| |
| 1 | | Vanity Fair published an excerpt from the upcoming book "Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood," detailing allegations of toxic behavior on the set of TV's "Lost." Author Maureen Ryan spoke with many former actors and writers from the Series, including Harold Perrineau, who co-starred as Michael Dawson. More: - Perrineau claims he brought concerns about Michael's portrayal to showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, and believes he was written out of the show in retaliation.
- According to two different sources, Lindelof later told the show's writers that Perrineau had been fired for "call[ing] me racist."
- Former "Lost" writer Monica Owusu-Breen claims that the writers room frequently hosted inappropriate comments about race and bullying.
- Lindelof told Ryan he "failed" as a manager and a boss; Cuse denies many of the specific allegations, but said he "deeply regret[s] that anyone at 'Lost'" had to hear offensive or bullying comments.
- Ryan's book hits stores on June 6.
| | |
|
| 2 | | So Much For "Succession": After a relatively slow start, HBO's "Succession" turned into a considerable hit for the premium network by its fourth and final season, easily its biggest and most hyped series since "Game of Thrones." While the Season 3 finale was seen by just under 2 million viewers on its premiere day across both cable and Streaming, the Season 4 premiere jumped up to 2.3 million first-day viewers and then build on that audience throughout the season. Slow and Steady Wins the Race: The series didn't dip below 2 million single-day viewers for the rest of the season; by the time the series finale landed last week, around 3 million people were tuning in on Sunday night to check in with the Roys. While Season 3 episodes averaged around 7.2 million overall weekly views, this figure spiked to 8.7 million in Season 4. Clearly, a lot of new fans were catching up during the off-season. Apples to Apple-Shaped Oranges: It's nearly impossible to make direct comparisons in viewership between networks, streaming services, and shows, as they all release content on different schedules to different-sized audiences and then measure the results in various ways. Still, just for reference, it's interesting to point out that cable's most popular show -- Paramount Network's "Yellowstone" -- dwarfed "Succession" Season 4 in actual viewership. Beyond the critical praise and the Emmys and the memes taking over social media, even major hits for streamers still typically trail behind their broadcast and linear TV counterparts. | | |
|
| A message from our sponsor, Notion. | | | | There’s a better way to work. Notion combines project management with your docs and knowledge base, so you can stop jumping between tools and stop paying too much for them too. - Consolidate your work: Track tasks, write specs, and organize team knowledge in one workspace to ship faster.
- Customize your setup: View projects as a timeline, table, or kanban. Filter, sort, and build automations. Notion is infinitely configurable so you can work the way you want.
- Track every detail: Organize sprints, list subtasks, and catch dependencies so nothing falls through the cracks.
- Powered by AI: Automate tedious work with Notion AI. Write user stories, summarize notes, find action items, and more.
Get Notion Projects free |
|
|
| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, MAY 31 GHOST ADVENTURES: LAKE OF DEATH: 2-hour special kicking off a new season of "Ghost Adventures," in which paranormal investigators Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Jay Wasley, and Billy Tolley investigate "deadly secrets" around Nevada's Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. [Max] THE TIDAL ZONE SPONGEBOB UNIVERSE SPECIAL: Animated special from Nickelodeon, parodying "The Twilight Zone," and featuring shorts set in the world of "Spongebob Squarepants." The regular "Spongebob" voice cast reprised their roles. [Paramount+] SIESTA KEY: Season 4 of the semi-scripted MTV reality series -- inspired by the '00s classic "Laguna Beach" -- aired in mid-2022 and comes to Paramount+ today. It's set among a group of young adults living on the barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Sarasota, Florida. [Paramount+] MIXED BY ERRY: Comedy feature from Italian co-writer/director Sydney Sibilia ("I Can Quit Whenever I Want"), inspired by actual events, about three brothers in 1980s Naples who start a pirate mixtape business that attracts nationwide attention. Luigi D'Oriano, Giuseppe Arena, and Emanuele Palumbo co-star. [Netflix] | | |
|
| 4 | | The satirical Netflix sci-fi anthology series "Black Mirror" returns for a sixth season on June 15. The new season features five film-length episodes titled "Joan is Awful," "Loch Henry," "Beyond the Sea," "Mazey Day," and "Demon 79." More: - "Black Mirror" creator Charlie Brooker says the new episodes "stretched the parameters" of what audiences can expect from the series and promised "crazy swings and more variety."
