The Deep Dive — October 16, 2026

Abbott Elementary Returns!

Abbott Elementary is back for Season 6, which premiered October 7 on ABC.² The biggest news so far is the 100th episode. Per Deadline’s reporting, the cast was seen filming around Disneyland on October 6 for the milestone episode.¹ It is expected to air in December as the fall finale, kicking off the show’s midseason break before it returns in winter.¹ Disney declined to comment, so an exact date has not been announced.²

Taking a show to Disney is something of an ABC sitcom tradition. Modern Family, Black-ish, The Goldbergs, Family Matters, and Full House all had episodes set at Disneyland or Walt Disney World.³ I guess the budget is BUDGETING on this production.

I think the Disney trip will be a good milestone treat, and I tend to enjoy the episodes they film in other locations to shake things up a bit. As for the premiere, it is the same old Abbott I know and love. No matter what the episode is about, the writing is consistent and grounded in a workplace comedy that people at large can appreciate.

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Returns and Whitney Rose Files for Divorce

This one is for the reality TV fans. Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is back for Season 7, which premiered September 16, and the ratings are soaring. The premiere drew 2.6 million viewers across platforms in its first week, the show’s biggest opener yet and a 23% jump from last season’s premiere, with Peacock viewing up 44%.⁴

On a different note, Whitney Rose filed for divorce from her husband Justin on October 6 in Utah’s Third District Court, and the news broke October 7.⁵ She also submitted a proposed parenting plan.⁶ The two married in November 2009, and Whitney has said they separated in late May.⁷ Heather Gay said on Watch What Happens Live on October 7 that she was shocked, since she believed they were separated but still working on things.⁸

This one is tough for me. Of all the husbands on Housewives, I would say Justin is one of the best. He is down to earth, not hungry for camera time, and a manly man that you don’t always see on reality TV, the opposite of reality TV, which made him perfect for it. He is someone I would relate to my own dad. There is a comfort and warmth to him.

The filing only changes how I watch the current season because I am left wondering if Whitney is creating storylines to draw attention to herself, or if the other drama she has already caused this season is a result of trying to avoid dealing with her own problems. I would not say any divorce on this franchise has been handled with extreme care, and it is almost par for the course for Real Housewives. It very much feels like content to make the storylines of characters more interesting when they lack other material. This will surely be part of the storyline for the rest of the season, and likely into next season.

Roseanne Barr Created a New TV Series

Roseanne Barr is back with a new series. She has reportedly wrapped filming on Meemaw, an eight-episode comedy that Page Six Hollywood says was shot in secret in Austin.⁹ Barr plays the matriarch of a mixed-race family of preppers in Texas who is determined to throw her granddaughter the most fantastic bat mitzvah Texas has ever seen.¹⁰ She co-wrote it with Roseanne alum Allan Stephan and Allen Covert.¹² The cast includes Randy Quaid, Drea de Matteo, Omar Gooding and Doug Jones,⁹ along with Jon Lovitz, Tony Hinchcliffe and Kim Congdon.¹¹ Page Six describes the series as something Barr helped create and finance herself, and it does not yet have a network, distributor or premiere date.¹²,⁹

Some context: ABC canceled the Roseanne revival in May 2018 after Barr posted a racist tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. The show was reworked without her as The Conners, which ran for seven seasons.¹⁰

I am covering this as comeback news. I think it will struggle to find a home on a network, but with how many streamers and direct-to-consumer campaigns exist these days, I do not think she will have a problem getting it into the hands of others. The Austin setting and cast reinforce the idea that outspoken and at times intolerant people like Roseanne Barr may have had a few years of not working, but at this point, there is a way to get anything made.

New Comedy from the Letterkenny Creator

Jared Keeso, the creator of Letterkenny and Shoresy, has a new show on the way. I Kill the Bear premieres November 6 on Crave, with two episodes at launch and two more each week after that, for six total.¹³ It follows a family of Franco-Ontarian bear wranglers for film sets as they work on their final production.¹³ The cast includes Keeso, Adrian Holmes, Georges St-Pierre, Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, Kristin Kreuk, Jonathan Torrens and Scott Thompson, along with Letterkenny and Shoresy alums Dylan Playfair, Eliana Jones and Frederick Roy.¹³ The series was first announced in October 2025 as part of a multi-year deal Bell signed with Keeso in 2023.¹⁴

I will watch anything this man creates. I have yet to come across another show or comedian who can write the way he writes and create a totally different reality. US availability may not come immediately, but given the success of Letterkenny and Shoresy, I do not see this being an issue.

Spotify Renews Multiyear Deal with Joe Rogan

Spotify announced a new multiyear licensing agreement with Joe Rogan for The Joe Rogan Experience on October 8, extending a partnership that began in 2020.¹⁵ Spotify did not disclose financial terms. The Wall Street Journal reported that the deal has similar terms to his previous one and carries an estimated earnout of $250 million.¹⁵

Spotify will continue to handle ad sales and licensing, and the show stays available across multiple platforms.¹⁶ It was exclusive to Spotify from 2020 until 2024, when it also became available on Apple, Amazon and YouTube.¹⁵ The show has more than 18 million followers on Spotify and over 21 million on YouTube, and it was the No. 1 podcast in the US in the second quarter of 2026 based on reach, according to Edison Research.¹⁵ In a statement, Rogan said the partnership with Spotify has been an amazing fit and that he is excited to continue with them for years to come.¹⁶

Nighthawks, the Austin Comedy Documentary

Ron White recently shared news on Facebook about an upcoming film featuring Austin comics. Nighthawks, directed by Peter Curtis Pardini, is listed on Apple TV as a 2026 documentary that runs 1 hour and 24 minutes.¹⁷ It’s described as a surreal documentary-fiction fusion, in which Austin’s booming comedy scene unravels in a haze of reality and fantasy across one delirious night.¹⁷ Apple TV lists an October 19 release date, and Ron White, Kam Patterson and Ari Shaffir are the stars.¹⁷

