Small Screen: SAG-AFTRA Considers Strike, Netflix's First Upfronts
JD Pardo - Frazer Harrison
Broadcast: Mayans M.C.’s JD Pardo will make his directorial debut on the series in its upcoming fifth and final season. Pardo, who has starred on Mayans since its inception in 2018, will direct episode 4 of Season 5, airing on June 7th. The episode is titled I See the Black Light, and, according to its teaser, will see “the Mayans navigate the dangers of their new trade, forcing an unlikely alliance.” Of his new role behind the camera, Pardo says,
“Directing has been a place, I feel, I was always destined to go. [Executive producer] Elgin [James] and I would speak about it often. I absolutely loved getting behind [the] camera and understanding the relationship between the performance as an actor in the scene and the visual image needed to convey that life to the audience. In my last season of Mayans, it’s all about entertaining the audience by giving them an emotional experience. Directing [this episode] deepened my love for cinema.” Mayans M.C. tells the story of Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (Pardo), the president of the Mayans M.C. charter on the border between California and Mexico. The series also stars Clayton Cardenas, Edward James Olmos, JR Bourne, Danny Pino, Carla Baratta, Michael Irby, Emilio Rivera, Sarah Bolger, Frankie Loyal, Joseph Lucero, Vincent Vargas, Gino Vento, Emily Tosta and Vanessa Giselle.
2023-24 is shaping up to be a big season for broadcast networks. Among the new series announced are Haut Potential, Elsbeth, Poppa's House, Krapopolis, Extended Family, Found, The Irrational, Children Ruin Everything, Run The Burbs, and 61st Street.
ABC’s High Potential, based on French series Haut Potentiel Intellectuel (HPI), tells the story of a single mother with an “exceptional mind,” whose crime-solving ability lands her in a partnership with an experienced and straightlaced detective, played by Daniel Sunjata.
CBS’s Elsbeth follows Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston), a sharp but unconventional attorney with a storied career in Chicago. Tascioni moves to New York to work alongside the NYPD cornering crafty and elusive criminals.
CBS’s comedy Poppa’s House, starring Damon Wayans and his son Damon Wayans Jr., follows a renowned talk radio host whose outdated views on gender are challenged when he is appointed a new female co-host named Ivy. As he grapples with the new addition at work, Poppa also must balance being a father and husband.
Fox’s animated comedy Krapopolis tells the story of a dysfunctional family of humans, gods, and monsters who run the world’s first city amid bickering and hilarity. The series stars Duncan Trussel, Matt Berry, Richard Ayoade, Hannah Waddingham, and Pam Murphy.
NBC’s Extended Family is a comedy that follows divorcees Jim (Jon Cryer) and Julia (Abigail Spencer) as they co-parent their children at the family home. When Julia begins dating Trey, the owner of one of Jim’s favorite sports teams, co-parenting gets even more fraught for the couple.
NBC’s Found follows a PR specialist (Shanola Hampton), once a missing person, as she seeks to find justice for missing and exploited people of color while hiding a deep personal secret.
NBC’s The Irrational follows Alec Baker, a storied professor of behavioral science, as he works on high-profile cases. The series, inspired by Dan Ariely’s novel Predictably Irrational, stars Jesse L. Martin as Baker.
The CW acquired CTV’s and Roku’s comedy Children Ruin Everything, which follows young parents Astrid (Meaghan Rath) and James (Aaron Abrams). As they raise their children in the city, Astrid and James struggle to loosen their grasp on “pre-kid life” and must learn how to shift their plans, goals, and day-to-day life to accommodate their children.
The CW also acquired CBC’s Run the Burbs, which follows the Phams, a Vietnamese-South Asian family living in a Canadian suburb. Starring Roman Pesino, Zoriah Wong, Rakhee Morzaria, and Andrew Phung, Run The Burbs shows the Phams becoming engaged with the community and eventually being the “heart of their cul-de-sac” as they navigate the new challenges of suburban life.
