Let’s jump right into things here. Earlier this week saw the event that the comic industry had been awaiting: the auction for the assets of Diamond Comic Distributors. Comic journalists sure got a lot of hits from that whole saga, and the rumor mill was buzzing. The best of the batch was that Todd McFarlane – maker of toys, lover of balls, and drawer of Spawn – would make a play for some, if not all, of the company. After all, the addition of Diamond Select Toys would be a boon for his own toy company, but it would also be pretty symbolic that one of the co-founders of Image – the one-time Bad Boys of the Comic Industry – would snatch up the industry’s primary distribution channel.
Sadly, however, these rumors would prove to be just that. Instead, the company was purchased by Alliance Entertainment, which is a preexisting distribution company that deals in books and media. They felt it would be a good investment, though they have issues with how the comic industry currently operates. For example, they see more of a profit being turned by focusing on collections of a higher price point than that of monthly comics. Also, it doesn’t seem like they even really knew the scope of everything they were bidding on, as the CEO was surprised to learn he had also acquired Diamond’s San Diego Comic-Con booth in the transaction. Anyway, I really wish I had something sexier and more salacious to report, but I guess everything can’t be Watergate.
Over in the world of TV, there’s a story that’s been reported this week that’s framed totally wrong. CBS canceled their late night show, After Midnight, and they’re citing host Taylor Tomlinson’s desire to focus on her stand-up career as the reason. Apparently, the grind of a late night show was keeping her from other opportunities. OK, fine. Best of luck to ya, Taylor. But why is CBS cancelling the entire show?!
The creation of After Midnight was already a messy affair, as CBS was looking for a low-cost replacement for The Late Late Show with James Corden. They looked to the former Comedy Central show @midnight, and retooled it into After Midnight, yet did all the necessary work to distance it enough to not have to acknowledge (READ: PAY) the @midnight folks. It was highly publicized when they hired Tomlinson, as women in late night were rare, so she was seen as something of a “big deal” despite the fact she’d be hosting a “preaching to the choir” (comedian talking to comedians) game show, with no real major network competition. But, Yay Women in Late Night! The driving force of the show, though, was that it was cheap to produce. They just called up any LA-based standups and they had their panel. That’s why I don’t understand why it has to go away simply because Tomlinson wants to leave. Give it to one of those LA-based comics. Ron Funches would be fine. Or maybe another comedian who needs to rehab their image. Tomlinson doesn’t even have a producer credit, so why is her decision killing the show?
There are very few shows where the host is the show. Family Feud would survive after Steve Harvey, after a lengthy hiatus. Yes, he put his stamp on the show, and he’s its longest standing host, but he’s also Host #6. We thought there was no Jeopardy! without Alex Trebek, yet we’ve had THREE hosts since his passing. So, I really don’t get the approach CBS is taking with its messaging, as I’ve seen a few minutes of the show here and there, and I wouldn’t say it’s anywhere close to “Taylor Tomlinson Presents After Midnight“.
At the end of the day, we know the truth: CBS came in with a low number and Tomlinson realized she could make more elsewhere. On an already cheap show, they tried to go cheaper, and she walked. Yet, “One man’s trash…” There’s another LA comic out there looking for their big shot. Meanwhile, the trades are writing how this is another sign that “late night TV is dead”. It is and it isn’t. Some folks have figured it out. We don’t live in the Johnny Carson era anymore, but Colbert and The Jimmys have figured it out. I’d just love to know the arrangement that everyone struck where CBS convinced Tomlinson to take the fall for the whole thing falling apart. They’re basically telling some union key grip “Sorry, but we gotta let ya go. Tomlinson want’s to headline The Funnybone in Tampa.”
Trailer Park
Rust (Theaters & On Demand, May 2)
Well, a woman died for this. In all honesty, I was fully prepared to shit on this, as I felt it was in poor taste to release it, given the circumstances surrounding it. As far as I was concerned, it could go into that vault with the unreleased Batgirl and that Jerry Lewis Nazi clown movie. That said, I was expecting far worse. It always seemed like such a low budget, mismanaged affair, that I thought we would get something on the level of a Syfy Original. Not so! Plus, this looks a lot better than that Kevin Costner passion project that made him leave Yellowstone. It’s not gonna win any awards or anything, but I think fans of Westerns might be pleasantly pleased.
Run The Numbers
I didn’t move the needle too much this week. I’m adjusting to a new schedule, so reading took a backseat. I read a few issues of The Immortal Thor, and my opinion stands: Love the character interactions, but couldn’t care less about the overarching plot.
Things You Might Have Missed This Week
- It was confirmed that Tiger Woods is currently dating Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Don Jr. I preferred when he was dipping his wick in Waffle House waitresses, but I’m a simple man.
