvie’s Love” star and producer will develop and produce projects to premiere in theaters and on Amazon Prime.

Mark Gordon Pictures is proceeding with its series adaptation of Norman Mailer’s spy epic “Harlot’s Ghost,” according to Deadline. “The Bureau” creator Eric Rochant is set as showrunner on the drama. He’ll also write, direct and executive produce the project.

Esports Business Summit is a month away! This is your opportunity to connect with the entire esports ecosystem, from the start-ups setting out to innovate the industry to the legends who have paved the way to the industry uprise. You’ll hear from a robust speaking lineup featuring Jack Links, Bud Light, McDonald’s, Misfits Gaming, SuperLeague, Lenovo, 100Thieves, and more. Lock in your presence before it’s too late: Register now!

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

“I Know What You Did Last Summer” bows on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, October 15, just in time for Halloween. The series is a modern take on the 1997 horror movie.

The premiere date for bilingual comedy “Acapulco,” starring and executive produced by Eugenio Derbez, has been set. The10-episode original series launches globally on Friday, October 8 on Apple TV+.

Syndicated daytime talk show “The Doctors” returns Monday, September 20. The show’s 14th season resumes with the theme “A Prescription For A Better You,” designed to inspire and empower viewers to take control of their health and wellness.

FYI’s “Smart Home Nation” premieres Monday, September 20 at 10p with back-to-back episodes. Hosted by Tanya Memme (“Sell This House”), the 10-episode season showcases some of the most state-of-the-art small houses in the world.

Hulu Original “Dopesick” bows Wednesday, October 13 with the first three episodes. The series examines how one company triggered the worst drug epidemic in American history and takes viewers to the epicenter of our nation’s struggle with opioid addiction.

BYUtv’s puppet workplace comedy “9 Years to Neptune” bows Monday, September 27 at 7:30p. The series, which centers on an eccentric billionaire who decides to fund a mission to Neptune, can be viewed for free on the BYUtv app.

If you missed this Monday’s Diversity and Inclusion Virtual Event, you didn’t miss out: all of the sessions are available on-demand now! You can still learn key insights for what it takes to hit the right notes when it comes to reflecting real-life diversity in your work. Start watching now here.

COMING UP

With the holiday season just around the corner, GAC Family has announced “Great American Christmas.” It’s the network’s first franchise presenting original holiday themed movies and specials. Kicking things off will be “Welcome to Great American Christmas,” a special hosted by Debbie Matenopoulos and Cameron Mathison, on Sunday, October 24 at 8p. Also on the slate is “A Kindhearted Christmas,” starring Mathison and Jennie Garth, debuting Saturday, November 20 at 8p.

Horror icon Elvira returns to the small screen for a one-night movie marathon event, “Elvira’s 40th Anniversary, Very Scary, Very Special Special” on Saturday, September 25 at 8p. It’s part of Shudder’s annual “61 Days of Halloween” lineup.

The New York Times Presents’ latest film, “Move Fast & Vape Things,” premieres Friday, September 17 at 10 on FX and Hulu, to delve into the e-cigarette company, Juul.

“Best Friend’s Haunted Hotel Mystery,” CJC Network’s first original animated movie, debuts Friday, October 29. Produced by Carl Jackson Animation, it explores the story on teens who volunteer with the local police station to try and find a missing friend.

Food Network meets Magnolia in one-hour special “Molly Yeh’s Magnolia Adventure.” The “Girl Meets Farm” host travels to Waco, TX, the home of Chip and Joanna Gaines, for some creative inspiration starting Sunday, October 24 at 11a on Food Network and discovery+.

Sony Canal is adding Saturday marathons of “Zorro: La Espada y la Rosa” beginning Saturday, September 18 in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The series joins a lineup of Spanish-language dramas including “Dona Barbara,” El Mariachi,” “Rosario Tijeras” and “Verdad Oculta,” as well as localized versions of comedies “The Nanny,” “Married with Children” and “Who’s the Boss?”.

Tubi Original soccer comedy “Domingo” and dramatic thriller “La Dosis” debut on free streaming service on Friday, September 17. The two projects are part of Tubi’s LatinX Heritage Month programming.

Call for Submissions: Cynopsis is producing our annual Holiday Programming Guide, which comes out on October 28 and will be sent to all Cynopsis subscribers. If your network has holiday programming airing from October 28 through January 1, please send your listing to [email protected] and [email protected] no later October 15 with the subject line: Holiday Guide. To be included, programs must be listed by date, title of program, and start times, in the following format: “Thursday, November 19: Network Name: My One Christmas Wish at 9a, Paper Angels at 11a, 12 Days of Giving at 1p”. Holiday-related programs only! A confirmation email will be sent following each submission (if you don’t receive a confirmation email, please resubmit).

STREAMING

Univision, UniMas and Galavision programming are now available on YouTube TV. The deal also gives subscribers in top Hispanic markets, including Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas and Chicago among others, a new way to access Univision and UniMas’ local news, weather and programming. Univision’s network and local content is available to YouTube TV members as part of the subscription streaming service’s standard offering.

Redbox has partnered with film production and distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories to bring hundreds of hours of content to it’s Ad Supported Video on Demand streaming service. Films that will be offered include “We Need to Talk about Kevin,” “The Messenger” and “Howl.”

Electric Entertainment acquired worldwide broadcast distribution rights to TV series “To The Lake.” The series is the screen adaptation of the best-selling novel, Vongozero, and is available on Netflix in the U.S.

