Cordkillers 266 - Fox Properties (w/ Chuck Wendig)
Ghost Rider on Hulu, a new Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer, and five Game of Thrones spinoffs? All this and more on Cordkillers! With special guest Chuck Wendig.
Next week: Game of Thrones promises big changes and Barry continues on!
CordKillers: Ep. 266 - Fox Properties
Recorded: May 7 2019
Guest: Chuck Wendi
Intro Video
Trailer for Handmaid's Tale season 3
Primary Target
YouTube Renews Kevin Hart Comedy Series, Sets Maluma and Paris Hilton Documentaries, Lollapalooza Live-Streaming Deal
- YouTube’s originals slate is now focused on three areas — music, learning and personality-driven programming. Cobra Kai is getting a season 3 and YouTube also renewed its Kevin Hart Comedy Series, approved Maluma and Paris Hilton Documentaries, and announced a Lollapalooza Live-Streaming Deal
YouTube Will Make ‘Cobra Kai,’ Other Originals Free to Watch Later This Year
- YouTube also announced the first details of its Single Slate Strategy to make originals available free with ads, rather than only available to subscribers of the $12 a month YouTube Premium program. Free users will season one of Cobra Kai from Aug. 29 to Sept. 11, with season two debuting for free on September 11, with new episodes weekly. More free ad-supported premiere dates will be announced later. According to YouTube, original content had 2.5 billion views across 50 shows last year.
How to Watch
Hulu Zooms to 28 Million Total Subscribers, Up 12% So Far in 2019
- Hulu Tops 28 Million Total Subscribers, Up 12% So Far in 2019. Hulu dropped the price of its ad-supported subscription VOD plan to $5.99 per month in February (from $7.99) The streaming venture’s ongoing investments in content and technology mean it’s going to keep operating at a loss for the next few years.
Marvel And Hulu Set Live-Action ‘Ghost Rider’ And ‘Helstrom’ Series; Gabriel Luna To Reprise Role Of Robbie Reyes
- Marvel And Hulu Set Live-Action ‘Ghost Rider’ And ‘Helstrom’ Series; Gabriel Luna To Reprise Role Of Robbie Reyes. In Helstrom, Daimon and Ana Helstrom are the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer. The siblings have a complicated dynamic as they track down the terrorizing worst of humanity (From the sound of it, Helstrom shares some similarities to the Marvel comic book character Daimon Hellstrom who was also known as Hellstorm and the Son of Satan. He first appeared in the Ghost Rider comics before getting his own Son of Satan series. He has demonic abilities and the ability to travel back and forth between hell.)
Hulu Greenlights ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ Starring Nicole Kidman, Elizabeth Holmes Series With Kate McKinnon
- Hulu has given out series orders to the dramas “Nine Perfect Strangers” starring Nicole Kidman and “The Dropout,” with Kate McKinnon attached to play Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, based on the ABC News podcast.
- “Nine Perfect Strangers” is based on the book of the same name by “Big Little Lies” author Liane Moriarty. “Big Little Lies” executive producer Bruna Papandrea attached along with “Big Little Lies” creator and executive producer David E. Kelley. Kelley and John Henry Butterworth will serve as co-writers and co-showrunners
‘Pen15’ & ‘Ramy’ Renewed For Season 2 On Hulu
- Hulu has ordered second seasons of its freshman comedies Pen15 and Ramy. The news comes two weeks after the streamer renewed its other rookie sitcom, Shrill. Pen15 and Ramy currently rank among the top 10 new TV shows on Metacritic, with Shrill at No. 18.
Chrissy Teigen and David Chang to Co-Host Food Show for Hulu, Vox Media
- Chrissy Teigen, David Chang in partnership with Vox's Eater will make several food shows. with the working title “Family Style,” with an emphasis on how food fosters familial and social connections. Also in the works is a foodie travelogue dubbed “Eater’s Guide to the World.”
Hulu’s Veronica Mars has a new trailer and its first hints of plot
- Hulu’s Veronica Mars has a new trailer and its first hints of plot for the 7/26 return of the show. She’s looking into a high-stakes crime wave and a bombing that seems designed to “destroy Neptune as a spring-break destination.” Patton Oswalt and J.K. Simmons make appearances. Hulu will also have all the previous seasons and the film.
