Amazon will release the upcoming sequel to "Borat" on Prime Video in late October, just ahead of the U.S. presidential election. The new film was produced in secret by star Sacha Baron Cohen and a crew during the pandemic, as lockdown restrictions started to ease.

More:

• In the "Borat" films, which combine scripted sequences with real pranks and candid stunts, the comedian portrays a confused TV host from Kazakhstan attempting to make a documentary about American life.
• The film was shot across the U.S. and internationally, as with the first "Borat" and Baron Cohen's follow-up, "Brüno."
• The first film, with the full title "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," was released in 2006.
• The new film is rumored to be titled "Borat: Gift of Pornographic Monkey to Vice Premiere Mikhael Pence to Make Benefit Recently Diminished Nation of Kazakhstan."

Netflix will produce a live-action series based on the character Conan the Barbarian, originally created by author Robert E. Howard. According to Deadline, Netflix signed an overall agreement with the owners of the property to potentially develop numerous TV and film projects based on Howard's Conan stories.

More:

• No writer/showrunner or director for the project have yet been selected.
• The character was first introduced in a series of short stories published in Weird Tales magazine in 1932, and helped to popularize the "sword & sorcery" genre.
• The character was played in two 1980s films by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a 2011 reboot starring Jason Momoa.

DAILY CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

THE GLORIAS: In this unconventional biopic from co-writer/director Julie Taymor, four actresses (Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Lulu Wilson, and Ryan Kiera Armstrong) portray feminist icon Gloria Steinem at different points in her life. [Amazon]

AMERICAN MURDER: THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR: Original true-crime documentary about the 2018 murders of 34-year-old Shan'ann Watts and her two children by her husband, Christopher Lee-Watts, and the ensuing investigation. [Netflix]

THE BOYS IN THE BAND: Joe Mantello directed this new feature adaptation of the 1968 play by Mart Crowley -- about a group of gay friends who meet up for a birthday party in New York, only to greet a surprise guest from their past -- and also co-wrote the script with Ned Martel. Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesus, and Brian Hutchison star; Ryan Murphy produced. [Netflix]

WENTWORTH: The eighth season of the Australian prison drama series, subtitled "Wentworth: Redemption," arrives on Netflix today. The show has been renewed for one more season by Australian network Fox Showcase, which will debut in 2021. [Netflix]

Starting on Thursday, YouTube TV will drop 19 Fox regional sports networks owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, after the two companies failed to reach a renewal agreement. In February, YouTube owners Google negotiated a deal with Sinclair allowing the networks to continue streaming, but only through the end of the 2020 season.

More:

• In a Twitter thread, YouTube TV noted: "This was a difficult decision made after months of negotiations. We hope we can bring Fox RSNs back in the future."
• Sinclair's president of distribution and network relations responded: "While we are disappointed that YouTube will discontinue carriage of the RSNs, we remain in discussions in an effort to find a mutually acceptable path to returning the RSNs to YouTube TV."
• YouTube TV subscribers will also lose access to any DVR recordings from the channels they have previously made.

So this week, we're talking about the Israeli spy drama "Tehran" -- which is new to Apple TV+ -- and we might as well get the big, tricky, divisive political discussion out of the way right up top. This is roughly the equivalent of an Israeli "Homeland" or "24," featuring heroic agents for the country's covert intelligence unit Mossad. (It comes from co-creator Moshe Zonder, who is one of the writers for "Fauda," another series about Israeli intelligence agents that has become a global hit -- and a lightning rod for criticism -- on Netflix.)

For many viewers (including myself!) who take some issue with the current government of Israel and its policies, outright rooting for Mossad, even in a fictional capacity, can prove a bit awkward, just as openly rooting for CIA agents in American shows must feel a bit odd to people in some other countries that receive them as imports. If you're in that camp, it's completely understandable, and "Tehran" may simply not be the show for you.

The Disney+ docuseries "Marvel's 616" will arrive on November 20. The series looks back at pivotal characters, arcs, and moments from the history of Marvel Comics, and how they interacted with social issues and American culture at large.

More:

• The first two episodes will feature Gillian Jacobs spotlighting trailblazing women in Marvel Comics; and Paul Scheer looking back at some of the brand's overlooked and "forgotten" characters.
• The series will include 8 total episodes.

Several episodes of Adult Swim series have been permanently retired from the network's streaming collection due to "cultural sensitivities." Impacted series include "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "The Boondocks," both of which stream on the HBO Max service.

More:

• The "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" episode "Shake Like Me," in which the character of Master Shake "learns what it's like to be a stereotype," was removed from the Adult Swim catalog.
• As well, the "Boondocks" episode "The Story of Jimmy Rebel," about a racist country-western singer, can no longer be streamed on HBO Max.
• The episodes in question were not included in the licensing deal that brought the shows from Adult Swim to HBO Max.

Roku will add support for Apple AirPlay 2, thus giving users a way to stream HBO Max to their devices. Roku owners with an Apple device -- such as an iPad or iPhone -- will be able to use AirPlay 2 to stream HBO Max directly to their Roku devices, even without an official app.

More:

• AirPlay 2 support will apparently be available on Roku by the end of the year.
• Roku and WarnerMedia have been negotiating to bring HBO Max to the company's set-top boxes for months to no avail.
• After a similar negotiating period, NBCUniversal's Peacock has been made available to stream on Roku players.

The first episode of the YouTube original weekly music series "Released" will feature the K-pop sensation Blackpink. The series will follow musical artists as they prepare to release a new project.

More:

• The first season will feature 16 total episodes; new shows debut on Thursdays.
• "Released" is hosted by Little Bacon Bear, a DJ from Washington D.C.
• Blackpink also has a new album, called "THE ALBUM," arriving this week.

QUICK HITS

• Showtime released a trailer for the upcoming documentary "Belushi," about late comedian and "Saturday Night Live" star John Belushi, which will debut on November 22.
• HBO ordered a new weekly late-night series from comedian and "Saturday Night Live" writer Sam Jay.
• Netflix released first looks at Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher and Emma Corrin as Princess Diana from the upcoming fourth season of "The Crown."
• A number of CW shows -- including "Riverdale" and "Supergirl" -- have shut down production due to a COVID-19 testing backlog in Vancouver.
• "Mr. Robot" and "Homecoming" creator Sam Esmail set up two new projects at ABC.
• Learn how to achieve powerful results from SMS—like 25x+ ROI—with 6 SMS marketing campaigns from leading brands.*

*This is sponsored content