The four-part, all-access series chronicling four decades of the iconic rock band Bon Jovi premieres Friday, April 26, on Hulu in the U.S., and coming soon to Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in all other territories. Following one of the world’s most iconic bands and its frontman, Jon Bon Jovi, the documentary gives us a view behind the music and the man.

As thrilling as the story of a once-in-a-lifetime talent is, it is even more rare that a legend like Jon Bon Jovi lets the world into his most vulnerable moments while he’s still living them. Forty years of personal videos, unreleased early demos, original lyrics and never-before-seen photos that chronicle the journey from Jersey Shore clubs to the biggest stages on the planet. The series relives the triumphs and setbacks, greatest hits, biggest disappointments and most public moments of friction.

“Thank you, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story” is directed and executive produced by multiple Emmy^® Award winner Gotham Chopra (“Kobe Bryant’s Muse,” “Man in the Arena,” “Tom vs. Time”). The film is also executive produced by Giselle Parets and Ameeth Sankaran for ROS, and it is produced and edited by Alex Trudeau Viriato, who played a critical, creative role in shaping the series.

Jon Bon Jovi Bio
Self-reliance, optimism and community are key concepts that define Jon Bon Jovi. The frontman for the GRAMMY^® Award-winning band Bon Jovi has not only written and performed countless rock anthems, he has utilized his spotlight and raised millions of dollars to aid the working poor, the homeless and the hungry. After selling more than 130 million albums and performing in over 50 countries for more than 40 million fans, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in recognition of their longevity and impact on popular music for the past three decades. Jon is also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In addition to an iconic music career, Jon has been widely acknowledged and celebrated for his philanthropic work. Jon founded the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing about positive change and helping those in need “one SOUL at a time.” The foundation has worked to address homelessness, poverty, and food insecurity looking to make a positive impact at the community level. Additionally, Jon and his wife, Dorothea, opened the JBJ Soul Kitchen nonprofit community restaurant, now with 4 locations in New Jersey, helping feed those in need.

Gotham Chopra Bio
Gotham Chopra is an award-winning filmmaker at the forefront of the convergence of sports, science and spirituality. As the creator and co-founder of “The Religion of Sports,” an Emmy^® Award-winning content and media company based in Los Angeles, Gotham has worked with some of the most elite athletes in the world including Tom Brady (“Tom v Time,” and “Man in the Arena”), Kobe Bryant (“Kobe Bryant’s Muse”), Lebron James (“Shut Up and Dribble”), Stephen Curry (“Stephen v The Game”), Simone Biles (“Simone v Herself”), Alex Morgan and Usain Bolt (“Greatness Code”), Shohei Otani (“Searching for Shohei”), Conor McGregor (“McGregor Forever”) , Serena Williams (“In the Arena: Serena Williams”) and many more to produce content that pushes the boundaries of nonfiction cinema and brings the mythos of sports to a broad audience outside of those that simply follow the games. In addition to legendary athletes, Chopra’s Religion of Sports has launched projects with such pop-culture icons as Trevor Noah (“World According to Football”), Bill Simmons (“Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey”) and others. Beyond box scores, wins and losses, and stats and sabermetrics, Chopra’s brand of sports storytelling leans into the essence of human potential, the dramatic peaks and valleys of competition and athletic achievement, and the heroic narratives that accompany both triumph and failure. Since ROS launched it has garnered (five) Sports Emmy Awards and has acquired Jiva Maya, a UK-based studio, taking the company global. The company has also produced captivating content for both Under Armour and Nike. Most recently, Chopra released a new book called “Religion of Sports: Navigating the Trials of Life Through the Games We Love” (Simon & Schuster).

About Religion of Sports (ROS)
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Los Angeles, Religion of Sports (ROS) is an award-winning media company created by Tom Brady, Michael Strahan, and filmmaker Gotham Chopra. We explore human potential, and decode what drives us to greatness. The company’s work is defined by thoughtful, elevated stories that explore a range of themes and illuminate universal truths about what it means to be Human. Over time the company has widened its lens from sports into arenas like music, fashion, and more. Because Greatness knows no bounds.
Through scripted and unscripted video, podcasts, feature films and social content, ROS distills the spirituality, science and humanity that unites elite performers and people of all kinds. Since its inception, the company has built an impressive array of work in collaboration with the world’s most elite athletes, distributed across platforms including Netflix, Apple TV+, Prime Video, ESPN, Showtime, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Facebook Watch, Hulu and more. Among its highlights, “Man in the Arena,” “Tom vs Time,’’ and “Greatness Code” won Sports Emmy awards and projects on Simone Biles, Stephen Curry, Conor McGregor, Shohei Ohtani, and Russell Westbrook have captured global audiences. The Company has numerous upcoming productions green lit, including In the Arena: Serena Williams (ESPN), and Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story (Hulu).

