It’s a shakeup at Showtime. The network is merging with Paramount+ to form the (predictable) Paramount+ With Showtime platform. According to Axios, Paramount Global confirmed the news yesterday (Jan. 30) in a message to staff that Showtime titles will be bundled with Paramount+ material and made available in the streamer’s premium subscription level.
Obviously, with any migration to streaming, there will be casualties (just consider HBO Max’s several cuts over the past two months). With the news of the Showtime merger, AV Club stated that various titles are being removed from the platform, beginning with Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber and Kidding starring Jim Carrey and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
According to the news source, American Rust and On Becoming a God in Central Florida are both departing Showtime’s streaming service. However, American Rust is set to find a new home on Freevee, formerly known as IMDb TV.
According to Deadline, Showtime is eliminating one-season series like American Gigolo starring Jon Bernthal and Let the Right One In, neither of which will be renewed for a second season. While Showtime is reducing its content, Deadline reported that “all titles removed from Showtime’s platforms as part of the restructuring, including short-lived series, will be available elsewhere.”
The destiny of one completed project has been decided, though. Showtime will no longer produce the Lisa Taddeo adaption Three Women, according to Deadline. The drama starring Shailene Woodley, Betty Gilpin, DeWanda Wise, and Gabrielle Creevy has been completed and is currently being pitched to other networks, but it has not yet found a permanent home.
The merger between Showtime and Paramount+ is likely to occur later this year and will impact both linear TV and streaming.
»Showtime Titles Start to Disappear as Streaming Service Prepares Merger with Paramount+«