TV & movies

The latest news and reviews of TV shows and movies.

Latest

Netflix is creating a 'Big Mouth' spin-off based on its monsters
Netflix clearly wants to make the most of Big Mouth's success. The service has ordered Human Resources, a spin-off of the adult-focused animated show that focus on the monsters governing the kids' lives (and, apparently, everyone else). The teaser clip shows precious little besides the "we manage people" slogan. However, the core creative team should remain intact. Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett and Kelly Galuska will return as both creators and executive producers for the offshoot.
HBO moves 'Sesame Street' to its more expensive Max service
The streaming-rights war rages on, with beloved children's show Sesame Street being the latest title caught up in the custody battles (sort of). After securing a five-year deal for the exclusive streaming rights to the show in 2015, HBO was the only place you could watch new episodes for the first nine months after they aired. Following that period, you'd be able to also watch them on PBS. Deadline is reporting that a new agreement announced today would make Sesame Street's entire 50-year library available online. Episodes that were previously on HBO will be moved to HBO Max along with the entire existing collection -- that's more than 4,500 episodes, although it's not clear how many of these will be available to watch at the same time. The exclusive rights also cover annual specials and character-driven short-form collections.
FandangoNow streams IMAX Enhanced 'Spider-Man' on Sony 4K TVs
We heard back in January that streaming platform FandangoNow was going to get some IMAX Enhanced content -- now it's arrived. Just a week after the streaming service made its catalog available on Oculus Go and Quest headsets, it's continuing its push to get crystal-clear movies right in your face with the launch of IMAX Enhanced on select Sony 4K Android TVs in the US.
Michael Bay's '6 Underground' hits Netflix on December 13th
Want to see how Michael Bay's approach to blockbuster movies works in the streaming world? You're about to find out. Netflix has announced that Bay's 6 Underground will reach the service on December 13th -- and if the trailer is any indication, the director hasn't strayed far from his formula. Ryan Reynolds stars as a ghost operative who joins a misfit group taking on "truly evil people." In Bay's world, that means over-the-top set pieces (magnetic weapons, anyone?), fast camera cuts and explosions... lots of explosions.
YouTube TV is now available on Amazon Fire TV devices
Google and Amazon don't have the warmest relationship, but they've been patching things up recently. Amazon reinstated support for YouTube on its Fire TV platform in July, while Google enabled Amazon Prime video streaming through Chromecast devices. In the latest development, YouTube TV is available on Amazon's Fire TV platform, meaning users can stream live television and use an unlimited cloud-based DVR.
YouTube is 'really happy' with viewership for its live MLB games
Now that the regular MLB season is winding down, how has YouTube's exclusive game streaming deal fared? Quite well, relatively speaking. The online video giant reported that its 13 livestreamed games racked up an average of 1.2 million viewers (including pre- and post-shows), with a typical game peaking at 171,000 simultaneous viewers. Its most popular match was a Cardinals-Dodgers showdown on August 7th with a large 320,000 concurrent viewers.
Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’ returns to theaters in October
While the official 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott's Alien was back in May, horror junkies and film buffs alike should mark their calendars for this October. The classic movie that started a hit-or-miss franchise of Xenomorphs, space jockeys and milk-blooded androids will be hitting the big screen in select theaters across the US.
The final season of 'BoJack Horseman' starts October 25th
It's time for yet another long-running Netflix show to pack up and call it quits. Netflix has announced that the sixth season of BoJack Horseman is the final one, and will premiere in two parts. The first arrives on October 25th, while the rest will have to wait until January 31st, 2020. As the trailer below illustrates, a lot has changed in the lives of BoJack and his circle. The equine sitcom star appears to be turning a corner in rehab (well, maybe), while Princess Carolyn is struggling with single parenthood and Todd is learning shocking news about his mother. Even the eternally upbeat Mr. Peanutbutter has reasons to worry.
Disney deal will keep ESPN on PlayStation Vue for years to come
Don't worry about the fate of ESPN channels on PlayStation Vue -- they're not going anywhere. Sony and the Walt Disney Company have struck a "multi-year" deal that will keep delivery Disney-owned channels to Vue, including several ESPN channels, ABC, the Disney Channel and recently acquired Fox channels like FX and National Geographic. There's no mention of how much the deal is worth.
Why are there so many TV streaming services?
The days of television streaming with limited choices are long gone. The list of options grows longer almost daily, and some big names have plans to launch new services that will further silo the content you want to watch. Exclusives are the new streaming currency, and to get everything you desire, you have to hand over a lot more money than you probably want to.
