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I don’t like to congratulate myself too much. It makes me uncomfortable and honestly, it’s annoying when I see other journalists doing it.
But I feel I should point out that I was amused to see the flood of trade outlet stories over the past couple of days that focused on Skydance’s debt load and the unexpected costs associated with selling its latest round of bonds.
Those are issues I wrote about extensively last week and it’s a reminder than in many cases, reading this newsletter gives you a glimpse into what you’ll be reading elsewhere in a few days.
It’s also a reminder that I couldn’t do it without the support of those of you who are able to invest in my work.
Stick it to the man and subscribe to my $40 annual tier.
And pass this newsletter along to anyone you think might find it useful.
‘My Omaha’ Is A Son’s Journey To Understand His Dad - And His City
For filmmaker Nick Beaulieu, My Omaha began as one kind of documentary and gradually became something much more personal. What started as a journalistic exploration of his hometown evolved into an intimate examination of family, politics, race, community and his complicated relationship with his father. Along the way, Beaulieu found himself not only documenting Omaha, but reconsidering his own place within the city and the communities that shape it.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Beaulieu, and we discussed the unexpected evolution of My Omaha and the challenges of turning a deeply personal story into a film that could still maintain the observational qualities of a documentary. He talks about the difficulty of portraying his father fairly, the role of editors and collaborators in shaping a personal story, and what he learned from spending years immersed in the project.
Beaulieu also reflects on Omaha’s divisions and the possibility of finding common ground with people whose political or personal views differ from our own. He discusses how making the film changed him as a filmmaker and as a person, the lessons he learned about storytelling, and why he hopes to continue making personal films. Ultimately, he describes My Omaha as an act of love—one that brought him closer to understanding his father, his hometown and himself.
You can read the extended interview on Forbes, but here is an excerpt of the really thoughtful conversation:
One of the things I struggle with is when I’m writing stuff, I tend to be very personal. I tell a lot of personal stories and use that as the framework for what I’m writing about.
Sometimes that can be a dangerous process because you don’t need to tell the audience everything. The temptation is to use everything you’ve got, and you have to save something for yourself.
I’m wondering how that process works for you as a filmmaker, particularly if you’re looking at doing additional films in this genre.
Nick Beaulieu: I think you just have to always ask yourself, “What is best for the film?” and separate what is interesting to me from what is interesting to an audience.
You have to choose things where you meet in the middle on that, as opposed to just making stuff that’s interesting to you.
It can be a real bias and a blind spot. There were scenes in My Omaha that, in rougher stages, were much longer and where I waxed much more poetically about a certain thing.
To me, it sounded and looked beautiful. It was heartfelt and vulnerable and yada yada, but we didn’t need it. It was too much. It was too long and weighed the film down.
Movies require a certain cutthroat nature when it comes to their beat-by-beat storytelling because, as soon as someone starts to lose interest or get bored, you lose them.
You have to sustain someone’s interest for 90 minutes. Every frame of that movie needs to be thought about and accounted for in this way, especially with people’s attention now.
I mean, a lot of people can’t even finish a 10-minute YouTube video. And we’re talking about the fact that this movie, in this next stage, is mostly going to be watched at home, whether it’s on YouTube, the PBS app, or broadcast.
So, yeah, just trying to be very focused on the whole as opposed to the individual moments is what I would try to tell myself.
My Omaha is currently available on the PBS app and PBS.com
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Meet the Founder Reimagining How We Farm
Clint Brauer returned to his family farm after his father developed Parkinson’s. What began as a personal mission became Greenfield Robotics: robots designed to replace herbicides with mechanical weed control.
Born from a farmer’s personal mission
Replace herbicides with mechanical weed control
Help reduce chemical exposure in farming
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One Big Streaming Service Might Be Better Than Two Smaller Ones, But At What Cost?
As was expected, David Ellison and other Skydance executives have reiterated their intent to combine Paramount+ and HBO Max into one streaming platform at some point in the future.
And while that might sound like the obvious solution in the abstract, there are a number of factors that can complicate the process.