TECH TALK

Adobe and Yahoo have announced that Yahoo ConnectID, Yahoo’s people-first, sustainable identifier, will power an integration with Adobe Experience Platform. The partnership enables marketers to leverage Adobe Experience Platform to create custom audience segment built on consent-based first-party data and expand reach through Yahoo ad tech. In lieu of third-party cookies, marketers will still be able to drive personal experiences consumers expect, while supporting privacy preferences and transparency.

Playco and Sway House are launching the first game on TikTok. “Sway Stories” allows users to play the part of a young, aspiring creator, who receives a surprise invitation to a party at the Sway House, and their choices determine how their story plays out. Josh Richards (“BFFs” with Dave Portnoy) and Griffin Johnson (of Sway House) star in the game.

SESSION SPOTLIGHT

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The effects of Hurricane Ida – widespread power outages and preemptions for news coverage – were felt on syndicated shows the week of August 30. Just two talk shows scored higher ratings despite blackouts, and both were in preseason reruns: “Dr. Phil” (three-week high 1.4 Live+SD national Nielsen, up 8% from the week before) and renewed rookie “Drew Barrymore” (six-week high 0.5, up 25%). Top talker of the 2020-21 season, “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (1.6, steady), was also in repeats but still finished first in the genre for the 17th week on a row. .

Fox News Channel was the highest-rated cable news channel during coverage of the California special recall election on Tuesday. When the results came in at 11p, FNC had the largest audience on cable news across the board, averaging nearly 2 million viewers and 385,000 A25-54.

Broadcast Nielsen Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of August 30 ranked in order by HH Rtg
Family Feud (CMV) 5.5 AA
Wheel of Fortune (CMV) 4.5 AA
Judge Judy (CMV) 4.4 AA
Jeopardy (CMV) 4.1 AA
The Big Bang Theory (WB) 2.3 AA
Inside Edition (CMV) 2.2 AA
Entertainment Tonight (CMV) 2.0AA
Live With Kelly and Ryan (DAD) 1.6 AA
Last Man Standing (DAD) 1.5 AA
Hot Bench (CMV) 1.4 AA
Dr. Phil (CMV) 1.4 AA

Binge Report for the week of September 6
Money Heist (Netflix) – 10.17%
Lucifer (Netflix) – 5.45%
Good Girls (NBC) – 2.29%
Modern Family (ABC US)– 1.79%
One Piece (Fuji TV) – 1.76%
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC US) – 1.50%
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC) – 1.46%
The Office (US) (NBC) – 0.96%
Into the Night (Netflix) – 0.95%
The Good Doctor (ABC US) – 0.94%
The weekly Binge Report ranks shows with the most binge sessions. A binge session is when four or more episodes of a show are watched and tracked in the TV Time app within a given day.

Shows on the Rise for the week of September 6
Into the Night (Netflix) – 97.10%
The Circle (US) (Netflix) – 91.90%
Lucifer (Netflix) – 83.00%
Rick and Morty (Adult Swim) – 73.50%
Billions (Showtime) – 73.20%
American Crime Story (FX) – 63.80%
Dive Club (Network 10) – 58.10%
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (Netflix) – 53.60%
Liars (FR) – 29.00%
Hell’s Kitchen (US) – 27.80%
Every week, millions of viewers around the world use TV Time to track their favorite series. “Shows on the Rise” is calculated by determining the week-over-week growth in episodes watched for a given program.

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Tuesday, September 14
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Bachelor in Paradise 3.04 (0.9), The Ultimate Surfer 1.32 (0.3)
CBS: FBI 3.30 (0.3), FBI 3.29 (0.3), FBI: Most Wanted 3.33 (0.2)
CW: DC’s Star Girl 0.81 (0.2), Supergirl 0.65 (0.1)
FOX: LEGO Masters 1.39 (0.4), Fantasy Island 1.22 (0.3)
ION: Chicago Fire 1.31 (0.2), Chicago Fire 1.35 (0.2), Chicago Fire 1.27 (0.2)
NBC: America’s Got Talent 7.16 (0.9), Family Game Fight! 2.46 (0.5)
Telemundo: La Casa del los Famosos 1.23 (0.4), Hercal: Amor e Venganza 1.41 (0.4), Café con Aroma de Mujer 1.04 (0.3)
Univision: Disenando Tu Amor 1.58 (0.4), Si Nos Dijon 1.63 (0.5), La Desalmada 1.75 (0.5)
Source: Nielsen, live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

The Cartel hired Lexi Lewis as Director of Development. She was previously Manager of Creative Development at Reel One Entertainment.

DISQO appointed David Karp as Vice President, Customer Success. He joins the company from Numerator.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
The pilot of what short-lived series followed the series finale of HBO’s “The Sopranos”? “John from Cincinnati” (2007). Kudos to: Heather Allen-WWE Corporation/Stamford, CT; Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta, GA; Marni C. Gold/Hawthorne, NJ; Drew Berkowitz-StreamElements/NYC; Charlie Conner-KOKI-KMYT/Tulsa, OK; Aaron Paquette-AccelerateSG/Fort Worth, TX; John Kukla-KDFW-KDFI/Dallas, TX; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA; Susan Nessanbaum Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/Los Angeles, CA; Luke Watson-Entertaining Concepts/Los Angeles, CA; Ray Giacopelli-M17 Media Intel/Sonoma, CA.

Today’s Trivia Question
On which series did Bobby Sherman guest-star as a struggling songwriter, leading to the short-lived spinoff, “Getting Together”? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four.)