Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, September 29th, 2025:
PRODUCTION NOTES
Thanks to everyone for their patience while I was down for a couple of days. This weird sleeping sickness hit me mid-day on Wednesday and I slept 20+ hours a day until late Saturday. I have no idea what it's called, but I've heard from friends and readers who know other people who have caught it as well. I didn't even look at my email for a couple of days, behavior which in normal times would prompt people to send out a search party to look for me.
SIGNING A PETITION ISN'T THE SAME AS STANDING UP FOR WHAT YOU SAY YOU BELIEVE
One of the takeaways for me from the recent Jimmy Kimmel story is that many (maybe a majority?) of people in Hollywood are fine taking a stand as long as there isn't much of a chance it will impact their careers in any way. Sure, 400 celebrities signed an ACLU open letter supporting free speech and condemning Kimmel's suspension. But that is literally the least any of them could do. That is the celebrity equivalent of sitting around the breakroom at work and arguing that Joe shouldn't have been fired by the boss and it was unfair. Until it's time to go back to work.
It's easy to say something vaguely supportive in an interview or talk on a podcast about terrible it is that the Trump Administration is cracking down on immigrants. But how many celebrities are willing to put their necks on the line...even a little bit?
While I was pretty young during the Vietnam War, I certainly didn't support it. And that feeling hasn't changed in the ensuing decades. So in general, I think the anti-war protests were well-meaning and useful, even if they were often messy and more of a distraction than a solution. And I also appreciate anyone who was willing to publicly take a stand against a war that was still popular in a lot of parts of American society.
Jane Fonda was a prominent anti-war activist at a time when doing so could seriously damage her career. And it did so. So I have a lot of admiration for her willingness to take that career hit. Even if a lot of her anti-war protest efforts bordered on the insanely tone deaf - like that trip to Hanoi. But she at least made the effort to do what she thought was right. Even if it damaged her career.
What struck me during the recent ICE crackdowns in Los Angeles is how few celebrities were willing to publicly make a stand. Unlike the anti-war protests when the streets were filled with both civilians and people in the industry, much of the pushback from Hollywood came from strongly worded statements. The content of which would make Chuck Schumer proud. There is so much fear of what might happen, so much reluctance to take a chance on losing even one fan.
But not every celebrity feels that way. I was just reading Oliver Darcy's interview with Cristela Alonzo for Status, and this exchange jumped out at me:
As a comedian, I imagine that you'd like your jokes to appeal to a broad base of viewers. Do you ever think about alienating viewers by wading into politics, knowing you will likely offend some people with jokes?
Oh, I LOVE to talk politics, but the way I like to describe it is: I accidentally teach you something while you laugh. I don’t preach and I don’t come off condescending. I don’t worry about offending anyone. My truth is my truth. I’m a first-generation Mexican-American that was raised in abject poverty in south Texas in the backdrop of the immigration raids that happened in the 1980s. I have been given the opportunity to live out my dream of performing for people and talking about my experiences so that others like me, know they’re not alone. We have ICE raids that started happening in Los Angeles, months ago. I announced I would do shows where all the ticket sales would go to a nonprofit (Immigrant Defenders Law Center) to help detained immigrants. Tickets were thirty dollars each and we raised over forty-eight thousand dollars from the shows. I had some followers that were offended I would do that. My response is: Unfollow me. Someone else will take your place soon enough.
It's ironic to me that so many of the same people in Hollywood who criticized Bob Iger for preemptively bending a knee do the same thing every day to protect their careers. And as Alonzo notes, the best approach is to do the things that feel right to you and trust someone will be there to take place of the critics.
AS IT TURNS OUT, WATCHING A FREE, AD-SUPPORTED TV IS PRETTY ANNOYING
You might have heard of Telly, which is a company that promised to provide customers with free 55-inch televisions if they agreed to let their viewing habits be closely tracked. And of course, there were a *lot* of extra ads thrown into the mix.
The Verge's Emma Roth spent three months with a Telly and it sounds like quite the dystopian viewing experience:
The last few months, I’ve felt like I’m living in a cyberpunk movie. Each night, when I get ready to wind down, I reach for the remote to turn on a TV I got for free. When I hit the power button, a 55-inch screen lights up, but so does a smaller display beneath it. Widgets fill the secondary screen alongside a rotating ad that you can’t dismiss.
Before I can even navigate to the Netflix app, I hear something. “Hello, hello friends!” A smiling woman appears on the screen wearing a gray dress, her brown hair neatly styled into gentle waves. It’s the host of the TV’s built-in news segment, which uses the AI likeness of actress Alison Fiori to deliver today’s top stories on a loop.
This is the future of TV, according to Telly, a company that offers a free TV in exchange for the privilege of constantly blaring ads in your face. It puts the ads in a 10-inch-wide “smart” display that sits just below a built-in sound bar and runs the entire length of the TV. The screen stays on at all times — while you watch shows, movies, YouTube videos, and play video games. Even when you turn off the TV with a tap of the remote’s power button, the secondary screen remains illuminated. It will only turn off if you hold the power button for three seconds.
It certainly isn't something I'm interested in, but I suspect there are plenty of people willing to swap privacy for a free bonus ad-filled television.
