TV in 3: Year-End Deals Rush; ‘Heated Rivalry’ Peaks; a Lesson From Rob Reiner

Things are looking up for 2026 with Apple to Netflix buying series

BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS I report on a slew of series deals, get the backstory on Heated Rivalry’s episode 5 and say goodbye to Rob Reiner. (The Ankler illustration; Miguel Alvarez/Getty Images; Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max; Jesse Grant/Getty Images for TCM)

I cover TV from L.A. I interviewed the Bell Media execs who bet on breakout hit Heated Rivalry, analyzed 5 burning questions about Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. and wrote about the 10 showrunners who define TV now. Email me at lesley.goldberg@theankler.com

Welcome to the latest edition of TV in 3, where you’ll get my take on the headlines of the week, plus some stories you might have missed. Today’s main attraction: a mini-postmortem on Heated Rivalry’s latest and most powerful episode (spoilers below). But first I take a closer look at a robust wave of deals this week that could signal some optimism that things are (finally) looking up for 2026. And wrapping up my final Friday column of the year, some closing thoughts on Rob Reiner and how I’m taking a cue from the late and great director to make my New Year’s resolution.

Deals, Deals, Deals

SPINOFF Wyatt Russell’s character in Monarch, Col. Lee Shaw, will get a prequel series as Apple TV looks to build a franchise. (Apple TV)

We’ve officially reached the end of the year, as many industry figures prepare to sign off today for the two-week holiday break. We started with the “Survive ’til ’25” outlook, which turned out to be somewhat of a mirage, but judging from all the deals being pushed over the finish line this past week, is the industry now heading toward a “Fix in ’26”?

Let’s run through them and what they indicate about the market: