Chris Licht is out at CNN and somewhere Don Lemon is popping champagne

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

Don’t let the pigeon drive the escalator:

Here’s A BUNCH OF TV News

Well, that didn’t take long: After only 13 months, CNN CEO Chris Licht is out. It’s been a rough tenure for Licht, between pushing the network more to the right; declining ratings and strange programming decisions; the whole Don Lemon debacle; the axing of CNN+; and the choice to host the Former Insurrectionist at a town hall filled with his cult members. And while most people are pointing to a brutal Atlantic profile that was published on Friday, the fact that Warner Bros. Discovery had moved someone into the COO spot to over see all of CNN’s business decisions before the piece was published suggests they were preparing to fire Licht’s ass before last weekend.

In a memo to CNN staffers, Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav wrote:

“This job was never going to be easy, especially at a time of great disruption and transformation, and Chris poured his heart and soul into it. He has a deep love for journalism and this business and that has been evident throughout his tenure. Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we had hoped – and ultimately that’s on me. I take responsibility.”

And you know what? Zaslav should take responsibility — he’s the one who hired Licht, and Licht was just trying to steer CNN towards Zaslav’s politics and tastes. And that is why I’m skeptical that firing Licht is going to solve the CNN problem. Warner Bros. Discovery will just find another “anti-woke” “centrist” to helm the network to push it further right, and continue to lose an audience that doesn’t want to watch a Fox News dupe.

For those of you who wanted Ted and Rebecca to be endgame on Ted Lasso, Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard) says that the writers considered it “out of professional responsibility. Never with enthusiasm.” He went on to add, “We have been taught by years and years of television that when there is a male lead and a female lead, they end up together. That can be hard conditioning to see past.” I am 100% Team Beard on this one. I’ve said it before here that some of the best relationships on TV are platonic friendships between men and women — Jack and Liz on 30 Rock; Peggy adn Don on Mad Men; and … yeah, that’s pretty much where the list ends. I would argue Jerry and Elaine on Seinfeld, but even they felt compelled to make sure it was clear they were exes. Anyway, Ted and Rebecca, and Ted and Keely were refreshing relationships, and I would change nothing.

Here’s a nice breakdown on whether or not Tish’s predictions for Rebecca came true on Ted Lasso (hint: they did).

Ingo Rademacher lost his lawsuit against ABC for firing him after he refused to get vaccinated while working on General Hospital. He claimed it was for religious reasons, but a judge disagreed. 

Hey, I Think You Should Leave fans, this is relevant to your interests:

Sex and the City premiered on HBO 25 years ago yesterday. I KNOW, I’M A DAY LATE. Anyway, Vanity Fair has a decent piece on the fashion trends the show spawned that are still alive and well today.

Get well soon, Michael Grimm.

Writers’ Strike Update:

It’s been a busy week on the strike front: The Directors Guild of America has reached a tentative agreement with the studios ahead of a potential strike. The Writers Guild has announced that the DGAs deal will not pressure them to abandon their own demands.

Meanwhile, the Screen Actors Guild has approved a strike to begin on June 30 if the leaders decide they are not close to a deal with the studios by then. If SAG-AFTRA strikes, production on all scripted projects in the U.S. and elsewhere will essentially grind to a halt.

Shows that have been delayed: Emily in Paris; Hysteria!; Uncoupled; The Mandalorian.

Movies that have been delayed: The Community movie; Super Mario Bros. 2; and, ironically, the Jennifer Lopez film, Unstoppable.

In fact, on-location scripted filming has all but ground to a halt in Los Angeles.

And it’s behind a paywall, but Vulture has a running tally of shows that have been delayed.

On a positive note: Netflix’s shareholders voted against a compensation package for the top executives. It was largely symbolic, but the vote followed a letter from the WGA urging shareholders to vote against it.

Renewals

  • Signora Volpe has been renewed on Acorn TV for a second season.

Cancellations

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendars

  • Good Omens 2 returns on Prime Video on July 28.
  • The Afterparty will return on Apple TV+ on July 12.
  • Dark Side of the 2000s will premiere on Vice TV on July 18.

R.I.P.

Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri a.k.a. “The Iron Sheik,” Legendary WWF wrestler

Pat Cooper, 1960s stand-up comedian

Augusto Góngora, Latin-American journalist, TV host, author,r, and subject of the documentary The Eternal Memory

George Winston, Grammy-winning New Age pianist

WATCH THIS

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: These monsters are back! Season premiere. 9 p.m., FXX

Avatar: The Way of Water: Streaming premiere of the most popular movie no one I know saw in the theater. Disney+ & Max

Arnold: This limited series follows the remarkable life of bodybuilder, movie star, and governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Netflix

The Ultimatum: Queer Love: Season finale for this reality show that I am ashamed to admit I am much too invested in.  Netflix

The Real Housewives of Orange County: 17th season premiere. 7 p.m., Bravo

WEDS. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC NBA Finals
(live)
CBS The Price Is Right At Night
(repeat)		 Let’s Make a Deal Primetime
(repeat)		 CSI: Vegas
(repeat)
CW Nancy Drew
(new)		 Riverdale
(new)		 Local
FOX MasterChef
(new)		 Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars
(new)		 News/Local
NBC Chicago Med
(new)		 Chicago Fire
(new)		 Chicago P.D.
(new)

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