We’re less than a month away from the Primetime Emmys and one show is poised to sweep the Drama categories with a big pivot (and an even bigger renewal): It’s the FX not-so-limited series Shogun. We talk about the big 2-season renewal, its awards chances, and the shocking series-turned-season finale. (We’ll have some follow-up about the season 2 plans next week, too!)

But first: It’s America’s favorite unlicensed game show! RENEWED OR CANCELED?!

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📺 Review: Shogun (S1 Rewind)

• 🧭 Where to Watch: Hulu
• 🗓️ Episodes: 10 (All Episodes Available)
• ✅ Renewal Status: Renewed for Seasons 2 and 3
• 🤩 Starring: Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai
• 🧑‍🎨 Adapted By: Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks
• ⚠️ Spoiler Alert for all 10 episodes starting at 25:44

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🔗 Links:

• Throwback: NBCUniversal Streaming Service Sets Battlestar, Saved by the Bell Reboots – Joe Otterson, Variety
• And now, in 2024: ‘Battlestar Galactica' Reboot No Longer in the Works at Peacock – Joe Otterson, Variety
• ‘Squid Game’ To End With Season 3 On Netflix As Streamer Sets Season 2 Premiere – Peter White, Deadline
• 'Halo' Canceled After Two Seasons at Paramount+ – Joe Otterson, Variety
• ‘Life & Beth’ Axed After 2 Seasons At Hulu – Peter White, Deadline
• Hulu Picks Up 20 More Episodes Of ‘The Kardashians’ – Lynette Rice, Deadline
• ‘Reginald The Vampire’ Canceled After 2 Seasons At Syfy – Denise Petski, Deadline
• Sally Wainwright’s ‘Renegade Nell’ Canceled After One Season At Disney+ – Max Goldbart, Deadline
• ‘Bachelor In Paradise’ Returning To ABC In 2025 For Season 10 – Katie Campione, Deadline
• 'The Kardashians' Renewed for Season 6 at Hulu – Selome Hailu, Variety
• ‘Solar Opposites’ Renewed For Season 6 At Hulu; Watch Season 5 Trailer – Denise Petski, Deadline
• ‘Krapopolis’ Renewed For Season 4 By Fox – Denise Petski, Deadline
• ‘Invincible,’ ‘Hazbin Hotel,’ ‘Sausage Party: Foodtopia’ Renewed at Amazon – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter
• ‘Clone High’ Revival Canceled After 2 Seasons At Max – Denise Petski, Deadline
• Shōgun and Hacks win big at the 2024 TCA Awards – , A.V. Club

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The Star Wars franchise sent Disney+ into hyperspace when the service launched with breakout hit The Mandalorian, but the sci-fi cornerstone of Disney’s streaming play has struggled to replicate the unstoppable force of Grogu and Mando.

Enter The Acolyte, which has been review bombed for all the wrong reasons… but also might be burdened with some pretty serious storytelling problems. We revisit the series after finishing the full season and debate what worked, what didn’t, and whether the show would’ve succeeded as a Rogue One-style standalone movie (especially with so much riding on the upcoming big screen Mandalorian spinoff).

But first, in the news:

• Disney finally shakes off the Marvel funk with a successful Deadpool movie, but will a desperate pivot back to RDJ and the Russo Brothers save the flagship Avengers franchise?
• And speaking of the Russo Brothers: Amazon reveals some compelling casting for one of the least compelling shows we’ve ever watched. Can Citadel convince us to come back for season 2?

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📺 Review: The Acolyte (S1 Rewind)

• 🧭 Where to Watch: Disney+
• 🗓️ Episodes: 8 (All Episodes Available)
• 🔄 Renewal Status: Unclear!
• 📚 Related Titles: The Star Wars-es
• 📚 Where to Stream Related Titles: Disney+
• 🤩 Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto
• 🧑‍🎨 Created By: Leslye Headland
• ⚠️ Spoiler Alert for all 8 episodes starting at 12:40

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🔗 Links:

• Robert Downey Jr. Will Play Doctor Doom in Marvel's 'Avengers: Doomsday' – Zack Sharf, Variety
• ‘Citadel’ Adds Matt Berry & Gabriel Leone To Season 2 Cast – Nellie Andreeva, Deadline
• The Acolyte would have made for an awesome Star Wars film – Jarrod Jones, A.V. Club
• Why ‘The Acolyte’ Season 2 Looks Increasingly Unlikely – Paul Tassi, Forbes

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Peacock failed to stick the landing in Tokyo, but will the 2024 Paris Olympics be the comeback story every young media executive dreams of??

