Around the Tubes: December 21, 2024

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post includes blurbs on A Thousand Blows, The Wayans Bros., Dumb and Dumber, Bingo Blitz, Elton John, Glass Animals, The Scarlet Opera, Kelli Belles, FIBA, and Gilmore Girls.

- Three lives collide in a defiant fight to survive.  From “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight, “A Thousand Blows” is set in the perilous world of illegal boxing in 1880s Victorian London and based on little explored real-life characters with incredible stories.  The six-episode first season will premiere on Friday, February 21, 2025 on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.  Inspired by the true life stories of a group of characters battling for survival in the brutal East End of London in the 1880s. Hezekiah Moscow and Alec Munroe, best friends on the run from Jamaica, find themselves thrust into the criminal underbelly of London’s thriving bare-knuckle boxing scene. As Hezekiah finds fortune and fame through the art of pugilism, he attracts the attention of the infamous Queen of the Forty Elephants, Mary Carr, who sets about exploiting his talents to further her criminal enterprise. Meanwhile the menacing and self-declared emperor of the East End boxing world, Sugar Goodson, determines to destroy Hezekiah whose ambitions to fight in the West End threatens everything he has built. What ensues is a battle of the old world against the new.

- Fans of the groundbreaking 90s sitcom The Wayans Bros. can now relive the laughs and unforgettable moments when Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment brings The Wayans Bros.: The Complete Series to DVD for the first time ever on February 4, 2025. The DVD set includes 101 episodes from all five seasons. Pre-order your copy today.  Premiering in 1995, The Wayans Bros. quickly became a fan favorite with its hilarious mix of family dynamics, quirky characters, and memorable one-liners. Following the misadventures of two distinctly different brothers sharing an apartment in New York City, the series was a cultural touchstone for '90s television blending physical humor, clever wit, and heartfelt moments.  The Wayans Bros. was created by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Leslie Ray, and David Steven Simon. The production companies involved were BabyWay Productions, Next to Last Productions, and Warner Bros. Television. The executive producers varied by season, including Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore in the first season, Rick Hawkins in the second season, and Phil Kellard & Tom Moore from the third to the fifth season.

- What better way to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of Dumb and Dumber than catching up on the animated series inspired by the iconic theatrical film.  For Harry and Lloyd, every day is a no-brainer! Based on the hit 1994 comedy starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, this animated series from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon craftsmen follows the ongoing misadventures of Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne as they fall into funny and funnier mishaps with their pet purple beaver, Kitty.  Available now for purchase digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango at Home and more.

 - Game Show Network, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, has announced Valerie Bertinelli as the host of BINGO BLITZ®, a new show based on the world’s most popular free to play Bingo app*, Bingo Blitz. The half-hour original series is scheduled to premiere Spring 2025.  In the BINGO BLITZ game show on Game Show Network, two contestants compete in a dynamic blend of trivia and bingo. The ultimate game of knowledge, strategy and luck, contestants answer trivia to earn bingo balls and points. In addition to numbered bingo balls, players also receive gold balls they can strategically place on their cards to increase their chances of making a bingo. Bingos earn the players bonus points, and special ‘power-ups’ on the players’ cards earn them extra points, bingo balls and prizes. After three rounds, the player with the highest score advances to the fast-action Blitz round, where making a bingo in 60 seconds or less awards them $10,000.

- Elton John today unveils a brand new video for his Triple Platinum-certified Christmas classic, “Step Into Christmas,” available to watch now on YouTube here. The new video reimagines what it was like behind the scenes for the now iconic original 1973 visual, starring British actress and model Cara Delevingne as Elton.  Over 50 years after Elton’s classic performance, the gloriously kitsch new video finds the video production team frantically trying to get the set ready for his arrival as they attempt to make it “Christmassy enough.” Despite the addition of a festive feather boa, balloons, and confetti, chaos reigns as they wrangle an escaped turkey, fail to book a real reindeer, and tackle a deranged fan who storms the set, all whilst Cara brilliantly mirrors Elton’s choicest dance moves and iconic facial expressions from the original video.  Watch "Step Into Christmas" HERE

