tv – Page 4 – procrastinationchronicles.com

new and noteworthy tv: 3/27-4/9

March 26, 2023 No Comments

Caught the first of Marie Antoinette (PBS) and Lucky Hank AMC) and while neither made me press season pass both had enough promise for another look. I’m enjoying The Exhibit (MTV) where reality takes on art, Animal Control (Fox), and The Company You Keep (ABC). I have passed on True Lies (CBS), Gotham Knights (CW), and Digman! (Com). And after being sick for a few weeks I did some Luther (Hulu) rewatching which definitely stands up, this was in preparation for the movie Luther: The Fallen Sun (Net) which for me didn’t quite capture the magic. And I just started the latest season of You (Net) and as expected our protagonist can’t quite turn the corner from his old life.

The Big Door Prize (App+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 3/29 – A new comedy about the changes to a small town when a machine shows up that reveals your true life potential.
Wellmania (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 3/29 – A comedic wellness journey with Celeste Barber.
Unstable (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 3/30 – Rob Lowe brings his son along for the latest comedy of a father-son journey launching a tech company.
The Power (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 3/31 – What happens when teenage girls can suddenly electrocute people at will?
The Great American Joke Off (CW) Series Premiere, Friday 3/31, 9:30 pm – Dulce Sloan hosts and judges who has been the funniest.
Dave (Fxx) Season Premiere, Wednesday 4/5, 10 pm – This series, while having moments of adolescent humor, grew into something interesting and funny.
Beef (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/6 – Steven Yeun and Ali Wong face a road rage incident that brings out each’s darkest impulses in this dramedy.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Para+) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/6 – A prequel to Grease we see four outcasts don the pink jackets.
Jury Duty (Free) Series Premiere, Friday 4/7 – A new docu-style comedy where only one jury member is unaware that the rest of the jury and surrounding players are actors.
Tiny Beautiful Things (Hulu) Series Premiere, Friday 4/7 – Kathryn Hahn stars as an advice columnist whose life is falling apart in this comedy, based on the book by Cheryl Strayed.

The procrastinator lists mostly scripted items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST, please check your local listings.

new and noteworthy tv: 3/13-3/26

March 12, 2023 No Comments

Now that I’ve caught up with top tv of 2022 I have a little more freedom to catch up on misc items and 2023 shows. And of course, catch a few more movies before I do my must-see movie list. I did rap Hacks right before my list, it was so good I cranked through. Now maybe doing You or a rewatch of Luther ahead of the movie just released. And of course a few new shows.

Ted Lasso (App+) Season Premiere, Wednesday 3/15 – I’ll likely take another pass at Apple+ to catch this season and Mythic Quest.
Class of ’07 (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 3/17 – What would happen if an apocalyptic tidal wave stranded you at your all-girls high school reunion, this comedy looks to show it.
Extrapolations (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 3/17 – A dramatic anthology series set in the new future where people are dealing with the effects of climate change.
Swarm (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 3/17 – Taking fandom a step too far in this horror thriller.
Agent Elvis (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 3/17 – Animated secret government spy Elvis.
Lucky Hank (AMC) Series Premiere, Sunday 3/19 – This is the new series with Bob Odenkirk this time he’s a chairman of the English department, adapted from Russo’s Straight Man.
Marie Antoinette (PBS) Series Premiere, Sunday 3/19, 10pm – Another take on this, which reminds me when is the new season of The Great coming out.
Digman! (Com) Series Premiere, Wednesday 3/22, 10:30pm – Animated archaeologists are apparently super cool.
The Night Agent (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 3/23 – An FBI agent gets pulled into a deadly conspiracy.
Up Here (Hulu) Series Premiere, Friday 3/24 – A musical RomCom set in NYC in ’99.
Great Expectations (Fx/Hulu) Series Premiere, Sunday 3/26 – Another take on this.
Rabbit Hole (Para+) Series Premiere, Sunday 3/26 – What happens when a master of corporate espionage is framed for murder?
Ride (Hall) Series Premiere, Sunday 3/26, 9pm – A rodeo family drama.
Yellowjackets (Show) Season Premiere, Sunday 3/26, 9pm – I recently let my Paramount+/Showtime subscription lapse so will check back in on this, maybe when another Ink Master is available.
Succession (HBO) Season Premiere, Sunday 3/26, 9pm – I haven’t started this yet with my HBOMax subscription but I hear it’s a fun one and I hear this is the last season.

best, tv

procrastinator’s top tv of 2022

March 8, 2023 No Comments

TV years have gotten a bit murky. It used to be if it was on broadcast tv you watched it or you didn’t. Now with so much cable and streaming we’re often catching up. I know I am. Including all the cable channels who could watch it all?

