It’s kill or be killed (or just, like, have a so-so vacation) in the explosive finale of The White Lotus in Sicily! We’ll dish out the details, including the results of our White Lotus Murder Bracket in less time than it takes to drive to Taormina.

Plus: Will HBO Max drop the HBO and go all-Max all the time? Can you even trademark the word “Max” and does this mean people named Max will be signing up for “Max’s Max”??

But that’s not the only madness brewing in the streaming universe this week, because Warner Brothers Discovery CEO is picking a fight with the big dogs at Netflix. And we have real news about the next chapter of fake news now that The Daily Show is officially without Trevor Noah.

Pour another glass of white wine and join us as we bid arrivederci to one of the year’s best shows!

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📺 Review: White Lotus (Season 2 Rewind) - Part 1

🚨 Spoiler Alert: All Episodes through Season 2, Episode 7 (starting at 22:13) 🚨

• Number of Seasons Overall: 2 (All Episodes Available)
• Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 3
• Where to Watch: HBO, HBO Max

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🔗 Links:

• The Daily Show Will Feature Celebrity Guest Hosts Until Fall 2023 – Josef Adalian, Vulture
• Warner Bros Discovery close to picking ‘Max’ for name of HBO Max replacement – Alex Sherman and Lillian Rizzo, CNBC
• New Streaming War Brewing? Warner Bros. Discovery Boss David Zaslav Takes Aim At Netflix Over Payment Terms – Peter White, Deadline
• List of Warner Bros. Discovery television programs – Wikipedia
• Sure, that HBO Max - Discovery Plus hybrid service will cost more, but at least it'll also have more ads – William Hughes, A.V. Club
• The White Lotus wraps up season 2 with an electrifying episode – Manuel Betancourt, A.V. Club
• Aubrey Plaza psychologically tortured Adam DiMarco on The White Lotus set – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club
• Sabrina Impacciatore on Valentina’s ‘White Lotus’ Sex Scene – Valentina Valentini, Vulture

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2022 was a wild year for streaming and we’re here to crown the winners (and a couple of losers) in our First Annual Streaming Superlative Spectacular!

Which news story captured the essence of streaming in 2022? Which characters were the best couple? Who was best dressed? Which show was the life of the party? Who gave us the best finale? And who delivered the biggest disappointments of the year?

We’ll answer those questions (and more!) but don’t worry: No spoilers, just superlatives!

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🏆 Winners:

• Abbott Elementary (ABC, Hulu)
• The Rehearsal (HBO, HBO Max)
• Barry (HBO, HBO Max)
• Derry Girls (BBC, Netflix)
• Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon (HBO, HBO Max)
• The Bear (FX on Hulu)
• Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max)
• A League of Their Own (Amazon)
• Stranger Things (Netflix)
• The White Lotus (HBO, HBO Max)
• Minx (HBO Max)
• Andor (Disney+)
• The Lord of the Rings Franchise (Amazon)
• The Knives Out Franchise (Netflix)
• The Boys (Amazon)
• Never Have I Ever (Netflix)
• Ghosts (US) (CBS, Paramount+)
• Ghosts (UK) (BBC, HBO Max)
• The Patient (FX on Hulu)
• Hacks (HBO Max)

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🏅 Honorable Mentions:

• I Love That For You (Showtime)
• What We Do in the Shadows (FX on Hulu)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+)
• Reboot (Hulu)

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🔗 Links:

• The CW: Nexstar’s Next Battle to Make Numbers Work – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter

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Has franchise fatigue doomed the excellent Andor to streaming obscurity? Or is the hype cycle about to go to hyperspace as viewers binge the full season? We’ll dissect the data then unpack our favorite moments from season 1 (don’t worry, we’ll warn you before we get to the spoilers!).

But first! Is a Fraiser reboot still a reboot if only Frasier returns? Where do we draw the line between reboot, spin-off, and spiritual successor? And if reboots are all the rage can someone do us a favor and reboot Whose Line Is It Anyway? before the series ends this winter?

