The End...For Now

It's time to take a break again, but I will continue watching and logging my favorite shows.  Stay tuned...

Normal Lear on PBS

Tonight on PBS's American Masters you can learn more about a great comedy writer in Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.  I have listened in on many interviews of Mr. Lear over the years, but it will be nice to watch this documentary sum it up and share more stories from his friends.  Here is a summary of what to expect from PBS:

With unprecedented access to Lear, his work and his massive personal archives, American Masters — Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You combines stories from his turbulent childhood and early career with his groundbreaking TV success (All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude) and social activism. The documentary also features colorful stories from Lear’s family, friends and collaborators, including John Amos, George Clooney, Alan Horn, Bill Moyers, Rob Reiner, Phil Rosenthal and Russell Simmons, as well as cinéma vérité moments with Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Jon Stewart, Amy Poehler and Lena Dunham.

Breaking down the fourth wall to create an evocative collage where past and present intermingle, Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp, 12th & Delaware, DETROPIA for Independent Lens) reveal a psychologically rich man whose extraordinary contributions emerge from both his personal story and his own self-professed childlike view of the world. Just Another Version of You traces how a poor Jewish kid from Connecticut started writing for The Colgate Comedy Hour with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, created All in the Family and became one of TV’s most successful showrunners. All character-driven, with theatrical sets and live audiences, Lear’s TV series changed not only the face of national television but the content of national discourse. Bringing provocative subjects like war, poverty and prejudice to 120 million viewers every week, Lear proved that social change was possible through an unlikely prism – laughter – and created some of the greatest moments in television history.

All in the Family and his other shows remain as a time capsule covering past events, and it is needed just as much today, though I am not sure the show could be made today in our politically correct environment.  That said, it is possible we are still discussing these issues in a new way.  

Whether you are watching Black-ish, Just Off the Boat, or The Real O'Neils, the sitcom stories today tend to be told by the groups feeling the outsider pressure rather than the outsiders stating their obnoxious views (except for The Simpsons, of course).  Maybe that integrates the audience into the world of the "other" and is a more effective way to change views.  Maybe.  But I still look back on Norman Lear as a master of the craft who changed television and, more importantly, changed America by holding a mirror up to us and making us cringe.  Homer Simpson cannot replace Archie Bunker in this regard.

Man With a Bad Plan?

Maybe you need another family comedy this fall.  And maybe you miss Matt LeBlanc.  And maybe you forgot about all the other great new TV shows premiering this fall that clearly eliminate the need for this comedy.  If so, CBS's Man With a Plan, premiering tomorrow night, is for you. 

It is basically about a father that finds it hard to raise three children while his wife is at work. That's it. Nothing too difficult here.  It makes Friends sound pretty complex by comparison. 

I am not recommending it, but just sharing the news. You have been warned.

Perfectly Nicole

Last month a terrific comedy started on MTV, though the press has said too little about it. As with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, you have a loveable woman operating in her own world, though instead of living in a hole in the ground like Kimmy, Nichole lives in a bubble of her own making where wigs are required, work is optional, and boyfriends are abundant.

The series is call Loosely Exactly Nicole and stars Nicole Byer as the lead and Jacob Wysocki as Devin, her enabling roommate.  The two reside in Hollywood where they are still too self-involved to know they are in a wasteland of broken dreams.  Nicole still attends auditions between babysitting marketing various drugs knowing she will be found someday.

Devin also has his own wacky story-line as a gay man trying to find his romantic partner, or at least an interested evening.  He is fun to watch as he tries to educate those around him about gay culture and fashion on a $2 budget.

This duo creates plenty of adventures, only slightly tempered by Nicole's more grounded friend Veronica (played by Jen D'Angelo).  

It's a nice break from more predictable comedies, and adult in nature (so hide the kids).

Give Nichole a try. 

Who is Dirk Gently?

The full name of BBC America's new series is Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

, so the role of Mr. Gently may be clear now. But what is a "holistic" detective agency? Maybe just knowing the story originated with Douglas Adams of "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is enough to understand that nothing will make sense in this series.

Starring Samuel Barnett as detective Dirk Gently and Elijah Wood as his assistant Todd, the new series premiering tomorrow (Oct 22) will have plenty of of strange encounters and related investigations. 

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Wood admitted he was not an Adams fan but was drawn in anyway:

No. In fact, I’ve not read any Douglas Adams. I’m certainly familiar with him as a pop culture reference. My entry point was quite literally the pilot script that [creator] Max Landis had written. I had never read anything like it — certainly not seen anything like it on television that resembled it.. 

Take a look at this clip showing when  Dirk first meets Todd. This unique duo and show reboots Sherlock Holmes in a very strange way.  I hope it will find its audience, again.  

Be There for Black Mirror

We will soon learn whether Netflix did us a favor taking in the third season of the series Black Mirror, basically a British Twilight Zone, which premieres tomorrow. 

