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| Friday, September 25, 2026 |
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Happy Friday! On today’s news docket:
- Paramount’s WBD Merger Faces Another Setback
- The Federal Film and TV Credit Is Now A Real Bill
- “Nobody Wants This” Is Back For Season 3
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| In The News |
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Sorry, David Ellison, it’s not over yet. The Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger is experiencing even further delays thanks to US District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin, who did not grant court approval to the settlement and proposed consent decree that Paramount worked out with 12 state attorneys general earlier this week.
- In a hearing on Thursday, Judge Martinez-Olguin asked if the settlement and consent decree actually addressed the Clayton Act issues expressed in the original antitrust lawsuit. She also asked that both parties respond to new concerns raised against the deal by Monday, Sept. 29.
- One of those concerns came from Sen. Corey Booker (D-NJ), who wrote a letter urging that the consent decree be subjected to an “independent public-interest review.”
- The Block the Merger coalition, which is still trying to do what its name suggests, similarly filed an emergency motion for an amicus brief to formally object to the settlement, which US District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin also granted.
- Paramount filed its own opposition before Judge Martinez-Olguin’s decision, arguing that allowing “non-parties” to delay the closing without filing their own antitrust action would be improper. Clearly, the judge did not agree.
- Paramount’s displeasure is understandable. The company has less than a week until it must begin paying an expensive ticking fee to WBD shareholders for failing to close the deal in a timely fashion.
In the meantime, Paramount plans to raise even more money in debt to afford the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, the company announced Thursday. This includes $7.5 billion in “B” loans and approximately $44.4 billion of additional secured debt. The merged Paramount-WBD is already expected to have a net debt of $77.2 billion at the end of 2026 before adding these new loans.
Speaking of federal courts, Judge Timothy Kelly released an overnight decision ordering the White House to restore press access to CNN, MS Now and Politico. Reporters from these outlets were finally granted entry to the building after Kelly ordered Trump to respond by 12:30 p.m.
The Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act, a bill that would create a federal film and television tax credit in the US, was officially introduced to Congress on Thursday by members of the House Ways & Means Committee. The bill is cosponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).
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| Partner content |
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| New & Returning Series |
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For sneak peeks, check out Cynopsis Trailer Park.
Kristen Bell and Adam Brody in Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This”
Season 3 of “Nobody Wants This,” starring Kristen Bell (“The Good Place”) and Adam Brody (“The O.C.”), heads to Netflix Oct. 22. The latest trailer, released on Thursday, also offers an on-screen glimpse of series creator Erin Foster.
Netflix also released the first trailer for Season 2 of the British thriller series “Black Doves,” starring Keira Knightley (“The Woman in Cabin 10”) as a spy for hire married to the Secretary of State for Defence.
MGM+ is airing its own take on the iconic Robert Louis Stevenson novel “Treasure Island,” starring Tom Sweet (“Great Expectations”), Hayley Atwell (“Agent Carter”) and DavidOyelowo (“Lawmen: Bass Reeves”). Episode 1 premieres Oct. 11.
AMC Global Media announced that the talk show “The Graham Norton Show” will return with a new season on BBC America Oct. 1. The series will be available to stream the same day on AMC+, Acorn TV and All Reality.
Disney dropped an official trailer for “Adventure Time: Side Quests” Season 2, available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu beginning Oct. 2.
Langley Productions released a trailer and key art for Season 7 of “Jail,” premiering Oct. 1.
TODAY’S PREMIERES
Apple TV: “Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars”
HBO Max: “4 Blocks Zero”; “Paolo”
Nat Geo: “Chilean Mine Rescue: Race Against Time” at 8 p.m.
NBC: “Dateline NBC” Season 35 at 9 p.m.
Netflix: “Blood Legacy” Season 2; “The Great British Baking Show” Season 17; “The Final Problem”
Starz: “S.W.A.T. Exiles” at 9 p.m.
SATURDAY’S PREMIERES
CNN: “Farm Aid 2026” at 7 p.m.
Crunchyroll: “A Wild Last Boss Appeared!” Season 2
Hallmark: “Pumpkin Regatta Romance” at 8 p.m.
NBC: “Saturday Night Live” Season 52 at 11:30 p.m.
Netflix: “The Great Indian Kapil Show” Season 5
OWN: “We Belong Here: the Story of Team Dream” at 9 p.m.
SUNDAY’S PREMIERES
ABC: “America’s Funniest Home Videos” Season 36 at 7 p.m.
CBS/MTV: “2026 MTV Video Music Awards” at 7:30 p.m.
Crunchyroll: “As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World” Season 3; “Overgeared”
Fox: “The Simpsons” Season 38 at 8 p.m.; “Animal Control” Season 5 at 8:30 p.m.; “Universal Basic Guys” Season 3 at 9 p.m.; “Grimsburg” Season 3 at 9:30 p.m.
Lifetime: “You’ve Gotta Help Me” at 8 p.m.
