Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, October 27th, 2025:
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FAST CHANNELS
I've recommended Ryan Schwartz's newsletter in the past, and it's always an interesting read. He posted a piece about FAST channels last week and I wanted to react to it sooner. But last week was action-packed with breaking news.
In the piece, he talks about how he's become a fan of FAST channels, but he has some suggestions on what he believes should be improved. Since a lot of his thoughts track with what I am hearing from readers, I thought I would wade into the conversation. I realized it's been a bit since I discussed FAST channels and I think it's a part of the business that can often be confusing - even if you work in the FAST channel space:
But as someone who often thinks about TV schedules — and the technology behind them — I see ways to improve the FAST experience and make it more inviting to those who are curious but haven’t given these networks a fair shake.
For one, they need to be programmed better. A lot of the shows you’ll find on FAST aren’t available on-demand, and there’s no DVR option if something you want to watch airs at an inconvenient time of day (or night). Until the technology catches up, these channels would be wise to rethink their strategy: instead of endless marathons, program specific shows on specific days, at specific times. WB Funny Favorites, for instance, could devote one- or two-hour blocks to Suburgatory or Undateable on weeknights or weekend evenings — a small scheduling tweak that would make the channel feel less like an autoplay loop and more like appointment TV.
I hear this a lot from people - a lot of them TV critics. They want FAST channels to feel more like linear TV channels. Essentially, streaming versions of old school local independent TV stations. But that's not what FAST channels are, or what programmers want them to be.
If you talk to people running FAST channel platforms, they'll tell you that the majority (80-90% of viewers) see FAST channels as "lean back TV." They just scroll through until they find something they like. Which is why in general, show specific FAST channels are the most-watched. Followed by genre-specific FAST channels. The marathons happen because they work. And because people tune in and out without a plan, procedurals and reality shows tend to do the best. You can tune into any random episode of NCIS or House Hunters International and feel right at home.
The issue of shows being available on FAST networks and not on demand is a bit complicated. But basically, FAST channels are programmed two different ways. The majority of them are programmed by the studio or company who licenses the titles. And since the on-demand rights are licensed separately, the platform may or may not have on-demand rights.
To complicate things, sometimes a FAST platform will have on-demand rights and then also create a FAST channel for its customers. Although they always have the rights for that.
I’d also love to know how they decide which deep cuts air on a network like that. (If you’re in charge of scheduling one of these FAST channels and happen to be reading this, I’d love to hear from you.) Warner has a vast library of short-lived sitcoms, as well as several longer-running ones that aren’t currently streaming anywhere. There are plenty from the past two decades with virtually zero streaming presence — 2 Broke Girls, Aliens in America, B Positive, The Class, Ground Floor, Joey, Splitting Up Together, United States of Al, What I Like About You.
Oy, I could write a novella about this.
Various studios and platforms have tried to roll out efforts to stream more obscure TV titles. Sony TV tried several different approaches and none of them ultimately worked.
After it sold the now-defunct streaming service Crackle, Sony TV actively licensed all sorts of obscure titles to Crackle, although often it was just a few seemingly random episodes from a season.
I interviewed Crackle Head of Programming Jeff Meier in 2021, and he talked about the challenges of clearing classic TV episodes for streaming:
It's Your Move is an interesting example, because it's not a show you would think of as having music clearance issues. And it's a really complex issue. I was speaking with someone at Warner Brothers who told me that the reason why a lot of the classic 1960s Warner Brothers TV shows aren't streaming is because back then someone at the studio decided to save money by using library music in the episodes instead of commissioning original music. And now they can't get the library music cleared. So to stream the episodes, you would have to replace the music. And that is just a crazy level of expense. Apparently the only reason why Route 66 is available is because at some point someone paid to get it done for a DVD release.
