tv

new and noteworthy tv: 11/9-11/22

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Big Sky

Well aside from obsessively checking election results I’ve also knocked off a few streamers. The Good Fight‘s latest season which I purchased as it was on my Staycation watching. The Great on Hulu which was quite odd and quite good, some might say great. Counterpart also very good but dark and a little confusing keeping track of overlapping dual worlds. And the also odd but very good Brockmire. I think I did pretty great on those picks. And also cruised through old series McCallum which I started recording for some reason when I was looking for Ovation network for some reason, good enough procedural.

  • The Southwesterlies (Acorn) Series Premiere, Monday 11/9 – Comic drama set in a coastal town of Ireland dealing with the threat of introducing a windfarm.
  • Industry (HBO) Series Premiere, Monday 11/9 – A group of young grads compete for limited positions at a London bank, some good early buzz.
  • Dash & Lily (Net) Series Premiere, Tuesday 11/10 – A Christmas romance based on exchanged notes in a book.
  • A Teacher (Hulu) Series Premiere, Tuesday 11/10 – Kate Mara plays a teacher with an illegal relationship with her student, early word not great.
  • Eater’s Guide to the World (Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 11/11 – Reality highlight brings Maya Rudolph on a quest for an epic meal with locals.
  • Ethos (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 11/12 – Eight people’s paths meet in Istanbul.
  • Valley of Tears (HBOM) Series Premiere, Thursday 11/12 – Inspired by true events of the ’73 Yom Kippur war in Israel.
  • Alex Rider (IMDBTV) Series Premiere, Friday 11/13 – A coming of age spy thriller based on the novel Point Blanc.
  • The Minions of Midas (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 11/13 – A millionaire publisher gets blackmailed, inspired by Jack London story.
  • Big Sky (ABC) Series Premiere, Tuesday 11/17, 10pm – The latest from David E. Kelly, based on a series of books by C.J. Box brings detectives together to search for kidnapped sisters and try to stop the killer.
  • No Man’s Land (Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 11/18 – A look into the Syrian civil war through the eyes of a young French man.
  • Cold Call (SundN) Series Premiere, Thursday 11/19 – Four part British dark thriller follows a woman seeking revenge after getting caught in a cold call scam.
  • For the Love of Jason (UMC) Series Premiere, Thursday, 11/19 – A drama looking at being single in your 30s from the male perspective.
  • I Hate Suzie (HBOM) Series Premiere, Thursday 11/19 – An actress has her life upended when she’s hacked and photos of her get out.
  • Veneno (HBOM) Series Premiere, Thursday 11/19 – Based on the memoir by Valeria Vegas about her life intertwining with transgender icon La Veneno.
  • Small Axe (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 11/20 – Anthology series of five original films set in the 60s-80s that tell personal stories from London’s West Indian community, early word is good.
  • The Pack (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 11/20 – Reality highlight on Lindsey Vonn and dog Lucy hosting a competition where humans and their dogs face challenges around the world.

Returning streaming: Mystery Road (Aco, 11/9), Undercover (Net, 11/9), The Crown (Net, 11/15), The Boss Baby (Net, 11/17), Bitter Daisies (Net, 11/18), Cleopatra in Space (Pea, 11/19), Flavorful Origins (Net, 11/20).

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.

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lifestyle

staycation

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Golden Gate Bridge

So I realized it had been a year since I took my last vacation… And while I still have fond memories of Fiji and New Zealand, I needed to make some new memories, and get out of my apartment. Staycation it is! I am lucky enough to live in a city that I love and always intend to take more advantage of as well as lucking into a week with pretty perfect weather and no fire smoke. Off to a good start!

A few things to prepare for a staycation, since I wasn’t going to spring for a hotel or Airbnb I needed to get my apartment clean enough that I didn’t look around annoyed or compelled to clean. I also made a pasta dish to supplement some food delivery meals as well as buying some snacks like fresh cut fruit. Staycations do have some pros and cons. Pro, I don’t have to do things like pack. Con, it’s easier to let a few tasks slip into the week, though I did decide that was for the best rather than stressing to get 100% of things tackled. I also tried to keep my apartment a little vacation vibey by doing things like take a bath, light a new smelly candle, ready a book, read a magazine, and actually purchased a tv series (latest season of The Good Fight) to treat myself.

