Definition of virtuous circle: "A chain of events in which one desirable occurrence leads to another which further promotes the first occurrence and so on resulting in a continuous process of improvement" -- Merriam Webster.  "A chain of events that reinforce themselves through a feedback loop with favorable results" -- Wikipedia

Tonight, CBS will telecast the season finale of its breakout comedy hit The Neighborhood – one of two new series launched by the network last fall that received an early second season renewal several weeks ago.  Throughout its first season, The Neighborhood opened a dialogue about gentrification and showed viewers that people of all backgrounds really aren't very different at all. For series star and Executive Producer Cedric the Entertainer (pictured at top left opposite co-star Max Greenfield), that was critical to the development and success of the show.  "The fact we are not that different was one of the key things (series creator) Jim (Reynolds) and I wanted to make sure of," he told MediaVillage during an exclusive interview. "And that we weren't doing a show that was going to show divisiveness.  We wanted to push the envelope, tell some truths, and show that the problem is people don't know each other, yet assume they do.

It's been 10 years since Buddy Valastro, the owner and head baker at Hoboken, New Jersey's Carlo's Bakery, became an unlikely television star on TLC's Cake Boss. Since then, Valastro has opened 18 additional Carlo's locations as well as an event planning and catering company, and he's gone on to star in more than a half-dozen Discovery Networks programs including TLC's Next Great Baker, Food Network's Buddy vs. Duff, and Food Network's newest, Bake You Rich, which premiered on April 14 and airs Sundays at 10 PM. In a first-time move for Food Network, Bake You Rich has incorporated e-commerce into the program by offering the winning dessert for sale on the Carlo's Bakery website immediately following each episode's airing.

Two of CBS’ big-swing freshmen series, the sitcom The Neighborhood and the spiritual drama God Friended Me, recently received well-deserved early second season renewals.  Although the shows are very different, they have successfully broached such subjects as gentrification and religion through the lens of diversity and inclusion, garnering significant viewership in the process.  The Neighborhood averages 8 million viewers weekly, while God Friended Me averages 10 million.

Just in time for the weekend’s holidays, Lifetime on Saturday shifts the focus of its original movies from stories about murderous moms, dastardly dads and torturous teens to something more inspirational with the premiere of My Mom's Letter from Heaven, based on true-life events.  In the film, Barry Watson stars as Connor Ash, a father left to raise his four-year-old daughter Zoe (Jordyn Ashley Olson) after his wife Libby (Cindy Busby) dies from cancer.  Before her passing, Libby writes a heartfelt letter to Zoe that Conner promises to deliver when Zoe is old enough to appreciate it.

Direct-to-consumer brands are growing at an astonishing rate and show no sign of slowing down.  But DTC is also evolving and now means more than when the original digital disruptors that coined the phrase.