Exactly, it's weirdly complicated. I mean, it was just two or three years ago that they finally declared that "Happy Birthday" was in the public domain. And prior to that, I was never allowed to use episodes where characters were singing "Happy Birthday," because they had to go clear it. It's small things like that, that you don't think of. There's a there's a movie I ran across, maybe two or three years ago, the only thing keeping it from being seen was that one of the characters did not perform a song. They quoted a Rolling Stone song, something like "as Mick Jagger always said, you know, you can't always get what you want." Well, that is now keeping the movie from being seen. Because they have to come up with a price and go back and clear that. Now they could probably just edit that scene out. But what I've learned with a lot of these companies is that everybody is pressed for time, everybody is slightly understaffed. And little things like that, it puts something on a pile of projects that need to be addressed. As soon as it has that check mark on it, then it becomes a return on investment issue. "Do we really have the time to figure this out, to investigate it, to clear it, to edit it, to do all this stuff? Are we going to make the money back? Are we not going to make the money back? And things get sidelined for decades, sometimes just based on too many uncleared songs.
After Crackle shut down, Sony TV launched a group of genre-specific classic TV collections on YouTube, each of which featured both familiar titles and plenty of more obscure selections:
Sony's Classic TV Rewind YouTube channel includes episodes of the obscure 1976 ABC comedy Viva Valdez, which features a Mexican-American family headed by Mama and Papa Valdez, who "care about family and tradition, but their joys and minor problems are like those of all modern families: coping with a son eager to move up in the family business, a daughter happily avoiding marriage, a boy who is an artistic eccentric, and a young teenager involved with sports--and the opposite sex."
There are also selected full episodes of Family, I Dream Of Jeannie, Soap, Barney Miller, That's My Mama, Hazel and more.
Sony's Throw Back TV YouTube channel includes full episodes of the seldom seen comedies such as the 1993 ABC comedy Thea (with Brandy) and the 1990 ABC comedy New Attitude (with Sheryl Lee Ralph and Morris Day). There are also full episodes of The Jeff Foxworthy Show, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Ned & Stacey, Between Brothers, Malcom & Eddie, My Two Dads, The Steve Harvey Show, Designing Women, Just Shoot Me and more. And if you dig deep enough into the archives, you'll find a two-year-old full cast King Of Queens reunion table read that was a tribute to recently passed Jerry Stiller.
The Norman Lear Effect YouTube channel includes full episodes of the All In The Family spin-off series Gloria, the Sanford And Son spin-off Grady, Silver Spoons, One Day At A Time, 227, Square Pegs, Archie Bunker's Place, The Facts Of Life and The Powers That Be.
Lovers of obscure or little-seen TV will enjoy the chance to see a full episode of Palmerstown USA (featuring a young Michael J. Fox).
And if you're a fan of vintage animation, Sony's Throwback Toons YouTube channel includes full episodes of Max Steel, Jackie Chan Adventures, Viper's Creed, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers, Ultraviolet, Kurozuka, Men In Black: The Series, Godzilla: The Series, The Real Ghostbusters, The Spectacular Spiderman, Totally Tooned In, The Karate Kid, Jumanji: The Animated Series, Astro Boy, Iron Man and The Critic.
The Classic TV Rewind channel looks to be gone, but the other YouTube channels are still live. Although from what I can tell, the viewing numbers for most of the full-episode videos makes it barely worth the effort. So is there a big enough audience to justify the expense of clearing the episodes? I love these obscure shows, but I understand the reluctance of streamers to take it on.
Now back to Ryan:
But as someone who often thinks about TV schedules — and the technology behind them — I see ways to improve the FAST experience and make it more inviting to those who are curious but haven’t given these networks a fair shake.
For one, they need to be programmed better. A lot of the shows you’ll find on FAST aren’t available on-demand, and there’s no DVR option if something you want to watch airs at an inconvenient time of day (or night). Until the technology catches up, these channels would be wise to rethink their strategy: instead of endless marathons, program specific shows on specific days, at specific times. WB Funny Favorites, for instance, could devote one- or two-hour blocks to Suburgatory or Undateable on weeknights or weekend evenings — a small scheduling tweak that would make the channel feel less like an autoplay loop and more like appointment TV.
But that's the point. The people programming FAST channels don't want it to be appointment TV. In fact, they'll argue the strength of FAST channels is that aside from a general theme, you just tune in and watch what's there. Viewers seem to be responding to that, although it goes against the instincts of anyone who has written about television over the past thirty years.