So while I was also just taking a little bit of downtime I wanted to do at least one out of apartment activity a day. A stroll through Japantown and up Fillmore Street ended in an unexpected restaurant visit, Choquet’s had a closed side street and at an off hour offered isolation from fellow diners and passersby’s and was very well serviced. A trip to the San Francisco Zoo with timed and limited arrivals as well as many closed touch and speaking activities, turned out to give lots of animal sightings, adorable! Another stroll (suggested by The Nudge) started with a to-go cocktail from Horsefeather and taken up to Alamo Square for a look around a temporary mural exhibit next to the Painted Ladies and then a hang in the park to sip and watch the sunset, not too shabby. A pop into to the deYoung, which is also at limited capacity, has a Frida Kahlo exhibit (which was sold out) and The de Young Open which features 877 pieces by Bay Area Artists followed by a peek at the new carousel (also sold out). And capping off the week a trip on the Ferry always puts me in vacation mood, this time a trip to Tiburon and a socially distanced patio lunch at Sam’s Anchor Cafe.

Overall like most vacations it felt too short but it did give me a break from what has been a very long year. It also renewed my enthusiasm for activities that appreciate the city. And got me out of my apartment which has been a bit of a challenge for much of the year. Still looking forward to another vacation, maybe next time I get in a car and drive. Any suggestions?

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tv

new and noteworthy tv: 10/26-11/8

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B Positive

Well relatively speaking the next couple weeks are looking a little light, though we are still getting the return of some of the network comedies. And of course there’s the election on 11/3 to take over the tv for an unknown amount of time. I did wrap up the brutal and flawed and yet very entertaining The Boys on Amazon.

  • Temple (Spec) Series Premiere, Monday 10/26 – A doctor runs an illegal clinic under London’s subway to fund research to help his wife.
  • Truth Seekers (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 10/30 – Nick Frost and Simon Pegg play ghost hunters who team up to film paranormal sightings in this UK comedy series.
  • Roadkill (PBS) Series Premiere, Sunday 11/1 – Hugh Laurie in a political thriller, I’m in.
  • Love and Anarchy (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 11/4 – Scandinavian romantic comedy focusing on a married consultant and a young IT tech.
  • Paranormal (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 11/5 – Egyptian fantasy where a ‘skeptical’ hematologist faces a series of inexplicable events and investigates.
  • B Positive (CBS) Series Premiere, Thursday 11/5, 8:30pm – Can kidney donation bring these two together in this latest Chuck Lorre series.
  • Moonbase 8 (Show) Series Premiere, Sunday 11/8, 11pm – Fred Arisen, Tim Heidecker, and John C Reilly are looking to complete their NASA training at a simulator in Arizona in this comedy series.

Returning streaming: Chico Bon Bon (Net, 10/27), Ghosts (HBOM, 10/27), The Mandalorian (Dis+, 10/30), Somebody Feed Phil (Net, 10/30), Riviera (SundN, 11/5), Save Me Too (Pea, 11/5).

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.

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new and noteworthy tv: 10/12-10/25

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Grand Army

In my biggest TV news is that I have finally finished my watch of The Shield, that show is bru-tal. I also dabbled in some of the new shows and in the entertaining enough to watch another one fell Start Trek: Discovery, Swamp Thing, and Next (or neXt or NEXT), I’m also still enjoying LA’s Finest, Coroner, and Transplant. It’s a pass for me on Connecting and the previously noted Filthy Rich.

  • Des (SundN) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/15 – This three-part dramatic miniseries telling the story of Britain’s most prolific serial killer in 1983, garnering some good reviews.
  • Social Distance (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/15 – Anthology series showing people striving to stay connected while staying apart, I’m already over Covid shows.
  • Grand Army (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 10/16 – Students at a Brooklyn public high school deal with issues… limited early reviews show promise.
  • Helstrom (Hulu) Series Premiere, Friday 10/16 – Children of a serial killer track down the worst of humanity, limited early word not so good.
  • The Trouble with Maggie Cole (PBS) Series Premiere, Sunday 10/18, 8pm – The consequences of gossip in this comedy series, limited early reviews are mixed.
  • Queen’s Gambit (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 10/23 – A gifted orphan and addict becomes a chess champion.
  • The Undoing (HBO) Series Premiere, Sunday 10/25, 9pm – Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant star in this limited series where they face public disaster.

