by Thinus Ferreira
As the last of Hollywood's big studio-distributors to launch a global video streaming service, ViacomCBS has taken the wrapping off its plans for Paramount+ but with no news of a launch date for South Africa.
Paramount+ will include a library catalogue of 30 000 hours of shows and 50 exclusive and original new series that will debut over the next two years - including a Frasier and Rugrats series revivals and HALO - with 36 of these that will launch in 2021.
In a virtual investors' presentation done from inside a studio on Los Angeles' iconic Paramount lot, adopting the same style and format that Disney for Disney+ and Discovery Inc. used for Discovery+ the past few months, ViacomCBS executives unveiled its new Paramount+ - and with it the glut of content it plans to place on it.
"We know how to make hits. ViacomCBS has been and remains a consistent hitmaker, across genres, across demographics, across formats and across platforms," said Bob Bakish, ViacomCBS president and CEO.
As with HBO Max, Disney+ and Star, Discovery+, as well as peacock, ViacomCBS didn't announce or say anything about a rollout date or timeframe for South Africa - Africa's most developed TV market.
Paramount+ will launch in the United States, Canada and Latin America on 4 March, the Nordics on 25 March and in Australia later in 2021.
ViacomCBS executives did however say that the plan is to aggressively launch Paramount+ globally and wants to have between 65 and 75 million global subscribers by 2024.
That makes it highly likely that Paramount+ will eventually be made available in South Africa where it could also foreseeably be included as a tile on MultiChoice's latest DStv Explora Ultra decoder that already carries Netflix SA and Amazon Prime Video.
Paramount+ will cost $9.99 (R149.28), but a cheaper ad-supported version costing $4.99 (R74.56) will launch later this year.
ViacomCBS said that Paramount+ will cost considerably less outside of America - very likely in order to aggressively compete with Netflix and Disney+ as the two top global subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services.
"We're leveraging the massive global reach of ViacomCBS to distribute Paramount+. We have a deep history of relationships with multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) and telco partners in every major market around the world," the company said.
Nicole Clemens, the head of Paramount Television Studios, said that ViacomCBS is harnessing "Paramount's incredible library to create shows that come with a built-in fanbase for Paramount+. While we have no shortage of source material, we're being very selective and strategic in choosing what IP is best positioned for modern streaming consumers".
From a Grease prequel to a fatal attraction
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies will be a TV series with both classic and new songs and a diverse cast as serve as a prequel to Grease. It will tell the story of how Frenchy's older sister Jane founded the Pink Ladies.
The film Flashdance is becoming a new drama series and will pick up from where the story left off but will be set in the present day.
The film Love Story is also becoming a series from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage who were responsible for Gossip Girl and The O.C.
Fans of The Italian Job and The Parallax View can also look forward to series based on these iconic films.
Fatal Attraction is also being turned into a TV series for Paramount+, described as "a deep-dive reimagining of the psychosexual thriller" that starred Glenn Close and Michael Douglas.
An intriguing series is The Offer as a fictional series, but based on real-life, detailing the mafia-filled drama behind the making of the film The Godfather.
The Star Trek universe is expanding with Strange New Worlds with Anson Mount as Enterprise Captain Pike, while the kids animation series, Star Trek: Prodigy has abruptly moved from Nickelodeon to Paramount+. There will also be a second season of Star Trek: Picard.
The crime procedural Criminal Minds is also revived as a TV drama series and bringing the gang back together with the same showrunner, same breaking down of the criminal psyche and catching the bad guy. "Instead of a new case each week, it will be a single, fascinating case-story told over 10 episodes each season," said Nicole Clemens.
The Real Criminal Minds will be a "true crime" documentary series where a real FBI profiler analyses real cases and real criminal behaviour, illustrated by clips that viewers will remember from the series.
Paramount+ will also do a follow-up to the miniseries Waco as part of an anthology series entitled American Tragedy. Each season of American Tragedy will tackle difficult and complicated conspiracy-riddled moments in history.
The dramedy Younger is also moving to Paramount+ for its 7th and final season.
Paramount+ will also have 6666 (working title) as a spinoff from the Yellowstone drama series that will basically tell the story of how cattle ranches started and grew in America.
"Founded when Comanches still ruled West Texas, no ranch in America is more steeped in the history of the West than the 6666."
"The 6666 is where the rule of law and the laws of nature merge in a place where the most dangerous thing one does is the next thing. The 6666 is synonymous with the merciless endeavour to raise the finest horses and livestock in the world, and ultimately where world-class cowboys are born and made".
Yellowstone is also getting a prequel series, Y: 1883. It will follow the Dutton family as they embark on a journey "west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. It is a stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land — Montana".
Mayor of Kingstown will follow the McLusky family in Kingstown "where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry. Tackling themes of systemic racism, corruption and inequality, the series provides a stark look at their attempt to bring order and justice to a town that has neither".
Land Man, also set in West Texas is described as "a modern-day tale of fortune-seeking in the world of oil rigs. The series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics".
"I'm listening"
"One of the most successful comedy series of all time - Frasier - is coming back," Nicole Clemens said, exclusively to Paramount+.
" The new series will have everything you love about the original: Coziness, great writing, and of course a cast led by multi-Emmy winner, Kelsey Grammer. It's nostalgic and contemporary all at once."