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First, we’ll focus on the top five worst shows of 2023 in our opinion.

Douglas’ #5 — The Goldbergs season 10 (ABC)

Douglas’ #4 — 007: Road to a Million (Prime Video)

Douglas’ #3 — NCIS: Sydney (CBS)

Douglas’ #2 — The Idol (HBO/Max)

And my number one worst show of 2023…

Douglas’ #1 — True Lies (CBS)

Scott Nolte’s Worst of 2023
#5 — Velma (HBO/Max)
#4 — Loki season 2 (Disney+)
#3 — Willow (Disney+)
#2 — The Idol (HBO/Max)
#1 — True Lies (CBS)

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And now, Douglas’ best shows of 2023:

Honorable mentions (in no particular order): HBO/Max series: “Barry”, “Succession”, “And Just Like That”; “The Night Agent” (Netflix), “Beef” (Netflix), “Jury Duty” (Freevee), “Claim to Fame” season 2 (ABC), “Shrinking” (Apple TV+), “Son of a Critch” (CW), “The Spencer Sisters” (CW), “Will Trent” (ABC), “Only Murders In The Building” season 3 (Hulu)

Douglas’ #5 — The Bear (Hulu/FX)

Douglas’ #4 — Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix)

Douglas’ #3 — The Traitors (Peacock)

Douglas’ #2 — Survivor (CBS) & Australian Survivor (Channel 10)

Douglas’ #1 — Poker Face (Peacock)

Scott Nolte’s Best of 2023
#5 — Survivor (CBS)
#4 — Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix)
#3 — Quarterback (Netflix)
#2 — Poker Face (Peacock)
#1 — The Last of Us (HBO/Max)

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First, we’ll focus on the top five worst shows of 2021 in our opinion.

Douglas’ #5 — Ordinary Joe (NBC)
Among the fall entries, this drama takes this spot. The plot revolves around a guy who makes a decision on his graduation day and that sparks three more storylines. Unfortunately, all of them were unappealing.

Douglas’ #4 — Kenan (NBC)
There was much promise for this comedy. But this clone of CBS’ “The Unicorn” was absent of any laughs, which was surprising considering I’m a fan of Kenan Thompson on “SNL”.

Douglas’ #3 — Tiger King 2 (Netflix)
This falls into the category of trying to milk a dead cow. That cow is “Tiger King”, the wildly popular guilty-pleasure Netflix documentary from 2020. The streamer tried to extend that craze in November 2021, despite the absence of its two main personalities Joe Exotic (who’s in prison) and Carole Baskin (who refused to appear in new episodes). But its return was a mere rehashing of things we’ve already seen. I don’t want to revisit anything from the spring of 2020, let alone “Tiger King”. No thank you.

Douglas’ #2 — Pretty Smart (Netflix)
The inverse of “The Big Bang Theory” where an intelligent person resides with regular folk: a professor’s assistant (Emily Osment) gets dumped by her boyfriend long-distance while visiting her sister and her sister’s friends in Los Angeles. Every attempt at humor ventures towards cringey as any stereotype you could imagine about Gen-Z’ers is presented. By far, the worst scripted series of the year.

And my number one worst show of 2021, I’m coming for the king of romance reality shows…

Douglas’ #1 — The Bachelor/The Bachelorette (ABC)
To start the year, “The Bachelor” made history with its first Black bachelor. But what turned out to be the season’s top headline: the woman he selected once attended a plantation wedding. Shortly thereafter, Chris Harrison lost his hosting gig after 19 years following his combative interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay on the newsmagazine “Extra.” But even if Harrison never had that incident and remained as host, the show still would have deserved worst billing. Within the recent decade, this franchise went globe-trotting with its contestants and delivered some whirlwind romances which made each season distinct. But since the pandemic, production’s limitations exposed what was lacking. It relied on the same gimmicks, same formats of dates, and usually lame and corny participants — most notably, former “Bachelor” contestant turned “Bachelorette” Katie and her beau, former multiple “Bachelorette” suitor Blake.