Netflix has already committed to six episodes in season three and another six in season four, compared to the first two seasons that were three episodes apiece. That is not much of a risk given the series popularity. 

Here is a summary of the "Nosedive," the first episode of the new season, as described by Charlie Brooker, the series creator, in Entertainment Weekly;

An insecure office worker (Bryce Dallas Howard) lives in a world in which everyone obsessively ranks and rates every tiny social interaction. She thinks she finally may have found a way to rank alongside her friend (Alice Eve), who’s one of society’s elites. At first glance, this sounds like a classic Black Mirror setup — an existing tech element taken to a horrifying new extreme. But Brooker says it’s one of the most unusual episodes he’s done. “Each episode this season is a different genre; this one is a social satire,” Brooker says. “It’s got a creepy serenity to it and won’t be what people expect.” 

I am very hopeful that Netlix understands the magic of the first two seasons and does not stray too far.  If so, we have more great stories to keep us up at night. 

The Great Pumpkin Returns

It's that time of year again for a viewing of the classic It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. You can watch it tonight on ABC.

It's hard to believe the holiday cartoon has been on the air for 50 years.  And still, I cannot think of another Halloween special that comes even close to replacing it.  Of course, I cannot think of many Halloween specials. Like Thanksgiving, if it wasn't for Charles Schultz we would have little on TV for a family to mark the occasion. 

So just sit back and enjoy the show.

Epix TV: Two New Shows

More shows premiered over the the weekend, including two from the premium cable station Epix.

The first was a spy series called Berlin Station.  The plot revolves around the CIA's search for a whistleblower.  Here is the plot and the trailer:

Berlin Station is a contemporary spy series that follows Daniel Miller (Richard Armitage), an undercover agent who has just arrived at the CIA station in Berlin, Germany. Miller has a clandestine mission: to determine the identity of a now-famous whistleblower masquerading as "Thomas Shaw." Guided by jaded veteran Hector DeJean (Rhys Ifans) Daniel learns to contend with the rough-and-tumble world of the field officer - agent-running, deception, danger and moral compromises. As he dives deeper into the German capital's hall of mirrors and uncovers the threads of a conspiracy that leads back to Washington, Daniel wonders: Can anyone ever be the same after a posting to Berlin?

You should also check out the Berlin Station interactive experience if this sort of story intrigues you.

The second series is Graves, starring Nick Nolte as a former president.  Here is the plot and trailer for this new series:

President Richard Graves (Nick Nolte), a former two-term POTUS, embarks on a Don Quixote-like quest to right the wrongs of his administration and reclaim his legacy 25 years after leaving the White House. With topics ranging from immigration to gay rights, to foreign policy to public funding for arts and sciences, Graves holds nothing sacred as he unspools some of his administration's proudest victories. His enlightenment takes place just as his wife Margaret Graves (Sela Ward) decides it's finally time for her to pursue her own political ambitions.

I will be the first too agree we have to many president on TV, the lastest being Kiefer Sutherland's accidental president in Designated Survivor. Yet an ex-president is new and might be worth a look.  

Chris Lowell plays the son Jeremy Graves. You may remember Lowell from the short-lived comedy Enlisted.  He was the serious yet snarky brother in that series, and I expect we will see more of that side in Graves. 

Even if you are not subscribed to Epix, you can find free episodes of both shows on the Epix website and YouTube. 

Update: it is interesting to see Rudy Guiliani in Graves flattering a golden-maned president who was rated the worst president in history.  Graves finally has an epiphany that his cause was wrong. An interesting tale a few weeks before the election. 

Small Town Murder on the USA Network

Eyewitness premieres tonight on the USA Network. In this drama,  two small town teenagers are in the wrong place at the wrong time and see more than they bargained for. It is based on a Norwegian series called Øyevitne (say that 10 times fast).

Here is more:

When two innocent teenaged boys secretly meet up in the forest, they bear witness to a shooting and barely escape with their lives.  Desperate to keep their relationship a secret and in fear of being found by the perpetrator, they remain silent but soon learn that what has been seen cannot be unseen and when you witness a horrible event it changes everything, forever.

The first two episodes are directed by Catherine Hardwicke who also directed the first Twilight film.  But don't worry, this series has no vampires even if it has a human monster or two. 

Here is a short interview with one of the actors, James Paxton, who shares more about his character and the story. 

New Shows: Lawyers, Australian Murders, and YouTube

I hope you plan to stay in tonight, because you have plenty of new shows to try out either online or on TV.

- Goliath on Amazon:  I look forward to any show with Billy Bob Thorton (my last favorite show with him being the first season of Fargo before the show took a bad turn in season two). 

Here is the background on his new series: 

Once a powerful lawyer, Billy McBride is now burned out and washed up, spending more time in a bar than a courtroom. When he reluctantly agrees to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the biggest client of the massive law firm he helped create, Billy and his ragtag team uncover a vast and deadly conspiracy, pitting them all in a life or death trial against the ultimate Goliath. 

