User blog:Paul.rea/Teen Wolf News 091417

Teen Wolf News 091217
 * EDITOR'S NOTE: This week's Teen Wolf News is late due to Hurricane Irma and the fact that we have no power at our News HQ. It's pretty much like The Walking Dead without the zombies around here since the storm. We appreciate your patience and thanks to the various folks who've reached out to check on me and my family this week.

Dylan O’Brien’s ‘Assassin’ IS EVERYWHERE!
Do a Google News search for “American Assassin” and you’ll get upwards of 251,000 results. Sources include radio, television, print and web-based sites and all are on the hype train with some amazing interviews with Teen Wolf's Dylan O'Brien who fronts the spy thriller.

There are far too many links to give them all to you here. I’ve narrowed down to some must-read or must-see options.



There's also this podcast that comes highly recommended by @MitchRapped and an interview I couldn't put down from Vulture.

Erik Nagle Podcast Featuring Dylan O'Brien - http://itseriknagel.libsyn.com/podcast

Vulture Dylan O'Brien Interview - http://www.vulture.com/2017/09/dylan-obrien-is-back-from-the-brink.html The movie is now open in your hometown theater. Don’t resist the hype train! Go see it!

Investors Skeptical Of MTV Turnaround Plan
The headline from investment giant Barron’s says it all, “Why An MTV Reboot Won’t Make Viacom Cool Again.” Beyond the large type, we find investors are fleeing the network and its parent company VIACOM due to a combination of free-falling ratings and a failure on the part of management to chart a clear path forward. MTV’s newest stab at the reality genre kicks off this week. 90’s House forces it’s teen residents to live with slow internet, no smart phones, and an old-fashioned television plugged into an expensive cable package with no DVR. New MTV president Chris McCarthy greenlit the show as part of his attempt to reboot the network with more reality and live programming. His idea was to return MTV to the cultural dominance it enjoyed when everyone lived in a 90’s house (because it was the 90s and we had no other choice.)

In addition to creating a new show all about the 90s, he brought back shows that were last seen in the 90s or at the turn of the century including Total Request Live and Fear Factor. We are more than a year into the reboot now. All MTV scripted shows are either canceled like Teen Wolf, on an extended hiatus like SCREAM or moved to another network like The Shannara Chronicles. McCarthy’s plan is in full effect and, so far, their determined climb toward a cultural resurgence is a great big meh.

Ratings Bump Too Little, Too Late
There have been upticks in the ratings, but they only show up when you look at narrow demographics in some time periods. Unfortunately for McCarthy and VIACOM, those increases are minuscule when you look at the vast new television landscape overall, and the folks with all the money are “big picture” thinkers.

Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker was apparently on board with the gains teased by VIACOM with the MTV reboot and the promised refocusing on the corporation’s other channels/brands. Ryvicker had rated VIACOM stock to outperform the market but this month lowered the price target from $43 per share down to $32 a share. (It’s trading below $30 right now.)

From Ryvicker’s research note:

Investors may need to start increasing exposure to media companies with solid streaming strategies given the push into over the top, and VIACOM does not have one.

Ouch! In plain speak, you, I, and even my 83-year-old grandmother watch much of our programming through a service other than traditional cabled TV and we hardly ever watch when a program actually airs. That’s “over the top” viewing, and MTV, Comedy Central, and other VIACOM channels make it hard for folks to do that. All their content is currently blocked to anyone who doesn’t subscribe to an expensive cable package. It’s telling that, on the same day, Ryvicker upgraded Disney to “outperform” and raised the price target for the corporation’s stock. Disney just announced its direct-to-consumer streaming service featuring a vast library of movies, ABC-produced television shows, and other programming. CBS did the same thing a couple of years ago and is enjoying increased reach and profits. Just last month CBS bought a whole television network in Australia just so they could expand their CBS All Access service there – that’s the kind of “solid streaming strategy” Ryvicker and other investment analysis are looking for. It’s something VIACOM so far refuses to deliver.

Also adding to this growing feeling that MTV and its sister channels are irrelevant is the fact that Charter Communications - the second largest cable company in the country - recently removed VIACOM channels from their basic package creating another barrier to those few who still want to watch.