Plus: The Disney Empire Strikes Back, but will the Return of the Jed-Iger bring A New Hope to the rebel alliance that ousted Emperor Bob Chapek? Will the returning Bob prove to be more of a Phantom Menace or is he the only Rogue One capable of navigating the Disney+ through the Attack of the Clones (by which we mean the ever-expanding universe of indistinguishable streaming services)?*

All that and more on this week’s Streamageddon!

*We aren’t even going to try to squeeze the sequel trilogy in there. Make of that what you will.

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📺 Review: Andor (Season 1 Rewind)

🚨 Spoiler Alert: Season 1, All 12 Episodes (starting at 25:46) 🚨

• Renewal Status: Renewed for Season 2
• Where to Watch: Disney+
• Spinoffs: Uh… spoiler alert for 2016’s Rogue One

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🔗 Links:

• Frasier Is Going to Be Awfully Lonely in the Reboot – Vulture
• Whose Line Is It Anyway Ending on The CW – Brandy Clark, Collider
• Walt Disney CFO, Others Brought Concerns to Board Over Bob Chapek – Robbie Whelan, Emily Glazer, Joe Flint, and Jessica Toonkel, The Wall Street Journal
• Disney pulled some funky tricks to make Disney Plus look like it's losing less money – William Hughes, A.V. Club
• ‘Andor’ Finally Topples ‘House of the Dragon’ on Most In-Demand New Shows List | Chart – Parrot Analytics, The Wrap
• Andor’s season finale solidifies it as one of Star Wars’ greatest stories – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge
• What we expect to see in Andor's second season for Cassian, Mon Mothma, Kino Loy and more – Scott Huver, A.V. Club
• Andor’s Tony Gilroy is worried about more important things than discourse – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge
• Andor’s designers approached it like a Star Wars period drama – Andrew Webster, The Verge
• Nicholas Britell Explains the Score of ‘Andor’ – Roxana Hadadi, Vulture

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Disney’s board is bringing Bob Iger out of the Disney Vault and we’re stockpiling the hot corporate goss like limited edition Beauty & The Beast DVDs in 2002. It’s like if Succession had a PG rating… and we’re loving every minute of it!

But don’t worry, because we’re still thankful for Peacock’s latest shenanigans (somebody pardon this bird, STAT!) and our beloved Hulu. Yes, little Hulu. The stepchild of the Great Big Bob Breakup. What will happen to poor Hulu??

… We might not have the answer to that question, but we do have a glowing review of Hulu’s latest FX joint: Fleishman Is in Trouble.

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📺 Review: Fleishman Is in Trouble

🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes (starting at 28:14) 🚨

• Where to Watch: Hulu
• Releases: Thursdays through Dec 29
• Based on: The novel Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

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🔗 Links:

• Bob Iger Returns as Hero in Waiting to Save a Battered Disney – Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter
• Disney's big succession fail: The return of Bob Iger – Sara Fischer, Axios
• Bob Iger announces restructuring at Disney, top media exec to depart – Sara Fischer, Axios
• 40 percent of US Disney Plus subscribers picked the bundle with ESPN Plus and Hulu – Emma Roth, The Verge
• ‘Andor’: First Two Episodes Head To ABC, FX, Freeform & Hulu – Denise Petski, Deadline
• Peacock makes big play for cord cutters with live TV from all local NBC stations – Chris Welch, The Verge
• ‘Monster’ Renewed for Season 2 & 3, ‘The Watcher’ Renewed for Season 2 – Joe Otterson, Variety
• HBO Cancels 'Westworld' in Shock Decision – James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter

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Ciao! And welcome back to another season of sexy potential murder victims (and Jennifer Coolidge victims) on HBO’s breakout hit The White Lotus (now with extra Sicily!). We’re sharing our thoughts on the season premier, discussing why expectations for the show might be unrealistically high, and making our predictions for this new installment of Mike White’s excellent anthology series.