If there ever was a year to peg “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” as THE worst, 2021 was the year to do it.

Scott Nolte’s Worst of 2021
#10 — Call Me Kat (Fox)
#9 — Kenan (NBC)
#8 — Mr. Mayor (NBC)
#7 — Alter Ego (Fox)
#6 — Tiger King 2 (Netflix)
#5 — Clarice (CBS)
#4 — Turner & Hooch (Disney+)
#3 — The Masked Dancer (Fox)
#2 — The Celebrity Dating Game (ABC)
#1 — American Horror Stories (FX on Hulu)
Don’t waste your time! Even though they revisit the first season’s murder house, these episodes are a different experience from the “American Horror Story” franchise.

And now, Douglas’ best shows of 2021:

Honorable mentions (in no particular order): HBO Max series: “Hacks”, “Succession” and “The White Lotus”; “Sex Education” (Netflix), “Physical” (Apple TV+), “The Big Leap” (Fox), fall edition episodes of “Saturday Night Live” season 47 (NBC), “Survivor 41” (CBS), “Monday Night Football: ManningCast” (ESPN2)

Douglas’ #5 — The Conners (ABC)
Consider me a nostalgic. I grew up at a time when the network sitcom was king. I thoroughly enjoy “The Conners” as it stands now as it’s the best written scripted show on the broadcast networks right now. This current season is top notch thus far.

Douglas’ #4 — Mare of Easttown (HBO)
One of the year’s best limited series. Starring Kate Winslet as a former high school basketball phenom turned police detective who tries to solve the murder of a teen mom in a small Pennsylvania town. Terrific acting all around by Winslet, an already-legendary film actress, as well as from recent greats of the small screen: Jean Smart and the Emmy-winning Evan Peters. Its ending was surprising and confirming of an intense thriller.

Douglas’ #3 — Only Murders In The Building (Hulu)
I would not have expected the odd grouping of legendary comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short with pop music star/former kid actress Selena Gomez to generate magic. But it turned out to be the most suspenseful show of the year and the funniest show of the year. It well incorporated celebrity guest roles (e.g. Sting, Nathan Lane), and provided an engaging take on the true crime podcast craze as well as on the old-fashioned murder mystery.

Douglas’ #2 — The Circle (U.S. Netflix/UK Channel 4)
The reality show that well reflects our current times by borrowing the many aspects of social media and incorporating them in to a highly competitive format. The game involved a group of contestants, each member residing in their own respective apartment and can only communicate via their TV screens through an app called The Circle. Even moreso than the similar “Big Brother”, social game is at a premium. Every discussion, talking point and contest (proving non-physical challenges can be very engaging) tested the bonds among the players and attempted to alter their dynamic ever-so-slightly to shift the game’s balance of power. In 2021, there were two civilian U.S. seasons, a civilian UK season and British celebrity edition. All four of the cycles were a treat to watch.

#1 — The Hustler (ABC)
Quite fitting that my top four shows of the year involved solving mysteries and none of them were a generic crime drama.

Two decades ago, ABC introduced the reality show “The Mole” where a group of contestants must accomplish several tasks for a grand prize. But to win the money, one must best identify the saboteur playing amongst them. Another ABC show at the start of 2021 took that format, sprinkled some comedy (in the form of host Craig Ferguson) and turned us viewers into amateur detectives. It became the best new game show of recent time, and personally, it was a welcome communal experience as I was involved in several weekly text chains with fellow TV Tuesday partner Scott Nolte and my Uncle Anthony in Florida attempting to identify “the hustler.”

Scott Nolte’s Best of 2021
#10 — B Positive (CBS)
#9 — Coyote (Paramount+)
#8 — Sex Education (Netflix)
#7 — The Conners (ABC)
#6 — You (Netflix)
#5 — Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
#4 — Marvel Studios: WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye (Disney+)
#3 — Yellowstone (Paramount Network)
#2 — Survivor 41 (CBS)
#1 — The Hustler (ABC)

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Beginning October 12, ESPN, ESPN+ and Hulu become the destination for Tuesday night hockey throughout the regular season. ESPN+ and Hulu will also showcase an exclusive game every Friday night until January, then every Thursday night for the remainder of the regular season. ABC will regularly carry Saturday games beginning in February.

