TV history is being made in an otherwise quiet TV week
Who knew The Simpsons could do something new 36 years-in.
Christmas is a huge deal on TV. In the UK it is the biggest viewing night of the year. And in the lead-up to Christmas we are all familiar with our favourite movies and kids cartoons and TV specials getting trotted out to watch and re-watch.
And if you’re not watching TV, there’s drinks with friends and colleagues, dinners, and last moment Christmas gift & grocery shopping.
Here in Australia, TV isn’t that much of a concern around Christmas. It’s too hot and we’re too full with European traditional Christmas winter food to do much other than roll around in a sweaty mess.
All of this is to say that the week before Christmas, TV schedulers know there isn’t a huge amount of interest in new programs demanding your attention.
It’s genuinely strange that Paramount+ is launching the Dexter prequel series at a time where it is hard to build much momentum behind an ongoing series going out week to week. I guess they’re betting on word of mouth around Christmas tables…?
Reviews for the US adaptation of Aussie comedy Laid have been pretty mixed. I’m keen to press play.
Notably, Disney+ has Christmas special The Simpsons: O C'mon All Ye Faithful. It’s actually a two-parter from the show, representing the 10th and 11th episodes of the 36th season. Why is that notable? These are the first ever episodes from the weekly run of the show that have debuted away from the Fox network. They will be considered part of the standard syndicated package of the show going forward, but the first-run is all on the streamer.
Strike (s06), The Dragon Prince (s07), Virgin River (s06), Die Hart (s03), The Manny (s02)
Dexter: Original Sin - Paramount+
Stars: Patrick Gibson, Molly Brown, Christian Slater, Sarah Michelle-Gellar
A young Dexter Morgan transitions into an avenging serial killer.
Laid - Peacock [US] | Binge [AUS]
Stars: Stephanie Hsu, Zosia Mamet, Michael Angarano and Tommy Martinez
A woman finds out her former lovers are dying in unusual ways and must go back through her sex timeline to confront her past in order to move forward.
Beast Games - Prime Video
Stars: Mr Beast
One thousand contestants compete in physical, mental and social challenges, for a chance to win a five million dollar cash prize. Contestants use their strength and wit to stay in the game, with the hope of being the multi-million-dollar winner.
Fast Friends - Max
Stars: Whitney Cummings
Fans compete in trivia, puzzles and games filmed at recreated sets from the sitcom.
The Six Triple Eight - Netflix
Stars: Kerry Washington, Oprah Winfrey
Eight hundred and fifty-five join the war effort to address a three-year mail backlog. Despite discrimination and war-torn conditions, they sort over seventeen million pieces of mail ahead of schedule.
Ferry 2 - Netflix
Stars: Frank Lammers, Huub Smit, Aiko Mila Beemsterboer, Tobias Kersloot
After losing his drug empire, Ferry Bouman has found a measure of peace away from Brabant's criminal underworld - until his past catches up to him.
Umjolo: Day Ones - Netflix
Stars: Trix Vivier, Sibusisiwe Jili, Khumbulani Kay Sibiya, Menzi Biyela
Zanele and Andile have been best friends since day one. But now that Andile is married with kids, Zanele is left uncertain about the future of their relationship.
That’s the TV listings newsletter for this week.
Supporters of the newsletter receive it on Friday or Saturday. Those receiving it for free get it on the Sunday afternoon. That’s capitalism, baby!
If you found the email useful, forward it on to a friend.
Connect with Dan on Bluesky. Connect with Dan Barrett on Threads. Connect with Dan on Letterboxd. Connect with Dan on Linkedin.