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Today’s Premieres
Netflix: My Little Pony: Make Your Mark

IN THE NEWS

A+E Networks and History Channel’s “History Talks” event on Saturday in Washington, DC included candid talk with a wide array of A-listers, from former White House residents, to Hollywood A-listers to icons like Malala Yousafzai and Serena Williams. “What’s more important? Our common humanity or differences?” asked former president Bill Clinton. “And what works better to build the kind of future we all want? Does cooperation work better, or is everything a zero-sum game?” Julia Roberts told Gayle King that negotiating for a paycheck equal to male stars wasn’t a complicated decision. “When I’m working, I work very hard,” Roberts said. “I’m ready. I’m on time. I’m prepared. I’m happy. I’m all-in. So, show me the money.” Recently retired tennis superstar Williams didn’t rule out a comeback. “I feel like if I want to come back, I definitely can still come back,” she told moderator Bradley Cooper. And in a talk with Anna Kendrick, Yousafzai urged young people to raise their voices for justice. “I believe in the power of the youth. I hope more young people realize the potential to bring change. Don’t wait to be older,” she said. “You can do amazing things then as well.”

“Saturday Night Live” has lost eight cast members since last season, and Lorne Michaels gave his perspective on why in an interview with the New York Times ahead of the NBC show’s upcoming 48th season. “We got to a point where we had a lot of people, and people weren’t getting enough playing time,” he said in an interview. “The way the series has survived is by that level of renewal. The price of success is that people go off and do other things; their primary obligation is to their talent and to keep pushing that.”

Constance Wu alleged she was sexually harassed by a senior producer when she acted on ABC sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat,” which aired on the network from 2015-20. In an interview with The New York Times, the “Crazy Rich Asians” star discusses an incident she wrote about in her memoir Making a Scene where a producer she does not refer to by name demonstrated “controlling behaviors,” as well as other incidents with him.

A never-seen clip from “Squid Game” made a debut at Netflix’s Tudum event in Korea. The clip, which was shown to attendees, confirms the mysterious identity of the Front Man from the series.

It’s a one-season run for “Queer As Folk” on Peacock. The streamer opted not to pick up second 2 of the reimagined series created by Russell T. Davies and Stephen Dunn, based on the British series created by Davies. The new iteration, which premiered June 9, centers on a diverse group of friends in New Orleans whose lives are transformed after a tragedy.

More than half of members of Gen Z surveyed for new study by engagement API platform Agora said they would be more likely to engage with a company or brand that uses interactive live videos to connect with audiences. The survey, commissioned to examine the ways Gen Z consumers are engaging with brands that use interactive live video through their own platforms or via third-party apps, like TikTok, Twitch and Instagram also revealed:
* 53 percent would prefer live televised events (concerts, sports or award shows) to have interactive video features so they can engage friends during the event.
* Bad internet connection (56 percent) and video quality (54 percent) were the challenges Gen Z most often encounters with interactive live video experiences.

Costume Designers Guild Awards set Monday, February 27 as the date for the 25th annual ceremony celebrating excellence in film, television and short form costume design.

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PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is getting the TV treatment. An untitled crime-fighting series is in the works at Fox and will follow the Port Authority’s first female chief as she leads its major crimes unit while also contending with the Mafia, governors from the two states, the NYPD, the FBI and her own police union.

Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories, and film and TV studio Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content) acquired the rights to Dianne Yarwood’s upcoming debut novel “The Wakes” and will adapt it as a TV series. Jodi Matterson, Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Lucinda Reynolds will exec-produce the story about two failing marriages, two strangers falling in love, two friends embarking on a catering business—and the funerals that connect them all.

“The Butcher & The Wren,” the crime novel penned by “Morbid” podcast host Alaina Urquhart, is being adapted for TV by “Chernobyl” producer “Sister.” Jennifer Yale, exec producer of “Dexter” and “See,” will serve as showrunner and Radio Silence trio Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett and Chad Villella will directing.Plot follows the dueling perspectives of a notorious serial killer and the medical examiner following his trail of victims in the Louisiana bayou.

Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Graebel, Bart Johnson, Alyson Reed and Laycee Stroh are among the original “High School Musical” cast members joining season 4 of Disney+ series “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” currently in production. Action picks up as the Wildcats return to East High after an epic summer at Camp Shallow Lake.

Casting: HBO is rounding out the cast for “True Detective: Night Country,” with John Hawkes (“Deadwood”), Christopher Eccleston (“The Leftovers”), Fiona Shaw (“Killing Eve”), Finn Bennett (“Domina”) and Anna Lambe (“Three Pines”) set as leads alongside Jodie Foster and Kali Reis in season 4… Sheyi Cole (“Small Axe”) scored a key role in the HBO Max limited series “Full Circle”… Michael Cimino (“Love, Victor”) is joining Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever.”

Illumination is teaming up with animation vet Mike Moon to form new label Moonlight, which will both augment Illumination’s existing slate and produce animated films beyond the family genre. Moon will serve as both president of Moonlight and senior creative advisor to Illumination.

Toonz Entertainment acquired exclusive distribution rights for preschool CGI series “Everything’s Rosie” from UK-based V&S Entertainment Ltd. The program includes 104 short-form eps for US, Canada, LATAM and IBERIA. The series promotes social, emotional, cognitive and physical educational values.

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

Trotting onto Netflix today (September 26), “My Little Pony: Make Your Mark” brings magic back to Equestria thanks to a gaggle of Pegasi, Unicorns and Earth Ponies all with their own special talents.

“The Watcher,” Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s TV adaptation of the true story about a stalker in New Jersey, premieres Thursday, October 13. The limited series stars Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale.

Discovery+’s “Million Dollar Wheels” revs up for a new season Monday, October 24 at 10p, and will get a linear launch on TNT. The series offers a behind the scenes look into the life of the world’s most successful celebrity car dealer…and all those trying to steal his throne.

Ready for more Jennifer Coolidge antics at an exclusive faraway resort? HBO’s “The White Lotus,” fresh from picking up 10 Emmys including outstanding limited or anthology series, returns for a second installment of seven episodes Sunday, October 30 at 9p. Mike White returns to helm the new season, which set in Sicily and follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week.

The fifth season of “The Crown” will debut as planned on Wednesday, November 9. Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, the streamer had been in discussions about how best to proceed with the new season launch.

Canela Media original docuseries “Mi Vida,” featuring Latino celebrities’ firsthand accounts of their lives, premieres Thursday, November 10. Season will feature 10 self-contained episodes, the first of which features Kate del Castillo.

“Dead to Me” is making a long-awaited return to Netflix. The third and final season of the dark comedy starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini will debut Thursday, November 17.

Gangs of London heads back to AMC+ for a second season Thursday, November 17. New season of the drama delves into a darker era of chaos and turbulent power struggles, one year after the death of Sean Wallace and the violent reckonings of season 1.

FX’s limited series “Fleishman Is In Trouble” will premiere Thursday, November 17 exclusively via Hulu. The eight-ep series, which will soon be available on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ under the Star banner in all other territories, is based on theTaffy Brodesser-Akner novel about a recently a separated 40-something guy who finds himself juggling parenthood, work, success in the world of app-based dating and a surprising desire to assess why his marriage fell apart.

“Wednesday” is, of course, debuting on a Wednesday. Netflix set November 23 for Tim Burton’s upcoming “Addams Family” spinoff series starring Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams.

Netflix’s upcoming CIA series got a title, and a premiere date. Noah Centineo starrer “The Recruit” will premiere Friday, December 16.

Also at the streamer, “Emily In Paris” will say bonjour to season 3 on Wednesday, December 21. A new teaser hints the series’ starring character will have to make her “hardest decision” yet this go-round.