And if I had the time I definitely don’t have all the channels. The biggest shift was I finally got HBOMax, but not until late in the year. I have definitely not caught up on all the 2022 fare, though you’ll see I was able to get started. I am also dabbling with getting different options for a limited time (e.g. Paramount+ and Apple+).

Recency bias may have resulted in some of this ranking but as you know on any given day who knows but you gotta land somewhere.

The Bear (Fx/Hulu) – If I’m lucky every season there is something new and special that draws me in, this was it for me this year, a very tense tale of a ‘real’ chef heading home to run a local restaurant after his brother dies and let’s just say things don’t go smoothly.
Hacks (HBO) – I just just finished this but was so drawn into these two women and their dysfunction and personal growth together as they turn an old-school comedian’s act into something new, Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder for the win.
Barry (HBO) – I can’t help myself with these painful shows where you can’t imagine how this is all going to work out, and Bill Hader’s hitman looking for a change in LA does it to a T.
Somebody Somewhere (HBO) – Ok so maybe the new HBOMax subscription was a good idea (and I’ve only scratched the surface); I was really drawn in by this look at a woman’s return to her small Kansas town and her struggle to fit in with family and found family.
Ghosts (CBS) – Based on an English show which I have yet to check out, Rose McIver plays a woman who inherits a family home and can see the undead, it brings lots of fun as we learn more about the long-term residents and watch them try to make a future.
Abbot Elementary (ABC) – You’ve likely heard about this one and for good reason, Quinta Brunson’s teachers in Philly has a ton of heart with its silliness.
Yellow Jackets (Show) – My Paramount+ temporary subscription led me to this (though I tried not to add any new shows) and couldn’t stop watching this time-split tale of present-day and the immediate aftermath of a plane crash filled with a high school girl’s soccer team, I mean that would traumatize anyone right?
Evil (Para+) – I’m a big fan of the King’s series and this is no exception, this show literally creeps me out with its trio of skeptics and believers investigating ‘occurrences’ for the church, and their personal lives are not unimpacted.
Reservation Dogs (Hulu) – Indigenous teens in rural Oklahoma do what they gotta do to make it to California while dealing with family and local drama, a nice mix of off-format, story, and character/relationship focus.
Ink Master (Para+) – This is my favorite reality show and as it was brought back it moved networks and changed judges but they were able to maintain the core of the thing (though I do miss Chris and Oliver), testing the skills of a tattoo artist to see who is the master

A few series that wrapped this year and while the final season might not hit the top ten, the series in their entirety were noteworthy (this is also a bit of a cheat to list more shows):

