Small Screen: Morris Chestnut Cast in 'Watson', FTC Announces 'Click-To-Cancel' Rule For Streamers
morris chestnut - watson/cbs
Broadcast: Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education) hinted at Doctor Who's future when he mentioned filming a third season next year during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show. The BBC later clarified that no decision on a third season will be made until after Gatwa’s second season airs in 2024. Showrunner Russell T Davies confirmed this, noting that while he’s confident in a renewal, no official decision has been made.
Morris Chestnut (Reasonable Doubt) will play John Watson in CBS's upcoming series Watson. The series will premiere on January 26th, 2024, and will regularly premiere episodes on Sundays starting February 16th. The series comes from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery book Sherlock Holmes and is set after Sherlock's death. John Watson will move on from solving mysteries to solving medical phenomena. Chestnut joins other cast members such as Peter Mark Kendall (Kaleidoscope) and Eve Harlow (The Night Agent).
ABC's drama series General Hospital has added Jens Austin Astrup (Gossip Girl) to the cast. Astrup is set to play Kai as he meets Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) at Port Charles University. Astrup's character will make his debut in November. Astrup is represented by The Kohner Agency and Framework Entertainment.
Katherine Renee Kane (FBI: Most Wanted) has left the CBS series FBI. Kane played Special Agent Tiffany Wallace, and on the Season 7 premiere, her character departed the show. After the killing of terrorist Hakim Siran, Kane's character Tiffany decides to move to Georgia to be closer to her sister. This move comes after Kane revealed that she would pursue other creative opportunities. In the same note, Lisette Olivera (Total Eclipse) has joined the series as Behavior Analysis agent Syd.
jesse william - Costiera/Prime Video
Streaming: Prime Video's action-drama Costiera will debut in several countries in 2025. Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy) stars as Daniel De Luca, who is an ex-U.S. Marine returning to Italy as a fixer for a hotel. At the same time, he is searching for the hotel owner's daughter Alice. The series will be six episodes and is directed by Adam Bernstein. WIlliams commented on the details of the show, explaining that each piece attributes to the overall ambiance of the Amalfi Coast.
“We really have dark and light in these episodes. You have really joyful, blissful, wonderful, spontaneous comedy and high stakes and tension and action,” said Williams. “You have speed boats and motorcycles and Maseratis. And then you also have really heartfelt characters on the precipice in different ways and real threats. They’re things that keep you hooked. But a lightness, a real lightness, a real combination of Italian and British humor, which I really love, and we’ve got some really terrific actors.”
Prime Video is searching for lead actors for John and Jane for the second season of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The first season recently ended on a cliffhanger, and there are rumors about the actors to be cast for the next season, such as Billie Eilish. Creator Donald Glover (Atlanta) and Maya Erskine (Pen15) played the married spy couple in the first season, and it is unsure if they will return.
johanna lee
Industry: Revelations Entertainment now has the rights to create a drama series about the late singer Chuck Berry. The series comes from the tribute campaign CHUCK100's plans to lead a tribute for Berry's 100th birthday in 2026. Revelations Entertainment is led by Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary, who expressed their excitement about the project.
“Through this collaboration, we aim to celebrate his groundbreaking legacy, sharing not just his music but the remarkable journey behind it,” said Freeman and McCreary. “Together, we want to ensure that Chuck’s spirit continues to inspire future generations, reminding the world of the indelible mark he left on us all.”
Charles Phillips of the Paramount Global board has announced his resignation, effective at the end of the month. This move comes as his firm Recognize prepares to launch a second fund. Skydance secured an $8 billion deal to acquire Paramount with David Ellison set to lead the merged entity by mid-2025. Phillips, who had brought up concerns about Skydance Media's offers during Paramount's merger discussions, stated his firm’s growth as the reason for stepping down.
“As my firm Recognize launches a second fund next month, the expansion and growth unfortunately leave less time for outside commitments,” said Phillips. “It’s been an honor to serve on the Viacom, ViacomCBS, and Paramount boards in a dynamic industry. I wish the company and its many talented employees well in the future.”
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos emphasized earlier October that the company has no plans to change its current compensation model despite ongoing discussions across the industry about evolving payment structures. Netflix's cost-plus model, which Sarandos claims benefits both creators and the company, allows Netflix to assume financial risks while paying talent upfront. Although Netflix is open to bespoke deals, Sarandos emphasized that such deals are rare as talent typically chooses the upfront model.
