Streamers are a mess right now. Not even the one that started it all, Netflix, is doing well, while one of the best ones, HBO Max, keeps doing inexplicable things like deep-sixing hundreds of Looney Tunes classics. Now it’s Paramount+’s turn to go chaotic: As per Deadline, they’re absorbing Showtime, the premium cable bundle which they’ve been paired at the hip for a while now. And already shows are getting canned.
On Monday, Paramount Global revealed that their streamer, which was born as the far more humble CBS All Access back in 2014, is getting yet another makeover and name change. Gone is Paramount+. Welcome “Paramount+ with Showtime,” which will include the latter’s shows and movies and whatnot as part of their premium tier. (Right now subscribers have the option of paying more to access both, which means if you want to watch last year’s delightful Confess, Fletch, you’ll have to pony up.)
The company won’t be going into details about what and who will be affected until February 23. Layoffs are possible, although a trio of shows have already been axed: Three Women, which is completed but has not yet aired; the TV take on the beloved Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In; and the newish American Gigolo, based on Paul Schrader’s 1980 smash. Bad break for the always welcome Jon Bernthal.
(Via Deadline)
