Memphis Beat continues its southern style of crime fighting into a second 10-episode season. The show delves further into the characters as Dwight confronts the man who killed his father, Rice attempts to mend some of the broken relationships with her family, and Whitehead discovers a hidden secret about his childhood. The cases-of-the-week are also pretty interesting and features a good assortment of guest stars, including Danielle Panabaker, Jessica Collins, Garret Dillahunt, and Lance Henrikson. Yet as strong as the second season is, Memphis Beat was not to be and was soon cancelled by TNT.
From TNT comes the off-beat cop drama Memphis Beat. Season 1 follows Detective Dwight Hendricks as he adjusts to a new, by the book Lieutenant and his mother’s new shady boyfriend. Starring Jason Lee, Alfre Woodard, and DJ Qualls, the show has a pretty solid cast; Lee in particular does a good job at capturing the flavor and tone of the series. And some interesting guest stars make appearances, including Juliette Lewis and Giovanni Ribisi. Additionally, the show goes to some effort to homage Memphis’ ties to soul and blues music; naming episode titles after songs and ending with a song performed by Hendricks (though it’s clearly lip synced). While only 10-episodes, Season 1 of Memphis Beat delivers a fresh take on the cop genre that has its own unique charm.
From A&E comes the modern western Longmire. Season 1 follow a Wyoming sheriff named Walt Longmire as he faces re-election running against one of his own deputies and attempts to keep the peace with the neighboring Cheyenne reservation. Starring Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, and Lou Diamond Phillips the show has a solid cast that gives good performances. And there are several interesting guest stars featured, including Peter Weller, John Pyper-Ferguson, and Charles S. Dutton. Additionally, the writers do a good job at developing the characters and at putting a western spin on the crimes. Bold and provocative, Longmire delivers an incredibly strong first season.
The Coen brothers Academy Award winning film Fargo is adapted into a black comedy–crime drama television series. In Season one a mild mannered insurance agent named Lester Nygaard murders his wife after a chance meeting with a hitman who’s on his way to a job, but before long both the police and the mob are on their trails. Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Allison Tolman, and Colin Hanks, the series features an impressive cast. And the show does an extraordinary job at capturing the tone and spirit of the original film, and includes a number of homages and callbacks. The writing is also quite good, particularly the dialog, which has a real Coen brothers flare to it. Incredibly smart and full of thrills, Fargo proves to be a worthy successor to the film and delivers an extraordinary first season.
The Nathan James embarks on one last mission in the fifth and final season of The Last Ship. When a Latin American dictator named Tavo launches a sneak attack on the United States’ new naval fleet former admiral Mike Chandler comes out of retirement and takes the James to Central America to organize a resistance and prevent more counties from falling to Tavo’s march across the Americas. It turns out that this being the shows last season is a good thing, as it really stretches for material and the plot seems contrived. Still, it attempts to honor the show’s original premise by working in a computer virus as the catalyst for the sneak attack and the cast delivers some strong performances. Also, the writers take some daring risks, and do a good job at building dramatic tension and suspense. Season 5 of The Last Ship has its problems, but still delivers a thrilling adventure that closes out the series.
From executive producer J.J. Abrams comes the Stephen King inspired horror series Castle Rock. Season 1 follows a defense attorney named Henry Deaver who returns to his home town of Castle Rock, Maine, when he receives an anonymous tip that a young man has been found in a closed off section of Shawshank prison and that it’s being covered up; however, before long Henry starts to have doubts about helping free the young man. While set in Stephen King’s fictional town from several of his books, nothing in the main plot is directly taken from them. In fact, the writers have some trouble finding a plot and settling on the main characters. A lot of the episodes are just set up and vignettes that don’t really go anywhere. Still, the cast delivers some strong performances, and the production values are especially well-done; creating a creepy and atmospheric tone. Season 1 of Castle Rock is ambitious, but ends up being a muddled mess (like a lot of Stephen King works).
