new and noteworthy tv: 6/10-6/16

Excited for the return of Ink Master, Queen Sugar, Baskets, Younger, and Jessica Jones. Was pondering about picking up Pose which returns though I dropped it midway last season I hear so many good things.

  • Too Old to Die Young (Am) Series Premiere, Friday – Mixed reviews for this crime drama set in the under belly of LA.
  • Jett (Cin) Series Premiere, Friday, 10pm – Carla Gugino plays a fresh out of prison, trying to retire, professional thief.
  • Los Espookys (HBO) Series Premiere, Friday, 11pm – A Spanish language comedy from Fred Armisen about a group of friends turn their love of horror into a business.
  • City on a Hill (Show) Series Premiere, Sunday, 9pm – 90s Boston crime with Kevin Bacon as FBI agent helping to investigate armed robbery that leads to more drama.
  • Euphoria (HBO) Series Premiere, Sunday 10pm – Some early good buzz for this coming of age centering on a girl played by Zendaya recently coming out of rehab.

Other streaming releases:

  • Jinn (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday – Two Jinns, one good and one evil, enter the human realm, in high school.
  • Leila (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – Dystopian future woman looks for child taken from her.
  • Trinkets (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – Three girls connect in Shoplifters Anonymous.
  • Unit 42 (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – Widowed cop teams up with former hacker to combat cyber crimers.

Returning streaming: Kakegurui (Net, Thursday), Strange Angel (CBSAA, Thursday), Absentia (Am, Friday), Aggretsuko (Net, Friday), Black Spot (Net, Friday), Jessica Jones (Net, Friday)

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

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my schedule

Things are already wrapping up for their fall finales but everything is finally basically out so here’s where I’m at. *New shows indicated.

Monday

  • 10pm – The Brave* (NBC)

This show isn’t necessarily all that good but it has avoided must of the unbearable personal stories or soapy drama that made the others of this ilk unwatchable, and you know so far they succeed on their missions in an uplifting way.

Tuesday

  • 8pm – The Middle/Fresh off the Boat (ABC) /  Lethal Weapon (Fox)
  • 9pm – This is Us (NBC) /  Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)
  • 10pm – Kevin (Probably) Saves the World* (ABC)

Some good classics are still hitting the queue, though I am almost over This Is Us unless they find a way to make anyone else as interesting as Randall and his family’s stories. I am thoroughly enjoying the oddball Jason Ritter series where he’s trying to balance family and his new secret missions with his invisible to others new cohort.

Wednesday

  • 8pm – Speechless (ABC)

I dropped this show mid-way through last season but am glad to say I listened to critics and got back on board.

Thursday

  • 8pm – Gotham (Fox) / Superstore/The Good Place (NBC)The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
  • 9pm – Will & Grace*/Great News (NBC) / Mom/Life in Pieces (CBS)

I am mostly waiting for Gotham to be canceled and I am not sure how into Great News or Life in Pieces but some good comedies are still hitting Thursday night including the funny familiar though uneven Will & Grace.

Sunday

  • 8pm – Ghosted* (Fox)
  • 10pm – Madam Secretary (CBS)

I’m enjoying the buddy paranormal fighting comedy and the Secretary still gives me hope for politics where most things turn out ok.

And because no one lives on network alone, some cable shows that are in the queue: Better Things (Fx), Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (BBCA), Full Frontal (TBS), Good Behavior (TNT), Ink Master: Angels* (Spike), You’re the Worst (FXX), Z Nation (Syfy)

And I still haven’t watched this season yet but they’re backing up: The Long Road Home* (NGC), Mr. Robot (USA), Project Runway (Life), Queen Sugar (OWN), Top of the Lake (Sun)

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returning fall favorites

The fall season doesn’t have quite the weight it once did but the shows are coming back. So here’s a look at some of the things that I’m looking forward to.

