Madelyn (00:00)
Hey, happy Monday. It's The Unscripted Files. I have Emily Wilson here and it's our last episode of the year. We're going to be talking all things 2025 and what we're forward to, the trends, the mergers, the acquisitions, the big news that's happening in 2026. Welcome, Emily.

Emily Wilson (00:18)
Hi, thank you for having me.

Madelyn (00:20)
Of course, we just got confirmation of some pretty big news. Tell us what's going on here.

Emily Wilson (00:25)
Yeah.

I mean, it looks like Netflix is taking over the world pretty much. It feels like that when you read this headline, but they are taking Warner Brothers film division and entertainment division, which is massive, the industry and everyone who works within it, everyone who consumes it. It's just, it's massive news.

Madelyn (00:46)
It's we've been watching this for weeks. We've been talking about it for weeks, you know, with Netflix as an unexpected contender because for such a long time they said They were into building and not buying. And there's so many people nervous about this for so many different reasons. The movie industry, what it means for TV continued consolidation, what feels like a monopoly, you know, in a deal that is

you know, $82.7 billion. It's just so massive. It's crazy to try to wrap your head around. definitely curious as to how this is going to continue to shape the industry. know, Warner Brothers not only has all the IP, from Harry Potter to Friends and everything in between, but they also have linear networks, those legacy cable networks, Food Network, Discovery, HGTV.

Where will those go? What will happen to them? I think it's all really up in the air. And of course, our beloved HBO Max. Will it just be a tile on Netflix in a few years? I guess we'll have to see, but huge news. And we'll just have to sit back like everyone else and see what happens.

Emily Wilson (01:45)
as I guess you have to say.

Definitely. I feel like it's been a year of lot of uncertainty in this industry and I think it's setting the tone going into the new year so we'll definitely have to wait and see what happens.

Madelyn (02:04)
Absolutely. We were talking about just you and I about what we feel like has contributed to the most change in the unscripted industry this year. And we really came up with kind of two things. And one of them is what we were just talking about, consolidation, mergers, acquisitions. And who's our other big player here?

Emily Wilson (02:27)
I mean, AI for sure. It's changing the way that, I mean, in development, you see it all the time in production, in editing, in every part of the process from that initial format and just people brainstorming titles now to what we actually see on the other end. It's quite dramatic.

Madelyn (02:49)
Absolutely. And it's interesting, it's kind of chicken and egg because I just can't help but think that AI is what's actually generating all of this consolidation. This anticipation of needing to get slimmer and operate quicker and cheaper and more efficiently and acquire IP. IP can't be AI generated, right? So acquiring IP and nostalgia and all these things is a smart move in this era.

And you're right, it is coming for every part of the process. I was just having a discussion with someone who specializes in AI recreation. So for true crime, for historical docs, those used to be crews that we send out. They're now going to production companies and presenting them with fully AI recreation. So you're right, it's coming for every part of the process.

It's happening a lot in development. It's happening in production, post-production, advertising, you name it. So it's certainly this, mean, this is absolutely what's continued to change the game and we'll continue on from here on out, I'm sure.

Emily Wilson (03:53)
Completely. But I want to know what your favorite new formats were that you watched this year.

Madelyn (03:59)
good question. There were a couple, well, there was some, I was happy to see just new TV come out, whether it was like culinary, next-gen chef on Netflix or dating, but I would say the two that stuck out to me the most, I really liked Million Dollar Secret on Netflix. it took the house strategy game in a different direction. I thought that was interesting where,

random person wakes up and has the million dollars and has to convince everyone they don't have it and they can hang on to it or they can give it away strategically and I liked the way it was done I thought it was really smart and then I also really liked Honesty Box which is a UK format by Sean Perry, Sarah Ty Keefe and it's a dating show where they drop a AI, here we are, an AI

lie detector test that is 88 % accurate, tested by the government, and they drop that in the middle of a dating show. And it's really fascinating. Like we've seen lie detectors maybe on challenges and things like that, but it's constantly, this box is kind of constantly a part of the show. People can be called in at random, and sometimes what they're being asked or quizzed on is projected to the rest of the group, and sometimes it isn't.