What to Watch
The Spider-man Far from Home trailer is VERY SPOILERY OF END GAME. Also looks pretty cool. Also further proves Tom is wrong. July 2.
‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ Director Says Toothy Character Is Getting Redesign: “It’s Going To Happen”
- The trailer for the movie version of Sonic the Hedgehog dropped last week and had varying levles of criticism iespecially around Sonic and especially around his teeth. Director Jeff Fowler responded that “The message is loud and clear… you aren’t happy with the design & you want changes. It’s going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be…” The film is scheduled to arrive November 15.
Vudu unveils its initial slate of original streaming shows for Walmart
- Vudu announced its first slate of original programming whcih will stream for free in the Vudu app with commercials. It includes a series based on the movie Mr. Mom, Friends in Strange Places, a travel/comedy show (Queen Latifah is attached as an executive producer), Albedo, a science fiction series (starring Evangeline Lilly), Turning Point with Randy Jackson, an interview documentary series, Blue’s Clues & You a remake of the children’s series (in conjunction with Nickelodeon), Adventure Force 5, a movie about a band of tech-minded teenagers who save their town from aliens, and a weekly entertainment magazine with Variety called Variety’s First Look.
Netflix got Quentin Tarantino to turn a movie into a miniseries — should we expect more?
- Quentin Tarantino is turning the extended version of The Hateful Eight movie into a miniseries composed of four 50-minute episodes. It includes 25 minutes of extra content and some scenes from different perspectives. Tarantino says it's an experiment Netflix asked him to do.
George R.R. Martin Gives a Quick Update on the Game of Thrones Spinoffs
- Looks like we might still get more than one Game of Thrones susccessor series. In a blog post, George RR Martin wrote " We have had five different GAME OF THRONES successor shows in development (I mislike the term “spinoffs”) at HBO, and three of them are still moving forward nicely. The one I am not supposed to call THE LONG NIGHT will be shooting later this year, and two other shows remain in the script stage, but are edging closer. What are they about? I cannot say. But maybe some of you should pick up a copy of FIRE & BLOOD and come up with your own theories."
‘Willow’ Series Reboot Based On Film Eyed At Disney+
- Ron Howard told told MTV’s Happy Sad Confused podcast that Jon Kasdan, a writer on Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, has been “hounding” him about rebooting Willow as a series for Disney+. Howard said the title character would be a more mature Willow, older and wiser and presumably more fast with weaponry than he once was.
XFL Sets TV Deals For 2020 Debut, Mixing Disney And Fox Broadcast And Cable
- The XFL is returning Feb. 8, 2020 and has announced multi-year deals with ESPN and Fox Sports. Reminder that Fox Sports is NOT owned by Disney. ESPN is). Games will have broadcast slots each weekend on ABC and Fox, with carriage on cable via ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 and FS2.
Eyes On
Brian: Caught up on Barry, Time Bandits, The Office UK, I Think You Should Leave, blackkklansman, Game of Thrones
Tom: Re-Watch MCU movies
Chuck: Killing Eve
On the Lookout: Harrow
Front Lines
Cord Cutting Tops Records in Q1 as Skinny Bundles Get Fatter Price Tags
- Cable and Satellite lost 1 million pay TV subscribers in Q1 slone compared to the 3.2 million subscribers lost in 2018 as a whole. AT&T led the way, losing 544,000 subscribers across its Uverse and DirecTV services. Dish lost 266,000, Comcast lost 121,000. Charter lost 152,000. Mediacom lost 53,000, and Altice / Suddenlink lost a combined 10,000.BTIG analyst Rich Greenfield called these results “the worst multichannel video quarter sub loss quarter in history”
Caavo drops price of Control Center, adds Sonos support and parental controls
- Caavo, the all-in-one set-top box controller is dropping its price to $59.95 (down from $99.95). But the mandatory service plans are going up to $3.99 / month (from $1.99), and the annual plan jumps to $39.99 (from $19.99). It's also adding new features like Telescope that lets you see what the Caavo is seeing when its using its screen recognition. This doesn't go to the cloud just to your phone and is pitched as a parental control feature. You can also now control the Caavo remotely with an iOS app. The update also adds support for Sonos.
