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| Friday, September 4, 2026 |
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Happy Friday, readers! Just a quick reminder that there will be no new Cynopsis issue on Monday, Sept. 7, in observance of Labor Day. We’ll be back with a new Streamlined on Sept. 8!
In the meantime, here’s what you need to know:
- Fox Says Goodbye To Another News Anchor
- “Saturday Night Live UK” Returns For Season 2
- Netflix Has a New “Dungeons & Dragons” Show In Development
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In The News
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Maria Bartiromo
Journalist and author Maria Bartiromo will part ways with Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network (FBN) after more than 10 years as a news anchor for Fox specializing in financial markets.
- After covering Wall Street for CNBC, Bartiromo joined Fox in 2014 with the goal of deepening Fox’s coverage of financial and business news, often bringing on leading dealmakers involved in major news breaks. Bartiromo hosted several weekly segments, including FBN’s “Mornings with Maria,” which will be renamed “Mornings with Fox Business,” and “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street,” to be retitled “FBN’s Wall Street.”
- While the reasons behind Bartiromo’s departure are still murky, Fox is no stranger to saying goodbye to prominent news anchors, often (allegedly) for reasons related to office politics or actual politics.
No more chicken dinner. Amelia Dimoldenberg’s hit YouTube interview series, “Chicken Shop Date,” will come to an end after a 12-year run, the creator announced this week. The series will feature one final lineup of eclectic guests and celebrities before it shutters for good.
- Dimoldenberg’s YouTube show has featured one-on-one interviews with celebrities and actors such as Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish and Andrew Garfield. The interview series began as a written column in a youth-run magazine before Dimoldenberg turned it into a video series under her production label, Dimz Inc.
- During the Edinburgh TV Festival last week, she announced that she is developing a young adult drama series for the BBC, which she likened to the show “Skins.”
- The Takeaway: As the lines keep blurring between YouTube and premium TV, Dimoldenberg is one of many online creators who has built a strong following on social-sharing platforms before taking on other, larger-scale onscreen projects.
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New & Returning Series
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For sneak peeks, check out Cynopsis Trailer Park.
ABC’s talk show “The View” will return Sept. 8 with Season 30, featuring celebrity appearances by Andrew Garfield (“The Social Network”), Florence Pugh (“East of Eden”) and Maisie Williams (“Game of Thrones”).
Jeff Goldblum
“Saturday Night Live UK” Season 2 comes to Sky Sept. 12. Hosting the season premiere is Jeff Goldblum (“Kaos,” “Law & Order”), who hosted the original NBC series twice in the ‘90s. SNL UK’s second season will run for six episodes before taking an end-of-year pause.
The three-part true crime docuseries “Unmasking a Monster: Aileen Wuornos” premieres on Investigation Discovery Sept. 30 and will be available to stream on HBO Max. The series explores Wuornos’ trial after the 1989-90 Florida murders and her final days on death row.
A new season of “Gold Rush” will hit Discovery Channel Oct. 2.
Also on Oct. 2, “The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd” returns with a new season on The History Channel.
TODAY’S PREMIERES
Netflix: “Earle Meets World”; “Instadocs: The Decoy Plane”
Paramount+: “The Program: Texas Tech”
Prime Video: “The Grand Tour” Season 7
SATURDAY’S PREMIERES
Great American Family: “Crossroad Springs” Season 2 at 8 p.m.
SUNDAY’S PREMIERES
PBS: “The Marlow Murder Club” Season 3 at 8 p.m.; “Marble Hall Murders” at 9 p.m.
MGM+ : “A Tale of Two Cities”
MONDAY’S PREMIERES
Acorn TV: “The Sommerdahl Murders” Season 7
CBS: “America’s Tailgate” at 8 p.m.
ID: “OJ Unseen: Exploitation of Evil”
Peacock: “Fan Level Midnight: Devoted to The Office”
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Production
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Warner Bros. Television has optioned global rights to “We’ve Decided to Go in a Different Direction,” the book of essays by former TV casting executive Tess Sanchez. The series adaptation will be a comedy, executive produced by Mindy Kaling (“The Office”); Howard Klein, who also executive produced “The Office”; Emmy-nominated actor Max Greenfield (“New Girl,” “The Neighborhood”), who is married to Sanchez; and Sanchez herself. The group is currently seeking writers.
