Dann Michalski

Leverage steals a third season as the team comes back together for more heists. When Nate gets sentenced to a privately run prison with a corrupt warden the Leverage team works to break him out, but to stay free and off law enforcement’s radar they make a deal to take down a powerful international businessman named Damien Moreau. With Gina Bellman back full-time the cast feels complete once again, and the Eliot/Hardison buddy/rivalry relationship is explored more with a lot of fun pair ups. Also, the list of guest stars is quite impressive, and features Richard Chamberlain, Alona Tal, Clancy Brown, and Tom Skerritt. And the writers do a good job at coming up with new and interesting heists, including a holiday episode and a flashback episode in which the team crossed paths before they knew each other. However, the continuing story arc of the team taking jobs that help them work their way up Moreau’s organization comes off as a bit forced. Yet despite having a few weaknesses, Season 3 of Leverage is incredibly ambitious, entertaining, and full of thrills.

From Netflix comes the captivating religious documentary series Mysteries of the Faith. Broken into four parts, several prominent relics of the Catholic Church are discussed, including the Crown of Thorns, the Holy Grail, the Holy Face, and the Holy Cross of Brazil. While there’s some discussion about the authenticity of these objects, the main focus is on the cultural and spiritual meaning that the relics have and the lore that surrounds them. Numerous religious leaders and scholars are interviewed, as well as some of the people who have had moving personal encounters with the relics. However, a couple of the episodes have some awkwardly transitions as they move from topic to topic, and the lore behind some of the relics is rather scant. Yet despite having a few weaknesses, Mysteries of the Faith is a fascinating look at some of the most sacred objects in all of Christendom and the effects that they’ve had on the faithful.

The adventures of the Warrior Nun come to an end in season 2. After their confrontation with Adriel in Rome, the Sisters of the Cruciform Sword go into hiding and secretly gather their strength while Adriel sets himself up as a new god and wins over followers; which threatens to destroy the Catholic Church. Unfortunately the writing isn’t as good as the first season and has some very clear political agendas. Also, the time jump between seasons is rather jarring and a couple characters are rewritten. However, the action scenes are incredibly exciting and intense, and features some impressive special effects. Additionally, the plot does an effective job at building suspense and at setting up twists and reveals. Yet while Season 2 of Warrior Nun is fairly strong, the series had heavily strayed from the original concept and was cancelled by Netflix.

Fresh and exciting, Designated Survivor is a riveting political thriller that delivers an impressive (though a little uneven) first season. When terrorists bomb the Capital during the State of the Union Address, killing the President and Congress, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Thomas Kirkman is thrust into the presidency and must rebuild the government and find those responsible for the attack. Starring Kiefer Sutherland, Natascha McElhone, Kal Penn, and Maggie Q, the show features an incredibly strong cast. And, the writers do a good job at addressing the realities of rebuilding the government and at having an inexperienced politician suddenly assume high office. But unfortunately the show changes directions mid-season, replacing the showrunner due to “creative differences,” and becomes more of a left-leaning political drama. Still, the characters are compelling and there’s a fair amount of intrigue to the terrorist hunt (which is reduced almost to a minor subplot in the final third of the season). While it clearly has problems deciding what direction to take the show in, Season 1 of Designated Survivor is entertaining and full of suspense.

Creepshow delivers a second season of mediocre horror tales. The “season” consists of 5 episodes broken into 9 stories of vampires, serial killers, aliens, and demonic spirits. And some of the featured guest stars include Ali Larter, Molly Ringwald, Kevin Dillon, Keith David, Denise Crosby, and Justin Long. As usually, the comic book wraparounds are well-done and ghoulishly clever, but the cheesy special effects and cheap sets really hurt the storytelling. There are a couple of good segments in Season 2 of Creepshow, but overall its disappointing and doesn’t seem to be putting in the effort that the first season did.

Reaper self-destructs in Season 2 as the show loses focus and becomes a mess. Sam suddenly finds himself in competition when the Devil brings his other son into the bounty hunter business, Ben starts dating a demon, Andi becomes the new manager at the Work Bench, and Sock attempts to sleep with his step-sister. The incest plot is a poison pill that ruins half the episodes with its grossness. In fact, just about all the character subplots turn bad and fall apart at some point; as if the writers gave up or lost interest. Still, there are several interesting twists and additions to the series mythology, as well as creative new powers for the escaped souls that Sam chases and some fun bits of comedy. Overall Season 2 of Reaper is entertaining, but it it’s a mess that was mercifully cancelled.

