Joss Whedon's cult television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer gets off to a rough start in Season 1. The show follows the adventures of seemingly normal high school sophomore Buffy Summers, who lives a double life as the Slayer; the "Chosen One" who has superhuman abilities and battles against the forces of evil that are drawn to the mystical energies that emanate from the small coastal California city of Sunnydale. The tone of the show is rather uneven; which at times is dark and gothic, and at other times is campy and lighthearted. And, the low-budget production values are fairly apparent and detract from the episodes. Still, there's some good storytelling and clever, witty dialog that's typical of Whedon's work. Additionally, Sarah Michelle Gellar proves to be an impressive lead and handles the material extremely well. While it's a little crude, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 1 is entertaining and fun, and sets the groundwork for what would become a groundbreaking series in genre fiction.
From Jim Henson comes the fantasy anthology series The Storytelling. John Hurt stars as the Storyteller, recounting accent folk tales about kings and magic and mythical creatures. Some interesting guest stars appear, including Jonathan Pryce, Joely Richardson, and Sean Bean, and the show uses a unique aesthetic that combines live-action, puppetry, and shadow play. Also, the writers use a variety of different kinds of lore that keeps the show from getting repetitive. Still there are some tonal problems balancing the comedy and the more frightening parts, and some the transitions between filming styles can be a bit jarring. The make-up effects and costumes can be problematic as well. Jim Henson’s The Storyteller is an incredibly ambitious series that unfortunately wasn’t quite able to realize the vision that Henson had for it.
The Muppet Show delivers a third season of hilarity with the help of an incredible list of guest stars. Some of the featured performers include Gilda Radner, Raquel Welch, Liberace, Alice Cooper, Harry Belafonte, and Sylvester Stallone. This season also sees the introduction of a couple of new Muppet characters, such as stagehand Beauregard, boomerang fish-thrower Lew Zealand, cafeteria lady Gladys, and sports commentator Louis Kazagger. The show also tries out several new comedy sketches: a sports show parody called “Muppet Sports,” a Fozzie cop skit called “Bear on Patrol,” and an Uncle Deadly Melodrama serial. Jim Henson and his Muppeteers do an amazing job this season, and deliver remarkably elaborate sets and costumes that surpass anything that has been done before. The Muppet Show: Season 3 continues the wholesome, charismatic style of entertainment that made the Muppets a cultural phenomenon.
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.
Piper Perabo leads the cast in USA’s hit spy series Covert Affairs. Season 1 follows CIA trainee Annie Walker as she becomes a field agent, but secretly she’s being used by her superiors as bait to draw out a rogue agent that she had a relationship with. Perabo gives a great performance and proves to have the versatility to play multiple spy covers. And she’s backed by a strong supporting cast that includes Kari Matchett, Peter Gallagher, and Eion Bailey. Additionally, several notable guest stars such as Lana Parrilla, Oded Fehr, and Lauren Holly make appearances. Also, the chases and fight scenes are exciting and action-packed; though the low-budget special effects sometimes weaken them a bit. Laying a solid foundation, Season 1 of Covert Affairs is entertaining and shows a lot of promise.
New mysteries and horrors await the town of Hawkins in the second season of Stranger Things. It’s been several months since Will Byers’ return, but he still has visions of the Upside Down and a mysterious root system has been growing throughout the town killing off vegetation; meanwhile El runs off to find her mother and discovers that she has a sister who also has abilities. Once again the show does an excellent job at using the 1980s aesthetic and incorporating it into the story. And the soundtrack too is especially well-done. However, there are a few misfires with some of the story arcs for the new characters not really going anywhere. Also, there’s more gore and violence this season (a typical horror genre move). Season 2 of Stranger Things isn’t quite as strong as the first, but it continues to deliver exciting and chilling adventures.
Fargo completely shits the bed in its third season. While the show puts together an impressive cast that includes Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, David Thewlis, and Carrie Coon, the characters are some of the most repugnant and despicable of the series, and no fun to watch. The story follows a parking lot mogul named Emmit Stussy who gets into a deadly feud with his twin brother over a stolen inheritance; meanwhile a mysterious businessman named V.M. Varga quietly orchestrates a hostile takeover of Stussy’s company and manipulates Stussy into betraying those closest to him. There’s no one to really root for, and there aren’t too many laughs either. The tone is quite macabre, more so than in past seasons, with a very pessimistic outlook. Still, there are some exciting and intense scenes and twists as the criminal plots and investigations unfold. Series creator Noah Hawley has said that Season 3 of Fargo may be the last, and hopefully it is because it’s slidden so far downhill that it’s just not enjoyable to watch any more.