- Wolf Creek on Pop TV:  If you would rather go overseas for teenagers wrapped up in murders, you can take a look at this drama set in Australia. This series seems to have a high body count.

This is the story:

The story of Wolf Creek begins when an American family on vacation in Northern Australia becomes the unsuspecting target of Mick Taylor, a sadistic serial killer who hunvts and kills tourists in the Outback. The sole survivor is Eve Thorogood, a college student, who vows to bring the murderer to justice or die in the attempt. 

Wolf Creek reveals Eve’s complex and extraordinary journey, traveling every step of the way as she evolves from child to adult, from prey to predator. But can she triumph over evil incarnate?

- Haters Back Off on Netflix:  This is the story about a real YouTube star playing a young woman who wants to be a YouTube star. I guess the Millennials cannot be contained to YouTube, and we are the lucky recipenta of this new show.

Here is Variety's take on the new series:

Unfortunately, "Haters Back Off" doesn’t have the same organic appeal as Ballinger’s bizarre, pastiche-y videos. The short format and context-less medium of YouTube serves Miranda’s larger-than-life personality well; in an ocean of amateur, self-absorbed content, Ballinger’s Miranda schtick has welcome teeth. But in half-hour scripted episodes, Miranda chews and chews and chews the scenery, making it difficult to either believe in or laugh at a story about her.

Supernatural and More

Last season on Supernatural we had a sibling rivalry between God and his sister. How can the twelfth season, premiering tomorrow night top that?  I expect the brothers have a few more tricks up their sleeves.  

And if you are looking for more supernatural tales, tomorrow you can also watch USA's Falling Water that follows the dreams of three people. 

Here is the setup:

An intersection between reality and unconscious thought, Falling Water is the story of three unrelated people, who slowly realize that they are dreaming separate parts of a single common dream. Each is on a quest for something that can only be found in their subconscious. However, the more they begin to use the dream world as a tool to advance their hidden agendas they realize that their visions are trying to tell them something more, and that their very real lives are at stake.

This may remind you a little of Sense8, a Netflix series about connected minds. But that may be where the similarity ends. In fact, Yahoo News believes the summary above is as clear as it will get:

The plot is so dense and muddled that Bill has to explain, with a Bond-villain’s wealth of self-incriminating detail, how exactly all the shared dreaming works. Perhaps, if one took copious notes, consulted the show website’s “About” page, and discussed each element thoroughly in a subReddit, the convolutions in “Falling Water” would yield rewards. As it is, it’s hard to imagine finding the time for this dull, plodding thought experiment.

Not a very good start.  Maybe I will stick with Supernatural.

Three Family Comedies Tonight on ABC

Two family favorites return to ABC tonight - the second season of The Real O'Neals and the third season of Fresh Off the Boat. And if you have more time, you may want to add ABC's new show American Housewife to your Tuesday recordings. 

Here is a little more in the new series:

Katie Otto, a confident, unapologetic wife and mother of three, raises her flawed family in the wealthy town of Westport, Connecticut, filled with "perfect" mommies and their "perfect" offspring. Katie's perfectly imperfect world is upended when her neighbor's decision to move notches her up from her ideal social standing and sets her on a path to ensure that doesn't happen, regardless of the consequences.

What isn't said is that the "ideal social standing" relates to Katie's weight.  I'm not sure if this family issues matches ABC's other families who deal with gay, Asian, African-American, and disability issues. That said, this can be seen as a problem in a society still upset about Trump's comments on overweight women.

Hence, a lesser issue just became more prominent. And best if all, after the first episode the stories become more rounded (sorry). 

More Tonight: Freakish on Hulu

While the title "freakish" might sound like a typical barb tossed at another student, these high school students have some real issues now that "mutant freaks" are taking over the high school following an explosion at a local chemical plant.  Premiering tonight on Hulu, Freakish will make you happy all you had to worry about was pimples and homework.  You can take a look at the trailer to see what you might be missing. 

And why is it high schools are always the hosts of monsters, be it Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teen Wolf, or Vampire Diaries?  It seems to support the idea of home schooling.  

Speaking of Teen Wolf, here is the first act of the start to the final season.  You will have to wait until November 15th for more.  Enjoy. 

Two New Shows on HBO: Divorce and Insecure

HBO may be focusing on scifi with Westworld, but human-sized drama that we can relate to is still important, and that is what you get with tonight's premiere of Divorce and Insecure.  

Divorce has an all-star cast and a link to the popular Catastrophe, but that may not be enough to save it from itself.  Here is what HBO is sharing:

Sarah Jessica Parker returns to HBO in the new comedy series, Divorce. Parker stars as Frances, a woman who suddenly begins to reassess her life and her marriage, and finds that making a clean break and a fresh start is harder than she thought.

Other series regulars include Thomas Haden Church, Molly Shannon, Talia Balsam and Tracy Letts. The series, currently in production in New York, was created by Sharon Horgan. It is executive produced by Horgan, Paul Simms, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alison Benson and Aaron Kaplan.

