Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, January 15th, 2026:
THIS IS GOING ABOUT THE SAME WAY AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT
No matter what you think of the decision by Paramount Skydance head David Ellison to elevate Bari Weiss to the position of the head of CBS News, it's fair to say that things haven't been going well. Ratings are down at its flagship CBS Evening News with new Weiss-approved anchor Tony Dokoupil, there have been well-reported problems at 60 Minutes and a steady stream of complaints from people inside CBS News about her often heavy-handed attempts to manage the news in a more "non-partisan" or "pro-Trump" way (depending on your perspective).
And when I write a "steady stream of complaints," I am not exaggerating. I have written in the past about the internal CBS News reaction to the various Weiss news initiatives and that has prompted a steady stream of off-the-record and background comments from people who work inside CBS News. I probably have at least 200 Signal messages from employees I've received in the past couple of weeks, and that's not counting the chats, the emails and other method of contact.
What's notable is that none of the people I've heard from have argued CBS News didn't need to change. Their problem is with the way Weiss is attempting to change the news division to suit her apparent purposes.
One recent example of that editorial change is a story yesterday published online by CBS News that reported Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Good, “suffered internal bleeding to the torso following the incident:”
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good last week in Minneapolis, Jonathan Ross, suffered internal bleeding to the torso following the incident, according to two U.S. officials briefed on his medical condition.
It was unclear how extensive the bleeding was. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Ross' injury, but has not yet responded to CBS News' requests for more information. This story will be updated as we learn more.
The story (and honestly, there's not much more to it) was reported by two well-respected CBS reporters, Nicole Spanga and Jennifer Jacobs. But there are so many unanswered questions to the story and its notable that all any other reporter has been able to get from DHS is their confirmation he was somehow injured.
For instance, what precisely is "internal bleeding to the torso”? That seems to imply he was bleeding internally as the result of blunt force trauma. But given that can be life-threatening, why was he supposedly treated and quickly released at the hospital?
And what does “following the incident” mean, exactly? If he was injured, wouldn't the injury have been described as happening as "the result of the incident?"
This vague, anonymous sourcing apparently is fine for stories that suit political purposes of the Trump Administration. But given that Weiss has been arguing that a months-long reported segment on torture at CECOT can’t be aired unless there is an on-camera response from the Trump administration, it feels as if there are two sets of rules for what is considered good journalism at CBS News.
I have been told by CBS News insiders that Spanga and Jacobs wanted to wait on publication until they could get more details and confirmation, but that higher-ups at the news division pushed to publish the story. And those same insiders point to that decision as another indication that Weiss and her newly-installed cronies are attempting to use the news division as a propaganda tool under the guise of improving the quality of journalism.
"She (Weiss) keeps talking about how we need to "let the public decide" and that is her mantra when questions about sourcing come up," one CBS News producer told me on Wednesday. "But that just feels like a variation of the standard 'I'm just asking questions' excuse conservatives use when they float stories they suspect aren't true. The role of journalists isn't to come up a bunch of questions that people need to consider without any additional context. They are supposed to report the facts, not thinly-sourced stories along the lines of 'Wouldn't it be interesting if this was true?"
I have also heard from several people who work directly on the CBS Evening News, and they describe a chaotic scene behind-the-cameras as Weiss and other new hires continue to work to reshape the broadcast in a variety of ways.
"Tony (Dokoupil, anchor of the CBS Evening News) tries hard, but he's having to deal with all of this micromanaging that isn't doing him any favors," one source explained. "He's constantly being pecked to death by suggested changes and many times the things he has faced the most criticism for in the news media have been things he's been requested to do. From regularly mentioning how he's traveled around talking to voters to that cringy recent "you decide" closer. These are things she (Bari Weiss) wants and it's great for her. Because she gets what she wants without having to be the dope being forced to say it on camera."
One long-time CBS News executive spoke to me off-the-record, but did allow me to publish a very tough critique of Weiss. "She is the Baghdad Bob of broadcast news," I was told. "She has an agenda and will stick to her truth even if it doesn't match up with reality. She is convinced that her problems are the result of jealousy or an entrenched liberal media. It's frustrating, because there are ways we can improve. We need to improve. But this only makes things worse."
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TIMOTHY BUSFIELD FACES NEW ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
Actor/director Timothy Busfield appeared in court Wednesday on charges of child sex abuse. And as prosecutors described an alleged a “sustained pattern” of misconduct stretching across more than three decades, another allegation of sexual misconduct has surfaced, this one from 25 years ago:
Most recently, a man named Colin Swift reported to law enforcement on Tuesday that, years ago, Busfield sexually abused Swift’s then-16-year-old daughter during an audition at B Street Theatre in Sacramento, the motion states. Swift alleged that Busfield begged the family to not report the abuse to law enforcement if he received therapy, and they initially agreed, the filing states.
No charges have been filed against Busfield in connection with that incident.
A reporter at KCRA in Sacramento spoke to the father in that case, who expressed remorse for not filing charges when the incident occured in 1999:
KCRA 3 is not naming the man at this time because it could identify his daughter. But KCRA 3's Cecil Hannibal spoke to the father, who said the incident that changed the trajectory of his daughter's life happened in 1999.
He recalls the meeting with Busfield saying, "This guy's crying, he's showing remorse, he's apologizing. He promises never to do anything, and so I said, basically, I'll tell you what, you know, he was basically begging me not to go to the police."
