It was a rough weekend for mediocre white men in the cable news business

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

Watching this lab unwrap a present is the most relaxing thing you’ll do today:

Here’s A BUNCH OF TV News

On Friday, The Atlantic published a piece, “Inside the Meltdown at CNN,” that profiled CNN head, Chris Licht, after following him closely for months. To say that it was unflattering is an understatement — it very well might mark the end of Licht’s career there. The article is behind a paywall, but this Axios summary is pretty solid. And from Vanity Fair:

Alberta’s report depicted Licht as shooting those arrows, like when he suggested that the network had, under his predecessor Jeff Zucker, overhyped COVID coverage to “keep getting those ratings.” That assertion particularly miffed staffers, according to Brian Stelter, a former CNN anchor who was axed under Licht. Per Alberta, another detail in the piece that continues to rock CNN staffers was a decision made during the pregame show for CNN’s disastrous town hall with Donald Trump. One of Licht’s lieutenants “phoned the control room” to tell them to remove the words “sexual abuse” from a CNN chyron—despite Trump being found liable for it in court the day before. “If this decision was indeed made to appease the Trump team—to keep him from quitting the town hall—it is an absolute scandal,” tweeted Alberta, who also reported that Licht wanted the Trump town hall audience to be “extra Trumpy.” 

Another insider told Stelter that they were “struck by how consumed he is by the coverage he gets and the respect his predecessor had.” Alberta reported Licht “barely interacted with the people seated near him” at a holiday dinner for his DC-based talent, and was instead spotted “reading a critical story about him in Puck.” As for the chief’s preoccupation with Zucker, Alberta writes, in a particularly memorable scene at the gym with Licht and his trainer, how Licht “squatted down to grab a long metal pole lying flat on the ground. ‘Zucker couldn’t do this shit,’ Licht said through clenched teeth, hoisting the pole with a grunt.”

Licht’s role at CNN had been undermined just the day before the piece was published when David Zaslav installed David Leavy, his longtime lieutenant, as Warner Bros. Discovery’s COO, where he will “take over commercial, operational and promotional activities across CNN,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

Licht apologized to the CNN staffers this morning, saying “I should not be in the news unless it’s taking arrows for you. Your work is what should be written about … To those whose trust I’ve lost, I will fight like hell to win it back, because you deserve a leader who will be in the trenches, fighting to ensure CNN remains the world’s most trusted name in news.” Sounds like Licht might not be long at CNN. Stay tuned. 

Elsewhere in cable news …

Chuck Todd is leaving Meet the Press (!!!) after hosting the show for nine years and having been the subject of much criticism for his lack of pushback on guests. Kristen Welker will replace him as the host.

After watching last night’s premiere of the remarkably dull and schlocky The Idol, I’m missing Succession more than ever. (Genuinely, The Weeknd shouldn’t quit his day job.) So here’s Jesse Armstrong telling NPR that the Shiv/Tom moment in the finale is a “chilly equality” between them, and that he imagines she’s still in the mix. And here he is saying that he was “terrified” when Jeremy Strong started improvising in that final scene. NO DOUBT. Can you even imagine what the network lawyers must have thought? Oh, and Brian Cox hasn’t watched the series finale, which is the most Brian Cox thing ever.

On the news that Kim Cattrall has put aside her feud with Sarah Jessica Parker long enough to make a cameo on And Just Like That … here’s a review of what the feud was all about in the first place. (Money.)

Evan Handler is as surprised as we are:

“I think it is great. I do … Apparently, [her cameo] was shot in the garage somewhere with no contact with anybody, so the only place I have to welcome her is into my living room when it airs on television,” he quipped.

As for when he found out Cattrall was returning to the SATC-verse, Handler — who portrays character Harry Goldenblatt — told PEOPLE, “I learned it the same day you did.”

No one cares, Meghan.

Tyler James Williams isn’t gay, but he wants you to know that endlessly speculating on whether or not he is gay is dangerous to queer and questioning people (and he’s not wrong):

“Usually I wouldn’t address stuff like this but I feel like it as a conversation is bigger than me,” Williams wrote on his Instagram story. “I’m not gay; but I think the culture of trying to ‘find’ some kind of hidden trait or behavior that a closeted person ‘let slip’ is very dangerous.”

“Overanalyzing someone’s behavior in an attempt to ‘catch’ them directly contributes to the anxiety a lot of queer and queer questioning people feel when they fear living in their truth,” he continued. “It makes the most pedestrian of conversations and interactions in spaces feel less safe for our gay brothers and sisters and those who maybe be questioning.”

Jennifer Coolidge wants Tanya’s husband to die in a “meat-grinding machine” on The White Lotus. SAME, GIRL.

If you haven’t already, you should go sign up for Peacock while they’re running this deal.

Don’t hold your breath for a Desperate Housewives reboot.

Former WWE wrestler Stan Lane is not Lauren Boebert’s father .. which is … I mean … OK?

Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets on Prime Video is an excellent binge. On the surface, it tells the story of the Duggar family and their downfall as reality television stars thanks to Joshua Duggar’s sexual abuse. But it dives much deeper than that, exploring the Duggars’ particular brand of Christian fundamentalism, how it serves as the perfect environment for sexual, emotional and physical abuse, and how it shapes our politics. It is well worth your time; I’d dare say it’s imperative.

Get better soon, Danny Bonaduce.

Renewals

Cancellations

  • The Winchesters is officially dead after the producers were unable to find another network home for the series.

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendar

  • Glamorous premieres on Netflix on June 22.
  • The Out-Laws will debut on Netflix on July 7.
  • Bird Box Barcelona will premiere on Netflix on July 14.
  • Domina will return on MGM+ on July 9.
  • The Stroll will premiere on HBO on June 21.
  • My Adventures with Superman will debut on Adult Swim on July 6.
  • Fatal Seduction will premiere on Netflix on July 7.
  • My Happy Marriage debuts on Netflix on July 5.

R.I.P.

Anna Shay, Star of Bling Empire

Barry Newman, TV, film, and Broadway actor known for Petrocelli and Vanishing Point

Marcus Plantin, British TV executive and producer

WATCH THIS

Cruel Summer: The second season of the addictive mystery series follows an intense love triangle between three friends through three different timelines. Season premiere 8 p.m., Freeform

Stars on Mars: 12 celebrities arrive on “Mars” where they receive challenges from William Shatner at “Mission Control” that simulate life on the Red Planet in this weird new competition series. Series premiere. 7 p.m., Fox

Crime Scene Kitchen: Six self-taught baking duos compete to create the mystery desert. Season premiere. 8 p.m., Fox

The Age of Influence: A look at the dark side of influencer culture. Premiere. Hulu 

MON. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC Celebrity Family Feud
(repeat)		 Celebrity Family Feud
(repeat)		 Celebrity Family Feud
(repeat)
CBS Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
CW The Rising
(new)		 Barons
(new)		 Local
FOX Stars on Mars
(new)		 Crime Scene Kitchen
(new)		 News/Local
NBC American Ninja Warrior
(new)		 Weakest Link
(new)

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