New and noteworthy tv: 11/6-11/19

After my Covid/back injury tv intensive things have slowed down a bit for me. I did do Station 11 on Max which was good, though you know never as good as the book. The big news is a have a temporary signup to Paramount+/Showtime because the latest season of Ink Master is on and it is my fave reality show. So I’ll dabble a bit there but am also still sorting my deep HBO backlog.

  • The Buccaneers (App+) Series Premiere, Wednesday, 11/8 – Early reviews of this Edith Wharton adaptation are positive for these American heiresses hitting the London debutante season.
  • Colin from Accounts (P+) Series Premiere, Thursday 11/9 – Australian comedy about a guy and a gal brought together by a dog + car accident.
  • The Curse (Show) Series Premiere, Sunday 11/12, 10pm – Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder star as a newly married, pregnant, cursed, home improvement show cohost couple.
  • Beacon 23 (MGM+) Series Premiere, Sunday 11/12, 9pm – A space set thriller based on the Hugh Howey book.
  • Blackberry (AMC) TV Premiere, Monday 11/13 – This looks like the repairing of the movie in miniseries form.
  • A Murder at the End of the World (FX/Hulu) Series Premiere, Tuesday 11/14 – One of the guests at an isolated retreat is murdered and an amateur detective tries to find the killer.
  • NCIS: Sydney (CBS) Series Premiere, Tuesday 11/14, 8pm – The latest spinoff goes down under.
  • The Long Shadow (SundN) Series Premiere, Thursday 11/16 – A drama about the five-year manhunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.
  • Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 11/17 – After Godzilla attacks a woman finds her family is connected to a secret organization of monster hunters.
  • The Holiday Shift (Roku) Series Premiere, Friday 11/17 – Romcom about the love stories of mall employees during the holidays.
  • Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 11/17 – An anime series a la Scott Pilgrim vs the World.

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.

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new and noteworthy tv: 10/23-11/5

Another bank of tv shows done thanks to my back injury and the final days of my Apple+ subscription. Bad sisters was enjoyable with rich characters and a nice mix of tragedy/comedy, not sure what another season would look like but think it’s coming back. Hijack is more the kind of thing I feel like I enjoy in movie form but they did a good job of keeping each hour intriguing and suspenseful, and you know Idris Elba. High Desert brought the quirky wannabe detective which I normally dig but this might have been a little too off even for me, but still kind of fun. After Party was yet another of the murder revealed at the beginning and then the unfolding which I like well enough, this one did a fun job really stylizing each person’s POV.

I also got back to Master of None on Netflix, I enjoyed the light humor of earlier seasons but hadn’t been back for the final Lena Waithe season which was different in tone but well done. And another ‘I wish I liked it more’ was the absurdists I’m a Virgo on Prime, definitely appealing aspects.

I have a lot of other streaming I’m catching up with but Bosch: Legacy on FreeVee/Am apparently took the front seat so will stay tuned for each week’s new eps. I will also be adding Paramount+ for another sample to get Ink Master in so I might dive into a few things while I’m there. I caught the first two eps of the new Frasier on CBS and it was amusing enough to revisit Grammer and the new cast, full season on P+.

  • Everyone Else Burns (CW) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/26, 9:30pm – A comedy about a religious family who believes the world with end within the decade, this adds to the CW comedy lineup, I couldn’t stick with Son of a Critch but have been enjoying We Run the Burbs and Children Ruin Everything well enough.
  • Black Cake (Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 11/1 – This family drama/murder mystery that spans decades is based on the bestselling book.
  • Ink Master (Para+) Season Premiere, Wednesday 11/1 – Time to reup my Paramount+ subscription (and catch the second season of Yellowjackets), an intro to the characters via a special on MTV the same night.
  • All The Light We Cannot See (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 11/2 – I really enjoyed this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel told through parallel stories of a blind French girl and a young German soldier, we’ll see how well it translates.
  • Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Para+) Series Premiere, Sunday 11/5 – This first season of this anthology series focuses on the first Black US Marshal west of the Mississippi with David Oyelowo.

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.

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new and noteworthy tv: 10/9-10/22

Well, I guess we’re not totally getting a fall season this year. But there have been a few network shows that I’ve sampled. The Irrational has likable Jesse L. Martin who is somehow totally bland, as one of those consultants who can tell stuff, I’ll try again but so far forgettable. Found about an off-the-rails group of peeps who bend the rules to find lost people, the entire company seems to have been personally impacted by loss and the protagonist is holding her previous captor in the basement to help her Lechter style, at least it’s a little interesting. Sullivan’s Crossing is another entry in the snooze pile about a disgraced big-city doc who returns home to rebuild some burnt bridges reluctantly. The Spencer Sisters also has the potential for some fun as an estranged mother and daughter solve crimes together.

