#50 – Joan is Awful, Paramount+ is Purging, and Black Mirror is Back!
The one where we realize we’ve been living in a Black Mirror episode this whole time.
Jun 30, 2023
Black Mirror is back, but in a truly shocking twist: One of us has never watched it! We’ll rewind time to 2011 and compare the original season 1 premier (“The National Anthem”) with the star-studded season 6 kickoff (“Joan is Awful”). Plus: Chris shares some of his favorite episodes from past seasons (no spoilers!) to help you find the perfect Black Mirror entry point for everyone in your streaming life.
But first! A dizzying trip through the headlines:
- Paramount+ pulls a “Max” and purges everything from Amy Schumer to Star Trek…
- … and purges their cheapest ad-free plan along the way (But hey, at least you get whatever’s left of Showtime included now!)
- Netflix tells new Canadian customers “No cheap ad-free tier for you, either!”
- Warner Brothers Discovery casually threatens to murder classic films
- And Wheel! Of! Fortune!
☀️ All that and more on a particularly summery Streamageddon. ☀️
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📺 Review: Black Mirror
🚨 Spoiler Alert: All Episodes through Season 6, Episode 1 (But it’s an anthology, so don’t panic!) (starting at 25:06) 🚨
- Number of Seasons Overall: 6 (All Episodes Available)
- Where to Watch: Netflix
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🔗 Links:
- Fran Drescher Talks SAG-AFTRA Strike On ‘GMA’: Making Headway “In Some Areas”, But “In Some Areas We’re Not” – David Robb, Deadline
- Wheel Of Fortune keeps on turning, gets new U.S. and U.K. hosts – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club
- Graham Norton to Host 'Wheel of Fortune' U.K. Reboot on ITV, ITVX – Naman Ramachandran, Variety
- Netflix drops its cheapest ad-free plan in Canada – Emma Roth, The Verge
- Paramount Plus just increased the price of its cheapest plan – Emma Roth, The Verge
- TCM Fans Are Right to Worry – Josef Adalian, Vulture
- Scorsese, Spielberg, P.T. Anderson on Turner Classic Movies – Zoe Guy, Vulture
- Warner Bros. Signs Deal for AI-Driven Film Management System (Exclusive) – Tatiana Siegel, The Hollywood Reporter
- Warner Bros. Discovery reportedly looks to unload half of its music catalog – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club
- Star Trek: Prodigy, Rise Of The Pink Ladies, and more series canceled, to be removed from Paramount Plus – Saloni Gajjar, A.V. Club
- Star Trek: Prodigy Has Been Cancelled—and Will Be Removed From Paramount+ – Cheryl Eddy, Gizmodo
- Inside Amy Schumer among second round of series gutted by Paramount Plus – Mary Kate Carr, A.V. Club
- Showtime gets its HBO on, removes exclusive shows from its streaming platforms – Matt Schimkowitz, A.V. Club
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