UnREAL shakes things up and explores gender politics from a new angle in its third season as it directs its satire toward The Bachelorette. Quinn and Rachel take a risk and recruit a high-powered businesswoman as the suitorette for Everlasting and find that making her appealing to her male suitors presents a bit of a challenge; meanwhile Rachel attempts to rescue her father from her abusive and manipulative mother. The performances are especially good; Shiri Appleby in particular really brings her A-game. And, in addition to exploring the gender politics of The Bachelorette, the show also looks at the politics within the network television system and even ventures into some Me Too issues. And the drama is as intense and powerful as ever. One of the most provocative and daring shows on television, Season 3 of UnREAL continues to deliver biting social commentary and compelling stories.
Incredibly outrageous and daring, Season 2 of UnREAL gets even more salacious and provocative. After being promoted to showrunner Rachel makes Everlasting history by choosing a black suitor for the show, but when the creators start fighting over the show’s direction chaos erupts; causing the network to bring in someone new to run things. The writers do a great job at building intention and at delivering shocking plot twists. And there are some interesting character developments among the main cast, who all deliver excellent performances. Yet at times the episodes can be a little uneven, with some contrived plot turns. Still, while it has a few rough patches, Season 2 of UnREAL is extraordinarily compelling and edgy.
Incredibly addictive, UnREAL is a trashy and provocative dark satire from Lifetime. Season 1 follows the behind-the-scenes of a dating show called Everlasting, where a group of women compete for a rich British aristocrat while the producers manipulate them in order to provoke melodrama that will generate ratings. Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer lead the cast and give outstanding performances. And the writing is quite impressive, with sharp, witty dialog and clever, daring plot twists. Additionally, the serial storytelling does a great job at building suspense and tension as the season progresses, with gripping cliffhangers at the end of each episode. Scandalous and shocking, Season 1 of UnREAL is a gritty exposé of reality television.
Good Behavior delivers a strong second season that takes some interesting twists and turns. After winning custody of her son Letty goes on the run with Javier and attempts to settle into a normal, quiet suburban life, but it proves to be more difficult than they expect. Michelle Dockery and Juan Diego Botto both give impressive performances; especially Dockery, who shows remarkable versatility and emotional depth. The writing is also pretty good, particularly in its serial storytelling; creating arcs that build over multiple episodes. However, the explicit sex and drug use comes off as exploitative and unnecessary. And the finale leaves the series in somewhat of an awkward place. Season 2 of Good Behavior is an improvement, but the show’s still a little scattershot.
Michelle Dockery stars in the TNT gritty crime drama Good Behavior. Based on a book series, Season 1 follows professional con artist and drug addict Letty Raines as she gets involved with a contract killer while also working to get back custody of her son. Dockery does an amazing job as Letty, making her an incredibly interesting and compelling character. Yet, her disregard for the consequences of her thievery and the people she hurts with her cons makes it hard to root for her. Also, the show is very sexually explicit and uses coarse language (so much so that TNT airs censored cuts). Still, it’s willingness to explore damaged characters and the morally grey is what makes Season 1 of Good Behavior so enticing
Once again 12 Monkeys delivers an extraordinarily mind-bending season full of shocking twists. Season 3 picks up with Cole searching for Titan, where Cassie is being held captive, and after finding her he learns that she has given birth to their son; leading them to go rogue in order to search through time to find him and stop him from becoming The Witness. James Callis joins the cast as a reoccurring character and delivers and excellent performance. And, Emily Hampshire continues to steal the show with some of the most bizarre and funny scenes of the entire series. The writing is also quite impressive, crafting an extremely elaborate and compelling story in just 10 episodes (as opposed to its usual 13). Incredibly powerful, Season 3 of 12 Monkeys takes its characters (and audience) on a remarkable journey.
The worst Twilight Zone revival yet, Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone is a flaming dumpster fire. It seems unfathomable but Peele doesn’t get what the Twilight Zone is; using the platform to mercilessly push liberal social issues with no hint of subtlety (racist policing, open borders immigration, toxic masculinity). No ro-buts, or time-travel, or witchcraft, or deals with the devil. Additionally, the family friendly tone has been completely thrown out; as the episodes are laced with vulgarity. But all that could be forgiven if the writers could write a decent F*CKING PLOT TWIST! (which they can’t, except maybe for The Comedian). Still, there’s clearly love for the original series, layering in various references, Easter eggs and callbacks. And a number of impressive guest stars are featured, including Tracy Morgan, Adam Scott, John Cho, Ginnifer Goodwin, Seth Rogen, and Zazie Beetz. A tragic waste of talent and potential, Season 1 of The Twilight Zone is a clusterf*ck.