Robert Rodriguez adapts his cult horror film From Dusk Till Dawn into a 10-episode season of television. However, it becomes quite clear very fast that the material just isn't suited for a television format. And, the cast that is put together doesn't measure up to their film counterparts. Additionally, the mythology that is developed for the "vampires" is terrible (as they actually turn out to be snake people), and there's a bunch of clichéd nonsense about prophecies and gods. But even as its own thing, the show is poorly constructed; bouncing around between different characters and their backstories without clear transitions. And the backstories all feel like filler, adding little to the main story. From Dusk Till Dawn: Season 1 has some entertaining action and few intriguing mysteries, but it's mixed in with a lot of garbage that drags down the show.
Bates Motel delivers an impressive second season that really opens up the series. The overall story arc follows Norma Bates as she unwittingly becomes involved with a local mobster when she enters into city politics in an attempt to stop the construction of a bypass that will ruin her motel; meanwhile Norman struggles with the trauma of his teacher’s murder and slowly begins to realize that there's something wrong with him. Additionally, there's a side plot about a drug war that erupts when the local boss is killed. The serial storytelling is especially good, developing a smart and compelling story over the 10 episodes. The show also does a great job at building suspense; ending each episode on a gripping cliffhanger. And once again there are several surprisingly strong performances from the supporting cast, including, Paloma Kwiatkowski and Michael Eklund. Dark and edgy, Season 2 of Bates Motel is provocative and full of intrigue.
Elena must choose between her family and her pack in the third and final season of Bitten. As Jeremy tries to strength his pack by bringing in all the rogue wolves Elena is tracked down by her biological father who is on the run from the alpha of the Russian pack, which leads to a confrontation between packs when the Russians come looking for him. Once again it’s all about Elena (even more so than in previous seasons) and Laura Vandervoort steps up and gives a strong performance. However, there are some rather strange plot turns (particularly the ending) that don’t seem in keeping with the established mythology (probable cause they’re breaking away from the books). And the finale seems forced; likely do to the show’s cancellation. Yet despite its problems, Season 3 of Bitten is exciting and action-packed, and provides a thrilling conclusion to the series.
Bitten expands its mythology with the introduction of witches in the second season. After the attack on Stonehaven the Alpha Council questions Jeremy Danvers’ ability to lead his pack, and in order to put his house in order he’s forced into an unlikely alliance with a coven of witches and soon discovers a common enemy that threatens them both. Bringing witches into the mythology is exactly what the series needed; as the werewolf mythos just wasn’t that interesting and is pretty nonsensical. Witchcraft however, allows the show to explore more of the supernatural and has less built-in limitations. The Elena and Clay romance plot, on the other hand, doesn’t work at all and comes off as extremely forced and overdramatic. Still, Laura Vandervoort gives a strong performance, and recurring guest stars Tommie-Amber Pirie, Sean Rogerson, and Kiara Glasco are quite good and bring new energy to the series. Thrilling and action-packed, Season 2 of Bitten is a definite improvement over the first.
The supernatural series Witches of East End plays a little like a Harlequin Romance, but comes through with some excitement and adventure. In Season 1 two sisters, Freya and Ingrid Beauchamp, discover that they are immortal witches that have been reincarnated over a dozen times, and their aunt Wendy returns to warn them that a shape-shifter is coming after their family. Overall it's a compelling story that's full of mystery, but unfortunately there's a horribly clichéd and trite B story with Freya torn between two brothers in a convoluted love triangle. However, Madchen Amick and Rachel Boston really shine and have an incredible amount of charisma that overcomes the weaknesses in the episodes. And, there are some fun guest appears from Tom Lenk, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Virginia Madsen, who play interesting characters. Season 1 of Witches of East End has a bit of a rough start, but eventual creates a fascinating mythology that's full of intrigue.