First of all, just moving HBO Max over to the Paramount+ tech stack is apparently a fairly nightmarish process. That seems to be the plan, according to a engineer I spoke with at Paramount, despite the fact that the HBO Max platform seems to have a better internal reputation at both companies.
But regardless of the complexities, it’s also not a cheap process. Although I have had several people at Paramount argue they can somehow “vibe code” some of the work. I’m skeptical and I don’t think any company has successfully taken that route yet. But in this AI-forward age, anything is possible.
However, the biggest challenge for Skydance might be the overall finances surrounding combining the two streaming services. One is not always better than two in the streaming world, and while streaming financials and subscriber metrics are notoriously obtuse, I can lay out some general challenges.
Data from Antenna estimates that in January of 2026, HBO Max had about 27.1 million subscribers in the US and Paramount+ had 35.8 million subscribers. It also estimates that around 7.6 million people were subscribed to both.
Unfortunately, those numbers are…well, very loose estimates. The numbers don’t include Free Tiers, MVPD + Telco distribution, & select Bundles. So take it all as just an approximate guidepost.
But based on that estimate, at least 7.6 million subscribers would be lost in the combining of two services. Which would represent perhaps $100,000,000 in lost revenue per month, assuming all of the lost subscribers were paying an average of $13.99 a month (which represents the cost of the less expensive Paramount+ With Showtime).
And then there is the challenge of pricing and what that means for subscriber behavior.
After the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, then-CEO David Zaslav was determined to roll the subscribers of Discovery+ into HBO Max. His theory was that if the company added much of the recent linear TV programming to HBO Max, they could shut down Discovery+ and convince subscribers to move to the bigger, more expensive HBO Max.
Unfortunately, it turns out that a large number of Discovery+ subscribers were just fine with a unscripted TV-only diet and had no interest in paying a higher subscriber fee. And that’s why Discovery+ is still a functioning service. Albeit with the elimination of original programming and a great deal of the outside licensed programing it had at launch.
And it’s likely Skydance will face similar issues when combining HBO Max and Paramount+. It’s not clear what the price point would be for the combined services. But it would be more expensive than either of the stand-alone services and that will discourage some people who are unwilling or unable to pay the higher price.
Right now, Paramount Premium including Showtime costs $13.99 a month and HBO Max Premium runs $22.99 a month. So just combining the two services and charging the same price would run $36.98 a month.
WBD's existing streaming operation produced a 12.6% EBITDA margin in 2025, while Paramount's DTC segment was already at roughly 10% in Q1 2026. So any drop in price - even if the company retained all of its existing customers - would result in less revenue.
Granted, Skydance can save money by consolidating technology, marketing and content spending on the two overlapping services. But it’s not clear just how much that savings will entail.
And then there is Pluto TV. Skydance executives continue to insist they are happy with the performance of the AVOD. But at the same time, Paramount recently announced that it had moved Pluto TV over to the same tech stack as Paramount+. And they also keep floating the idea of adding a free tier to Paramount+.
It’s also worth noting that in the recent settlement with the 12 state AGs, Paramount agreed to continue offering “Pluto or an equivalent service.” Which leaves a lot of wiggle room to eliminated Pluto TV as an independent service.
If that’s not confusing enough, let’s not forget that Skydance is a global company.
Paramount+ is available in about 30 countries globally, it doesn't operate directly in many European countries. In places such as Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, Romania, Hungary and several others, Paramount content is instead distributed through SkyShowtime, the joint streaming service created by Paramount and Comcast/Sky. Paramount+ also has relatively limited direct penetration in Asia and Africa.
As for WBD, it essentially offers two separate services internationally:
HBO Max
→ premium scripted entertainment + movies + HBO + Warner Bros. + sports
discovery+
→ lifestyle + food + home + true crime + reality + documentaries
And there are markets where neither is the primary WBD streaming destination, because WBD licenses its content to a local service.
India is the clearest example: a substantial amount of WBD content is distributed through JioHotstar, rather than a standalone HBO Max/discovery+ service.
