Welcome to Clearing Out Our Queue, where we share TV news and recommendations to keep you filled in between episodes of our podcast. Every Friday, Adina and Kara will keep you in the loop about what’s going on in the entertainment world, and what you should be watching.
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CONTRACTS FOR UNIONS… AND FOR MAYA RUDOLPH
First, some updates from various union fights: the Teamsters and Hollywood Basic Crafts unions have ratified new contracts with the AMPTP, meaning they’re locked in for another three years, following IATSE a few weeks ago.
However, another strike has just begun - SAG-AFTRA is striking again, this time against most major video game companies. Their demands follow a long period of talks, with the unions demands for key AI protections - which voice actors for games certainly need - not yet met.
In a brighter bit of news, the Motion Picture association has expressed support for a bipartisan bill to regulate the use of digital replicas that recreate the voice or likeness of real people. The STOP FAKES act is also endorsed by SAG-AFTRA, and it aims to require consent from a performer (or their heirs) in order for AI to imitate their presence in audio or audiovisual works.
Probably not a surprise to anyone, but Maya Rudolph has been tapped to play Vice President and presumed Democratic presidental nominee Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live through this fall’s election. This also means pre-production of Loot Season 3 is paused - a sad side effect, but it’s hard to fight the momentum of SNL election spoofs.
This was a light week for premieres, with just Women in Blue on Apple TV+, Batman: Caped Crusader on Prime Video, and Season 2 of Unstable and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder on Netflix.
TV NEWS
Netflix released a video teaser that reveals the date for Season 2 of Squid Game. The follow-up to the Korean show’s massive popular debut season will be streaming on December 26, 2024, clearly hoping to top its own numbers by pulling holiday viewing. There’s another surprise reveal in here, too: there will be a third season, which will be the final season, and it’s coming sometime in 2025.
The week from July 1 to July 7 set a record for the most viewing on streaming services ever, as tracked by Nielsen. There was also a notable milestone in that every one of the top 10 streamed titles had over 1 billion minutes streamed. Of course, the July 4th holiday in the US likely played a big role, but it’s a pretty clear sign that streaming is a primary mode of accessing entertainment… the key will be in making it sustainable for companies, consumers, and those actually making the shows and films.
While big platforms continue to dominate, Variety examined the rise of smaller streaming platforms that cater to niche, passionate fanbases. Several indie streaming platforms are finding more and more success in making smaller-scale content for specific audiences - like Dropout (which is an evolution of CollegeHumor), Beacon (a service focused on Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop RPGs, which grew from the success of the hit web show Critical Role), and Nebula (a creator-owned platform used by many different video makers, many of whom created fanbases on YouTube). With lower prices (at $5-6 a month) and a concerted effort to serve a specific audience, these platforms are growing fast.
The previously announced Jeopardy! Spinoff focusing on pop culture will be hosted by SNL’s Colin Jost. Jost has been an anchor for Weekend Update since 2014 (along with Michael Che), and he’ll now take on leading this new show. The format will match classic Jeopardy! In most ways, but the questions will only focus on pop culture (obviously), and players will work in teams of three to advance in a tournament.
CLEARING OUT OUR QUEUE
Or, what we’re watching this week.
Kara: I finished the most recent season of Hacks which I enjoyed. Now I’m finishing up season 1 of The O.C. again.
Adina: I finished Sex and the City. No big surprises since I knew generally what the state of things is in the revival series… but was still fun to finish. On that note, I don’t think I’ll watch the movies or revival right away. I’m also still following along with Orphan Black: Echoes, and I just started My Lady Jane, which is quite fun and weird so far.