The cheaper Netflix plan: all the ads and fewer shows. What’s not to love?

Therese Odell

4 years ago

Here’s A BUNCH OF TV News

You know what I’m about to ask: HAVE YOU VOTED YET? WELL, WHY NOT? Today is the last day of early voting and, Harris County? We have the longest ballot in the country. So give yourself some time, and do the damn thing.

🗳️ Today, Nov. 4, is the last day of early voting in Texas. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Before you head to the polls, you should know your rights as a voter, what you need to vote and who to contact if you run into any issues. https://t.co/0aVM2GhJMC

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) November 4, 2022

“At the beginning of the midterm campaigns, I said it was up to citizens to vote for who would represent them. If I lived in Pennsylvania, I would have already cast my vote for John Fetterman. There are clear choices and some dynamic candidates who are working to represent the values that so many of us hold dear—like inclusion, compassion, and community. So I ask that voters use discernment and choose wisely for the democracy of our country.” — signed, Oprah Winfrey.

Netflix launched its ad-supported tier yesterday, BUT. While you’ll be paying less for Netflix, you won’t have access to some of Netflix’s most popular series and some movies, including: House of Cards, Peaky Blinders, Arrested Development, The Good Place, Friday Night Lights, New Girl, The Last Kingdom, The Magicians, Good Girls, and The Sinner. Also, if you stream via Apple TV, you won’t be able to access the ad-supported tier just yet. (Although, with no Arrested Development, and The Good Place, what’s the point?)

The HBO Max/Discovery+ platform merger has been moved up to spring 2023 from summer 2023. The price will go “north” according to Warner Bros. Discovery, and there will be more ads on the ad-supported tier. But, David Zaslav is also threatening to cut budgets on production, so GREAT! JUST GREAT NEWS ALL THE WAY AROUND.

Manifest returns on Netflix today for the first part of its final season. Here’s where what I had THOUGHT was the dumbest show on television until I met La Brea left off.

Jimmy Kimmel threatened to quit his show when ABC executives expressed apprehension about his Former President Thin Skin jokes.

In which Neil Gaiman gets the last laugh:

I'm sorry. I drifted off. Did Sandman get cancelled, then? https://t.co/Ef0jUoIL4q

— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) November 3, 2022

As I’ve been talking about for a while now, CNN has been going through … some things. This piece by Dustin Rowles at Pajiba is a very insightful exploration of why the CNN experiment is failing. It’s fine — admirable, in fact — to want to offer objective, non-partisan news, but …

Only one side of the political spectrum actually punishes its members for being anti-semitic. Don’t both sides this one, please.

The origin story of the SNL sketch “The Californians,” is ridiculous.

Here’s how Girls5Eva found a new home at Netflix, and what Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt had to do with it.

We have Paul Rudd to thank for the gift that is Quinta Brunson, and somehow that all makes perfect sense.

In news that surely surprised exactly no one, James Corden has been accused of stealing other jokes in the past. Story: ongoing, I’m certain.

Cancellations

Cross Connection has been canceled at MSNBC.

In Development

The Degrassi reboot has been canceled at HBO Max.
The Continental, the John Wick spinoff series, is coming to Peacock after originally being set to debut on Starz.
Moore & More, a family comedy, is being developed at ABC.
While Fate: The Winx Saga might have been canceled at Netflix, the creator is promising a rebooted animated series and a “big budget Winx movie.”

Catherine Lacey’s novel The Answers is being adapted into a series at FX.
A documentary about Candace Parker is in the works at ESPN films.

Casting News

Martin Sensmeier has joined Alaska Daily on ABC.
Ali Ahn and Maria Dizzia have joined Agatha: Coven of Chaos on Disney+.
Avantika will star in A Crown of Wishes for Disney+.

Mark Your Calendar

George and Tammy will premiere on Showtime and Paramount+ on December 4.

Criminal Minds: Evolution will debut on Paramount+ on November 24.

We’re Here returns on HBO on November 25. And I can not hype this show enough: it is such a sweet, heartfelt, feel-good show, and I wish all those people who are out here attacking drag performers would sit down and watch an episode or 30.

grown-ish will return on Freeform on January 18.

The final episodes of Love Is Blind season three will premiere on Netflix on November 9.

Random Acts of Flyness will return on HBO in December.

Game Theory with Bomani Jones will return on HBO on January 20.

Home Town will return on HGTV on December 6.
Jeff Dunham: Me the People will debut on Comedy Central on November 25.
CBS has announced its holiday programming dates.

R.I.P.

Douglas McGrath, Oscar-nominated writer and director of film, stage, and television

Max Maven, Mentalist and magical historian

Andrew Pine, Character actor in many westerns

WATCH THIS

FRIDAY

Manifest: The fourth and final season even though the creator clearly had a five-season plan. Netflix

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story: Daniel Radcliffe does his best Weird Al in this new biopic. Premiere. Roku

Enola Holmes 2: Millie Bobby Brown is Sherlock’s little sister again. Netflix

Lopez vs. Lopez: They’ve given George Lopez another sitcom. Series premiere. 7 p.m., NBC

Young Rock: Season three premiere. 7:30 p.m., NBC

Buying Beverly Hills: Mauricio gets his own reality series, and it’s not on Bravo. Huh. Series premiere. Netflix

World Series Game 6: I swear, I will be having a full panic attack. 6 p.m., Fox

SATURDAY

Saturday Night Live: Amy Schumer and Steve Lacy 10:30 p.m., NBC

World Series Game 7: I will burn everything down if it gets to this point. 5:30 p.m., Fox

See How They Run: Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, and Adrien Brody are just some of the big names in this murder-mystery comedy set in 1950s London. 7 p.m., HBO

SUNDAY

Dangerous Liaisons: It’s Dangerous Liaisons — but TV-long. Series premiere. 7 p.m., Starz

Spector: Hey, remember that lunatic Phil Spector? Yeah. 8 p.m., Showtime

The Masked Singer: Leslie Jordan joins as a panelist on “Hall of Fame” night — oof. 7 p.m., Fox

Late Night:

Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (Friday): Mariah Carey, Marcus Mumford, Monica Martin
Watch What Happens Live (Sunday): Dr. Wendy Osefo, Vishal Parvani

FRI.

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

ABC

Black Panther: In Search of Wakanda
(new)

20/20

CBS

S.W.A.T.
(new)