TV in 3: NBCU-Sheridan Exec Guessing Game; the Writer Who Won $60K on ‘The Floor’; an Industry PR RIP
An out-of-work ‘Ted’ writer is a hit on Fox's game show; goodbye to WBTV’s Robert Pietranton
I cover TV from L.A. I wrote about the Netflix debate over the release of Stranger Things’ final season, got inside dope on Ryan Murphy’s legal drama All’s Fair and interviewed Universal Content Productions pres Beatrice Springborn. I’m lesley.goldberg@theankler.com
Welcome to the second installment of my new Friday column: You’ll get my take on the big stories of the week, plus some you might have missed, and occasionally you’ll hear from (or about) TV’s most intriguing characters. Today, I’ve got new questions about who’ll be handling Taylor Sheridan’s pricey NBCUniversal deal once it kicks off in 2029; a fun interview with a TV writer who made it as a contestant on my latest obsession, Fox’s The Floor; and a tribute to a dear friend of the industry we lost too soon.
McCarthy Trails Sheridan to NBCU, Who’s Next
NBCUniversal may have its answer to one of the biggest questions surrounding Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming move to the conglomerate: which executive he’ll work with. Signs point to a familiar face: former Paramount co-CEO Chris McCarthy, who doubled down on marketing the prolific creator and turned him into a massive brand with nearly a dozen scripted originals for Paramount+ (and CBS). McCarthy, per Bloomberg, is in talks to produce shows for NBCU and help to manage Sheridan.
But the McCarthy news, while yet to be officially confirmed, doesn’t totally answer my central question.