Emily Wilson (04:53)
government.

except that it's just not as easy as it might seem.

Madelyn (05:13)
So I just thought it was really smart, really interesting. There's so much in dating. And I thought the way that they incorporated technology into the format was really interesting.

Emily Wilson (05:14)
So, I'm just gonna play this one.

I'm definitely adding both of those to my watch list. And I think as you mentioned, like with Million Dollar Secret, one thing that we are seeing a lot of within development commissioning distribution now is kind of that traders' esque format that, you know, mystery elements, getting civilian contestants involved, big stakes, big houses, big money.

Madelyn (05:28)
Yes.

Emily Wilson (05:49)
And we're seeing those types of formats replicated a lot because they seem to be winning the ratings globally.

Madelyn (05:57)
Absolutely. Traders has done so well that everyone wanted their own traders or a version of it. And you're right. Put them in a big house. I don't think that Got to Get Out, I don't remember if Got to Get Out and Hulu came out this year. That was an interesting take as well. But yeah, put them in a big house. Do some really good casting and lie to everybody about what you do or don't have and see what happens.

Emily Wilson (06:14)
Yeah.

Yeah, think Nobody's Fall was just sold to Norway this week, which is coming out of the UK and that's premiering early next year, I believe as well. So yeah, still more to come.

Madelyn (06:25)
Mm.

We love to, I think just our desire to be able to like spot a lie, to be a good liar, to spot a lie. I think those are really innate and human. I think it's why these things do really well. And all of these shows really make us turn to the person next to us and say, could we do that? What would you do? What would be your strategy? And I think that's all a huge part of it. Another huge thing we also saw this year, as much as everyone's talking like no new shows are getting commissioned.

We had a couple, but really what we're seeing a lot of is more of that nostalgic reboot. I mean, from what? Laguna Beach, what else we got here?

Emily Wilson (07:09)
Star Search, Fear Factor, Bridesillers, we've got everything from reunions to revivals to spin-offs really. Just not only recycling the IP and making it work for the digital era or for a new audience or a streaming audience or also just having that talent come back that people forged a bond with many years ago.

Madelyn (07:32)
Yeah, it's, and again, I think this is a mix of millennials growing up and sort of demanding this as we become a main consumer. And I think it's also a lack of wanting to take a lot of risks and wanting to go back into the file folder and like see what we can bring back that like might have a chance. but I'm not complaining. Laguna Beach shaped me. It was so pivotal for me and excited for these.

these others as well. There's been some really cool docs and trends in docs and non-fiction as well this year. What really were you seeing a lot of?

Emily Wilson (08:07)
sure. A lot of like talent-led and celebrity-led docs or doc series, I think we saw that with I think Stanley Tucci, like I think that was last year or the year before. That was almost one of the first. And then you have Eugene Levy, Traveling the World. You've got Aquafina, which was announced like last week from 2.4. Just so many, I guess, celebrity-led docs, but also sports. I feel like Drive to Survive.

was a trailblazer years ago on this. And now we're seeing NFL to AFL to tennis following Alcaraz and Nadal, just different sports documentaries, following teams and just giving people that insider access of what happens before the game and after the game.

Madelyn (08:52)
Yeah, the sports has just absolutely exploded and whoever can get the access and the rights, I mean, that's what everyone's fighting for. And a lot of interesting approaches to it as well. Each sport has their own seasonality, their own windows, their own urgency. And there's been some interesting stuff to come of it, but you're right. We're seeing every type of sport there is. I think also the Olympics back in 24 gave us a new

renewed interest in athletes, how they live, why they do what they do. And we see this too when they get cast for Dancing with the Stars and Traders and everything else. ⁓ I really liked, there's a couple of docs this year that stuck out to me, The Perfect Neighbor, which I talked about on the show before, which is a documentary about...

