What was the deal with that surprise new Bluey episode yesterday?
Two new Bluey episodes had been revealed initially - Ghostbasket, which was a pretty stock-standard episode that ended with a revelatory twist that the family house was being sold. This led into the big 28 minute episode which had a great deal of speculation that it may serve as the end of the series.
This possible ending has been discussed in this newsletter more than enough. But, keeping to a top-line idea around it: The idea that the show may be ended wasn’t without merit with creator Joe Brumm citing concern that he was running out of stories for the kids (many based on his own experience with his daughters) and that the voices on the show (possibly his daughters) were ageing out of their parts.
So, what are we to make of that episode announced without any promotion on Sunday morning? Titled “Surprise,” the episode was focused around the father, Bandit, trying to play different games with each of his daughters.
Already that reads like a metaphor for Brumm.
Brumm had hinted in interviews that he may try to do something else with the characters going forward (a time jump speculated by fans). Is that what we saw with this episode? It concludes with a time jump to see Bluey come through the family front door and for her own child right behind her waiting to play a game with her unsuspecting grandpa, Bandit.
Are we now in the new status quo?
If Joe Brumm was looking to move the show forward in a low-key way, this would be the ideal way to do it. He’s clearly talking about an issue with the show as it moves forward - eventually the maturity levels of the two sisters are going to fracture to a point where shared games will be less frequent.
Plus as a new status quo, this works pretty well for a series framework as her parents Bandit and Chilli are both around and ready to play games with their grand-daughter.
Of course, now there’s speculation around the parentage of Bluey’s child. Is the father school-friend Mackenzie? Camping pal Jean-Luc? Does Bluey even know? They are dogs…
What happens after you’re free?
A show that simply never got the credit it deserved was HBO original drama Oz. It debuted about a year and a half before The Sopranos did and delivered some exceptionally gritty and darkly entertaining TV. Where The Sopranos had the mainstream advantage is a more crowd-pleasing premise (a mobster starts seeing a psychiatrist to deal with his work and mother issues vs Oz, which was partial-soap about the dirtbag men incarcerated in a prison).
Some interesting news from series star Kirk Acavedo - fan favourite series stars Dean Winters and Lee Tergesen will star in a short film sequel about life after Oz. Written by Oz writer/creator Tom Fontana and City On a Hill director Christoph Schrewe, the film Zo debuts on YouTube May 1.
That reboot of The Office is firming into becoming a reality. Over the weekend we got news that two cast members have been attached - Sabrina Impacciatore from season 2 of The White Lotus and Domhnall Gleeson. Yeah, alright. Read: Variety
Giancarlo Esposito, an actor you know from Breaking Bad and a hundred different movies and shows since his big Breaking Bad cultural break-through, says he once considered hiring someone to murder him so his insurance would provide financial support for his family. Read: Indiewire
Rick Eid is stepping down as showrunner of FBI after a six season run. What new thing will he be doing? This is the kind-of odd thing… he’ll just be focusing on the second show (!!!!????!!!!) he has also been showrunning - Law & Order. Read: THR
Following, lets politely call them recent controversies, Australian public affairs show 7News Spotlight is seeking a new producer. Read: TV Tonight It may be unrelated, but I note that former Sunrise/’McKnight Tonight’/Wake Up/Studio 10 producer Rob McKnight (who has been doing some work on the show this past year) has just updated his Linkedin profile with a producer role for Seven…
The Writers Guild Of America has reached a tentative agreement with Sesame Workshop, avoiding strike action. Read: Variety
As was mostly expected following recent pick-ups and renewals, CBS formalised the cancellation of CSI: Vegas and So Help Me Todd. Is this the death of the CSI franchise? Read: Deadline
An long-lost important piece of TV memorabilia was discovered recently. Last seen in 1979, the original model of the starship Enterprise from the 60s Star Trek show has been found. Eugene Roddenberry Jr. promises to restore it and get it into a museum. Read: NYT
That’s the newsletter for today.
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