Question: I thought that the upcoming crime drama Coyote with Michael Chiklis was supposed to be on the Paramount Network, but it’s now going to CBS All Access. What’s up with that? Isn’t the Paramount Network also more affiliated with NBC and not CBS? Case in point: All three seasons of Yellowstone with Kevin Costner are now streaming on Peacock, and as a Comcast subscriber at least I could have seen it at no additional charge. In finality, if I now want to see this, it will cost me an additional $6 a month charge — how totally disgusting! —JV
Matt Roush: It’s all so confusing, but this is the direction the industry is headed. It’s really already there; witness how National Geographic’s remake of The Right Stuff was co-opted by Disney+ once those brands merged. In terms of affiliations, though, don’t be confused by who snaps up rights to individual shows, because it doesn’t always make sense. Yellowstone was licensed to Peacock, but Paramount is Viacom is CBS, and the move of Coyote to streaming was at least as much about the transition of the Paramount Network into an all-movie network, though Yellowstone will remain as its sole weekly series. (Complicating things further: Sometime in 2021, CBS All Access will be rebranded as Paramount+, got that?)
To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to: tvinsider.com