TV
This Is Us has already filmed 'pieces' of the show's final scene. No, This Is Us isn't ending any time soon -- see: the ratings -- but it's never too early to talk about the end of the NBC family drama. At a For Your Emmy consideration panel held at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles on Tuesday, creator Dan Fogelman dropped a small but intriguing hint about the show's very last episode. Asked by moderator Debra Birnbaum how far out the writers have mapped the show, Fogelman answered, "We're pretty far along. Our writers and I are kind of to the end. We have a path for each season of the show. We've always had a plan... I don't think this show will ever -- despite any success it may or may not have -- will ever overstay its welcome, and we have a story to tell. And we want to do this the right way. And so we have a plan." He added: "I've actually already shot pieces of the final scene in the series." Fogelman also shared that the show will drill down on Toby (Chris Sullivan), who was seen suffering from depression in a season 2 finale flash-forward and do a "deep dive" on the back story of Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson), Randall's wife who currently has her hands full with foster child Deja (Lyric Ross). Both will get "showcase" episodes, and, as he warned, "You're going to be surprised what Toby and Beth were like before they entered this family." Surprised is also the word that Fogelman used when discussing the "Who is 'Her'?' mystery that was introduced in a different season 2 finale flash-forward with Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and adult Tess (Iantha Richardson). "Our plan right now is that big questions will be answered in the course of the season," he said." I think people are going to be surprised with how we use that timeline." The creator also shared a video he filmed of Ventimiglia rehearsing the fire scene from the Super Bowl episode, which you can see for yourself here. (Entertainment Weekly)
Charlie Sheen calls for 'Two and a Half Men' revival after 'Roseanne' axe. With the controversial cancellation of "Roseanne" at the forefront of everyone's minds, Charlie Sheen is trying to parlay the loss of one TV show with the revival of another. On Tuesday, ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey told Fox News that the network was pulling the plug on "Roseanne" getting a second season after some incredibly inflammatory remarks Roseanne Barr made on Twitter. Sheen took the opportunity to call for a return of his previously successful sitcom "Two and a Half Men." "Adios Roseanne! Good riddance hashtag NOT Winning. The runway is now clear for OUR reboot. #CharlieHarperReturns," Sheen tweeted along with an image of a script for the series. As fans of the series know, it ran from 2003 to 2012. It ran for 12 seasons, but Sheen was famously fired from the series after Season 7 following a slew of bad publicity similar to that which Barr is getting now. "Men" was an immensely popular show, though, and continued on with Ashton Kutcher replacing Sheen alongside costar John Cryer, who had his own thoughts on Sheen's revival idea. "What could go wrong?" he wrote along with a retweet of Sheen's post. While calling for the revival of a show to replace "Roseanne" may seem opportunistic, Sheen was hardly the only one to take advantage of the ABC revival's bad press. Bryan Fuller called on the Network to bring back his fan-beloved, but short-lived, series "Pushing Daisies." The show focused on a pie-maker with the power to bring people back from the dead upon touching them, to be brought back. "Alex Inc." star Zach Braff, who previously starred on the NBC-turned-ABC sitcom "Scrubs"posted his lamentations that he lost his show despite not having a racism scandal as well. (PageSix)
Andrew Lincoln Is Leaving The Walking Dead After Season 9: Report. Get ready to say goodbye to Rick Grimes. Andrew Lincoln, who has starred as the lead of AMC's The Walking Dead since the pilot, will reportedly be leaving the series after appearing in only a handful of episodes in the upcoming season nine. We obviously don't yet know for sure if he'll be killed off but this is The Walking Dead, and it's pretty easy to kill people off. In fact, Rick's son Carl (Chandler Riggs) just died after being bitten by a walker, leaving Rick as a grieving father. Collider was first to report the news. Reports also say that Norman Reedus' Daryl will be stepping up as the new lead of the show, meaning that at least we can bet he's safe for the time being. (But what will happen to baby Judith???) Lincoln isn't the only star stepping back either, since Lauren Cohan will be starring in the new ABC series Whiskey Cavalier and will reportedly only be starring in six of the first eight episodes of the season. If Whiskey Cavalier survives, we'll probably have to say goodbye to Maggie for good as well. Season eight of The Walking Dead ended back in April with a win in the war against Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), though Negan was left alive thanks to Rick's attempts to show him some mercy. While that did end the fight and give everyone a new start, Maggie was not happy with Rick's decision and planned to bide her time before proving how bad of a decision it was, meaning we're in for Maggie vs. Rick in season eight. Now it's looking likely that it won't end well for either of them! AMC has not yet returned request for comment. The Walking Dead airs on AMC. (Eonline)