Paramount+ officially greenlit “MobLand” for a third season and announced that Tom Hardy will return, despite alleged onset issues with executive producer Jez Butterworth and 101 Studios.
Netflix is developing “Ravenloft,” a live-action series based on the gothic horror campaign setting of “Dungeons & Dragons.” The series will be co-executive produced by Alfonso Cuarón and writer John August, with Hasbro Entertainment serving as the production studio. It is also a separate project from “The Forgotten Realms,” another “D&D” Netflix series that is no longer in development.
Tubi, the free streaming platform owned by Fox, ordered its first UK original. The series, called “Wheel of Misfortune,” will star the comedic duo Paul Wood and Paul Klein, also known as Woody & Kleiny, who made a name for themselves on “Britain’s Got Talent” and are now creators on YouTube and social media. The new series is funded from the streamer’s Tubi for Creators initiative.
“Heated Rivalry” publicly welcomes three new actors to the Season 2 cast: Milla Jovovich (“Married… with Children”), Kevin Zegers (“Gossip Girl”) and Paul Gross (“Due South”). The hit TV show’s second season is slated to premiere on HBO Max in spring 2027.
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Forward 2026: A Forum for the Future of TV Advertising—Oct. 29, NYC
Join us at Forward 2026, where Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman will deliver the keynote and marketing leaders from MANSCAPED, Liquid I.V., Avocado, and Jones Road Beauty will share how they’re using TV to reach new audiences, measure impact, and drive real business growth.
Attendance is free, but space is limited.
RSVP Now
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Tech News You Can Use
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Sell-side ad platform Magnite announced several milestones for its live-streaming business. Among the highlights: 37 media owners around the world have used Magnite’s Live Scheduler ad product since its launch in November, monetizing more than 4,000 live events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Magnite also saw a 56% year-over-year increase in global live sports ad spend between January and July of this year.
Shortical, one of the many short-form video apps cropping up to capitalize on the microdrama craze, is teaming up with skincare brand MAËLYS for virtual product placement within the app’s AI-generated content. Following the success of one of its AI-generated series titles, “Bound by Fire,” the microdrama app is trying to expand its chops to include AI-generated ad placements for direct-to-consumer brands.
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Coming Up
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Judith Sheindlin – aka Judge Judy – returns to TV with a 90-minute prime-time special, “Judge Judy: Unfiltered, Unforgettable,” to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the hit reality court show. The special is produced by See It Now Studios and will air on CBS Sept. 22.
After a three-year hiatus, the “Soul Train Awards” will air simultaneously on BET and CBS for the first time ever on Nov. 27. The award show recognizes and celebrates music artists who have made significant contributions to the legacy of R&B and soul music. This year, the awards show is sponsored by Spotify and Toyota.
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Distribution
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MS NOW is adding another Crooked Media video podcast, “Lovett or Leave It,” to its Saturday slate. Hosted by former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett, the political comedy show is part of MS NOW’s previous deal with Crooked, which allows the network to feature segments and clips from “Strict Scrutiny,” “Offline with Jon Favreau,” “Runaway Country” with Alex Wagner,” and other programs.
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Executive Moves
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News anchor Norah O’Donnell is returning to “CBS Mornings,” which she previously hosted from 2012-19 before moving to the “CBS Evening News.” She joins returning anchors Gayle King and Nate Burleson.
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Who replaced Charlie Sheen as a series regular on “Two and a Half Men” (2003-15) when his contract was terminated in 2011?
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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Episodes of “CSI: Miami” (2002-12) would frequently begin with Lt. Horatio Crane (David Caruso) quipping and putting on his sunglasses just before the show’s opening theme song kicked in with a loud “YEAAAAH!!!” What was that theme song? “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who
Congrats to: Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NYC; Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL; Stephen Warren-Northeastern University/Boston, MA; John Carlo-UP Entertainment/NYC; Andi Leston-Outdoor Sportsman Group/Waukesha, WI; Barry Wooley-WGN/Chicago, IL; JT Ward, Tubi/Chicago, IL; Matthew Weiss-Spark Foundry/Chicago, IL; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Lauren Watt-Alliance Entertainment/Citrus Heights, CA
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