- Season 6 cast members include Aaron Paul, Annie Murphy, Ben Barnes, Clara Rugaard, Danny Ramirez, Himesh Patel, Josh Hartnett, Kate Mara, Michael Cera, Myha'la Herrold, Paapa Essiedu, Rob Delaney, Salma Hayek Pinault, and Zazie Beetz.
| | |
|
| A message from our sponsor, Unlock. | | | | Unlock Your Home's Value with a Home Equity Agreement. Access Funds without Loans or Monthly Payments. At Unlock Technologies we empower homeowners to leverage their most valuable asset - their home. With our innovative Home Equity Agreement (HEA), you can tap into your home's equity without taking on additional debt, taking out another loan, or burdening yourself with monthly payments. It's a flexible and convenient way to access the funds you need for home improvements, education, or any other financial goals you have in mind. Apply Today |
|
|
| 5 | | Writers Guild of America (WGA) President Meredith Stiehm sent letters to major shareholders of both Netflix and Comcast, urging them to vote against executive compensation packages. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts received compensation of around $32 million in 2022, while both Netflix CEOs Ted Sarandos and Reed Hastings earned over $50 million last year. More: - Comcast shareholders will come together for their annual meeting on June 7; Netflix shareholders meet on June 1.
- In the letters, Stiehm notes that Comcast spent $130 million on executive compensation last year, compared to the estimated $34 million-per-year that writers are demanding to end the strike.
- Stiehm also noted that the strike has disrupted Hollywood productions, blocking the companies' content pipelines and ultimately impacting their bottom lines.
| | |
|
| 6 | | Educational streaming platform MasterClass lowered the price of an annual subscription from $15 a month down to $10. The company also announced a new improv course led by Upright Citizens Brigade, "Saturday Night Live" and "Parks and Recreation" veteran Amy Poehler. More: - MasterClass also announced a new four-part series featuring Wall Street veterans Ray Dalio, Meredith Whitney, Joel Greenblatt, and Seth Klarman, who will share tips for investing in a down market.
- Season 2 of the MasterClass series "G.O.A.T." -- featuring experts highlighting their greatest single recommendations in 30-minute lessons -- also debuts this summer; the new episodes feature chef Nancy Silverton, TikTok star Wallace Wong, and others.
| | |
|
| 7 | | The Indian government set new, strict guidelines around the use of tobacco products in streaming shows and films. The new rules take effect in three months. More: - Any show featuring characters smoking or using other tobacco products must now feature anti-tobacco PSAs at their start and midpoints.
- Specific scenes in which characters smoke will also carry health warnings at the bottom of the screen.
- As well, an audio-visual disclaimer detailing the unhealthy consequences of smoking will be required.
- Streamers are also prohibited from featuring any specific cigarette or tobacco brands.
- Over 260 million adults in India use tobacco in some form; the country remains one of the world's largest tobacco consumers.
| | |
|
| 8 | | QUICK HITS - Demo Divvy + get a $100 Amazon gift card. Divvy, BILL's spend and expense management solution, is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to manage your company spending.*
- Amazon dropped a trailer for the fourth and final season of the spy thriller series "Jack Ryan," arriving on June 30.
- The limited drama series "Lessons in Chemistry" -- based on the debut novel by author Bonnie Garmus -- hits Apple TV+ on November 24; Brie Larson stars as a scientist in the 1950s who accepts a job as the host of a TV cooking show after being fired from her lab.
- Singer-songwriter Erykah Badu joined the cast of Netflix's "The Piano Lesson"; John David Washington and Samuel L. Jackson co-star in the film, which is based on the recent Tony-nominated Broadway revival of August Wilson's classic play.
- Prime Video Australia announced a gender-swapped remake of the classic sitcom "The Office," featuring Felicity Ward in the "boss" role originally made famous by Ricky Gervais.
- In a recent interview with Forbes, "Magic Mike's Last Dance" star Channing Tatum said he fears the rise of streamers will lead to "less good storytelling and a lot more product out there."
- A group of five British men have been charged with illegally streaming Premier League football matches to tens of thousands of viewers; the gang made an estimated £7m (around $8.7M) from the scheme.
- AI investments: Harness the power of a technology expected to add $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030.*
*This is sponsored content | | |
|
| | Lon Harris Writer | | Lon Harris is the writer and editor of Inside Streaming and was the very first person to ever write an Inside newsletter. He lives in Los Angeles, California, and also writes about TV and film for Fandom, Screen Junkies, Rotten Tomatoes, Gamma Ray and others. Plus he has a Game of Thrones podcast called "Casterly Talk" and competes on The Movie Trivia Schmoedown as "The Professor." | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia |
|
Discover more on inside.com/streaming Thanks for reading today's issue of Inside Streaming. Explore | Explore |
|
| | Notion combines project management with your docs, knowledge base, and AI. Try it for free today. |
|
|
| | Get the cash you need now with Unlock. |
|
|
| Share Email Share on Twitter Open in Browser Open in Browser | Open in Browser |
|