Hannibal flips the script in Season 2 as the psychologic games between Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter continue. In a reversal of the Thomas Harris novel (on which the series is based), Hannibal and the FBI seek the help of incarcerated serial killer Will Graham to profile the killers that they’re chasing; meanwhile Graham works out how he was framed by Hannibal and attempts to manipulate him into getting himself freed. While this is an interesting change from the source material, it’s taken too far and feels like a betrayal of Harris’ novel. And the over stylized violence and staging of crime scenes is so excessive that it just becomes artistic douchebaggery. Still, the writers do a good job at ratchetting up the tension and suspense as the FBI gets closer and closer to discovering Hannibal’s secrets and as Graham lays a trap. Additionally, several new guest stars are featured, including Cynthia Nixon, Jeremy Davies, and Katharine Isabelle. Season 2 of Hannibal has some exciting developments, but it also takes the series in an uncomfortable direction deeper into the surreal and fantastical.

The search for the truth comes to an end in the ninth and final season (of the original run) of The X-Files. Doggett and Reyes take over the X-Files and continue to investigate the super-soldier program as Mulder goes into hiding and Scully becomes a teacher at the FBI academy. Additionally, Scully’s baby is discovered to have a connection to the alien conspiracy, Doggett solves his son’s murder, and the Lone Gunmen’s story from their short lived spin-off is resolved. Either due to the post-9/11 atmosphere or the cast changes, there’s a definite change in tone and a shift away from the alien hybrid storylines toward the super-soldier arc. Lucy Lawless, James Remar, Terry O’Quinn, Neal McDonough, Jane Lynch, Burt Reynolds, and Michael Emerson gust star, and Cary Elwes joins the recurring cast as the new FBI Assistant Director. And David Duchovny returns for the series finale; which is mostly a series recap that summarizes the show’s journey and allows for several fan-favored characters to return. While the new direction that The X-Files was taking in Season 9 could’ve worked, it’s clear that the show had run its course.

Don Mancini retools Chucky for television as a limited USA series. In Season 1 a group of high school students discover that a Good Guy doll named Chucky is alive and killing their friends and family. Along with the new cast (which features Devon Sawa and Lexa Doig), Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Fiona Dourif, and Alex Vincent reprise their roles from the films. The story takes place sometime after the films and there’s a lot of retconning of the history of Charles Lee Ray and Tiffany Valentine. However, the retcons are all garbage and the voice dubbing is really bad. Additionally, the tone is all over the place. An ugly mess, Season 1 of Chucky takes the series to places where it never should’ve gone.

The future of humanity lies in the hands of Michael and his friends in the fourth and final season of The Good Place. Michael, Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason set out to prove that humans can become worthy of the Good Place if given the proper guidance in a winner-take-all final neighborhood simulation, but the Bad Place attempts to rig the game by throwing several surprises their way. Unfortunately the show makes the classic mistake of showing too much by going too far into the afterlife and how it works, or doesn’t (offensively so in some cases). Still, the comedy is as fun and clever as ever, and there are some touching character moments; particularly in the series finale. It’s problematic for sure, but Season 4 of The Good Place is entertaining and gives the series a nice sense of closure.

Laughs are on the docket as Night Court is in session for a sixth season. After crashing in the Attic circle Dan is saved by a group of Eskimos, and upon his return to New York he runs for city council, Bull goes to work for a scientific research institute, Mac’s marriage is tested when one of his fellow night school students comes on to him, Harry’s recruited for a sting operation, and Christine has her maternal instincts tested when she babysits for a friend. Also, there are special holiday episodes for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some of the featured guest stars include Kelly Hu, Timothy Stack, and Dennis Haysbert, and series regulars John Astin and Mel Torme return. The comedy is well-done for the most part, but there are some tonal problems in a couple episodes that try to address dramatic character issues. Tremendously entertaining and fun, Season 6 of Night Court is as hilarious as ever.

The Diane years comes to an end in Cheers’ fifth season as Shelly Long leaves the show. Following Sam's marriage proposal in the Season 4 finale, he and Diane enter an on-again, off-again engagement; meanwhile Frasier and Lilith reconnect and begin a relationship, Carla buys a new house, Cliff joins a lodge, and Norm gets a new job. Additionally, the season features a special holiday episode (“Thanksgiving Orphans”) and several interesting guest stars make appearance; including John Cleese, Brent Spiner, and Billie Bird. Also, the season finale is incredibly touching and provides a nice sendoff for Diane; bringing a sense of closure to her story. Season 5 of Cheers closes the book on the Sam and Diane chapter and would’ve made for a great end to the series, but when one door closes….