Netflix Teams With Japanese Mobile Carrier, Cable Operator. The global online video giant is looking to integrations as it has yet to establish the dominant market position that it has in other markets. Netflix is teaming with Japan's third-largest mobile carrier, au, to offer the streaming platform via high-volume data plans, beginning this summer. A $59.50 (?7,500) per month au plan will offer unlimited access Netflix on smartphones, as well as voice calls and data. Meanwhile, a $43.65 (?5,500) plan will give subscribers 25GB of data to use. For an extra $2.40, customers will be able to stream in HD on two devices, and for $6.35 they can stream in 4K on up to four devices. Mobile giant au has more than 52 million subscribers and is owned by KDDI, which also runs J:COM, the country's biggest cable operator. J:COM said earlier this week that it would start offering Netflix through its cable systems, though details are yet to be finalized. Netflix previously teamed with big cable operators in the U.S. and Europe to integrate its service into their offerings in what analysts have called a positive for both sides. These deals give cable subscribers easy access to Netflix on cable set-top boxes, providing exposure for the streaming service while encouraging users to continue their cable subscriptions. Despite investing heavily in local content, including original anime, in addition to offering its global originals, such as Dear White People, Netflix has yet to make major inroads into the crowded Japanese market. Netflix doesn't release subscriber numbers, but local research company Gem Partners estimates it has a 7 percent share of the Japanese VOD market, in which around 30 platforms are now operating. Japanese mobile carriers are gearing up for the introduction of ultra-fast 5G networks, which will increase the amount of data that can be transmitted but are also predicted to increase costs for users. Sports streamer DAZN has already linked with Docomo and SoftBank, the number one and three carriers, while SoftBank also offers Netflix, though with no dedicated plan. (Hollywood Reporter)
TV Ratings: 'America's Got Talent' Makes a Strong Return. 'World of Dance' takes a hit in its sophomore bow but more than doubles everything else on Tuesday TV. NBC dominated on its first true Tuesday of summer programming, with America's Got Talent setting strong course to dominate the off months yet again. America's Got Talent averaged a 2.5 rating among adults 18-49 and 12.1 million viewers between 8 and 10 o'clock. In the key demo, that was off only a hair from its equally auspicious 2017 premiere. It was virtually even in its audience pull. The network wrapped the night with the sophomore bow of World of Dance. Down from its 2017 series premiere, the show still pulled a strong 1.8 rating among adults 18-49 and 7.2 million viewers. NBC wasn't the only network with reality premieres. Fox offered up episodes of Beat Shazam (0.8 adults) and Love Connection (0.6 adults), both down from their 2017 premieres. (Hollywood Reporter)
Charlie Sheen calls for 'Two and a Half Men' revival after 'Roseanne' axe. With the controversial cancellation of "Roseanne" at the forefront of everyone's minds, Charlie Sheen is trying to parlay the loss of one TV show with the revival of another. On Tuesday, ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey told Fox News that the network was pulling the plug on "Roseanne" getting a second season after some incredibly inflammatory remarks Roseanne Barr made on Twitter. Sheen took the opportunity to call for a return of his previously successful sitcom "Two and a Half Men." "Adios Roseanne! Good riddance hashtag NOT Winning. The runway is now clear for OUR reboot. #CharlieHarperReturns," Sheen tweeted along with an image of a script for the series. As fans of the series know, it ran from 2003 to 2012. It ran for 12 seasons, but Sheen was famously fired from the series after Season 7 following a slew of bad publicity similar to that which Barr is getting now. "Men" was an immensely popular show, though, and continued on with Ashton Kutcher replacing Sheen alongside costar John Cryer, who had his own thoughts on Sheen's revival idea. "What could go wrong?" he wrote along with a retweet of Sheen's post. While calling for the revival of a show to replace "Roseanne" may seem opportunistic, Sheen was hardly the only one to take advantage of the ABC revival's bad press. Bryan Fuller called on the Network to bring back his fan-beloved, but short-lived, series "Pushing Daisies." The show focused on a pie-maker with the power to bring people back from the dead upon touching them, to be brought back. "Alex Inc." star Zach Braff, who previously starred on the NBC-turned-ABC sitcom "Scrubs"posted his lamentations that he lost his show despite not having a racism scandal as well. (PageSix)