Kam Patterson is the biggest name outside White. He broke out on Kill Tony and joined Saturday Night Live as a featured player in Season 51.¹⁸ Here are some of the lesser-known comics in the cast:

• Luis J. Gomez: A New York City comedian, writer, podcaster and producer who hosts podcasts including Legion of Skanks and The Regz. He co-founded the GaS Digital Network with Ralph Sutton and co-created the Skankfest comedy festival.¹⁹
• Casey Rocket: An Austin-based comic who moved to Texas in 2021, won the inaugural Austin Comedy Competition, and joined the first class of door guys at Joe Rogan’s Comedy Mothership.²⁰ He became a Kill Tony regular in early 2024,²⁰ and Deadline named him one of the “15 Comedians Ready to Break Out in 2025.”²¹
• Timmy No Brakes: The stage persona of comedian Tim Stiefler, who broke out on Kill Tony, was named a golden ticket winner by Tony Hinchcliffe, and has performed at Madison Square Garden.²²
• Uncle Lazer: A Texas-born comic who spent over a decade working the oil fields before moving to stand-up, with a breakthrough performance on Kill Tony. He hosts the podcast My Drunk Uncle’s Podcast.²³
• Kim Congdon: Often described as Kill Tony’s first regular,²⁴ she has also written for Impractical Jokers and performed on MTV, truTV and Comedy Central’s Road to Roast Battle.²⁵ She’s also in the cast of Roseanne Barr’s Meemaw.¹¹
• Brian Villalobos: An actor who starred in Pardini’s previous film, Man Goes on Rant.²⁶ That film won four awards, including Best Actor for Villalobos, at The Comedy Film Festival in Austin.²⁷

Austin is booming largely because of the decision for the Kill Tony podcast to move down there years ago. Kill Tony relocated from Los Angeles in 2020, a move that followed the migration of comics like Joe Rogan and Shane Gillis.²⁸ Now, it is oversaturated with stand-up.

The Emmys Will Move to Prime Video Until 2032

The Emmys are leaving broadcast television. The Television Academy signed a six-year deal with Amazon that begins with the 2027 ceremony and runs through 2032, ending a seven-decade run of broadcast networks airing the show.²⁹ The ceremony will stay free to watch, with no Prime Video subscription required.²⁹ Academy chair Cris Abrego said the old rotating model meant starting over every year in many ways, and that continuity was a big part of what they wanted.²⁹ Prime Video can also carry other Television Academy programming, but the future of the Creative Arts Emmys is still being discussed.³⁰

As a younger viewer, this makes me more inclined to watch. I don’t see anything lost or gained if the Emmys want to appeal to the next generation of viewers who could potentially be watching for years to come.

References

¹ TV Insider, “Is ‘Abbott Elementary’ Going to Disneyland? What to Know About the 100th Episode”
² Meaww, “What time is ‘Abbott Elementary’ on tonight? Season 6 Episode guide, schedule, and more”
³ Laughing Place, “‘Abbott Elementary’ is Going to Disneyland for its 100th Episode”
⁴ TheWrap, “‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ Season 7 Notches Biggest Premiere Ratings Yet”
⁵ The Blast, coverage of Whitney Rose’s divorce filing and Heather Gay’s reaction
⁶ Entertainment Now, “‘RHOSLC’ Star Whitney Rose Files for Divorce After Nearly 17 Years of Marriage”
⁷ Bravo, “Whitney Rose Addresses Current Dynamic with Justin Rose Amid Their Separation”
⁸ The Tab, “Heather Gay responds as RHOSLC’s Whitney Rose files for divorce from Justin”
⁹ Yahoo Entertainment, “Roseanne Barr launches comeback comedy series Meemaw”
¹⁰ Yahoo Entertainment, “Roseanne Barr Making Hollywood Comeback With Secret Comedy Series 8 Years After Controversial Firing”
¹¹ Consequence, “Roseanne Barr Made New Independent Sitcom Meemaw in Secret”
¹² Reality Tea, “Roseanne Barr Returns With a Surprise Project After 2018 Scandal”
¹³ MobileSyrup, “Letterkenny, Shoresy creator’s new show I Kill the Bear hits Crave next month”
¹⁴ MobileSyrup, “Crave unveils I Kill The Bear, the next series from Letterkenny’s Jared Keeso”
¹⁵ Reuters via The Star, “Spotify renews multiyear deal with podcaster Joe Rogan”
¹⁶ Variety, “Joe Rogan Renews Nine-Figure Spotify Deal”
¹⁷ Apple TV, “Nighthawks”
¹⁸ Latenighter, “Get to Know New SNL Cast Member Kam Patterson”
¹⁹ Simon & Schuster, Luis J. Gomez author page
²⁰ Comedy Works, Casey Rocket
²¹ The Orange Peel, Casey Rocket
²² Lake Tahoe Travel, Timmy No Brakes
²³ Ticket Tailor, Uncle Lazer
²⁴ Bandwagon, “Kim Congdon: Comedy’s Unlikely Survivor”
²⁵ Vanyaland, Kim Congdon
²⁶ Apple TV, “Man Goes On Rant”
²⁷ Chicago (the band) news site, “Peter Curtis Pardini Film Wins Top Awards at Austin Film Festival”
²⁸ KUT, “Anybody But Tony” (August 2026)
²⁹ AP via NY1, “Emmy Awards to move to Prime Video in 2027 in 6-year deal”
³⁰ AV Club, “The Emmys will move to Prime Video”