| | | | | | What's news: Netflix now has 282.7m global subscribers. A stage adaptation of Dirty Dancing is heading to Broadway. Apple has renewed Shrinking. AMC canceled Parish after one season. Freeform has picked up Project Runway. Brian Williams will host Amazon's election night coverage. — Abid Rahman
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Netflix Adds 5M Subs as Profits and Margins Soar ►Boffo. Netflix reported its Q3 earnings Thursday, adding 5m subscribers as its status as subscription streaming TV’s dominant platform remains unchallenged. The company now has 282.7m global subscribers. Netflix will stop reporting subscriber numbers and average revenue per member beginning in Q1 of 2025. Netflix reported revenue of $9.83b and operating income of $2.91b, both up substantially from a year earlier, and each beating Wall Street expectations. The company’s operating margin was 30 percent, compared to 22 percent a year ago. The results.
—"The first half of this year, our lineup was much lumpier than we liked." Netflix expects its programming slate to return to close to normalcy in 2025, after saying its 2024 slate was “patchier than normal” due to the Hollywood strikes. Speaking on Netflix’s Q3 earnings call, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said some of its popular shows including Cobra Kai and Emily in Paris as well as newer shows such as Perfect Couple and Nobody Wants This were initially scheduled to air “much earlier in the year” but were delayed due to impacts from the strike. The story.
—"Stranger Season." Get ready to see Stranger Things everywhere. Ahead of the show’s fifth and final season next year, Netflix is launching what it is calling “Stranger Season,” with experiences and activations, new consumer products and a new comic book collection, all meant to make the hit series impossible to miss over the next few weeks and months. Among the new offerings is a partnership with the fitness brand Peloton, which will launch a Stranger Things-inspired Peloton Lanebreak level. The story. |
Former NBC Exec Regrets Helping Market 'The Apprentice' ►"We created a monster." Former NBC chief marketer John D. Miller wrote in an op-ed this week that he regrets helping promote Donald Trump's The Apprentice, saying he helped "create a monster." The Apprentice ran for 15 seasons from 2004 to 2017; Trump hosted the first 14 installments. "To sell the show, we created the narrative that Trump was a super-successful businessman who lived like royalty. That was the conceit of the show," Miller wrote in an op-ed for U.S. News. The story.
—"Maybe don’t say anything negative about Catholics." A special guest made a surprise appearance during Kamala Harris‘ virtual speech at the annual Al Smith charity dinner Thursday night. The vice president chose to skip the event in person as she campaigned in Wisconsin, but she still took an opportunity to share some impactful words, only in a quirky way with the help of Molly Shannon. As Harris kicked off her speech, Shannon’s Mary Katherine Gallagher, a character she originated on Saturday Night Live in the 1990, made a point of interrupting. The recap.
—"The guy’s afraid of birds." What can anybody say about Trump that hasn’t already been said? Well, Dave Bautista (via Jimmy Kimmel Live!) might have figured it out, with his brutal roast of the former president going viral. Kimmel’s team and Bautista made a video for Wednesday night’s episode of the ABC late night show where the Guardians of the Galaxy actor had some choice words about the perception that Trump is a masculine figure. The story.
—He's back! Amazon Prime Video is officially in business with Brian Williams. The streamer has set an election night special, Election Night Live with Brian Williams, which will see the former NBC News anchor lead viewers through the returns on Nov. 5. The special will see Williams joined by “prominent contributors” who will provide insight and analysis across the political spectrum. NBC and CNN veteran Jonathan Wald will be executive producer, with Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner’s White Cherry Entertainment producing the special. Weiss, the veteran of the Oscars, Emmys, Tonys and a slew of other live events, will also serve as director of the special. The story. |
Lionsgate Plans 'Dirty Dancing' Stage Adaptation ►Putting Baby on Broadway. Lionsgate is developing a new stage adaptation of Dirty Dancing. The studio is working with Eleanor Bergstein, the writer of the 1987 film, to develop the new musical. Lonny Price, who played Neil Kellerman in the film, will direct the new production. The production is being positioned as a new, Broadway-aimed stage adaptation of the film. A prior stage production, with a book by Bergstein, premiered in Sydney in 2004, with several runs on London’s West End, around the U.K., the U.S. and more. The story.