The CW additionally acquired AMC’s 61st Street, a thriller starring Courtney B. Vance and Aunjanue Ellis, which dives into the Chicago criminal justice system. As law enforcement investigates a drug bust, the seamy underbelly of Chicago’s police department is revealed and their code of secrecy threatened.
The UK’s Onyx Collective and Channel 4 have picked up Candice Carty-Williams’ Queenie. The series, based on Carty-Williams’ novel, follows Queenie Jenkins (Dionne Brown), a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman whose life in south London sees her “straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither.” Queenie, whose family is Jamaican, tries to fit into an overwhelmingly white workplace in an overwhelmingly white field. A particularly brutal breakup finds Queenie using unhealthy coping mechanisms until she realizes she must face her past in order to heal. Samuel Adewunmi and recording artist Bellah will also star; Bellah plays Kyazike, Queenie’s longtime best friend, and Adewunmi plays her cousin Frank. Frank is described as mature, well-read, and articulate, a perfect match for Queenie who doesn’t hesitate to challenge her beliefs. Kyazike, who is from Uganda, works at a bank where she “can cross-reference eligible men with their bank balances.” She is known for her designer outfits and impeccable hair and makeup and wants Queenie to find a wealthy man. Dionne Brown has appeared in ITV’s The Walk-In, and will also star as Chloe Summers in Criminal Records. Bellah has been called “one to watch” by such publications as British Vogue and BBC Radio 1. Adewunmi, a BAFTA nominee, will also be a series regular on Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion. Queenie is created and executive produced by Carty-Williams, and will run eight episodes on Channel 4, as well as stream on Hulu in the US, Star+ in Latin America, and Disney+ elsewhere.
Bela Bajaria - Steve Granitz
Streaming: Six months after a pivot in strategy that saw Netflix prioritizing profits over subscriber growth, the streamer has held its first upfront presentation for advertisers. The event saw Bela Bajaria, the new Chief Content Officer and the source of media commotion, make her first major public speech since being named CCO in January. Responding to criticism that Netflix’s ever-growing catalog of originals has begun to sacrifice quality for quantity, Bajaria said,
“The range [of original programming from Netflix] is amazing — from Ginny & Georgia to Murder Mystery, You to You People. To do all of this – to super serve our members – we have to focus on quality, with the understanding that quality, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.”
In an unusual move, Bajaria also referenced the streamer’s Nielsen ratings. Like other streamers, Netflix has for years shied away from disclosing its ratings data. Recently, they began releasing their own viewership data using their own metrics, and finally, Nielsen ratings began popping up in earnings presentations. As the company begins to adopt more commercials, it has been using more third-party metrics to entice advertisers. Bajaria said,
“This year alone, according to Nielsen, we’ve had the number one original TV show on streaming in the US for 15 out of 16 weeks — and the number one movie for 14 weeks.”
Bajaria highlighted the “broad, diverse” audience served by Netflix, referencing her own story of having been raised in both the UK and Zambia by first-generation Indian immigrant parents. In a sign of the times, Netflix’s first showing at the broadcast upfront week was switched last-minute to a virtual event after concerns regarding WGA picketing.
Netflix has renewed Ginny & Georgia for two more seasons. The series, which stars Antonia Gentry as Ginny and Brianne Howey as Georgia, named Sarah Glinski as its new showrunner, replacing Debra J. Fisher. Rumors about scuffles between Fisher and creator Sarah Lampert led to speculation in April that Fisher would be replaced. Glinski was ultimately hired before the WGA strike kicked off. The two-season renewal was reportedly executed months ago but held for Netflix’s upfront. Ginny & Georgia follows Georgia Miller, her teenage daughter Ginny, and her son Austin (Diesel La Torraca) as they rebuild their lives in a wealthy Massachusetts down following the death of Georgia’s husband. The most recent season revealed that Georgia killed her ex-husband Kenny, Ginny, and Austin’s stepfather, to protect Ginny. The series also stars Raymond Ablack, Chelsea Clark, Jennifer Robertson, Felix Mallard, Sara Waisglass, Scott Porter, and Katie Douglas.