The DVR issue is more of a cost challenge than anything else. Even in 2025, virtual storage space is not cheap. There's no way economically to offer a virtual DVR without charging users, which would require setting up an entire subscription backend. And to be honest, FAST platforms don't want you recording a show to watch back later. They make money selling mostly time-sensitive programmatic advertising and that's based on X person watching a program at X time. The more people who delay watching a show, the less attractive the programming is for advertisers.
That's not to say that it is impossible to record FAST channels. Virtual mini-cable systems such as Philo have a built-in DVR, and it will record both its live linear channels as well as its large collection of FAST channels. And the Tablo TV device (which allows you to use a single antenna to stream local channels across your home network) also has a built-in DVR, which will record both local broadcast and digital channels as well as its selection of 100+ FAST channels.
As I mentioned above, this is a super complex issue and if you have any other questions - or work in the industry and want to offer some perspective - please reach out to me at
THE WILLINGNESS OF PEOPLE TO BEND THE KNEE IN ADVANCE CONTINUES TO DISHEARTEN ME
Status is reporting that CNN head Mark Thompson recently dropped into the White House in order to speak with Administration officials about...stuff:
The meeting could certainly have been regular business, as news networks have a vested interest in maintaining a relationship with the administration for coverage access. But people close to the situation say Thompson and WBD chief David Zaslav believe it is very important for CNN to have a functional relationship with the White House, and CNN anchor Jake Tapper—who recently conducted an interview with Trump via text message—has been lobbying for an interview with the president.
Such a posture is nothing new for Zaslav, who said at a 2023 media conference—before Trump’s reelection—that “Republicans are back on the air” at CNN, adding that the network would become less of an “advocacy outlet” under new management.
Still, staffers were taken aback the next morning, when Thompson suggested during the daily network editorial call that it should ease up on covering Trump’s East Wing demolition, claiming that their viewership isn’t all that interested in the story, according to two people familiar with the matter. The comment struck many as bizarre coming from Thompson, who despite carrying the editor in chief title generally tends not to wade too much into the minutia of the network’s editorial process.
I suspect this is only the tip of iceberg as CNN parent WBD moves closer to a planned sale to either Paramount Skydance or someone else.
TWEET OF THE DAY
ODDS AND SODS
* Some Bari Weiss supporters apparently discovered one of my newsletters and have been bombarding me with emails arguing that CBS News staffers don't like her because she's Jewish. Which may mark the first time in my memory that people on the Right are mad because they believe CBS News isn't Jewish enough.
* In conjunction with the release of the upcoming Disney+ premiere of The Fantastic Four: The First Steps on November 5th, the official Marvel YouTube channel has released a 10-Hour Peaceful Ambient Noises | Marvel Ambiance video that shows Ben Grimm/The Thing waiting around in the F4’s kitchen.
* This Instagram spoof of Last Week With John Oliver by The Free Press reporter Olivia Feingold is the most horrifying and awkward attempt at "comedy" I've seen in a long time. If you're not familiar with Feingold, she's made news in recent weeks for a piece in which she complained that she has lost friends and even been uninvited from a wedding after joining The Free Press. On the upside, there have been reports that Washington Post CEO Will Lewis tried to recruit her for a spot on the newspapers opinion page.
WHAT'S COMING TODAY AND TOMORROW
MONDAY, OCTOBER 27TH, 2025:
* Baked With Love: Holiday Series Premiere (Hallmark)
* Finding Mr. Christmas Season Two Premiere (Hallmark)
* The Asset Series Premiere (Netflix)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28TH, 2025:
* American Monster (Investigation Discovery)
* Babo: The Haftbefehl Story (Netflix)
* Country Doctor (HBO)
* Don't Date Brandon Series Premiere (Paramount+)
* Mercy On Us (MHz Choice)
* Mo Amer: Wild World (Netflix)
* Nightmares Of Nature (Netflix)
* Physical: Asia Series Premiere (Netflix)
SEE YOU EARLY TUESDAY MORNING!