Welcome to the 156th episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast. Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV edito
Welcome to the 156th episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast.
Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).
With the Super Bowl, the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour and the Paramount+ investor day, it was a bonkers week of TV news and we’ve got an equally jam-packed episode to get to. This week, Dan and I are joined by FX CEO John Landgraf to discuss the state of the network and its streaming presence on Hulu. Plus, we welcome Nkechi Carroll for a fantastic Showrunner Spotlight about her fascinating path to TV and franchise hopes for The CW’s All American, which start with spinoff Homecoming.
Here’s how the episode breaks down:
1. Three Emmy darlings coming to an end
Holy coincidence! On Thursday, Netflix, Amazon and FX announced that Stranger Things, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Atlanta, respectively, would be ending with upcoming seasons. This segment looks at the why behind the decisions, how each show is valued at its respective platform and, of course, the future of the franchises.
2. John Landgraf interview
The FX CEO joins the podcast for the second time to discuss the state of the basic cable network. We cover a lot of ground in the interview, including the status of Ryan Murphy’s relationship with Disney and Netflix (including why Impeachment didn’t click); why Atlanta is coming to a close; what’s next for Pamela Adlon after Better Things wraps; as well as the status of the Carrie series.
3. Paramount+-a-palooza
In a bid to woo Wall Street, the former ViacomCBS, now simply called Paramount, unveiled a slew of announcements for the streaming service formerly known as CBS All Access. There’s news out of Showtime, the fact that you can now get Showtime on Paramount+, plus more Taylor Sheridan, more Beavis and Butt-Head and more from the popular kids and family franchises. Basically more, more, more. Dan and I run down the news and discuss whether any of it will make a difference. (Spoiler alert: the answer, per Wall Street, was a resounding no.)
4. Showrunner Spotlight
Nkechi Carroll joins the show to discuss All American: Homecoming, the spinoff of The CW’s football drama. Carroll opens up about her wild ride to the TV industry, which included a long career working at the Federal Reserve (yes, really). She explains how the two shows are connected and the inspiration behind doing a show set in college when TV’s track record with shows graduating from high school is somewhat spotty. Plus, Carroll explores the importance of setting Homecoming at an HBCU, why tennis and baseball are among the sports showcases and so much more. Trust us, this is a can’t-miss interview, even if you’ve never seen All American.
5. Critic’s Corner
As usual, every episode ends with Dan offering his reviews of what to watch in the week ahead. In this episode, he reviews Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season four, Apple’s Severance, Epix’s From, NBC’s The Endgame and All American: Homecoming.
Hear it all now on TV’s Top 5. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode. (Reviews welcome!) You can also email us with any topics or Mailbag questions you’d like addressed in future episodes at [email protected].
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