Das Boot
Here are a couple of new shows worth watching:
Sterling Point (Prime Video)
If the streaming era has a programming trope, it might be the breezy YA drama. A summer at some sun-soaked location, storylines filled with dead moms, absent fathers, betrayals among friends and the inevitable romance between characters who don’t have much in common aside from their attraction to each other.
But this series manages to put some new spins on the formula. Ella Rubin stars as Annie, a 17-year-old New Yorker who is brutally ambitious and focused on spending her summer attending a prestigious Wharton program. Within a day, she finds out she’s been rejected by the summer program. But also she and her muss less ambitious brother have inherited a house from her maternal grandfather in Ontario’s Lake Muskoka.
Hoping to learn more about her mother (who died when she was a child), she impulsively decides to visit the home and live her own version of a YA story. While many of the storylines might feel familiar, Rubin is very good in the show and the dialogue is witty and feels as if it were written by someone in their late teens.
Sterling Point is the perfect summer teen drama and a nice mental palate cleanser for everything that is going on in the world right now.
Das Boot (MHz Choice)
This TV adaptation of the iconic Wolfgang Petersen’s classic anti-war film of the same name. Although when it premiered in 2019, producers ran an ad campaign touting “New Submarine. New Crew. New Stories.” Regardless, the things that made the film so gripping are in full play in the TV series. The scenes in the U-Boats are claustrophobic and tense, as the crew struggle not just with the intensity of war, but with the class and party lines that make their jobs more of a struggle.
The scenes on land aren’t always as compelling, which makes sense given the difference in stakes. But Das Boot is a high-budget thriller that provides a look into an aspect of WWII that deserves more attention.
David Ellison Wants You To Focus On CNN
There are several reasons why executives in the midst of a legal battle write (or have their lawyers help write) an op-ed for a high-profile outlet like The New York Times.
The most likely reason is that if you are smart and listen to your corporate lawyers, no good can come from giving an interview. Even if your case is a slam dunk, there is always the possibility that you will say something that reflects poorly on you or the corporation.
But when you have a legal case that has some issues, it’s especially important that you carefully craft the messaging about your situation. There are things that you don’t want to address, either because they distract from your narrative or because they refute parts of your basic argument.
No matter what you think of David Ellison, he and the other executives at Paramount are world class when it comes to messaging. Throughout the merger process, Ellison has provided few opportunities to be questioned by skeptical press and has preferred to get his message out to investors and the public via background conversations and carefully released statements to friendly reporters such as NY Post columnist Charles Gasparino.
Which is which Ellison’s recent NY Times op-ed received so much attention. It was a rare opportunity to hear somewhat stage managed comments from Ellison.
I’m not going to go over what he wrote, you have no doubt already read plenty of hot-takes on the comments already.
I am just going to beat the drum once again about something I wrote about several days ago, before Ellison’s op-ed was published.
David Ellison and his Scooby Gang at Paramount want the merger story to focus on CNN and concerns about his relationship with President Trump. These are hot button subjects and people can get very passionate about it. And especially in the case of CNN, media reporters tend to focus on issues such as journalistic independence (an important thing), which means they are paying much less attention to the actual issues that matter in this merger.
As I wrote about two days ago, Ellison simply refuses to address questions about the level of consolidation in the cable TV business that would take place as the result of this proposed merger. Because truthfully, there isn’t much he can say. The consolidation would result in increased carriage fees being paid by Pay TV companies and higher prices being paid by live TV subscribers. And Ellison has previously said that he is counting on those increased fees to help pay down the debt that would result from this merger.
David Ellison also knows Hollywood well enough to know what they care about and plays to it. Even if the issues have nothing to do with this merger.
Theatrical release windows don’t matter in a merger. Sure, they are important. But I’ll argue that Hollywood’s focus on this and the pushback received by Netflix helped convince that streamer they were going to face a difficult fight to close a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Ironically, Netflix acquiring WBD would have been a much better outcome for the movie business. But some people’s inherent hatred of Netflix blinded them to the realities of the situation.