Andrew Lincoln Is Leaving The Walking Dead After Season 9: Report. Get ready to say goodbye to Rick Grimes. Andrew Lincoln, who has starred as the lead of AMC's The Walking Dead since the pilot, will reportedly be leaving the series after appearing in only a handful of episodes in the upcoming season nine. We obviously don't yet know for sure if he'll be killed off but this is The Walking Dead, and it's pretty easy to kill people off. In fact, Rick's son Carl (Chandler Riggs) just died after being bitten by a walker, leaving Rick as a grieving father. Collider was first to report the news. Reports also say that Norman Reedus' Daryl will be stepping up as the new lead of the show, meaning that at least we can bet he's safe for the time being. (But what will happen to baby Judith???) Lincoln isn't the only star stepping back either, since Lauren Cohan will be starring in the new ABC series Whiskey Cavalier and will reportedly only be starring in six of the first eight episodes of the season. If Whiskey Cavalier survives, we'll probably have to say goodbye to Maggie for good as well. Season eight of The Walking Dead ended back in April with a win in the war against Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), though Negan was left alive thanks to Rick's attempts to show him some mercy. While that did end the fight and give everyone a new start, Maggie was not happy with Rick's decision and planned to bide her time before proving how bad of a decision it was, meaning we're in for Maggie vs. Rick in season eight. Now it's looking likely that it won't end well for either of them! AMC has not yet returned request for comment. The Walking Dead airs on AMC. (Eonline)
Netflix Teams With Japanese Mobile Carrier, Cable Operator. The global online video giant is looking to integrations as it has yet to establish the dominant market position that it has in other markets. Netflix is teaming with Japan's third-largest mobile carrier, au, to offer the streaming platform via high-volume data plans, beginning this summer. A $59.50 (?7,500) per month au plan will offer unlimited access Netflix on smartphones, as well as voice calls and data. Meanwhile, a $43.65 (?5,500) plan will give subscribers 25GB of data to use. For an extra $2.40, customers will be able to stream in HD on two devices, and for $6.35 they can stream in 4K on up to four devices. Mobile giant au has more than 52 million subscribers and is owned by KDDI, which also runs J:COM, the country's biggest cable operator. J:COM said earlier this week that it would start offering Netflix through its cable systems, though details are yet to be finalized. Netflix previously teamed with big cable operators in the U.S. and Europe to integrate its service into their offerings in what analysts have called a positive for both sides. These deals give cable subscribers easy access to Netflix on cable set-top boxes, providing exposure for the streaming service while encouraging users to continue their cable subscriptions. Despite investing heavily in local content, including original anime, in addition to offering its global originals, such as Dear White People, Netflix has yet to make major inroads into the crowded Japanese market. Netflix doesn't release subscriber numbers, but local research company Gem Partners estimates it has a 7 percent share of the Japanese VOD market, in which around 30 platforms are now operating. Japanese mobile carriers are gearing up for the introduction of ultra-fast 5G networks, which will increase the amount of data that can be transmitted but are also predicted to increase costs for users. Sports streamer DAZN has already linked with Docomo and SoftBank, the number one and three carriers, while SoftBank also offers Netflix, though with no dedicated plan. (Hollywood Reporter)
TV Ratings: 'America's Got Talent' Makes a Strong Return. 'World of Dance' takes a hit in its sophomore bow but more than doubles everything else on Tuesday TV. NBC dominated on its first true Tuesday of summer programming, with America's Got Talent setting strong course to dominate the off months yet again. America's Got Talent averaged a 2.5 rating among adults 18-49 and 12.1 million viewers between 8 and 10 o'clock. In the key demo, that was off only a hair from its equally auspicious 2017 premiere. It was virtually even in its audience pull. The network wrapped the night with the sophomore bow of World of Dance. Down from its 2017 series premiere, the show still pulled a strong 1.8 rating among adults 18-49 and 7.2 million viewers. NBC wasn't the only network with reality premieres. Fox offered up episodes of Beat Shazam (0.8 adults) and Love Connection (0.6 adults), both down from their 2017 premieres. (Hollywood Reporter)
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