But first: News from SNL ahead of Season 50, and Sportspocalypse breaks down the value of Venu.

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📺 Review: Summer Olympics 2024

• 🧭 Where to Watch: Peacock! (and the networks of NBCUniversal)
• 👀 Many many hours watched for review

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🔗 Links:

• Maya Rudolph To Play Kamala Harris On ‘Saturday Night Live’ Through 2024 Presidential Election – Nellie Andreeva, Peter White, Deadline
• Two history-making cast members announce 'Saturday Night Live' exits – Mirna Alsharif, NBC News
• Colin Jost to Host ‘Pop Culture Jeopardy!’ Spinoff – James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter
• The Streaming Sports Bundle Venu Finally Has a Price – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter
• Live sports streamer Venu Sports will cost $42.99 per month – Emma Roth, The Verge
• Inside NBC’s ‘Gold Zone,’ the Olympics Show Taking Peacock By Storm – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter
• 9 Times Snoop Dogg Proved Himself a National Treasure at the 2024 Olympics – Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter
• Snoop Dogg Breaks Out Full Dressage Gear At Olympics Event – Bruce Haring, Deadline
• NBCUniversal Clears Its Own High Bar For Olympics Advertising, With Revenue Expected To Set Record – Dade Hayes, Deadline
• Olympics Bring Huge Audiences to NBCUniversal Over Opening Weekend – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter
• TV Ratings: Olympics Opening Ceremony Draws Biggest Audience for Summer Games Since 2012 – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter

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Everyone is suddenly rewatching the iconic HBO comedy Veep but with 7 seasons available to stream where should you start? Relax, because we’re here to be your tour guides through the halls of almost-power.

But first: Bundle Watch! Sportspocalypse! And with The Olympics kicking off we ask the eternal question: What’s the deal with Peacock?!

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📺 Rewatch: Veep

• 🧭 Where to Watch: Max
• 🎟️ Originally Premiered: April 22, 2012 on HBO
• 🍂 Seasons: 7 (65 episodes)
• 🤩 Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh
• 🧑‍🎨 Created By: Armando Iannucci (Showrunner Seasons 1-4), David Mandel (Showrunner Seasons 5-7)
• ⚠️ Spoiler Alert for all episodes starting at 38:10

Specific Episodes Mentioned:

• S1E1 – Fundraiser
• S1E2 – Frozen Yoghurt
• S3E2 – The Choice
• S3E9 – Crate
• S4E2 – East Wing
• S4E10 – Election Night (Armando Iannucci’s last episode)
• S5E10 – Inauguration (Season 5 Finale)
• S7E7 – Veep (Series Finale)

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🔗 Links:

• Warner Bros. Discovery Sues the NBA After League Rejects Matching Rights Proposal – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter
• NBA Loss Sinks Warner Bros. Discovery Stock – Bad For Max, Could Hasten Linear Decline, Wall Street Fears – Jill Goldsmith, Deadline
• Comcast President Touts NBA Rights: Will Put “Weight of Our Entire Company” Behind Deal – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter
• Peacock Quarterly Loss Narrows to $348M as Subscribers Drop to 33M – Georg Szalai, Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter
• 'Homicide: Life On the Street' Set to Stream on Peacock in August – Michael Schneider, Variety
• ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ Is About to Find New Life on the Streamers – Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone
• Why Redbox has been powering down – Janko Roettgers, The Verge
• Veep’s Creator Wants You to Stop Comparing Kamala Harris to Selina Meyer – Sam Adams, Slate
• ‘Veep’ Creator Armando Iannucci Comments on Real-Life Political Comparisons and Gives a Warning – Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter

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It’s hot out, so why not stay inside with two of the most influential (and bingeable) shows from the mid-2000s? It’s a Summer Show Swap that pits one of Dianne’s favorite series against one of Chris’s. Which side will you take?

• ✈️🏝️ Can Dianne convince Chris that iconic ABC drama Lost (now streaming on Netflix) is worth the 6-season binge? We discuss the pilot and how it redefined network TV.
• 🏡🍃 And will Chris convince Dianne that Showtime hit Weeds (now streaming on Hulu) overcomes its tonally inconsistent pilot to deliver one of the all-time best second seasons of TV? We’ll break down the first 3 episodes of the series and how the show was retooled after the pilot. (Bonus: Chris will tell you which seasons you can skip!)

But first! News!

• A shocking twist in the Paramount Death Watch!
• We introduce you to a brand new streaming service, because there really aren’t enough already!
• And Warner Bros. Discovery rebrands 5 high-profile “Max Originals” under the HBO umbrella, because apparently people actually liked the HBO brand? Who knew!