- On their colossal “Tour Of Earth,” record-breaking British band Glass Animals performed at arenas and amphitheatres across North America, but none was more breathtaking than Washington’s The Gorge, where the band played to 30,000 fans. Known as one of the best outdoor venues in the world and described by songwriter, producer, and lead singer Dave Bayley as “a remote, alien landscape,” it was the perfect real-life-movie-set to record “A Tear in Space (Airlock)” live, taken from Glass Animals’ critically acclaimed, UK Top 5, fourth studio album, I Love You So F***ing Much.  WATCH “A TEAR IN SPACE (LIVE AT THE GORGE)” HERE

- Rising Los Angeles band The Scarlet Opera releases a colorful and kitschy music video for their recent cover of Belinda Carlisle’s 1987 classic “Heaven Is A Place On Earth”—watch HERE.  The video was directed by Alexa Cha and edited by Justin Moon. On the inspiration behind it, frontman Luka Bazulka shares, “The goal was simple, to have a very good time. I think at first we tossed around the idea of having a little glass menagerie of the boys for me to break in this elaborate set, but the budget permitted us puppets and a green screen instead—and thank goodness.”

- Rising country artist Kelli Belles (Belles) releases her new single “Trust Issues”. The exuberant track is available across all streaming platforms now, listen here.  “Trust Issues” delves into the complexities of feeling doubt and insecurity in a relationship, especially when the person seems “too good to be true.” Written by Kelli Belles, Nell Maynard, and Cassidy Best and produced by Sam Grow, the song shines light on past emotional scars and patterns from old relationships and how they can distort new ones, often leading to the misguided attempt to fix someone rather than accepting them for who they truly are.

- FIBA is delighted to announce it has partnered with the All Women’s Sports Network (AWSN), the first global women's sports channel, to broadcast the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series 2025 and 2026 live to audiences around the world. The Women's Series is FIBA 3x3's premier competition dedicated to the world's best female basketball players, with each team representing a National Federation or a commercial team.   The global partnership will see the fast-paced action of the next two seasons of the Women’s Series broadcast live and on delay across the USA, Mexico, India, Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The channel will also be live on AWSN’s carrier partners, including the USA, India, UAE, and the Philippines.

- I smell snow -- and Stars Hollow on Hulu!  You bring the Luke's Diner coffee, we'll bring all 153 episodes of Amy Sherman-Palladino's beloved drama, now available to stream.  Gilmore Girls: Complete Series.  Welcome to Stars Hollow, Connecticut, a charming, small and slightly off-center town known for green lawns, clapboard houses--and enough quirky characters to fill every hayride, parade and picnic for miles. It's here that we meet headstrong 32-year-old Lorelai Gilmore, who carves out a comfortable, warm, caffeine-filled life for herself and her equally willful teenage daughter, Rory. But when Rory's attention turns from dreams of private school and Harvard to thoughts of boys and adolescent self-reliance, single mom Lorelai begins noticing more of her own rebellious youth--only 16 years ago--in Rory.

View From the Peak - Everything Coming to Paramount+ in January 2025

 

We're counting down to 2025, and our top resolution for the new year is to bring you even more of the world's best collection of shows, films and live events to stream. The new year brings new adventures on Paramount+ including the premiere of the action-packed original movie Star Trek: Section 31 starring Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh; Henry Danger: The Movie based on the hit Nickelodeon live-action series; and CBS winter premieres, including new medical mystery drama Watson starring Morris Chestnut and the game show Hollywood Squares starring Drew Barrymore as the "center square" and host Nate Burleson. Football fans can also catch all the action on the field with the NFL ON CBS' coverage of the NFL Playoffs including Super Wild Card and AFC Divisional Round matchups, and the 2025 AFC Championship Game set for January 26.   For a closer look at all the entertainment coming to Paramount+ in January, check out the latest edition of View From the Peak.