Prime Video UK managing director Chris Bird believes that now is the best time to be a customer and viewer of subscription services. When questioned about market saturation during a Deloitte and Enders Media and Telecoms conference, Bird said,
“The breadth and selection of content available has never been more pronounced. Everything is available all the time. I think the future is about range and convenience. Services that can provide that will be sustainable.”
Praising his own company’s distribution strategy, which includes offering titles in advance of their theater premieres, Bird said it was important to continue investing in diversified skills and wider representation on the small screen. DAZN CCO Marc Watson, who was also at the conference, agreed.
“We’re some way away from equilibrium, [but] from a business point of view you can see a lot of changes over the next few years.”
Jeanne Mau - Morgan Lieberman / Stringer
Industry: Six months after introducing their ad-supported subscription option, Netflix announced that the tier has reached 5 million monthly active users worldwide. Netflix currently has nearly 233 million subscribers in total. These statistics, along with other figures and announcements, were made public during the streamer’s upfronts presentation. The pre-recorded event moved online after concerns about WGA picketing, saw Netflix pitching itself to prospective advertisers. During the upfronts, Netflix said the number of customers on the $7-per-month ad-supported plan has more than doubled since earlier this year, and that more than a quarter of users now opt for the ad plan in supported countries. Of ad-supported members, 70% are between 18 and 49 years of age, with a median age of 34. The plan is currently available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, the UK, and the U.S. Co-CEO Greg Peters said,
“[Those statistics] are critical because it all starts and ends with consumers. [There is] still plenty of runway ahead of us.”
Co-CEO Ted Sarandos agreed, saying,
“Our shows and movies are generating audiences that are generating global audiences that are many times bigger than our closest competitors. For years, we were trying to keep our business as simple as possible, so that we could grow as fast as possible, but we have actually realized that we left a big segment off the table.”
Sarandos seeks to bring “creative” ads to the platform, including integration and targeted advertisements, in the coming years. He noted that streaming provides a different but similarly effective platform for advertisers than does linear television, with the opportunity to innovate new ways to advertise. Once staunchly opposed to advertising, the company quickly dove headfirst into the space with its ad-supported tier and first upfront presentation. Analysts say the move is a smart one: advertising could bring in billions in revenue for the service, even as subscriber numbers in North America stagnate and competition in the streaming space increases.
NBCU Launch is announcing two new diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Both will endeavor to increase representation in production roles across the industry. The Below-the-Line Traineeship and the Production Assistant Initiative will open up paid, on-the-job experiences on NBCU television productions to underrepresented talent from marginalized communities. The pipeline programs aim to increase the talent pool of marginalized groups who are ready and able to be hired for projects once the initiatives conclude. Senior VP of TTV Programming Diversity Equity & Inclusion at the company Jeanne Mau said in a statement,
“Below-the-line production roles have been historically underserved across our industry when we look at inclusion efforts. Our first major endeavor to increase representation on our production crews across Universal Studio Group and our entertainment networks are just a start in addressing this critical need. Our ongoing below-the-line efforts will effectively contribute to lasting change in the composition of crews and lead to increased representation among department heads and even head[s] of productions.”