Castle: Season 1 is an exciting and dynamic crime drama with a comedic edge. As part of his research for a novel, mystery writer Richard Castle (played by Nathan Fillion) shadows NYPD homicide detective Kate Beckett (played by Stana Katic) and helps her and her team solve cases. The writing is quite good, making for some interesting crimes and dialog that’s sharp and witty. Additionally, the characters are developed especially well, as is the series as a whole. One of the best cop dramas on television, Castle delivers an impressive 10-episode first season.
A fascinating science fiction anthology series, Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams delivers an extraordinary first season full of provocative, mind-bending stories of the fantastical. Based on ten Philip K. Dick short stories, the episodes deal with alternate realities, psychic abilities, alien invasions, and Orwellian states. Some are more loosely inspired than others, but they all have the dystopic feel that is characteristic of Dick’s work. Produced by Ronald D. Moore and featuring Anna Paquin, Terrence Howard, Steve Buscemi, Bryan Cranston, Vera Farmiga, and Juno Temple, the show has assembled a number of talented writers, directors, and actors. Season 1 of Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams is incredibly exciting and thought-provoking, and really captures the spirit and vision of Philip K. Dick.
From the USA Network comes the exciting sci-fi series Colony starring Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies. In Season 1 a former FBI agent makes a deal to join the new occupation police force of an alien invader in exchange for help finding his missing son; however, unknown to him, his wife is secretly helping the resistance movement. Both Holloway and Callies give excellent performances, and are backed by a strong recurring cast, which includes Carl Weathers and Adrian Pasdar. Additionally, the show does a great job at setting up mystery and intrigue about who the invaders are and what they want (which is to be expected from creator and executive producer Carlton Cuse). Also, the action is especially well-done, delivering a lot of intense chases and gun battles. Only 10 episodes, Season 1 of Colony is an on the edge of your seat thriller that leaves the audience wanting more.
The Bates family begins to tear itself apart in Season 3 of Bates Motel. This season Norma makes a desperate play to save her motel by blackmailing the town’s main powerbroker with a flash drive that has incriminating evidence on it; meanwhile Dillon tries to go straight as a marijuana farmer and gives his father a chance to mend their relationship. Additionally, Norman’s psychosis becomes more apparent as he begins to regularly talk to and interactive with his alternate mother personality. However, despite some really interesting storylines, the writing is inconsistent; starting and stopping several subplots that don’t come to much. Yet there are some incredibly powerful scenes and exciting plot turns that are quite engrossing. While it’s a bit disjointed, the Bates Motel delivers a chilling and suspenseful third season.
Full of thrills and suspense, the first season of Bates Motel is a well-crafted re-imagining of Psycho. The series follows Norma Bates and her teenaged son Norman as they attempt a fresh start in a new town by going into the motel business, but complications arise when Norma kills a home invader in self-defense but choices to cover it up. Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore are fairly well-cast as the leads, but it’s Max Thieriot as Norman’s step-brother Dylan who really stands out and brings charisma to the show. Additionally, Keegan Connor Tracy plays an interesting recurring character that ends up having a significant impact on the season. Yet, there are some storytelling issues with underdeveloped plotlines and abrupt transitions. Though only 10 episodes, Season 1 of Bates Motel delivers a compelling and mysterious noir drama.
NBC brings comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s stand-up comedy stylings to television with a 5-episode first season of his self-titled sitcom Seinfeld. Co-created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, the show follows the antics of a fictional version of Jerry as he and his friends deal with life in New York City. The series uses a unique episode structure that integrates excerpts from Seinfeld’s real stand-up shows; but they don’t always connect with the episode’s story. However, the chemistry between the cast is incredibly good and gives the show a vibrant energy. Despite the limited number of episodes, Season 1 of Seinfeld delivers a lot of laughs and shows the potential to turn into something great.
Sarah Shahi stars in the USA legal drama Fairly Legal. Season 1 follows a former lawyer turned mediator named Kate Reed as she struggles to get along with her stepmother when she assumes control of her father’s law firm after his death. Shahi gives a great performance and has a lot of charisma. And a solid list of guest stars are featured, including Ethan Embry, Richard Dean Anderson, Peter MacNicol, and Gerald McRaney. Also, the writers come up with a number of interesting cases and do a good job at balancing the drama with some lighthearted comedy. Fairly Legal delivers a strong first season and has a lot of potential.
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.