LOOK AHEAD

As we step into a new year, we are reflecting on the unforgettable content and programming that defined the past year on Paramount+. From record-breaking originals and live events, to box-office hits continuing their momentum on the service and so much more - we have delivered world-class content to our growing audiences around the globe. We sat down with Jeff Grossman, EVP of Programming at Paramount+, to hear more about the peak moments from this past year and some of the exciting projects coming to Paramount+ in 2025.  Q: Looking back at the past year, how did Paramount+ leverage tentpole moments such as Super Bowl LVIII to reach new audiences? There were several "peaks" this year where our series, movies and live events reinforced our position as a top global streaming service. Super Bowl LVIII was a huge moment for the brand that we leveraged to drive sign ups. We delivered the most-streamed Super Bowl in history following a record-breaking NFL season on Paramount+, and strategically programmed the premiere of new original series such as Halo and CBS's Tracker to drive subsequent engagement with the service.  With more SpongeBob SquarePants content than any other streaming service, Paramount+ also served as the streaming destination for the franchise's 25th anniversary. We celebrated the occasion with a refreshed SpongeBob Universe collection and debuted a new season of the original series Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, as well as seasonal specials Kreepaway Kamp and SpongeBob & Sandy's Country Christmas to keep fans engaged. Paramount+ also saw a spike when it premiered the highly-anticipated, final seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, Evil and Seal Team.  And, lastly it has been a stellar year for post-theatrical releases on Paramount+. A Quiet Place: Day One is the #1 most-watched post-theatrical release on the service and during its initial theatrical run we saw a 264% lift* in the Quiet Place franchise. We just premiered Smile 2 on the service, which not only complements our horror-genre collection but also drove a 359% increase* in consumption of the first Smile movie.  Q: Paramount+ has been on fire this fall. What was the programming strategy for the back half of the year? We're definitely closing the year in a position of strength. Our teams did incredible work to elevate CBS fall programming including returning hits Tracker, Elsbeth, Ghosts and Fire Country and new show premieres like Matlock. Tracker and Matlock continue to deliver huge multiplatform audiences. Across platforms* Tracker is TV's #1 show overall, averaging 18.2 million viewers per episode, and Matlock is TV's #1 new series with 16.9 million per episode.  We also rolled out record-breaking Paramount+ originals this fall with second seasons of Tulsa King and Lioness as well as the new star-studded series Landman. The Agency, from Oscar-winning actor and producer, George Clooney, debuted at the end of last month, and most recently we premiered the highly anticipated Dexter: Original Sin. We unlocked all eight seasons of the original Dexter series for our Essential tier so subscribers could experience the series that started it all or rewatch it ahead of the new series.  In combination with the NFL ON CBS, NCAA and UEFA, these high-caliber series are propelling the service to new heights, and we're also leveraging editorial collections like 'Tis the Season for Streaming' to drive deeper engagement with our diverse show and movie library.  Q: Looking to early 2025, what are you most excited about? We have several major series returning with new seasons in the early part of the year including Yellowjackets, 1923 and School Spirits, and there is programming throughout the year tailored to our subscribers by audience segment. As we continue to learn more through data and insights, we're also evolving our approach to our slate and to our library - so 2025 promises to be another strong year for Paramount+. *Paramount+ BI Internal. A Quiet Place: Day One franchise impact compared to the post 21-daily avg. vs. pre 21-daily avg. Active Sub HHs. Smile 2 franchise impact compared to the post 7-daily avg. vs. pre 21-daily avg. Active Sub HHs.  **VideoAmp, CBS Research Estimates and Internal Streaming data on Paramount+ and CBS TVE (CBS.com and the CBS app) through 11/3/24.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Michelle Yeoh in Star Trek: Section 31   Get ready for another epic adventure to join the expansive Star Trek collection available on Paramount+. The all-new original movie Star Trek: Section 31 kicks up the galactic action to a whole new level. Michelle Yeoh reprises her fan-favorite role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou - a character she played in the hit series Star Trek: Discovery - who joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past. Ahead of the premiere, we chatted with the film's director Olatunde Osunsanmi to hear more about what audiences can expect when this awesome group of misfits, led by Georgiou (Yeoh), face a threat unlike anything Starfleet has ever seen.  With Star Trek: Section 31 being the first movie in the expanded universe made for streaming on Paramount+, what can fans expect in terms of the stakes of this group's mission?  We tried to come out and go big. Big stakes emotionally, big stakes for the characters in our story. In comparison to many other series that have come in this era (because we all love to compare!), the stakes are as profound as any that we've seen, but with a particular character driven twist that I hope will surprise and delight people who watch the movie.  In the film, Michelle Yeoh's character (Emperor Philippa Georgiou) must confront the sins of her past in order to accomplish their mission. What can you share about her journey in this film and reuniting with Michelle to bring this fun, complex character back? Part of what makes this movie so unique is that it is tied inextricably to Georgiou. She's got a fantastic backstory, which is epic in its breadth. It spans time and space in ways that most characters don't have the opportunity to explore - like Christmas morning presents for our audience. Having the opportunity to work with Michelle again has been pure, unmitigated joy. However amazing you think it might be to work with her, multiply it by ten, and you will then understand the feeling!  What are you most excited for audiences to see in this new film (without giving any spoilers)? I’m excited for viewers to experience a hard-hitting, action-packed and emotional journey through a part of the Star Trek Universe that hasn't been explored before. It's a new flavor of ice cream, another color of the rainbow that is a fresh fit in this universe. And that crucially, requires no prior knowledge of Star Trek to get into it. You can hop right in, understand everything that's going on, and go for the ride. Experience all the action when Star Trek: Section 31 lands exclusively on Paramount+ January 24.

