Small Screen: Gabrielle Union To Star in peacocks ‘strangers’, los angeles mayor lowers production costs.

Rina Sawayama - River Callaway

Streaming: Jarrett Austin Brown (Don’t Turn Out the Lights) has been cast as a series regular in NBC’s sports comedy, Stumble. Written by Jeff and Liz Astrof, Stumble is a mockumentary that explores the high stakes of community college cheerleading. Brown will play Dimarcus, the starting quarterback who, despite his low-blow tactics, leads his team to victory. The executive producers of the series include Liz Astrof, Jeff Astrof, and Monica Aldama, with Jeff Blitz directing and executive producing only the pilot episode. Dana Honor serves as the producer.

Brown has previously appeared in Gazer (2024), The Get Down (2016), and Premature (2019). Before transitioning to acting, he began his career as a professional dancer. He is represented by Artists & Representatives, CT Media, and Goodman Genow Schenkman.

Gabrielle Union (Riff Raff) is set to star in Peacock’s upcoming thriller, Strangers, which is written and executive produced by Jon Harmon Feldman. Strangers centers on a neglected housewife who forms a friendship with a mysterious woman who is her opposite in every way. As their bond develops, the two women discover they share more similarities than they initially thought. However, both harbor secrets that could threaten to unravel their comfortable lives.

At the moment, Union does not have a formal deal in place, but if everything goes as planned and the project moves forward, she is expected to take on one of the two lead roles. The series is executive produced by Jon Harmon Feldman, along with Jennifer Klein and Sheldon Turner. Union is represented by CAA, Range, Felker Toczek Suddleson McGinnis Ryan.

Rina Sawayama (John Wick: Chapter 4) is joining the cast of Apple TV+’s romcom, Prodigies. The series follows Didi (Ayo Edebiri) and Ren (Will Sharpe), two ex-child prodigies who have been friends since childhood. Now in their 30s, they begin to question their ordinary lives, which seem far from the extraordinary futures they were promised. This reflection leads them to reevaluate their relationship as well. The series is created and written by Sharpe, who also serves as an executive producer alongside Edebiri. It is produced by Jane Featherstone (Black Doves), Naomi de Pear (This Is Going to Hurt), and Katie Carpenter (Flowers).

Rina Sawayama is a Japanese actor, singer, and model. She made her acting debut in the Netflix series Turn Up Charlie (2019) which was written by Idris Elba and in 2023, she starred in her first film, John Wick: Chapter 4, where she played Shimazu Akira, the concierge of the Continental Hotel in Osaka, and the daughter of Shimazu Koji, the hotel manager.

She is represented by Paradigm and Wasserman Music.

By the end of March 2025, platforms that offered both ad and ad-free subscription tiers made up for 46% of streaming subscriptions, marking a significant increase. Over the past few quarters, ad-based plans have been responsible for 71% of subscriber growth in premium subscription video on demand (SVOD), according to Antenna's most recent report. In the U.S., there are approximately 100 million ad-supported subscriptions, with 65% being new subscribers. Meanwhile, ad-free subscriptions experienced a slight decline of 0.1% during the first quarter.

During Upfront presentations, Netflix reported having 94 million monthly active users on its ad-supported tier. Antenna noted that 75% of streaming subscribers have tried an ad-based plan in the past four years, and 86% of those with an ad option chose to subscribe. However, prices for all streaming options are increasing. While ad-supported tiers represented 57% of gross additions in the first quarter, ad-free tiers continue to maintain lower rates.

Due to COVID-19 and the continuous labor strikes in Hollywood of which have disrupted the production of many beloved series and films, international sellers have been reluctant to sell their TV series to U.S. networks. However, BritBox has partnered with Sony Pictures Television to acquire the North American rights to the eight-episode BBC drama series, Mr. Loverman (2024).

Mr. Loverman recently gained attention when lead actor Lennie James won the BAFTA TV Award for Leading Actor, while Ariyon Bakare received the Supporting Actor award. James (Save Me) plays Barrington Jedidiah Walker, a 70-year-old Caribbean-born man living in Hackney. Married to his wife, Carmel (Sharon D Clarke), for 50 years, Walker finds himself in turmoil after having an affair with his male best friend, Morris (Ariyon Bakare).

In addition to James's win, Clarke was also nominated for a BAFTA for her performance in the series. The series was produced by Fable, with Faye Ward, Hannah Price, Hannah Farrell, Lennie James, and Hong Khaou serving as executive producers. BritBox plans to release two episodes per week, beginning on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in the U.S. and Canada.

“I’m excited for Mr. Loverman to be seen across the Atlantic,” said Ward, founder and Creative Director of Fable. “It’s a bold and funny exploration of love and identity. I dare you not to fall in love with Barry and his swagger.”

Karen bass - Leon Bennett / Stringer

Industry: While on the topic of production disruptions, Los Angeles has encountered many complications that have contributed to a decline in global production. Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles is currently working to lower production costs by allowing only one city staff member to be present during film and television productions, instead of the current requirement for multiple city staff members to oversee production sites. To assist with this change and to reduce expenses, she has signed an executive order aimed at simplifying the permit process, with the hope of revitalizing Los Angeles as a buzzing point for productions.

“The City is taking bold action to support our legacy industry,” Bass said in a statement. “Keeping entertainment production in LA means preserving good-paying jobs in our city, and that’s what we are fighting for.” Producer Jamie Patricof, known for films like Exhibiting Forgiveness (2024) and A Place Beyond the Pines (2012), has been advocating for years on behalf of Producers United. He emphasized the importance of hiring someone knowledgeable as the film liaison who understands the specific needs of filmmakers and the industry. “Everybody has good intentions, but many people making decisions don’t truly understand the challenges of making a movie,” he remarked.

Charter Communications and Cox Communications have agreed to merge in a deal that's estimated at $34.5 billion. The merger is meant to create a major player in mobile and broadband services, with 38 million subscribers. Cox will receive $21.9 billion, including $4 billion in cash, and will retain around 23% of the new company. Chris Winfrey, the CEO of Charter, will lead the combined company, highlighting the importance of local programming as the company continues to expand.

“In total, our network will spend approximately 46 states passing nearly 70 million homes and businesses with 38 million customers, which we intend to grow, and yet we will remain a regional operator, competing against national and often global competitors,” Winfrey added on the call. Charter attained its current heft when it acquired Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks in 2016.

It is the goal of the company to reach new markets within Phoenix and Las Vegas and improve service in areas such as Los Angeles and New Orleans. The Cox family, which has been in the cable business since 1962, sees this merger as a long-term commitment to customers and communities. Alex Taylor, CEO of Cox Enterprises, is joining the new company's board as chairman. He believes this partnership will help invest in the future for employees and customers.

On Tuesday, May 21, 2025, S&P downgraded its revenue forecasts for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) for 2025 and 2026 due to a continued decline in the company's earnings. As a result, S&P also lowered WBD's credit rating to “BB+,” which is just one step above the lowest investment-grade rating. S&P describes the “BB+” rating as the “highest speculative rating by market participants.” Unfortunately, this downgrade may increase the costs for WBD when trying to raise or refinance any debt. 

“We do not expect WBD to significantly accelerate deleveraging through asset sales but instead to prioritize investments in its growth businesses, which will extend the deleveraging process”, noted Moody and Fitch Ratings. 

Warner Bros. Discovery declined to comment.