Clearing Out Our Queue: December 16, 2022
You're a mean one, Mr. Zaslav.
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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FIRST, THE HAPPY NEWS
A lot happened this week in television.
On the awards front, the Golden Globes released their nominations. At a glance, they look a bit less ridiculous than in previous years, but still, this awards show will have to earn trust back after the scandals that have plagued them the past few years. We’re still team #CriticsChoice for a winter TV awards show.
There was also the presentation of the first annual Children & Family Emmys. This new branch of the most prestigious TV awards will be good for honoring young performers as well as the adults who bring shows for younger audiences to life. Sesame Street won a 6th Emmy, and Netflix picked up two other major awards for Heartstopper and The Baby-Sitters Club (which is already canceled, unfortunately).
NOW, THE BAD…
While some fans are upset over Netflix’s latest cancellation (Warrior Nun), there’s a far bigger crisis going on over at HBO Max, thanks to TV’s biggest Grinch.
Warner Bros.-Discovery CEO David Zaslav has continued his streak of abrupt cancellations for scripted programming: this week Minx Season 2 was canceled though Season 2 was nearly done filming. This is a huge blow for us, as both Kara and Adina loved this show! This is the latest in a series of cuts by Zaslav, made harsher by the late timing, and the existing episodes of the show also being pulled from the service. There is a reason for this harsh action, sort of–when Discovery merged with Warner Bros., it also acquired massive debt. Now, Zaslav is faced with the question of how to cut costs and create tax write-offs to cover that debt.
The result? Many Max Originals and even flagship HBO programs are being removed from the service, including the massively popular Westworld, to save WBD from paying residuals to keep those titles available. There’s a shred of hope for Minx, since it’s produced by Lionsgate, not Warner Bros., so they retain the rights and can shop the show to other networks. We’ll be praying Minx finds a new home. Meanwhile, another HBO Max hit, Our Flag Means Death, just wrapped filming on Season 2–but even that doesn’t make them safe from Zaslav’s wrath. Strangely enough, The Sex Lives of College Girls just announced a renewal for Season 3 after all those cullings. We know nothing is truly safe at HBO Max right now, but it’s a nice shred of good news amongst the bad.
If you’re stuck in confusion or despair about these and other recent cutbacks from streaming platforms, this article by The Verge is really helpful. It explains why streaming boomed in the first place (it was never profitable, but corporations made shows at a loss to get in the game) and where it’s heading now (becoming slightly less of an insanely good deal for consumers–fewer shows and higher prices and possibly ads, to make it financially viable). Still, even with the come-down from the massive streaming bubble, this era of TV has more to watch at lower prices than pre-streaming.
CLEARING OUT OUR QUEUE - YEAR IN REVIEW EDITION
As the year comes to a close, and outlets publish “Best of 2022” lists, we’ve decided to do our own. We’ll each share our top 5 seasons of TV that aired in 2022. First up, Kara’s top 5 seasons of 2022 (in no particular order).
Abbott Elementary Season 2: The show I look forward to most every week! Season two continues to make me cackle and also scream at my TV (see the winter finale). Excited for what Quinta and the rest of the team have in store for 2023.
Minx Season 1: Minx, I will avenge you! Hopefully they’re able to find a new home for the show, because after such a solid first season, I simply need more of this super fun ensemble and also Jake Johnson in ‘70s outfits. I also recapped season one for Screen Speck if you want to check that out!
Severance Season 1: If you have not checked out Severance yet, do so! It’s perhaps my favorite new show I watched this year. It’s trippy and suspenseful, and there’s not really anything like it, and I’m very glad it exists. And with all the news surrounding HBO Max, it seems like Apple TV+ might take the crown for my favorite streaming service in terms of content.
What We Do in the Shadows Season 4: This show is always a treat every season. It never fails to make me laugh. I loved watching Nadja run a nightclub and laughed a lot at Laszlo parenting baby Colin Robinson all the way up until adulthood.
The Bear Season 1: Another new show that I enjoyed a lot! The stress of the kitchen is palpable, but I can’t look away. Also Ayo Edebiri is a star and I will be starting her Emmy campaign STAT.
Stay tuned for Adina’s top 5 next week!
PODCAST NEWS
This week, we discussed SUPERSTORE with a good friend of ours, actor/writer/director/tastemaker Mira Lamson Klein. Listen now for our breakdown of the best workplace sitcom that you haven’t gotten to yet (and why you should check it out, ASAP).