For instance, Ellison spends a lot of time focusing on how many theatrical movies this newly merged company will release. And that doesn’t matter. The issue in a merger of this size isn’t the number of movies being released. It’s the diversity of choices and the healthiness of competition that comes as the result of more movie studios. One company could own all of Hollywood and release the same number of movies as the industry does today. But it would still be a monopoly that would ultimately threaten the vitality of the industry.
But Ellison focuses on that release number, because that ends up being all that movie industry reporters end up caring about.
And it’s the same case with political issues surrounding CBS News, CNN and the merger in general. Yes, those are important issues. But they are not THE most important issues.
However, Ellison and his supporters focus on that because it helps distract from the very real business problems with this merger. Those business problems are challenging and Ellison doesn’t real have a clear answer for most of them.
But if he can focus on the politics of the merger - claim that most of anti-merger talk is the result of anti-Trump sentiment - then he can use that as a way to vibe the company through the merger process.
If you are a reporter covering this merger, I am begging you to not be distracted by the politics of the deal. Focus on the business and the bottom line. Those are the details that will determine the success of this effort in court to stop the merger. Sure, it’s a less sexy story. But in this case, it’s the one that really matters.
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Hallmark Announces A Bunch Of New Stuff
During a virtual panel hosted by the Television Critics Association, Darren Abbott, President of Hallmark Media and Hallmark Chief Brand Officer, and Michelle Vicary, Head of Programming for Hallmark Media announced today that it has greenlit Change of Heart, an all-new original scripted series, set to premiere in 2027, exclusively on Hallmark+.
Here is the official logline: “After a life-changing heart transplant, jaded divorce attorney Charlie Wyatt is called to service the exact opposite: fighting for love in all its forms.”
Hallmark also announced that it’s annual Fall into Love programming event will feature two all-new original Halloween movies, premiering the first two Saturdays in October.
Julie Gonzalo, James Trevena and Chris McNally star in A Knight To Remember, which premieres Saturday, October 3rd.
Here is the official logline: "When practical museum conservator Emily Porter (Julie Gonzalo) restores a centuries-old statue of legendary knight Sir Griffin de Beauford (James Trevena), one unexpected kiss brings him magically back to life and turns her carefully ordered world upside down. As Emily helps the chivalrous time-traveler navigate modern Chicago, pumpkin spice lattes, a Halloween Medieval Fayre, and an FBI investigation led by her ex-husband, she begins to rediscover the wonder and romance she thought she had left behind. But with a rare celestial conjunction approaching and Griffin’s fate hanging in the balance, Emily must decide whether the safest heart is one kept guarded or one brave enough to believe in a love written in the stars."
Meghan Ory, Kevin McGarry, Lachlan Quarmby star in The Spirit Of Halloween – a Halloween take on A Christmas Carol. The movie premieres Saturday, October 10th.
Here is the official logline: "Brilliant bridal designer Everly Stone (Ory) has no patience for Halloween, especially the beloved fire-station bash that once left her heartbroken in front of everyone she knew. But when her late mentor appears with a glamorous warning, Everly Stone is swept through one unforgettable night by three mischievous spirits who reveal the joy she lost, the people she’s pushing away, and the future she might miss if she keeps hiding behind work and fear. With a loyal assistant ready for more, a town waiting to welcome her back, and longtime friend Beau Madison (McGarry) still carrying a spark from their past, Everly Stone must decide whether Halloween is the night that broke her heart or the one that can finally help it heal."
Hallmark also provided a bit more information about the upcoming holiday movie Holiday Touchdown: A Chicago Bears Love Story, which will air during the network’s 17th Annual Countdown To Christmas programming event. Along with stars Lyndsy Fonseca, Robert Buckley, Marsha Mason, Barbara Alyn Woods and Khary Payton,, the film will also feature cameo appearances from Chicago Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson, tight end Colston Loveland, tight end Cole Kmet, legendary Bears alumni Mike Singletary, Charles “Peanut” Tillman and Dan Hampton, Connie Payton, wife of the late legendary running back Walter Payton, and the team’s mascot Staley Da Bear.
Odds & Sods
The X-Files: I Want To Believe – Vrach Frankenshteyn premieres Friday, August 14th on Disney+ and Hulu. Here is a look at the trailer and here is the official logline: “This R-rated version represents the film Chris Carter always envisioned — a darker, frightening thriller exploring a real-life Dr. Frankenstein. The restoration gives fans a chance to experience a side of the film that has never been seen before.”
