ALRIGHT I AM BACK AND I HAVE A TON OF STUFF TO CATCH UP ON SO BUCKLE UP THERE’S A LOT HERE AND THERE WILL BE EVEN MORE TOMORROW OMG I AM SO OUT OF BREATH BUT I DON’T THINK IT’S COVID IT’S PROBABLY NOT COVID OMG IS IT COVID?
How to mask pic.twitter.com/Mm8IBTrNxd
— Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) July 6, 2020
if people today were on the titanic pic.twitter.com/7Lu3zKDgQ9
— Matt Buechele (@mattbooshell) July 8, 2020
Los Angeles is spinning out of control and might return to shut down soon. This is going to make TV production difficult to start back up.
Not that they won’t try, though! Big Brother 2, season 22 is reportedly about to begin production despite all of this. I mean, honestly, if everyone tests negative going in, it might be one of the safest places on the planet. It’s going to be a celebrity edition if it happens. We. Will. See.
An entirely virtually-filmed season of Catfish is going to premiere on MTV on August 5.
Host, a horror film shot in quarantine, is going to premiere on Shudder on July 30.
Tom Hanks is bummed that Greyhound is being released on Apple TV+ instead of in the theaters, but whaddya gonna do?
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony is going to be replaced with an HBO special on November 7. Inductees include: Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., T-Rex, and Ahmet Ertegun Award recipients Jon Landau and Irving Azoff.
The 31st Annual GLAAD Awards Media ceremony is going to be virtual, and stream on GLAAD’s Facebook page on July 30. Dolly Parton is going to be there, y’all!
The BBC is producing a documentary, Britain vs Coronavirus. LOL, let me know who wins.
bill nye be spittin fax pic.twitter.com/5SNVd6Htct
— ErickHBMC #RIPFckYouTubersBro (@ErickHBMC) July 9, 2020
Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade told a Trump spokesperson that folks can’t say they’re better off from three years ago, because no one could honestly say that with a straight face, come on.
Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian premiere, has tested positive for COVID-19 after comparing the virus to the common cold.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has tested positive.
Morgan Chesky, an NBC correspondent, has tested positive.
American Idol finalist Chris Sligh is battling COVID-related pneumonia.
Another bunch of movies have been pushed back: Halloween Kills has been bumped to October 2021; The Forever Purge is now in summer 2021; Candyman has been pushed back to 2020; Saint Maud has been postponed.
Mission Impossible 7; The Batman; Jurassic World: Dominion; Fantastic Beasts 3; Cinderella; and The Little Mermaid are being allowed to resume filming in the U.K.
A pandemic thriller, Songbird, has begun filming in Los Angeles.
Malcolm & Marie, a movie from the creator of Euphoria, has been filmed during the pandemic.
Stanford is killing 11 of its varsity programs thanks to COVID.
The Ivy League has postponed all fall sports.
In fact, this virus has been hitting the college world particularly hard (and as the mother of a college kid, I’m here to confirm).
MLB is determined to have its opening day on July 23. We’ll see.
DisneyWorld is determined to open this weekend despite concerns from its employees. Good luck with all that.
Fantastic Fest has officially been canceled for 2020.
Good News:
I’m Sorry, the funniest show you should be watching but might not have heard of, is doing a table read for charity.
We horror fans, and those of us with a sense of morbid curiosity, are psychologically handling the pandemic better than you scaredy-cats. WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT OUR WHOLE LIVES.
Black Lives Matter
Andy Samberg on the future of Brooklyn Nine-Nine: “We’re taking a step back, and the writers are all rethinking how we’re going to move forward, as well as the cast,” Samberg said. “We’re all in touch and kind of discussing how you make a comedy show about police right now, and if we can find a way of doing that that we all feel morally okay about.”
The Dukes of Hazzard guys respond to the criticism of the Confederate flag on the General Lee, and here’s what: John Schneider could take a lesson in diplomacy or ten from his co-star Tom Wopat.
I’ve said it before and I will keep saying it: Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas was one of the best shows of its time — thoughtful and provocative and intelligent and never once reductionist — and it deserves to be seen.
