Dont Tell NetflixDont Tell Netflix

by Emily Nagle

NBC’s crime dramedy “Good Girls” has been cancelled after 4 seasons.

Although there was initially talk of a deal between the channel and Netflix to bring the series to streaming for one more season, the negotiation fell through due to financial issues. As a result, season 4 will be the final season for “Good Girls”.

News of the show’s cancellation has been met with outrage from fans on Twitter, who are shocked and disappointed, as well as confused how the show got axed considering its popularity on streaming and live television.

Premiering in summer 2018, “Good Girls” was created by Jenna Bans, who is also known for her work on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal”. The series stars Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman, and Retta as three Michigan mothers who, struggling to make ends meet, begin laundering money for a crime boss.

Hendricks posted about the show’s cancellation on her Instagram, posting a still from the show accompanied by a screenshot of the news. She wrote in the caption, “Well, we gave it our all. We really did. Thank you to our amazing fans through the years for all your passion and support.”

“Good Girls” is the final scripted show on NBC to get denied from the networks’ 2020-2021 scripted lineup. Other shows that won’t be returning to NBC this fall include “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”, “Manifest”, and “Debris”. Meanwhile, returning shows include “The Blacklist”, “Kenan”, and the entire “Chicago” franchise (“Chicago Fire”, “Chicago Med”, “Chicago P.D.”).

While no more new episodes of “Good Girls” will be created, fans needn’t worry about NBC leaving them hanging regarding what becomes of Beth, Ruby, and Annie. Five more episodes remain in season 4 that will continue to air Thursdays at 6:00 pm PST/9:00 pm EST. The series finale of “Good Girls” will air on July 22.

by Emily Nagle

Univision has unveiled plans to launch a subscription-based Spanish-language streaming service. The new platform is planned to launch next year in the United States and Latin America.

The news was first announced by Univision on Monday via press release. Similar to NBCUniversal’s Peacock, customers will have the choice between a free, ad-supported tier and a premium tier. Univision explained that the upcoming streamer will have more Spanish-language originals than any of their competitors – the ad-supported tier alone boasts 40,000 hours of content, and the premium plan adds over 6,000 hours onto the already vast catalogue.

And they won’t be doing it alone – by the end of 2021, Univision’s merger with Televisa, the largest Spanish-language studio in the world, will be finalized, meaning the streaming service will offer full access to their content library as well.

“The two-tier streaming service…will be fueled by full access to Televisa’s deep content library and iconic IP as well as an ambitious slate of new originals produced by the leading creators in the Spanish-speaking world,” the PR team wrote on Univision’s corporate site. “The best of the existing PrendeTV, VIX and Univision NOW services will be transitioned and unified into one global service and brand. Brand, pricing and specific launch date for the service will be announced following the close of the Televisa-Univision merger later this year.”

With the announcement of this new project, Univision has appointed new executives with years of experience working for streaming’s biggest competitors. One new addition is Rodrigo Mazon, who has been selected as the EVP and GM of SVOD after spending 6 years at Netflix.

Mazon declared of his new position, “I could not be more excited to join such a unique company and visionary team at a pivotal time in Univision’s growth and transformation trajectory. I am eager to help drive Univision’s global expansion through the launch of our SVOD service, which will enable us to engage global streaming audiences with compelling storytelling opportunities from our creative community.”

Michael J. Nagle

This week, HBO premiered a new installment in their documentary series, “I’ll Be Gone In The Dark”. The docu-series is based on the work of writer, Michelle McNamara who tragically died while researching serial murder and rapist, Joseph James DeAngelo. DeAngelo was better known as the Golden State Killer until his identity was discovered and he was subsequently arrested in April 2018. That came a full two years after McNamara died of an accidental overdose.

HBO debuted, “I’ll Be Gone In The Dark” in June 2020. The series included footage and references to DeAngelo’s arrest but the story wasn’t as neatly tied up as it is in this “bonus” episode.

Footage of the now aged DeAngelo shows an old man shuffling while walking from the police van into the courthouse to listen to victim statements. His look of bewilderment seems apparent as his mouth hangs open in the middle of his unshaven face. His voice when addressing the court is barely a high-pitched mumble. That footage is followed by security camera footage of DeAngelo’s jail cell. There he meticulously stages his new living quarters by cleaning the floor and climbing on furniture in order to drape cloth over his lights. His chatter while talking to himself is far stronger than his speech in the courtroom. The director intercuts this footage with crime scene video from DeAngelo’s killing spree where cloth is similarly draped over a lamp apparently to mute the lighting decades earlier as well. The editing and juxtaposition is so subtle that is screams loudly to anyone watching who is paying attention. Calling DeAngelo a sociopath almost excuses his rage-induced rape and killing spree. Here it is apparent that he is a calculated and methodical serial killer and manipulator.