More streaming:

  • La Revolution (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 10/16 – A reimagined history of the French Revolution in this French political period drama.
  • Someone Has to Die (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 10/16 – In 1950s Spain parents are surprised by their son’s relationship with a ballerino in this Spanish thriller.
  • Start-Up (Net) Series Premiere, Saturday 10/17 – Young entrepreneurs compete in this romantic Korean drama.
  • The Barbarians (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 10/23 – This German drama shows a Roman officer in an epic clash.

Returning streaming: The Labours of Erica (Acorn, 10/12), Kipo and the Age of Winderbeasts (Net, 10/12), Mystery Road (Ac, 10/12), Star Trek: Discovery (CBSAA, 10/15), Helpsters (App+, 10/16), The Last Kids on Earth (Net, 10/16), Unsolved Mysteries (Net, 10/19), Mirzapur (Am, 10/23).

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.

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new and noteworthy tv: 9/28-10/11

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Emily in Paris

I’m making some progress on my Buffy/Angel rewatch and yet that doesn’t quite feel like progress. Enough to keep me occupied I did take a look at LA’s Finest which was fun, Filthy Rich which was sadly not. Onward…

  • French Open (Tennis/NBC) – Looks like this is mostly on Tennis channel for serious fans but picks up on NBC for the semis 10/9.
  • Whose Vote Counts (Net) Series Premiere, Monday 9/28 – Reality spotlight on an explanation of things like the electoral college and gerrymandering, ’tis the season.
  • Presidential Debate (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC) – Tuesday 9/29, 6pm – I’m not sure I can take it…
  • Code 404 (Pea) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/1 – One of two partners in an elite police unit dies and is brought back to life via AI in this new comedy.
  • Gangs of London (AMC+) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/1 – Tells the story of a city being torn apart by power struggles and the vacuum following the death of the head of a crime family, early reviews are mixed.
  • The Salisbury Poisonings (AMC+) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/1 – A dramatic miniseries telling of the investigation into the release of a toxic nerve agent.
  • Good Morning, Veronica (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/1 – This Brazilian mystery has a copy uncovering secrets and conspiracy.
  • Octoberfest: Beer & Blood (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/1 – This German TV show follows an ambitious brewer in the 1900s who tries to dominate Octoberfest.
  • Death in Paradise (Ova) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/1, 1-11pm – Airing of the British detective series where the detective assigned to solve a murder of an officer on an island is assigned to replace him.
  • Criptales (BBCA) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/1, 10pm – A collection of six short films written, directed, and performed by a person with disabilities.
  • Emily in Paris (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 10/2 – Chicago marketing exec moves to Paris for her dream job in this latest comedy by Darren Star, no word yet but I’m hoping for a replacement to Younger which I think is rolling into its final season.
  • Monsterland (Hulu) Series Premiere, Friday 10/2 – An anthology series bringing tales of mermaids, fallen angels, and other strange beasts.
  • The Good Lord Bird (Show) Series Premiere, Sunday 10/4, 9pm – Ethan Hawke stars in this adaptation of the James McBride novel about a fictional enslaved boy and abolitionist soldiers.
  • Cobra (PBS) Series Premiere, Sunday 10/4, 10pm – An ‘action packed’ political drama following the Prime Minister and a major crisis.
  • The Walking Dead: World Beyond (AMC) Series Premiere, Sunday 10/4, 10pm – This latest spinoff of a show I don’t watch anymore but if you’re craving more here it is.
  • Soulmates (AMC) Series Premiere, Monday 10/5, 10pm – Set fifteen years into the future a test tells you who your soulmate is and this dramatic anthology follows the impact.
  • Swamp Thing (CW) Broadcast Series Premiere, Tuesday 10/6 – Mysterious swamp creature.
  • neXt (Fox) Series Premiere, Tuesday 10/6, 9pm – The creator of an AI teams up with cybercrime to save us all from it.
  • Vice Presidential Debate (Various) Wednesday 10/7, 6pm – Go Kamala!
  • To the Lake (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 10/7 – This Russian TV show takes us to a terrifying plague, in case anyone needed that.
  • Devils (CW) Broadcast Series Premiere, Wednesday 10/7, 8pm – An intercontinental financial war with Patrick Dempsey.
  • Connecting (NBC) Series Premiere, Thursday 10/8, 8pm – Here’s the one that’s video calls during the lockdown.
  • The Right Stuff (Dis+) Series Premiere, Friday 10/9 – The story of the early US space program based on the book by Tom Wolfe.