With series co-creator and executive producer Larry David having left the show, Season 8 of Seinfeld has a bit of a rocky start but quickly recovers and delivers a lot of laughs. Featuring such classic episodes as “The Bizarro Jerry”, “The Little Kicks,” “The Susie,” “The Little Jerry,” and “The Yada, Yada,” the writers deliver some of the most iconic sketches of the show and step-up their game in the absence of David; feeling the pressure to prove themselves. George again gets a serial story arc, this time as a board member for a memorial charity foundation dedicated to his late fiancée; meanwhile, Elaine takes over the J. Peterman Catalog when Peterman goes on a sabbatical, Jerry gets into the movie bootlegging business, and Kramer and Newman throw competing millennium parties. Several recurring characters return and a number of interesting guest stars appear; including Bruce Davison, Sarah Silverman, Ben Stein, Christine Taylor, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Wagner, Amanda Peet, and Raquel Welch. While it’s not as strong as some of the previous seasons, Seinfeld’s eighth season is still incredible entertaining and fun.

There’s a new manager in The Office as it goes into its eighth season. After talking his way into becoming the CEO of Sabre, Robert California makes Andy the Scranton office manager; meanwhile Pam and Angela get a little competitive in their pregnancies, Dwight is selected to launch a Sabre store in Tallahassee, and Erin gets jealous when Andy gets a new girlfriend. James Spader’s addition to the cast brings a fresh new energy to the show; however, his character is rather inconsistent from episode to episode. And the writing is also uneven; alternating between fun and exciting episodes and dull and joyless ones. While the show is still adjusting to the loss of Steve Carell, Season 8 of the The Office is entertaining and delivers a lot of laughs.

David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel star in the Fox police procedural Bones. In Season 1 FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth teams up with the forensic team at Washington D.C.’s Jeffersonian Institute and uses their expertise to help solve crimes. Boreanaz and Dechanel have good chemistry together and give strong performances. And an impressive list of guest stars are featured, including Morris Chestnut, Rachel Miner, Jaime Ray Newman, Adam Baldwin, and Dee Wallace. Additionally, the writers do an impressive job at keeps the cases fresh and interesting, and at balancing the cases with character stories. However, the titular “Bones” character doesn’t make a lot of sense, as she’s supposed to be a bestselling novelist yet doesn’t know hardly any pop culture references or common colloquialisms (which would seem to contradict with being a novelist). Yet while the show’s still working a few things out, Bones delivers a strong first season.

Annie Walker’s adventures with the CIA come to an end in the fifth and final season of Covert Affairs. While investigating a terrorist attack Annie teams up with the head of a private security firm and starts up a relationship with him, which is then tested when evidence is found that points to him. Unfortunately there’s also a subplot about Annie hiding a heart condition from the CIA, in which she kind of comes off as selfish egotist who puts herself above the welfare of her co-workers, the safety of those she’s charged to protect, and the national security. However, the writers still come up with some exciting missions and do a good job at developing the terrorist attack plot throughout the season. Nic Bishop, Liane Balaban, and Amy Jo Johnson join the cast as recurring guest stars, and make for some interesting characters. And as usual, the chases and fight scenes are action-packed and full of thrills. Season 5 of Covert Affairs has its problems (hence its cancellation), but overall it’s a fairly solid entry into the series.

Remarkably compelling, The Chosen is a groundbreaking, crowd funded biblical drama. Season 1 follows the disciples as they’re called by Jesus to follow him and be part of his ministry. The series features a strong cast that delivers some good performances. And, the writers do an impressive job at developing the characters and making them feel real and relatable. Additionally, the costumes and sets are especially well-done; feeling authentic to the time period. However, it takes a couple of episodes to build momentum, and switching between the various character stories can be a little jarring at times. Yet while Season 1 of The Chosen has a few rough edges, it presents a powerful vision of the Gospel.