So the act of “combining two services into one” is complicated enough. But to wring the most savings out of the combination requires integrating the streaming services internationally as well. And that is just a nightmare of incompatible tech stacks and overlapping content rights.
In the end, this is another situation in which what sounds like a relatively easy solution is much more complicated than you can imagine.
Tweet Of The Day
Odds & Sods
“The Good Daughter”
People who strongly admire celebrities tend to be more deferential to authority and more attached to traditional norms, according to new research published in Psychological Reports.
You might remember that I recommended Steve Baker’s true-crime newsletter Crimina a few times since it launched. He just announced that he is joining CBS News as a consultant and that is a great move for the organization. He had a reputation for innovation when he worked at ABC News, and CBS could certainly use some innovation right now.
The Good Daughter premieres Thursday, November 11th on Peacock. Here is a first look at the trailer. And here is the official logline: “The Good Daughter is a suspenseful thriller wrapped in a deeply emotional story about love, family and resilience. Sisters Charlotte (Meghann Fahy) and Samantha (Rose Byrne) Quinn have spent the last 20 years trying to piece together the lives that were fractured by a single night of violence. When another attack splinters the small town of Pikeville, Charlotte – now a lawyer like her father – is the first witness on the scene. As the case unfolds and twists through painful memories and buried secrets, what emerges is not just a story of survival, but of enduring ties between a father and his daughters, and the complex bond between sisters.”
Mark Mortimer, who starred as Nick Hudson on Another World during the 1990s, has died of cancer.
Lifetime has greenlit the new Ripped from the Headlines original movie She Married Her Murderer: The Susan Cox Powell Story, starring Ricki Lake as Susan's mother Judy Cox. Here is the official logline: "Based on the tragic true story of a young Utah mother whose disappearance captivated the nation, the film follows Susan’s parents as they fight for their grandchildren and turn their grief into action, advocating for stronger protections for children in custody cases involving domestic violence."
Swipe Right On The Devil premieres Thursday, October 22nd on Hulu. Here is a first look at the video and here is the official logline: "When 24-year-old Sydney Loofe disappears after a Tinder date, what begins as a missing-person case quickly spirals into a haunting mystery. As investigators race to uncover her whereabouts, they are drawn into an astounding world of manipulation, witchcraft, mind control and black magic. Each new lead uncovers disturbing revelations, exposing behavior that shocks even seasoned FBI agents. With every answer raising new questions, Sydney’s story becomes a cautionary tale about trust, vulnerability and the hidden dangers that can lurk behind seemingly ordinary encounters, culminating in a chilling case that remains as perplexing as it is unforgettable."
Amazon on Tuesday closed its deal with the Television Academy to exclusively carry the annual Emmy Awards ceremony for the next six years. No price was announced for the deal, but in a statement Amazon said it will make it free to view on its Prime Video service each September.
Heartland premieres Tuesday, November 13th on Netflix. Here is a first look at the trailer. And here is the official logline: “Former country megastar, Misty Jones (Jessica Chastain), comes out of seclusion to investigate the disappearance of her missing niece, a rising country musician, and must grapple with her own past and Nashville’s seedy underbelly. Her search uncovers a murky side of Nashville where no one, including Misty, is who they seem.”
ChiaroScuro, the new Italian crime series set in the art world, premieres Wednesday, November 11th, on Netflix. Here is a first look at the trailer. In Rome, surrounded by the city's most breathtaking palaces and churches, a serial killer is choosing victims inspired by famous works of art. Cosmo Speranza, an art advisor with an infallible eye for spotting forgeries (and the son of a notorious forger who took his own life) is forced to team up with police inspector Angelo Tiberi, who knows nothing about art. An unlikely but effective investigative duo, hunting a killer whose crimes will drag Cosmo back into the unsolved mystery of his father's death.
Issa Rae, Jimmy Fallon And A Werewolf Walk Into a Microdrama
The Steve Raizes newsletter Media Built is a must-read newsletter if you are trying to stay on top of the changes in the media industry.