In a statement released at the same time, Kelsey Grammer said "having spent over 20 years of my creative life on the Paramount lot both producing shows and performing in several, I'd like to congratulate Paramount+ on its streaming world entry. I gleefully anticipate sharing the next chapter in the continuing journey of Frasier Crane".
Master Chief on the move
In an eye-popping announcement ViacomCBS also announced that its science-fiction drama series HALO based on the hugely-popular video game that would have been on Showtime is abruptly shifting to Paramount+ as an exclusive where it will launch in early-2022.
While HALO if it remained on Showtime would likely have been acquired by M-Net (DStv 101) similar to shows like Billions, it now seems as if HALO is getting locked out from international distribution similar to Disney+ shows.
HALO, filmed in Budapest where Netflix's The Witcher also shot, stars Pablo Schreiber in the role of the iconic Master Chief and Natascha McElhone playing both Dr Catherine Halsey, the creator of the Spartans soldiers, and Cortana, the most advanced AI in human history who could save the human race.
HALO is clearly Paramount+'s answer to Disney+'s The Mandalorian.
"The upcoming HALO series will weave intimate personal stories with incredible action and a lavishly imagined vision of the future," said David Nevins, Showtime Networks CEO.
"HALO has been in production in Hungary and I can tell you it's visually stunning, totally thrilling; and significantly it offers true 4-quadrant general audience appeal. We all believe that HALO is going to be a defining show for our super-service. We see this as another example of us marshalling the finest resources of the company in service of Paramount+".
From Dexter to Ray Donovan
Paramount+ is also doing a The Man Who Fell to Earth series that will star Chiwetel Ejiofor based on the iconic science-fiction novel and film. "It tells the story of a man who arrives on Earth and reveals more about human nature than humans ever could," said Nicole Clemens.
Guilty Party is a dark comedy with Kate Beckinsale as a journalist who gets in over her head when she tries to salvage her career by investigating the story of a young woman in jail for murdering her husband.
BET's The Game is revived with a mix of original cast and new players. It will offer an examination of black culture through the prism of American pro-football.
The famous fixer Ray Donovan is returning, this time in a feature-length movie to wrap up the TV series, and possibly setting up a movie franchise.
Michael C Hall also made a brief appearance during the investors' presentation with the series Dexter that is being revived as a limited series about the serial killer. The revived Dexter will however stay on Showtime.
Tyler Perry is producing All The Queen's Men for the BET+ streaming service - a new drama series revolving around the female owner of a strip club in Atlanta and her group of male strippers.
Trevor Noah working daily - and now weekly
South Africa's Trevor Noah hosting The Daily Show on Comedy Central (DStv 122) is expanding his workload and appeared at the investors' presentation to announce that he is doing The Weekly Show With Trevor Noah - an initial 6 episodes that will be available on Paramount+ and that he will also be producing.
In The Weekly Show with Trevor Noah he will talk to people "behind the headlines".
Amy Schumer is returning to her original sketch comedy series and will be doing 5 Inside Amy Schumer TV specials for Paramount+. The comedy series Reno: 911! is revived with Reno: 911! The Hunt for QAnon based on the original series.
The MTV animation characters Beavis & Butt-head are coming to Paramount+ in a new and as-yet-untitled feature film, as will a film based on the Comedy Central series Workaholics.
The Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is making a non-scripted series for Paramount+ based on his mother's book with the 6-episode programme that will tell the stories of the special relationship between successful musicians and their mothers.
Paramount+ will also roll out several new MTV Unplugged specials and is also reviving its music documentary series, Behind the Music.
Crazy kids
Meanwhile the original voice cast of the kids animation series Rugrats is returning for a revival series on Paramount+.
"Rugrats is one of the most iconic cartoons recognized by fans around the globe, and this original version is one we are taking great care and pride in creating for a brand-new audience," said Ramsey Naito, president of Nickelodeon Animation.
ViacomCBS is creating Avatar Studios that will be entirely dedicated to creating content based on the animation series Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. with new series and films that will be created telling these stories further.
Get ready for a Dora the Explorer live-action series based on the iconic character and aimed at an older kids audience aged 6 to 11, as well as an iCarly revival series in which the original cast members Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor join new friends for a look at their characters' present-day lives, adventures and comedic mishaps.
Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years is the first-ever SpongeBob SquarePants spinoff series with the new series that will take viewers back to when the iconic characters of Bikini Bottom met for the very first time in a summer camp like no other.
The Fairly OddParents is a live-action revival of the long-running Nickelodeon animation series.
Reality
RuPaul’s Drag Race is getting a singing competition spinoff at Paramount+ entitled Queen of the Universe in which drag queens from all around the world will compete to see who sings the best.
The Real World reality series is also being revived with the original cast and will now be entitled The Real World Homecoming: New York as a "multi-episode docuseries".
The reality series Road Rules is also being revived in which strangers are dropped in a far-flung location, have to live in motorhomes and complete challenges as they drive from location to location.
The Challenge: All Stars will see former contestants of the reality series Real World and Road Rules return to compete again.
The tattoo reality series Ink Master that was cancelled last year is also being revived and will now continue on Paramount+, with the reality dating series Dating Naked that was cancelled in 2017 that is also being brought back for new episodes for the streaming service.