Turner Sports, in its first season of NHL coverage, will feature a 50-game telecast schedule during the 2021-22 NHL regular season, starting Wednesday, Oct. 13, with a TNT opening week doubleheader featuring the New York Rangers visiting the Washington Capitals in one of the fiercest rivalries in sports at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Colorado Avalanche and Nathan MacKinnon hosting the Chicago Blackhawks, with the anticipated Chicago debut of 2021-22 Vezina Trophy winner Marc-Andre Fleury, at 10 p.m.

Are you and your friends also hockey enthusiasts? Looking for unique gifts and medals for hockey players? Hockey custom race medals and custom made patches for awards and commemorations will definitely wow you!

TNT

The NHL on TNT’s weekly schedule will include exclusive coverage on 25 Wednesday nights throughout the season – including 15 doubleheaders. Starting in Spring 2022, the network will add seven weeks of Sunday afternoon telecasts for March and April.

TNT will be the home of the NHL’s marquee outdoor games this season:

Additional NHL on TNT schedule highlights:

Overall, the network will showcase many of the top teams and leading NHL stars, including six appearances by the Oilers and five appearances by the Avalanche, Blues, Bruins, Capitals, Kraken, Lightning, Penguins, Rangers, and Wild.

ESPN

ABC

ESPN+ & Hulu

The following are the scheduled game start times (all times Eastern; start times subject to change) and respective networks:

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

The NHL’s Stanley Cup Final and Stanley Cup Playoffs action will return to the ABC and ESPN networks – including exclusive coverage of the Stanley Cup Final in four of the seven years of the deal – beginning with the 2021-22 season. Additionally, in each season of the agreement, ESPN and ABC will have live, exclusive coverage of one Conference Final series and half of all First Round and Second Round games from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Turner Sports’ multi-year NHL agreement will include crowning a champion through its exclusive live coverage of the Stanley Cup Final on TNT in three of the next seven years; half of the Stanley Cup Playoffs each year (half of the Conference Finals, First and Second Round games); and expansive digital and highlight rights for Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and additional platforms.

The post NHL 2021-22 Regular Season TV Schedule on ESPN, TNT, ABC, ESPN+ and Hulu appeared first on Programming Insider.

Included in the deal will be 25 regular-season games on ESPN or ABC, half of all First Round and Second Round games from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, one Conference Final each year, the Stanley Cup Final series on ABC (with the ability to simulcast/megacast on ESPN+ and additional ESPN networks) in four of the next seven years and more than 1,000 games per season streaming on ESPN+.

ESPN+ (with its reported 12.1 million subscribers) and Hulu (subscriber base of 39.4 million) will be home to 75 ESPN-produced exclusive telecasts per season.

The deal also includes opening-night games, the NHL All-Star Game and Skills Challenge and other special events.

The NHL’s out-of-market streaming package (NHL.TV) is also moving to ESPN+ as part of its subscription offerings.

The agreement also includes extensive highlight rights that will add to coverage across ESPN’s year-round news and highlights programming, and to coverage on the ESPN App and social media. International media rights – including in Latin America, the Caribbean and parts of Europe – are also part of the agreement.

ESPN+ features “In the Crease”, an exclusive original highlights show, hosted by ESPN’s Linda Cohn and Barry Melrose each NHL gameday throughout the season.

Disney is soon launching “ESPN+ on Hulu,” which will give Hulu subscribers with access to the service’s on-demand streaming library the choice to sign up for, and view, ESPN+ – including thousands of live events, and acclaimed original shows, series and documentaries – directly in the Hulu environment.

“This partnership of the world’s top hockey league and the platforms of The Walt Disney Company is a big win for our fans and our game,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Not only will this groundbreaking, seven-year deal enable the NHL to benefit from the incomparable power, reach and influence of The Walt Disney Company and ABC/ESPN, it sets a new standard in delivering our game to the most passionate and tech-savvy fans in sports in the ways they now demand and on the platforms they use.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but was widely reported to be worth between $2.0-2.5 billion. Andrew Marchand of The New York Post relayed it was an approximate $2.8 billion agreement.

The NHL’s current 10-year, estimated $2 billion broadcast deal with NBC expires at the end of the 2020-21 season. NBC and Fox are currently in the running as suitors for the rest (a lesser but still significant portion) of the NHL package thru the 2027-28 season.