Yes, I assure you my friends, Thriller returns for a second season of ghoulish tales of the macabre. Dropping the “It’s a Thriller” from the introduction, the show moves toward the supernatural (and then strangely back toward crime stories in the last stretch of episodes). Still, overall the show’s tone is more consistent than in the first season. The guest stars featured include Elizabeth Montgomery, John Carradine, Ursula Andress, Dick York, and George Kennedy. And Karloff gets in on the fun, starring in a couple of episodes himself. Some of the highlights include “What Beckoning Ghost?,” “The Premature Burial,” “La Strega,” “A Wig For Miss Devore,” and “The Incredible Doktor Markesan.” Although, as with any anthology series, there are a number of episodes that don’t work. While the show’s still struggling to find its identity, Season 2 of Thriller is full of mystery and delivers some frightful chills.

From TNT comes the exciting crime series Leverage. Season 1 follows former insurance investigator Nathan Ford as he teams up with a group of thieves to help people who’ve been wronged and have no legal recourse by pulling con jobs that’ll set things right. Starring Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, and Beth Riesgraf, the show has a solid cast. And the list of guest stars is quite impressive, featuring Mark Sheppard, Saul Rubinek, Jaime Ray Newman, Brent Spiner, and Kari Matchett. Also, the writers do a good job at coming up with a variety of cons and at building tension as they unfold. And they mix in some nice bits of humor that keeps the tone light. Full of laughs and thrillers alike, Season 1 of Leverage is wildly entertaining and fun.

Bates Motel comes to its inevitable conclusion, a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, in its fifth and final season. Several months after killing his mother, Norman Bates runs the hotel carrying on as if she’s still alive and when he begins to develop feelings for a store owner named Madeleine Loomis his mother personality gets jealous; meanwhile former sheriff Romero escapes from prison intent on getting revenge on Norman and Dylan returns after learning of his mother’s death. The writers do a pretty good job at adapting and modernizing the Psycho story and make some interesting changes; such as having Sam and Madeleine Loomis still being married and knowing Norman socially before the events with Marion Crane. However, Rihanna is no Janet Leigh and makes for a rather poor Marion. Still, overall the show does an impressive job at wrapping up all of the main character arcs and delivers a powerful finale. Suspenseful and full of thrills, Season 5 of Bates Motel is a fitting end to the series.

The penultimate season of the series, Season 4 of Bates Motel sets the stage for the classic Hitchcock film Psycho (differing time periods not withstanding). When Norman has a psychotic break and threatens his mother, he’s committed to a mental facility; but after seeing the conditions of the facility his mother makes a play to get him into a private hospital by marrying the sheriff and using his health insurance. Meanwhile, Dylan makes plans to move to be close to Emma after her heart surgery, and the FBI investigates Sheriff Romero’s connection to the town’s drug racket. As usual the cast delivers strong performances, and the writers do a good job at building tension and suspense. However, it becomes pretty clear in the last few episodes that the show’s shedding characters and story arcs to get closer to where Psycho begins; and some of the moves come off as rather forced and contrived. Yet while it has some rough edges, Bates Motel’s fourth season continues to deliver intense thrillers and compelling drama.

Season 2 of Mrs. Columbo (aka Kate Loves a Mystery) does everything it can to cut ties with Columbo and become something else – a truly idiotic idea. Responding to negative fan reaction to season 1, Kate Columbo gets divorced and becomes Kate Callahan, and the weekly neighborhood paper she works for is transformed into a major metropolitan newspaper with Kate on the crime desk. This change in direction also effects the tone of the show, going darker with Kate investigating prostitution rings, serial killers, and crooked politicians, and often becoming a target of the killer. Yet the show tries to have it both ways, never saying that Kate’s ex-husband wasn’t Lieutenant Columbo; which only serves to further alienate Columbo fans by making him into a bad husband and an absentee father. And Jenny, the daughter, becomes kind of a problem, as she doesn’t fit the new tone of the show. Still, a couple of interesting guest stars appear, including Dee Walace, Ted Danson, and Rene Auberjionois, and there are some exciting action sequences (which is yet another format change). Unrecognizable as Mrs. Columbo, and purposely so, Season 2 is a hot mess that was cancelled after 8 episodes.

Season 2 of Witchblade reboots the series, confusing and muddling the show. With the timeline reset at the end of last season, NYPD detective Sara Pezzini rediscovers the powers of a mystical weapon known as the Witchblade (which seems to guide her and influence her) and the cult of followers that surround it. The timeline reset causes a number of continuity issues, as all the events and subplots from the first season are ignored and the Witchblade seems to have different powers than before. Some of the guest stars featured include Jeffrey Donovan, Eric Roberts, and Alexis Dziena. The stunt work is pretty good and several of the cases-of-the-week are fairly interesting. Yet while it’s entertaining, overall Season 2 of Witchblade is a mess that doesn’t seem to know what it’s doing...and thus was cancelled.