The Purge is adapted for television as a USA limited series. Season 1 follows a business woman, a returning marine, a member of a cult, and a power couple on Purge Night (when all crimes are legal) as they navigate the dangers and obstacles they encounter. The cast is fairly good and delivers some strong performances. And the writers do an impressive job at building story arcs and at developing the characters throughout the season. Also, they address a number of sociopolitical issues without being heavy handed (as the films often were). Additionally, the show’s able to retain the suspense and terror of the films while toning down the violence (though there’s still plenty of violence and implied violence). It’s not without its problems, but for what it is The Purge: Season 1 is a solid continuation of the film series.
The epic science fiction series Terminator makes the transition to the small screen with the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Set up as a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah Connor and her son John time travel to 2007 (with the help of a terminator sent back to help them) on a mission to prevent the A.I. computer network Skynet from being built. The casting is especially good; particularly the female leads Lena Headey and Summer Glau. And the action sequences are incredibly exciting. The CGI effects however, are a bit cheesy; as the limitations of a television budget show. Still, Season 1 of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles delivers a strong and compelling adventure.
UnREAL goes out with a band in its fourth and final season. Rachel puts together an all-star edition of Everlasting featuring past contestants, but secretly has her own agenda; meanwhile Quinn struggles with deciding whether or not to become a mother and with maintaining control of her show when a new producer comes aboard. Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer once again give incredibly strong performances, and it’s kind of a treat for fans to see characters from past seasons come back. However, the material is a little of worn out, as the shows keeps hitting the same beats; though the writers do do a good job at creating tension and delivering shocking plot turns. And the finale does a solid job at tying up the show in a fitting way that has a bit of symmetry. As daring and provocative as ever, Season 4 of UnREAL is wickedly entertaining.
Philip Pullman’s epic fantasy saga is brought to life in the HBO series His Dark Materials. Season 1 follows an intrepid young girl named Lyra who goes in search of her best friend Roger when he’s kidnapped by a mysterious group, and then attempts to help her uncle after learning that he’s been imprisonment (pretty much Book 1 of the novels). The cast is fairly solid, though the performances are rather middling. And the writing is uneven, particularly in the latter episodes that start working in the transition to Book 2. Still, the CGI and special effects are especially well-done, and the action scenes are exciting. Also, the score does an impressive job at enhancing the tone of the material; giving it an epic, otherworldly feel. Yet while Season 1 of His Dark Materials show some promise, it’s also inconsistent and seems to be focused more on serving the source material than adapting it for the television medium.
From Amy Sherman-Palladino comes the quirky period drama The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, an original Amazon series. Season 1 follows Miriam Maisel, whose husband leaves her for his secretary, as she adjusts to being a single mother and explores the New York comedy scene after letting loose one night at a comedy club and being approached by a manager who offers to help her launch a career as a comic. Rachel Brosnahan leads the cast as the titular Mrs. Maisel and has incredible charm and charisma that lights up the screen. And the supporting cast, Alex Borstein, Tony Shalhoub, Bailey De Young, and Kevin Pollak, are also really good. Additionally, Amy Sherman-Palladino’s snappy and quick-witted dialog gives the show a lighthearted, satiric tone, and the eccentricities of the time-period are played up pretty well without being too obvious or on-the-nose. However, the episodes go on a little too long and don’t always have a clear focus. Yet while it has some problems, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel delivers a solid first season.
Lifetime retools their Lizzie Borden film into a Dexter-like television series in The Lizzie Borden Chronicles. Season 1 follows the Borden sisters in the wake of Lizzie’s acquittal for the murder of their parents as they move to a new house and deal with a private investigator who's intent on bringing Lizzie to justice. Featuring Christina Ricci, Clea DuVall, Cole Hauser, and Jessy Schram, the series has a strong cast that delivers some good performances. However, the writing goes downhill extremely fast. At first it’s kind of clever and exciting with Lizzie tying up loose ends and taking out her enemies, but then it starts to get ridiculous with her killing off 2-3 people an episode without anyone catching or suspecting her. And this makes it difficult to develop recurring characters and continuing storylines. Still, the costumes and sets are especially well-done, giving an authentic feel for the time-period. Also the soundtrack brings a lot of energy to the series and heightens the action and suspense. Yet while the show has a lot of things going for it, the bad writing doomed The Lizzie Borden Chronicles to a short lived 8-episode season.
