We know that summer is over because the kids are back in school, but also because the Television Critics summer press tour has finally wrapped. From a TV business perspective, it's been an interesting summer -- the number of shows continues to grow, which may be part of the reason ratings for the Olympics were down this year. One show not many people were watching was Larry Wilmore's The Nightly Show on Comedy Central. The network canceled the show after 18 months. It's a troublesome time at the Viacom-owned network as they continue to struggle following a massive talent drain. Also, two of last year's buzziest cable shows, Mr. Robot and UnReal had less-impressive second seasons. Sonia Saraiya thinks Mr. Robot can still be saved, but says UnReal messed up big time. And with all that's out there, are enough people interested in niche streaming services like SeeSo or Crackle to make them viable in the long term?
End of Show downloads:
- Sonia: Donald Glover is great in the new FX series Atlanta. The network has made a commitment to have 50% of its directors be women and people of color.
- Joe: If the election is making you crazy, consider "consciously uncoupling" from campaign coverage...but just for a few days.
- Mike: A show custom-made for Mike! Friends from College is about friends who went to college together and are now in their 40's and grappling with life's disappointments. It's coming to Netflix...at some point. Production starts in the fall.