His latest post has a really informative look at the rapidly evolving microdramas business, and this provides a nice framing for the state of things right now:
Microdramas are the new new thing in media. Companies are sprouting up around them, Sunset Studios has built standing sets for them, and legacy media talent are getting into the game in a big way, with announcements over the past year from Kevin Hart, Issa Rae and Kim Kardashian.
I went back into the genre this week to see how it feels and there is an evolution going on, especially with the content from non digital native talent. Before, the acting was over the top (as were the titles). Now there is content such as Issa Rae's "Screen Time," which has much higher production values and acting while keeping the pacing that made the genre so popular (and lucrative). The format has also started making fun of itself. In one week in July, Comedy Central announced a Daily Show microdrama about two tech billionaires competing for the sleepy president's daughter, and Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show premiered "Who Billionaire? Me Billionaire.", which puts John Stamos (the world can never have enough Stamos) in a parody of the genre's own tropes. NBC says season one drew 27 million digital views across social platforms and Peacock before season two premiered on September 27 after Sunday Night Football, the prime slot for new content. I watched both on TikTok, which is where a lot of the format lives and, of course, then the algo got excited and now I'm seeing a lot more microdramas.
TikTok, they know how to feed a thing.
And with that algo my new list continues. Kenan Thompson is playing twin brothers (neither of whom, to my knowledge, is a werewolf) in a vertical for a venture Google launched with Range Media Partners. Fox bought into a Ukrainian microdrama app and signed Dhar Mann Studios to make series for it. P&G made a 55-episode "microsoap" (love brands that can be playful with their history) for its Native deodorant line that runs just under eighty minutes, gives away the first five episodes and charges $9.99 for the rest. And three people who used to run programming at Showtime (shout out to former Paramounters), NBCUniversal and ABC launched a studio and app, aTwist, with new shows every Thursday, and Hart's company has more than 20 series headed there.
The genre you hadn't heard of now has The Daily Show, The Tonight Show, a Fox equity stake, and the company that put the soap in soap opera, which is a lot of bigger talent and brands coming to a format that 16 months ago was growing fine without any.
Infographic Of The Day
I’ve written a great deal about the differences between the TV/streaming market in the United States vs. the rest of the world.
This chart from the essential newsletter Streaming Made Easy illustrates one example quite effectively.
ICYMI: Just Posted On TooMuchTV And Forbes
Here is a rundown of other stories recently posted on TooMuchTV.com and Forbes:
The new Adult Swim series Get Jiro is food criticism with a Katana.
Stephen King’s Carrie gets lost in the television machine.
What’s Coming Tonight And Tomorrow
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6TH, 2026:
NCIS: New York Series Premiere (CBS)
NCIS: Origins Season Premiere (CBS)
Love Village Season Three (Netflix)
The Laid-Off Cheat-Granting Mage Enjoys A Second Lease On Life Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Mojo Brookzz: I Know You Lying (Netflix)
Reasonable Doubt Season Four Premiere (Hulu)
Thou Shall Not Steal Series Premiere (The Network)
Vampirina: Teenage Vampire Season Two Premiere (Disney)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7TH, 2026:
Abbott Elementary Season Premiere (ABC)
A Returner's Magic Should Be Special (Crunchyroll)
Carrie Series Premiere (Prime Video)
Chicago Fire Season Premiere (NBC)
Chicago Med Season Premiere (NBC)
Chicago P.D. Season Premiere (NBC)
Inside The Circle Series Premiere (Netflix)
Jamie Foxx: Take Care Of Yourself (Hulu)
Less Of A Stranger (Netflix)
Magic Knight Rayearth Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Merry Berry Love (Hulu)
Real Men 2 (Netflix)
Sasaki And Peeps (Crunchyroll)
Sin City Rehab Season Premiere (HGTV)
Sistas Season Premiere (BET)
Small Prophets Series Premiere (Apple TV)
The Detective Is Already Dead Season Two Premiere (Crunchyroll)
The Serial Killer Connection (Investigation Discovery)
The World’s Strongest Witch Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Who Is Martin Mull? (Netflix)