Animal Kingdom (TNT) – I enjoy a good crime drama and this So Cal surfing crime family sure brought the drama, it was a little uneven but I think quite good for what it was.
Atlanta (Fx) – Donald Glover really took artistic license but for the most part it was incredibly successful while also building rich characters and an interesting overall arc in this look at an up-and-coming rapper and his manager.
Better Things (Fx) – I just love what Pamela Adlon did with this semi-autobiographical dramedy about her family and her life surrounding Hollywood, this show was consistently in my top ten.
Claws (TNT) – Ok this was one heck of a campy show but if you want to watch a bunch of over-the-top nail artists take on some serious Florida crime these characters had heart and style.
David Makes Man (2021-OWN) – The first season of this was one of my favorite looks at coming-of-age both through the story and visuals and while the second season’s time jump wasn’t as successful for me it was still really interesting.
Dead to Me (Net) – Christina Applegate and Linda Cardelini play unlikely friends who won each other and me over with their approach to every ridiculous twist and turn they run into through their start with grief.
Deutschland 83/86/89 (2020-Sund/Hulu) – I caught these after the fact but loved the Americans-ish spy drama and the time jumps to see where it all went.
The Good Fight (Para+) – Christine Baranski can do no wrong and I enjoyed her years starting over at a new law firm following The Good Wife, they created something new but kept a lot of the elements of what made the former work through quirky characters, cases, and overarching issues, I actually paid to get the rest of this show.
Grace & Frankie (Net) – This show wasn’t revolutionary but the throwback feel of a screwball buddy comedy worked with not only great leads of Fonda and Tomlin but a fun supporting cast.
Killing Eve (BBC) – Ok this show kind of lost its way but that first season was enough to keep me in for moments of Eve and Villanelle’s relationship, assassins and spies, and some great outfits.
Ozark (Net) – This show pushed the edges of dark both metaphorically and visually but this family, with great performances, doing everything they can to survive, and maybe even thrive, through a money laundering entanglement with the Mexican drug lord, don’t get in their way.

Honorable mention: Alaska Daily (ABC), Dark Winds (AMC), Get Shorty (Epix), Only Murders in the Building (Hulu), Professor T (PBS), Reginald the Vampire (Syfy), Resident Alien (Syfy), Russian Doll (Net), Single Drunk Female (Free), So Help Me Todd (CBS), Upload (Am), Welcome to Wrexham (Fx), White Lotus (HBO).

There are also a few shows I am enjoying but not up to date on: Better Call Saul (AMC), Euphoria (HBO), and The Flight Attendant (HBO).

Is this just everything I watched last year? Sadly no. But I admittedly didn’t choose the smallest subset to mention.

For critics’ picks, there’s a good list at Metacritic. What were your faves?

new and noteworthy tv: 2/27-3/12

February 25, 2023 No Comments

I missed my personal deadline for top tv of 2022 but stay tuned, my new plan is to get it out this next week. I spent a little time working through The Dropout (Hulu) which while I don’t normally really enjoy based on true events was kind of fascinating and Seyfried in particular was really good. I also made my way through White Lotus (HBOM)and while I was not as enamored as many I could definitely appreciate the characters and watching things unfold, and yes I would enjoy an expensive vacation (without murder obvs).

I’ve also been catching some of the midseason shows to decide what to add to my repertoire. I’ve been enjoying Will Trent (ABC/Hulu) as one of those particular and successful detectives but the characters are all really good (ABC/Hulu), Accused (Fox/Hulu) with a what happened legal case of the week/anthology, Not Dead Yet (ABC/Hulu) a cute comedy where the woman writing obituaries sees the people she’s writing about. One episode of The Company You Keep has me intrigued with its Romeo and Juliet cons vs CIA, and willing to see if Night Court (NBC/Peacock) and Animal Control (Fox/Hulu) find their comedic groove.

Wreck (Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 3/1 – A drama set in the world of a cruise ship as a guy tries to uncover what happened to his sister who disappeared.
True Lies (CBS) Series Premiere, Wednesday 3/1, 10pm – I was just looking to see when this was scheduled as I had an earlier date, a series take on the secret spy husband movie.
Daisy Jones & The Six (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 3/3 – Based on the book by Taylor Jenkins Reid, a musical-drama series on the rise and fall of a rock band.
Next in Fashion (Net) Season Premiere, Friday 3/3 – I tend to catch these fashion competitions but I think I missed this the first time around (either that or it was just unmemorable).
Grand Crew (NBC) Season Premiere, Friday 3/3, 8:30pm – I enjoyed this sort of friends hang show from last season and hope it keeps its mojo.
The Exhibit: Finding the Next Great Artist (MTV) Series Premiere, Friday 3/3, 10pm – Speaking of reality competitions, I might be interested in art.
Act Your Age (Bounce) Series Premiere, Saturday 3/4, 8pm – I might need to double check what Bounce TV is but they’ve got a new comedy about 3 ‘vibrant’ women in their 50s, with Kym Whitley, Tisha Campbell, and Yvette Nicole Brown
History of the World, Part II (Hulu) Series Premiere, Monday 3/6 – After 40 years they’re doing a sequel to the Mel Brooks film with various history sketches, Brooks EPs with Ike Barinholts, Nick Kroll, and Wanda Sykes as cast.
Rain Dogs (HBO) Series Premiere, Monday 3/6, 10pm – This dark comedy brings an ‘unconventional love story’ about a single mom, her 10-year-old daughter, and a privileged gay man.
You (Net) Thursday 3/9 – The second half of the season drops, I’ll probably tune into this after I crank out my 2022 tv list.
Unprisoned (Hulu) Series Premiere, Friday 3/10 – Kerry Washington stars as a therapist and single mom whose dad gets out of prison and moves in with her.
Luther: The Fallen Sun (Net) Premiere, Friday 3/10 – I knew they were making this Luther movie but had lost track, do I still have time for a series rewatch?
The Oscars (ABC) Sunday 3/12 – I’ve been ticking through a few of these but have some ‘in theaters only’ to catch up on.