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🔀 Show Swap: Lost

• 🧭 Where to Watch: Netflix
• 🎟️ Originally Premiered: September 22, 2004 on ABC
• 🍂 Seasons: 6 (118 episodes)
• ⚠️ Light Spoilers for the 2-part Pilot Episode starting at 25:25

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🔀 Show Swap: Weeds

• 🧭 Where to Watch: Hulu (or Peacock, supposedly)
• 🎟️ Originally Premiered: August 7, 2005 on Showtime
• 🍂 Seasons: 8 (102 episodes)
• ⚠️ Light Spoilers for the first 3 Episodes starting at 43:49

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🔗 Links:

• It’s Official: Skydance Wins the Battle for Paramount Global – Alex Weprin, Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter
• Sony’s Out: Won’t Return To Mix During Paramount’s 45-Day “Go Shop” Window – Anthony D'Alessandro, Jill Goldsmith, Deadline
• Paramount Must Get Skydance Approval for Paramount+ JV, Bundle Deals – Todd Spangler, Variety
• What Now for Paramount? How Things Will (or Won’t) Likely Change – Pamela McClintock, Rick Porter, Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter
• Hallmark Launching New Streaming Service in September – Lynette Rice, Deadline
• Max Originals ‘The Penguin’ & ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Moving To HBO – Peter White, Deadline
• 20 ‘Lost’ Episodes You Can Skip When Bingeing or Rewatching – Michael Alan Connelly, Vulture
• Hulu was down for a lot of people, but now it’s fixed – Richard Lawler, The Verge

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Julio Torres (Los Espookys) is back on HBO with a new 6-episode series that blends sketch comedy with a surreal narrative about a lost oyster earring, a concerning mole (or maybe it’s just a birthmark), and Julio’s struggle to find a new apartment without providing his “proof of existence."

We’ll take you on our dream-like experience watching the first three episodes, featuring guest stars like Aidy Bryant (in a wild informercial bit), Jaboukie Young-White (as a influencer confronted by The Algorithm), and Tilda Swinton (as the voice of water). But first!

• We’ve got the latest news from the Paramount Death Watch, including the $2 Paramount+ price hike that will probably solve everything.
• Netflix is launching permanent retail spaces in two U.S. malls. We try to imagine the synergistic experiences that await.
• It’s Pride Month so we’re sharing our favorite LGBTQIA+ shows from the Streamageddon back catalog and check in with series like Interview with the Vampire and Ripley.
• And find out which late night talk show host Chris has completely blocked from his memory in a round-up of news from 11 PM and beyond! (Hint: It’s a CBS host!)

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📺 Review: Fantasmas

• 🧭 Where to Watch: HBO and/or Max
• 🗓️ Release Schedule: Weekly on Fridays at 11 PM ET (HBO and Max)
• ✅ Renewal Status: TBA
• 🤩 Starring: Julio Torres
• 🎬 Created By: Julio Torres (Los Espookys, Problemista)

🫣 Spoiler Warning:

• 🦄 Light Spoilers for the First 3 Episodes: Starting at 52:33

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🔗 Links:

• The Action Isn’t the Best Part of Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ – Zach Kram, The Ringer
• Paramount's Failed Merger Talks: What Went Wrong in the Company Battle – Cynthia Littleton, Variety
• Paramount+ Raises Prices for Ad-Tier and Premium Plan – Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter
• Netflix House: Dallas, King of Prussia Are First Two Cities for 2025 – Todd Spangler, Variety
• Late Night With Seth Meyers is breaking up with its live house band – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club
• Jon Stewart Feels “Reinvigorated” By His Return To ‘The Daily Show’ – Peter White, Deadline
• Jon Stewart To Host ‘The Daily Show’ Live After Presidential Debates – Peter White, Deadline
• ‘The Daily Show’ Going Live With Jon Stewart at Political Conventions (Exclusive) – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter

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In a shocking twist of events the Paramount Death Watch is back! We’ll discuss Shari Redstone’s last-minute decision to kill the Skydance deal and what comes next for the beleaguered home of CBS. Will a new buyer swoop in? Will Warner chief David Zaslav make a move? And what’s all this talk from Paramount’s three-headed CEO about a possible joint venture with another streamer? Will Paramount+ and Peacock team up for a new Hulu (a Nulu, if you will)??