But first we’re unpacking three strange news stories you might’ve missed:

1. The holidays are almost here which means we’ve got a roundup of all the exclusive merch Disney is dying to sell you… if you subscribe to Disney+ (Bob Chapek would hate to see this limited edition Lightsaber fall into the wrong hands…).
2. Is Disney merch not your style? Well then Netflix would like to invite you to your local Wal-Mart for some good old fashioned corporate synergy (and popcorn!).
3. And just in case you forgot that the holiday are almost here (terrifying, we know) Peacock is continuing its grand pivot from NBC-style comedies to… Hallmark original movies? Sure, why not?!

Plus a startling Simpsons confession from Dianne, our favorite anthologies of all time, and we accidentally introduce a brand new segment: TV TAROT!

So join us, won’t you? It’s in the cards…

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📺 Review: The White Lotus (Season 2)

🚨 Spoiler Alert: Season 2, Episode 1 (starting at 37:19) 🚨

• Number of Seasons Overall: 2 (Season In Progress)
• Where to Watch: HBO and HBO Max

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🔗 Links:

• Disney Plus subscribers are getting first dibs at new Marvel and Star Wars merchandise – Chris Welch, The Verge
• Hallmark Channel on Peacock in New Streaming Deal, Includes Live Channels – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter
• Walmart opening in-store Netflix hubs — complete with streaming gift cards – Marianne Wilson, Chain Store Age
• Who’s Who in The White Lotus season two – Cindy White, A.V. Club
• Yes, that was Laura Dern cussing out Michael Imperioli in the season two premiere of The White Lotus – Gabrielle Sanchez, A.V. Club
• Let the speculation begin—who’s going to die on The White Lotus this season? – Cindy White, A.V. Club

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Death pays us a visit as we go on a spoiler spree with a full season review of Hulu’s killer Steve Carell/Domhnall Gleeson drama FX’s The Patient (…on Hulu).

But don’t worry! We promise not to sneak up on you with any spoilers, because there’s plenty to talk about first:

• Did HBO retake the iron throne of prestige fantasy drama (which is definitely still a thing) with its HotD?
• Disney CEO Bob Chapek dreams of using your Disney+ viewing data to create a panopticon of magic on your next visit to one of his many all-seeing, all-knowing theme parks. What’s not to love about that?
• Netflix prepares us for the pending password crackdown by ending some of its home-sharing pilots in Latin America…
• … but don’t you want to pony up for a new season of Girs5Eva? Peacock punts the third season of the comedy to Netflix and leaves us wondering if Peacock still Peacocks comedy.

Plus: Join Dianne as she plays the hot new game that proves Peacock still has wings: It’s Peacock or NOT?!

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📺 Review: The Patient (Rewind Review)

🚨 Spoiler Alert for All 10 Episodes (starting at 29:36) 🚨

• Where to Watch: Hulu

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🔗 Links:

• 'Interview With the Vampire' Renewed for Season 2 at AMC – Joe Otterson, Variety
• The House Of The Dragon is shuttered until 2024, HBO says – William Hughes, A.V. Club
• Disney wants to use your viewing history to personalize your park experience – Emma Roth, The Verge
• Netflix ends password-sharing fees that sparked backlash in Latin America – Andrew Deck, Rest of World
• Netflix cruelly steals Girls5eva from rival Peacock – Sam Barsanti, A.V. Club
• Battlestar Galactica's Streaming Reboot Suffered A Big Setback Behind The Scenes – Adrienne Jones, Cinemablend
• Peacock Greenlights Amy Poehler Produced 'Swedish Death Cleaning' Show – Wilson Chapman, Variety
• Will There Be a Season 2 of 'The Patient'? Domhnall Gleeson Reflects on The Finale And The Future – Nicole Gallucci, Decider

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We’re taking a bite out of spooky season by doing the scariest thing imaginable: Trying a new streaming service! 😱

Join us as we explore the haunted halls of AMC+ with a truly terrifying game designed to test your undead knowledge (because like half the shows on AMC+ are Walking Dead spin-offs). If you dare survive this hair-raising trial you’ll be treated to our surprisingly enthusiastic review of Interview with the Vampire, which is so good it just might lure you into subscribing…

BUT FIRST:

• A boatload of Netflix news!
• No, really! The password crackdown is nigh!
• Some Trevor Noah news!
• Some Trevor Noah NETFLIX news!
• And, yes, even MORE Netflix news!

