Welcome to Episode 116 of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter‘s TV podcast.
Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executive and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).
This week’s five topics are:
1. CBS stability.
Following a wave of final season announcements, CBS this week locked up Mark Harmon for another season of NCIS and picked up four other procedurals for the 2021-22 season. This segment looks at the network’s schedule so far and what still remains on the bubble. Plus an eventful week for broadcast news divisions.
2. Streaming Wars update.
Who is winning the streaming wars? It’s increasingly hard to tell. This segment takes a look at the major streamers’ subscriber totals and while Amazon surpassed a major milestone this week, it’s unclear just how many of those subscribers actually watch Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or any other original series or films.
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3. Bachelor update.
THR‘s Bachelor Nation expert and East Coast managing editor Jackie Strause joins the show this week to break down Colton Underwood’s coming out and what it means for the franchise’s past, present and future — and why his next show will be on Netflix.
4. Showrunner Spotlight.
This week, we’re joined by Sierra Teller Ornelas, a broadcast comedy veteran who makes her showrunning debut with Peacock comedy Rutherford Falls. The comedy, starring Ed Helms and Jana Schmieding, marks a breakthrough for Native representation onscreen and in the writers room. Ornelas, who is Navajo, opens up about how the Mike Schur-produced comedy came together, the first time she saw herself on television and television’s Native stereotypes that need to end.
5. Critic’s Corner.
As usual, every episode ends with Dan’s guide to what to watch (or skip) in the week ahead. This week, he offers reviews of HBO’s Mare of Easttown, Disney+’s Big Shot and Amazon’s Frank of Ireland.
Hear it all now on TV’s Top 5. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode. (Reviews welcome!) You can also email us with any topics or Mailbag questions you’d like to be addressed in future episodes at TVsTop5@THR.com.
Coming next week: We are joined by Eric Heisserer for a Showrunner Spotlight interview about Netflix’s Shadow and Bone.