Emily Wilson (09:30)
That's what the stars and the truth is never came out. So I'm going play this next couple of songs.

And we will be checking out some of the show's showroom, which is coming up in a

minute.

Madelyn (09:46)
a contentious neighbor relationship out of Florida that ultimately ended in death and was almost entirely made up of body cam footage. And it was really very compelling, interesting in the way that it was presented and really made you think. And I thought it was really fascinating. And also we can't...

I mean, I had this director on the show. We cannot, I just told you to watch it. I mean, the reaction to unknown number, High

Emily Wilson (10:13)
Yes.

Madelyn (10:16)
School Catfish, I won't give any spoilers because you haven't seen it, It caused a stir almost as bigger than Tiger King and a cultural conversation that I hadn't seen in quite a long time with so many people.

having something to say about it. And the way that it was shot and the way that it was revealed, I think was a huge reason why it caused such a stir. And I think we will see more like it, more reveals like that to come because it caused such a shock. So I really, I loved that night. The director, Borgman, did such an incredible job with that. So.

Emily Wilson (10:31)
Okay, let's turn it off.

Madelyn (10:49)
Some trends that we also saw this year, there's some more here and a lot of it we've talked about on the show. You mentioned talent celebrity led docs, ⁓ traders formats and the other big one we've talked about game boards and toys.

Emily Wilson (10:57)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

my goodness. I feel like every time we catch up, it's always another monopoly or a pictionary or just another game clue. my goodness. And. Shock by it, we did. And I feel like Netflix is getting in on that as well. And yeah, it's gone from just local networks.

Madelyn (11:14)
clue.

Shark bite, didn't we just talk about that?

Emily Wilson (11:28)
to big streamers and it's IP that everyone recognizes and I feel like it's come from, to me, I'm like after the Barbie movie, after Mattel building out their film studio, you're seeing Hasbro want to fight back on that and have their properties. I mean, there's a Monopoly movie coming out, I think.

Madelyn (11:48)
Yes, yes. I mean, it's just you're right. The Barbie movie started an absolute revolution when it comes to looking at these properties and seeing how you could stretch them every which way. And I think we will continue to see scripted and unscripted versions across the board.

brand funded content. That's certainly on the development side, all that we're seeing. brands completely are co-funding content, brands starting their own studios, Chick-fil-A, Dick's Sporting Goods, Starbucks.

just to name a few, know, are all starting their own studios. I am hearing that the next wave of studios is going to start coming from big universities. So we've seen sports entities like the Chiefs who have their own entertainment studio. I think we're going to start seeing that with college universities as well and where everyone is their own studio, generating their own entertainment.

Emily Wilson (12:37)
Definitely, I mean, you're seeing a lot of brand funded and app funded programming across digital channels in the UK, especially across the main linear channels as well. So it will be interesting to see where this one goes.

Madelyn (12:52)
Yes, it will. Another thing that we've talked about some more sort of 2026 predictions and trends is, and we've talked about this too, video podcast companion shows. Why they're still called podcasts. I don't know, but you know, the video podcast and creator led content, we see every major platform acquiring them. I think that's only going to continue.

And vice versa, think we'll see the audio platforms are also acquiring video and it's all, there is no video or audio only platform anymore.

Emily Wilson (13:14)
and sleep.

Yeah, I mean, Netflix and Spotify funding video podcasts. You had a Traders companion show in the UK produced by Platform Media, which did the biggest BBC two overnight figures around the time of the Celebrity Traders final. So you're seeing this trend bring in the viewership and that it's almost lower cost programming in a way as well, but it's still pulling the numbers and it's still

giving the audiences the conversation that they want to hear about their favorite shows or about their favorite sports game. And the rest is football just got picked up by Netflix, which is just a massive football podcast. And that will be screening on Netflix for the World Cup. It's a completely different landscape to what podcasting was even 12 months ago.

