Is the end of SNL nigh?
And Netflix sues Grammy winners
What to know
Lorne Michaels might retire after SNL’s 50th, and Kenan Thompson says that would be a good time to end the show… I’m not surprised Lorne is thinking about hanging it up after the show’s 50th season (which will happen 2024-2025). Makes sense considering he’ll be 80. Kenan on the other hand is delusional if he thinks NBC will ever kill SNL willfully, especially when its ratings top the charts. Will the show be as good without Lorne? Probably not, but I firmly believe the sketch series will continue after Lorne and we will get to complain about it! 🗽
Netflix sues Unofficial Bridgerton Musical creators as they attempt to mount live staging… Go viral on TikTok? Fine! Win a Grammy? No problem here. Do a live show at the Kennedy Center and sell $150 tickets? Lawsuit time! Now that the tribute musical has entered the real world and is turning a profit, Netflix is no longer cool with it. “Transformative” works are protected under fair use, so it should be interesting to see how this shakes out and what implications the case unleashes. 👸🏾
594 male TV producers sign letter demanding abortion safety protocols… Nearly 600 men, including J.J. Abrams, Jordan Peele, Greg Berlanti, Donald Glover, Aaron Sorkin, David E. Kelley, Taika Waititi and Ryan Murphy, have joined the 400 women TV creators calling on studios to put specific safety protocols in place for pregnant employees in states where abortion has been outlawed (or will be). Meanwhile, film and TV spending hit $4.4 billion in Georgia last year thanks to its tax incentives.
Everything Everywhere All at Once becomes first A24 movie to top $100 million; directors, Steve Yeun, and Nathan Min developing comedy series… The gift that keeps on giving — across all multiverses. 🌭
Andor shot in real locations, didn’t use The Volume at all… The Volume is great, but you can tell from the trailers (a new one dropped today) that this new Stars Wars show is going to have a tactile feel. 👀
Industry’s Marisa Abela is the frontrunner to play Amy Winehouse… I guess you’ll have to watch Industry to learn more about her! It’s back tonight. 🎤
Hulu’s Not Okay contains ironic content warning of “Unlikable female protagonist,” confuses people…They completely missed the joke. 🙃
Beyoncé to remove ableist lyric in new song… Didn’t she (or her people) see Lizzo go through the exact same thing recently? 🤔
Alison Brie says real things are happening with the Community movie… Sounds like something Roku would produce. 🎬
Top Chef’s 20th season to feature top cheftestants from show’s international versions… S'il vous plaît, emballez vos couteaux et partez. 🔪
The Boys ups child actor Cameron Crovetti to series regular… The world’s most problematic father-son duo are back. 🇺🇸
CW’s The Flash to end with abbreviated season 9… That’s quite a run! Get it? Cause he runs?? ⚡️
What’s new
Industry s2 — Aug 1 | HBO drama series | 🍅
Reservation Dogs s2 — Aug 3 | FX/Hulu comedy series | 🍅
Lightyear — Aug 3 | Pixar movie now on Disney+ | 🍅 75%
The Sandman — Aug 5 | Netflix fantasy series | 🍅
Thirteen Lives — Aug 5 | Amazon drama film | 🍅 88%
Bullet Train — Aug 5 | Action film in theaters | 🍅
What to watch
Sometimes a single performance is enough to make a show worth watching. This week I’ve got two examples of it. The first is Showtime’s new workplace comedy I Love That For You, starring and co-created by SNL alum Vanessa Bayer. Bayer’s expressive and elastic face is the reason to watch this show. The biggest laughs in the pilot are simple cutaways to her wordless reactions. Reminiscent of early Jim Carrey, Bayer is in complete control and knows with fierce exuberance how to wield this most powerful comedic asset. Her smile is a comedy long blade ready to split our most jaded and cynical sides. What a joy then that Bayer and co-creator Jeremy Beiler fill up the rest of the series with novel situations (it all takes place at a home shopping TV network), a deep cast (Molly Shannon, Jenifer Lewis, and Matt Rogers are standouts), and rich, complex backstories (to explain would go into spoiler territory). Bayer uses elements of her life but avoids the current cliché of making her first solo series too autobiographical. Spanning 8 half-hour episodes, it’s a pleasurable breeze to binge and a strong entry into the fast-growing genre that Ted Lasso wrought.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!