If you have been reading this newsletter for any length of time, you know my feelings about Netflix. And when the streamer announced a month ago that he was going to be headlining multiple shows as the Netflix Is A Joke Festival, I wrote about my unhappiness with the situation:
Let’s not forget that Louie C.K. was not "canceled." That implies some sort of irrational decision imposed by leftists trying to damage him. He wasn’t "caught up in the #MeToo movement." His problems began when a 2017 New York Times article detailed the accounts of five women who claimed the comedian had asked them to watch him masturbate or forced them to do so. After the article was published, other women came forward with variations of the same story, many of them confirmed by other people.
Louis C.K. had been asked about his behavior for years in interviews and generally managed to shrug off the stories. But after the NY Times expose was published, the comic released a statement admitting to the allegations, although he essentially argued he didn’t realize asking women who are less powerful than him if he could masturbate in front of them might cause some problems:
"At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my dick without asking first, which is also true," C.K. wrote. "But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your dick isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly."
So when Variety’s Ethan Shanfeld interviewed Netflix stand-up chief Robbie Praw and scripted comedy boss Tracey Pakosta, I wasn't surprised to read they essentially used a variation of "The audience made us do it," when explaining their booking decision of Louis C.K.:
Louis C.K. is headlining the Hollywood Bowl for the festival, and his next special will debut on the streamer. Tell me about the process of getting him back on Netflix.
PRAW: When it comes to Louis, part of the job of my team is we listen to the type of stand-ups people want to see, but we also spend a lot of time looking at who’s selling tickets all around the world. Louis has had a really impressive run for the last two years, and he has a great special right now, so we’re excited to see it on Netflix this summer.
You must have anticipated backlash [given his 2017 sexual misconduct scandal]. How much does that factor into the decision to partner with him?
PRAW: When our members sit and open up Netflix, they have a decision to make of what they want to watch. This is just about giving them an option to see a really popular comedian that they may want to watch who’s still putting out great stuff.
So I guess the takeaway is that if you are a comic, you can do or say anything, as long as you are funny. “Sure, he killed and chopped up four people. But man, does he have a tight 45-minute set.”
I barely know how to describe Perfect Set
Every brand wants to produce its own television shows, including, as it turns out, the adult subscription platform Only Fans.
OFTV is a free-to-view, safe-for-work streaming platform and app from OnlyFans. The platform has more than 20 originals, including House of Sims, stand-up comedy series LMAOF, and reality series In Real Life. And next up is Perfect Set, which is described as a "high-energy beach volleyball showdown."
In the series, 12 contestants are divided into four teams as they battle through skill-based mini games and elimination matches for a shot at a $50,000 grand prize.
The show is hosted by model and OnlyFans creator Kazumi. "Contestants include Nathan Webb from Netflix's Too Hot To Handle, Jason Cohen and Chris Hahn from Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules, and Alicia Waldner, host of the Naked Ambition podcast. Professional beach volleyball and OnlyFans athletes Hagen Smith, Alaina Chicon, Avery Poppinga, and Falyn Fonoimoana will coach the contestants across the seven-episode series."
Maybe it’s just me, but a giant ball with teeth is a bit unsettling.
The show also includes a mascot, which I am guessing is nicknamed "Ballsy."
Perfect Set will premiere May 15th and honestly, I'm curious enough to check it out.
OnlyFans will also host an official team this year at the iconic Model Volleyball Tournament in Miami, Florida on April 18th and 19th. Perfect Set’s Avery Poppinga, Alaina Chacon, and Hagen Smith will support with coaching, with OFTV on-the ground to capture content for a behind the scenes special airing exclusively on the platform later this year.
"He’s been wildly more successful than any hundred of us. I periodically talk to him, and neither he nor I understand how he became a billionaire. God bless him. To hell with CBS. To hell with Skydance. To hell with the Winslow twins or whoever the hell these guys are. But Byron, he’ll still be providing comedy in that time period. I think that’s a valuable bit of resolution here."
The Best Free Streaming Service You (Probably) Have Never Watched
One of the things that Hollywood creatives are hearing a lot these days is that if they want to see some ambitious new project made, they should consider producing it themselves.
Writer and director Aram Rappaport took that advice to the next level and when he wanted to produce his independent series The Green Veil, he also launched his own streaming service to show it on.
Since it launched in 2022, The Network has become the home of an impressive mix of original productions and eclectic licensed titles. The service releases new episodes of its shows on a weekly basis, and nearly everything is free to watch. Although a paid option exists which removes the advertising and also offers some exclusive content.
The Greek series The Milky Way premieres its first episode today and here is a brief logline:
In a secluded mountain town, Maria's aspirations collide with an unexpected pregnancy, forcing her to challenge norms and embark on a life altering journey with her friend Joe.
One of my favorite shows on the streamer is another Rappaport series, The Artist. That six-episode show has a murderer’s row of actors, including Mandy Patinkin, Janet McTeer, Hank Azaria, Danny Huston, Ever Anderson and an unexpected cameo from Patti LuPone. And every performer is chewing up the scenery like a dog who has gone three days without a bone.
The series is set at an estate in 1906 Rhode Island, where Patinkin plays the eccentric robber baron Norman Henry. Henry has just died and the rest of the season centers on his last days.
