The tragic death of Naomi Judd and our on-going suicide by gun epidemic

by Therese Odell, posted in Uncategorized

It takes a village.

All Other TV News

In its most shocking twist in an already shocking series, The Boys will feature … a musical episode in season three.

I guess this isn’t technically a “spoiler” but the stars of Candy, Jessica Biel and Melanie Lynskey’s real-life husbands, Justin Timberlake and Jason Ritter, have small parts in the Hulu limited series — an Easter egg that was not leaked during production.

Sophie Turner confirms that her Game of Thrones rape scene was “super, super traumatic” and “just really kind of horrible for everyone to be on set and watch.” No doubt.

Note to casting directors: Action Bronson will not play drug dealers, thanks.

James Corden is taking The Late Late Show back to London next month, the first time since the pandemic.

This is a very good, very revealing article about Netflix, and how it actually treats its creators, showrunners, and writers (NOT GREAT, BOB).

Disney+ added nearly 8 million subscribers in the past quarter, maybe the one bit of good news CEO Bob Chapek has had in the past year.

Disney is looking forward towards the death of cable and making ESPN a streaming-only offering. It’s not happening yet, but the clock is clearly ticking.

Speaking of the death of cable, the shakeups from the Warner Bros./Discovery merger continue:

Brett Weitz, the General Manager of TNT, TBS, and truTV, has stepped down after 14 years. Weitz was responsible for many of the networks’ recent hits, and refocusing each of the networks’ brands in the past few years, turning TNT into more of a drama location, and TBS and truTV for comedies.

Additionally, Johanna Fuentes, Warner Bros. Communications Chief for the past two years, and Tom Ascheim, President of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults, and Classic are also leaving the company. 

Ashley Judd revealed on Good Morning America this morning that her mother, Naomi, used a firearm to kill herself in late April, after suffering for years from depression. It’s a heartbreaking thing for the family to have to talk about, but Judd recognized that if they didn’t open up about it, the manner of Naomi’s death would become a part of the “gossip economy.”

“When we’re talking about mental illness, it’s very important to make the distinction between our loved one and the disease. It lies. It’s savage,” Judd said. “Our mother couldn’t hang on until she was inducted into the Hall of Fame by her peers. That was the level of catastrophe that was going on inside … the regard they had for her couldn’t penetrate her heart.”

While I recognize that the conversation around mental illness and depression is the most important one to be having about Naomi Judd and her tragic death, I also appreciate the family being very clear about how she took her life, as painful as it is for them, because I believe we as a country need to talk more about suicide by firearm.

Our country’s lax gun laws and ready availability of firearms makes what might be a fleeting impulse all too easy to carry out. In fact, our suicide by gun rate is 12 times higher than our peer nations, having access to a gun triples your risk of suicide, and for young Americans, the suicide by gun rate has increased more than 50 percent over the past 10 years. Yes, there will always be people who will be determined to end their lives even if a firearm is not available. But for those people who are just in a moment, maybe intoxicated, or overly emotional, or too young to really understand the consequences of their actions, disrupting their access to a gun might be the most important life-saving actions we can take. I’ve lost three people to suicide by gun, and each of their deaths was impulsive, in-the-moment terrible decisions. I firmly believe they would still be here today had they not had access to those guns. It’s heartbreaking, and it is shameful that we as a country have decided in the midst of a suicide epidemic that we can’t, and we won’t do anything about it.

If you or someone you care for needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 24 hours a day, at 1-800-273-8255.

Renewals

  • American Auto has been renewed for a second season on NBC (hooray!).

Cancellations

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendars

  • Resident Evil will premiere on Netflix on July 14.
  • Cha Cha Real Smooth will debut on Apple TV+ on June 17.
  • First Kill will premiere on Netflix on June 10.
  • South Park The Streaming Wars will debut on Paramount+ on June 1.
  • The Deep End will premiere on Freeform on May 18.
  • P-Valley will return on Starz on June 3.
  • Gangs of London returns on AMC+ later this year.
  • The Bad Seed Returns premieres on Lifetime on May 30.
  • Not Going Quietly will stream on Hulu on May 13.
  • Helpsters will return on Apple TV+ on May 27.

R.I.P.

Richard Wagner, Longtime CBS News correspondent

WATCH THIS

The Kids in the Hall: The brilliant Canadian troupe is back together to squish more heads after more than 27 years. Premiere. Prime Video

Hacks: Season two of the wonderful Emmy-award-winning Jean Smart comedy. HBO Max

The Essex Serpent: Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston star in this new series set in a Victorian England town that might be being menaced by a mythical beast. Series premiere. Apple TV+

Late Night:

  • Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Post Malone, Howie Mandel, Arcade Fire
  • Late Night with Seth Meyers: Amy Sedaris, Michael R. Jackson, a performance from “A Strange Loop”, Derrick Wright
  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Jake Tapper, Beach House
  • The Late Late Show with James Corden: Niecy Nash, Smashing Pumpkins
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live: Dana Carvey, “Science Bob” Pflugfelder
  • The Daily Show: TBA
  • Watch What Happens Live: Desus & Mero
THUR 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC Station 19
(new)		 Grey’s Anatomy
(new)		 Big Sky
(new)
CBS Young Sheldon
(new)		 United States of Al
(new)		 How We Roll
(new)		 How We Roll
(new)		 Bull
(new)
CW Walker
(repeat)		 Legacies
(new)		 News/Local
FOX MasterChef Junior
(new)		 Welcome to Flatch
(new)		 News/Local
NBC Law & Order
(new)		 Law & Order: SVU
(new)		 Law & Order: Organized Crime
(new)

Leave a Reply