  • Better Things (FX, 9/14) – This Pamela Adlon series was the half hour show that I most looked forward to in what I sort of think of as the Louie vein of comedy.
  • The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 9/25) – I’m always happy to see what the gang is getting up to.
  • Bojack Horseman (Net, 9/8) – It’s odd but it’s good on so many layers.
  • Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox, 9/26) – Since the original they’ve really found a way to bring out great qualities in each character and pairings.
  • Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (BBCA, 10/14) – This was such an wacky series but I was won over by the conspiracies and time travel and the relationships that formed.
  • Elementary (CBS, 10/2) – Still invested in the pair of crime fighters if not always the crime and whatever the overarching drama is.
  • Fresh Off the Boat (ABC, 10/3) – The backdrop of immigrant family in the 90s adds a nice layer to the family hijinks.
  • Good Behavior (TNT, 10/15) – Intrigued to see what our con woman and hit man get up to this season.
  • The Good Place (NBC, 9/20) – This was a great intro last season and I’m excited to see where Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, and the gang take us this season.
  • Lethal Weapon (Fox, 9/26) – Light and fluffy this new duo of Riggs and Murtaugh have a good groove.
  • Madam Secretary (CBS, 10/8) – This is my hopeful political show where just enough magically gets resolved that I can ignore the real world for a bit.
  • The Middle (ABC, 10/3) – This show has done a surprisingly good job of keeping the family comedic beats as the kids age.
  • Mom (CBS, 11/2) – Allison Janney, Ana Faris, and their mostly recovering cohorts bring it in a great balance of real and unreal ways.
  • Mr Robot (USA, 10/11) – Also a little uneven but the wins on this show are strong enough for me to dive back in.
  • New Girl (Fox, 9/20) – One more season before the roomies and romances take their full stride into the tv afterlife.
  • Queen Sugar (OWN, 10/3) – This is my first Oprah drama and I like the way the location is as much of a character as the fragmented family of sugar farmers.
  • Speechless (ABC, 9/27) – I actually dropped this show last season but after hearing continued good things went back and picked it up and was rewarded enough to season pass it.
  • Stranger Things (Net, 10/27) – I wasn’t as enamored of this show as everyone else, maybe much due to my Winona disdain, but it’s definitely a fun bingeable what I’ll call summer show.
  • Superstore (NBC, 9/28) – The characters in this show have developed enough to make me keep tuning back into this work place comedy.
  • This is Us (NBC, 9/26) – This one is on everyone’s radar, and while I find it a bit uneven the drama on here fills my missing sort of Parenthood slot.
  • Transparent (Am, 9/22) – I’ve binged this since finally getting onboard with Prime and as reported it’s well worth a watch for the Pfefferman drama.
  • Will & Grace (NBC, 9/28) – I guess I’m calling this returning, and while I’m actually curious to see how it goes I remember the early series less dramatic moments fondly enough that I can’t imaging not sticking with it.
  • You’re the Worst (Fxx, 9/6) – I really enjoy the risks this show takes in regard to characters and storytelling and will keep tuning back in.

With a few others that I’ll check back in on: Gotham (Fox, 9/21), Life in Pieces (CBS, 11/2), Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD (ABC, 9/20), Search Party (TBS, 11/19), Z Nation (Syfy, 9/29)

Note: Premiere dates subject to change always check your local listings.

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new and noteworthy tv: 7/3-7/9

I just wrapped up GLOW on Netflix, which was quite good but I just didn’t love it as much as I had hoped, for me it took a bit for the more dramatic mix of this half hour show to find its footing. And enjoying some summer fare like Killjoys, Orphan Black, Queen Sugar, Wynonna Earp, Playing House, and Animal Kingdom. Still need to take a pass at Broadchurch and the new Prime Suspect: Tennison.

  • Wimbledon (ESPN) Monday, 4am – The first round of this fortnight begins.
  • Tour de France (NBCSN) Monday, 5am – Apparently I no longer have this on my radar because it started on Saturday, too much tv for me to follow this race but might catch a replay of the preshow on Monday before the regular time race to get the lay of the land.
  • 4th of July Fireworks (NBC) Tuesday, 8pm – In case you don’t want to leave your home but still want to see the sparkle and some performances.
  • Snowfall (Fx) Series Premiere, Wednesday, 10pm – The rise of crack in LA in the 80s has gotten more talk of potential than raves about the start of the series.
  • Pure (Hulu) Series Premiere, Friday – Import of a Canadian drama about a Mennonite pastor battling drug trafficking in his neighborhood.
  • Tour de Pharmacy (HBO) Saturday, 10pm – Andy Samberg’s latest comedic entry is a look back at the drug filled cycling, perhaps an amusing break from today’s actual tour?

