Put a fork in “American Gigolo,” “Let the Right One In.” and the upcoming “Three Women” on Showtime cable. They are all cancelled as Showtime is being rebranded as Paramount + Showtime, or some unwieldy nomenclature. The fact is, Showtime is over.
This has been in the wind for some time, as David Nevins was removed as the leader of Showtime last year and other shows like “City on a Hill’ were cancelled. “Billions” is coming into its final season. That leaves “Yellowjackets” and “The Chi.”
As I read it, whatever’s left of Showtime in the present will remain on “Paramount+ with Showtime,” but there will be a $9.99 per month subscription service — akin to HBO Max — if you want to see older shows, or some that will only be available there. And that’s where all the Taylor Sheridan shows like “Yellowstone” will be playing. It will be funny if customers confuse “Yellowstone” with “Yellowjackets.” They might cannibalize each other. (LOL.)
Showtime has run a distant second to HBO for decades. In recent years they’ve not made any effort to get Emmy Awards or have any distinction. Soon the word Showtime will be like Oldsmobile, a brand of the past. Let’s hope things improve for them as Paramount+.
“Today, we’re announcing that we will be fully integrating Showtime into Paramount+ across both streaming and linear platforms later this year, providing even more popular franchises and hit originals for viewers to enjoy,” Paramount CEO Bob Bakish said in a memo Monday. “To reflect this change, both our premium streaming tier on Paramount+ and the Showtime linear network will become Paramount+ With Showtime in the U.S.”
