We’re always looking for something to keep the cold grip of cabin fever at bay, now that we’re smack-dab in the dreaded DOW (Dead Of Winter).
Just started watching:
’The Woman In The House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window’, Netflix
Had high hopes for this one, with Kristen Bell starring. But it’s been a disappointmnet so far (we’re about halfway through; S1 is only 8 episodes, 1/2 hour each, so it’s at least a quick binge). It’s sort of a murder mystery parody, but the ridiculous title is the most amusing thing about it. The show seems to be trying to be both a parody and an actual murder-mystery, and failing to be either, very well. There’s also an unreliable narrator thing going on that is just annoying.
Going to watch:
’Murderville’, Netflix (coming out Feb. 4?)
Cautiously looking forward to this one. A Will Arnett project. Another crime show parody, but with an interesting twist: the show is mostly scripted, but it features a different celeb guest host every week who does not have access to the script, so must improv reactions to what they hear. I have mixed experiences with my enjoyment of improv. Could be funny, could be awful.
Reacher, Amazon (Feb. 4)
I saw a one-minute preview on Amazon. If you were disappointed in Cruise’s tiny Reacher, this new guy definitely looks the part. From what I could see in the short trailer, it seems like it will be faithful to its source material, so I have cautious high hopes for some straight-up ass-kicking action.
’Pam & Tommy’, Hulu (Premieres tonight?)
Just hoping for some dumb fun with this one. Some interesting casting choices, like Nick Offerman, who’s always great in whatever he’s in.
Thanks, will keep an eye out for it! From your description it sort of reminds me of ‘Harrow’, another 3-season Australian investigative-crime dramedy, also starring an accomplished actor ( Ioan Gruffudd), which found its way to Hulu. My wife and I enjoyed it.
I can’t say enough good things about 1883 on Paramount. Best western since Unforgiven, best western series since Gunsmoke. Tim McGraw and Sam Elliot lead a stellar cast.
Oh, and you don’t have to know anything or even like the show Yellowstone to enjoy it. Although the first 3 seasons of Yellowstone are pretty good too.
“Could be funny, could be awful” is a good description of the original UK “Murder in Successville” series. Episodes ran the gamut from cringeworthy to sidesplitting, often depending on the celebrity guest of the week, and you were never quite sure which it was going to be (I mean, I’m not a particular Chris Kamara fan but his episode absolutely floored me).
So my recommendation is: if it’s anything like the British series, be prepared for wild quality swings but the potential for great moments is definitely there.
Wife and I watched ep.1. So far, so good. The casting of the actors playing Pam & Tommy is spot-on. The ‘Tommy’ actor plays Lee as every bit as much of a crazy asshole dirtbag as I would have expected. You didn’t see much of the Pamela character in ep.1, but she certainly looks the part. Seth Rogan, as the contractor that Lee screwed over, who stole the tape, and Nick Offerman, as the porn producer who Seth’s character brought the tape to, were both great. Dumb fun was had watching this, for sure. Plenty of 90’s nostalgia too.
The scene where Rogan’s character pulls off the safe heist to get back at Tommy Lee for screwing him over and stealing his tools was so ridiculous and outlandish I thought for sure that it was all pure fiction played for laughs, but according to this article at least, it was actually pretty accurate, other than some minor details.
Finished it. Again, this show is supposed to be a parody of a murder-mystery (I …think?) but the parody elements are so weak and weird, and fall so flat, that they just become annoying. The last episode (I don’t think this is much of a spoiler, so I won’t blur it, but be warned) solves the S1 mystery and sets up a S2 mystery, but I don’t think I will be on board for it if it gets picked up.
Watched ep1, with Conan O’Brien as the guest host. I don’t know if Conan has any improv experience, but I do know he’s very witty and mentally quick, so I expected this to be a strong one out of the gate. It was OK, a few chuckles. Conan seemed a little nervous and off his game.
Upcoming episodes with people who have no comedy experience, like Marshwan Lynch and Sharon Stone I expect will likely be awful. The one with Kumail Nanjiani could be really good-- I’ve heard him as a guest on podcasts and he has a very sharp and dangerous wit.
Ep.1 was about the heist that led to the sex tape release, Ep2 was a flashback to P&T’s meetup and romance. A tale as old as time: Boy meets girl at club when she buys the whole club shots of tequila, boy stalks girl, pursuing her to Cancun against her wishes, boy and girl get married on the beach 4 days later. So heartwarming, it brought a tear to my eye. I know tough times are ahead for these crazy kids, but for now it’s just good to know that love and romance is still alive (or was at least, as of the mid-90s).
Again, don’t jump to conclusions. I suspect Lynch particularly could be comedy gold. It’s the celebs who are game for anything but unskilled rather than the polished improv people who are the funniest in this setting,
I didn’t watch Downton Abbey but I saw Christine Baranski on The Late Show and decided to check out The Gilded Age on HBO Max. It’s the new show from the guy who did Downton Abbey. It takes place just after the Civil War in New York City.
Lately I’ve been exhausted watching movies and shows about rich people doing rich people things (even though I watched Succession, which exhausted me) but I really like this damn show. Like, a LOT. Mainly because one of the main characters is doing a lot of observing how absurd all of this Rich People Stuff is.
We had HBO Max for a few months for the first-run movies they were showing the same date as their theater premier. But that sort of petered out, and we didn’t see much else we hadn’t already seen of HBO Max, so we canceled it and picked up Showtime (in addition to our other streaming channels: Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video).
But I’m kind of regretting not having HBO Max anymore…this sounds pretty good, as does Station Eleven.
I know it’s not a new show, I started watching “The Witcher” about 3 weeks ago. I like it so far. It’s interesting, well acted, etc… especially for a TV fantasy show.
We watched the first 2-3 episodes of the second season of Tiger King, but it was really just too extra, so we haven’t picked it back up yet.
I’ve read several of the books years ago and liked them well enough, but they became so formulaic I just quit.
I just watched the first three episodes of this and it’s well worth the time. The guy that plays Reacher is totally spot on. They’ve also added small bits of humor that I don’t remember from the books. I could see myself watching 8 episodes of this every year. Recommend you give it a try.
This is available thru Amazon on Acorn TV. If you like UK, Australia and NZ shows, this is worth the $5.99 a month. Yes, it’s a good show, but I had to keep telling myself that wasn’t Brad Pitt starring. Great humor also.
Well, crap! I was looking forward to this one. Kristen Bell usually nails this type of show.
Kristen Bell was good in it. I mean, she did the best she could with a promising but IMO badly executed concept. Who knows, you might like it. There’s only 8 eps at less than 1/2 hour each— binge it this weekend and report back what you thought of it!