Madelyn (14:16)
Yeah, it certainly changed a ton. we talked about true crime podcasts, but the true crime podcast on the Murdoch murders just turned into, it's not only turned into a ton of different docs, but it just turned into a scripted series on Hulu. So I think that the wave of podcasts that do really successful in them turning into comedy specials and, you know, live shows and commentary, I think you're right. It is a,

Emily Wilson (14:23)
Mm.

Madelyn (14:43)
what tends to be a lower cost option with a lot of return. I also think we're gonna see, so for me, think we're gonna see less influencers and I'm not, don't, influence and creators to me are not the same thing. I do think we are gonna get a bit influencer fatigue. I think we're kind of already seeing it as, at least in the economy, the US is struggling. I mean, listen, the Pantone,

Emily Wilson (14:58)
Thank

Madelyn (15:10)
color for next year is white. Like, what are we doing? I don't know what's happening. And so I think there's going to be some sort of influencer fatigue with certain influencers. But I do think that creators who have created original content, know, the Brittany Broskies of the world are going to absolutely soar, who don't necessarily come from a traditional influencer background.

Emily Wilson (15:26)
Yeah.

Madelyn (15:30)
More of the, I'll say, consumer-forward influencers, I think, are, we are gonna see less of.

Emily Wilson (15:37)
I mean digitally for sure. I mean we see what MrBeast has created with his studio with Beast Games on Prime. I don't think creators are going anywhere.

Madelyn (15:48)
Agreed. And then after just watching the reunion for Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, season three last week, the Utah of it all. mean, we are seeing, obviously we've got Salt Lake, Real House sides of Salt Lake City. We've got Mormon Wives. They're now on Dancing with the Stars. We know that Hulu is exploring spinoffs. I know that they're filming spinoffs in Utah, in that world. I mean, I think the

LDS Church of it all is going to absolutely continue to explode as this has done so well for ABC Hulu.

Any favorite things that you have watched this year? Any favorites that you want to shout out?

Emily Wilson (16:26)
I really did enjoy Fit for TV. I feel like that was something I shouldn't have enjoyed as much as I did. But I think having those contestant perspectives with the producer perspectives as someone who has always loved unscripted reality, it was a fun watch for me.

Madelyn (16:28)
Mm.

Yeah, it's a documentary on The Biggest Loser and that sort of time in entertainment and television and in the world. You and I were just talking about how much we watched it and it was really fascinating to see the producers, the contestants open it up, talk about it. Another directed by one of our guests, Guy Borgman. I do not know when she sleeps,

there's a lot of changes happening, but it does seem like things are moving. And I think that we have to be annoyingly optimistic. We have no other choice and hopefully we can all go into 2026 feeling that way.

Emily Wilson (17:21)
What are you looking forward to watching next year?

Madelyn (17:23)
truly Love Island is like a summer thing for me. Like I have a whole summer schedule where I wake up and I watch it every morning, the UK, and I So I really love my Love Island.

What else? Let's see.

Emily Wilson (17:34)
a UK show called The Neighborhood, which the idea is it's a bit of a spin on Big Brother, apparently. So different families or groups of people all living in different houses in the one neighborhood. So I'm excited to see how that plays out.

Madelyn (17:38)
Ooh.

Oh, see, and I love that because the way that people live as family units and in their homes, I think is really fascinating. And so widening that net of not individuals, but like units of people who live together is really smart, really good. Oh, I'm excited for that. Yeah, I think there's been a lot of news about what's to come. think, you know, Mormon wives will come back. I will be watching Dancing with the Stars again. I think there'll be a lot that...

is going to be a lot of fun and we'll just continue to ride the waves here and head into next year. But I'm so excited that we have, you know, been recording together, giving everybody the news every couple of weeks. It's been really fun and I can't wait to keep going next year.

Emily Wilson (18:34)
Yeah, it's been amazing just talking with someone who like gets it, who reads it, who consumes it and loves it. And yeah, I've really enjoyed it. So thank you.

Madelyn (18:45)
Absolutely. Okay, see you next year. Bye.

Emily Wilson (18:47)
Bye.