Streaming
0 CommentsConan’s Clueless Gamer is getting its own series
Conan O’Brien’s popular YouTube gaming segment, “Clueless Gamer,” is getting its own series.
Following rumors that Conan O’Brien would be changing from a nightly show to a weekly series, Kevin Reilly, TBS president, told The Hollywood Reporter that wasn’t the case. Instead, aspects surrounding Conan would be undergoing some alterations, including more of an emphasis placed on the comedian’s popular YouTube channel exclusives.
“We're going into production next month on a new series, “Clueless Gamer”, based on the viral video he's done where he essentially makes fun of video games, gets celebrities to play and makes commentary on them,” Reilly said. “We've gotten to the point where video game companies are sending us their new product for us to play and make fun of because it's been such...
Streaming
6 CommentsNetflix’s new ‘family sitcom’ is actually about the undead
Santa Clarita Diet is one of Netflix’s most anticipated original series — the show is set to premiere on the streaming service in February — but all is not what is seems.
Announced by Netflix last March, Santa Clarita Diet was described as a a comedy that focused on husband and wife realtors, Sheila (Drew Barrymore) and Joel (Timothy Olyphant), and their teenage daughter in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita. The two were living “vaguely discontented lives,” according to the official description, until Sheila goes through a sudden change that brings “death and destruction ... but in a good way.”
While that should have been an obvious hint that the series wasn’t actually a lighthearted comedy, it wasn’t until just yesterday that Jezebel noticed the show may not actually be what it...
Streaming
2 CommentsVoltron: Legendary Defender’s season 2 trailer promises new friends and foes
Voltron: Legendary Defender’s second season is almost here, and the first trailer for the show’s return promises new friends and enemies.
One of the more interesting reveals is that new enemies will be introduced for the team to take on. At the end of last season, they team was defeated by the big bad Zarkon, and the final battle left them scattered across the universe. The new trailer also promises different worlds for the team to explore, but most importantly, it shows off some of the intergalactic space battles they’ll face off in this season.
Fans of the series will also be happy to note that the comedic and light-hearted tone of the first season seems to have returned for the second. Between the jokes and intense battle sequences, however, the trailer also promises a return to the...
Streaming
15 CommentsHulu’s live TV service will be less than $40
Hulu’s upcoming live TV service, which will carry shows from Disney, Fox and CBS, will be less than $40 a month.
The company’s CEO, Mike Hopkins, made the announcement during a panel at a conference in Las Vegas, according to Variety. Hopkins pointed out that while a specific price has yet to be figured out, it wouldn’t be an introductory fee. Last November, AT&T made headlines when it launched its live-TV service, DirecTV Now, for $35 a month. The company confirmed, however, that the $35 price point was an introductory offer, and would move to $60 a month in January 2017.
Hopkins added the sub-$40 price would also include a subscription to Hulu’s streaming service, which currently runs for $8 a month, and access to a cloud-based DVR. Hopkins told the group gathered at the conference...
Streaming
7 CommentsTrump’s election will have an effect on future BoJack Horseman seasons, creator says
Since the election, showrunners have been announcing ways they’ll handle the changing political climate in America, and BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg has added his views.
In an interview with Indiewire, Bob-Waksberg said that he didn’t think he could continue making the same BoJack Horseman in light of recent events. Instead of harping on the “small hypocrisies of rich liberals,” he wanted to shed a serious light on how the country was coping with the election of Donald Trump. Although Bob-Waksberg said there wouldn’t be as much of this in season four, due to the show already being written, if they were granted a fifth season, he wouldn’t let that opportunity pass him by.
“I think BoJack is definitely very much about kind of the burdens of being comfortable,”...
Streaming
19 CommentsHulu will now be the exclusive streaming home of Disney classics
Hulu is now the exclusive streaming subscription service for some of Disney’s most beloved films, including Mulan and Pocahontas.
As of this week, Hulu will start adding films from Disney’s vault and will continue to do so in the coming months. The company will carry 56 titles in total, but not all will be exclusive, according to Variety. Animated classics like The Nightmare Before Christmas will be exclusive to Hulu, while others like Step Up will not.
Despite the new deal, Hulu isn’t the only streaming service that has an exclusive deal with Disney. Netflix became the only pay-for-TV service in the United States that will carry theatrical releases from Disney released in 2016 and beyond. The deal gives Netflix the exclusive rights for a set number of years. The deal also means...
Streaming
4 CommentsAmazon is offering free first seasons for non-Prime members, $0.99 rentals
Amazon Prime Video is offering some of its original series, including Man in the High Castle and Mozart in the Jungle for free to non-Prime members throughout the Christmas season.
The company announced the sale, which is live as of today, as part of its festive seasonal promotion. Starting Dec. 23 through Dec. 31, the first seasons of Man in the High Castle, Mozart in the Jungle and Bosch for free to non-Prime users.
The deal comes at the same time that Amazon Video is offering a large selection of its movies, including new releases, to be rented for $0.99. The catch is only one movie can be rented per account, so you won’t be able to download multiple titles. The sale, which is also being offered on Google Play, will run until Jan. 23. In order to get the discount, use the code...
Analysis
0 CommentsStreaming TV doubled its original shows in 2016, while cable TV’s roster declined
The trend in premium networks and cable television ordering more and more scripted TV series came to an end in 2016, while streaming services doubled their offerings.