Returning streaming: Carmen Sandiego (Net, 10/1), The Worst Witch (Net, 101), Fast & Furious Spy Racers (Net, 10/9), Ghostwriter (App+, 10/9), The Haunting of: Bly Manor (Net, 10/9).

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.

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tv

new, and new to you, fall tv

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Fall is looking a little different this year and while things are now starting to kick back into production there will be a bit of a lag. In addition to a few new shows that are making it out we’ll start to see re-purposing shows that have already been released in one way or another, which I think is a great idea.

This isn’t the first time this has happened but it’s been kicked up a bit, CBS All Access (CBSAA) showed the first season of The Good Fight on CBS, but only the first season which was enough to get me hooked to pay for the next season(s) through Amazon. Syfy showed the first season of Harley Quinn from DC Universe, but only the first season (it’s now on HBO Max) and I’ve yet to break down to pay for any further services (though it’s very fun). We are up through season 3 of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Burden of Truth on the CW which makes an entertaining enough summer show. Oh and Schitt’s Creek, you can thank the CBC for that one too, it aired on Pop though most of you are seeing it on Netflix.

A few of these are in their wrap up phase but here are a few exchange students you might want to say hello to:

  • Coroner (CW, 8/5) – From the CBC, so far this show is a good procedural where our protagonist is struggling with her own demons and solving crimes through the bodies found, a third season has been ordered.
  • Dead Pixels (CW, 8/18) – This British show has been renewed for a second series where we’ll see what happens with three obsessive online gamers, somewhat entertaining but not my thing, finale 9/22.
  • Devils (CW, 10/7) – An international co-production from Italian and French companies, Patrick Dempsey works his way into the picture as American CEO while a head of trading tries to get to the bottom of a scandal, it’s been renewed for a second season.
  • LA’s Finest (Fox, 9/21) – From Spectrum, Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union are cop partners in an offshoot of the Bad Boys franchise, renewed for a second season, early reviews are middling.
  • Manhunt: Deadly Games (CBS, 9/21) – From Spectrum this is a scripted true-crime anthology focused on Richard Jewell and the ’96 Olympic bombing, the first season on Unabomber aired on Discovery and was solid enough though wouldn’t go too far out of my way for it.
  • One Day at a Time (CBS, 10/12) – This fun re-imagining of the original ’70s show started on Netflix and got picked up by Pop starting with season 4 which is where we’ll start on CBS, it’s a fun one and if you can go back and catch earlier shows do it.
  • Star Trek: Discovery (CBS, 9/24) – From CBSAA, the seventh in the franchise, based on history I’m not sure we’ll continue to get these on CBS but the third season is targeting later this year, generally favorable reviews.
  • Swamp Thing (CW, 10/6) – From DC Universe this was cancelled after the first season so this tale of mysterious swamp creature will be one shot (I was under the impression this got axed with a network direction change and not because it was a stinker).
  • Tell Me a Story (CW, 7/28) – From CBSAA the first of the two seasons starts with riffs on fairy tale themes but as a modern day serialized drama, I passed on this.
  • Transplant (NBC, 9/1) – More of the Canadians as this story of a Syrian refugee who is rebuilding his medical career and so far is a good procedural, and has been renewed for a second season, also playing on Hulu so you can catch up.

There are also a few new shows coming up, these are the ones that look like they’ve been scheduled:

  • Connecting (NBC, 10/1 moved to 10/8) – A video chats in the pandemic show, and based on my impressions of comparable step into separate filming Love in the Time of Corona, turns out you actually need to have a good show to make this format work, we’ll see.
  • Filthy Rich (Fox, 9/21) – Kim Cattrall is the matriarch of this mega-rich evangelical family, early notes on this say it’s not quite capturing the soapy magic it should.
  • NEXT (Fox, 10/6) – Delayed from midseason, an AI gets loose and it’s creator, played by John Slattery, helps try to protect the world from it.
  • Big Sky (ABC, 11/17) – Are two disappeared sisters not the only missing girls in this area, the latest from David E. Kelley.