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.
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.
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 fight for the future comes to an end in Continuum’s limited 6-episode fourth season. Responding to Tonkin’s time beacon, a group of elite soldiers from the future arrive on a secret mission and team-up with Kellog; meanwhile, Kiera, Alec, and Liber8 come together to stop Kellog and prevent the dark future he creates. The writers do a good job at changing the character dynamics as Kellog becomes the main villain and Fonnegra takes over as the new head of the VPD. However, they kind of regress Cameron’s character a bit; giving her an obsession with returning home, despite having seen firsthand that the future’s been changed and coming to realize that the Continental Congress was an oppressive police state. Still, the action scenes are exciting and action-pack, and the special effects are pretty good as well. And the series finale does a nice job at wrapping up the show. Season 4 of Continuum provides a fitting conclusion to this thought-provoking series about time, freedom, and destiny.
Enemies become friends and friends become enemies in the second season of Hanna. Utrex relocates their assassination program and begins putting their trainees through real world simulations with new cover identities; meanwhile Hanna teams up with Marissa Wiegler to find the new facility and rescue a friend. The training doesn’t really make much sense; as at times they seem to know they’re in a simulation and play along, and at other times they seem to have deluded themselves into believing that it’s real. Also, one of the trainees goes all woke on everyone, which seems incredibly out of place given that the trainees have been raised in isolation and are being mentally conditioned by Utrex on how to think and act. Still, the performances are all pretty good, and the stunt work and fight choreography is especially well-done. Also, the writers do an impressive job at structuring the season’s story arc and at creating tension and suspense. It has some storytelling issues, but overall Season 2 of Hanna is full of thrills and political intrigue.
A killer Fourth of July awaits the town of Hawkins in Season 3 of Stranger Things. This time Mike and his friends uncover a secret Russian cabal that’s attempting to reopen the gate to the Upside Down; meanwhile the Mind Falyer begins possessing people and builds an army. The show does some clever things using a mall motif and continues to tap into ‘80s nostalgia. But it goes a little too far and gets kind of ridiculous bringing in the Russians. And the child actors are getting a little too old, and have lost a bit of the charm that they had in the beginning. However, some new actors are brought in to freshen things up, and the action is as intense and exciting as ever (though it tends to be more horror focused then previous seasons). Succumbing to the law of diminishing returns, Stranger Things’ third season, while entertaining and fun, stretches for material and has taken the story of Hawkins about as far as it can go.
From Amazon Prime comes the action/adventure series Hanna. Based on the 2011 film, Season 1 follows a young girl who was part of a secret super-soldier program as she comes out of hiding after 15-years and goes on the offensive against the black ops agency that’s been hunting for her. Esme Creed-Miles stars as Hanna, and gives a strong performance (though not quite as good as Saoirse Ronan). And, the fight scenes and chases are exciting and action-packed. However, the serial storytelling can be a little weak at times; as a couple of episodes feel like filler and drag on a bit trying to fill out their 50+ min. runtime. Also, the Chemical Brothers’ score is really missed. Still, the show does a fair job at crafting a soundtrack that capture’s the feel of the European setting. Only 8-episodes, Season 1 of Hanna doesn’t have a lot of room to maneuver, but it’s a solid start to what promises to be a gritty, international spy series.
Stranger Things is a fresh and exciting Netflix series that homages ‘80s horror. In Season 1 a 12-year-old boy named Will Byers mysteriously disappears, leading his friends to band together to find him, and during their search they run across a girl with telekinetic powers who claims that Will has crossed over into an alternative dimension called the Upside Down; meanwhile the sheriff uncovers a government conspiracy to cover up Byers’ disappearance. Set in 1983, the show plays on ‘80s nostalgia extremely well; looking and feeling exactly like a horror film straight out of the 1980s (it even makes references to such ‘80s classics as The Thing, Evil Dead, Cujo, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Poltergeist). Also, the performances are really quite impressive; especially the child actors, who are incredibly charming and charismatic. Extraordinarily smart and well-crafted, Stranger Things delivers a remarkable first season.
