Canadians are pissed

And Showtime saves canceled Netflix comedy

What to know

• Canadians are furious with Netflix for ending account sharing… And they’re taking to TikTok to vent their frustrations. Do you know how egregious you have to be to piss off Canadians, a notoriously nice people? But that’s exactly what Netflix has done by finally stopping account sharing in the Great White North (users have to log in from the “home” IP address on occasion or get an access code via text if they’re outside the home.) Americans, it’s only a matter of time until Netflix stops password sharing for us — and I’m thinking it’s going to be weeks not months. One can only imagine the backlash that is coming for the streamer when it does crack down on Americans, who are notoriously not a nice people. 🇨🇦

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• Wednesday was the only top 2022 show with a shelf life, “subscription cycling” is on the rise… Interesting streaming report from Samba. First, Wednesday ended up beating out House of the Dragon to become the top show because of its staying power. Most of the top 15 shows didn’t have much success after two weeks, but Wednesday held on for longer thanks to its popularity with Gen Zers online (which might be the key to streaming success). Meanwhile, “subscription cycling,” aka “churn” in which viewers only sign up for a streamers for a short period of time to watch their favorite show(s), is on the rise and is really affecting the smaller services like Paramount and Apple. Man, this is a tough biz. 📺

• Neil Patrick Harris’ Netflix comedy Uncoupled saved by Showtime… By now we’re used to seeing Netflix pick up canceled series, but another network saving an axed Netflix show, that doesn’t happen every day. Showtime, which is now basically a sub-brand of Paramount+, is actually following the old Netflix model to some extent as it hunts for recognizable commodities and a variety of programs to bolster its parent streaming service. NPH and a Netflix show doesn’t hurt, and while I think this show wrapped things up neatly enough at the end of its first season, I’ll check back in. 🛟

• Comcast unbundling Peacock + cable package… Tough news if you get Peacock through your Comcast cable deal. Come June 26, you’re being cut off and will have to pay for Peacock like everybody else. It’s unclear how many of Peacock’s 20 million subscribers are through this bundled Comcast deal, but my guess is not all of them are going to stick around, which could lead to a decrease in total numbers. As with every media company right now, Comcast is looking for whatever revenue streams it can find. 🦚

• Everything pop culture from the Super Bowl… Oh yeah, a football game was played last night. In case you missed ‘em, here’s what I think is worth checking out: Chris Stapleton’s national anthem, Rihanna’s halftime show, Bennifer’s Dunkin ad, Cocaine Bear spot, Creed III spot, Bradley Cooper and his real mom’s T-Mobile ad, Super Mario Bros. Movie throwback clip, Indy 5 spot, Guardians 3 trailer, and The Flash enters the speed force. 🏈

• Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are going on tour… Happy Galentine’s Day! Here’s a cool thing. The pair will be hitting DC, Boston, Chicago, and Atlantic City for “an evening of jokes, iconic stories and conversational entertainment.” Not a ton of dates, but if successful I’m sure they’ll add more. 🚌

• Avenue 5 canceled after two seasons at HBO… Not every show gets a second chance (though sometimes it seems like it). Avenue 5 had its moments, but this Armando Iannucci comedy was too ambitious for its own good. 🚀

• The only thing that stopped Avatar: The Way of Water from passing Titanic’s box office total this weekend was Titanic… They don’t call James Cameron “king of the world” for nothing. 🌊

• Bruce Springsteen pens new song for Peter Dinklage movie She Came to Me… Two great tastes that will taste great together. 🎶

• Barney getting relaunch from Mattel with new animated series, film, merch… No IP, no matter how annoying, ever stays dead long. 🦖

• Hollywood’s newest trend is opening movies in theaters… What a concept. 🎞

• Disney+ drops brief teaser for American Born Chinese… Look at that cast! 👏

• Plane lands sequel, Ship… Can’t wait for Car, Train, and Bicycle. 🚢

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What’s new

• Red Rose — Feb 15 | Netflix horror series | 🍅 100%

• Full Swing — Feb 15 | Netflix golf docuseries | 🍅

• Animal Control — Feb 16 | Fox sitcom | 🍅

• Sharper — Feb 17 | Apple TV+ drama film | 🍅 62%

• Hellow Tomorrow! — Feb 17 | Apple TV+ comedy series | 🍅

• Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania — Feb 17 | Marvel movie in theaters | 🍅🍅

• Returning: Wu-Tang: An American Saga s3, The Upshaws s3, Star Trek: Picard s3, Animaniacs s3, Carnival Row s2, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver s10

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What to watch

What do Triangle of Sadness and Spirited Away have in common? Besides the fact that I watched both of them for the first time in this past week? It turns out, more than you’d think. Sometimes two shows or movies that have nothing to do with each other end up in conversation due simply to timing.

First and somewhat shamefully, I had never seen a Studio Ghibli or Hayao Miyazaki film prior to watching Spirited Away last week. Now that they’re available on HBO Max, I’m finally getting around to correcting that. 2002’s Spirited Away did feel like plunging into the deep end, as this surrealist Japanese fantasia essentially plunges its heroine, Chihiro, into the metaphysical deep end. Her journey through a warped world of magic and spirits, for me, evoked The Wizard of Oz and Labyrinth — stranger than both, yet as dark as the latter. Miyazaki overstuffs one of this masterpiece (one of many for the guy) with creativity, imaginative creature design, and a few forgivable plot diversions, but he never loses sight of the thematic undercurrents. Those happen to carry an anti-capitalist bent. He makes it abundantly clear that greed and gluttony are not good. Early on, the heroine’s parents get turned into pigs; later she thwarts a few villains by turning away from money and power. Vomiting monsters, a visual rejection of over-indulgence, appears as a motif throughout. Strong stuff for a 21-year-old animated film.

And if we’re talking puke, we’re talking Triangle of Sadness, Ruben Östlund’s 2022 Palme d’Or winner and Best Picture nominee. Twenty years, thousands of miles in geography, and entire mediums separate it from Spirited Away, but its themes and certain motifs are cousins. It too is a repudiation of wealth and greed, that sails into a fantastical journey at times. The film’s most talked about segment is the middle chunk in which dozens of uber-rich yacht guests succumb to extreme sea sickness — and both their digestive systems and the boat’s plumbing erupt into violent streams of ick. Östlund, like Miyazaki, leans into this motif as a rebuff of everything indulgent. Triangle’s most thrilling moment though is the end-of-the-2nd act twist that transforms the movie. It turns out Östlund loves a curve ball as much as Miyazaki. Unfortunately for his characters, they couldn’t rise above their capitalistic systems and desires like Chihiro could, which gives way to a much bleaker ending. There is no salvation in this story. I guess that’s the difference between family-friendly anime and independent European cinema.

For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!