KCRW's THE SPIN-OFF: Episode 23 (LISTEN NOW!)

We've been busy with The Spin-Off! For our next edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, Joe and I chat with Salon's Sonia Saraiya about the latest TV headlines:

Given that spring is traditionally the season of rebirth, on this episode of The Spin-off we talk about a couple of big TV reboots that have made news recently -- Full House! The X-Files! And Mr. Show...sort of. While there’s a creative, nostalgic appeal to re-doing these shows, there’s also a huge commercial interest at stake.

It sounds like David Lynch may have pulled out of Showtime’s reboot of Twin Peaks, but in the long run, this may just prove to be a negotiating tactic. We ask how much of the original cast and creators need to be involved in order to pull off a successful revival.

And by now you've heard Comedy Central has named a new Daily Show host in Trevor Noah. There’s been a lot of talk and backlash about his appointment, but we’ll use that as a jumping off point for a larger conversation about just what we’re looking for in a news show...and if that varies if you’re talking comedy news or "traditional" news.

How did we come to a place where we’re holding comedy TV hosts to higher standards than politicians? And it’s a sign of strange times when John Oliver flies to Russia to interview Edward Snowden for his HBO show and the next day, Diane Sawyer announces she also has a big upcoming interview...with Bruce Jenner.

Finally, Mark Burnett’s AD opened strong on NBC on Easter Sunday, but didn't do nearly as well as his show The Bible did on The History Channel. It’s just one example that proves networks can no longer assume they’ve automatically got a huge platform, but many of them are still operating that way.

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MIKE ON KCRW: Talking UTA/CAA, Trevor Noah, Mad Men and More

On this Monday's edition of The Business, Kim Masters and I bantered about several topics including:

- News that South African comedian Trevor Noah would be the new host of The Daily Show following Jon Stewart's departure was at first greeted with enthusiasm and excitement. Then, just as quickly, the backlash came. Should some racist, sexist and unfunny tweets from years ago keep Noah from taking over as host? For now, Comedy Central is standing by their man.


- A group of agents from CAA suddenly defect and move to UTA, taking some big name comedy clients like Chris Pratt and Will Ferrell with them. These types of moves are rare in the industry and will likely be the start of a protracted legal battle.


- More details emerge in the partnership between the Huayi brothers and STX studios. Their focus is going to me on making mid-range budget movies, an area that's been overshadowed as studios focus more on super-hero blockbusters.

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On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I talked all about UTA's raid of CAA:

The Hollywood talent agency known as the "Death Star" suffered an unwelcome surprise this week when a handful of CAA's most powerful agents jumped ship and landed at rival agency UTA. Ten agents have left, and there may be more to come. Included in the move are agents Jason Heyman and Martin Lesak, who ran CAA's comedy division, and take with them clients like Will Ferrell, Chris Pratt, Melissa McCarthy and Ed Helms. Insiders speculate that the move came down to money and agents hoping they could get more of it, along with additional opportunities at UTA. Major agent moves like this are rare within the industry and could be the onset of a protracted legal battle. 

Listen below:




On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, Indiewire's Liz Shannon Miller and I discussed:

Mad Men isn’t the only show grabbing viewers' attention. AMC’s Better Call Saul, a spin-off of Breaking Bad, is wrapping up its first season tonight. Also, a lesser-known show called Outlander, which is based on a series of novels set in 18th century Scotland, begins a new season on Starz. We discuss those and the much talked about revival of Twin Peaks, which may now be heading to the valley of the damned.

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Liveblogging the Returns of Stewart and Colbert

I spent time blogging the returns of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" over at Variety's Scribe Vibe strike blog -- check it out!