Then we’re dusting off our Jedi robes and heading to Disney+ to discuss the intriguing new Star Wars prequel The Acolyte. There’s a lot to love, but also the same frustrations that plague most of Disney’s streaming strategy. Can they make these 8-episode “seasons” work? Or are they pulling from the wrong playbook?

But wait, there’s more!

• The 2024 Box Office is back, baby! We’ll break down the big weekends from Pixar and the Bad Boys.
• Warner Bros. Discovery is serving up some tennis, but can it fill the Charles Barkley sized hold in sports fans’ hearts?
• Peacock has a new deal just in time for the Olympics, but can NBC convince you to stick around after?
• And Max is raising prices… to the max!

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📺 Review: The Acolyte

• 🧭 Where to Watch: Disney+
• 🗓️ Release Schedule: Weekly on Tuesday Nights (3 out of 8 Episodes Available Now)
• ✅ Renewal Status: TBA
• 🤩 Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae
• 🎬 Created By: Leslye Headland

🫣 Spoiler Warning:

• 🚨 Spoilers for the First 3 Episodes: Starting at 30:55
• 👍 Spoiler-Light Discussion of Disney’s TV Strategy: Starting at 47:18

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🔗 Links:

• Box Office: ‘Inside Out 2’ Delivers Historic $155M U.S. Opening and $295M Globally in Huge Pixar Comeback – Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter
• Sony Puts Summer Back On Track As Will Smith & Martin Lawrence’s ‘Bad Boys: Ride Or Die’ Clocks $56M Opening – Sunday AM Update – Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline
• Warner Bros Discovery Snares U.S. Rights to French Open – Brian Steinberg, Variety
• Charles Barkley Says He Will Retire From Warner's NBA Coverage – Brian Steinberg, Variety
• No Deal: Shari Redstone Nixes Skydance Offer for Paramount Global – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter
• Why Is Shari Redstone so Upset? – Kim Masters, Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter
• It’s the End of Paramount+ As We Know It (and That’s Fine) – Josef Adalian, Vulture
• Streaming Bundles Lower Consumer Intent To Churn By 16%, New Study Finds – Dade Hayes, Deadline
• You can grab a year of Peacock Premium for just $20 ahead of its impending price hike – Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge
• 'St. Denis Medical' Gets Season 1 Extension to 18 Episodes on NBC – Selome Hailu, Variety
• Max Hikes Prices For Ad-Free Plans Effective Immediately – Denise Petski, Deadline
• The Acolyte took Star Wars back in time by taking things away – Andrew Webster, The Verge
• The Acolyte Ratings: 4.8 Million Viewers, Biggest Disney Show of 2024 – Selome Hailu, Variety

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Did streaming break the box office? It sure seems like it, with attendance and ticket sales in a perpetual slump, layoffs plaguing juggernauts like Pixar, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos claiming that he could’ve made the Barbenheimer without a theatrical release (we disagree, Ted!). We’ll break it all down and preview this weekend’s new Netflix movie Hit Man, which Dianne saw during its brief theatrical run.

But first! Summer also means it’s time for a parade of new streaming shows you’ve probably never heard of! Can you pick the real shows from the ChatGPT-created hallucinations? Find out when we play our newest game: Show or No?!

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📺 Review: Hit Man

• 🧭 Where to Watch: Netflix
• 🗓️ Release Schedule: Available Now
• 🤩 Starring: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Retta
• 🎬 Directed By: Richard Linklater
• 📝 Written By: Richard Linklater, Glen Powell

🫣 Spoiler Warning:

• 👍 Extremely light spoilers for the premise of the movie: Starting at 29:08 ———

🔗 Links:

• Ted Sarandos Says ‘Barbie’ & ‘Oppenheimer’ Would Be Just As Big On Netflix; Credits Algorithm For ‘Baby Reindeer’s Success – Armando Tinoco, Deadline
• Pixar Lays Off 14% of Its Staff and Will Stop Making Shows for Disney+ – Brooks Barnes, The New York Times
• Pixar, struggling for a new strategy, predictably turns to reboots, sequels, and "mass appeal" – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club
• ‘Knives Out’ Sequels: The Whodunit Behind Netflix’s $469M Power Play – Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter
• ‘Knives Out 3’ Sequel Title Revealed – Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter
• Kerry Washington Joins ‘Knives Out 3’ – Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter
• Knives Out watch: Wake Up Dead Man drafts requisite Marvel star – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club

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Season 3 of the Max Original Hacks just wrapped and it’s so good we can’t figure out why it’s not on HBO already. It’s a sharp, laugh-out-loud comedy reminiscent of Barry, Veep, and Silicon Valley, and the best part is that it just keeps getting better.

