#82 – The Acolyte, Disney’s TV Trouble, and Paramount Goes for Broke
The one with Nulu.
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!
———
📺 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
———
🔗 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
———