Note: Schedules are even more fluid than normal so stay tuned to “New and Noteworthy TV” posts, which will also continue to feature the ever releasing cable and streaming, as well as your own local listings. 

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new and noteworthy tv: 9/14-9/27

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Filthy Rich

Good gawd, we’re six months into a pandemic lockdown and I’m still not caught up on television. It’s clearly impossible. Though I did wrap up both the odd yet amusing season 2 of Ramy and the rewatch of Better Off Ted, a workplace comedy that’s still very sharp and funny today. Ok I guess I am admittedly also doing some rewatching. But there’s still more coming. I guess it is fall, and though things look a little different this year I really should look at what sort of fall tv has coming. Will check out Filthy Rich and returning shows Pen15 and Fargo.

  • The Third Day/We Are Who We Are (HBO) Series Premiere, Monday 9/14, 9/10pm – Jude Law and Naomie Harris star as visitors to a mysterious island followed by a story of two American kids living on a US military base in Italy in these limited dramas, the latter more positively reviewed than the former.
  • Departure (Pea) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/17 – Investigators look into the disappearance of a passenger plane
  • The Great Pottery Throwdown (HBOM) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/17 – Reality spotlight on a competition to find Britain’s best home potter.
  • The Last Word (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/17 – A woman overcoming the sudden death of her husband becomes a
    eulogist, the person who eulogizes in this German dramedy.
  • One Lane Bridge (SundN) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/17 – This New Zealand character driven crime drama with a supernatural edge.
  • Spides (Crack) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/17 – A young woman wakes from a coma after taking a mysterious drug in this sci-fi series.
  • Ratched (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 9/18 – For those Ryan Murphy and Sarah Paulson fans this one’s for you as we see the beginning of Nurse Ratched’s work at a psychiatric facility, no early reviews.
  • LA’s Finest/Filthy Rich (Fox) Series Premiere, Monday 9/21 – I’d call this the first of fall tv with a reairing of Spectrum’s Bad Boys spinoff with Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union and then Kim Cattrall as matriarch of an evangelical family whose secrets and bastard siblings come out, sudsy fun perhaps, no early reviews.
  • The Murders at the White House Farm (HBOM) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/24 – Dramatized true crime story of three generations of a family murdered on their farm, limited but not enthusiastic early reviews.
  • Sneakerheads (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 9/25 – A family man falls back into his sneaker obsession in this comedy.
  • Tehran (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 9/25 – A new espionage thriller about a Mossad agent who goes deep undercover.
  • Utopia (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 9/5 – A conspiracy thriller following young fans of a comic who find that the threats of the demise of humanity is real.
  • The Comey Rule (Show) Miniseries Premiere, Sunday 9/27, 9pm – Jeff Daniels stars as former FBI director Comey, mixed early reviews.

Returning streaming: Taco Chronicles (Net, 9/15), Criminal: UK (Net, 9/16), Meateater (Net, 9/16), Signs (Net, 9/16), Becoming (Dis+, 9/18), Pen15 (Hulu, 9/18), Bang (Acorn, 9/21), The Yorkshire Vet (Acorn, 9/21), Chico Bon Bon (Net, 9/22), Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father (Net, 9/22), The Chef Show (Net, 9/24).

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.

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new and noteworthy tv: 8/31-9/13

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Woke

So looks like more sports are picking back up again Tour de France is happening, US Open Tennis kicks off on Monday, and NFL Thursday 9/10. I wrapped up End of the F***ing World and Undone both of which were good but odd. Still plugging away on the backlog. Not sure how there’s so much new stuff, but nothing piquing my interest, other than season 2 of The Boys, having recently wrapped season 1.

