Yes, the ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Scandal Really Is News

This is a preview of our pop culture newsletter The Daily Beast’s Obsessed, written by editor Kevin Fallon. To receive the full newsletter in your inbox each week, sign up for it here.

This week:

• Attempting to make sense of Fast X. (A foolish errand.)

• A little Vanderpump Rules scandal rant.

• My latest personal and professional venture.

• The refusal to pay writers what they deserve is already impacting TV.

• The wildest TV clip I’ve seen this week. (Maybe ever?)

All the Vanderpump News That’s Fit to Print

I apologize if I blew your eardrums out with my, “Oh, come ON!” groan that was loud enough to be heard across multiple time zones. I’m over this smug and myopic nonsense.

There was a somewhat viral moment this week when social media users clocked that actor Liev Schreiber commented on an Instagram post from the New York Times promoting the paper of record’s profile of Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix. “Is this news?” he wrote. IS THIS NEWS?!

To say that Schreiber was dragged for this comment is an understatement akin to saying that I am only merely perturbed by that attitude toward entertainment news content. Whether or not you are a person who watches the Bravo series, the fact is that a massive population of people are hungry for updates, explainers, gossip—news!—about the scandal at the center of it. Moreover, if you aren’t familiar with what’s happening, you might appreciate the public service of an explainer detailing what this whole big deal is… and why this is news.

I have nothing against Schreiber. He even magnanimously apologized, sort of, replying to podcaster and writer Danny Pellegrino, “Sincere apology to you and Ms. Madix. Didn’t realize I was in the entertainment section.”

While nice that he said that, it still rankles me. Entertainment news is not something that is siloed just to the “entertainment section.” Pop culture is culture. It preoccupies us, it drives national conversation, and it merits serious dissection and reporting. (It’s weird to me that an actor wouldn’t share that viewpoint…) It reminds me of the years of people having the same attitude anytime Kim Kardashian was written about. Kim Kardashian. Inarguably one of the most famous people in the world. Yes, updates on her life are news.

I don’t go around commenting on every silly sports story I see and trying to minimize their value. Go off with your footballs and baseball bats and grotesque amounts of money invested in these corrupt institutions. But understand that other people have other interests that merit just as much attention.

*Some personal news…*

ABC announced this week that it’s producing a new Bachelor spinoff titled The Golden Bachelor that will air this fall. It will follow the format of the long-running dating show franchise, but will feature a cast exclusively of senior citizens who are looking for love.

It’s a “whole new kind of love story—one for the golden years,” the network said. In the show, a “hopeless romantic is given a second chance at love in the search for a partner with whom to share the sunset years of life.” The potential paramours “have a lifetime of experience, living through love, loss and laughter, hoping for a spark that ignites a future full of endless possibilities.”

Anyway, that’s what I’ve been up to these last few months. I’m excited to finally be able to announce the news, and hope you enjoy following along with my romance journey when The Bachelor, Now With Old People premieres this fall.

Fall TV Is Looking Bleak

Now let’s talk about the real reason we’re finally getting The Golden Bachelor. Yes, I have long thought that a version of The Bachelor that didn’t just feature 24-year-olds who laughably think they’re reaching their last chance to find a romantic partner would be fascinating. But the circumstances under which we’re getting it are depressing.

This week, ABC released what it called a “strike-proof” fall schedule, meaning a lineup of shows that can run if the current WGA strike continues and scripted series do not return to production in time for the fall. That lineup: all reality shows, news programs, game shows, and reruns of Abbott Elementary. Let’s call what it truly is: a “strike-necessary” fall schedule. A “please, just pay the writers their value” fall schedule. A “networks and studios are screwing everyone over and refuse to budge” fall schedule.

Anyway, enjoy Judge Steve Harvey, I guess.

The Golden Age of Television

These past few weeks have made me realize that we aren’t properly grateful for amazing scripted television when we have it. For example, I remember watching Doogie Howser, M.D. when I was growing up. Yet I don’t think I appreciated the level of spectacular TV I was privileged to watch, until this clip resurfaced online this week: when Bette Midler guest-starred as a dying Mother Earth, Neil Patrick Harris’ child doctor couldn’t save her, and then E.T. showed up.

Watch it here.

What to watch this week:

Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl: While not the documentary you’d expect, it’s still a fascinating return to the socialite era of the early aughts. (Now on Hulu)

American Born Chinese: Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu—the stars of Everything Everywhere All at Once—reunite for this series. (Wed. on Disney+)

FUBAR: I admittedly have not watched this one yet, but the trailer for this Arnold Schwarzenegger action series implausibly cracked me up. (Thurs. on Netflix)

What to skip this week:

Fast X: All of my kidding aside, it’s not good! (Now in theaters)

White Men Can’t Jump: The world’s most unnecessary remake. (Now on Hulu.)

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