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| Wednesday, September 9, 2026 |
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Good morning, readers! Here’s what you need to know to start your Wednesday right:
- MS NOW Releases Its Streaming Service
- It’s Not ‘South Park’ Anymore, It’s ‘South America’
- ‘The Tonight Show’ Returns For Post-Football Sunday Shows
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In The News
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It’s finally here. Versant-owned news cable network MS NOW launched its dedicated streaming service on Wednesday. Memberships cost $7.99 per month or $79.99 annually.
- MS NOW is the last of the major cable news networks to launch its own direct-to-consumer streaming service, after Fox News (which launched back in 2018) and CNN All Access (which launched in October 2025).
- Membership also includes a feature that allows subscribers to engage in twice-daily, live Q&A sessions with on-air talent like Rachel Maddow and “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
AMC Global Media finally settled its second profit participation lawsuit for “The Walking Dead” franchise. Under the settlement, the company will pay $120 million to producers, including series creator Robert Kirkman, Glen Mazzara, David Alpert, Charles Eglee and Gale Anne Hurd.
- The producers filed their first suit in 2017, alleging that AMC used a definition of “modified adjusted gross receipts” that was designed not to pay them their proper share of billions in revenue that the show and its spinoffs generated.
- Frank Darabont, who developed and executive produced the first season and a half of the original “TWD” series, previously filed a similar lawsuit along with CAA in 2013. That suit was settled in 2021 for $200 million, which paved the way for Kirkman and other producers to refile after a judge ruled against them in 2022.
- A third lawsuit by “Fear the Walking Dead” showrunner Dave Erickson was filed in 2025 and is still pending.
British broadcaster Channel 4 is expected to announce significant job cuts on Wednesday. According to the Guardian, the company may shed up to 300 jobs, roughly a quarter of Channel 4’s workforce.
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New & Returning Series
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For sneak peeks, check out Cynopsis Trailer Park.
“60 Minutes” returns for its 59th season this Sunday, Sept. 13, with an official cast that includes Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, John Wertheim, Norah O’Donnell and Ross Douthat.
“Food Samurai,” a documentary series featuring Michelin-starred chef Mory Sacko, will premiere on Hulu and Disney+ on Sept. 30. Over the course of six episodes, Sacko travels to Japan for the first time on a quest to create the perfect bento meal.
Comedy Central’s iconic “Drunk History” series will return in the fall with three short-form episodes, which will roll out on YouTube starting Sept. 15.
As a promotional stunt for the upcoming season of “South Park,” series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone announced that they will be changing the title to “South America,” a riff on the Trump administration’s recent decision to declare a new name for Lake Ontario. Season 29 premieres Sept. 16 on Comedy Central.
“Wheel of Fortune” will return to ABC with a new rapid-fire minigame called “Fortune Frenzy,” Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White revealed on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. Season 44 premieres next Monday on Sept. 14.
Season 2 of “Dexter: Resurrection,” a continuation of the original 2006 Showtime series, returns to Paramount+ on Oct. 30. This year, the series welcomes Brian Cox (“Succession”) and Dan Stevens (“The Terror”) as two new killers that Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) must subdue.
Karen Huger rejoins “The Real Housewives of the Potomac” for Season 11 on Oct. 11. The Bravo series will also feature Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Dr. Wendy Osefo, Stacey Rusch and Tia Glover as returning housewives.
HBO Max released the official trailer for German crime drama “4 Blocks Zero,” a prequel to the 2017 series “4 Blocks.” The new installment debuts on Sept. 25.
TODAY’S PREMIERES
Apple TV: “Last Seen”
Hulu: “Made in Korea” Season 2
Peacock: “The Paper” Season 2
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| Partner content |
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Production
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Hot on the heels of a breakout first season and a worldwide distribution deal with Apple TV, the British comedy series “Small Prophets” will get a Season 2 at the BBC. The series was created by Mackenzie Crook (“The Office”) and will return to screens in 2027 – but on BBC Two this time, not BBC One.
During its annual Obsessed Retreat in Germany, Prime Video released the first look at its “Boys of Tommen” TV adaptation, which will air next year in 2027. The series features Nancy Surridge and Conor Sánchez (who is shirtless in the first look photo, naturally) as teens at an Irish boarding school.
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Tech News You Can Use
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Comcast Technology Solutions announced a new multiyear agreement to provide video on-demand and content distribution services to A+E Global Media, using the company’s Comcast MediaExpress product.
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Coming Up
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CNN will host a nationally televised debate between California gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra (D) and Steve Hilton (R) on Sept. 30. This will be their first one-on-one debate since finishing the primary in June.
Sinclair’s “Criminally Obsessed Podcast” is hosting a national town hall about the Lindsay Clancy trial, called “Maternal Mental Health: How the Lindsay Clancy Trial Could Change Treatment.” The 30-minute special will be available to stream across Sinclair’s television station websites and on YouTube starting Sept. 9.
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Sports Report
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Eli and Peyton Manning will return for the sixth season of “Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli” on ESPN2. The brothers will also air their own alternate Super Bowl LXI presentation on Feb. 14, 2027, a first for the ManningCast.
Jimmy Fallon will also be hosting extra post-football editions of “The Tonight Show” after NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcasts starting Sept. 27. Just like last year, the show will be teaming up with NBC Sports for these bonus episodes, according to showrunner Chris Miller.
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Distribution
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Oh là là! International sales of French TV programs are at a ten-year low, according to Unifrance and The French National Centre of Cinema. Sales for last year totaled €164.2 million ($190.7 million), down 21.6% compared to 2024. However, as Unifrance President Gilles Pélisson noted at Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre last weekend, those numbers don’t include any data from streaming platforms.
Meanwhile, in more optimistic news, About Premium Content has signed international broadcast deals for several French scripted and unscripted series: family crime series “Blue Gold,” romantic drama “Seasons,” and art scandal documentary “An Artful Imbroglio.”
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Ratings
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Last week’s Thursday Night Baseball telecast was the best regular season game telecast on Fox since 2022, the network announced Tuesday. Approximately 2,668,000 viewers tuned in to watch the Cubs defeat the Brewers, up 27% from last year’s viewership average.
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In Memoriam
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“The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” creator Jim Geoghan died Sept. 6 at 79, his daughter confirmed. He also produced the spinoff series “The Suite Life on Deck” and received two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Children’s Program, in 2007 and 2008.
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Carrie Preston’s real-life spouse played a recurring villain on her show, “Elsbeth,” in Season 2. Name the actor.
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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The “Gilmore Girls” (2000-07) Season 3 episode “Here Comes the Son” was meant to be a backdoor pilot for which recurring character? Jess Mariano, as played by Milo Ventimiglia
Congrats to: Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL; Laurie Ulster-Audible/NYC; Sasha M. Wolff-Warner Bros. Discovery/NYC; Michael Goodman-Radio One Atlanta/Atlanta, GA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Michael Coscia/LA; Sandra Mueller-KTLA/LA
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