Much of “I’ll Be Gone In The Dark” is guided by the narration of actress, Amy Ryan. Some footage contains actual audio and video of McNamara. While the docu-series centers around a serial rapist and killer, it also focuses on the impact of the case on the victims still here to tell their stories and also those who lost their lives at the hands of DeAngelo. McNamara herself may be considered among the victims. Her accidental overdose came while she was researching the case for the book on which the docu-series is based. Ryan does an outstanding job speaking for McNamara. Her work here ranges from depicting McNamara’s exhaustion, mania, dry sense of humor and compassion for those affected by the case. McNamara’s widow, comedian Patton Oswalt, helped to complete the book and docu-series but largely remains in the background. Like many of DeAngelo’s surviving victims, Oswalt is a witness to the damage caused. Victims of DeAngelo detail not only the crimes that impacted them but also their struggles and triumphs during their ongoing healing process. No details are spared and nothing is glossed over.

“I’ll Be Gone In The Dark” manages to tell a very complicated story in remarkable detail without getting longwinded. Crime scene footage and photos are shown in abundance and somehow, avoid feeling exploitative. They’re vital ingredients to the stories of those involved. They’re also vital to shedding light on the brutality of DeAngelo. His calculated staging of scenes and efforts to gain control of his victims, neighbors and sentencing endured until the credits roll at the end of this docu-series. One victim crinkles up a sheet of paper while addressing DeAngelo and the court and demonstrates that despite her efforts to smooth that sheet of paper, it is never the same as it was before it was damaged. Her serenity and restraint betray the lifetime of suffering she’s endured since she was assaulted.

Director Elizabeth Wolff does a masterful job at concluding this installment coherently and without sparing details. Liz Garbus deserves equal acknowledgment for directing the six episodes preceding this update.

True crime series are all the rage now and they draw eyeballs in every form of media. HBO manages to rewrite the book in “I’ll Be Gone In The Dark” that McNamara herself should have had a bigger hand in completing. Almost 40 years after his last known crime, DeAngelo is no less the rapist and murderer he was after he assaulted his very first victim. His age is merely another disguise he’s using to avoid identification and responsibility. Equally, his victims are as affected today as they were after he scarred them.

Watch “I’ll Be Gone In The Dark” on HBO or on HBOMax.

by Emily Nagle

On Monday morning, Steven Spielberg‘s production company Amblin Partners partnered with Netflix to produce several films each year.

Confirmed in a press release on Netflix’s website, the new multiyear deal will result in several feature films produced by Amblin each year, expanding the streaming service’s already broad movie catalogue – prior to the agreement, Netflix was already expected to release 60 films in 2021.

In a statement, Steven Spielberg, chairman of Amblin, recalled: “From the minute Ted and I started discussing a partnership, it was abundantly clear that we had an amazing opportunity to tell new stories together and reach audiences in new ways.” 

Unlike their competitors in the streaming wars like Disney and WarnerMedia, Netflix has mostly steered away from acquiring other companies, instead focusing on attracting individual talent to their content. Given Spielberg’s extensive filmography that includes blockbusters “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial“, “Raiders of the Lost Ark“, and “Jurassic Park“, and that Netflix has expressed interest in bringing their films to the big screen, this new partnership has potential to attract even more big names to future projects.

by Emily Nagle

The latest installment in the family-friendly monster movie franchise “Hotel Transylvania”, “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” has had its release date appropriately shifted from July 23 to October 1.

The delay will allow the movie to kick off spooky season, premiering only a few weeks before Halloween. In what has been confirmed to be the final “Hotel Transylvania” film, Drac (Brian Hull) and the other monsters return in an all-new adventure when Van Helsing’s (Jim Gaffigan) latest invention changes all of them into humans, and Mavis’ (Selena Gomez) human husband Johnny (Andy Samberg) gets turned into a monster. Now, they have to work together to reverse the transformation before they get stuck in their forms.

“Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” will serve as a sequel to the third film in the series, “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” (2018). While the 2018 film was the most financially successful out of the entire series, it was also the worst received by critics, who found the storytelling to not be as strong as the earlier films.

by Emily Nagle

The show about nothing is leaving Hulu this month. One of the most-watched sitcoms of all time, “Seinfeld” will be migrating to Netflix as a result of a deal made in September 2019.

What’s so special about this deal? With this agreement, Netflix has global streaming rights to the show, and for the first time ever, all 180 episodes of the 90s sitcom will be available to stream in 4K.

“Seinfeld is the television comedy that all television comedy is measured against,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer announced, welcoming the show to their platform. “It is as fresh and funny as ever and will be available to the world in 4K for the first time. We can’t wait to welcome Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer to their new global home on Netflix!”

Prior to this, Hulu had purchased the streaming rights to “Seinfeld” in April 2015, with the show arriving on their platform two months later. After choosing not to renew the licensing agreement after its expiration this month, Hulu passed the torch to Netflix, sharing the news in an emotional tweet.

If Hulu customers want to watch (or re-watch) the series, they have until June 23. After that, it’s not quite known when “Seinfeld” will premiere on Netflix, so the show could possibly be unavailable on streaming everywhere, at least for a little while.