I was today years old when I discovered how shady Freeform is

by Therese Odell, posted in Uncategorized

Hasn’t the lockdown been over for a while now? Aren’t y’all supposed to be back at work? Because apparently, some of y’all still have too much time on your hands:

All Other TV News

A little bit of TV history: Back in 1977, the evangelical preacher Pat Robertson created CBN, the Christian Broadcasting Network, home to the famous 700 Club, Robertson’s Christian “news program.” In the 1980s, CBN rebranded itself as The CBN Family Channel and became a little more secular.

By 1990, it was just The Family Channel and it became too profitable to remain a part of Robertson’s non-profit CBN, and it was spun off as International Family Entertainment. But as part of that deal, Robertson insisted that The 700 Club remain on the network in a desirable timeslot.

In 1997, Robertson sold The Family Channel to Fox Kids, but part of the deal was that The 700 Club remains on the network, no matter what its name is, in perpetuity. So then in 2001, Disney/ABC bought Fox Family Channel, and called it ABC Family — and, per the earlier agreement, they had to keep The 700 Club. Over the years, the programming on ABC Family became more and more mature, with shows like Pretty Little Liars and The Fosters becoming more popular than the programming aimed towards younger viewers, so Disney/ABC rebranded it yet again as Freeform in 2016. But even though the programming was nothing like the wholesome broadcasting that once aired on CBN or The Family Channel, Freeform, like their predecessors, were still stuck with The 700 Club. So they plopped it down in the 8/9 a.m. and 10/11 p.m. timeslots, because there was nothing in the deal that said it had to be on in primetime.

And so that is why last night as I was catching up with my summer guilty pleasure, Cruel Summer, I found myself at the end of the episode face-to-face with the most hilarious title card I’ve ever seen:

And, look, I’m not Freeform’s demo, so apparently I’ve been missing this shadiness for a while now:

Freeform may have to broadcast The 700 Club, but they don’t have to be nice about it.

The Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist folks are not giving up:

Netflix.shop, because obviously you want to spend $60 on a Lupin throw pillow.

iCarly fans are flipping out over this little easter egg in the new title sequence:

But also:

Maya Hawke’s Stranger Things character Robin Buckley, is getting her own podcast to correspond with the upcoming fourth season of the Netflix series.

Late-night ratings for the 2020-2021 season are interesting: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert came out on top — but it’s a matter of margins, and in the late late competition between Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Late Late Show with James Corden, Seth Meyers eeked out the win, possibly because it was an election year. (Also, Late Night is one of the few late-night shows that actually feels looser and funnier without an audience? I know that they will eventually return to a full house, probably sooner rather than later, but I’m enjoying the very clubhouse-y feel with an empty studio.)

If you have Gary Shandling’s ashes, please return them to Kevin Nealon.

🤯:

Oh, The Department of Justice under Former President Authoritarian also went after CNN reporters’ emails and phone calls, and then CNN was put under a gag order and couldn’t disclose this bullshittery was even happening? Cool cool cool cool cool. CNN, The New York Times, and Washington Post would like some answers, please.

Legendary‘s finale is streaming on HBO Max as of today, and y’all, it’s not for everyone, but if you enjoyed Pose, you need to watch this ballroom competition, it is a delight. Here, MC Dashaun Wesley and judge Leiomy Maldonado, both icons themselves, discuss this season and how ballroom isn’t a fad: it’s been around for decades, it will be around for decades to come.

Premiering today is Reunion Road Trip on E!, and in the premiere, a bunch of alums from All My Children — my all-time favorite soap opera — reunite. Here they talk about their batshit craziest plotlines:

And it is easy to be snobby about soap operas, but don’t forget, some of your favorite actors got their start on the daytime dramas.

 

RACIAL Justice

Ellie Kemper was dragged on Twitter over Memorial Day Weekend for being a “KKK Princess” for being crowned the Queen of Love and Beauty at the 1999 Veiled Prophet Ball in St. Louis. As I noted in a previous post, the organization is problematic and its founders have Confederate roots, but pretty much any social organization founded in the 19th century is going to have some dark skeletons in their closet. Additionally, the organization integrated in the 1970s, long before Kemper was crowned.

Still, Kemper addressed the controversy, apologized, and insisted that “ignorance is not an excuse” in an Instagram post:

The showrunners of Pose and Lovecraft Country have a conversation with Variety about decentralizing the white male in their series.

Bravo went back and re-edited an episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta that featured Kenya Moore wearing a Native American headdress to a Halloween party.

The cast of the Canadian comedy series (available to stream on Netflix) Kim’s Convenience, has spoken out about the racism they experienced thanks to the lack of Asian representation in the writers’ room.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver tackled the “model minority” myth and why it’s such an effective tool of white supremacy.

John Chu regrets his portrayal of South Asians in his breakthrough film Crazy Rich Asians.

Former Law & Order: Organized Crime co-executive producer Craig Gore has settled with NBC Universal after being fired for offensives tweets during the protests last year.

Jeff Singer, a talent booker for the Just for Laughs Festival, has stepped down after repeated use of the N-word.

Bob Brenly, the Arizona Diamondbacks TV analyst, will be taking a leave of absence for some sensitivity training after making a comment about a player’s head covering.

Tom Hanks authored a New York Times op-ed urging America to not ignore the uglier parts of our history, like the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Until recently, the Tulsa Race Massacre was not seen in movies and TV shows. Thanks to several projects currently streaming, like “Watchmen” and “Lovecraft Country,” this is no longer the case. Like other historical documents that map our cultural DNA, they will reflect who we really are and help determine what is our full history, what we must remember.