  • Gosta (HBOM) Series Premiere, Monday 8/31 – This Swedish drama follows a child psychologist who moves to a small town and is apparently trying to do good in a dysfunctional world.
  • Bookmarks (Net) Series Premiere, Tuesday 9/1 – Reality spotlight on the Marley Dias hosted showcase of celebrity authors reading children’s books by black authors.
  • Metro Sexual (Crack) Series Premiere, Tuesday 9/1 – Australian sitcom takes a peek behind the doctor’s curtain at a small local sex clinic.
  • Transplant (NBC) Series Premiere, Tuesday 9/1, 10pm – Another Canadian arrival to network tv, this drama follows a Syrian doctor trying to reestablish his career after fleeing his country.
  • Assisted Living (BET) Series Premiere, Wednesday 9/2, 10/10:30pm – Tyler Perry’s latest is a comedy centered on a family trying to run a home for the elderly.
  • Raised by Wolves (HBOM) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/3 – Two androids raising children on an alien planet from EP Ridley Scott, early reviews are mixed.
  • The Sounds (Ac) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/3 – A Canadian couple move to New Zealand to run a salmon fisher and when the husband disappears secrets are revealed in this drama.
  • We Got This (SundN) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/3 – An American in Sweden tries to solve 30 year old murder of a former prime minister, dark comedy based on true speculation.
  • Young Wallander (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/3 – A re-imagining of BBC’s Wallander as a cop in his early 20s in Sweden.
  • Away (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 9/4 – Hilary Swank commands a mission to Mars, early reviews are mixed.
  • Noughts + Crosses (Pea) Series Premiere, Friday 9/4 – Adapted from the YA series following the story of two star-crossed kids whose color divides them.
  • Power Book II: Ghost (Starz) Series Premiere, Sunday 9/6, 8pm – A Power spinoff picks up after the finale and follows Tariq trying to navigate his new life, I assume if you watched Power you know what that means.
  • Record of Youth (Net) Series Premiere, Monday 9/7 – South Korean drama about two actors and a makeup artist making their way in the world.
  • Get Organized with the Home Edit (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 9/9 – Another reality spotlight because I just love some organizing, this one brought by Reese Witherspoon and Molly Sims with Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin of The Home Edit.
  • Woke (Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 9/9 – Inspired by the work and art of Keith Knight, a comedic look at a cartoonist who suddenly starts seeing things a little differently.
  • The Idhun Chronicles (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/10 – An animated comedy about a magical world where two young earthlings fight assassins.
  • Julie and the Phantoms (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 9/10 – A teen girl helps a trio of ghosts with their band in this comedy.
  • The Duchess (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 9/11 – A single mom juggling life and considering another kid.
  • Malory Towers (BYUTV) Series Premiere, Sunday 9/13 – Based on British novels set in an all-girls boarding school in England after WWII.
  • Van Der Valk (PBS) Series Premiere, Sunday 9/13, 9pm – Three part drama based on Feeling’s crime thrillers, cop faces cases in Amsterdam.

Returning streaming: The Yorkshire Vet (Ac, 8/31), A.P. Bio (Pea, 9/3), The Boys (Am, 9/4), Spirit Riding Free (Net, 9/4), Starbeam (Net, 9/8), LA’s Finest (Spec, 9/9), The Gift (Net, 9/10), Family Business (Net, 9/11).

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.

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new and noteworthy tv: 8/17-8/30

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Dead Pixels

This week’s completed seasons included Dear White People, which I overall still really dig but maybe not as much as last season, Big Mouth, which is one of those shows I’m not sure why I find funny but I do, and The Boys which I can’t wait for this next season to see what these guys will be into. Still lots of backlog, I guess at some point I need to narrow down again but I can worry about that when tv production properly resumes.

  • Democratic Convention (Various) – From Monday, August 17 to Thursday, August 20, 9-11pm Eastern, NBC/CBS/ABC seem to be showing it at 10pm PST or you do live with CNN or stream it from the site at demconvention.com/watch.
  • Dead Pixels (CW) Series Premiere, Tuesday 8/18, 8pm – A British sitcom about a three of online fantasy gamers.
  • RuPaul’s Drag Race: Vegas Revue (VH1) Series Premiere, Friday 8/21, 8pm – Reality spotlight on this spin-off from Drag Race where we follow legendary drag queens.
  • Love in the Time of Corona (Free) Series Premiere, Saturday 8/22, pm – So someone had to crank out the first full Corona series shot in their own homes, this limited series shows three married couples and a pair of roommates.
  • Pure (HBOM) Series Premiere, Thursday 8/27 – A woman tries to combat her obsessive x-rated thoughts and flees home to London where she finds connections.

