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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new and noteworthy tv: 6/19-7/2

I plowed through And Just Like That… before the new season arrives this week. It was not good for sure but a little nostalgia made it very bingable. I also finished Big Little Lies, I thought the first season was fun in a kind of White Lotus way but the second season felt a little like an unneeded epilogue. Not adding anything new at the moment as I continue with Better Call Saul and my Justified rewatch. I’ll likely queue up the latest season of The Great next and of course The Bear return.

  • Secret Invasion (Dis+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 6/21 – Nick Fury leads a team in the latest MCU offering.
  • The Bear (FX/Hulu) Season Premiere, Thursday 6/22 – The first season was a fave of mine so looking forward to more tense and funny kitchen action.
  • And Just Like That… (Max) Season Premiere, Thursday 6/22 – This show isn’t good but the first season was still very bingable.
  • Clean Sweep (SundN) Series Premiere, Thursday 6/22 – I assumed from the title this was some reality show but apparently a doting mother and wife of a detective becomes a killer.
  • Glamorous (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 6/22 – An aspiring influencer gets his dream job with a makeup mogul with Kim Cattrall.
  • I’m a Virgo (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 6/23 – A 13-foot-tall young black man has grown up hidden away and now faces the world and his hero, early reviews are good.
  • Average Joe (BET+) Series Premiere, Monday 6/26 – This title also made me think it was a new/existing reality show but it’s a darkly comedic drama following a plumber whose dad left him some surprises when he dies.
  • Hijack (App+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 6/28 – Idris Elba is back in a thriller about a hijacked plane.

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: 6/5-6/18

More wrapups happening as we roll into summer. HBO series wrapping up. Series finale of Barry, while I loved the series, the final season was a little tough tonally for me, not that it wasn’t the right call but missing more of the levity. And Somebody Somewhere, I love these characters and am so excited it will return for another season. Also Equalizer, Dave, and Queer Eye. I also started Happy Valley which is still top-notch, and the questionable Barons and The Rising which might get one more look to see what they’re planning to do weekly.

  • Cruel Summer (Free) Season Premiere, Monday 6/5, 9pm – This is an anthology series so you can jump right in, I didn’t love the first one but the format of a story being told over multiple years based on summer activities was mildly interesting and the story pretty junky.
  • Somewhere Boy (Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 6/7 – A kid has to deal with the reality after of growing up in solitude after his mom died and his dad locked him away from ‘monsters.’
  • Based on a True Story (Pea) Series Premiere, Thursday 6/8 – Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina star in this dark comic thriller where they try to showcase a crime for a podcast and get in over their heads
  • Never Have I Ever (Net) Season Premiere, Thursday 6/8 – The final season of this cute coming-of-age series, the fact that I’m at least a season behind on this tells me it wasn’t pressing.
  • The Crowded Room (App) Series Premiere, Friday 6/9 – Amanda Seyfried, Emmy Rossum, and Tom Holland star in this series about a man arrested for his involvement in a shooting and the unfolding of his story.
  • French Open Finals (NBC) Saturday/Sunday 6 am – Who will take the clay title?
  • The Full Monty (FX/Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 6/14 – Based on the film and picking up 25 years after the events of their big show.
  • The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC+) Series Premiere, Thursday 6/15 – Another spinoff, this one taking two characters Maggie and Negan and sending them to NYC.
  • Project Runway (Bravo) Season Premiere, Thursday 6/15, 8pm – Looks like this will be a returning ‘favorites’ season.
  • Ridley (PBS) Series Premiere, Sunday 6/18, 8pm – Retired detective is called back to advise on a murder case.

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: 5/22-6/4

More shows I watch are winding down including returning fare Single Drunk Female, 911 Lonestar, and Ghosts. And also some first-season runs I stuck with Will Trent and So Help Me Todd which were faves and a few others with potential, Animal Control, Lucky Hank, and Night Court. The Company You Keep along with the previously mentioned Alaska Daily unfortunately won’t be back for a second season but still worth enjoying the first.

