TV in 3 Acts: ‘Mad Men’ Returns, ‘Poker Face’ Folds, More Paramount Carnage
My new weekly wrap on the small-screen headlines worth your time
I cover TV from L.A. I got the inside dope on Ryan Murphy’s Kim Kardashian legal drama All’s Fair, interviewed Universal Content Productions chief Beatrice Springborn and wrote about the mood at Warners as insiders anticipate a sale. I’m lesley.goldberg@theankler.com
Welcome to the first installment of something new from me, a quick and easy digest of a trio of top TV headlines of the week. I’ll bring you up to date on news you might have missed with my analysis and a little extra scoop — it’s my take on the stories that matter most.
This week, I’ve got takes on Paramount’s programming cuts, Mad Men’s wild move and some high-profile series cancellations that surprised me.
Act I: Paramount TV Cuts to Continue
You’re excused if you missed Wednesday’s news that Paramount is thinning Nickelodeon’s programming slate with the cancellations of Dora and Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, both of which will wrap their runs after their upcoming seasons on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon’s linear networks. The decision to cancel both series came from George Cheeks, the former co-CEO of Paramount who now serves as chair of TV Media under Par-Skydance chief David Ellison, as Cheeks makes good on plans outlined last week to “focus on a more curated slate” across key cable brands BET, Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon. The ax for Dora and TMNT comes after the Oct. 31 move to cancel MTV’s Ridiculousness after 46 seasons and nearly 15 years during which it almost completely took over the cabler’s entire schedule.
Sources say there will likely be additional programming cuts across these cable brands as Cheeks focuses on a tighter slate by leaning into core franchises.