I have no idea why HBO is not playing up Sharon Horgan given her success with Catastrophe.  Are they trying to lessen expectations?  

Entertainment Weekly, rating the show C+, was not impressed, noting:

The show lightly interrogates the old chestnut that infidelity is a symptom of other problems, but it has no imagination for the marriage itself, and no deep insights into divorce, either.  The actors are on different pages...the result is tonal quagmire.  

This is disappointing given how well Horgan made us care about the new relationship between the characters in Catastrophe.  Maybe we needed marriage before divorce to make us care about the people in this new series.

So if Divorce does not work for you, you still have Insecure.   HBO has little to say about this show as well: 

The half-hour comedy series Insecure, starring Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis and Lisa Joyce, looks at the friendship, experiences and tribulations of two black women.

Salon does a better job describing the show, stating:

“Insecure” invites us into the lives of Rae’s character Issa and her best friend Molly (Yvonne Orji), two women who spend much of each day existing in inescapable irony. Issa works at a stupidly named nonprofit called We Got Y’all, dedicated to helping inner-city minority children. As the organization’s youth liaison, she is the one who interacts with the kids. She’s also the only black person on its staff.

Molly, a corporate attorney, embodies the frustrations of the modern professional black woman. She’s an expert in code-switching — the ability to appear one way to the white world and another among black folks — which makes her an asset in the workplace. As Issa puts it, Molly is like the Will Smith of corporate: “White people loooove Molly. Black people also loooove Molly.

Salon goes on to compare the female duo to the classic duo of Lucy and Ethel.  You cannot get a greater compliment than that.  

The show was created by comedian Larry Wilmore, who also had a hand in Black-ish.  He talks about the series and more in this Daily Beast interview.  Here is his first impression of Issa Rae:

I was very impressed. She had set up the project at HBO and they were looking to pair her with somebody and we had the same management. They told me about her and I didn’t know about her. Then I watched Awkward Black Girl and was smitten immediately. There was just something about her. She was just so funny and understated and yet so alive at the same time. I just thought, whoa, this person seems really interesting. And then when I met her, you just fall in love in a different way. She’s such an interesting, smart person. We really hit it off, chemistry-wise.

I will try out both new shows, but I am placing my bet on Insecure.

Graham Norton: Time for Some Fun

If you need a break from the ridiculousness of present day politics, why not head overseas to watch Britain's Graham Norton Show where Mr. Norton interview guests and have a few laughs?  The 20th season of his BBC talk show premieres today on BBC America (though it started back in February in Britain).  The first episode includes Daniel Radcliffe, Justin Timerlake, and Anna Kendrick.  

Of course, it may still be difficult to escape the craziness of America.  Here is a clip of Daniel Radcliffe describing the time he met Donald Trump.  But don't worry, there is much more to the show and much more going on in the world (though you would not know this from American media).  

You might also want to view some of the fun parts of earlier seasons, some of  which are collected in Season 19’s Top 10 Most-Watched Moments.  The clips include "Jennifer Lawrence Embarrasses Herself in Front of Harrison Ford," "Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig Go to a Strip Club," and "Ryan G’osling’s Turkish Massage Disaster."

Have fun.  

Letterman on Trump

"If I had a show, I would have gone right after him. I would have said something like, 'Hey, nice to see you. Now, let me ask you: what gives you the right to make fun of a human who is less fortunate, physically, than you are?'  And maybe that’s where it would have ended. Because I don’t know anything about politics. I don’t know anything about trade agreements. I don’t know anything about China devaluing the yuan. But if you see somebody who’s not behaving like any other human you’ve known, that means something. They need an appointment with a psychiatrist. They need a diagnosis and they need a prescription."

--David Letterman in the New York Times on Donald Trump and criticism about Jimmy Fallon's playful treatment of him without challenging any of his positions. 

Yesterday's No Tomorrow

If you are looking for a light end-of-the-world story, maybe the CW's new comedy No Tomorrow is for you.  Premiering last night, the show takes Evie, a warehouse worker with a dead-end career and odd boyfriend, and puts her up against Xavier, a free spirit who believes the world will end in eight months. 

As expected, funny antics ensue and even a few surprises pop up (I will not spoil it for you).  Here is the trailer.  It gives a lot away but not everything.

We seem to have plenty of shows about the end times with asteroids, demons, natural catastrophes, and more (check out SyFy's Aftermath for all of the above).  At least this show uses it as a device for greater introspection.  

Frequency on The CW

Tonight on The CW you get a chance to watch the third season premiere of The Flash, and you can also try out a new show tomorrow (Oct. 5) called Frequency.  You may remember the film of the same title and inspiration for this new series.  Basically, a child communicates with a deceased father via a ham radio and tries to save him without considering the consequences.  In the film it was a father and son, while the television show has a father and daughter communicating beyond the grave.  

