What to know
Damon Lindelof is reportedly making a Star War… The Lost, Leftovers, and Watchmen creator has been dancing around Star Wars for a while, but now it seems the rumors are coming true. Lindelof opined in 2020 that he’d love to make a Star Wars something “a decade from now when [he] would no longer be blamed for ruining it.” Poor Damon is so scarred from Lost. I, for one, am glad he’s not apparently waiting till 2030. ✨
Disney employees plan walk out over “Don’t Say Gay” bill mishandling, Marvel Studios denounces all anti-LGBTQ+ legislation… Bob Chapek and the Disney brass probably thought this story would die down over the weekend. It has not. Mouse House employees are rightfully taking further stand against the company’s handling of the situation in Florida. Meanwhile, Marvel put out a pretty incisive statement in contrast to their corporate overlords. Stay tuned for the next chapter. 🏳️🌈
You’ll be able to binge Fox’s new comedy series immediately… You used to have to wait to binge watch entire seasons of broadcast series. Fox is saying screw that this Thursday when it will air the first episode of small-town mockumentary Welcome to Flatch on regular TV while also dropping the first seven episodes of the show on Hulu. Flatch stars Aya Cash (yay!) and Sean William Scott (interesting!). 📺
The Muppets are joining the new season of ABC’s Holey Moley… This is just great corporate synergy. Add the Muppets to every Disney reality show! Muppets Bachelor! Dancing With the Muppets! The Masked Muppets! Oh wait, that already happened. 🐸
Muppets Haunted Mansion and For All Mankind win producers’ guild awards… Speaking of the Muppets, they won an award! (The PGA’s Outsanding Children’s Program). The criminally underrated Apple drama For All Mankind also took home some hardware for its companion augmented reality experience. I’d prefer For All Mankind itself getting some recognition, but I’ll take this too! Watch both of these award winners! 🏆
Colbert and CBS producing celebrity pickle ball special… Tell the middle aged people in your life, pickle ball is coming to TV! As Deadline writes, it was only a matter of time that this red-hot sport reach the glowing box. I’m sure Colbert and company will wrangle up some fun celeb appearances for this — even if they can’t get the Muppets. 🥒
Only 7% of 2021 movies featured more women than men… Do better, Hollywood! 🤦♀️
What’s new
Phoenix Rising — Mar 15 | HBO Max documentary | 🍅 93%
DMZ — Mar 17 | HBO Max sci-fi drama series | 🍅 83%
Minx — Mar 17 | HBO Max dramedy series | 🍅 100%
Life & Beth — Mar 18 | Hulu comedy series | 🍅 100%
Cheaper by the Dozen — Mar 18 | Disney+ family film | 🍅
WeCrashed — Mar 18 | Apple drama series | 🍅 71%
What to watch
TV Trailer: Ms. Marvel — June 8 on Disney+
Directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Meera Menon, and Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, head writer Bisha K. Ali, starring Iman Vellani, Saagar Shaikh, Mohan Kapur, Zenobia Shroff, Matt Lintz, and Aramis Knight.
This looks absolutely fantastic. Right off the bat, great use of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” kudos to the Disney marketing team on that choice. Second thing I noticed, Iman Vellani’s natural charm. Vellani is a complete newcomer, and while it’s hard to tell her acting ability in these short clips, I think Marvel cast her quite correctly. You can feel her awe and raw charisma — the closest comparison I can make within the MCU is Tom Holland. In fact, I’m picking up a lot of Spider-Man vibes from this and I mean that as an extreme compliment. It’s refreshing to see Marvel finally give us new worlds and new communities in its Disney+ shows. Between this and Moon Knight, we’re finally getting away from the old characters (who come with preconceived baggage) and into a world of entirely new possibilities. Ms. Marvel is playing with superhero tropes and getting self-referential about the MCU — but it’s doing it through fresh perspective and important new representation. Let’s go.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!