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Hello, readers! Here’s what to expect in today’s news:
- The Block The Merger Coalition Encourages State AGs To Keep Fighting The Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger
- Dolly Parton’s Co-Star Gets Slammed For His Tribute To The Late Country Icon
- “The Big Bang Theory” Tops Nielsen Streaming Charts Thanks To Spinoff “Stuart Fails To Save The Universe”
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In The News
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It seems there’s never a dull day for the unfolding ParaBros saga. The Block the Merger Coalition, headed by comedian and “The Traitors” host Alan Cumming, launched a new petition encouraging the 12 state attorneys general to “hold strong” in their legal battle to oppose the $110 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery.
- The petition urges the 12 state AGs to avoid accepting “empty concessions” Paramount might make regarding its intended acquisition of WBD. In this case, concessions refer to behavioral commitments, such as minimum output guarantees for new films in production, for example. The Block the Merger coalition argues that only structural remedies, such as divesting certain assets, would protect the media and entertainment industry from the major losses in jobs and industry competition that would likely take place should the deal close.
- Paramount’s promises, including production output, would likely be difficult to enforce, TheWrap reports. Plus, the petition reminds the state AGs that financial analysts have doubts about whether Paramount can “survive the wait of the trial,” referring to the $7-million-per-day ticking fee that Paramount will have to pay WBD shareholders after Oct. 1.
- This petition follows Iowa and Montana filing a Motion for Leave to File Bill of Complaint on Tuesday with the Supreme Court against the 12 states currently blocking the merger on antitrust grounds, led by California AG Rob Bonta. The two states are looking for a response by Sept. 15.
- The lawsuit headed by the dozen state AGs is scheduled to go to trial in March 2027. Paramount has already agreed to delay closing its acquisition until five days after the trial wraps, or until June 1 – whichever happens first.
- The Takeaway: Mergers and acquisitions of this scale are likely to have far-reaching impacts and ramifications within and beyond the industry that the companies in question originate from. Which means that the politically charged nature of the contention and arguments from both sides may be par for the course.
While the media and entertainment world mourns Dolly Parton, the late country music icon’s co-star Ricky Schroder got publicly shamed for a tribute that many fans and industry voices deemed insensitive.
- Schroder, who played Parton’s father in two NBC movies about her childhood, posted a tribute to Parton on social media. In his post, Schroder acknowledged that he disagreed with Parton on her support for both the transgender community and the COVID-19 vaccine.
- While most comments were negative, calling Schroder’s tribute disrespectful, intolerant and self-centered, the co-star’s fans chimed in with the message Schroder may have intended: “We can disagree and still love each other. At least conservatives can.”
- The Takeaway: If you are waiting for news and discussions throughout the media and entertainment world to become a bit less politically charged… looks like you’ll need to keep waiting.
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New & Returning Series
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For sneak peeks, check out Cynopsis Trailer Park.
TLC’s “1000-Lb. Sisters” returns with a new season on Sept. 1. Season 9 features sisters Tammy and Amy repairing their relationships and exploring new hobbies and passion points while continuing their weight-loss journey, both together and as individuals. Episodes will be available to stream the following day on HBO Max.
Starz dropped the official trailer and key art for “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” Season 2, taking viewers back in time to 1700s Scotland and the start of the Jacobite Uprising alongside two young couples tasked with navigating the time period’s battles and politics to find their way back to each other. The new season premieres Sept. 18.
HBO Original comedy series “Youth,” starring the show’s creator Sharon Horgan (“Bad Sisters,” “Catastrophe”), premieres Sept. 20. The initial eight-episode season explores the divorced protagonist’s search for love while juggling the care of her adult son and ailing parents. Episodes will air on Sundays, and will be available to stream the following day on HBO Max.
We TV and All Reality – both owned by AMC Global Media – shared the official trailer and key art for a new unscripted series, “Love After Lockup: Relationship Rehab.” The series features five couples from the “Love After Lockup” franchise working closely with relationship expert and psychiatrist Dr. Ish Major. The original series, executive produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment subsidiary Sharp Entertainment, will premiere Oct. 2 on We TV. Weekly episodes will also be available to stream on the All Reality subscription service.
Adult Swim released the official trailer and Oct. 3 premiere date for its upcoming series, “Get Jiro,” a series adaptation of the late chef Anthony Bourdain’s work. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Studios, and episodes will be available to stream on HBO Max.
ESPN and Words + Pictures announced that the ESPN Original docuseries “Saban” will premiere Oct. 8. The series chronicles the storied legacy of former football coach Nick Saban, who became a sports analyst and member of the College Football Hall of Fame after retiring from coaching in 2024. Episodes will air on ESPN with all six episodes available to stream on the ESPN App at launch.