new and noteworthy: 2/13-2/26

February 11, 2023 No Comments

Wrapping a few more things, the very well done if not a bit odd Atlanta. I also did Fleishman is in Trouble which was pretty good but I was a little too annoyed by everyone to fully appreciate. And I Love That For You before my Showtime wraps up which was kind of amusing but very personality driven with Vanesssa Bayer and Molly Shannon. Also checked out Mo the dramedy of Palestinian refugee from Mohammed Amer and Ramy Youssef which I liked but it didn’t quite stick with me.

Red Rose (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 2/15 – Teens are in terror from an app, in this British drama, early reviews seem to say the cast elevates it.
Animal Control (Fox) Series Premiere, Thursday 2/16, 9pm – Joel McHale heads up a workplace comedy with lots of Animal Control hijinks.
Hello Tomorrow! (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 2/17 – Starring and EP’d by Billy Crudup, as a salesman selling lunar timeshares in this futuristic comedy.
The Company You Keep (ABC) Series Premiere, Sunday 2/19, 10pm – A con man and an undercover CIA operative kick off a little passion that can only lead to complications.
Black Snow (SundN) Series Premiere, Thursday 2/23 – A small-town murder never solved kicks up again when a time capsule is opened.
The Consultant (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 2/24 – Christoph Waltz in this comedic thriller based on the novel.
Liaison (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 2/24 – A French/English thriller, will the mistakes of their past destroy their future?
Party Down (Starz) Series Premiere, Friday 2/24, 9pm – This is billed as Season 3 but we’re picking up ten years later with our fave caterers, excited they got the gang back together headed up by Adam Scott, the original series was funny.

And for anyone on the lookout for Magnum PI it’s moving from CBS to NBC on 2/19.

i don’t want to wait

February 4, 2023 No Comments

I know that streaming shows use a few different models but I am tired of waiting for shows to be released weekly.

Like a drug dealer, they give you a few upfront. The first four episodes of Poker Face sure you can have them. But after that, you need to wait a week for a single episode. This early release of some for me seems to counter the argument that you should space them out. Though I will admit rewatching early broadcast shows tends to give me a bit of a disconnect with time.

I’m honestly not a huge binger. I’m not going to be up until 4 am watching a series. But I do often like to watch them quicker than one a week. With Poker Face even two a week would feel better. I just finished Leverage: Redemption and skipped a week so I could do two together.

And yes I know we used to do this all the time. Part of the problem is that I’ve gotten soft with a DVR. I no longer even know what time and day some shows are on. My TiVo grabs it when it’s on and then I check in and there is a queue of stuff that I have selected. The streaming services just don’t have a great interface for that.

And don’t get me started on a new season. Some shows are in my “watch again” list when I haven’t even caught the final season. Also because streaming seasons tend to be shorter and you do watch them more quickly it can be a full year or more between seasons. I honestly don’t remember what happened. I really would have it all there, even if it takes me forever (from a modern perspective) to get through Better Call Saul or Lucifer.