I also have been doing some streaming wrap-ups. Fine Platonic and intriguing Severance on Apple, I’m still working on finishing a few things with my one-month subscription. I finally made it through Better Call Saul and admit I didn’t love the final season but overall a great show with great performances. I’m sad The Great is done but glad they ended on a pretty satisfying note. And Only Murders in the Building which is fun enough but hasn’t quite hit the heights of season one.

  • The Fall of the House of Usher (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/12 – Based on works of Edgar Allan Poe, the death of members of a family dynasty.
  • Frasier (Para+) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/12 – A reboot of Frasier as he returns to Boston to reconnect with his son.
  • Little Bird (PBS) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/12, 9pm – Following a girl as she looks for her birth family and uncovers her history.
  • Everybody Loves Diamonds (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 10/13 – Italian heist series with a comedic twist, sure.
  • Lessons in Chemistry (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 10/13 – Brie Larson steps into the role of a ’50s scientist who ends up hosting a cooking show.
  • Bodies (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/19 – Four detectives in four different time periods need to solve an original murder that alters the course of history.
  • Bosch: Legacy (Free) Season Premiere, Friday 10/20 – Excited for another round of Bosch in this latest iteration.
  • Upload (Am) Season Premiere, Friday 10/20 – What additional layers of intrigue will we find with our dead and alive players?

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.

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new and noteworthy tv: 9/25-10/8

Turns out that when you get Covid if you focus properly you can catch up on a lot of tv. I did start too feverish, etc. to watch anything new. I still have cable (a discussion for another day) so I was able to find a constant run of Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Mom, and Girlfriends to keep me occupied.

Then once the fever and body aches receded a bit I still wanted something light but felt like I could dive into new shows. I finished off The Other Two and Harley Quinn on Max, both very fun. I delved into Wednesday and Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix, both perfectly palatable as well as the latest season of sweet Hearstopper. And then I realized I had been waiting for a good time to subscribe to Apple+ for a month to do some catch up so polished off Ted Lasso and Mythic Quest both fun shows and then also added Shrinking to my repertoire, a delight.

I’ve got to decide what else on Apple I want to catch before it’s canceled so that might take a little attention but I’ll also catch the series finale of Reservation Dogs and the season finale of Only Murders in the Building.

  • The Vanishing Triangle (SundN) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/28 – A journalist gets tangled up in the ongoing crimes of the person who killed her mother.
  • The Irrational (NBC) Series Premiere, Monday 9/25 – Another one of those specialists consults with law enforcement, this one has Jesse L. Martin as a behavioral scientist based on Dan Ariely’s book.
  • The Golden Bachelor (ABC) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/28, 8pm – Reality spotlight on the old bachelor, I won’t watch it but I kind of like the fact that they’re giving the oldsters a chance.
  • Gen V (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 9/29 – A spinoff from The Boys which I really liked when it first started, showing the corruption of the superheroes, but it all just got a little too brutal, though I will at least check out this school years version of supers.
  • Found (NBC) Series Premiere, Tuesday 10/3, 10pm – Another missing person drama, this time someone is using their own kidnapper to help find them.
  • Sullivan’s Crossing (CW) Series Premiere, Wednesday 10/4, 8pm – The preview for this looked kind of Hallmarky, as we follow a big city surgeon in a bad situation returning to her quaint hometown, based on the Robyn Carr novels.
  • The Spencer Sisters (CW) Series Premiere, Wednesday 10/4, 9pm – Mystery novelist looks to solve crimes with her daughter, mistaken for her sister?
  • Lupin (Net) Season Premiere, Thursday 10/5 – The third season of this fun French crime drama.

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.

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new and noteworthy tv: 9/11-9/24

Did everyone finish Justified? I need everyone to watch so we get another. I also enjoyed the ‘reality’ show Jury Duty which brought sweetness to what could have been a terrible prank premise. Things are a smidge slower for the summer so hoping to catch up on a bit of my backlog. But of course, the new never really stops. Note somehow I missed that as of 9/1 KRON was the new local CW affiliate so I’m missing a few things.

