One Mississippi on Amazon

When Amazon was premiering a number of pilots some time ago (I cannot remember which one because they have become more frequent and less commented on), I remember being impressed with One Mississippi. The story of this lesbian woman (Tig Notaro) dealing with the loss of her mother seemed more documentary than drama, and I looked forward to the rest of the story.

Well as of yesterday, we can all see the rest of the story on Amazon.  I plan to rewatch the pilot and then dig into the rest of the episodes (six in all). 

And while I thought some of it was related to real life, now I learn most of it was, and as recent as 2012 (as told by the Decider):

She got pneumonia, which morphed into C-Diff, a crazy bacterial infection that almost killed her. While recuperating, her mother fell and hit her head and died. Then, while dealing with the pain of the loss, she broke up with her girlfriend. Finally, she was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer.

That's what I remember from the pilot as well, so this was a documentary after all. Okay, not exactly, but close enough to be pretty accurate as well as fascinating to watch. 

And I also learned it was Louis C.K. that pushed her to share more of her story with the world at large. So we have Louis to thank for two series about strong women premiering this week. Impressive. 

Quarry on Cinemax

Here is another drama for you to ponder this week - Quarry from Cinemax.  The show, which premieres tonight, uses the Vietnam era as the background to a bleak soldier's tale. 

Here is how Cinemax defines the show:

'Quarry' is the story of Mac Conway, a Marine who returns home to Memphis from Vietnam in 1972 and finds himself shunned by those he loves and demonized by the public. As he struggles to cope with his experiences at war, Conway is drawn into a network of killing and corruption that spans the length of the Mississippi River. The one-hour drama stars Logan Marshall-Green, Jodi Balfour, Peter Mullan, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Damon Herriman. 

The series is based on the novels of Max Allan Collins, who is also author of The Road to Perdition.  Quarry, first started in 1976, is an extensive series of novels, and Mr. Collins is still writing them.  Here is the list from Wikipedia:

• Quarry (a.k.a. The Broker) (1976, reissued 2015)
• Quarry's List (a.k.a. The Broker's Wife) (1976, reissued 2015)
• Quarry's Deal (a.k.a. The Dealer) (1976, reissued 2016)
• Quarry's Cut (a.k.a. The Slasher) (1977, reissued 2016)
• Quarry's Vote (a.k.a. Primary Target) (1987, reissued 2016)
• Quarry's Greatest Hits (2003)
• The Last Quarry (2006)
• The First Quarry (2008)
• Quarry In The Middle (2009)
• Quarry's Ex (2010)
• The Wrong Quarry (2014)
• Quarry's Choice (2015)
• Quarry In The Black (Coming In 2016)

Should the series go well, Cinemax will never be short of new material.

Better Things? I Hope So

You can watch the premiere of Better Things on FX tonight. FX describes the new show as follows:

Better Things is a new comedy series on FX co-created by Pamela Adlon and Louis C.K., starring Adlon as “Sam Fox,” a single, working actor with no filter trying to raise her three daughters – “Max” (Mikey Madison), “Frankie” (Hannah Alligood) and “Duke” (Olivia Edward) – in Los Angeles. She is mom, dad, referee and the cops. 

Sam also watches out for her mother, “Phil” (Celia Imrie), an English expatriate, who lives across the street. Sam’s just trying to earn a living, navigate her daughters’ lives, have fun with a friend or two and also — just maybe — squeeze in some private time once in a while.

It sounds simple enough, and having both Louis C.K. and related parties associated with the program never hurts. 

The Guardian says we will be pleased, pointing out:

Adlon’s character, Sam, is much more sympathetic and down-to-earth than the Pamela we met on Louie. Just as CK is famous for his riff about how his kids are assholes, Sam has the same sort of antagonistic relationship with her children, scoffing at her oldest daughter when she asks her to score pot but then stealing the condom she finds under her daughter’s nightstand for an assignation with a married man. 

Are you ready for a female Louis? I am, particularly since you never know if he will be back. So let's enjoy his humor, even if it is channeled through others (though Adlon is more than capable of handling her own affairs). 

Quote: A Tough Fall Season

"It’s extremely difficult for us to launch these shows and turn them into successful series as is...It’s definitely one of those situations where we have a lot of things working against us.”

-Statement by Andy Kubitz, ABC Entertainment’s executive vice president of program planning and scheduling, in an Indiewire story with regard to scheduling new fall shows around the presidential debate schedule. The article noted that other complications, such as non-network premieres (Amazon, Netflix, etc.), NFL schedules, blockbuster films, and other things. Of course, people do own DVRs, so the window for seeing new shows is much wider than it was years ago.  

A Busy Night of Premieres: Atlanta, StartUp, and Queen Sugar

The fall season is already ramping up.  Here are a few shows premiering tonight that you may want to check out.

- Atlanta on FX:  This new show combines two cousins in Atlanta and the music industry (here is the trailer).  Whereas Empire shows us the gold at the end of the rainbow, this series highlights the search for that rainbow. The New York Times provided it with an overall positive review, commenting:

The Atlanta of “Atlanta” is above all a layer cake of African-American life, bourgeois and street, hipster and old school. Even in a more diverse TV environment, it’s a statement for a marquee show to be this immersively black (including, unusually for television, the writing staff).

