‘Squid Game’ is so popular … (How popular is it?) …

Therese Odell

5 years ago

All Other TV News

Squid Game is so popular …

HOW POPULAR IS IT? …

It’s so popular that Netflix is being sued by one of South Korea’s largest internet providers for increasing network traffic thanks to this one show.

It’s so popular that one poor South Korean man is fielding 4,000 phone calls a day because his phone number was included on a business card in one scene.

It’s so popular that Jeff Bezos is talking about it.

*loud fake cough* VIP https://t.co/qQEN4w6oZG

— IntoTheWoods (@in2thew00ds) October 3, 2021

It’s so popular, Netflix is already talking about season two.

Ozy Media may or may not be shutting down. We are in real Schrödinger’s Cat territory here.

Netflix and Howard University have established a $5.4 million scholarship to honor Chadwick Boseman.

Jerry Seinfeld would change some things that haven’t aged well on Seinfeld if he had a time machine. What things specifically? We’ll never know.

Saturday Night Live‘s Supervising Producer Ken Aymong retired after three decades with the show. (That’s who Colin Jost’s sign was about during the goodnights.)

OK, but why?

Renewals

Deep Water Salvage has been renewed for a second season on Weather Channel.

Cancellations

Mr. Corman has been canceled after one season on Apple TV+.

In Development

A Cruel Intentions series is in the works at IMDb TV. (I’ve heard this song before.)
A Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid series is being adapted for television.
Washington Black, a limited series starring and produced by Sterling K. Brown, is being developed at Hulu.
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, a Ryan Murphy film starring Donald Sutherland and Jaeden Martell, is coming to Netflix.
A LGBTQIA+ horror film set at a gay conversion camp starring Kevin Bacon, Anna Chlumsky, Theo Germain, Carrie Preston, Quei Tann, Austin Crute, Anna Lore, Monique Kim, Cooper Koch, and Darwin del Fabro is going to Peacock.
Love During Lockup is being developed for TLC.
Dear Mr. Brody has been acquired at Discovery+.
José Andrés is launching José Andrés Media, “a company that will produce unscripted and scripted television series, books, podcasts, and digital short- and mid-form content with a focus on food-related stories and characters, and the culture of food.”
Shaka King has signed a first-look deal at FX.

Casting News

Damien Lewis is leaving the cast of Billions on Showtime.
Pat Robertson is leaving The 700 Club and his son will take over. Bye.
Nikki Bella, Travis Pastrana, Simon Cowell will be judges on America’s Got Talent: Extreme on NBC, and Terry Crews will host.
Natalie Morales is leaving NBC News to join The Talk on CBS.
David Duchovny and Nia Long have joined the cast of Kenya Barris’s untitled Netflix series.
Blu Hunt, Reno Wilson, Maximiliano Hernandez, Dawnn Lewis, Derek Phillips, Courtney Dietz, and Troy Kotsur have been cast in The Last Police on Netflix.
Tony Cavalero is joining The Conners on ABC.
Kathleen Garrett has been added to The First Lady on Showtime.
Ian Bohen is joining Superman & Lois on The CW.
Johari Washington, Ethan Hutchinson, Eugene Byrd, Kenneisha Thompson, and Robert Manning Jr. have joined the cast of The Secrets of Sulphur Springs on Disney+.
Daniel Lissing will star in When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas on GAC.
Frank Whaley has joined Power Book II: Ghost on Starz.
Peter Gerety, Michael Mosley, Ella Kennedy Davis, Pearl Amanda Dickson, Kylie Liya Page, and Jeff Wahlberg are joining The Girl from Plainville on Hulu.
Aidan Turner will star in The Suspect on ITV.

Mark Your Calendar

tick, tick…BOOM! will debut in theaters and Netflix in November.

Billions returns on Showtime on January 23.

Queens will debut on ABC on October 19.

Chucky premieres on USA and Syfy on October 12.

Fauci will debut on Disney+ on October 6.

Dave Chappelle: The Closer premieres on Netflix tomorrow:

A House on the Bayou will premiere on Epix on November 19.

Man in the Arena: Tom Brady will premiere on ESPN+ in November.

Netflix and Chills highlights:

The Righteous Gemstones will return on HBO this winter.
American Refugee will premiere on Epix on December 10.
Here are a bunch of horror movies coming out on Hulu this month.
Mike & Molly is joining Nick at Nite tonight.
Getting Spicy with Pepper Teigen will premiere on Food Network on November 6.

R.I.P.

Lorraine Snebold, TV marketing executive

George “Commander Cody” Frayne, Pioneering alt-country rocker

Todd Akin, Former congressman who became notorious for his comments during his campaign for Senate about how a woman’s body would “shut … down” a pregnancy from a “legitimate rape.”