Now there is a little bit of a water cooler component about some shows. I find that Stranger Things for example is something that people watch right away. So if I want to stay up on things I have to jump on it. But for the most part, everyone is watching something different, there are just too many shows to be immediately up to date on everything.

So if I’m not being cutting edge I could just wait until the entire series is completed. But if everyone did that everything would get canceled because no one would be watching. I get it, it’s a business. Another reason for them to string you out a bit.

Overall I tend to do a mix of catch-up on the full series I’ve missed, a slight delay so I don’t have to wait between episodes, and real-time viewing. Has anyone solved this?

new and noteworthy tv: 1/30-2/12

January 29, 2023 No Comments

Cranking through a few streaming items with the latest season of Ramy which is still good and odd, Girl From Plainville which left me a little unsatisfied with its take on the real scenario, and the latest season of Leverage: Redemption which I find fun. I also started Poker Face on Peacock and my only complaint is the weekly spacing out of episodes.

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll check out Not Dead Yet and of course the latest season of You, though I may delay a bit on that while I catch up with 2022 shows to do my Top Tv post.

The Watchful Eye (Free) Series Premiere, Monday 1/30, 9/10pm – Everyone has secrets including a new live-in nanny at an affluent NY family.
The Great British Baking Show: The Professionals (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 2/1 – I don’t particularly dig cooking shows, but I feel like people are into these ones.
Gunther’s Millions (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 2/1 – We follow the rich and famous in reality why not a wealthy dog?
The Ark (Syfy) Series Premiere, Wednesday 2/1, 10pm – In the future when we’re trying to colonize other planets damage to a ship tests their mission.
Freeridge (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 2/2 – I didn’t stick with On My Block, but this is a spinoff in some way.
Dear Edward (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 2/3 – Based on the book a story of a kid who survives a plane crash that kills his family.
State of the Union (Various) Tuesday 2/7, 6pm pacific.
Not Dead Yet (ABC) Series Premiere, Wednesday 2/8, 8:30/9:30pm – Gina Rodriguez stars as a broke and newly single obituary column writer.
You (Net) Season Premiere, Thursday 2/9 – Our favorite obsessive gets a new chapter, let’s see what the body count looks like this time.
Superbowl (Fox) Sunday 2/12, 3:30pm pacific – Sportsball and related content.

technology, tv

HBO has landed!

January 17, 2023 No Comments

I finally got HBO. Technically HBO Max. With this statement there seem to be two responses. 1) Really you didn’t have HBO? 2) It’s about $%^& time.

Clearly, my fine pchron readers know I’m a big fan of tv. So why didn’t I have HBO, the home to some of the greatest tv?

It was a little bit about money but it was mostly the principle of the thing. I pay for cable, not the premium channel version obviously but the version below that. And it is not cheap. And I pay for Netflix. And I pay for Hulu. And I pay for Amazon Prime.

Now I actually first threw down for Amazon Prime because they had a backlog of shows from HBO. The Wire, you bet! So I had done a basic pass over all the old greats. And I think I watched some things live with various friends and family.

But there was still so much TV to watch. I constantly have a backlog of tv. And so I didn’t need more shows. I didn’t want to get hooked on even more shows. I had already started dabbling with having a streaming option for a bit to watch shows and then cancel it. AppleTV and Paramount+ filled the gap on a few things. But I felt like if I got HBO it would be hard to cancel and just dip back in for a few things.

And to be honest I am planning to do some research into tv options. I think with everything I pay for it’s somewhat duplicative and probably too expensive. So maybe I’ll switch to Hulu Live or YouTube TV or whatever. And whenever I got around to that I was going to reevaluate everything.

Well, that ‘whenever’ has dragged on for a while.

And Saturday I sat down to watch a movie and really didn’t want to watch anything available. I’m trying to catch up on some of the ‘best of 2022.’ And I used to go to the movies a good amount. But since the pandemic, I’ve never quite gotten back to the in-person theater. I’m not saying I’m done for good but I definitely have moved to more streaming. And last year even paid for a few flicks.

So getting HBOMax doesn’t seem like that big of an investment. Done.