WATCH THE TRAILER

HIGH SCORE

NFL Players C.J. Stroud, Josh Allen and Travis Kelce Gear up football fans! In January, the high-stakes battle to win-or-go-home begins with the NFL ON CBS' coverage of the NFL Playoffs. This upcoming postseason, the NFL ON CBS features Super Wild Card and AFC Divisional Round matchups, and concludes with the 2025 AFC Championship Game set for Sunday, January 26. NFL ON CBS' coverage of the NFL Playoff games airs live on your local CBS station, and streams live on Paramount+. And the action won't end there. The UEFA Champions League concludes the inaugural edition of the new League Phase with Matchday 7 on January 21-22 and the decisive Matchday 8 on January 29. All 36 clubs play on Matchday 8, with 18 matches kicking off simultaneously at 3:00 PM ET, on Paramount+ to see who advances to the Play-Off Round.

DID YOU KNOW?

Alex Shimizu, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Patrick Gibson in Dexter: Original Sin All eight seasons of Dexter are now unlocked for Paramount+ Essential plan subscribers just in time for the new prequel series Dexter: Original Sin on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME. Essential subscribers can catch up or revisit the original Dexter series that started it all at no additional cost.  This year, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service lands on January 20. As the nation takes the day off to reflect, Paramount+ subscribers can learn more about MLK's contributions to the Civil Rights Movement by streaming films like Selma, MLK: The Assassination Tapes and the Paramount+ original documentary Becoming King. As a reminder, members of the press are eligible for a complimentary subscription to Paramount+ with SHOWTIME for access to our expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre. Send a note to press@paramountplus.com to sign up today.

★  BACK TO TOP  ★

STREAMING SOON

Morris Chestnut in CBS Original Series Watson   Get ready for an exciting lineup of CBS winter premieres** this January. Paramount+ subscribers can stream new series Hollywood Squares and Watson, plus the return of The Price is Right at Night, Raid the Cage and NCIS: Sydney. And the bubbles will keep flowing into the new year as Hollywood comes together for the ultimate celebration of the best in film and television at the 82nd Annual Golden Globes** airing Sunday, January 5, hosted by comedian and actress Nikki Glaser.