FX’s research team released their annual numbers on the state of television, and one aspect of the report stands out above the rest: Netflix and other streaming services are prepared to spend to dominate. This year still saw a record number of original, scripted programming — 455 series in all — but streaming services provided most of the growth. New series declined on cable and premium channels.
The team released an informational chart (below), which clearly shows the huge increase streaming saw in just one year. In 2015, 46 new original series were ordered for a total of 421 scripted series on broadcast, cable, premium...
Streaming
10 CommentsKylo Ren and Loki become the worst roommates in new web series, Kyloki
Three months ago, Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi released a short video explaining where Thor had been during the events of Captain America: Civil War and in it, introduced his “new roommate” Daryl. It was the type of mundane comedy that only worked because the idea of a god like Thor having to deal with run-of-the-mill roommate problems is in itself very funny.
That’s what a new fan series, Kyloki, does with the show’s three main characters: Loki, Kylo Ren and their third roommate, Matt. In the series, Loki and Kylo Ren retain their superhuman characteristics — Loki can disappear and reappear in a flash while Kylo Ren walks around with his lightsaber — but Matt is just a normal, human dude. Like Waititi’s short, the series finds its humor in Loki and Kylo Ren’s distrust and...
Opinion
27 CommentsThe OA’s finale is problematic, disrespectful and a perfect example of bad television
There are quite a few problems with The OA, but none are as noticeable or egregious as how the finale of the last episode plays out.
[Warning: The following contains major spoilers for The OA.]
After seven episodes of Prairie Johnson — otherwise known as The OA or The Original Angel — telling the story of her abduction and time spent in captivity, the final episode does little to wrap things up. Rather, it opens the series to even more questions about the veracity of The Original Angel’s story. Over seven episodes, we’re asked to question everything we’re seeing — how much of what The OA is saying is true, and how much is an effect of trauma?
In the finale, the group of teenage boys to whom The OA is telling her story find a collection of books and items belonging to the OA, which...
Streaming
15 CommentsNetflix is still the platform for misfits, and its new show The OA proves that
After a week of odd promotional tweets, videos and a puzzling Instagram account full of riddles, Netflix’s new show, The OA, debuted.
[Warning: The following contains spoilers for The OA.]
The show is about one woman, the “Original Angel,” who is recounting her time held in captivity by a crazed scientist to a group of local high school teenage boys and their teacher. She’s trying to remember her adoptive family while decoding the world around her. The series takes place in two different time periods: the current day, which features the 28-year-old angel — who also goes by Prairie Johnson — and the seven years she spent in captivity.
The main thesis of the show, however, is about the importance of questioning. In each episode, the boys question what the OA is saying, researching...
Streaming
13 CommentsNetflix's mysterious series The OA is about philosophy, feelings and time travel
After dropping a trailer earlier this week and announcing that its new show, The OA, would premiere on Dec. 16, we finally know what the Netflix series is about.
[Warning: Stop reading if you don't want to know anything before you start watching.]
The OA the story of Prairie Johnson, a woman who has returned home after vanishing for seven years. She’s gone through an incredible ordeal, but she’ll only talk to a group of teenagers and one high school teacher about what she went through. At the same time, her adoptive parents are trying to reconnect with her after spending the majority of the last decade desperately searching for her.
Prairie, however, doesn’t want to confide in them. Instead, she spends her time talking to these teenage boys about her time traveling experience, leading...
Streaming
8 CommentsNetflix in January 2017: Everything coming to and leaving
January will be a solid month for Netflix subscribers who are looking for new series and original films to binge during the cold days.
A Series of Unfortunate Events, the show based on Lemony Snicket’s best-selling children’s books, will finally premiere. The series stars Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf, the nefarious relative looking to get his hands on the Baudelaire children’s inheritance after their parents perish in a terrible and suspicious fire. Based on early trailers and promotional images released by Netflix, the show will appeal to those who are fans of director Tim Burton’s aesthetic. If you like Edward Scissorhands or Frankenweenie, A Series of Unfortunate Events may be what you need.
On the animated front, Voltron: Legendary Defender will return for its highly...
Streaming
20 CommentsStar Trek: Discovery finds its lead character in Walking Dead actress
Star Trek: Discovery has found its main character in The Walking Dead’s Sonequa Martin-Green, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Martin-Green, best known for her role as Sasha Williams in The Walking Dead, has signed on to play the lieutenant commander of the USS Discovery. Former showrunner Bryan Fuller previously confirmed that Discovery would focus on the lieutenant commander, making it a first for the franchise. Prior series have focused primarily on the captain, like Jean-Luc Picard in The Next Generation or James Kirk in the original series.
The publication is also reporting that Martin-Green will remain on The Walking Dead for the time being, but will film both series simultaneously. CBS declined to comment on the role to The Hollywood Reporter, but Polygon has reached out...
Streaming
2 CommentsThe key to figuring out Netflix’s new show, The OA, lies in its Instragam setup
Netflix’s new series, The OA, is shrouded in mystery, but the key to figuring out what it means may lie in its Instagram layout.
After Netflix tweeted out the link to the trailer, it also referred people to the show’s Instagram account, which uses a series of boxes to create a photo. Think of it like a puzzle, actually. Each photo individually doesn’t do much, but together, it creates a stunning — and large — image, which seems to tell a story. In 2015, Rick and Morty did something similar, but created an entire game through the use of Instagram boxes.
The only thing that Netflix has released about this series is that it follows the supernatural and asks the audience to believe in the unknown. Going even one step further, it asks that viewers trust the unknown. According to the...