So I’m starting with the more current options. Saturday night I watched The Banshees of Inisherin (odd but good) and The Menu (a sweet and savory sendup). And have started in on The White Lotus and Barry. So far it’s worth the investment.

I’ll also get to catch additional seasons of a few shows that moved to HBO Max like The Other Two, Search Party, and Harley Quinn (this might have just been a tease on non-HBO).

What should I watch next?

new and noteworthy tv: 1/16-1/29

January 13, 2023 No Comments

When I was sick I gave myself permission to binge through the latest season of Emily in Paris which continues to be trash but entertaining trash. I also cranked through the sweet Heartstopper. I typically save half-hour streaming comedies for when I exercise with my in-apartment bike pedals. Once I got that back in action I wrapped up the final season of Derry Girls, which was definitely a fun series. And a few new things hitting the radar.

Night Court (NBC) Series Premiere, Tuesday 1/17, 8/8:30pm – The early version of this show had charm and sounds like this might need a beat but has potential.
That ’90s Show (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 1/19 – Continuing the reboot trend, That ’70s Show characters return this time with Kitty and Red dealing with their grandkid and supposedly everyone (not currently facing rape charges) is reprising their role as guest appearances, again the original had some charm so we’ll see.
Accused (Fox) Series Premiere, Sunday 1/22, 9pm – This anthology series brings a different crime told from the defendant’s POV.
Extraordinary (Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 1/25 – If everyone develops a superpower when they turn 18, what happens if yours doesn’t show, a look at a world with and without powers.
Poker Face (Pea) Series Premiere, Thursday 1/26 – Natasha Lyonne going from place to place solving crimes, yes please.
Wolf Pack (Para+) Series Premiere, Thursday 1/26 – Sarah Michelle Geller in a werewolf tv show, sure I’ll check it out.
Shrinking (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 1/27 – Jason Segel plays a grieving therapist who actually starts telling his patients what he thinks.
Lockwood & Co (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 1/27 – A small ghost-hunting agency in London made up of some gifted teens.

midseason fun

January 8, 2023 No Comments

While I think we’ve all become accustomed to less official tv seasons, the networks do still have a slate of offerings that roll out in the new year. Here are a few things to keep your eye out for. Along with a few returning shows including a couple I watch, 911: Lone Star (Fox, 1/17) which is super random but somehow I got hooked, and American Auto (NBC, 1/24) which had some potential last year but hadn’t quite found its footing yet.

Will Trent (ABC) Tuesday 1/3, 10pm – Based on Karin Slaughter’s book series we follow a Georgia Special Agent who brings his own upbringing baggage for good and for bad, I caught the first one of these and thought the cast had promise.
Alert (Fox) Sunday 1/8, 8pm – This focuses on a missing person’s unit with a woman whose son is missing and early buzz is not good but we’ll see.
Night Court (NBC) Tuesday 1/17, 8pm – If you remember the old Night Court, it’s back, and John Larroquette reprises his role alongside Melissa Rauch who will play judge Harry Stone’s daughter.
Accused (Fox) Sunday 1/22, 9pm – A look at defendants in criminal trials as an anthology series, based on the British series.
Not Dead Yet (ABC) Wednesday 2/8, 8:30/9:30 – Gina Rodriguez plays an obituary writer trying to restart her life and I think talking to the dead.
Animal Control (Fox) Thursday 2/16, 9pm – Joel McHale heads up a cast focusing on the people, and animals, that animal control has to deal with.
Found (NBC) Sunday 2/19, 10pm – I guess this is like Alert in its focus on missing persons, this one features a person who was once missing. (Update: This is apparently being held until fall)
The Company You Keep (ABC) Sunday 2/19, 10pm – Can a con man and undercover office find love?
True Lies (CBS) Thursday 2/23, 9pm – A series adaptation of the film where a suburban wife finds out her hubs is a spy and she gets in on the game.

There are also some new reality/gameshow options: The Parent Test (ABC, 12/15), America’s Got Talent: All Stars (NBC, 1/2), Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test (Fox, 1/4), Lingo (CBS, 1/11).

Stay tuned to New & Noteworthy posts for biweekly updates and check your local listings.

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