  • The Swarm (CW) Series Premiere, Tuesday 9/12, 9pm – Something in the ocean is trying to kill us, hopefully the scientists will figure it out.
  • Welcome to Wrexham (Fx) Season Premiere, Tuesday 9/12, 10pm – This series was a really treat in season one, and glad to get to spend time with the town, the team, and the owners.
  • The Other Black Girl (Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 9/13 – What might be a creepy comedy when a sole black employee notices things get a little weird after another black girl is hired.
  • Wilderness (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 9/15 – Does a scorned wife take revenge on her cross-country trip with hubby trying to make amends?
  • All Rise (OWN) Season Premiere, Saturday 9/16, 9pm – I enjoy this idealistic courtroom drama and the drama of its workers.
  • The Gold (Para+) Series Premiere, Sunday 9/17 – A London heist miniseries based on the biggest gold bullion theft.
  • Sex Education (Net) Season Premiere, Thursday 9/21 – The final season of this fun dramedy about the son of a sex therapist and related drama.
  • Still Up (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 9/22 – A rom-com in the after-hours of two insomniacs.
  • The Continental (Pea) Series Premiere, Friday 9/22 – Since cancel culture maybe doesn’t exist Mel Gibson is in this John Wick prequel series that looks at the rise of Winston Scott.

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.

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new and noteworthy tv: 8/28-9/10

So I finished the really dumb but still watchable And Just Like That… though it could easily tip into unwatchable with more dumbness. I also stuck with Canadian import Moonshine which was cute in a light ridiculous way and it pairs well with Family Law which I also enjoy, s2 finale this week. And I’ll be catching the finale of Justified: Detroit (or whatever it’s called) it’s not quite the same but damn it’s still fun to watch Raylan, I hope they do more of him wherever. More finales: Dark Winds s2 finale, I just read they’re going to at least temporarily start dropping some of the AMC shows on Max. What We Do in the Shadows s5 finale, which continues to amuse. And of course will catch who the Project Runway winner is 9/7, I might even watch it that night.

  • US Open (ESPN/various) – I typically refrain from watching too much until the finals, or the semis but maybe a little Labor Day action.
  • Spellbound (Hulu) Series Premiere, Thursday 8/31 – A teen moves to France to study ballet and uncovers her witchy identity and a whole bunch of trouble.
  • Professor T (PBS) Season Premiere, Sunday 9/3, 8pm – I think this is the English remake of the Swedish show which I binged after s1.
  • Van Der Valk (PBS) Season Premiere, Sunday 9/3, 10pm – I’ve been filling in between must-see shows with these random foreign detective shows.
  • The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (AMC) Series Premiere, Sunday 9/10, 9pm – Daryl somehow winds up in France.
  • The Changeling (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 9/8 – LaKeith Stanfield comes to us as this bestselling book comes to the small screen.
  • Underdeveloped (Tubi) Series Premiere, Friday 9/8 – A mockumentary about failed and inexperienced producers, might be too close to home to be funny, plus I’m still not sure what Tubi is.
  • Dreaming Whilst Black (Show) Series Premiere, Sunday 9/10, 10pm – A British comedy about going for movie mogul dreams.

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.

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new and noteworthy tv: 8/14-8/27

I finished off the odd but super fun Search Party which I had started ages ago when it was on TBS. Glad Max saved it to go on its full run. I also went ahead and dove into Only Murders in the Building even though I now have to wait weekly for episodes. And tried Run the Burbs which isn’t amazing but for a summer comedy willing to see how the characters and all develop.

  • Killing It (Pea) Season Premiere, Thursday 8/17 – It looks like I still have access to S1 of this cute show so even though my free Peacock subscription was cut I might still be able to tune into this (but apparently no Asteroid City).
  • Harlan Coben’s Shelter (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 8/18 – I don’t love when we have to put names in titles but this did pull this otherwise generic title to the forefront, a new kid in town uncovers some secrets after another student dies.
  • Stand Up to Cancer (Various) Saturday 8/19, 8pm – I don’t watch this but on board with the no cancer.
  • The Winter King (MGM+) Series Premiere, Sunday 8/20 – I assume this network is yet another paid offering but they’re bringing in original series based on a Bernard Cornwell Warlord Chronicles books series that has a twist on Arthurian legends
  • Star Wars: Ahsoka (Dis+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 8/23 – I’m not going to pretend I’m keeping up with the Star Wars universe but this is apparently a Mandalorian spin-off centered on Rosario Dawson’s character.
  • Who is Erin Carter (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 8/24 – A British woman in Barcelona has her past exposed in this thriller.

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.

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new and noteworthy tv: 7/31-8/13

I did finish my Justified rewatch right before Justified: City Primeval started and have to say the first series is still a hoot and the new series does a pretty good job of picking up that Raylan vibe 15 years later. I sampled the first week of Son of a Critch, which I couldn’t do, and Children Ruin Everything which wasn’t great but at least the characters offer some possibilities.