ORIGINALS, EXCLUSIVES, PREMIERES & EVENTS 1/1 Murder Company* In the midst of the D-Day invasion, a group of displaced US soldiers are given orders to rescue and escort a member of the French resistance behind enemy lines to assassinate a high-value Nazi target.  1/1 Slingshot* An astronaut struggles to maintain his grip on reality aboard a possibly compromised mission to Saturn's moon, Titan.  1/17 Henry Danger: The Movie premiere  Henry Danger meets a superfan, eager to fight crime with Kid Danger, who comes into possession of a device that can open up alternate realities. Facing a wild ride, Henry will need his best friend Jasper and his new superfan sidekick to find his way out or be stuck in another dimension forever.   1/24 Star Trek: Section 31 premiere  Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh reprises her fan-favorite role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou – a character she played in Star Trek: Discovery's first season – who joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past.  LIBRARY SHOWS January 5 The Golden Globe Awards** January 8 Raid the Cage (season 2)** The Price is Right at Night** January 9 Hollywood Squares** January 15 Danger Force (season 3) Matlock (1986, seasons 1-9) January 22 Isle of MTV: Malta (2024 special) Help! I’m in a Secret Relationship (season 3) January 26 Watson** January 29 The Tiny Chef Show (season 2) January 31 NCIS: Sydney (season 2)** LIBRARY MOVIES Feeling the post-holiday blues? Never fear! Paramount+ has added an epic lineup of movies to its library to kick off your new year. Whether you feel like cozying up to watch one of your favorite romances like Crazy, Stupid, Love., Chocolat, or Footloose (2011) or would rather watch edge-of-your-seat chills and thrills like Poltergeist, Fatal Attraction, Paranormal Activity (films 1-4), or Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones - you don't want to miss out on all the binge-worthy content coming in January. January 1 2 Days In The Valley 40 Days and 40 Nights A Crime on the Bayou A Dog's Purpose A Night At The Roxbury A.C.O.D. Adventureland Agent Game* Allied Almost Famous  Amistad An Officer and a Gentleman Arrival Barbarella  Basic Instinct Becky* Best Defense Big Jake Black Noise Book Club Boomerang  Bounce  Breakdown Buddy Games Chinatown Chocolat Citizen Ruth  Clear and Present Danger Cold Mountain  Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind Cop Land Crawlspace Crazy, Stupid, Love.  Cursed Dark Asset Death Wish  Dirty Pretty Things Domestic Disturbance  Don't Look Now Down To You  Downsizing  Drillbit Taylor Drive Angry* Drop Zone  Ella Enchanted Emma (1996) Face/Off Fatal Attraction Final Destination First Blood Florence Foster Jenkins Focus Footloose (2011) Forces of Nature  Foxfire Frida Good Boy Good Mourning* Halloween VIII: Resurrection Heaven Can Wait House of Sand and Fog Imagine That Indecent Proposal Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa .5 Unrated  Judgement Night  Just a Kiss K-19: The Widowmaker Kinky Boots Kiss The Girls Labor Day Labyrinth Lady of the Manor* Like a Boss Mr. Malcom's List  Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult  Nightwatch Paid in Full  Panama* Paper Moon Paranormal Activity Paranormal Activity 2 Paranormal Activity 3 Paranormal Activity 4 Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones Patriot Games Pet Sematary II Poltergeist Rabbit-Proof Fence Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown Rambo III Rambo: First Blood Part II Red Eye  Revolutionary Road Rosemary's Baby Run & Gun Santa Stole Our Dog! Scary Movie  Scary Movie 2 Seabiscuit Searching For Bobby Fischer Sherlock Gnomes Shutter Island  Sidewalks Of New York Silence Slingshot  Snake Eyes Some Kind of