Game of Thrones…No sooner did I write an article saying “GoT” might save this lackluster TV year than they came back with a very weak season premiere. “Never fear” some might say “they always start slow and get really good by mid-season” but previous seasons have had the books as a blueprint. Who knows if…
Category: TV Reviews
Can “Game of Thrones” Save This Lackluster TV Year?
First off, let me say that I’m not in general one of those people that says “There’s nothing good on TV.” I find those people to be incredibly boring and really spoiled. There are now more than 100 basic cable channels each with their own handful of original series; plus great premium networks like HBO, Starz, Cinemax,…
How AMC Network Lost Their Most Loyal Viewer
It’s no exaggeration to say I was the most loyal viewer AMC network ever had. I watched literally every scripted original series they ever made (have you ever even heard of “Low Winter Sun?”) and at least some of their unscripted series like the great “The Pitch” and the more guilty-pleasure “Small Town Security.” When…
Actually, the Second Season of “Better Call Saul” was WORSE than the First
The conventional wisdom seems to be that the second season of AMC’s Breaking Bad-Spinoff/prequel “Better Call Saul” was better than the first season. And, as usual, the conventional wisdom is wrong. The second season was actually worse than the first on almost every level. The first season had a couple of early missteps (like Tuco…
Showtime Keeps Their Unlikable Character Streak Alive with “Billions”
Last night saw the season finale of Showtime’s newest original drama “Billions.” And I wish I could say the show was an unqualified success, although I do like parts of it and think about half the show is really worth watching. It’s become apparent that the biggest roadblock to fully enjoying any Showtime series is getting around their unlikable…
“People Vs. OJ” Still Relevant to Justice System Vs. Minorities
When the series “The People Vs. OJ Simpson” started, it took several weeks for me to even begin watching it. I just couldn’t find a way to get interested in an OJ Simpson trial that I thought I already knew a lot about and was already the most overly publicized trial in my lifetime. All in all,…
“House of Cards” Season 4 is Its Best Yet
I’ve been very vocal about my disappointment in season 3 of “House of Cards.” [I said the entire season was tied for a specific episode of “The Strain” for the most disappointing TV moment of 2015.] Boring characters took center stage, interesting ones were completely marginalized (Doug was off angrily staring at his kitchen for much of…
TV Review: Why “Galavant” Deserves Your Viewing
It’s rare we get an “off day” from politics around here. Between primaries, near-daily debates (or “town halls”), candidates dropping out, and Supreme Court deaths, it’s becoming increasingly infrequent that we get a chance to talk about the old favorites: movies, TV, and books. So I figured I’d take advantage by praising ABC’s “Galavant.” Sure,…
TV Review: Can Rebooted “X-Files” Win Over a New Fan?
So a small caveat before we begin: I’ve never seen an episode of the original “X-Files.” But I have seen both movies, which is either a good thing (the first one) or a bad one (the sequel) depending on whether you stopped after the original. Still, the question remains: “Is the reboot enjoyable for relatively-new fans to…
Is TBS on to Something By Showing All of “Angie Tribeca” in One Day?
Cable networks are getting increasingly jealous of the streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon) putting all of their shows online at once and hogging all the attention, so it was perhaps inevitable that they’d find ways around this. Last year, NBC put the entire first season of “Aquarius” On Demand at the same time (I guess so…
The Most Disappointing TV of the Year
Not all TV is created equal, and even though this year saw more terrific TV shows than ever before, they weren’t all gems. The following is a list of “disappointing” TV developments that could be TV moments, episodes, subplots, or entire seasons. And it’s not so much “the worst” TV as it is shows that…
Donald Trump on “SNL”…Actually Not that Bad
“The episode sucked.” “The jokes went nowhere.” “Half the sketches were awkward and the other half were aimless.” “The pacing was weird and the last half hour was ridiculously low-energy.” “Half the cast looked like they didn’t want to be there.” “They played it too safe.” “The host isn’t a natural sketch comedy performer.” All…
TV Review: “Fear the Walking Dead” and “The Strain”
Two Sunday night horror shows that had their season finales last night (small world). However…well, the news is more mixed than positive. Fear the Walking Dead…This spin-off of The Walking Dead is less about the breakdown of civilization and more about the panicky overkill that might result in the early days of a crisis. It…