Season 4 of Penn Badgley-starring series “You” will get a split premiere on Netflix next year. First part of the season will premiere February 10 with the second part debuting March 10.

COMING UP

Discovery Channel and Science Channel will both air the feed for NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test in live special “Asteroid Impact Live: DART Mission” today (September 26) at 6p. Coverage will feature the NASA feed of DART as the mission undergoes its final leg of its journey to make a first attempt to alter the course of an asteroid by intentionally crashing a spacecraft into it.

ABC’s late-nighter “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” heads back to Brooklyn for a week of shows taping live from the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House from Monday, September 26 – Friday, September 30. Guests include Amy Schumer, David Letterman, Tracy Morgan, Mila Kunis and Ben Stiller.

The planned season finale of CBS’ “FBI” titled “Prodigal Son,” which was pulled following the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, is back on the schedule for Tuesday, October 4. Ep involves the team working to prevent a shooting.

PBS NewsHour special “Ricochet: An American Trauma” will air on PBS on Wednesday, October 5 at 10p. One-hour doc, hosted by PBS NewsHour correspondent William Brangham, will explore the three most common forms of gun violence in the US: community shootings, suicide and mass shootings.

Estrella Media and TV Azteca announced the nominations for EstrellaTV’s 2022 Premios de la Radio, which will be broadcast live on EstrellaTV on Thursday, November 3 at 8p and Azteca Uno at 8p Saturday, November 5. Carin Leon leads with seven nominations; Grupo Firme received six nominations; and Eden Munoz and Yahritza y Su Esencia received five noms each.

Apple Original Films will debut holiday musical comedy “Spirited” in theaters November 11 before it heads to Apple TV+ on Friday, November 18. Film is a modern musical rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol,” directed by Sean Anders and starring Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds and Octavia Spencer.

“Your Place Or Mine,” the Reese Witherspoon-Ashton Kutcher romantic comedy, got a premiere date of Friday, February 10 on Netflix. The film follows two long-distance best friends who change each other’s lives.

SPORTS

Apple Music, the NFL and Roc Nation announced that Rihanna will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show at Super Bowl LVII, on Feb.12 in Glendale. The telecast will be produced by DPS with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins serving as executive producers, and Hamish Hamilton serving as director. Roc Nation is also serving as the strategic entertainment advisors of the live performance. “Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn. A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment,” said Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter.

The Halftime Show news comes after Apple made waves on Friday, inking a deal to become the NFL’s new Super Bowl Halftime Show partner in the multiyear pact. Apple Music replaces Pepsi, which had the rights to the halftime show for the prior 10 Super Bowls.

Amid new controversy involving former NFL QB Brett Favre, SiriusXM is hitting the brakes in his show on the platform due to his involvement in a Mississippi welfare fraud scandal, according to multiple reports. The news follows ESPN Milwaukee’s decision to suspend his weekly Packers recap show, The Brett Favre Show, per NBC Sports.

The University of Nebraska and Playfly Sports locked in a new 15-year multimedia rights agreement that makes Playfly Nebraska’s exclusive MMR rights holder and sponsorship arm effective October 1. “Nebraska is one of the premier athletic programs in the country, and we are honored that Trev Alberts, his staff, and the university have entrusted us with such an important element of their future growth and success, said Christy Hedgpeth, President at Playfly Sports Properties. “Playfly is incredibly energized to support the Huskers with innovative marketing and media solutions that seek to improve the experience of Nebraska’s student-athletes, fans, and alumni across the state and throughout the country.”

Aaron Judge’s pursuit of a home run record handed FOX with its largest audience of the Major League Baseball season on Thursday night, according to Nielsen. Regional Major League Baseball on FOX featuring a Red Sox/Yankees battle in most markets averaged a 1.9 rating and 3.23 million viewers Thursday night to score as the highest rated and most-watched game of the regular season. The previous highs were a 1.7 and 3.10 million for the Cubs-Reds “Field of Dreams” game last month.