There are visitors who include a maybe somewhat fictionalized Thomas Edison (Azaria) who is hoping to secure financing for his new invention, the kinetoscope. Huston plays a nearly blind French artist is there to paint a portrait of Henry's poodle. Not to mention Henry’s long-suffering wife Marion (McTeer) who is bored and restless to a somewhat dangerous degree.
There is plenty of Gilded Age shouting and scurrying back and forth. Along with an endless supply of supremely weird touches, which include a collection of tents on the lawn, inhabited by the mansion's staff, who are called via this Rube Goldberg assemblage of bells and wires. Not to mention an in-house pianist and a boxing coach.
The Artist is delightfully weird and it's difficult to imagine it being produced by a traditional large streaming service.
Once you’ve watched that, I’d also recommend the Canadian first-nation series Blackstone, the documentary Cobain and the harrowing series The Jewish Council, which is set in 1940’s Amsterdam.
You can download The Network app for your smart TV or watch online at https://www.thenetwork.stream/
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Odds & Sods
The new series Fightland will premiere Friday, July 31st on Starz. Here is the official synopsis: “On the night Duke Kilroy (Howard Charles) becomes world heavyweight champion, a vicious assault leaves his brother, Calvin, dead, causing Duke to snap and results in him spending eight years in a U.S. prison. Upon his release, and after having made a sinister discovery, Duke returns home seeking vengeance against the man he believes set him up -- the criminal kingpin and former promoter, Kingsley Marshall (Nicholas Pinnock). But Kingsley has vanished, leaving his children and wife, Joy (Deborah Ayorinde), who happens to be the love of Duke’s life, to pick up the pieces.”
The Kyle Larson documentary Kyle vs. The Double premieres Thursday, May 21st on Prime Video
The new syndicated clip show American Mayhem will be hosted by Larry The Cable Guy. Here is the official logline: “Comedian Larry The Cable Guy brings his signature heartland humor to a fast-paced collection of the funniest and most relatable clips from across the country. With his blue-collar sensibility and deep roots in American culture, Larry brings instant authenticity and comedy to every clip—turning everyday chaos into a celebration of real people, real places, and real American mayhem. From backyard mishaps and weekend DIY disasters to pets stealing the spotlight and celebrations that don’t go quite as planned, Larry guides viewers through the lighter side of life — turning everyday moments into shared laughter."
Ahead of HBO's Harry Potter series, HBO Max will unveil the 16-hour Harry Potter: The Official Film Podcast. The podcast will be timed to the first film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’s 25th anniversary.
Season two of A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder premieres Wednesday, May 20th on Netflix.
The three-part Kylie Minogue documentary helpfully named Kylie will premiere Wednesday, May 20th on Netflix.
The five-part documentary The American Experiment premieres Wednesday, June 24th on Netflix. Here is the official logline: “The American Experiment explores how a nation built on an untested idea has continued to wrestle with the foundational contradictions of slavery and liberty, as well as individual power and minority representation — and how American democracy has been built, challenged, and reimagined over the course of two and a half centuries. The series will cover the American Revolution through the drafting of the Constitution and the first American presidency, and feature a diverse array of voices in reenactments, including Martin Sheen as George Washington. Cinematic in scope and urgently relevant, the documentary series reveals how the debates that defined the country’s founding era still shape the United States, posing a pivotal question at a moment of profound division: Can this extraordinary experiment endure?”
Season fifteen of King Of The Hill will premiere Monday, July 20th, on Hulu.
The Duffer Brothers-produced series The Boroughs premieres Thursday, May 21st, on Netflix. It stars Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Bill Pullman, Clarke Peters and Denis O’Hare, and I don’t think I am breaking the embargo when I say that people will be talking about it.
Hulu releases Gary, a one-off episode of The Bear
Ahead of next month’s premiere of the fifth and final season of The Bear. Hulu has premiered a one-off flashback episode that follows cousins Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Mikey (Jon Bernthal) on a work trip to Gary, Indiana.
Here is the official logline: “Taking place before Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto must leave the fine dining world to help save his family’s Chicago shop and its strong-willed kitchen staff in the wake of his brother’s suicide, not to mention having to navigate his strained familial relationships while balancing the soul-crushing realities of small-business ownership, this episode offers an intimate look at the relationship between Richie and Mikey and sheds light on one of their life hanging adventures.”
On a side note, because networks, streamers and most entertainment news outlets have cut staff, the promotional activities for a lot of projects have become a series of short drips of information. Apparently because that means the project will receive a string of throwaway headline leading up to the premiere: “some casting info/production has wrapped/new key art/first look promo photos/teaser video/full trailer/release quarter/release month/release date.”
It can be exhausting, but I also don’t think it’s helping the PR efforts for the shows. For instance, even though Hulu has announced the upcoming season of The Bear will premiere in June, we still don’t have an exact date. And, I don’t know, releasing a one-off episode a month out might have been a good time to tie the episode in with the specific release date.
What’s Coming Tonight And Tomorrow
TUESDAY, MAY 5TH:
Daredevil: Born Again Season Two Finale (Disney+)
Designed To Last Series Premiere (Hulu)
Milky Way Series Premiere (The Network)
Soccer's American Dream (Vice)
The Ozu Diaries (TCM)
Will Trent Season Four Finale (ABC)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6TH:
Citadel Season Two Premiere (Prime Video)
Love Is Blind: Poland Series Premiere (Netflix)
The Other Bennet Sister Series Premiere (BritBox)
Worst Ex Ever Season Premiere (Netflix)
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