—🎭 Let that Sink in 🎭 Sadie Sink will star in the new Broadway play John Proctor Is the Villain this spring. The play is written by Kimberly Belflower, who is making her Broadway debut, and directed by Danya Taymor, who won a Tony Award for her direction of The Outsiders. Sink is best known for her role as Max Mayfield in Netflix’s Stranger Things. She previously appeared on Broadway in the 2012 revival of Annie as a standby for several lead roles and as young Elizabeth in The Audience. The story. |
'Rick and Morty' Scores 2 Season Pickup ►Ah geez. Rick and Morty will live on (and on). The Adult Swim cult comedy was greenlit for two additional seasons, ensuring it will now reach a 12th season and run through 2029. The announcement was made during a New York Comic Con panel, which featured series co-creator Dan Harmon along with showrunner Scott Marder and some key members of the show’s voice cast. “Nobody wants a universe without Rick and Morty. Fortunately, the list of places to go remains infinite,” said Harmon. The story.
—Booking more sessions. Apple TV+ has renewed therapy comedy Shrinking for a third season. The news, which was announced Thursday at New York Comic Con, comes on the heels of Tuesday’s season two launch. Created (and starring) by Jason Segel with Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein — the latter, who joined the cast in a key guest role for the second season — the cast also includes Harrison Ford in one of his first television roles. The story.
—One and done. AMC's crime drama Parish will end after its first and only season. The show, loosely based on British series The Driver, starred Giancarlo Esposito, Zackary Momoh and Paula Malcomson, among others, and premiered in March. THR's review of the show praised Esposito’s performance, calling him "an emotionally volcanic leading man," but criticized most other aspects, saying "it’s full of extended sequences that you’ve seen done better countless times." The story.
—Saved! Freeform is bringing the long-running Bravo reality TV series Project Runway, centered around fashion design, back for season 21. The TV network closed a deal with Spyglass Media Group for a new 10-episode run in 2025, with Disney+ and Hulu also to stream the series shortly after the premiere on Freeform. The story. |
Josh Brolin Set to Be Villain in Edgar Wright's 'Running Man' ►🎭 Desert power 🎭 Josh Brolin is in final negotiations to star opposite Glen Powell in The Running Man, Paramount’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Edgar Wright is directing the feature and co-wrote the script with Michael Bacall. Love Lies Bleeding's Katy O’Brian is already on the roll call for the feature that will shoot in London at the top of next year. The novel centered on one desperate man, needing money for his sick daughter, who joins the most popular show, The Running Man, in which teams of killers hunt down contestants. The story.
—Project update. Tom Holland is excited about Spider-Man 4, revealing that he read a draft of the script a few weeks ago with co-star and girlfriend Zendaya. However, he recently shared on the Rich Roll Podcast that “it needs work, but the writers are doing a great job.” Last month, THR exclusively reported that Destin Daniel Cretton was in talks to direct the fourth installment of the superhero franchise, taking over the reins from director Jon Watts. The story.
—In-demand. Akela Cooper, who has collaborated with James Wan on movies such as M3GAN and The Nun II, is set to adapt the Tinseltown terror tale The Lot for upstart comic publisher Bad Idea. Cooper will also produce the adaptation, along with Bad Idea founder and CEO Dinesh Shamdasani and the company’s head of film and TV Benjamin Simpson. Lot centers on a woman named Aviva Copeland, who has just landed the biggest job of her career, becoming one of the few Black women to run a Hollywood studio. The story.
—🎭 Leads in place 🎭 Justin Long, Jermaine Fowler and RJ Cyler are starring in Night Patrol, an indie horror feature from director and co-writer Ryan Prows. David S. Goyer and Keith Levine are producing via the duo’s Phantom Four banner. In Night Patrol, an LAPD officer (Fowler) must put aside his differences with the area’s street gangs when he discovers a local police task force is harboring a horrific secret that endangers the residents of the housing projects he grew up in. The story. |
Bill Lawrence Unpacks 'Shrinking' S2 Opening ►"In my head, Brett was Roy Kent." THR's Christy Piña spoke to Shrinking showrunner Bill Lawrence about the opening episodes of the Apple TV+ show. Lawrence reveals he almost blew it with the introduction of Brett Goldstein's character and also unpacks the season's message of forgiveness and how it will play out for all its characters, including those played by Jason Segel, Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"Of course they’re going to come for me." Yours truly spoke to Felicity Ward, the star of the Aussie version The Office, which debuted globally today everywhere (except the U.S.!) on Amazon Prime Video. Ward discusses being the first female to lead an iteration of the comedy franchise, the differences between the Aussie, British and American versions of the show, how she’s sick of the same questions from journalists, toxic fandom and not reading the comments online and the surprisingly large number of Kiwis working on the show. The interview.