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

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new and noteworthy tv: 6/19-6/25

Well I’m actually getting some good summer shows going plus I finally wrapped up the latest season of Bosch and Sneaky Pete so getting season 3 of The Wire going.

  • Queen Sugar (OWN) Season Premiere, Tuesday, 10pm – This show was just on the right side of soapy and a little bit beautiful, this season we turn back to see the family try to make it on their sugar farm
  • Little Big Shots: Forever Young (NBC) Series Premiere, Wednesday, 8pm – If you thought the kids were cute you might also enjoy heartwarming oldsters.
  • Boy Band/The Gong Show (ABC) Series Premiere, Thursday, 8/10pm – I recall finding similar making a group shows Pop Stars and O Town kind of fun and am a bit nostalgic for the unusual talent show performances.
  • The Mist (Spike) Series Premiere, Thursday, 10pm – The latest adaptation of Stephen King’s novella isn’t supposed to be that promising.
  • Glow (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – This gorgeous ladies of wrestling show is getting great buzz.
  • Playing House (USA) Season Premiere, Friday – This light comedy centering on friends co-parenting a baby is a pretty fun.
  • Prime Suspect (PBS) Series Premiere, Sunday, 10pm – This is a prequel set in the 70s with a young Jane Tennison.

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

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my schedule

There’s always room for tinkering but as it stands here’s what I’ve got on the plan, or at least the TiVo queue.

Monday

  • 8pm – Gotham (Fox)
  • 10pm – Timeless (NBC)

Wacky time travel is the new addition to this timeslot, it’s a rompy fun show and we seem to get a new historical event each week plus of course some sort of overarching conspiracy. And I’m hanging in with this slant on the Batman world with the characters and cases still providing enough interest.

Tuesday

  • 8pm – The Middle (ABC) / Brooklyn Nine-Nine/New Girl (Fox)
  • 9pm – Fresh Off the Boat (ABC) / No Tomorrow (CW) / This is Us (NBC)
  • 10pm – SHIELD (ABC)

New additions this this night include two hours that have been engaging so far. One a ridiculous rom-com where they keep playing with whether the dude is crazy (he is predicting the apocalypse, but you know citing science) and whether crazy matters if he’s good in the meantime. And the second the natural family drama fill in for Parenthood which so far has some members of the family more well-rounded than others but it’s keeping me in. And sticking with some of the amusing and riding out the ups and downs of the Marvel tv incarnation.

Wednesday

  • 8pm – Lethal Weapon (Fox)

As long as you don’t pretend it’s a remake the new buddy cop drama is fun. Note I almost stuck with Speechless, the kid in the wheelchair and his aide are great but the show doesn’t end up bringing enough comedy for me.

Thursday

  • 8pm – The Big Bang Theory (CBS) / Superstore/The Good Place (NBC)
  • 9pm – Pitch (Fox) / Mom/Life in Pieces (CBS)

New additions here are the afterlife mix up which I find amusing with the plot so far moving quickly into new territory each week and the girl baseball player which isn’t revolutionary but so far I find the main characters engaging. I did watch one episode of The Great Outdoors and will check out another but don’t imagine sticking around. And I am holding on to some other amusements.

Sunday

  • 9pm – Madam Secretary (CBS)
  • 10pm – Elementary (CBS)

Neither of these are the most amazing for me but I like enough about them and the roles that they play in my schedule so am going to stick them out.

And lest we forget about other random cable channels that I tend to watch less on schedule: Atlanta (FX), Better Things (Fx), Queen Sugar (OWN), Younger (TVL), You’re the Worst (Fxx), and Z Nation (Syfy). I was also intrigued enough by the first Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (BBCA) to take it for another spin, though it is admittedly so odd I don’t know whether that’s going to be enough or too much.

Plus there’s still midseason! What’s in your schedule?

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