  • Happy Valley (BBCA/Acorn) Season Premiere, Monday 5/22, 10pm – I think I watched the first two seasons of this on Netflix but they’re not there anymore, but the last round came out in the US around 2016 so it’s been a minute.
  • The Clearing (Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 5/24 – A psychological thriller based on the book inspired by real-life cults in Australia.
  • Platonic (App+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 5/24 – Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen are friends who reconnect after a long rift, and hilarity ensues.
  • FUBAR (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/25 – A CIA guy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, does one last job before retirement.
  • Judge Me Not (Allblk) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/25 – A young judge is appointed and let’s just say she’s got some baggage.
  • The Rising (CW) Series Premiere, Monday 5/29, 8pm – In this drama, our heroine is trying to figure out her own murder and uncovers even more secrets, sure.
  • Barons (CW) Series Premiere. Monday 5/29, 9pm – Two besties create rival surf brands, I mean this is probably dumb but I’m down to try some surf drama.
  • Deadloch (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 6/2 – A comedy spin on crime genres in this sleepy seaside Tasmanian hamlet has to deal with a dead body.
  • The Lazarus Project (TNT) Series Premiere, Sunday 6/4, 9pm – A secret organization can turn back time to prevent the earth’s extinction.

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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where’s my seat?

You probably know I’m a big movie fan. I grew up going to the movies and have kept the tradition alive. Fun to go with friends but also nothing better than hitting a matinee on a weekday by myself. So when the pandemic hit that tradition took a hiatus. I remember my last movie was Knives Out, not a bad movie to remember.

So not to let the pandemic take me down, I embraced streaming. Even more movies were being released on streaming. So I made it a point if I didn’t have other plans on a Saturday night to pick a movie. It made the weekend a little different. And I have enjoyed keeping that tradition up for what has turned into years.

I’d been planning to go back to the movie theater. But either there was nothing out. Or the Covid numbers got really high again. Or I just couldn’t quite fit the timing of a three-hour movie in. But yesterday I went to the movies. In the theater! We saw John Wick 4. I specifically picked a movie that I felt would benefit from the big screen. Lots of action. Kind of dark (visually and not just in tone).

Now John Wick is in fact a full three hours. So we found a time. Ordered our assigned seats ahead of time. It’s been so long that I’m really not sure whether you can just walk in these days. Bought some popcorn and settled in for a flick. Overall it was a fun movie and a good experience. But after so many Saturdays of sitting on my sofa, it makes sense that there would be some pros and cons.

  • Pro – You get to see movies as they come out, as a part of the cultural conversation.
  • Con – It is more expensive, we did matinees so it was about $15 a ticket which technically is less than an early rental which would be around $20 but if there were two of us that would be $10 each, and honestly there are so many ways to watch movies I don’t often pay to stream and if I do it’s a much lesser amount (the con of that is often I wait).
  • Pro – You do get more focus and drama by watching it in the theater.
  • Con – For a three-hour movie I don’t mind being able to pause to go to the bathroom (I also specifically didn’t drink extra water before I went), sitting in even the cushy reclined seats can get uncomfortable, and I think we got up before an after-credits scene.
  • Pro – The visuals are definitely better on a big screen, movies can be so visually dark with all of those fight scenes and keeping track of who is who it really just works better.
  • Con – I have gotten used to subtitles (which I use on probably everything except comedies and live shows) and when Lawrence Fishburn first enters (no spoilers) I honestly missed what he was saying.
  • Pro – Movie theater snacks just feel more special, grabbing that bag of popcorn was good.
  • Con – The popcorn actually wasn’t as good as I remember it and you know at home I can have whatever snacks I want.
  • Pro – I missed previews, it was fun to see the snippets for all the other movies.
  • Con – The length of time just gets ridiculous, so first I had to find a window where I could do a three-hour movie, and then I need to account for transportation and time to get snacks and sit through previews, it’s a lot.
  • Pro – I want to be able to support movies and theaters.
  • Con – I mean Covid is still a thing and so sitting in a theater with others could be, and could become, more of an issue.

So for me, I think it won’t be all or nothing. Seeing certain movies in the theater (Fast X!) and having those special occasions still feels super fun. But I am glad to have the option to flip through the latest selections in the comfort of my own home.

And John Wick btw was what one would expect, lots and lots and lots of fighting and some moments of humor. Three hours felt a little long but as they went through a few serious things in his journey it felt pretty engaging.

What’s your take on going back to theaters and have you seen anything good?

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