📰 15 September 2024

Too much news after a month away

Welcome back after a loooong time away. We've got a jam-packed issue here. To try to avoid this happening again, I'm going to split this between a Wednesday and Saturday issue going forward. See you tomorrow with The Media Guide.

🪑 HBO Orders Tim Robinson Comedy Series 'The Chair Company' // THR

The first of two comedies that HBO picked up series orders for. We talked about this when they were shooting the pilot (I think) so I'm relieved to see it's actually going to get a season on HBO.

I Think You Should Leave is one of those shows that didn't really roll out strong (at least from what I could tell), but slowly and surely people would share clips and it'd pick up steam to the point I think most people have seen at least a couple episodes by now. His over the top, zaney delivery isn't for everyone, and even for those it is for, it can sometimes take a bit of time to really break through.

All in all, I'm fascinated to see how a series that's not just skits is handled by Robinson.

😆 HBO Orders Comedy Series From 'Bottoms' Star Rachel Sennott // THR

The series follows a group of codependent friends who reunite after some time apart, navigating how the separation, ambition, and new relationships have changed them.

And our second show picked up for series by HBO is no slouch either. I loved Bottoms, which was the first big film Rachel Sennott wrote (alongside director Emma Seligman). I know she's acted in some things that have pretty solid acclaim too, but Bottoms is really the only thing I've seen thus far.

🧹 AGATHA: A Tale of Three Witches by Andrew Maclean // Kickstarter

If you like comics, this is a cool one to check out and support. Andrew Maclean is the writer and artist behind the excellent Headlopper and this is a stand-alone story about the witch Agatha who also appears in Headlopper. $10 for the digital edition of 36 pages is a little pricy, but you can get the printed version at the same price (which comes with the digital version).

There are 10 days left to back this as of writing so go support some indie print projects today!

🍨 Ice Cream Man Movie in the Works from Wednesday Creators // THR

The comic has been in and out of the Hollywood freezer since it debuted in 2018 from Image Comics. It was once set up at a series at UCP and in 2020 was in development by short-form streamer Quibi. This is the first time the title, which continues to publish on an irregular schedule, is being developed as a feature.

I've written about my love of cool indie anthology books quite a bit as Ice Cream Man is one of the best of them (even though I'm incredibly behind on the series).

Having the writers behind Wednesday and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is interesting. I feel like those two properties share a certain tone, and while Ice Cream Man is also fun, weird, and creepy, there's an extra bit of depth of darkness and pit in the bottom of your stomach that I hope they don't lose with it.