What to know
Netflix reportedly reveals how it will crack down on password sharing… We now know how Netflix could prevent users from sharing their account outside their own household. The Streamable quotes Netflix, “To ensure uninterrupted access to Netflix, connect to the Wi-Fi at your primary location, open the Netflix app or website, and watch something at least once every 31 days.” The outlet also reports that when you travel and log in elsewhere, Netflix would provide you with a code that grants access for 7 days.
That said, if you take a look at Netflix’s U.S.-based FAQ website, it currently says log ins outside the primary location might need to be verified via a 15-minute, 4-digit code sent to the account owner’s email or phone number. So that sounds like you could still share an account if you can enter the code in time. This is what Apple currently does. The Verge has also gotten word from Netflix that the streamer hasn’t yet decided how it will prevent password sharing stateside and that The Streamable’s info is pertaining to Latin American markets. Either way, Netflix sharers, get ready for potential log outs, frustration, and confusion. 🍿
Former The Crown star Helena Bonham Carter says The Crown should end… Citing the fact that it’s no longer a historical drama but has “crashed into the present.” Every one is so sensitive around the royal family, why should they be exempt from a fictionalized retelling of real events? Movies and TV are based on true stories all the time. 👸🏻
Apple launches MLS Season Pass streaming service… Interesting that the fruit company would make a standalone service for the MLS rather than just incorporating it into Apple TV+ — but then again niche branding and marketing works. At the cost of $2.5B over ten years, Apple better hope this foray into live sports pays off. ⚽️
Peacock ends free tier option for new users… “Free as a bird” no more. One would think a free option would upstream consumers to a paid subscription, but I guess NBCUniversal isn’t seeing that. When you’re set to lose $5.5 billion over two years, you gotta make some tough calls. 🦚
Paramount+ pulls Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone, Real World: Homecoming, and more… Peele’s Twilight Zone update was uneven at best, but it still stings to see streamers cull their library content. The trend continues. 🧿
Beyoncé announces worldwide stadium tour… Here we go again with the ticketing mishegas. Good luck Beyhive, may the LiveNation odds be ever in your favor. 🎵
HBO orders Jerrod Carmichael comedy documentary series… I’m not sure what “comedy documentary” means, but I’m going to watch it. 🎤
James Burrows to direct first two Frasier sequel episodes… I just got a smidgen more interested in Paramount+’s Frasier sequel. 📺
James Mangold circles DC’s Swamp Thing movie… I just got exponentially more interested in DC’s Swamp Thing movie. 🎬
Dr. Phil ending after 21 years, The Blacklist ending after 10 years… I can’t believe both of these were still on the air. ❌
Pres. Biden calls on Congress to limit ticketing fees… He’s just trying to save some money on Beyoncé seats. 🎫
What’s new
Pamela, a Love Story — Jan 31 | Netflix documentary | 🍅 100%
80 for Brady — Feb 3 | Comedy movie in theaters | 🍅 68%
Knock at the Cabin — Feb 3 | High concept thriller in theaters | 🍅 71%
The Grammys — Feb 5 | CBS award show
What to watch
The Last of Us gives adaptations a good name — and not just video game adaptations, which have been abysmal for decades, but all adaptations. With just three episodes under its belt, the Craig Mazin-Neil Druckmann series is showing that the best screen transfers, be they from book, comic, or game, justify their existence in the new medium and expand upon the source material in a way that only TV can. Like HBO sisters Watchmen and Station Eleven, the creators here are taking the bones, vibe, and crucial elements of the original but elevating and adding in ways that thematically jive with the overall story. What sets Last of Us apart is its departures from the source, namely the divergent openings of episodes one and two and the bulk of episode three. These wonderfully surprising, world-building story pieces instruct and inform the audience, but also add to the inverses of dread and love woven throughout the show. Mazin and Druckmann are delivering a holistic view on a pandemic apocalypse by portraying a small tapestry of human stories and moments. And remarkably, this isn’t an ensemble drama, its main focus is zeroed in on a lone wolf and cub. The Last of Us could have been The Walking Dead 2.0 — and skeptical viewers might be tuning out over that concern. Thankfully, it’s not. The ambitions here are much higher.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!