Whether you’re new to the show or a diehard Deborah Vance fan, we’ve got you covered with both an introduction to the series and a full season 3 review.

But first!

• The fallout from Amazon’s hit series Fallout continues: The wildly popular video game series drove millions of viewers to the wildly popular show… which drove millions of players back to the wildly popular video game series!
• Speaking of fallouts: We check in with activist investor Nelson Peltz after losing the battle for Disney’s board.
• FX on Hulu’s smash hit The Bear is coming to… FX on FX??
• And in Sportspocalypse: Can Warner Bros. Discovery “nourish” sports fans without a big helping of NBA? We’re about to find out!
• Plus: Legitimately breaking news from the Paramount Death Watch!

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📺 Review: Hacks (Season 3)

• 🧭 Where to Watch: Max
• 🗓️ Release Schedule: All 3 Seasons Available Now
• ✅ Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 4
• 🤩 Starring: Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs, Megan Stalter
• 🎬 Created By: Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky

🫣 Spoiler Warning:

• 👍 Spoiler-Light Introduction: Starting at 29:08
• 🚨 Spoilers for Season 3 (All Episodes): Starting at 44:07

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🔗 Links:

• 'Fallout 76' Crosses 20 Million Players Amid TV Series, Future Games – Jennifer Maas, Variety
• Skydance Sweetens Paramount Bid for Non-Controlling Shareholders – Todd Spangler, Variety
• Paramount's special committee agrees to recommend Skydance deal, WSJ reports – Reuters
• Mission Accomplished? Despite Losing Proxy Fight, Billionaire Nelson Peltz Reportedly Sells Entire Disney Stake For $1B In Profit – Dade Hayes, Deadline
• 'The Bear' Sets FX Debut With Season 1 Marathon Ahead of Season 3 – Emily Longeretta, Variety
• David Zaslav Says WBD Remains In Talks With The NBA, But The Company’s Sports Portfolio Would Still Be “Very Robust” Without It – Dade Hayes, Deadline

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The fallout from Season 1 of Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout is still going strong, with ratings juggernaut Nielsen declaring the show a much-needed hit for the #1 streaming service that also sells toilet paper.

We’ve finished the full season and are ready to dish on all the twists and turns, whether the binge model worked for us, and what we expect (and hope for) in Season 2. Plus we revisit our predictions and grade our TV Tarot!

But first!

• We dissect Disney’s earnings and the latest strategy shift at Marvel in a brand-new installment of What’s That, Bob?!
• And with the abbreviated 2023-24 TV season coming to an end, both streamers and traditional TV networks are courting advertisers with some big announcements about their upcoming shows. That means it’s time for an extra-large edition of Renewed or Canceled?!

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📼 Rewind Review: Fallout

• 🧭 Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video
• 🗓️ Release Schedule: All 8 Episodes Available Now
• ✅ Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 2
• 📚 Related Titles: Based on the Fallout franchise of games
• 🤩 Starring: Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, Kyle MacLachlan
• 🎬 Created By: Jonathan Nolan (Director/Executive Producer) and Lisa Joy (Executive Producer)

🫣 Spoiler Warning:

• 🚨 Spoilers for ALL of Season 1: Starting at 26:44

———

🔗 Links:

• Disney’s streaming business gets closer to becoming profitable – Emma Roth, The Verge
• Bob Iger Details “Reduced” Marvel Output: “At Most” Three Films Per Year, Two Series – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter
• ‘Fallout’ Blasts To Top Of Nielsen Streaming Charts In Debut Weekend, Becoming Amazon’s Most Successful Title To Date – Katie Campione, Deadline
• Broadcast TV Cancellations In 2024-25: Photo Gallery – Lynette Rice, Erik Pedersen, Deadline
• ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ to End With Season 5 – James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter
• 'Night Court' Renewed for Season 3 at NBC – Joe Otterson, Variety
• ‘Shogun’ Seasons 2 and 3 in the Works at FX, Hulu – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter
• ‘Shōgun’ To Continue: FX & Hulu Eye Two More Seasons Of James Clavell Adaptation – Nellie Andreeva, Lynette Rice, Deadline
• FX Will Submit ‘Shōgun’ In Drama Category For Emmys – Lynette Rice, Deadline
• “Shōgun” Becomes FX’s Most Watched Show Ever On Streaming Platforms – Roger Palmer, whatsondisneyplus.com
• ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ Renewed for Season 2 at Amazon – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter
• The Boys renewed for Season 5 on Prime Video – Mekeisha Madden Toby, aboutamazon.com

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