—"That’s what happens if you put a sword into a person’s neck." THR's Patrick Brzeski spoke to Indonesian action maestro Timo Tjahjanto about his latest Netflix movie The Shadow Strays. Tjahjanto also discusses importing Indonesian action brutality to his upcoming Hollywood debut, Bob Odenkirk's Nobody 2. The interview.
—"Our heroine, who’s such an anchor of our show, doesn’t know what to do." For THR, Max Gao spoke to Pachinko creator and showrunner Soo Hugh about the season two finale of the Apple TV+ drama. The season two scene centered on Lee Minho was rewritten multiple times, Hugh reveals while unpacking how it leads to a tragic ending. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
TV Review: 'Hysteria!' ►"All over the place, in ways both intriguing and annoying." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Peacock's Hysteria! A high school heavy metal band attempts to capitalize on '80s occult paranoia in an eight-part series that's half supernatural saga and half supernatural satire, starring Bruce Campbell. The review.
—"Equal parts emotional and illogical, but Bhatt shines." For THR, Anupama Chopra reviews Vasan Bala's Jigra. Alia Bhatt plays a young woman who goes to extraordinary lengths to rescue her brother from a foreign prison in this Indian action film. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this live episode, Scott spoke to Joan Chen. The trailblazing Chinese actress reflects on childhood stardom in China, coming to America and starting from scratch, building a career in films like The Last Emperor and Heaven & Earth and, decades later, garnering some of the best reviews of her career — and Oscar buzz — for her portrayal of an immigrant mother in Sean Wang's feature directorial debut Dìdi. Listen here.
In other news...
—Outlander trailer for second half of S7 ushers in death, loss, redemption
—Virgin River S6 teaser hints at busy wedding season for Mel and Jack
—Bread & Roses: Jennifer Lawrence- and Malala-produced Apple doc about Afghan women drops trailer
—Dune: Prophecy trailer explores "boundaries of what it means to be human"
—Michael Keaton gets ready to step into the ring, bares all in SNL promo
—The Penguin drops midseason trailer as stars and showrunner dig into character motivations
—Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches S2 gets a first look
—Jane Fonda to receive 2024 SAG Life Achievement Award
—Savannah Film Fest: Kevin Costner tapped for Legend of Cinema Award
—CAA names Matthew Schuyler as chief people officer
—One of the best deals on Hulu with Live TV, Disney+ and ESPN+ is happening now — no waiting for Black Friday
—Sherry Coben, writer and creator of Kate & Allie, dies at 71
—Alvin Rakoff, director of Laurence Olivier’s Voyage Round My Father, dies at 97
What else we're reading...
—Nora Princiotti writes that Liam Payne was the original glue for One Direction [Ringer]
—Nathan Solis reports on L.A.’s. new graffiti wars, where a bold generation of taggers are hitting high-profile targets [LAT]
—Brian Stelter compares Bret Baier's combative interview with Kamala Harris to his sit-down with Donald Trump [CNN]
—Sarah Lyall profiles the always hilarious Hugh Grant who discusses his most villainous role yet with his new film Heretic [NYT]
—Here's your Friday: "Are you not entertained? The XVIII best films about the Romans – ranked!" [Guardian]
Today...
...in 1961, West Side Story held its world premiere in New York at the Rivoli Theatre, eventually going on to win 10 Oscars at the 34th Academy Awards. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Barry Keoghan (32), Zac Efron (37), Freida Pinto (40), Chuck Lorre (72), David Twohy (69), Peter Sohn (47), Jean-Claude Van Damme (64), Pam Dawber (73), Sophie Thatcher (24), Tyler Posey (33), Toby Regbo (33), Joanna Vanderham (33), Corinne Bohrer (66), Joe Morton (77), Natasha Rothwell (44), Conor Sherry (24), Joy Bryant (50), Arliss Howard (70), Jordan Calloway (34), Nadji Jeter (28), Vincent Spano (62), Howard Shore (78), Joy Jorgensen (35), Carly Schroeder (34), Nicola Posener (37), Nic Pizzolatto (49), Chris McKenna (47), Jaeda Lily Miller (18), Lucky Yates (57) |
| Mitzi Gaynor, the leggy entertainer whose saucy vitality and blond beauty graced the big screen in South Pacific and on Las Vegas stages and in spectacular TV specials, has died. She was 93. The obituary. |
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