New York City began painting “Black Lives Matter” in large yellow letters on the street outside Trump Tower on Thursday. City officials have presented the public art project’s location as a direct rebuke of President Trump.https://t.co/70A2HLbrQn
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 9, 2020
Look at this bullshit:
Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX? That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 6, 2020
So, few things about this just blantantly racist post:
- Bubba Wallace did not find the noose in his garage, NASCAR officials did. He did not perpetrate a hoax.
- NASCAR’s ratings are actually up significantly from a year ago.
- I’ve never been a fan of NASCAR, but Wallace, and his grace in the face of this insanity, make me want to reconsider that:
To the next generation and little ones following my foot steps..#LoveWins pic.twitter.com/tVaV3pkdLe
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) July 6, 2020
Justin Timberlake might be from Tennessee but that doesn’t mean he’s cool with Confederate statues.
All Other TV News
Glee‘s Naya Rivera is missing and presumed drowned after going out on a boat on a California lake with her 4-year-old son (who is safe) yesterday. Search teams are looking for her. This is truly a heartbreaking story.
DON’T WORRY: That Bachelor spinoff with senior citizens that no one actually asked for is still happening.
In Watchmen, Looking Glass’s original origin story was very different than the direction in which they eventually went.
The craziest relationship on Succession came about as a bit of improv between two of the actors. HAWT.
According to this study, less than 10% of people who tried the free trial of Quibi opted to pay for a subscription: 72,000 subscribers out of 910,000 downloads. DAMN. THAT’S NOT GOOD. Quibi is all, “NUH-UH!” but …
News mostly relevant only to my household: NBC is going to move the Premier League soccer games to Peacock next season.
This is a fairly cute post about what the characters of Game of Thrones are doing during quarantine. I’ll give you three guesses what Hodor is doing.
The Office‘s support cast is keeping the show alive in their own ways: Kevin is launching a podcast and Stanley is trying to create his own spin-off.
I May Destroy You ended up at HBO instead of Netflix, because creator Michaela Coel refused to give up ownership, and good for her.
President TV Tray is encouraging people to watch OANN and Newsmax over Fox News because he’s SO MAD they won’t lie about his terrible poll numbers. Good luck with that, asshole!
Renewals
- American Gods has maybe, probably been renewed for a fourth season at Starz.
- Legendary has been renewed for a second season at HBO Max. (Yay!)
- The Crown has been renewed for a surprise sixth season at Netflix.
- The Last Kingdom has been renewed for a fifth season on Netflix.
- DC’s Stargirl has been renewed at The CW and will not be on DC Universe anymore.
- Most Dangerous Game has been renewed at Quibi.
- The Challenge has been renewed for season 36 at MTV.
- It’s Pony has been renewed at Nickelodeon.
- Guilt has been renewed at BBC.
- Vienna Blood has been renewed and will return on PBS.
Cancellations
- The upcoming fourth season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will be the series last on Netflix.
- And the upcoming third season of Dead to Me will be its final one on Netflix.
- Baker and the Beauty is really really really dead.
In Development
- The Wonder Years is being rebooted with a Black family at ABC.
- The Weakest Link is being rebooted at NBC, and Jane Lynch will host.
- Matthew Weiner is developing a series for FX.
- Blackbird: Lena Horne is being developed into a limited series at Showtime.
- A family comedy about raising a non-binary kid is in the works at ABC.
- John Mulaney is making two more Sack Lunch Bunch specials for Comedy Central.
- Young Love, an animated series from the creator of Hair Love, has been greenlit at HBO Max.
- Candy, a limited series about Candy Montgomery starring Elisabeth Moss, is in the works at UCP.
- A documentary about the lead of the New York Dolls, David Johansen, is being made for Showtime by Martin Scorsese.
- Voices of Fire, a docuseries that follows Pharrell as he builds a gospel choir in his hometown, is coming to Netflix.
- Ridley Scott and Kevin Macdonald are making another installment of Life in a Day, and are encouraging you to film yourself for the project on July 25.