Johanna Lee has signed with Range Media Group for representation. Lee is a producer, director, and TV writer most known for her work on series Scandal, Altered Carbon, and The Good Doctor, to name a few. Lee is currently producing Netflix’s medical drama Pulse and MGM TV's Escape Artists. Lee will remain represented by UTA and JR McGinnis.
In an Instagram post, Gold Media Network announced its launch as a groundbreaking consortium to promote Asian Pacific narrative change through donated media and incentives. In 2024, the network released over $1 million in donated media, featuring Asian Pacific stories on prominent platforms. The initiative addresses the underrepresentation of Asian Pacific individuals in advertising. The company noted that diverse representation can unlock significant commercial benefits, as Asian Pacific consumers' buying power is projected to reach $1.9 trillion by 2026. Additionally, with ADWEEK CEO Will Lee, the company held a fireside chat with author Padma Lakshmi and her experience advocating for diversity.
On October 11th, 2024, writer and physician Daniel “Dan” Hoh passed away at 45 years old from myeloma. Hoh first started a career in medicine, but proceeded to work as a TV reporter and writer in Kentucky. Writing for CBS's Pure Genius in 2016, Hoh then became a producer at Station 19. Throughout his career, he continued to be a physician and an activist for trafficking.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a final “click-to-cancel” rule that requires sellers to make it easy for consumers to cancel subscriptions if they no longer want the service. The rule covers a wide range of services, from streaming platforms to gym memberships, and will take effect 180 days after publication. It addresses deceptive “negative option” marketing, where businesses assume customer consent unless action is taken to opt out. The rule mandates clear cancellation mechanisms, particularly online, and follows public complaints about difficulties in canceling services.
“Thousands of public commenters repeated the mantra: ‘If you signed up online, you should be able to cancel online,’ noting they often face hurdles finding a cancellation mechanism, and then must call and spend significant time on the telephone to cancel their subscriptions,” said the FTC.
Netflix has reported that their third-quarter results exceeded expectations, gaining 5.1 million subscribers and generating $9.825 billion in revenue instead of the expected $9.77 billion. Earnings per share hit $5.40, above the projected $5.12, with total subscribers reaching 282.72 million. Free cash flow surged to $2.194 billion, prompting Netflix to raise its full-year guidance. Starting in 2025, Netflix will stop reporting subscriber numbers, focusing instead on reach. While Netflix stock has surged 340% since 2022, some analysts caution that paid password sharing and advertising might lead to overvaluation. The ad tier, responsible for 50% of new sign-ups, is still in its early stages and not expected to drive major revenue growth in 2025.
ITV posted a job advertisement for “Head of Generative AI Innovation” to create AI-driven content for TV and Film, sparking outrage with U.K. writers. The position offers £95,000 annually. The Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGB) spoke against the position, stating that ITV should invest more in human writers instead of computers. Writers Jack ROoke and Lisa McGee called the position "unethical." ITV, however, stands with the position.
“At ITV we are using AI tools to enhance and expand our creative and production processes,” said an ITV spokesperson. “While nothing can replace the human creativity of our teams, we are exploring how GenAI can help our staff to work more efficiently and creatively and optimize our content for viewers.”
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has expanded its FAST channel portfolio across Europe. Starting in Q4, SPE will launch its 54-channel Sony One roster on two new platforms, VIDAA and Titan OS, in the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the Nordics. Additionally, Austria will gain access to Sony One via TiVo+ later this year. SPE’s Pete Wood emphasized the growing demand for their content and plans for further expansion.
“In the six months since we launched the Sony One portfolio in Europe, we’ve seen a huge appetite from clients, and we look forward to continuing to grow this key distribution channel and collaborating with our partners to deliver content tailored to their audiences,” said Wood.
Fremantle has secured its first major international deals for the HD remastered version of Homicide: Life on the Street with Israel's YES and Canada's Bell Media acquiring the iconic 1990s police series. Fremantle's Bob McCourt hinted at the possibility of a future remake, while emphasizing the show's influence on the crime genre. The remastered series recently launched on Peacock. McCourt noted that Homicide’s remaster aligns with current trends favoring cost-effective, well-known procedurals in a risk-averse market.