They’re calling it the most theater kid story of all time.
48-year-old Hollywood stuntman Tom Place lost his Rolex Submariner in a lake more than 30 years ago. And he is still diving the site, hoping to find it.
Netflix is giving its Oscar hopeful La Bola Negra a theatrical run of 47 days - the streamer's longest-ever for a film.
It took awhile, but Prime Video has ordered an American version of its comedy franchise LOL!: Last One Laughing.
HBO Max has ordered a documentary about the TV series Gilmore Girls. According to HBO Max, the currently untitled Gilmore Girls documentary will “reveal how the show eclipsed expectations to become a cross-generational phenomenon by unpacking the unique alchemy of the creators, cast, crew, and collaborators. The film includes never-before-seen outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage and script pages.”
The Artful Dodger has been renewed for a third and final season.
The series ER: Caught on Camera premieres Wednesday, August 19th on TLC. Here is the brief official logline: “From cardiac arrests to runaway bee swarms, house fires and cosmetic disasters, the series shows authentic, self-documented footage from the patient’s most vulnerable and traumatic moments.”
The Voice is launching its first celebrity edition in 2027, hosted by Keke Palmer.
This Is Why SVODs Are Experimenting With Vertical Video
HBO Max recently announced that it was rolling out its version of a vertical video feed, concentrating on clips from content already on the streaming service.
The news sparked the usual round of hot takes arguing that HBO Max was responding to YouTube, chasing TikTok, etc.
Which sounds great on the face of it, but there was much more to the HBO Max decision than most observers might realize.
The newsletter Media Built has a piece that ties the move into the current challenges with subscriber churn and engagement, and it makes a lot of sense:
Antenna estimates subscribers across the entire premium streaming category, every service combined, grew just 7% in 2025, down from 12% the year before, the first single-digit year in the category's history.
That... is not great for businesses that run on recurring subscription revenue.
When acquisition is driving growth, the job is to convert a new person as fast as possible and then get the hell out of the way. Discovery failure is expensive but survivable, because new customers keep arriving to replace whoever falls off. Once acquisition stops carrying your growth, the subscribers you already have become THE thing, and the little annoyances they used to shrug off start costing real money (especially in a world where it is now exceptionally easy to cancel a subscription). In that world, a catalog that people don't dig into is a very expensive thing with very little actual current value.
If you spent the last decade buying content, the math here is... challenging. The libraries these companies built are enormous, expensive, and largely invisible to the subscribers funding them (although I am binging Survivor right now from episode one, so...), because thousands of hours sit behind a homepage that surfaces maybe forty tiles, many of which feel like the same forty titles you saw last week.
The vertical feed is the cheapest available answer, because it requires no new content spend, no new licensing, and no production cycle. It repackages assets already paid for and aims them at the only audience left to grow, the one still on the streamer.
I also found this datapoint explains a lot of the churn you’re seeing in the SVOD market right now:
Antenna found that between September 2023 and August 2024, roughly 34% of all gross additions across premium streaming were resubscribers, people rejoining a service they had canceled within the previous twelve months. So a third of the incoming class already knows the product, and the last thing they did with that knowledge was cancel.
What’s Coming Tonight And Tomorrow
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5TH:
Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy (Netflix)
How To Catch A Dirtbag Series Premiere (Discovery)
Inside The Trustor Scandal (Netflix)
Let's Marry Harry Series Premiere (Netflix)
One Hundred Years Of Solitude Series Premiere (Netflix)
Sterling Point Series Premiere (Prime Video)
1670 (Netflix)
Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi Series Premiere (Disney+)
Ted Lasso Season Four (Apple TV)
The Challenge: Cutthroat Season Forty-Two Premiere (Paramount+)
The Hardacres Season Two Premiere (BritBox)
The Shards Series Premiere (FX)
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6TH:
D.O.P.E. Unit Series Premiere (ALLLBLK)
Escape From Alcatraz Series Premiere (Discovery)
Monsters Of God (HBO)
My Life With The Walter Boys Season Premiere (Netflix)