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📺 Review: Interview with the Vampire

🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 2 Episodes (starting at 32:24) 🚨

• Renewal Status: To Be Announced
• Releases: Weekly, Sundays through November 13
• Where to Watch: AMC and AMC+

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🔗 Links:

• Netflix is trying to crack down on password sharing with new test – Julia Alexander, The Verge
• What Happens to The Daily Show After Trevor Noah Leaves? – Josef Adalian, Vulture
• Netflix Adds 2.4 Million Subscribers, Reversing a Decline – Benjamin Mullin, The New York Times
• Orphan Black: Echoes Images Show Krysten Ritter's Sci-Fi Spin-Off – Madalyn Watson, Collider
• Netflix password-sharing crackdown will roll out globally in “early 2023” – Emma Roth, The Verge
• 'Daily Show's' Trevor Noah May Be Replaced by Host Rotation – Brian Steinberg, Variety
• Netflix announces Profile Transfers — for when it forces you to finally pay up – David Pierce, The Verge
• Trevor Noah ‘I Wish You Would’ Netflix Special Premiere Date – Hershal Pandya, Vulture
• 'Interview With the Vampire' Renewed for Season 2 at AMC – Joe Otterson, Variety

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We’re smashing our way through season 1 of She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law in this spoiler-packed Rewind Review!

BUT FIRST:

• Troy and Abed: Reunited?!
• Trevor Noah’s last day: REVEALED!
• Are these the end times for Showtime?
• An Andor mid-season vibe check!
• And Netflix finally adds a tier for the most underserved streaming community of them all: The BASICS among us.*

(*Seriously, we have everything you need to know about Netflix’s new “Basic with Ads” option that you will undoubtedly be forced to sign up for when they crack down on that password you’ve been sharing with your roommate who moved out in 2016.)

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📺 Rewind Review: She-Hulk (Season 1)

🚨 Spoiler Alert: All 9 Episodes (starting at 30:30) 🚨

• Renewal Status: To Be Announced
• Where to Watch: Disney+
• Spinoffs: Uh… how many MCU properties did they tease?

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🔗 Links:

• She-Hulk: Steve Rogers' Virginity, CGI Changes, 'Fleabag' Inspiration – Adam B. Vary, Variety
• She-Hulk tried to save itself from Marvel’s finale formula by jumping the shark – Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge
• Netflix With Ads Will Cost $7 Per Month, Nov. 3 Launch, Nielsen Will Measure – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter
• Cobra Kai karate-kicked the crap out of both of those big fancy fantasy shows, Nielsen says – William Hughes, A.V. Club
• Showtime chief’s departure signals Paramount is moving forward on its plan to merge streaming services – Alex Sherman, CNBC
• Trevor Noah is officially leaving The Daily Show on December 8 – William Hughes, A.V. Club
• 'Community' Movie Could Still Include Donald Glover, Dan Harmon Says – Jennifer Maas, Variety
• Chevy Chase may be out, but Donald Glover is probably in for Community movie, says Dan Harmon – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club

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Generational comedy works best when the writers understand the generations involved, but does Hulu’s new Hollywood satire Reboot deliver on the pilot’s surprising twist? You’ll have to listen to our review of the first there episodes to find out!

Plus all the news you didn’t know you needed to know:

• SNL’s Charmin Bears deny any undue Charmin influence
• Peacock is thrilled to announce that they finally convinced some people to watch Peacock (just don’t ask them about their Bundle Envy)
• Comedy Central’s identity crisis comes Ito focus
• Paramount’s late night dominance is in doubt
• HBO Max’s disco daddy Warner Bros. Discovery continues its animation purge (Anime Edition!)