- StartUp on Crackle:  This new series seems to be a mix of Halt and Catch Fire, Mr. Robot, and a much darker Miami Vice.  And what is Bilbo Baggins doing here?  Actually, some great acting.  Here is the trailer and some background: 

Set in the steamy streets of Miami, what do a young banker from Brickell, a gorgeous Cuban hacker from Haileah, and a thug from Little Haiti have in common?‎ In Crackle's new scripted drama, “StartUp,", the answer is made abundantly clear during 10 hour-long episodes that explore the launch of GenCoin, a potentially revolutionary idea for an unregulated digital currency. Created, directed, written and executive produced by, Ben Ketai (“Chosen,” THE FOREST), the unexpected and fast-paced narrative focuses on the deadly tech war that ignites around the creation of this ingenious algorithm.

Untaxed, untraceable and a possible game changer in the world of finance, GenCoin is incubated on the wrong side of the tracks in the unconstrained and opportunistic streets of Miami by three unlikely allies who don’t necessarily fit the mold of tech entrepreneurs: Adam Brody (“CHiPS,” “The League”) as shrewd financier Nick Talman, Edi Gathegi (“The Blacklist,” “The Blacklist: Redemption”) as Haitian gang leader Ronald Dacey, and Otmara Marrero (“Graceland”) as tech entrepreneur Izzy Morales. Also starring is Martin Freeman (“Fargo,” “Sherlock”) as the brilliant, yet irrational FBI agent Phil Rask who is out to take them down.

Haitian narcotraffickers, sleazy bankers and crooked cops are all at the core of this gritty and provocative thriller which exposes how people corrupt money and examines what happens when high-tech erodes government control of society. Welcome to “StartUp” where even the good get dirty.

- Queen Sugar on OWN:  Oprah's Network has a new series about the tribulations of a sugar cane family in Louisiana.  This trailer shows you a pretty complex story that is only touched upon below: 

The contemporary drama “Queen Sugar” chronicles the lives and loves of the estranged Bordelon siblings in Saint Josephine, Louisiana: Nova (Rutina Wesley “True Blood”), a world-wide journalist and activist; Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner “Unforgettable”), the savvy wife and manager of an NBA star; and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe “Awkward”), a formerly incarcerated young father in search of redemption. 

 After a family tragedy, the Bordelons must navigate the triumphs and struggles of their complicated lives in order to run an ailing sugarcane farm in the Deep South. Led by acclaimed film director DuVernay, who directed the first two episodes, all episodes in the series’ debut season are directed by women. 

Learn More About the History Behind the Harley Davidson Motorcylces

Tomorrow night on Discovery you can learn all you ever wanted to know about the history behind the Harley Davidson motorcycle.  The three-night program, Harley and the Davidsons, is a dramatization of this history (see the trailer here).  Discovery notes:

A Harley-Davidson is more than a motorcycle. It is a symbol of Americana, built from the ground up by founders Walter and Arthur Davidson and their friend Bill Harley. But the road to success was not exactly smooth - it was filled with innumerable obstacles, ruthless competitors and extraordinary risks. Together these three young men, the sons of blue-collar immigrants, gave everything they had to ensure the survival of the company they founded. But just how far would they go to reach the ultimate American dream?

Based on a true story, Harley and the Davidsons charts the birth of this iconic bike during a time of great social and technological change beginning at the turn of the 20th century. Walter, Arthur and Bill risked their entire fortune and livelihood to launch the budding enterprise. Each of these men faced very different challenges, but it was the motorcycle that united their dreams and ambitions.

Walter, Arthur, and Bill cemented Harley-Davidson's reputation as a builder of bikes that go anywhere, can ride hard and ignore all the rules. It's a legacy that has endured over 100 years - and at the heart of the brand and its loyal riders.

The story of Walter, Arthur, and Bill is just what we need this Labor Day weekend as people wonder if the US workforce can still make great things.  Maybe this story will inspire a few more inventors to take a chance.  

By the way, you may recognize Michiel Huisman, who plays Walter Davidson.  He also plays Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones watching Daenerys tame dragons.  I guess this was quite a change of pace for him.

Smithsonian Special on Star Trek

The Smithsonian Channel will broadcast Building Star Trek Sunday evening (September 4th).  The program will highlight the "science" of Star Trek.  Here is a quick summary:

When "Star Trek" first aired in 1966, it expanded the viewers' imaginations about what was possible in their lifetimes. Today, many of the space-age technologies displayed on the show, like space shuttles, cell phones, and desktop computers, have already gone from science fiction to science fact. Other innovations, like warp drive, teleportation, and medical tricorders are actively in development. Join us as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of "Star Trek" - a show that continues to inform, enrich, and inspire.

The key word is inspire.  For example, space entrepreneur Elon Musk (who admittedly is having a bad week) had this to say about Star Trek:

I love technology. So I, yeah what I mean, particularly when I was a kid, I'd just consume like all science-fiction and fantasy, you know, movies, books, anything at all, even if it was really shlucky. So - in terms of sort of key influences, I mean I certainly like 'Star Trek,' because that actually shows like more of a utopian future, like it's not like, things aren't horrible in the future. It's like there's so many bloody post-apocalyptic futures, like OK, can we have one that's nice? Just a few. So I like that about 'Star Trek.