It will mark the first time ESPN and ABC will televise the NHL since 2004. The league was part of ESPN’s launch in 1979 and had been with the cable sports network thru 1988 and then again, from 1992 thru 2004.

The post NHL Returns to ESPN and ABC After 17 Years appeared first on Programming Insider.

Padma Lakshmi’s food series “Taste the Nation” will also return for a 10-episode second season. The series takes audiences on a journey across America exploring the rich and diverse food culture of various immigrant groups, seeking out the people who have so heavily shaped what American food is today. From indigenous communities to recent immigrant arrivals, Padma breaks bread with Americans across the nation to uncover the roots and relationship between our food, our humanity and our history – ultimately revealing stories that challenge notions of identity, belonging, and what it means to be American.

The post Hulu Announces Second Season Renewals for ‘Love, Victor’ and ‘Taste the Nation’ appeared first on Programming Insider.

Written by Liz Hannah (“The Post,” “The Dropout”) and Patrick Macmanus (“Dr. Death”), “The Girl From Plainville” is inspired by the true story of her controversial “texting-suicide” case. Based off of the Esquire article of the same name by Jesse Barron, the limited series will explore Carter’s relationship with Conrad Roy III and the events that led to his death and, later, her controversial conviction of involuntary manslaughter.

Executive producers for the series include co-showrunners Hannah and Macmanus, Fanning and Echo Lake’s Brittany Kahan Ward. Consulting producers include Barron and Erin Lee Carr (“I Love You,” “Now Die”). “The Girl From Painville” is a production of UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group. Kelly Funke will oversee for Macmanus’ Littleton Road Productions.

“The Next Thing You Eat” is a six-episode docuseries that explores the seismic changes happening all around us and how they affect not only the restaurant world but people’s fundamental relationship to food. Chang and a diverse cast of correspondents will take an unflinching look at the challenges and opportunities ahead, including how our food is grown, who cooks it, how we pay for it, and whether or not deliciousness will fall by the wayside.

The executive producers of “The Next Thing You Eat” include David Chang, Christopher Chen, Dave O’Connor and Chris Ying on behalf of Majordomo Media; Morgan Neville and Caitrin Rogers on behalf of Tremolo Productions; and Chad Mumm on behalf of Vox Media Studios. The series is produced by Tremolo Productions and Majordomo Media for Vox Media Studios.

The post Hulu Orders Drama ‘The Girl From Plainville’ and Docuseries ‘The Next Thing You Eat? appeared first on Programming Insider.

Treem will pen the script and exec produce the proposed “Rodham,” which is being produced by Fox 21 Television Studios. Warren Littlefield (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) will also executive produce “Rodham” via The Littlefield Company along with Sittenfeld.

Should “Rodham” go to series, it would be the second project on Hulu focused on Hillary Clinton. The streamer debuted the four-part docuseries “Hillary” in January,” which chronicled her 2016 presidential campaign while also delving into events from her past that shaped her life.

The post Drama ‘Rodham’ in Development at Hulu appeared first on Programming Insider.

“Conversations With Friends,” which has a 12 half-hour episode order, will follow two female Dublin college students forging an unexpected, strange and sexually charged relationship with an older married couple, which results in a complicated pair of love triangles that upends their lives.

The creative team behind “Normal People” will return for the new series. Lenny Abrahamson will be lead director alongside Alice Birch, who will serve as lead writer. Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, and Emma Norton of Element Pictures will executive produce. Rose Garnett and Tommy Bulfin will executive produce for the BBC. Rooney and Abrahamson will also serve as executive producers, with Catherine Magee as producer. “Conversations with Friends” is a Element Pictures production in association with BBC Three. Endeavor Content handled the US sale to Hulu and is handling all international sales.

The series is expected in 2021. No casting has been announced.

The post Hulu Orders Series Based on Sally Rooney’s ‘Conversations With Friends’ appeared first on Programming Insider.

For those shows you have watched, there are five options to choose from: zero (worst) thru 4 (best).

You don’t have to vote on every show.

Once all the votes have been cast, we’ll tally up the final results for each show and assign a final grade. The final rankings will be released sometime during the week of December 16.

Happy voting!

For mobile device visitors, you may visit https://forms.gle/vrGhFPpJvy3wGmUY7 for a more user-friendly experience.

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