Can you guess which three series HBO most regrets not picking up?

by Therese Odell, posted in Uncategorized

She might not be smart, but she’s adorable.

@ladyandtheblues

Smart in her own way🙈✨ #failed #funnydogvideos #dogsoftiktokviral

♬ Soul Bossa Nova – Quincy Delight Jones Jr. & His Orchestra

All Other TV News

A new book about HBO has come out — Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers — and in it, a number of fascinating bits of TV history are revealed, including how The Wire was very nearly canceled after the third season but that David Simon talked his way into two more seasons; how the three shows HBO passed on that they most regret are Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Crown; and perhaps most shockingly, the real reason Lovecraft Country was canceled was not for a lack of material, but that the showrunner had created a toxic and hostile work environment:

Lovecraft was a beautiful show in terms of its look, its narrative and what I would also consider to be an exceptional marriage of storytelling and music. When the show got canceled, there were two predominant explanations out there. One was it had gotten too expensive. The second was there wasn’t a compelling vision for the next season. It turns out neither was the real reason. I had several sources within HBO and elsewhere — people who worked on the show and people who represented people on the show — who said the environment on the show was not a healthy one. For HBO, it was a double-down on sadness — not only is it losing a show that was such an outlier in terms of what it was trying to say, but then to have a Black showrunner — and a female Black showrunner — is not something that happens every day, and people were incredibly excited about that. So, again, the word I come back to is “sadness” that it was not able to continue. [Contacted by THR, Green declined to comment.]

What I will note is that Misha Green, the showrunner of Lovecraft Country, is currently working on an Untitled Birds of Prey movie starring the star of Lovecraft Country, Jurnee Smollett. So, if Warner Brothers and Smollett are willing to work with Green again, you might take this story about a hostile work environment with a small grain of salt.

Peacock apparently has a decent sense of humor about itself.

Helen Mirren is set to receive the SAG lifetime achievement award at the ceremony to be held on February 27.

RACIAL Justice

The real reason there was no Real Housewives of New York reunion? Eboni Williams filed a formal complaint of racism against Ramona Singer and Bravo kept having to push back the reunion as an investigation was launched. Ultimately, Ramona was cleared, but it was too late to film an interview, according to the network. Since then, Ramona is out here agreeing that vaccine mandates are the same as Nazism.

Netflix has removed a housekeeper character from their upcoming Darren Star series, Uncoupled, after Latina actress Ada Maris, who had been considered for the role, found it to be an offensive stereotype, and wrote an open letter to Variety about it.

Olympic Gold Medalist Suni Lee was the victim of an anti-Asian hate crime recently.

Phoenix Suns co-owner Robert Sarver is being investigated for using the N-word on multiple occasions.

The definition of irony: Morgan Wallen was nominated for two American Music Awards, but he’s not allowed to attend next week’s ceremony for his racist outbursts.

Or, Megan, maybe the question is why are Republicans calling lessons about slavery and Martin Luther King, Jr. “CRT” and demanding that they be removed from school curriculums, you talking jar of mayonnaise:

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendars

  • Pam & Tommy will debut on Hulu on February 2.
  • Reno 911: The Hunt for QAnon will premiere on Paramount+ on December 23.
  • The Gilded Age will premiere on HBO on January 24.
  • Emily in Paris returns on Netflix on December 22.
  • Anne Boleyn will debut on AMC+ on December 9.
  • Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues will premiere on Apple TV+ on December 3.

  • Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas will premiere on Roku on December 1.
  • The Kings of Napa premieres on OWN on January 11.
  • Baking It will premiere on Peacock on December 2.
  • Chrisley Knows Thanksgiving will stream on Peacock on December 18.
  • Tough Love with Hilary Farr will debut on HGTV on December 20.
  • Death Valley will premiere on Shudder on December 9.
  • Joe Bob Ruins Christmas will debut on Shudder on December 17.

  • StarBeam: Beaming in the New Year will stream on Netflix on December 16.

 R.I.P.

Bergen Williams, Actress who played Big Alice on General Hospital for 13 years

Young Dolph, Rapper

WATCH THIS

Wheel of Time: In this new series based on the fantasy novels of the same name, a member of the Aes Sedai, an organization of women with magical powers, attempts to find the reincarnation of the Dragon, who is prophesized to either save or destroy the world. Series premiere. Amazon

The Great: Catherine takes the crown and attempts to bring the Enlightenment to Russia. Season two premiere. Hulu

The Sex Lives of College Girls: Somehow I missed this in my weekly suggestions, but the Mindy Kaling-produced comedy is getting a lot of positive reviews. Series premiere. HBO Max.

Music Box: Jagged: An intimate look at Alanis Morissette and her 1995 album Jagged Little Pill. 7 p.m., HBO

Psych 3: This is Gus: Gus is getting married in the third standalone Psych film. Premiere. Peacock

Star Trek: Discovery: Season four premiere. Paramount+

Late Night:

  • Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Simu Liu, Ruth Negga, Big Sean & Hit-Boy
  • Late Night with Seth Meyers: Paul Rudd, Jared Harris, Nate Smith
  • The Late Late Show with James Corden: Salma Hayek, Keith Urban
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live: Alessia Cara
  • The Daily Show: Halle Berry
  • Watch What Happens Live: Dwyane Wade, Iman
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3 thoughts on “Can you guess which three series HBO most regrets not picking up?”

  1. Did you see how the international audiences are angry because they pulled Star Trek Discovery from Netflix right before the new season dropped?

    Reply

    1. No — I knew they were pulling it to keep it exclusive on Paramount+, but I didn’t realize the international viewers were angry. Interesting! Do the international viewers have access to Paramount+ or are they just angry at having to subscribe to another service?

      -T

      Reply

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