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| Friday, September 18, 2026 |
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Happy Friday, readers! Here’s your news update for today:
- Paramount Doubles Down On Threats To Leave California
- Want To Pitch For “Doctor Who”? Now You Can!
- Nielsen Posts Three Weeks Worth Of Streaming Data
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In The News
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Should I stay or should I go? Paramount CEO David Ellison is dialing up his threats to relocate the company outside Hollywood in an attempt to close its Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition.
- Earlier this week, Paramount notified the offices of California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass that the company is about to formally announce plans to leave California.
- In October, Paramount must start paying a 25-cent-per-share, or $7-million-per-day, ticking fee to WBD for every fiscal quarter the merger deal does not close. Paramount and Bonta’s office are slated to discuss settling the state’s antitrust lawsuit against the merger later that month. It would be logical to see Paramount’s decision as a “pressure play” to speed up a settlement agreement, regulatory attorney Braden Perry told TheWrap.
- The Takeaway: The studio’s supposed relocation plans may be less of a real estate decision and more of a negotiation tactic – and a familiar one in the Ellison playbook. Until the deal closes (or doesn’t), Paramount and regulators are operating under a cloud of uncertainty. The settlement talks will be the leading indicator of what’s to come next.
Netflix’s anime investments are paying off. A new report from Media Partners Asia (MPA) suggests anime viewing on the streaming platform has grown 39% in three years, from 3.33 billion viewing hours in the first half of 2023 to 4.62 billion hours in the first half of 2026. What’s more, anime has grown nearly 10 times faster than the rest of Netflix’s platform with regard to viewing hours, which increased only 4.5% during that same time period.
- According to MPA, Netflix held half of all tracked anime hours across eight different markets in the second half of 2025. In Japan, where anime originated as a genre, Netflix accounted for 42% of viewing hours, with Prime Video at 43%.
- The Takeaway: The global anime market is a huge industry, valued at just under $38 billion in 2025. It makes sense that streamers would want to get in on this opportunity – and that Netflix is already achieving success with it, given that the streamer regularly works with Japanese anime studios such as Science SARU, Sublimation and Studio Trigger to produce original series.
For the second year in a row, Irish broadcaster RTÉ is boycotting the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s involvement, citing “ongoing loss of lives in Gaza” in a press statement. It is the second nation to pull out this year, after the Netherlands, as Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS announced its own plans to avoid the Contest in August.
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New & Returning Series
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For sneak peeks, check out Cynopsis Trailer Park.
The cast of “Saturday Night Live” Season 52 has been officially announced. With the exception of Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman and Martin Herlihy, who all previously announced their departures, the rest of the Season 51 cast is returning for another year. The show also added Grace Reiter (“The Chair Company”) and Saidah Belo-Osagie, both based in New York. The new season premieres Sept. 26 with host Jalen Brunson.
Prime Video released the first trailer for Season 2 of “The Terminal List,” starring Chris Pratt as Navy SEAL Commander James Reece. This season is based on “True Believer,” the second novel in Jack Carr’s “The Terminal List” series. All eight episodes premiere Oct. 21.
Bill Murray and Joanne McNally in “A Course Called Ireland”
Bill Murray is taking the Emerald Isle by storm in “A Course Called Ireland,” a new six-part BBC series where the comedy actor travels to some of Ireland’s most legendary golf courses with his friends and family. The series premieres on BBC One Northern Ireland on Oct. 23 and BBC Two on Oct. 25.
Season 7 of “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula” hits Shudder and A+ on Oct. 27, just in time for Halloween. This year, the drag competition reality series will pay tribute to ‘80s and ‘90s VHS horror.
Netflix’s four-part documentary series about boxer Mike Tyson, aptly titled “Tyson,” will premiere Oct. 13.
“Kill. Bury. Print,” a new documentary series produced by Rachel Maddow, premieres on Peacock Sept. 27. The show follows the story of a family-run Oklahoma newspaper that becomes the target of retaliation after reporting on scandals in the county sheriff’s office.
HBO dropped the official trailer for HBO and Sky Original series “War,” a legal drama starring Dominic West (“The Crown,” “The Affair”) and Sienna Miller (“Anatomy of a Scandal”). The show is created by George Kay and slated to premiere Oct. 1.
Hulu released a first look at “The Kardashians” Season 8, premiering Oct. 8.
TODAY’S PREMIERES
CBS: “The Greatest @Home Videos: Cedy Awards” at 8 p.m.
HBO: “JAŸ-Z in 8”
HGTV: “Scariest House in America” Season 3
Netflix: “The Scandal”; “Pokémon Horizons” Season 4
Paramount+: “MobLand” Season 2
Starz: “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” Season 2
SATURDAY’S PREMIERES
Lifetime: “Sole Survivor of Flight 119” at 8 p.m.
Hallmark: “Garage Sale Mysteries: Murder Takes the Stage” at 8 p.m.
SUNDAY’S PREMIERES
CBS: “Best of VMAs: Unforgettable Moments” at 9 p.m.
CNN: “The Detour with David Chang” at 9 p.m.
Fox: “Best Medicine” Season 2 at 8 p.m.
HBO: “Youth” at 10 p.m
Lifetime: “Kimora Lee: On Her Own” Season 2 at 8 p.m.
