Forget the tough-guy trope — Gen Alpha and Gen Z are ready for a glow-up in masculinity. A new study from the Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) at UCLA, titled “Gen Alpha and Gen Z: Evolving Masculinity,” finds that young viewers ages 10–24 want to see dads on TV and films who hug, laugh, and actually like being parents. In fact, nearly 60% of teens surveyed said they want to see more joyful fatherhood on screen, and about 46% are looking for stories where men ask for help — including support for their mental health. “Youth are craving a version of masculinity defined by emotional availability and joyful connection,” said Yalda T. Uhls, founder and CEO of CSS and the study’s senior author. The takeaway for storytellers? Swap the lone wolf for the loving partner. Today’s most compelling hero isn’t the strong, silent type riding off into the sunset – he’s the one packing school lunches, showing up for therapy, and sticking around for the bedtime story.

HBO has renewed “Industry” for a fifth and final season. Global viewing for season four – which concludes Sunday, March 1 – is pacing roughly +30% ahead of the third season. US cross platform viewers are averaging 1.7 million per episode and growing. “For some time now we have been thinking about how best to end the show on an unparalleled high,” said Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, creators, showrunners, writers, directors, and executive producers, in a statement. “Unlike some of our characters, we know when to leave a party.”

Matt Dillon (“Crash”) will star in and executive produce MGM+ drama series “The Magnificent Seven,” taking on the role made famous by Yul Brynner in the 1960 film. The eight-episode project hails from “Heroes” creator Tim Kring. “Matt Dillon brings extraordinary depth and gravitas to this iconic role,” said Michael Wright, Global Head of MGM+. “His ability to portray complex, morally conflicted characters makes him the perfect choice.” MGM+ Studios and MGM Television Studios are producing.

Eleven Republican state attorneys general wrote to US AG Pam Bondi to register their skepticism over Warner Bros. Discovery’s deal with Netflix, saying it “will likely result in undue market concentration that stifles competition and therefore create higher prices, lower reliability, and less innovation for one of America’s major industries – all to the detriment of American consumers.” The letter also suggests the acquisition would lead to higher subscription prices for “less content of reduced quality.”

Meanwhile, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos is slated to attend meetings at the White House today to discuss the WBD deal, reports Politico. President Trump’s demand that Susan Rice, who served in three Democratic administrations, be fired from Netflix’s board is expected to be a topic of discussion. Rice raised Trump’s ire by saying that companies that took “a knee to Trump” would face accountability from Democrats if that party wins a majority in Congress in the midterm elections in November.

“Dark Winds” returned for its fourth season on February 15 – and once again earned a perfect 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. “’Dark Winds’ is a bona fide commercial smash for AMC and AMC+,” said Dan McDermott, Chief Content Officer of AMC Networks and President of AMC Studios. “The fact that it’s received universally rave reviews for each of its four seasons is inspiring, unprecedented, and totally due to the incredible talents of Zahn McClarnon, John Wirth, and the rest of the writers, directors, cast and crew.” The thriller drama’s premiere night audience on linear was almost 2 million viewers (Nielsen Live+3 ratings), and now ranks as the #3 cable drama in total viewers for the current broadcast season.

Convergent TV World kicks off March 5 in NYC — and the 2026 Awards finalists are ready for the spotlight. Join the industry as we celebrate cross-screen leaders and reveal this year’s winners live.

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Speaking of seniors, experts tackle the realities of growing older in “Aging Untold,” a new weekday, unscripted series debuting Monday, March 2 on Gray stations nationwide. “At Gray, we’re all about bringing unique programming to our communities that offers honest answers for everyone – whether you’re a senior, an adult child of an aging parent, or simply someone who cares about someone in their golden years,” said Sandy Breland, EVP and COO.

Every Wednesday in March, TLC will spotlight individuals living with rare medical conditions and their stories of transformation. New series premiering next month include “Body Bizarre” on March 4 at 8p, and “Bad Foot Clinic” on March 18 at 10p.

Season four of “Sullivan’s Crossing” kicks off Monday, April 20 at 8p on The CW. Season three was a top 5 CW original linear series.

AspireTV is launching its first scripted series later this year. “Savannah State of Mind,” following students at a historically Black college, comes from Bentley Kyle Evans (“The Jamie Foxx Show”). “I’m incredibly excited to bring ‘Savannah State of Mind’ to life because there simply aren’t enough shows that authentically capture this experience,” said Kyle Evans. “HBCUs are spaces filled with brilliance, ambition, humor, vulnerability and transformation, and they deserve to be seen in all of that fullness.” Founded by Magic Johnson, AspireTV is now owned by UP Entertainment.

National Geographic announced its first-ever Creator Cohort. Eight emerging digital-first nonfiction storytellers, whose highly engaged span Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, will be involved in a six-month, social-first initiative designed to build long-term relationships with emerging creators whose work aligns with Nat Geo’s mission to both entertain and inspire audiences.

David J. North has signed an overall deal with CBS Studios to create, develop and produce projects. He will continue as showrunner on “NCIS: Origins,” which he co-created.

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Measurement company Kantar Media has a new name: Fifty5Blue. The rebrand follows the company’s separation from Kantar Group and its acquisition by H.I.G. Capital in August. Over the past year, the business has evolved under independent ownership. “We have embraced the freedom to move faster, sharpen our focus and invest for the long-term, while remaining anchored in the independence, rigor and transparency that have always defined our organization and our audience measurement solutions globally,” said Patrick Béhar, Global CEO.

Samsung is using Gracenote metadata to power new LLM-enabled entertainment search and discovery tools to help users find the content they’re looking for through more natural, conversational interactions. The partnership also enhances content discovery with curated carousels and smarter program recommendations. Additionally, the agreement enables Samsung to tap Gracenote’s data to drive AI-powered operational efficiencies.

On March 8, Daylight Savings Sunday, FETV will offer “Saving Time,” an “Emergency!” marathon from 9a-3p. From April 1-5, sister net FMC has its own stunt: “Easter Epics,” with classic films like “Ben Hur” (1959), “The Robe” (1953), “King of Kings” (1961),” Samson and Delilah” (1949), “David and Bathsheba” (1951), and more.

Baseball documentary “Homecoming: The Tokyo Series” will make its streaming debut Friday, March 27 on CNN. The film is a Supper Club production in association with MLB Studios and CNN Films.

“Romance at Hope Ranch” premieres Saturday, February 28 at 8p on Hallmark Channel. The film is part of Hallmark’s annual “Loveuary” stunt.

“You See L.”, a one-hour documentary special focused on UCLA’s Women’s Basketball team, premieres Sunday, March 1 at 8p on FS1.

The CW’s broadcast of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race in Atlanta drew 1.37 million Total Viewers, making it the most-watched Atlanta race in since 2016 on FS1. Viewership was up +5% compared to last year’s same weekend Atlanta race, peaking at 1.8 million viewers.

Top 10 Broadcast Primetime Averages for the Week of February 16
P2+ AA (000)
NB 8369
ABC 2743
CBS 1956
Univision 1286
Telemundo 67
Fox 1207
ION 666
MeTV 550
CW 501
Grit 251

Nick Jeffery has been named Chief Operating Officer for Charter Communications, effective September 1. Jeffery joins Charter from Frontier Communications, where he most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Digital Remedy has named Salil Joshi as Senior Vice President, Technology. Joshi joins Digital Remedy from Viant Technology, where he led teams to deliver core components of the company’s programmatic platform.

Today’s Trivia Question
What was the second Peanuts TV special, after 1965’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas”? (Email trivia@cynopsis.com 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.)