And we play everyone’s favorite game: Renewed or Canceled?!

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📺 Review: Reboot

🚨 Spoiler Alert: First 3 Episodes (starting at 30:13) 🚨

• Renewal Status: To Be Announced
• Releases: Weekly, Tuesdays through October 25
• Where to Watch: Hulu

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🔗 Links:

• 'Modern Family' Creator Steven Levitan on Why His New Show 'Reboot' Isn't a Hollywood Takedown - The Hollywood Reporter – Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter
• SNL Charmin Sketch and Video Ad Were Coincidental, NBC Says – Brian Steinberg, Variety
• Peacock adds 2 million paid subscribers following months-long drought – Emma Roth, The Verge
• Peacock in a Streaming Bundle: No One Wants It – Tony Maglio, IndieWire
• Streaming bundles are forming, but don't expect a cable TV-like package any time soon – Alex Sherman and Lillian Rizzo, CNBC
• As Trevor Noah Exits, Comedy Central Finds Itself in Crisis Mode – Lacey Rose and Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter
• Trevor Noah Leaving Daily Show: Paramount Has Problems in Late Night – Brian Steinberg, Variety
• ‘Community’ Movie Is Finally Real: Peacock Orders Feature With Original Stars – Peter White, Deadline
• Adult Swim Just Purged Five Anime Series From Its Website – Rafael Motamayor, Slashfilm
• Flatbush Misdemeanors Canceled by Showtime After Two Seasons – Jason P. Frank, Vulture
• Phil still fed as Somebody Feed Phil gets sixth-season renewal – William Hughes, The A.V. Club
• Outer Range and its Spooky Hole renewed for a second season at Amazon – William Hughes, The A.V. Club
• Peacock cancels Queer As Folk reboot – Sam Barsanti, The A.V. Club
• Wait, no, Don Cheadle's MCU show Armor Wars is going to be an MCU movie now, instead – William Hughes, A.V. Club
• ‘Industry’ Creators Writing Season 3 Of HBO Drama Ahead Of Renewal – Peter White, Deadline

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After months of speculation the new season of Saturday Night Live is here and we’re ready to share our unsolicited thoughts and feelings like a certain purple McDonald’s mascot. Yes, those nine absences in the opening credits were a shock (don’t worry, Cecily Strong will be back!), but… guess what? They kind of owned it! And one of the new guys got the Pete Davidson slot on Weekend Update! And then, there were the sponsored sketches…

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, because this special edition of Streamageddon kicks off with BREAKING-ish NEWS in the late night comedy world: The Daily Show is beginning its search for host #4 after Trevor Noah stunned his audience (and reportedly his bosses at Paramount) by announcing his retirement after 7 years on the job.

We’re breaking down all the news about the fake news (the good kind) this week, and if that sounds intimidating just relax, because Dianne already made Chris cut his 30-minute rant about the clashing serifs in the new SNL fonts so you have nothing to fear!

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📺 Review: SNL (Season 48 Premier)

• Featuring: Miles Teller and Kendrick Lamar
• Where to Watch: NBC
• Where to Stream: Peacock!

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🔗 Links:

• Trevor Noah’s Moment of Zen – Matthew Belloni, Puck News
• 'The Daily Show' Will Continue (on Comedy Central) Without Trevor Noah - The Hollywood Reporter – Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter
• Miles Teller Makes Himself at Home as Saturday Night Live’s 48th Season Gets Off to a Wobbly Start – Rosa Sofia Kaminski, Paste Magazine
• After a major cast shake-up, 'SNL' confronts its weaknesses — but can't overcome them - Los Angeles Times – Lorraine Ali, The L.A. Times
• Miles Teller soars but can't save SNL from autopilot – Trae DeLellis, A.V. Club

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