Based on the Top Cow comic, Witchblade is a supernatural police drama from TNT. Season 1 follows NYPD detective Sara Pezzini, who is chosen to wield a mystical weapon called the Witchblade, as she learns its powers, guided by a powerful businessman who has dedicated his life to the study of the blade. Unfortunately the cast is rather weak, particularly its lead Yancy Butler; who doesn’t have any charisma and comes off as angry and combative. The writing isn’t that strong either, leaving a lot of ambiguity about the characters and what the blade is and what it can do. Still, some of the cases are fairly interesting, and for a cable budget, the action scenes and special effects are well-dine. Season 1 of Witchblade struggles a bit, but it’s entertaining and shows potential.

Tales from the Darkside returns for a fourth and final season of ghoulish stories to frighten and amuse. Some of the highlights include “No Strings,” “Do Not Open This Box,” “Family Reunion,” and Stephen King’s “Sorry, Right Number.” And Debbie Harry, Bradley Whitford, Stephen McHattie, and Kim Greist guest star. To its benefit, the show cuts back on the comedy episodes a bit and focuses more on horror; thought it still has some truly awful goofball episodes, such as “Barter” and “The Yattering and Jack.” Also, the writers do a pretty good job at providing a variety of creatures; from witches and ghosts, to demon and werewolves. Additionally, the show does better at recognizing its limitations and at working within its budget than in some of the previous seasons. Yet while Season 4 of Tales from the Darkside is an improvement, the show is still kind of a mess and was cancelled, retuning man to “the sunlit world of what he believes to be reality.”

Tales from the Darkside continues its downward slide in Season 3. Featuring “I Can’t Help Saying Goodbye,” “The Geezenstacks,” “Seasons of Belief,” and “The Enormous Radio,” the season includes some of the best episodes of the series, but it also has some of the worst; making it very uneven and jarring. Additionally, the list of guest stars is rather lackluster, and the production values appear to have gone down. Season 3 of Tales from the Darkside has its moments, but overall it seems to have lost its way. “Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight.”

“The Darkside is always there, waiting for us to enter, waiting to enter us” in a second season of frights, thrills, and laughs. Featuring Penelope Ann Miller, Lisa Bonet, Jerry Stiller, Darren McGavin, Seth Green, Fritz Weaver, and Connie Stevens, the list of guest stars is quite impressive. And the show gets into the holiday spirit with special episodes for Halloween (“Halloween Candy”), Thanksgiving (“The Last Car”), and Christmas (“Monster in My Room”). However, the episodes are a little more miss than hit, and the tone is all over the place; from cheesy comedy, to supernatural horror, to family drama. Also, the cheapness of the production shows through in the sets and costumes. Yet while it’s not as good as the first season, Season 2 of Tales from the Darkside still manages to deliver some disturbing chills and some fun comedic bits.

Dexter wraps up in its eighth and final season, but it goes out with more of a whimper than a bang. As is typical in final seasons, things come full circle. During his pursuit of a serial killer called the Brian Surgeon, Dexter learns that the consultant on the case, Dr. Vogel, knew his father and helped him to create the code by which Dexter kills; meanwhile Deb spirals down a path of self-destruction trying to come to terms with what she’s had to do to protect Dexter’s secret. Unfortunately, the writing is pretty spotty and doesn’t really have the focus that’s come to be expected from the series. And, the highly controversial and emotional finale is extraordinarily unsatisfying to long-term fans that have come to be invested in the show and its characters. While there are some interesting story arcs throughout the season, overall Season 8 of Dexter is a disappointing and frustrating end to a groundbreaking television series.

Season 7 of Dexter delivers one of the most compelling story arcs of the series as Dexter and his sister Deb are set on a collision course. After discovering Dexter’s secret life of as a serial killer Deb tries to break him of his addiction to killing, but is eventually forced into choosing between accepting his killer natural or taking him down. Full of twists and turns, the episode arcs are extremely engaging. Jennifer Carpenter steps up and owns this season, delivering incredibly strong and compelling performances. And, recurring guest stars Ray Stevenson and Yvonne Strahovski create captivating characters that enrich the show’s character dynamics. Dramatic and thrilling, Dexter: Season 7 is a little unconventional but extraordinarily powerful.