Should our schools now teach the truth about Tulsa? Yes, and they should also stop the battle to whitewash curriculums to avoid discomfort for students. America’s history is messy but knowing that makes us a wiser and stronger people. 1921 is the truth, a portal to our shared, paradoxical history. An American Black Wall Street was not allowed to exist, was burned to ashes; more than 20 years later, World War II was won despite institutionalized racial segregation; more than 20 years after that, the Apollo missions put 12 men on the moon while others were struggling to vote, and the publishing of the Pentagon Papers showed the extent of our elected officials’ willingness to systemically lie to us. Each of these lessons chronicles our quest to live up to the promise of our land, to tell truths that, in America, are meant to be held as self-evident.

Unfortunately, Hanks had to write this because the right is systematically attempting to literally white-wash our history.

Here’s a fascinating fact: the 70s group The GAP Band’s name is a tribute to the Greenwood neighborhood that was destroyed in the Tulsa Race Massacre. The group is originally from Tulsa, and band member Charlie Wilson explains:

“We knew we were going to go all over the world – at least I did,” Wilson laughed, saying that he said they knew “we’d have to talk about that, and where the name came from.”

While touring and promoting their albums throughout the 1980s, Wilson would share the story of Greenwood and the massacre that once destroyed it.

“People were just kinda lookin’ at us like, ‘Are you sure? I’ve never heard this story before,’” he recalled.

Renewals

  • Starstruck has been renewed for a second season at HBO Max and BBC.

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendars

  • Gossip Girl will premiere on HBO Max on July 8.
  • Space Jam: A New Legacy will premiere on HBO Max and in theaters on July 16.
  • Making the Cut returns on Amazon on July 16.
  • tick, tick…Boom will debut on Netflix soon.
  • Masters of the Universe: Revelation will debut on Netflix on July 23.
  • The School for Good and Evil will premiere on Netflix sometime in 2022.
  • The Boy Behind the Door will begin streaming on Shudder on July 29.
  • Chucky will premiere this fall on SYFY.

  • Pete Lee: Tall, Dark, and Pleasant will premiere on Showtime on July 9.
  • CMT Campfire Sessions will air on CMT on June 10.
  • Biohackers will return on Netflix on July 9.
  • The One and Only Dick Gregory will premiere on Showtime on July 4.
  • Trese will premiere on Netflix on June 11.
  • Last Summer will debut on Netflix on July 9.

R.I.P.

Ernie Lively, Actor who appeared in Seinfeld, The X-Files and many other TV shows, and movies including Turner & Hooch and Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, and father of Blake Lively

Claudia Barrett, Actress in Robot Monster among other 50s sci-fi films

WATCH THIS

Keeping Up With the Kardashians: The reality show that turned these people into billionaires — somehow — ends after 20 seasons. (But you’d be kidding yourselves if you think this is the last we’ll see of them.) 7 p.m., E!

Younger: The series comes to an end after seven seasons. (The seventh and final season will air on TV Land sometime later this year if you’re not a Paramount+ or Hulu subscriber.) Paramount+, Hulu

Manifest: Cal runs away in the two-hour season finale. 7 p.m., NBC

Rebel: Rebel and her team rally support to bring the Stonemore Medical case to a close in the series finale. 8 p.m., ABC

Hacks: It’s the summer of Jean Smart. Season finale. HBO Max

Legendary: A house becomes legendary. Season finale. HBO Max

Starstruck: A struggling Millennial finds herself in a relationship with a famous actor in this new British comedy. Series premiere. HBO Max

Reunion Road Trip: Some of the most beloved actors from All My Children reunite to celebrate the iconic soap opera’s 50th anniversary. TAKEN TOO SOON. Series premiere. 8 p.m., E!

The Cube: Dwyane Wade hosts this new game show in which contestants are challenged by a plexiglass box. I don’t know. Series premiere. 8 p.m., TBS

Home Before Dark: Season premiere. Apple TV+

Flack: The second season of the Anna Paquin P.R. flack series arrives on Amazon. The question, though, is whether they will order any new seasons … Amazon

Love, Victor: Victor grapples with being openly out in the second season. Premiere. Hulu

Timewasters: A struggling four-piece South London jazz band travel through time in a run-down elevator in this British comedy. Seasons 1 & 2. Premiere. IMDb TV

Fear the Walking Dead: Season finale ahead of its broadcast premiere. 8 p.m., AMC

Late Night:

  • Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Jason Momoa, Rose Byrne, Clairo
  • Late Night with Seth Meyers: Josh O’Connor, Garbage, Brendan Buckley
  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Samantha Power, Maroon 5, Seth Rogen
  • The Late Late Show with James Corden: Desus & Mero, Mother Mother
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live: Bill Clinton, James Patterson, Wiz Khalifa, Jackson Browne
  • The Daily Show: The Daily Social Distancing Show
  • Conan: Tig Notaro
  • Watch What Happens Live: Julianne Moore, Helen Hunt
THUR 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC The Real Rebel: The Erin Brockovich Story
(new)		 Rebel
(new)		 Rebel
(new)
CBS Young Sheldon
(repeat)		 United States of Al
(new)		 Mom
(repeat)		 B Positive
(repeat)		 Clarice
(new)
CW Walker
(new)		 Legacies
(new)		 News/Local
FOX Beat Shazam
(new)		 LEGO Masters
(repeat)		 News/Local
NBC Manifest
(new)		 Law & Order: Organized Crime
(new)

3 thoughts on “I was today years old when I discovered how shady Freeform is”

  2. Okay, I don’t tweet. But if someone wants to save Zoey and her playlist they can mention me in their tweet. It would be appreciated. This is a great show and deserves to continue somewhere somehow.

    Reply

Leave a Reply