Yesmen Are In Trouble

Yesmen Are In Trouble

Last week yet another favorably reviewed limited series debuted on FX and Hulu.  FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE, which has already earned plaudits both for the talents of its leads, especially Jesse Eisenberg as the eponymous newly divorced Manhattan doctor navigating dating opportunities while grappling with the disturbing disappearance of his ex-wife.  It is yet another … Read more

What About Bob?  Which One?

What About Bob? Which One?

31 years ago, Disney produced a cute little comedy called WHAT ABOUT BOB?, which starred the reliable Bill Murray as someone who simply wouldn’t go away, even when his analyst (the sardonic Richard Dreyfuss) tried to go on a family vacation.  Ever popular among everyone else in his analyst’s circle of friends and family, Bob … Read more

I Guess That’s Why They Call Him The Sir

I Guess That’s Why They Call Him The Sir

Nearly half a century ago, the first concert I was ever allowed to attend was Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road tour at the then spanking new Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.  One of the few friends I had at the time (male, of course) took two buses, transferring and waiting in a drug den … Read more

Lotus Operandi

Lotus Operandi

In a week that was filled yet again with a lot of bad news in media and tech, one particularly positive story was the renewal of HBO’s smart comedy WHITE LOTUS for a third season.  The fact that it was even renewed for a second season was a surprise given its initial premise and raison … Read more

Need a Good Doctor?  I’ve Got A Better One

Need a Good Doctor? I’ve Got A Better One

Of all the examples of recent hits that my expertise played a role in establishing, there are few I’m prouder to have been associated with than THE GOOD DOCTOR.  In its sixth season, a milestone which most streaming dramas never achieve, the show continues to win a highly competitive time slot with seven-day extended viewing … Read more

Can’t We All Just Pray Nice Together?

Can’t We All Just Pray Nice Together?

In media research, a common advanced study to identify audience segments is called an “only-only-both”, essentially a Venn diagram mapping of how two particular programs’ viewerships compare and contrast.  Depending upon the business objective, there is potential upside from either conclusion.  If you’re a marketer, you would hope the two shows have a large common … Read more

Did Lingo Linger Too Long?

Did Lingo Linger Too Long?

CBS quietly announced yesterday their mid-season schedule, with the even more muted announcement that LINGO, the latest incarnation of a game show with a modest history in the US but a strong international acceptance spanning several decades, will round out a short-term Wednesday night schedule sandwiched between nighttime episodes of THE PRICE IS RIGHT and … Read more

The Once And Future Kings

The Once And Future Kings

Taylor Sheridan has arguably become to Paramount what Ryan Murphy is to Netflix, what Greg Berlanti has been to Warner Brothers and what Seth Macfarlane once was to FOX.  Defy the odds, make a breakthrough hit, use a similar marketing and casting recipe for any idea that comes to mind on a Pelaton and be … Read more

Wakanda Forever?  It’d Better Be

Wakanda Forever? It’d Better Be

The much-anticipated and emotional sequel to the breakout MCU hit BLACK PANTHER, WAKANDA FOREVER, finally hit theatres this weekend four years after the first premiered, having survived pandemic-related delays and the death of its lead, Chadwick Boseman. First, the good news.  Perhaps buoyed by Friday being Veterans’ Day, it opened to a blistering $84M opening … Read more