But how can you sustain a radio call for a full season, you might ask. Well, the movie had a number of twists and the series plays them out even further. Here is the trailer if you want to learn more.  

This is the second time travel series this week following on the heels of Timeless. The bottom line for both is that you cannot pick at the past without jeopardizing the future.  Now whether you need to learn this via two shows is another matter.

Time Will Tell

Are you ready for more Sci Fi after watching Westworld?  How about some time travel?  If so, NBC's new series Timeless, premiering tonight, might be for you.  

Eric Kripke from Supernatural is part of the creative team, so I became hopeful.  Then I remembered this was the same Kripke of the aimless Revolution series, so I am cautious. Yet this is what NBC is selling, a

...thrilling action-adventure series in which a mysterious criminal steals a secret state-of-the-art time machine, intent on destroying America as we know it by changing the past. Our only hope is an unexpected team: a scientist, a soldier and a history professor who use the machine's prototype to travel back in time to critical events. While they must make every effort not to affect the past themselves, they must also stay one step ahead of this dangerous fugitive. Can this handpicked team uncover the mystery behind it all and end his destruction before it's too late?

And yes, it involves significant events from the Hindenburg disaster to Abraham Lincoln's night at the theater.  This clip explains the show a little more.  

If this show goes the way of Fringe or Twelve Monkeys it will be added to my list. However, TV land is littered with many failures of this genre, so I am very skeptical. Only time will tell. And should time travel work, maybe we will be in a loop until it works (and we will never know).

A More Modern WestWorld

If you remember Michael Crichton's 1973 film Westworld, or viewed it again recently (as I did), you will see a film that seems very familiar today - a controlled environment gone wrong.  It is basically a theme park (Westworld, Medievalworld, and Romanworld) where paying guests get to live out all their desires - murder, sex, power over others, and more - but only with robots rather than one another.  But in the film something happens and the robots rebel. 

In fact, early in the film you hear this statement about the "man-made" robots, "...in some cases they've been designed by other computers; we don't exactly know how they work."  Of course, Crichton did this again in a later film, but this time with dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.  In viewing the older film I was also reminded of The Hunger Games, where the scientists love the play with all the pieces on the chessboard, and even the Terminator films since at least one of the robots was unwilling to stay down.  Yes, Westworld seems very familiar today.  

So what can we expect from tonight's 10-episode, $100 million Westworld remake from HBO? For a start, the plot has been twisted around and now the humans are the dangerous ones.  Not much of a surprise there.   But we also get a solid cast with the like of Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, and James Marsden.  

And we learn a little more about the robots themselves, or "hosts" as they are now called.  In a recent interview, series co-creator Lisa Joy stated:
 
In the original movie and a lot of films about A.I., you come from the human perspective, and A.I. is the other. We wanted to take that apart and start by examining the lives of the hosts and developing an empathy for them and giving them some personhood.

So now it sounds a little like BBC America's Human series.  But to work, HBO will have to create its own program unlike the others.  Take a look at the trailer to see if you are interested in learning more.  

Update: I am disappointed that HBO went straight for the jugular (literally) with Westworld rather than starting with lighter humor as was the case with the film. As a result, Westworld was very dark each and every minute, lacking a light touch. It seemed to be a blood-filled Groundhog Day that became exhausting after only an hour. 

The lack of character development is unlike Game of Thrones, which HBO hoped to emulate (or duplicate). And the single focus on Westworld without Romanworld and  Medievalworld felt somewhat constricted. So I am hopeful yet doubtful regarding this series. It may be slick and bright in places with great acting, yet also thin and bleak with a certain hopelessness. 

A Royal Life on Ovation

We have seen English kings on television with shows such as Showtime's Tudors and BBC America's The Last Kingdom, as well a a Scottish queen with a French king on The CW's Reign, but how about a THE French King?  Now is your chance with Ovation's Versailles.  Here is the story:

Set against a backdrop of power, love, betrayal and war, Versailles is a unique take on a defining period of French history. The year is 1667 and King Louis XIV, portrayed by George Blagden (Vikings), is a 28-year-old monarch on the cusp of greatness. A ruthless leader, he will stop at nothing to achieve his vision of creating the most beautiful palace in Europe and seizing absolute control of France and his enemies.
 
You may remember George Blagden in the role of Athelstan on Vikings, where he played a humble and beloved English monk among Ragnar's viking band.  And now he is the king of France.  What's next? 

Intrigued?  This trailer will further intrigue you with its beautiful settings and dramatic encounters.  And who can turn away from a well-told royal tale?

Don't Forget Amazon's Crisis

Yesterday was the premiere of Amazon's new Woody Allen series Crisis in Six Scenes.  As with all of these Amazon series, you can sample or see them all in one sitting.  In this case, you only have six stories to watch (hence, the name of the new show). 

Here is a sample to get you started.  This is all Amazon will share about this series:

This is a comedy that takes place in the 1960’s during turbulent times in the United States and a middle class suburban family is visited by a guest who turns their household completely upside down. 

The presence of Black Panthers, discussions about pig's blood, and statement "we can build on guacamole" in the preview gives you a good idea about the period and predicaments that Woody Allen is so good at mining.  

Of course, it might help if Allen believed in the series himself.  For example, in a May Los Angeles Times story he defined his Amazon show in this way:

It was a catastrophic mistake...I don't know what I'm doing. I'm floundering. I expect this to be a cosmic embarrassment.

Brian Lowry at CNN tends to agree, calling the new series a "...a tired comedy that feels entirely phoned in, as if pieced together from snippets of Allen's old movies."  

Ouch!  

Luke Cage on Netflix

It is finally here - the new Luke Cage series on Netflix.  Starting tonight, you can see one of the few black superheroes to grace television.  You may remember him from the first season of Jennifer Jones, but now he continues on with his own show (as Jessica Jones and Daredevil are somewhere in the background).  

At a time of turbulence in the real world, this bullet-proof black man is a novelty with a hopeful story.  A review by Decider says it is the story we need today:

Luke Cage is full of characters who say enough is enough. They decide to walk tall in the shadows and to stand up to the specters of the past. Luke Cage isn’t just a show about a black superhero — it’s a show about the superhero hidden in all of us. We can all be Luke Cage if we all just stand up for what’s right.

Amen.

SyFy: Aftermath and Channel Zero

As if the debate this week was not scary enough, don't forget to watch SyFy's new show this week called Aftermath about the end of the world.  I am not sure it offers anything new in a time of stories about world-destroying power failures (Revolution), zombies (Walking Dead), vampires (The Strain), aliens (Colony), and demons (Dominion), but I suppose another version cannot hurt.

Here is the story:

When the world as they know it starts coming to an end, the Copeland family must face terrifying supernatural creatures and unprecedented disasters, including massive storms, earthquakes, meteor impacts, plague and the rapid decline of civilization. Will they be able to make it through - and figure out how to stop it?

And that's not all. SyFy's Channel Zero will also keep you awake.  Here is the summary of this new show starting October 11th:

Candle Cove centers on one man’s obsessive recollections of a mysterious children’s television program from the 1980s, and his ever-growing suspicions about the role it might have played in a series of nightmarish and deadly events from his childhood.

Maybe things could be worse than another debate. 

The Choice on PBS

I plan to watch tonight's debate on PBS and then tune into the Tuesday night's (Sept. 27) two-hour special on PBS's Frontline called The Choice.  I hope to learn even more about the two candidates.  Here is the rundown from PBS:

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are two of the most polarizing presidential candidates in modern history.

What has shaped them? How would they lead, if elected president? And why do they want to take on one of the most difficult jobs imaginable?

On Sept. 27, FRONTLINE’s acclaimed election-year series The Choice returns with a two-hour, dual biography that goes beyond the headlines Trump and Clinton have generated to tell the inside story of who they really are.

Drawing on dozens of interviews with those who know the candidates best — friends and family, advisors and adversaries — as well as authors, journalists, and political insiders, The Choice 2016 will offer trustworthy journalism, big-picture context, and powerful new insights at a moment when voters are being bombarded with conflicting partisan stories about each candidate.

It’s one of the most anticipated programs of the election season — and starting today, you can take a sneak peek in FRONTLINE’s just-released, four-minute trailer.

As the trailer indicates, The Choice 2016 will investigate formative moments in the lives of Clinton and Trump, from their childhoods, to their school experiences, to their tumultuous careers in the public eye. It’s the latest project from veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team, and it comes at a critical moment in American politics.

The bitter divide in this country makes it incredibly hard for people to understand how others could support the candidate on the opposite side,” says Kirk. “After watching The Choice 2016, no matter where your allegiance lies, you’ll come away with a new and richer understanding of who the opposing candidates are, and how and why he or she has reached this point.”

Given the stakes in the election before us, with growing foreign menaces and internal discord, we all need to take a breath and learn more about the candidates.

Update: And I am not remaining neutral here. This recent ad for the Clinton campaign clearly shows us what we are dealing with. 

Poldark on PBS

Don't forget that PBS's second season of Poldark premieres this evening.  Even with all the other premieres, this is one you will not want miss given the way the series ended last season. It seems18th century Cornwall was a pretty harsh place to live, particularly if you are an outspoken "gentleman" who has little need for traditional roles.

Tonight's episode will be two hours long tonight to get things kicked off.  This is how PBS describes the tonight's episode: "As Ross prepares to go to trial, his rival George Warleggan plans to ruin him once and for all. Can Ross’ friends and family save him, or is this his final run-in with the law?"  That damn banker George Warleggan!  Have bankers ever been heroes?

By the way, next Sunday, October 2nd, you can also watch Poldark Revealed, which goes behind-the-scenes in Cornwall, England. 