Ryvicker apparently likes the changes CEO Bob Bakish is making in terms of programming on the networks he controls and notes the slight increases in MTV’s ratings, but she says the weakness on streaming is a fundamental flaw, “We just don’t have enough visibility with regard to potential upside, especially given the lack of a strong streaming strategy,”

(Sources: http://www.barrons.com/articles/why-an-mtv-reboot-wont-make-viacom-cool-again-1504644407?mod=BOL_columnist_latest_col_art

<p class="MsoNormal">http://www.barrons.com/video/viacom-needs-more-than-an-mtv-reboot/028CB4D8-5D17-4020-8D18-C0C3254CCAD0.html

<p class="MsoNormal">http://variety.com/2017/biz/news/viacom-stock-1202541962/)

Next On Teen Wolf: Double Feature!
<p class="MsoNormal">We’re getting not one, but two new episodes of Teen Wolf on Sunday night starting at 8 PM. We’ve been unable to find an official synopsis (the official MTV programming list actually has the title wrong and only shows one episode that night), but we do know a little about what to expect. <p class="MsoNormal">First up is Genotype. The synopsis I found from a kind-of-reliable source says “Scott and the others must make a discovery before it’s too late.”

<p class="MsoNormal">And, because their new thing is to spoil almost everything about an episode in the week prior, we have this sneak peek from MTV to tell us exactly what they’re looking for. <p class="MsoNormal">At 9 PM, we’ll see Broken Glass. Based on the title, we expect all hell will break loose in Beacon Hills. “The night of broken glass” is a reference to a series of violent attacks by the Nazis on their Jewish neighbors in Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. In this scenario, Gerard, Tamora Monroe and their goons are the Nazis.

<p class="MsoNormal">The synopsis we have for this one, again from a kind-of-reliable source, is cryptic – '“Scott and Malia prepare for battle. Argent searches for an old ally.”'

<p class="MsoNormal">SPOILER - The old ally is maybe on the run and charged with mass murder.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Teen Wolf Double Feature begins Sunday at 8 PM on MTV.

Werewolves of London – Best Bits
<p class="MsoNormal">Teen Wolf executive producer Jeff Davis likened Werewolves of London to an old western favorite. '“I called this the ‘High Noon’ episode. Scott is basically Gary Cooper trying to enlist people to help him fight Gerard.”'

<p class="MsoNormal">This solicitation of aid included a visit from Deucalion and Peter Hale. The episode was also very funny and a little like a spy movie with the very posh lair of the eponymous Werewolves of London.

<p class="MsoNormal">Here are your best bits –


 * Melissa McCall’s surgery. It was a simple set up with Scott in the waiting room and listening to surgeons working on his mom in a different part of the hospital. In this case, super-hearing was super-heartbreaking. It also made for another great Malia/Scott moment.


 * Tyler Schnabel was in two places at once apparently. He was the dude sitting in the waiting room with Scott AND one of the doctor’s assisting with Melissa’s surgery.


 * Melissa’s plea to Scott. Sigh. I’m not crying, you’re crying.


 * That apartment on Thames. It’s just a redress of the Stilinski Family living room we saw in 6A but the wood-beamed flat belonging to Ethan (do he and Jackson live together? In my head, they do) was spectacular.


 * The London fight scene was awesome. Director Russell Mulcahy apparently had a lot of fun doing the old school spy movie pastiche. He even got to do the hanging-out-the-window-above-the-street stock shot.


 * The chemistry between Charlie Carver and Colton Haynes. I would watch that show every week.


 * Gabe got his ass kicked and his face smushed bloody by Liam. He’s had it coming although we must credit Andrew Matarazzo and writer Kyle Steinbach for finding moments of morality in the character.


 * Liam and Theo. These two have great character chemistry too.


 * Tamora Monroe gaining control of the Sheriff’s Station. I felt bad for Noah Stilinski, but Monroe is an excellent villain. I hate her and have spent some time coming up with several inventive ways for her to meet her end. None of them involve redemption.


 * Lydia repeats the opening of Season 2 by wandering away from the hospital and taking a hike in the woods at night. This time she managed to keep some clothes on, but, still, it was a great nostalgia moment.


 * The Primal Pack. Jeff and his bunch are really good at creating these little pieces of lore and using them as background for the larger story. In this case, it’s annoying because off-the-grid-killer-werewolves is also a show I would watch.


 * Peter Hale. I expect you’d find Ian Bohen bite marks on the Eichen House set. The actor was practically gnawing the scenery in the best possible way every time the camera pointed in his direction. It was perfect. It’s also nice that Peter recovered so well since his trip to the Wild Hunt. I wish we had time to visit his penthouse!

<p class="MsoNormal">If you missed any of this cool stuff, check out our OVERLY DETAILED RECAP of Werewolves of London.

<h2 class="MsoNormal">Teen Wolf Auction Starts Sunday!

<p class="MsoNormal">The first of two scheduled Teen Wolf Auctions is coming up on Sunday. You need to register now if you want to take part. <p class="MsoNormal">Remember, everything starts on an opening bid of $5. This opening price includes everything so you can at least try to get a keepsake from the show.

<p class="MsoNormal">Register now for the first auction at the Screen Used website - http://www.screenused.com/index.cfm?ag_id=5240