The X-Files gets back on track in a limited 10-episode eleventh season. Retconning the Season 10 finale as a vision, Mulder and Scully get back to work investigating paranormal cases involving doppelgangers, mind control drugs, and witchcraft. Still, there are a couple of mythology episodes about Mulder and Scully searching for their son William; believing that he’s the key to stopping the apocalyptic plague from Scully’s vision. Both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson give strong performances, and there are some interesting guest stars, including Barbara Hershey and Haley Joel Osment. However, Duchovny and Anderson’s age is showing and the show isn’t as vibrant as it once was (recycling ideas from previous episodes). Season 11 may be the end of The X-Files (at least this iteration of it), and if so it serves as a fitting coda for the series (though not a particularly strong one).
Star Trek returns to animation with the satiric comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks. Season 1 follows a group of ensigns as they go about the menial tasks and grunt work of the USS Cerritos and get into adventures. While it’s set on the post-TNG era, the show incorporates references and call-backs to all the previous shows; from the original Star Trek to Enterprise. And it does a pretty good job at satirizing the tropes and clichés of Star Trek. Plus, the characters are likable and fun, and make for a solid crew (better than some of the live-action ones in fact). A couple of the jokes are a little risqué, but for the most part the comedy stays light, with a lot of physical humor. Entertaining and full of laughs, Star Trek: Lower Decks delivers an impressive first season, especially considering the dreck that the franchise has been putting out lately.
The Travelers mission comes to an end in Season 3. Following their kidnapping, Jeff and Kathryn start to suspect the truth about Carly and MacLaren; meanwhile, events lead the Director to make a deal with the FBI to have Traveler teams work with them. Additionally, the Faction makes a new ally and goes on the offensive. The show gets a little more morally gray; with Travelers forcing the deaths of several people in order to get them overwritten with new Travelers from the future, and they come to realize that their actions are not improving the future, and may in fact be having the oppose effect. Also, creator Brad Wright delivers an impressive series finale that does a nice job at wrapping up the show. Exciting and full thrills, Season 3 of Travelers goes to some interesting places. Protocol Omega.
The Purge enters a second season of carnage and political intrigue. This season focuses on the aftermath of Purge Night as a college student works through his PTSD after killing someone during the Purge, a doctor tries to find out who took out a contract on him to be purged, and a government worker investigates an apparent government sanctioned hit during the Purge. Starring Paola Nuñez, Max Martini, and Connor Trinneer, the casting is pretty good, and Ethan Hawke cameos – tying in the television series to the films. However, the storytelling is a little weak, making some leaps to cover a year in 10 episodes. Still, the show explores some interesting issues and delivers some exciting action scenes. Season 2 of The Purge isn’t quite as strong as the first, but it does some good worldbuilding; looking at how society functions with a designated period of lawlessness.
Tricia Helfer joins the cast in Season 2 of TNT’s provocative police drama Dark Blue. LADP’s elite undercover unit becomes a join FBI task force as special agent Alex Rice takes charge and gets to know the team. Helfer proves to be an excellent addition to the show and changes up some of the character dynamics in interesting ways. And the writers do a good job at building multi-episode story arcs and at creating suspense and tension. Also, an exciting list of guest stars are featured, including Jordana Brewster, John Pyper-Ferguson, Charles Dutton, and Michelle Borth. Dark Blue delivers an incredibly strong second season, but it wasn’t enough to save it from cancellation.
Dylan McDermott leads the cast in the edgy and provocative police drama Dark Blue. Season 1 follows LA police lieutenant Carter Shaw as he puts together an elite and covert undercover unit to take down some of the most dangerous criminals in the city. Co-starring Logan Marshall-Green, Nicki Aycox, and Noah Bean, the show has a pretty solid cast that delivers some good performances. And the writers do an impressive job at developing the characters and taking them to the limit; blurring the line between cop and criminal. They also heighten the tension and suspense with interesting and exciting plot twists. Additionally, several notable guest stars are featured, including Michael Biehn and Sasha Alexander. Gritty and daring, Dark Blue delivers a strong first season that looks at the toll the criminal underworld has on the cops who have to live in it.
Based on the Tess Gerritsen book series, Rizzoli & Isles is an exciting, female lead police drama from TNT. The show follows a Boston homicide detective and a medical examiner who work together to solve crimes. Angie Harmon (Rizzoli) and Sasha Alexander (Isles) lead the cast and have good chemistry together; however the Isles character seems a bit like a Dr. Brennan knockoff from Bones (being over literal and social awkward). Also, there’s a bit of gender politics being played, though nothing too heavy handed. Still, the writers do a pretty good job at creating interesting cases-of-the-week and at mixing in a little comedy to lighten the tone. There are also some impressive guest stars featured, including Michael Massee, Billy Burke, Donnie Wahlberg, and Brian Dennehy. It’s not the most original police drama, but Rizzoli & Isles delivers a solid first season that shows a lot of promise.