Super News for Superstore

Last Thursday you had a chance to watch the second season premiere of NBC's Superstore, one of the better workplace shows since The Office ended, and now you get to watch an even longer second season. That's right, NBC has approved a total of 22 episodes this season. That is certainly a boost for this light-hearted series about the everyday turmoil of selling light bulbs and lawn furniture

Jennifer Salke, President, NBC Entertainment, seemed quite happy in this quote from Variety:

We’re very proud of ‘Superstore’ and we were so happy to see fantastic viewing levels with the preview during the Olympics (last month) as well as last night’s ratings in its new Thursday anchor time period.

If you missed last month's episode during the Olympic Games you should really check it out.

New Shows: Vampires, Devils, and Lawyers (Same Thing, Really)

First let me start with the shows returning tomorrow night (Sept. 23). Our favorite sheriff from Longmire returns for fifth season on Netflix. The third season of Transparent is also available on Amazon, though the second season almost wore me out. 

So how about new shows, you ask? I have three new ones - two related to horror and one that's a do-over from years ago.  

--Van Helsing, SyFy: Yes, more vampires for you as Teen Wolf and Vampire Diaries finish up their last season.  This is what you can expect:

Van Helsing is set in the near future, where vampires have risen and taken control.  Vanessa Van Helsing is humanity's last hope, as her unique blood composition gives her the ability to turn vampires human. With this secret weapon, Vanessa becomes a prime target for the vampires. Van Helsing comes from the producers of Fargo and Hell on Wheels. 

--The Exorcist, Fox: We already had The Omen television series, so why not try this one as well?  Read on if you are interested:

Directed by Rupert Wyatt (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”), THE EXORCIST is a propulsive psychological thriller following two very different priests tackling one family’s case of horrifying demonic possession. FATHER TOMAS ORTEGA (Alfonso Herrera, “Sense8,” “The Chosen”) is the new face of the Catholic Church: progressive, ambitious and compassionate. He runs a small, but loyal, parish in the suburbs of Chicago. He has no idea that his quiet life is about to change forever. Deep in the slums of Mexico City, another priest has found himself locked in a life-and-death struggle with evil. FATHER MARCUS KEANE (Ben Daniels, “Flesh and Bone,” “House of Cards”) is a modern-day Templar Knight, an orphan raised since childhood by the Vatican to wage war against its enemies. Father Marcus is everything Father Tomas is not: relentless, abrasive and utterly consumed by his mission – and he constantly butts heads with his adversary within the church, FATHER BENNETT (Kurt Egyiawan, “Beasts of No Nation”).

Caught in the middle of the two priests is the RANCE family, who are members of Tomas’ parish. On the surface, they’re a normal, American family, but all is not as it seems in this household. The patriarch, HENRY RANCE (Alan Ruck, “Spin City,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”), is recovering from a traumatic injury. Eldest daughter KATHERINE (Brianne Howey, SCREAM QUEENS) has become a recluse who refuses to leave her room. Her younger sister, CASEY (Hannah Kasulka, “The Fosters”), thinks she’s hearing strange noises coming from inside the walls. And mother ANGELA (Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Geena Davis, “Commander in Chief,” “Thelma & Louise”) believes there is something in the house, a demonic presence, growing stronger by the day. Desperate, she begs Father Tomas for help, unwittingly setting the naïve young priest on a collision course with Father Marcus. Separately, each faces an insurmountable task, but together they become the Rances’ only hope against an evil force that has been mobilizing for centuries.

--MacGyver, CBS:  I was never a great fan of the earlier series, but this remake looks fun.  I may try it out.  Here is more:

MacGyver, a reimagining of the classic series, is an action-adventure drama about 20-something Angus “Mac” MacGyver, who creates a clandestine organization within the U.S. government where he uses his extraordinary talent for unconventional problem solving and vast scientific knowledge to save lives. Joining his team on high-risk missions around the globe is maverick former CIA agent Jack Dalton and Patricia Thornton, ex-field agent turned director of operations and Riley Davis, an unpredictable computer hacker with a chip on her shoulder. At home, MacGyver is entertained by his ambitious roommate, Wilt Bozer. Under the aegis of the Department of External Services, MacGyver takes on the responsibility of saving the world, armed to the teeth with resourcefulness and little more than bubble gum and a paper clip.

It's Easy on Netflix

Today Netflix premieres its new series Easy, which it calls an

...eclectic, star-studded anthology follows diverse Chicagoans fumbling through the modern maze of love, sex, technology and culture.

The new series includes Orlando Bloom, Marc Maron, and other stars, indicating Netflix continues to find the funds and friends it needs to produce whatever it wants. 

Not that stars by themselves can save a story. For instance, The Guardian was not impressed with Bloom's performance, stating

Easy is a small series about small stories told quietly, and having Legolas acting smug front and centre feels unnecessarily distracting. That said, though, every single episode contains moments of undeniable charm, even one where you have to watch Orlando Bloom crawl over naked bodies for what feels like an eternity.