- Rip Crew, a crime drama, is coming to HBO Max.
- Charlamagne Tha God is getting his own talk show at Comedy Central.
- The Hand Of God will be directed by the director of The Young Pope for Netflix.
- Free Will, a family drama, is being developed at Fox.
- The Long Distance Relationship Project is being developed at Quibi.
- Pluto is going to stream some 40 CBS and Comedy Central series.
- Real Pigeons Fight Crime is being developed into a series for Nickelodeon by James Corden.
- Colin Kaepernick has signed an overall deal with Disney.
- Darren Starr has signed an overall deal with ViacomCBS.
- Alex Metcalf has signed a deal with Blum.
Casting News
- Javicia Leslie is your new Batwoman, making her the first Black woman to play the role.
- Big Cable News news: Joy Reid is taking over Chris Mathews’ timeslot on MSNBC, making her one of the first Black women to anchor a major American evening news program. And Shep Smith, who had been rumored to take that spot, is moving to CNBC and be competing with Reid in the same time slot.
- Kristin Alonso is leaving Days of Our Lives after 37 years.
- Dascha Polanco, Tracie Thoms, and Sarah Catherine Hook have been added to the cast of the pilot Blood Relative on Fox.
- Tye White, Michael Benjamin Washington, Jon Barinholtz, and Humphrey Ker are joining the cast of the American Auto pilot on Fox.
Mark Your Calendars
- The Boys returns on Amazon on September 4.
- The Umbrella Academy will return on Netflix on July 31.
- Die Hart will premiere on Quibi on July 20.
- The Kissing Booth 2 will premiere on Netflix on July 24.
- The One and Only Ivan will debut on Disney+ on August 14.
- Away will debut on Netflix on September 4.
- The Sims Spark’d will debut on TBS on July 17.
- Love on the Spectrum will debut on Netflix on July 22.
- The Claudia Kishi Club will debut on Netflix on July 10.
- The New York Times Presents will premiere on August 8 on FX and Hulu.
- Lifetime set its Ripped from the Headlines slate: Sleeping with Danger on August 1; A Murder to Remember on August 2; Elizabeth Smart: Finding Justice on August 2; Jodi Arias: Cellmate Secrets on August 8; Surviving Jeffrey Epstein on August 9.
- Sam Jay: 3 In The Morning will premiere on Netflix on August 4.
- Impossible Engineering will return on July 15 on Science Channel and Super Factories will debut immediately after.
R.I.P.
Edwin T. Vane, ABC executive and producer
Bettina Gilois, Screenwriter and author
Bruce Fretts, Critic and journalist
Charlie Daniels, Country singer and Trumpist lunatic
WATCH THIS
Expecting Amy: A three-part documentary about Amy Schumer’s struggles to put together a comedy special while suffering a difficult pregnancy that, spoiler alert, left her hospitalized. Girl, I had the same thing with both pregnancies and it SUCKED. HBO Max
Close Enough: A surreal animated comedy about surviving your thirties from the creators of Regular Show. Series premiere. HBO Max
Cannonball: The water sports competition series moves to its home on USA. Series premiere. (Sorta.) 7 p.m., USA
Late Night:
- Jimmy Kimmel Live: Billy Porter, Kim Petras, guest host Billy Eichner
- Conan: Jameela Jamil
- Watch What Happens Live: Sarah Paulson, Sonja Morgan
| THUR | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Holey Moley (new) |
Don’t (new) |
To Tell the Truth (new) |
| CBS | Young Sheldon (repeat) |
The Unicorn (repeat) |
Mom (repeat) |
Mom (repeat) |
NCIS: Los Angeles (repeat) |
| CW | Burden of Truth (new) |
In the Dark (new) |
News/Local |
| FOX | Celebrity Watch Party (new) |
Labor of Love (new) |
News/Local |
| NBC | Blindspot (new) |
Blindspot (new) |
Law & Order: SVU (repeat) |
As the husband of an educator and father of 2 I’m ticked at what the TEA did. I’m currently researching filters for masks for my wife.