More streaming:

  • Biohackers (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 8/20 – A woman gets tangled up trying to find out info about a past family tragedy in this German sci-fi thriller.
  • Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 8/26 – Riches-to-rags pianist is guided by stars to a small town in this Korean romantic dramedy.
  • Her Mother’s Killer (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 8/26 – A political strategist plots to ruin the Colombian presidential candidate who killed her mom 30 years ago in this political drama.
  • Masaba Masaba (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 8/28 – Real life mother and daughter play fictions versions of themselves in this Hindi fashion drama.

Returning Streaming: Lucifer (Net, 8/21), Find Me in Paris (Hulu, 8/21), Rust Valley Restorers (Net, 8/21), Aggretsuko (Net, 8/27).

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.

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psych-like

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Psych

I was having a happy hour with friends (virtual of course) and mentioned that I was going to dive into Peacock to watch the latest Psych movie. I had recently binged the whole series and wanted to close it out. A friend said his mom has enjoyed Psych and was looking for similar shows to recommend, I think he also mentioned Chuck (which is also super fun) as another good example. So thinking fun, episodic, kind of capery,

I as per usual spaced on anything good. One of the reasons I capture lists in this blog is so that I don’t continually forget things. Another friend suggested Burn Notice which we all agreed was a good choice. But after some time Leverage was announcing a reboot, and I thought that too would be a good option. So with a moment to think here are a few of the shows I wish I could come up with off the top of my head, in alphabetical order of course. They might not all be for every Psych fan but there’s a little something here for everyone.

  • Bones* (Hulu, Prime) FBI agent and forensic anthropologist crack cases, and while the romance heats up between these opposites attract it’s really her team of scientists that give this a ton of appeal.
  • Bored to Death (HBO/Prime) Jason Schwartzman decides to become a detective when stifled by his writing, what could be better, well side kicks Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis as his friends who get dragged into the hijinks, great fun.
  • Burn Notice (Hulu, Prime) A spy recently disavowed by the U.S government uses his special skills and ragtag spy friends to save folks in trouble, funny, charming, and action packed.
  • Castle* (Prime Purchase) Another opposites attract/partners premise Nathan Fillion as crime writer turned consultant has enough charm to keep things interesting.
  • Elementary (Hulu) Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu make an updated version of Holmes and Watson consulting with the NYPD and make for a lot of fun solving an odd case or two.
  • Eureka (Prime) This one is a little more quirky genius scientists than a typical crime buster but the sheriff finds himself investigating one calamity after another that tends to have someone beyond the norm explanations which is good fun.
  • Firefly (Hulu) This one is actually a bit more space cowboys but take my word for it, it’s full caper fun as Nathan Fillion is on our list again as the captain of a ship filled with an odd group of passengers and crew that is as busy getting into trouble as evading those trying to find them.
  • iZombie (Netflix) This show is a bit Veronica Mars meets zombies, and while it is a zombie show our protagonist taking on the personality of the victim (yes through eating their brain) each week and helping solve the case is a delight.
  • Leverage (Prime Purchase) A team of criminals pull off an elaborate con each week, but all in the name of righting a wrong, as noted they’re rebooting this with Noah Wyle replacing Timothy Hutton, still a great team.
  • Mentalist (Prime) – So you can’t have this list without the comparable premised ‘psychic’ handling cases, but Simon Baker has enough charm to make this less campy version still a lot of fun.
  • Monk (Prime) Tony Shalhoub carries this former police officer turned police consultant as his character’s OCD, among other things, makes him unbearable but excellent at figuring out what others can’t.
  • Pushing Daisies (Prime) This piemaker can bring someone back from the dead with his touch, but only for a minute or someone else dies, and he uses it to solve murders along with a fab supporting cast including his love interest who he of course can’t touch.
  • Sherlock (Netflix) This isn’t quite as campy as some of the others but Benedict Cumberbatch’s detective is a ton of fun and while each season is more of an overarching story there’s just three extended eps per.
  • Terriers (Hulu) A little grittier than some of the other options but our unlicensed PI ex cop/recovering alcoholic and criminal buddies are such a pleasure to meet and watch then get as much into trouble as out of it.

I’m sure I’m missing some good ones, what would you add? And of course for more bingeable options check out the longer list. Availability as always subject to change. * Full transparency, while I really enjoyed each of these shows for a while I’m not sure I actually stayed with either until the end.

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