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Get ready for a grittier Star Trek (The 3:59, Ep. 228)

CBS Interactive CEO Jim Lanzone offers some hints about the latest Star Trek show and shoots down the idea of any "Game of Thrones"-type sex and violence.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
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  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
Roger Cheng
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CNET

"Star Trek: Discovery" will be different than any Star Trek show before it.

I had CBS Interactive CEO Jim Lanzone on the show to talk about the next big series for the company's CBS All Access service, and he teased a "cinematic" and "grittier" program, akin to what you'd see on other premium cable channels.

(Disclosure: CBS is CNET's parent company.)

But will there be "Game of Thrones"-level violence and sex?

"I highly doubt that," Lanzone said.

Lanzone had previously told Peter Kafka that there "theoretically" could be naked humans or aliens, since this is an online show that doesn't fall under the same standards guidelines as network shows. The remark set off a firestorm of speculation.

Though the series' producers could set new boundaries, "the intent is to make a good show," Lanzone told me.

The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top stories of the day, brought to you by the CNET News team in New York and producer Bryan VanGelder.

Check out the extended shows on YouTube.

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