Luckily, Easy has eight episodes and eight different stories, so you are sure to find something you like.

DC Disaster and a Cop Duo Repeat

In this time of political uncertainty what we really need is a show that literally blows up the Washington, DC establishment and gives us a do-over. Well, maybe not, but ABC has other ideas. In tonight's Designated Survivor (see trailer) you get to see Kiefer Sutherland try a different role from super-hero Jack Bauer. Now he is bookish Tom Kirkland with a lot on his plate. Here is the scoop:

Kiefer Sutherland stars as Tom Kirkman, a lower-level cabinet member who is suddenly appointed President of the United States after a catastrophic attack on the US Capitol during the State of the Union. Kirkman will struggle to keep the country and his family from falling apart, while navigating the highly-volatile political arena and leading the search to find who is responsible for the attack.

I ignored the show 24 years ago since we had enough headlines about real torture without seeking it out in a fictional series. That said, I may tune into this new show and see what it has to say (while still watching the true comedy/farce called our presidential election).  

If you need more, you can watch Lethal Weapon on Fox (see trailer).  This looks like a rerun of the successful movies and not unlike much of current television, so I will pass on this one. But just in case you are interested, here are a few more details (or maybe more than a few):

Combining action and drama with ride-or-die friendship and humor, LETHAL WEAPON reimagines the hit movie franchise, as it follows classic cop duo Riggs and Murtaugh, who work a crime-ridden beat in modern-day Los Angeles. 

Grief-stricken after the loss of his young wife and unborn child, ex-Navy SEAL-turned-detective MARTIN RIGGS (Clayne Crawford, “Rectify”) moves to California to “start over” at the LAPD. He’s paired up with ROGER MURTAUGH (Emmy Award nominee Damon Wayans, “My Wife and Kids,” “In Living Color”), who’s just coming back to the job after a near-fatal heart attack. Riggs’ penchant for diving headfirst into the line of fire immediately clashes with Murtaugh’s prudent, by-the-book technique.

When CAPTAIN BROOKS AVERY (Kevin Rahm, “Mad Men”) assigns them their first case together, Riggs drags Murtaugh into a high-speed chase culminating inside the Long Beach Grand Prix and a seaport shootout with drug dealers – and despite his protests, the older cop feels more alive than he has in years. Meanwhile, Riggs gets a glimpse of why Murtaugh is so determined to get home safely at the end of each day – he’s got a wife, TRISH (Keesha Sharp, “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story”), teenagers ROGER, JR. (Dante Brown, “Mr. Robinson”) and RIANA (newcomer Chandler Kinney) and a newborn baby.

Riggs’ life-on-the-edge attitude makes him a priority case for the department’s psychologist, DR. MAUREEN “MO” CAHILL (Jordana Brewster, “Furious 7”). Rounding out the precinct is SCORSESE (Johnathan Fernandez, “Girls,” “Younger”), a pathologist with the LAPD who got his nickname after a stint in film school, which no one will let him forget.

By the time their first investigation ends, Riggs realizes he may have found something worth living for – a partner and friend, Murtaugh. And even Murtaugh figures this arrangement might just work out after all. If only Riggs doesn’t get them killed first…

Update:  Designated Survivor surprised me by being much better than expected.  While the destruction of DC is now a regular theme, Kiefer Sutherland's character is an interesting change from the normal know-it-all government superman.  It seems ABC agrees and the show has been granted additional episodes for a full season.  That gives Tom Kirkman more time to make America whole again. 

The Return of Family Shows on ABC with One New Addition

Prepare yourself for the return of two great family shows, ABC's Modern Family (season 8) and Blackish (season 3) as well as a new family show from ABC called Speechless.  This new series is about a family  dealing with life and a child with cerebral palsy, as highlighted here in the description from ABC:

Maya DiMeo (Minnie Driver) is a mom on a mission who will do anything for her husband Jimmy, her kids Ray, Dylan, and JJ, her eldest son with cerebral palsy. As Maya fights injustices both real and imagined, the family works to make a new home for themselves, and searches for just the right person to give JJ his "voice."

In addition to starring an actor with cerebral palsy, the show was created by Scott Silveri who has a son with cerebral palsy.  Not that this guarantees a successful show, but at least it has a number of elements that should ground it in reality and hopefully believable scenarios. 

The Hollywood Reporter notes the comedy has the right mix of good acting and good writing: 

Make no mistake — Speechless is funny because of the writing, first and foremost, and that writing is brought to life by the always spot-on Minnie Driver (About a Boy, The Riches) as the mother. But Silveri told critics recently that his new series goes out of its way not to leave a feeling of "an afterschool special" nor does it want to be all about positive, inspiring moments, noting that in the disabled community there's a derisive term called "inspiroporn" used to lampoon overly sentimental representations. 

You can view the trailer and see for yourself.  

Update:  I believe ABC has another top-notch family show on its hand with Speechless, and now the series has been picked up by ABC for a full season.  Good news for all of us.