TODAY’S PREMIERES
Apple TV: “Dark Matter”
HBO Max: “The Producer”
Netflix: “Chumbak”; “Mousetrap”; “All the Truth in My Lies”
Telemundo: “Amor Eterno: The Legacy of El Divo”
SATURDAY’S PREMIERES
ABC: “Saturday Night College Football” at 7:30 p.m.
Hallmark: “Much About Love”
Netflix: “our Hands, Two Sonatas”
SUNDAY’S PREMIERES
Adult Swim: ““The Robot Chicken Adult Swim Special” at 11:30 p.m.
CBS: “Remembering Dolly: A Rhinestone Life” at 8 p.m.
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Production
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Amazon-owned Prime Video ordered a series adaptation of Stephen King’s “Crouch End,” named for the North London district where the story takes place. The series will be produced by the studios Mammoth Screen and Fifth Season and is slated for production in the UK.
MGM Studios, also owned by Amazon, ordered a new murder mystery title, “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone,” a series adaptation of the best-selling book series by author and stand-up comedian Benjamin Stevenson. Starring in the dark comedy is Penn Badgley (“You,” “Gossip Girl”). David Hemingson (“The Holdovers”), who is serving as showrunner, will executive produce the series alongside Stevenson, Badgley, Bruna Papandrea and Molly Allen as well as Steve Hutensky and Jeanne Snow of Made Up Stories, one of the production studios behind the series. The other studio is Fifth Season.
Hulu ordered a second season of the Hulu Original drama series “Furious.” The series stars Emmy Rossum (“Shameless”), Lola Petticrew (“Say Nothing”), Quincy Tyler Bernstine (“Power,” “Modern Love”) and Scoot McNairy (“Halt and Catch Fire”).
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Tech News You Can Use
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Gracenote, the content intelligence arm of Nielsen, inked a new deal with digital ad platform The Trade Desk. As part of the deal, Gracenote will make more detailed information about content and programming available to advertisers. Program-level information is at the top of advertisers’ wish lists, and many marketers say they’d be willing to invest more in TV and video programming if they had more details about where their ads are running.
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Sports Report
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The CW and Sports San Diego announced that The CW will serve as the official broadcast partner for the 13th annual Poinsettia Bowl and the 47th annual Holiday Bowl, presented by the San Diego County Credit Union. Both events take place in December and add 140 hours to The CW’s college football programming slate this year. The season kicks off this weekend, and the seasonal and bowl games will be available to stream on the ESPN App.
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Distribution
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Free streaming service Kanopy announced that it will introduce a slate of popular TV series to its platform in September, with highlights including “Doctor Who,” “Cagney & Lacey,” “The Night Manager” and “Killing Eve.”
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Ratings
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Nielsen’s streaming TV ratings are in for the week of July 27. “The Big Bang Theory” topped the streaming charts for the first time with 1.14 billion viewing minutes. It marks the show’s third consecutive week hitting at least 1 billion viewing minutes. Considering the show’s most recent episode aired roughly seven years ago, it’s possible the spinoff series “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” is having a positive impact on the original hit show, according to the report. Among other highlights: “House of the Dragon” has made the Top 10 chart every week since the Season 3 premiere in June.
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Executive Moves
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Global TV and media production company Anonymous Content hired media and entertainment veteran Steve Shikiya as chief operating officer.
Longtime college football coach Brian Kelly will join SiriusXM, where he will be a weekly co-host for SiriusXM College Sports Radio throughout the 2026 season.
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In Memoriam
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Canadian voice actor Peter Cullen died at 85 years old on Wednesday, his agent Kevin Motley announced. In television, Cullen was best known for his work as Optimus Prime in a series of “Transformers” projects and for voicing the gloomy Eeyore in “Winnie the Pooh.”
Paramount Pictures veteran Andrea Eastman died Wednesday at 86, her family announced. Eastman was best known for her work as the casting director for renowned films such as “The Godfather.” While Eastman was less active in the world of television, her legacy inspired storylines for TV shows, including the 2022 Paramount miniseries “The Offer,” in which Eastman was portrayed by actor Stephanie Koenig (“English Teacher,” “Lessons in Chemistry”).
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Friday Fun Fact
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A cat’s short-term memory can last up to 16 hours.
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The “Spider-Man” animated series (1994-98) used which word in place of “radiation” to avoid scaring kids in describing the DNA mutation that Peter Parker underwent as a result of a spider bite?
Email answers to Trivia@Cynopsis.com and include your name, company and city/state (don’t forget!). Only the first four correct responses from each time zone will be included.
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Yesterday’s Trivia Answer
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What was the first-ever American TV series to star an African-American woman in a non-subservient (meaning, not a maid or servant) lead role? “Julia.”
Congrats to: Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NYC; Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL; Kayla Moriarty-Fallon/NYC; Susan Nessanbaum- Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions; LA
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