TV Break: August 2023 - Heartstopper’s S2 Swoons; Special Ops: Lioness Lowers The Bar; AMPTP Refuses to Return To Table w/ WGA, SAG-AFTRA; & AEW Collision Continues to Impress

Welcome to TV Break, where Pop Break’s Podcasts Editor
Alex Marcus is joined by editor-in-chief Bill Bodkin, and TV
Columnist Josh Sarnecky to talk about the happenings in
television.


Here’s the format of the show:


The Best Thing I Saw on TV Last Month – Alex,
Bill, & Josh talk about a show/episode/event they liked from
the last month including MAX’s Harley Quinn, Hulu’s Futurama
& Reservation Dogs, FX’s What We Do In The Shadows, HBO’s How
To with John Wilson, AppleTV+’s The Afterparty, Netflix’s
Heartstopper, Disney Plus’s Bluey, TNT’s AEW Collision, &
Crunchyroll’s The Master Cat Is Depressed Again + Reborn As A
Vending Machine Now I Wonder The Dungeon.


News Break – Alex, Bill, and Josh break down the
latest on the WGA & SAG-AFTRA strikes and the AMPTP’s
intransigence, including a breakdown of ⁠the recent
WGA/AMPTP meeting and how it all fell apart⁠. If you
would like to support the Hollywood community who are enduring a
financial hardship with no end in site thanks to the studio’s
refusal to negotiate, please donate to the ⁠Entertainment
Community Fund⁠.


Streaming Wars – Alex, Bill, & Josh pick a
streamer they think “won the month” based on new shows
airing/upcoming shows announced etc. Bill returned from his
Parisian vacation with nothing but raves for Netflix thanks to
their 5.2 million new subs this quarter, their well received
series Quarterback & Heartstopper, and their upcoming One
Piece live action remake. He also has some mixed feelings about
⁠Suits’s recent success on the streamer⁠.


Meanwhile, Josh makes the case for Hulu after The Bear’s second
season takes a victory lap, they debut hit shows such as
Justified: City of Primeval, What We Do In The Shadows, Futurama,
and Reservation Dog, and they air the long awaited Bleach: One
Thousand Years Blood War.


Finally, Alex surprises by handing the victory to Peacock, thanks
to debuting hit films like Super Mario Bros & Asteroid City,
airing English Premier League Soccer & the Women’s World Cup
Spanish language telecast, gaining traction with their WWE
content, and adding 2 million more subs.


New Series Spotlight – Alex, Bill, & Josh
review Paramount Plus’s ⁠Special Ops: Lioness⁠,
Taylor Sheridan’s newest star studded series, this time starring
Zoe Saldana, Morgan Freedman & Nicole Kidman, in addition to
Laysla De Oliviera, LaMonica Garrett, among others. The series
follows Saldana’s character as she grapples with the recent loss
of an asset in the field.