‘TV’s Top 5’: Disney Charter Winners and Losers; Plus the latest Strike updates

Welcome to the 230th episode of TV top 5, The Hollywood Reporters TV podcast.

Every week, hosts Lesley Goudberg (West Coast TV Editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) provides an overview of the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcomes showrunners, executives and other guests and provides a critical guide to what to watch (or skip, as the case may be) ).

This week we are joined by THR media and business reporter Alex Weprin for a deep dive into the future of cable television. This is what this week’s show looks like:

1. Mailbag

Which shows are on our ‘list of shame’? Should Apple promote itself as a content hub for all streamers? Will ad-free subscriptions disappear? Thoughts on that and more as we answer listener questions.

2. Talk shows return

The Drew Barrymore Show, the view, the conversation, Sherri, live, Tamron Hall and Bill Maher’s Real time have all returned to production – without writers. This segment looks at the why behind their return and why Barrymore finds himself on the hot seat.

3. Attack zone

We return to the Strike Zone for the latest updates, as more top showrunners have their overall deals on hold, while others are set to meet with writers’ guild officials.

4. Disney vs. Charter, Explained

Weprin joins us for an informative conversation about how the Disney Charter dispute could have long-term implications for the future of cable networks like Freeform and Disney Junior, among other niche channels. And is this the start of the streaming bundle? All that and an explanation of why this story might be more important than the strikes.

5. Critics Corner

As usual, we’ll end with Dan’s thoughts on this week’s new and returning series. In this episode he continues The Morning Show, Wilderness And Wrestlers.

Hear it all now TV top 5. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. (Reviews welcome!) You can also email us with any topics or Mailbag questions you’d like to cover in future episodes at TVsTop5@THR.com.