Hannibal asked the father, "Do you regret not going to the police?"
He replied, "Now? Yes, absolutely. Are you kidding? After reading what I read yesterday, absolutely." He went on to say, "It's very hard because I feel really guilty about this because as a therapist, I think I did the right thing, as a father, I did not."
And I suspect that will not be the last new allegation that surfaces in the upcoming days. I have been contacted by someone who alleges yet another incident, but I am not going to write about that until I can get more independent confirmation.
PARAMOUNT SKYDANCE LOSES ANOTHER ROUND
A Delaware Chancery Court judge ruled today that he is not going to fast track Paramount's lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery because the company has not identified any “irreparable harm” to itself as a Warner Bros. Discovery shareholder that would justify expedited disclosure as it pursues a hostile tender offer for the media giant.
Paramount was seeking expedited disclosure from WBD related to the board’s recommendation to shareholders not to tender their stock to Paramount. That tender offer is set to expire on January 21st.
Paramount Skydance is also seeking more detailed information on how the WBD board valued its linear and international assets. A spokesperson for WBD says that information will be provided in an upcoming Netflix tender offer letter.
NO ONE IS MORE SURPRISED BY THIS NEWS THAN I AM
ODDS AND SODS:
* Prime Video has greenlit a reality series spin-off of Fallout called Fallout Shelter. Set inside Vault-Tec’s bomb-proof vaults, Fallout Shelter sees a group of contestants take part in “escalating challenges, strategic dilemmas, and moral crossroads” as they chase a cash prize.
* Season four of AMC's Dark Winds premieres Sunday, February 15th. Here is a first video look at the season. And here is the official logline: "As previously announced, Season 4 of Dark Winds features a prominent roster of new cast members including Franka Potente (Run Lola Run, The Bourne Supremacy) as Irene Vaggan; Isabel DeRoy-Olson (Fancy Dance) as Billie Tsosie, a decisive and resourceful Navajo teenager who wants nothing more than the freedom to connect with her people outside of her boarding school but quickly finds herself in over her head with only her cunning and resilience keeping her alive; Chaske Spencer (The Twilight Saga, Blindspot) as Sonny, a recruiter for a Los Angeles crime ring who through his charm and menace lure young Native American men recently relocated to the city from their reservations into a life of crime; Luke Barnett (The Crossing Over Express) as FBI Special Agent Toby Shaw who arrives searching for answers to a mystery involving one of his friends, and Titus Welliver (Bosch, Bosch: Legacy, Ricky, Abraham's Boys) as Dominic McNair, a ruthless crime boss who imports and exports drugs and stolen luxury goods into and out of Los Angeles. Season 4 also sees the return of A. Martinez (Longmire, Days of Our Lives) as Scarborough Police Department Acting Chief Gordo Sena."
* Bachelor Mansion Makeover will premiere Monday, March 2nd on HGTV. Tyler Cameron and Tayshia Adams will be judges for the series, along with a weekly surprise guest judge from Bachelor Nation or HGTV, including designer and Bachelor fan Nate Berkus, actress and Bachelor fan Rachel Bilson, former Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher, HGTV host and designer Christina Haack and former Bachelor Sean Lowe.
* The Washington Post is reporting that people seeking jobs at Stars and Stripes, which Congress guaranteed editorial independence, are being asked how they would advance administration priorities.
* Disney‘s Hulu + Live TV service is launching a Spanish-language mini-bundle for $29.99 a month. It will include Bandamax, CNN en Español, De Película, De Película Clásico, Discovery en Español, Discovery Familia, ESPN Deportes, N+Foro, FOX Deportes, Galavisión, History en Español, Hogar HGTV, Nat Geo Mundo, TUDN, Telehit, Telehit Música, tlnovelas, UNIMÁS, and Univision. The bundle will not include Telemundo, which is available as part of the larger standard Hulu Live TV package.
* USA has ordered a second season of the culinary series Everything on the Menu with Braun Strowman.
TWEET OF THE DAY
WHAT'S COMING TODAY AND TOMORROW
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15TH, 2026:
Agatha Christie's Seven Dials Series Premiere (Netflix)
Ancient Aliens Season Premiere (History)
Animal Control (Fox)
Gangs Of London (AMC+)
Going Dutch Season Two Premiere (Fox)
Homicide Squad New Orleans Series Premiere (A&E)
Love Through A Prism Series Premiere (Netflix)
Ponies Series Premiere (Peacock)
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Series Premiere (Paramount+)
Stayer Series Premiere (Viaplay)
The Upshaws (Netflix)
To Love, To Lose Series Premiere (Netflix)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH, 2026:
Bob The Drag Queen: This Is Wild (Hulu)
Body Of Influence (LMN)
Can This Love Be Translated? Series Premiere (Netflix)
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Crunchyroll)
Happy's Place (NBC)
How To Lose A Popularity Contest (Tubi)
LOL: Last One Laughing Quebec (Prime Video)
Love During Lockup Season Premiere (WE tv)
Molly-Mae: Behind It All (Prime Video)
No Tale To Tell Series Premiere (Netflix)
Stumble (NBC)
The BMF Documentary: Blowing Money Fast (Starz)
The Nowhere Man Series Premiere (Starz)
The Rip (Netflix)
The Unexplained Season Premiere (History)
SEE YOU FRIDAY MORNING!