STREAMING NEWS

Pluto TV is launching a curated channel dedicated to “60 Minutes,” as the series launches its 55th season on sister network CBS. The AVOD streaming service will offer an exclusive collection of 400-plus archival segments, as opposed to new content.

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Inclusivity in media planning

Craig Geller, EVP at Azteca America, will be joining BIG TV as a moderator for “Cultural Equity in Media Planning,” which will dive into the tools and data needed for companies to better engage with their diverse audiences. This timely and important discussion will include Karina Dobarro of Horizon Media, LaToya Christian of GroupM, and Detavio Samuels of Revolt. Join them this Thursday!

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RATINGS

On its second to last season ep, ABC’s “The Bachelorette” marked new season highs in both Total Viewers (4.4 million) and A18-49 (1.2/11), and delivered its strongest telecast of the last two seasons in both Nielsen measures. The episode also ranked as the No. 1 entertainment telecast of the summer on any network on any night among A18-49 (1.2/11).

“Halloween Wars” averaged a 0.7 A18+/1.0 W18+ L3 rating in its Sunday, September 18 return on Food Network, up 51 percent and 46 percent respectively vs. the net’s prior six-week timeslot average. The 8p premiere of “Road to Halloween Wars” special delivered a 0.5 A18+/0.7 W18+ L3 rating, up 32 percent and 39 percent respectively vs. prior six-week timeslot average.

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Thursday, September 22
Show, P2+ 000s, (A18-49)
ABC: Celebrity Family Feud 3.68 (0.5), Normanl: 100 Years of Music 2.72 (0.3)
CBS: Young Sheldon 3.68 (0.4), Young Sheldon 3.59 (0.4), Big Brother 3.14 (0.6), Ghosts 1.61 (0.2), Ghosts 1.60 (0.1)
CW: Bump 0.22 (0.0), Whose Line Is It Anyway? 0.26 (0.0), Great Chocolate Showdown 0.37 (0.1)
FOX: Thursday Night Baseball 3.23 (0.6), Thursday Night Baseball 1.74 (0.4)
NBC: Law & Order: Organized Crime 4.97 (0.6), Law & Order: SVU 5.47 (0.7), Law & Order 4.69 (0.6)
Telemundo: Top Chef VIP 1.01 (0.3), Fuego Del Destino 0.85 (0.2), Infiel: Historia de un Engano 0.99 (0.3)
Univision: Univisionarios 1.04 (0.3), Ricos Tambien Lloran 1.02 (0.3)
Source: Nielsen live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Ken Barker, principal accounting officer at Netflix, resigned just three months after joining the company. Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann will take on the role while the company looks for for Barker’s permanent replacement.

IN MEMORIAM

George Ward, who went by the name Cherry Valentine and starred in the second season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK,” died on September 18. He was 28. Ward also hosted his own documentary, “Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud,” which aired on BBC Three. No cause of death has been given.

This Day in History
1985 – Shamu, the first killer whale to survive being born in captivity, was born at Sea World in Orlando.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
What character that originally appeared on “Homicide: Life on the Street” (1993-1997) went on to appear in a dozen different television series? Detective John Munch, played by Richard Belzer. Kudos to: John Carlo-UP Entertainment/NY; Scott Deaner-Horizon Media/NY; Betsy Frank-Betsy Frank Insights/NY; Bill Graff-BeIN SPORTS/Miami; Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta; Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NY; Kevin Weist-Sideways Hat Creative/NY; Adam Leston-Weigel Broadcasting/Milwaukee; Wendy Holmes/Denver; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Frank Nicotero/Sherman Oaks, CA; Dave Sikula-San Francisco State University/SF

Today’s Trivia Question
In which film did “Maid” co-stars Margaret Qualley and Nick Robinson previously work 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 answers per time zone.)

Cynopsis Team