👋 Your watchlist just got better. From overlooked gems to major releases, we keep cinematic tastemakers up-to-date on what’s happening, like what to watch this week:

• 🎥 The Grove | 4.4

• 🎥 Freaky Tales | 4.4

• 📺 Black Mirror S7 | 4.10

Read time: 3 minutes | 639 words

TRENDING

• 🎬 YES! Coyote vs. Acme escapes Warner Bros. shelving – Ketchup Entertainment pays rumored $50M for worldwide rights to Looney Tunes film.

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• The Order is the hidden gem film of 2024 (if you’ve seen the film, check out this video on hunter vs the hunted).

• 📢 Jon Lovitz rallies The Critic revival – creator Al Jean joins campaign as fans mobilize to convince studio through massive social support.

• 🎸 First look at The Beatles cast together, includes Paul Mescal (Gladiator II) as Paul McCartney and Barry Keoghan (The Batman) as Ringo Starr.

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• 🧸 Should we bring back rag dolls that don't look remotely like people? Here's one for Will Smith as The Fresh Prince as a reminder.

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FEATURE 

⚖️ Is The Pitt Just ER 2.0? Lawsuit, Explained

Max's New Medical Drama Embroiled in High-Stakes Ownership Dispute…

The critically acclaimed series "The Pitt" has become the center of a contentious legal battle as Michael Crichton's estate claims the new medical drama is nothing more than an unauthorized spin-off of the iconic NBC series "ER" – potentially violating agreements that Crichton himself established decades ago regarding derivative works.

"The Pitt is ER. It's not like ER, it's not kind of ER, it's not sort of ER," asserts the lawsuit filed by Sherri Crichton, widow of the late "Jurassic Park" author. The premise directly challenges the creative independence claimed by "The Pitt" team, suggesting a calculated maneuver to rebrand "ER" while avoiding proper attribution and compensation.

The lawsuit highlights several factors that allegedly connect the two medical dramas: 

The evidence presented becomes more compelling when examining the overlapping personnel between both productions. "Noah Wyle (who played Dr. John Carter on the NBC show for 11 seasons), 'ER' producer John Wells, and creator R. Scott Gemmill are all major components of 'The Pitt' – a connection that the Crichton estate argues cannot be coincidental and represents 'a personal betrayal of a 30-year friendship.'"

What makes this case particularly significant is that Warner Bros. has firmly rejected these characterizations. "While they are both medical dramas set in hospitals, this does not make 'The Pitt' a 'derivative work'... Plaintiff does not own this generic concept, shared by numerous medical dramas set in hospitals that have aired before, during, and after 'ER.'"

As "The Pitt" moves forward with its recently announced second season, what began as creative excitement has evolved into one of entertainment's most fascinating legal disputes about creator rights, intellectual property, and the fine line between inspiration and derivation.

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