COMING TOMORROW: A $60 BUNDLE WHICH CAN (MOSTLY) REPLACE HULU LIVE TV
As I have mentioned in the past, I have been a subscriber of Hulu Live TV since it launched. Even though I find it's interface is buggy and it refuses to do even the simplest takes consistently. But I have kept it this long because my son is a super sports fan. Which means I need live sports feeds.
But if you are looking for alternatives, I have some suggestions that will come very close to completely replacing Hulu Live TV at a lower cost. I'll also include some suggestions for other mini-bundle options to help you find the perfect balance between your pocketbook and having the channels you need.
TWEET OF THE DAY
THINGS I HAVE BEEN WATCHING
As you might imagine, I am a bit behind on writing reviews. But as I get caught up with those this week, I wanted to pass along a few suggestions on shows you should check out. I'm assuming you've already read more than enough about The Lowdown. So I'll skip that and move on to some mostly global TV shows.
Billionaires' Bunker (Netflix)
Álex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato created the Netflix hit Money Heist, so I was going to check out this new series no matter what. And the show doesn't disappoint. The story begins with two wealthy families, who spend a lot of time with each other. So it's natural that the son of one family Max (Pau Simón) would fall in love with the daughter of other family, Ane (Monica Mara). But that storybook story ends when they are both 19 and an impaired Max kills Ane when he wrecks his car. He's sent to jail, but is mysteriously released after three years. His father arrives to tell him war is imminent, and they are headed to a secret bunker, where all of the country's wealthiest people plan to wait out the carnage.
I can't say much else about what happens without spoiling the twists in the story, but the eight episode season just cooks along at a frantic pace. I know writing "nothing is what it seems" is a journalistic trope, but it truly is the case here. And yes, I did scream a bit in frustration when I saw the last scene of the season.
Tempest (Hulu)
If you combine the movie The Bodyguard with a South Korean political drama, you get this stylish action series which continues to delight me every time two new episodes drop. I mentioned the series several weeks ago when it premiered, because the first five minutes of the series include scenes of a very bloody assassination in which a politician is shot in the neck. I wasn't sure if the show would be able to keep its delicate balance between action, complex Korean peninsula politics and a budding romance. But seven episodes into the season (the final two episodes premiere on Wednesday), this has become one of my favorite shows of the past few months.
The Breslau Murders (Hulu)
Noir television is nearly impossible to execute well, especially in a time of high-definition full-color productions. But this Polish series manages to capture that feel, while unfolding a story that is unique and thought-provoking.
The series is set in 1936, in the city of Breslau, then in Germany, now Wrocław, Poland. It’s just weeks before the Berlin Olympic Games. Tomasz Schuchardt (Franz Podolsky) is the type of actor who would never be cast in this role if the show was produced in the United States. Franz, is messy and pudgy and drinks and gambles entirely too much. He also is the midst of losing his job as police detective after he performed a proactive execution on a serial child molester.
But he is thrown a last lifeline when a Jewish-Polish athlete and his female companion are found in a hotel room with their eyes burnt out. It's a high profile case that no one wants because more than anything, the Nazis don't want even the slightest hint of anti-Semitic behavior ahead of the Olympics. So Franz is brought back to try and solve the case while keeping the Nazis happy. The season finds him becoming more and more obsessed with the case, as he navigates a city that is only partly still free.
It's just a wonderfully unique premise and while it's not a perfect show, I have a feeling you won't be disappointed.
ODDS AND SODS
* Bad Bunny is set to be the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime performer, NBC announced during halftime on Sunday Night Football. This follows reporting the league had held discussions with Taylor Swift, but she was rejected because of her demands (which apparently included getting paid for the performance and owning the performance rights). Given the current nostalgia for everything early aughts, maybe next year's halftime show should include a bunch of groups from that era?
* Three members of the family featured in TLC‘s 2017 series Meet the Putmans have died after a car accident that also injured five others.
WHAT'S COMING TOMORROW
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH:
* A Gatherer's Adventure In Iseka Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Below Deck Mediterranean Season Ten Premiere (Bravo)
* Death In Apartment 603: What Happened To Ellen Greenberg? (Hulu)
* Epic Ride: The Story Of Universal Theme Parks (Peacock)
* Jake Makes It Easy Series Premiere (fyi)
* Murder Before Evensong Series Premiere (Acorn TV)
* POV: Porcelain War (PBS)
* Quiet In Class (HBO)
* Rachael Ray's Meals In Minutes Season Premiere (fyi)
* Secrets Of Celebrity Sex Tapes Finale (A&E)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH:
* Chad Powers Series Premiere (Hulu)
* Chef Grudge Match Season One Finale (Food Network)
* Earthquake: Joke Telling Business (Netflix)
* Hard Hat Riot (PBS)
* Nature: Cabin In The Woods (Netflix)
* Nightmares Of Nature Series Premiere (Netflix)
* On Brand With Jimmy Fallon Series Premiere (NBC)
* Prime Minister (HBO)
* Yano-kun's Ordinary Days Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
SEE YOU EARLY TUESDAY MORNING!