- So, everybody’s coming back for the Disney+ Malcolm in the Middle revival except one family member, and it’s surprisingly not the Masterson boy. No, the character of Dewey has been recast, since Erik Per Sullivan has seemingly quit acting.
- Morris Chestnut’s Watson has been renewed for a second season, meaning more people were eager to watch a black, Sherlock-less Dr. Watson than I would have imagined.
- Former Sony Pictures chairwoman Amy Pascal has signed on to produce the next James Bond film for Amazon MGM.
- After a really long livestream, Marvel Studios announced the cast for next year’s Avengers: Doomsday. And guess what? All the folks you’d assume were gonna appear in the next Avengers movie are confirmed to appear in the next Avengers movie! We all know the most important appearances won’t be announced. As it should be.
- Netflix has ordered a live action Scooby-Doo series, chronicling the origin of how Mystery, Inc. got together. Hey, can’t be any worse than Velma, right?
- Speaking of Velma, former live action Scooby costar Linda Cardellini has been cast as the lead in Crystal Lake, the Friday The 13th prequel series set at Peacock.
- After airing its TBS finale earlier this week, there are reports that American Dad will be returning to Fox with new episodes. This move leaves TBS with no more scripted original programming, but also means the show will have to scale back a few things to adhere to Fox Standards & Practices.
- In a surprise to no one, Severance was renewed for a third season, immediately after releasing its second season finale.
Regular readers of the site are familiar with the After Lunch Podcast by this point. Rising from the ashes of the Nerd Lunch Podcast, Michael, Rob, Pax, and Evan carry on the tradition set by the original NL3 (has that been trademarked yet?), and consistently provide a great show on everything, from old pulp heroes to the Fast and the Furious franchise. Some of their best work, however, is when they’ve got to stretch their imagination and come up with ideas for things that don’t actually exist, be it TV shows or promotional menus at chain restaurants. Well, this week’s release was just such an episode, as they each had to create an Unlikely Sitcom. Basically, one member of the group would provide a random pop culture figure to another member, and they’d have to come up with a sitcom idea, as well as the era in which that show would air. I LOVED THIS, and all of their ideas were concepts that could actually work. I had some thoughts, so I thought I’d let you guys in on them:
Guest Tim came up with an 80s sitcom starring famed TV painter Bob Ross, where his sister dies, leaving her teenage son in his care. Ross moves to the city to take care of “Gio”, discovering his nephew’s something of an artist himself. There’s also the wacky landlord character, who brings flavor to the show. I believe Tim called it “Little Trees, Big City”. I loved this, and all I could think was that Giovanni Ribisi would have to be Gio. This definitely would have been an 80s CBS sitcom where there was one season, and you’d only hear about it when you find old issues of TV Guide.
Guest (and Nerd Lunch founder) CT came up with a 90s sitcom starring The Cure’s Robert Smith, where a witness production mix-up leads to him being placed in a black neighborhood, where he has to work as a veterinarian. CT’s pitch was pretty robust, in that he even cast all the roles with actors of the time. I’ll admit he had actually discussed this with me when he was fleshing it out, and I thought it was exactly the sort of thing NBC would have given a shot in their post-Cosby Show struggles. My only suggestion was that he add a new character in a midseason “retool”, to be played by career teenager Bumper Robinson. You don’t know his name, but trust me when I say you know Bumper Robinson.
Rob came up with the 70s sitcom “Nellie”, starring Willie Nelson. I don’t even want to spoil the thought process that went into this one. You’re just going to have to listen. This is the one that I could definitely see happening, but it would simply be called Willie, and it would only last one season because of messy contracts and an evil executive left over from the Rural Purge.
Finally, Michael came up with a show starring Theresa Caputo, better known as the Long Island Medium. Since Michael loves historical fare, his show would be produced in the present day, but set in old England. In fact, Caputo would be a compatriot of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and she would be the lone actual medium in a sea of charlatans. He recommended her nemesis be played by comedian Gina Yashere, who would be a rival medium who hasn’t got the goods. In the arc described, however, it seemed like the two might be allies, if not friends, before long. So, I actually had another villain suggestion: Will Arnett, in his Will Arnettiest. He’d basically be playing G.O.B. from Arrested Development, but you need that chauvinistic energy that he brought as the villain in 30 Rock, mixed with the showmanship of G.O.B. He’s gonna take over the show, in Urkel-like fashion, but Michael’s objective was for Caputo to eventually sort of take a backseat anyway, and this is one way to do it.
Anyway, this was such a great thought exercise, and I was playing along in my car while listening. After all, it’s a lot like the Show Doctors portion of Remember That Show? (found wherever you find fine podcasts), only they’re starting with a clean slate. More of these, please! You definitely need to go listen to the full episode now! Anyway, for absolutely making my week, After Lunch Podcast had the West Week Ever.