Wonderful Stardust  Staying Alive Strictly Ballroom  Tales From the Darkside: The Movie  Tammy's Always Dying* The Addams Family (1991) The Aviator The Conversation  The Crow The Crow: City of Angels The Crow: Wicked Prayer  The Doors  The First Wives Club The Gambler The Honeymooners  The Hours The Hunter The Importance of Being Earnest  The Intervention  The Ladies Man The Long Kiss Goodnight The Longest Yard The Manchurian Candidate The Mechanic The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! The Night Clerk The Original Kings of Comedy The Peacemaker The Perfect Score The Pledge The Queens of Comedy The Romantics The Ruins  The Running Man The Score The Soloist The Spiderwick Chronicles The Switch The Talented Mr. Ripley The Three Amigos The Truman Show The Two Jakes The United States of Leland The Untouchables The Virgin Suicides The Wolf of Wall Street The Words The Yards There Will Be Blood Things We Lost In The Fire Three Days of the Condor Trainspotting Trekkies 2 Undisputed V for Vengeance Virtuosity Waking Up In Reno War* WifeLike Zeroville* Zodiac January 2 Step Up Revolution* January 4 80 for Brady January 8 Blippi's Big Dino Adventure Blippi's Out-of-this-World Space Adventure Blippi's Wonderful World Tour January 21 Long Gone Heroes January 26 Who's Your Caddy?* January 28 Killshot* Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon* January 29 The Land* January 31 A Murder in the Park* Good Kill* Manglehorn* The D Train* The Seven Five* SPORTS 1/1: EFL League One - Barnsley vs. Wrexham 1/1: EFL Championship - Leeds United vs. Blackburn Rovers 1/2: Supercoppa Italiana Semifinal - Inter vs. Atalanta 1/3: Supercoppa Italiana Semifinal - Juventus vs. AC Milan 1/4: EFL Championship - Blackburn Rovers vs. Burnley 1/4: NCAA Men's Basketball - North Carolina @ Notre Dame; Baylor @ Iowa State; San Diego State @ Boise State* 1/5: Serie A - Roma vs. Lazio  1/6: Supercoppa Italiana Final  1/11: Serie A - Torino vs. Juventus 1/11: NCAA Men's Basketball - San Diego State @ New Mexico* 1/11: Professional Bull Riders (PBR)* 1/11 or 11/12: NFL ON CBS - NFL Wild Card Game 1/12: Formula E* 1/18: NCAA Men's Basketball - Kansas State @ Kansas* 1/18 or 11/19: NFL ON CBS - AFC Divisional Playoff 1/19: Serie A - Juventus vs. AC Milan  1/19: NCAA Men's Basketball - Illinois @ Michigan State* 1/21-1/22: UEFA Champions League Matchday 7  1/21: UEFA Champions League - Liverpool vs. Lille 1/22: UEFA Champions League - PSG vs. Manchester City 1/23: UEFA Europa League Matchday 7 1/23: UEFA Europa League - Manchester United vs. Rangers 1/24-1/25: PGA TOUR - Farmers Insurance Open (Third and Final Round Coverage)* 1/25: NCAA Men's Basketball - Michigan State @ Rutgers* 1/26: NCAA Men's Basketball - Maryland @ Indiana* 1/26: Professional Bull Riders (PBR)* 1/26: NFL ON CBS - AFC Championship 1/29: UEFA Champions League - Matchday 8  1/29: UEFA Champions League - Barcelona vs. Atalanta  1/30: UEFA Europa League Matchday 8 Throughout January: Scottish Professional Football League competition  Throughout January: English Football League competition Throughout January: Serie A competition Throughout January: Coppa Italia Frecciarossa Round of 16 competition  * Title is available to Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers. **All Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers can live stream CBS titles via the live feed on Paramount+. Those titles will be available on-demand to all subscribers the day after they air live. Dates for library titles are subject to change. Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to CBS titles to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service as well as on-demand. Essential tier subscribers have access to these titles on-demand the day after they air.