Filmation’s Star Trek comes to an end after a short 6-episode second season. Rather than sequel original series episodes (like last season), Season 2 sees the first holodeck going awry (“The Practical Joker”), the return of the Enterprise’s first captain (“The Counter-Clock Incident”), and Kirk facing off against the Mesoamerican god Kukulkan (“How Sharper Than a Serpents Tooth”). Gene Roddenberry and DC Fontana scale back their involvement and Bill Reed takes over directing duties following Hal Sutherland’s departure. And yet, the series wins Star Trek’s first and only non-technical Emmy – Outstanding Children’s Program for the episode “How Sharper Than Serpent’s Tooth.” However, the animation hasn’t improved; containing all the usual errors and reused cells, and the voice work is just as flat and lifeless. Still, there are some interesting stories and a couple of fun action scenes. Yet for all its faults, Season 2 of Star Trek: The Animated Series feels closer to the live-action series than the first season.
Based on a British television series, NBC’s The Office is a quirky workplace comedy that follows the wacky antics of the Dunder-Mifflin paper company. Presented as a documentary, Season 1 introduces the audience to the employees of the Sranton branch of Dunder-Mifflin and follows their day-to-day activities. Starring Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, and Rainn Wilson, the show features a strong cast that’s really good with dry, sardonic humor. And the documentary style shooting, coupled with personal interview segments, gives the show a unique look and feel. Additionally, the writers do an impressive job at taking on real-world issues, such as racial sensitivity training, choosing a healthcare plan, and corporate downsizing. Though only 6-episodes, the first season of The Office shows a spark of brilliance that will lead to one of the most popular sitcoms of the 2000s.
Warehouse 13 comes to an end in its fifth and final season, though it’s not really a season (only 6 episodes). After learning that she has a long-lost sister who’s been possessed by an artifact, Claudia attempts to save her, but when she falls into the wrong hands she’s used as a weapon against the Warehouse. Unfortunately, the show really plays up the comedy in these few last episodes, and fails to recapture the intensity and danger that the first few seasons had. And, it’s not that strong of a story arc to go out on, and series finale is incredibly disappointing and feels forced. However, as a wrap-up season, several past recurring guest stars return for some nice cameos, including Mark Sheppard, Jaime Murray, and Kelly Hu. There are a few highlights to Season 5 of Warehouse 13, but overall it’s a lackluster conclusion to this beloved show.
Chris Carter firebombs The X-Files with a Season 10 miniseries that throws out the series mythology and begins anew. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully rejoin the FBI and reopen the X-Files division after an investigative journalist named Tad O'Malley exposes the Syndicate’s true agenda. However, the show quickly becomes episodic, following a monster-of-the-week format, and doesn’t really have an over-arcing storyline. In addition to David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis and a few others reprise their roles from the original series. And there are some nice homages and callbacks that help to create a familiar feel. Season 10 of The X-Files has its moments, but overall it’s a weak revival that doesn’t accomplish much.
Only 6 episodes, Tru Calling’s second season never got off the ground, but is incredibly ambitious. While auditing med school classes Tru Davis works nights at the morgue, using her special gift to help the dead when the fades rewind a day, giving Tru a chance to prevent their deaths from happening. The cast is retooled; replacing Tru’s sister and best friend with two med school friends played by Eric Christian Olsen and Lizzy Caplan, and Zach Galifianakis is given a love interest played by Liz Vassey. Once again the writers come up with some interesting deaths for Tru to solve, and tackle some interesting issues about interfering with and altering fate and its consequences. The guest stars featured include Ty Olsson and William Sadler, and the show gets into the holiday spirit with a special Christmas episode. Yet despite Season 2’s attempts to worldbuild and expand the show’s mythology, Tru Calling was cancelled by FOX and shuffled off to another network to finish off its episode run.