OnePlus finally revealed its TV after weeks of teases (updated)
After weeks of slowly teasing out information, OnePlus has finally fully detailed its debut TV set. The OnePlus TV Q1 series is first coming to India. On the surface, it looks like a compelling device. It features a 55-inch, 4K QLED panel with support for both Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The Q1 also includes a good mix of connectivity options, with four HDMI 2.0 ports on the back and built-in WiFi as well as Bluetooth 5.0.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge lands wider TV deal with Amazon
Phoebe Waller-Bridge isn't wasting any time making use of her Emmy wins for Fleabag. The producer and actress has signed a broader deal with Amazon that will have her producing shows exclusively for Prime Video. The terms of the deal aren't clear, but Variety sources pegged its value at $20 million per year -- Amazon apparently expects great things from Waller-Bridge in the future.
Tech industry sets official standard for 8K TVs
The tech industry just took another step to nail down the specs for 8K TV. The Consumer Technology Association has unveiled the official display definition for 8K sets, including a logo TV makers can use. Any model needs to output at a minimum 7,680 x 4,320 resolution, support 24, 30 and 60 frames per second, produce 10-bit color, support key HDR functions and use HDCP 2.2-level content protection. It also has to upscale any video to 8K.
Amazon taps 'Undone' co-producer for show about an internet troll
The next project from an Undone creator may hit a little too close to home for social media mavens. Deadline understands Amazon has started work on Troll, a comedy series co-produced and written by Undone's Lee Sung Jin. It tells the tale of a would-be documentary maker who responds to online bullying by making a movie about his troll and discovering what could be a "geopolitical conspiracy." If you've ever been convinced that a nasty commenter was throwing more than a temper tantrum, this might be your ideal show.
TiVo gave its unannounced Edge DVR to a customer
TiVo might be competing with Google's Pixel 4 for the worst-kept tech secret of 2019. When Community Forum member Coold8 complained about particularly thorny technical problems with his existing boxes, he received the Edge -- you know, the DVR it hasn't even announced yet. It appears to be an iterative design based on initial impressions (it even has the familiar remote), but that still means a device that's smaller and faster than the Bolt while adding newer Dolby technologies.
TiVo says all retail DVR owners will see ads before recorded shows
TiVo isn't wasting much time implementing pre-roll ads before recorded shows. The company told Light Reading in a follow-up statement that these promos will reach "all eligible" retail DVRs within 90 days. This marketing will be a "permanent part of the service," a spokesperson said. TiVo reiterated that you'll have the ability to skip these ads, although an early tester said he had to fast forward to get to the show.
TiVo tries running pre-roll ads before your recorded shows
It might soon be that much harder to avoid ads by using a DVR. TiVo appears to be testing 15-second pre-roll ads that play before recorded shows, making it difficult to avoid at least some marketing -- you can fast-forward through the promos, but it's "not that seamless," according to community forum member AndyF. The test ads are low-resolution but appear to come from a number of well-known companies, including Amazon, Keurig and Toyota. It's uncertain how many people are included in the test, although AndyF noticed them on a Bolt DVR using the TiVo Experience 4 interface.
AT&T reportedly considers offloading its DirecTV satellite unit
AT&T made much ado of its $48.5 billion acquisition of DirecTV, but it's apparently having second thoughts just a few years later. Wall Street Journal sources claim the telecom is considering "parting" the DirecTV satellite unit through a number of means, including a spinoff as a separate public company or even a merger of its assets with rival provider Dish. There's no guarantee anything will happen, the WSJ said, but the mere act of considering a split is notable.
Apple TV+ offers peek at kids shows 'Ghostwriter' and 'Helpsters'
Apple won't rely solely on Snoopy in Space to keep your kids happy when TV+ debuts on November 1st. The tech titan has posted the first trailers (only visible on its website right now) for Ghostwriter and Helpsters, both of which will cater to the younger crowd. Ghostwriter is a re-do of the 1990s TV series that has a team of kids solving mysteries when a ghost starts releasing famous literary characters into the real world -- including Alice in Wonderland's White Rabbit, as the preview clip makes clear. Helpsters, meanwhile, teaches kids problem-solving skills through friendly monsters.
YouTube is bringing a big, ugly ad banner to its TV app's home screen (updated)
Your living room YouTube experience is about to become decidedly more cluttered. YouTube is bringing its usual Masthead ad to its TV app's home screen, guaranteeing that you'll see a promo before anything else. While the behavior is similar to what you've seen on mobile and the web, the size... well, just look at it. More than half of the home screen can be occupied by advertising, and you'll have to scroll down just to see the titles for your recommendations.

...