  • Run the Burbs (CW) Series Premiere, Monday 7/31, 8:30pm – Another Canadian import, this one looking to bring the laughs about life in the suburbs.
  • Reservation Dogs (Fx/Hulu) Season Premiere, Wednesday 8/2 – Have enjoyed the run of these Indigenous teens in rural Oklahoma and will tune in for the final season.
  • Heartstopper (Net) Season Premiere, Thursday 8/3 – This show was a sweet and well-reviewed high school romance putting the lens on LGBTQ+ characters.
  • The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 8/4 – A 9-year-old loses her parents and goes to live with her grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) on her flower farm.
  • Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) Season Premiere, Tuesday 8/8 – This has been a fave, and curious to see our trio focus on the latest murder.
  • Painkiller (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 8/10 – Another take on the origins of the opioid crisis, I never did see Dopesick.

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.

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new and noteworthy tv: 7/17-7/30

Not much time for other things with my Justified rewatch but did manage to catch the start of Family Law which is a show I find fun and think Moonshine might be a good light complement. I also started off with Miracle Workers which I’m not sure I would stick with unless it was the final season and What We Do In the Shadows which is still funny though I’m probably not as enamored as some of the critics I follow.

  • Surf Girls Hawai’i (Am) Series Premiere, Tuesday 7/18 – Reality spotlight on a docuseries about Hawaiian female surfers.
  • Justified: City Primeval (Fx) Series Premiere, Tuesday 7/18, 10 pm – Raylan heads to Detroit, sounds like it’s set to run as a miniseries or be picked up for more.
  • Almost Paradise (Free) Season Premiere, Friday 7/21 – I hadn’t thought this would be back after the first season in 2020 but our retired DEA agent played by low-key fave Christian Kane makes for entertaining enough summer hijinks as I recall.
  • Special Ops: Lioness (Para+) Series Premiere, Sunday 7/23 – An espionage thriller with Zoe Saldana in the lead.
  • Son of a Critch (CW) Series Premiere, Monday 7/24, 8/8:30pm – In this comedy a 6th grader is the protagonist based on the coming-of-age memoir.
  • Children Ruin Everything (CW) Series Premiere, Monday 7/24, 9/9:30pm – This looks like a repairing of a Canadian show that’s played on Roku, let the parenting hijinks commence.
  • Dark Winds (AMC) Season Premiere, Sunday 7/30, 9 pm – This ’70s Navajo police drama was a good one.
  • Harley Quinn (Max) Season Premiere, Sunday 7/30 – Harley’s back, this show is usually pretty fun.

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.

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new and noteworthy tv: 7/3-7/16

The Bear jumped to the head of the queue, though I did force myself to watch no more than two episodes a night. I loved the first season which always makes me cautious but so good, I actually teared up during the Forks episode. I also finished up the excellent series Happy Valley, those characters are ready for a break. And caught up on Syfy The Ark, and in general I dig the creating a new world and making up some of the rules as we go along tales. And the first season of PBS’s Marie Antoinette which was entertaining.

  • The Lincoln Lawyer (Net) Season Premiere, Thursday 7/6 – I found the first season somewhat lackluster but pretty watchable.
  • Shaun White: The Last Run (Max) Series Premiere, Thursday 7/6 – Reality spotlight on a look at White’s life and career.
  • The Horror of Dolores Roach (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 7/7 – A horror dramedy series based on the podcast of a woman released from prison only to be driven to extremes.
  • Family Law (CW) Season Premiere, Friday 7/7, 8pm – I found this problematic family practicing family law entertaining.
  • Moonshine (CW) Series Premiere, Friday 7/7, 9pm – A woman returns home and as her life implodes she decides to stay.
  • VC Andrews’ Dawn (Life) Series Premiere, Saturday 7/8, 8pm – These movie series are typically pretty much trash, I couldn’t keep with the last one that I tried.
  • Miracle Workers: End Times (TBS) Season Premiere, Monday 7/10, 10pm – The cast visiting new scenarios each season has been amusing enough.
  • Full Circle (Max) Series Premiere, Thursday 7/13 – A botched kidnapping leads to uncovered secrets by Steven Soderbergh and including Timothy Olyphant among others.
  • Survival of the Thickest (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 7/13 – A fashion stylist starts over in life and love in this rom-com.
  • What We Do In The Shadows (FX) Season Premiere, Thursday 7/13, 10pm – The gang is back.
  • Wimbledon (ESPN/ABC) Saturday and Sunday 7/15 & 16 – Men’s and Women’s finals air 6am pacific and replay later on ABC.

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.

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