‘The Good Fight’ Censored By CBS All Access For Subject Matter Concerns
- CBS All Access censors the animated short in The Good Fight. The latest episode, had a black screen appear emblazoned with the message, “CBS HAS CENSORED THIS CONTENT.” just before its weekly animated short. Deadline sources say the scene was flagged by CBS’ Standards and Practices division
Netflix boosts the audio quality of it’s stream
- Netflix is rolling out some machine learning to its audio on streams adapting to network conditions to optimize sound. People with streaming boxes, speakers, and soundbars that support Dolby 5.1 and Dolby Atmos sound will benefit from the new feature.
Twitter Expands Live-Streaming Video Lineup, Sets Content Deals With Viacom, ESPN, Live Nation, Univision, and More
- Twitter annoucned new programs with the NFL, ESPN, Viacom, Major League Soccer, Live Nation, and Activision Blizzard, Twitter also announced a deal with Univision Communications for more premium sports, news and entertainment content. Twitter also announced content from the Wall Street Journal and Time magazine.
Disney sells off Fox’s regional sports networks to Sinclair for $10 billion
-Sinclair Media, a player in regional broadcasting already has agreed to buy the 21 regional sports networks that Disney acquired from Fox. Disney agreed to sell the networks within 90 days of acquiring them as part of its regulatory approval of the purvhase of Fox assets.
Dispatches from the Front
I decided to give you an infinity percent raise! I don't know why I waited so long. I set up a Patreon account and became your boss while I was listening to Spoilering Time.
First of all, thank you for Cupcake and Dino, General Services (that's what we do, we do).
Second, thank you for helping me keep my Netflix que longer than humanly possible to watch.
This subscription is specifically to support the backward watching order for the MCU discussed last week. 9/10 subscribers left!
Keep killing 'em
- Ander
Hey Killers,
Some time ago you discussed the idea of "cultural Sherpas" who could guide people through some of the sprawling universes that have sprung up
in various parts of our culture. I'm having that experience with the MCU. I like a good superhero movie, but seldom go out of my way to
watch them. In the MCU, I saw Ironman I and II way back when and that was it. So with the upcoming release of Endgame, a friend offered to
give me a quick movie crash course in MCU. We watched:
Guardians II
Dr. Strange
Civil War
Thor Ragnarok
Infinity War
It was when we were a couple of movies in that I realized I was having the Sherpa experience. When it was done I felt like I had a pretty good
handle on the MCU and am looking forward to seeing Endgame soon. I thought you might find that interesting given some of your recent
discussions with people who weren't "MCU complete."
Keep up the great work!
- Sean
Good day Cordkillers crew,
On episode 265, the cancellation of Santa Clarita Diet was discussed, which led to a deeper conversation around Netflix's tendency to cancel shows after their third season and Deadline's report on why it may be due to Netflix's "cost-plus" model.
As the conversation progressed, Brian commented that it's "congrats to Netflix" if they're able to check a box for offering a niche show that brings in subscribers. Tom added to this by stating these shows could entice people to subscribe because they're able to get the complete experience.
My counterpoint? These shows are often ended abruptly, leaving fans 100% unsatisfied. Sense8 is a great example of this, which Netflix ultimately corrected by producing a two-hour series finale. I'm looking at Big Mouth entering its third season and pondering its fate. As a fan of Santa Clarita Diet, I'm unlikely to recommend it to anyone because season 3 ended will multiple story arks left to explore.
Perhaps I'm oversensitive about wanting a show to have a complete ark before I'm willing to invest my time. On the other hand, there's so much great content to watch it seems odd to focus my energy on something that's incomplete.
There's a half-dozen or more Netflix originals on my list I'll probably hold off on all until their fate is known. If this keeps up, I may start asking myself why I bother subscribing to Netflix every month and pause it until I know there's a show or movie I'm ready, and able, to enjoy.
Thanks and keep up the great work!
- Jesse
Links