Peacock: “Kill. Bury. Print.”
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| Partner content |
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| Production |
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Charlie Brooker’s new Netflix series has a title and bonus cast members. The series is called “Blackmere” and will star Rory Kinnear (“The Diplomat”) along with previously announced talent Paddy Considine (“House of the Dragon”), Georgina Campbell (”Broadchurch”) and Lena Headey (“Game of Thrones”). Expect the show to premiere sometime in 2027.
Netflix is also developing a series with “Happy Valley” star Sarah Lancashire. Called “Witch Hunt,” the series revolves around a woman who returns to her community after 30 years in prison and finds herself at the center of a modern-day witch hunt. The series will be produced by Sister, which also produces another Netflix series, “Black Doves.”
TV writer Terence Winter (“The Sopranos,” “Tulsa King”) and director-producer Dan Farah (“Age of Disclosure”) are adapting the upcoming book “Out of the Shadows: Revealing The Truth About Non-Human Intelligent Life” into a series. The memoir is about former senior US intelligence official Jay Stratton’s experiences investigating unidentified anomalous phenomena – what would once have been referred to as UFOs but are now classified as UAPs.
Seth Meyers and “Late Night” producer Michael Shoemaker are developing a new workplace comedy at NBC. Not much is known about the project other than its title, “The Game Room,” and its writing team, Michael Colton and John Aboud (“Home Economics”).
Despite being nominated as a limited series at this year’s Emmy Awards, “The Beast In Me” is getting a Season 2 from Netflix. Star Claire Danes (“Homeland”) and showrunner Howard Gordon (“Tyrant”) are returning.
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| Tech News You Can Use |
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A+E Global Media has extended its multiyear distribution agreement with Optimum, one of the largest broadband telecom providers in the US.
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| Sports Report |
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ESPN’s football hot streak continues. The Giants-Rams game on Sept. 21 was the network’s most-watched Week 2 “Monday Night Football” broadcast, reaching 19.4 million viewers – up 106% from the 2025 Week 2 game. Overall, “MNF” viewership has increased 29% through the first two weeks of the NFL season.
Sticking with sports, leagues are seeking more backing from marketers. Women’s Super League Football added Tesco to its roster of official partners, making the British retailer the official Supermarket Partner of the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Super League 2.
And don’t forget about hockey! NESN, a New England-based sports media network, announced its 2026-27 broadcast schedule for the Boston Bruins, beginning with next week’s season opener against the New York Rangers.
WWE is moving its “Main Event” streaming series from YouTube to Rumble starting Oct. 14. Rumble is a streaming video platform typically associated with the alt-right conservative movement, particularly creators like Nick Fuentes and Alex Jones. It also boasts investment from both Peter Thiel and Vice President J.D. Vance, who gave the company a combined $25 million in 2021.
Will Netflix gain US distribution of the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2030 or 2034? According to Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria, the platform is definitely interested, and already has a great working relationship with FIFA thanks to its coverage of the Women’s World Cup. “We’re always going to be in the conversation with the leagues,” she said at the Financial Times’ Business of Entertainment Summit in California this week.
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| Coming Up |
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The music video for “Patient Zero,” Taylor Swift’s newest single, will premiere during the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, MTV announced. Additionally, the broadcast will include a tribute to Dolly Parton sung by country performer Kacey Musgraves.
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| Distribution |
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Samsung TV Plus inked new content deals with creators to launch free ad-supported TV channels that capitalize on the growth of the creator economy. Among the additions is a trio of channels launching in the UK as part of a collaboration with 208 Studios: “Happy Place,” a wellness channel based on the eponymous podcast by author Fearne Cotton (“Celebrity Juice”); “Golf Life,” a sports channel co-led by former football player Jimmy Bullard; and “Joe Media,” an online news brand tailored to millennials.
Christian family entertainment platform Wonder Project announced a US premiere date for the series “Leonard and Hungry Paul,” which first aired on RTÉ and BBC Northern Ireland last year. The series, narrated by Julia Roberts, will arrive on Wonder Project in October.
“The Graham Norton Show” has been picked up for another two seasons of US distribution by BBC America and AMC Global Media. The long-running talk show returns for its 34th season Oct. 1 and will continue in the UK on BBC One until at least 2029.
Philo became the exclusive streaming home for the 2026 Virtual Reali-Tea Awards in a new content deal with New York Post Media Group. The deal is part of the distributor’s efforts to lean into live and original programming.
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| Friday Fun Fact |
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Ducks can move each eye independently of the other, and sleep with one eye open to watch for predators.
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In the Netflix comedy series “Gentefied” (2020-2021), a Mexican-American family operates a taco shop in which Los Angeles neighborhood?
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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Victor Frankenstein brought three creatures to life in “Penny Dreadful” (2014-2016). Two were “Caliban” (Rory Kinnear) and “Lily” (Billie Piper). Who was the third? “Proteus,” played by actor Alex Price.
Congrats to: Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA and Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA
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