MGM+: “American Hostage” Season 2
Netflix: “Cold as Balls” Season 13
PBS: “Trespasses” at 10 p.m.
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Production
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The BBC posted an invitation to tender for “Doctor Who.”
- The iconic franchise was put on an indefinite hiatus in June, after the BBC canceled this year’s previously announced Christmas special and showrunner Russell T. Davies and production company Bad Wolf both left the series. Disney+ also left as a co-producer in 2025.
- As part of the invitation to tender, the BBC requested that eligible producers pitch them for a “new multi-episode series” for 2028-29, as well as a new companion character for the Doctor and ideas that are not “overly reliant on existing Doctor Who lore.” Initial submissions are open until Oct. 2, and the final contract will be awarded sometime in March 2027.
Disney has entered into a content development deal with “Like Nastya,” a kids’ content brand fronted by 12-year-old Russian creator Anastasia Radzinskaya. “Like Nastya” has more than 450 million subscribers across 25 YouTube channels and features content related to children’s songs, toy unboxing and vlogging.
First a mob wife, then a nurse, now a lawyer. Fox greenlit a new legal drama series starring Edie Falco (“The Sopranos,” “Nurse Jackie”) in the lead role. Called “Katie Graves,” the series revolves around a former public defender who returns to practice law after stepping away due to a personal tragedy. Sharr White (“The Affair”) will serve as creator and showrunner.
The ITV series “Two Birds,” currently filming in Western Australia, has replaced Judy Davis (“Feud: Bette and Joan”) with Academy Award-nominated actor Jackie Weaver (“Yellowstone”). The series is a mystery thriller in which Weaver plays Mrs. Baxter, the matriarch of a local crime family.
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Tech News You Can Use
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Not to be outdone by Prime Video’s new $30-per-month streaming bundle, Roku added 30 of its own bundle combinations to a customizable menu in its Premium Subscriptions service. The new bundles feature channels including AMC+, Fox One, Starz and UP Faith & Family, and offer up to 30% savings compared to subscribing to individual services.
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Coming Up
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CBS will air an anniversary special for “The Amazing Race” Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. Called “The Amazing Race: 25 Years Around the World,” the event is hosted by “Entertainment Tonight” co-host Nischelle Turner.
The MTV Video Music Awards will feature performances from Madonna, Lisa, Raye, Shaboozey, Sienna Spiro, GENER8ION, Gunna and Yung Lean, the network announced Thursday. The event will air on both MTV and CBS Sept. 27.
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Sports Report
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The season opening broadcast of “Monday Night Football” beat a record for ESPN, the network shared. The Sept. 14 Broncos-Chiefs game reached 23.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched Week 1 game and ESPN’s third most-watched “MNF” telecast.
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Distribution
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Cineflix Rights has acquired “Diana Unheard,” a three-episode documentary series from Love Monday TV. The show features never-before-heard recordings to reframe the narrative surrounding Princess Diana, in time for the 30th anniversary of her death in 1997.
On Oct. 31, cable network FeTV will air its second annual “Munsters Mash,” a marathon of the classic ‘60s sitcom “The Munsters.” The marathon will conclude with a feature presentation of the 1966 film “Munster, Go Home!”
Major League Wrestling inked a streaming deal with Tubi to distribute its weekly flagship series, “MLW Fusion.”
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Ratings
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Nielsen posted three back-to-back Top 10 Streaming lists for the weeks of Aug. 17, Aug. 24 and Aug. 31, in keeping with recently announced updates to the measurement company’s reporting timetable. Over the three weeks captured, “Reacher,” “Outer Banks,” “Ted Lasso” and “Lioness” ranked highest among original series.
Top 10 Broadcast Networks for the Week of Sept. 7
P2+ AA (000)
NBC 8,831
ABC 4,189
FOX 2,159
CBS 2,064
Univision 922
Telemundo 809
MeTV 656
CW 553
ION 436
GRIT 354
Source: Nielsen Big Data + Panel, Live + Same Day
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In Memoriam
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Rodney Charters died Sept. 13 at 80, the American Society of Cinematographers announced. In television, Charters was well-known for his work on high-profile shows including “Shameless” and “24.”
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Friday Fun Fact
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September 19 is “International Talk Like A Pirate Day,” which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. The holiday was invented in 1995 by John Baur and Mark Summers, but didn’t become nationally known when the two sent a letter about it to humor columnist Dave Barry in 2002.
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Season 1 of “The Knick” (2014-2015) takes place in 1900, but the show still couldn’t resist featuring Mary Mallon, a real-life public health figure who wasn’t actually identified until 1907. What nickname was she better known as?
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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Which role on “The Office” (2005-2013) did John Krasinski almost audition for before convincing the producers to let him try out for Jim instead? Dwight Schrute, the role eventually played by Rainn Wilson.
Congrats to: Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NYC; Stephen Warren-Northeastern University/Boston, MA; Chris Geddis-Nexstar/NYC; Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC; John Kukla-KDFW.Dallas-Fort Worth/Dallas, TX; JT Ward-Tubi/Chicago, IL; Dan Whitford-WTTW Chicago/Chicago, IL; Creed Heilskov-ImOn Communications/Cedar Rapids, IA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Sandra Mueller-KTLA/LA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA
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