The initiatives are currently focused on increasing Production Assistants in NBCU’s US television productions, with plans to include scripted programming later this year. Both initiatives will work with Amazing Stories Foundation, Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) Careers Program, Ghetto Film School, Streetlights, and the Television Academy Foundation to identify and recruit candidates. Candidates must have finished relevant vocational training and be qualified for PA work. Since launching in 2022, the initiatives have seen 15 production assistants placed in seven NBCU unscripted series in production and post-production roles. Additionally, 24 trainees have been placed across 10 Universal Studio Group productions in the past year and a half, including Angelyne, Baking It, Candy, A Friend of the Family, TED, Quantum Leap, and Bel-Air. Sixteen trainees in Los Angeles have fulfilled their on-the-job hours for their Hollywood Cinema Production Resources certification, making them eligible for placement on local IATSE rosters. Six trainees are in local unions and able to be considered for union production work. The program expanded to its first international production, Syfy’s Chucky, in April alongside Cinespace Studios. Both the traineeship and the initiative are spearheaded by NBCU Launch, which houses its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Strike Watch: On the heels of the WGA work stoppage, SAG-AFTRA has announced it will hold a strike authorization vote before studio negotiations on June 7th. There is no word on which direction SAG-AFTRA is leaning regarding a strike, but the union said in a press release that a strike authorization would present “maximum bargaining leverage” during the negotiations. President Fran Drescher said in the press release,
“We must get all our ducks in a row should the need present itself. The prospect of a strike is not a first option, but a last resort. As my dad always says, ‘Better to have and not need than to need and not have.’”
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers declined to comment on the announcement. SAG-AFTRA threatened a strike back in 2017, but reached a deal with the AMPTP before finalizing a work stoppage. Again in 2018, SAG-AFTRA obtained a strike authorization after more than 98% of voting members approved. Two months later, a deal was reached. This year, there are only three weeks remaining between the beginning of AMPTP talks and the June 30th expiration of SAG-AFTRA’s current contract. For her part, Drescher has shown face on WGA picket lines and supported the writers strike in a broad sense, but has also suggested that some issues differ in the SAG-AFTRA and the WGA demands. Both SAG-AFTRA and the WGA wish to negotiate wage increases to account for inflation, higher streaming residuals, and protections against AI. SAG-AFTRA is also seeking to address the industry’s shift to “self-tape” auditions, calling them “costly and burdensome.” SAG-AFTRA currently represents 160,000 performers.
Jeremy O. Harris, producer of Euphoria and writer of Tony-nominated Slave Play, has called on Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav to “make a deal.” During an interview at the Cannes Film Festival, Harris expressed his wish to go into production on Season 3 of Euphoria as scheduled, suggesting that WBD has it in their power to end the strike with a deal.
“All I’ll say is [Euphoria creator] Sam Levinson is not a scab. . . . David Zaslav, make a deal. That’s what I’ll say about Season 3 of Euphoria. Make a deal, David. It’s easy. Just come to that table.”
Production for the long-awaited third season of teen drama Euphoria was scheduled to begin in 2023, but the work stoppage caused by the writers strike puts that schedule in jeopardy. Other shows, among them Stranger Things, have already experienced production and filming delays. Harris previously reached out to the WGA when picketing threatened the 2023 Tony Awards, pleading with the union to let the awards be held and broadcast as scheduled.
“The reason I had to reach out to the WGA to ask them to not picket the Tony Awards it that the awards mean something to the entire ecosystem, a very delicate ecosystem. . . . [Theater is] literally endangered. We need to protect it…If this [strike] lasts a decade, every single writer in the WGA can write a play that they will own. You don’t own the TV shows you write. You don’t own the movies you write. You own your play, that’s why you get paid so little for them. Once you own something that brings joy and community around it, there’s no better feeling. We must protect it.”
He went on to explain why the awards are so important to him and to the industry, saying,
“As a boy who grew up in a rural town in Virginia, it’s very important to me that kids in other rural spaces that don’t have access to theater can watch it on the Tonys and see a glimpse of what else there is.”
In the same interview, Harris talked about his careers as a playwright, producer, and actor, and discussed allyship with women and marginalized communities. Of Euphoria’s star Zendaya, Harris said,
“You can’t talk about Euphoria without talking about the ways in [which] Zendaya is such a leader there. You see her . . . going through every scene in the script. She asks questions not only as a lead actress but also as a producer. What I learn every time I go to that set is that I can’t stop working really hard. I can’t rely on my charms or the way people perceive me.”
Harris may have more partnerships with Zendaya in the future: he teased a collaboration that “might be a play,” but was tight-lipped on details.