Amazon TV’s New Boss Inherits a Mess — And What He’s Likely to Do About It
Plus: Paramount pages spill from the inside!
Hey, New Yorkers, Ankler CEO Janice Min hits town this week for a Wednesday double-header. She’ll speak at Advertising Week’s “The State and Future of Media” alongside BBC Studios’ Ben Goldberger and Washington Post’s Kimi Yoshino in the a.m. (with Axios’ Sara Fischer moderating), and then head north to The Times Center for the A Media Operator Summit for an afternoon fireside on a lineup that includes the Wall Street Journal’s Emma Tucker and Katie Couric. Ankler Media is having a banner year, and she’ll have news and insights to share about how we keep growing and innovating against a tough media current.
Meanwhile, back here in L.A., former Netflix scripted exec Peter Friedlander starts tomorrow as Amazon’s TV chief — and Hollywood is rejoicing (“Party going on over here,” one top TV lit agent told Elaine Low). But the high-taste exec with a low-key demeanor has his work cut out for him, as Elaine and Lesley Goldberg dish in our two-parter about the new era, already starting with a bang: Lesley scooped exclusive news about Amy Sherman-Palladino’s exit from the streamer, the season 2 numbers for Lord of the Rings and the STAGGERING kill fee Amazon has to pay to the Tolkien estate if they cancel the series — a price that in essence has put Prime Video in a trap:
And finally, Richard welcomed legendary powerhouse Jane Fonda on The Rushfield Lunch this week, who joined him to talk about why she’s relaunching the First Amendment Committee, a group first formed in the 1940s (with the actress’ father, Henry Fonda, as a founding member) to fight against the House Un-American Activities Committee that targeted American citizens for “disloyalty” in the name of rooting out communism — and eventually threw into prison the Hollywood Ten. Amid threats to free speech (see: Kimmel) and creeping authoritarianism (see: ICE raids), Fonda’s here to remind Hollywood that “freedom is essential to artists.” Watch their urgent conversation here.
Now, ICYMI, here’s the rest of our best this week:
Dealmakers: Feature Script Market Intel
Believe it or not, there’s a sense of real optimism in the market for feature writing. Ashley Cullins gathers intel from a slew of talent dealmakers about what’s happening: exact figures for what a hot new writer vs. a veteran can expect to pocket for a script now; the genres where spec scripts are actually selling; and the magic budget number for a greenlight:
Richard Rushfield: One Battle & WBD
Mike, Pam & Warners have pulled off a wildly successful year through over-performing originals (Sinners, Weapons) and well-executed franchise fare (Minecraft, Superman), as assessed by Richard in the first of his State of Slate series. And he has some choice words for those deeming One Battle After Another an abject failure:
Paramount Pain: Assistant Edition
In Hollywood, if you want to know what’s really going on behind the scenes, it’s not the high-level execs you should ask — it’s the assistants, pages and coordinators. Former Paramount page Leila Jordan speaks with half a dozen of her ex-colleagues about how merger talks — and Oracle exec visits — have manifested on the lot:
Prestige Junkie: Who’ll Win Best Actor
Katey Rich welcomes Richard onto her Prestige Junkie pod to talk all things One Battle After Another: its high highs, how Paul Thomas Anderson nailed our cultural moment and what it means for Warner Bros. Plus: Katey lays out the pros and cons for the top best actor contenders:
The Wakeup
No matter how badly you thought the collapse of cable was going, it’s So. Much. Worse. Read Sean McNulty’s analysis of the glaringly low viewership figures from the final week of September to understand where we are headed — and what it means for the Spincos:
Our Shows & Substack Lives
Monday Morning QBs: This week on our live box office show, Richard and Sean lay out the cases for One Battle After Another being a success or a flop — and why Warners’ risk on PTA’s latest should be lauded either way:
Taylor Swift Takes: Ahead of the release of The Life of a Showgirl, Like & Subscribe’s Natalie Jarvey spoke with as seen on’s Ochuko Akpovbovbo about the megastar’s “effortless” cultural dominance. And Katey and Christopher Rosen joined Hung Up’s Hunter Harris to break down Swift’s relationship with Hollywood (it’s complicated) and the Oscar that has eluded her (so far).
🎧 PODCASTS
THE ANKLER
Hollywood’s Gen Z Blindspot, Starring Taylor Swift Clips, concerts, community: A cohort hooked on everything but your TV show:
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
📱 LIKE & SUBSCRIBE BY NATALIE JARVEY
👓 THE OPTIONIST BY ANDY LEWIS
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