tv

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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tv

returning fall favorites

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izombieIt’s that time of year again. And while the new shows trickle in here’s a look at some of the returning fall shows I’m excited about.

  • The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 9/21) – This show has done a pretty good job of keeping things going and evolving with the genius misfits and their pals.
  • The Blacklist (NBC, 10/1) – It’s still only worth it for James Spader but we’ll see whether Liz on the run works.
  • Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox, 9/27) – They’ve gotten a good rhythm with Samberg’s foolishness and fleshing out the other characters, makes me laugh.
  • Elementary (CBS, 11/5) – My current fave standard procedural, I enjoy the reinvention of the modern day crime fighting duo and think some of the less successful asides are wrapped.
  • Empire (Fox, 9/23) – The funnest reentry into last season’s schedule the campy family and music drama is irresistible.
  • Fargo (Fx, 10/12) – Last season’s odd crime ensemble captured the spirit of the flick but brought out a new slant, and this season attempts to do the same in a new tale.
  • Fresh Off the Boat (ABC, 9/22) – This immigrant family embracing suburbia in the ’90s has enough anticipated humor and enough unanticipated that it was refreshing.
  • The Good Wife (CBS, 10/4) – They haven’t all been home runs but they’ve managed to reinvent this show in a compelling way after so many seasons, excited to see the latest not so good Alicia.
  • iZombie (CW, 10/6) – This show is less zombie more of a Veronica Mars-esque girl getting in over her head detective show and she happens to eat brains which give her a little dead person insight.
  • The League/You’re the Worst (Fxx, 9/9) – Worst was a fave from last season which grew into more than just a coupe of snarky people, but the ensemble remains snarky with another season of people who actually are the worst in fantasy football and in life.
  • Longmire (Net, 9/10) – Glad this show got picked up on Netflix and happy to spend another season with the laconic lawman and the latest troubles.
  • The Royals (E!, 11/15) – Season one of a look behind the scenes of a fake royal family was fantastically trashy and fun, can’t wait to see what comes of them next season.
  • The Walking Dead/Z Nation (AMC, 10/11; Syfy, 9/11) – I enjoy a little post apocalypse world and these two shows give a totally different tone of voice.

A few other items that I’ll check back in on and see whether I want to keep them in the queue: Bones (Fox, 10/1), Gotham (Fox, 9/21), Grimm (NBC, 10/30), The Last Man on Earth (Fox, 9/27), Madam Secretary (CBS, 10/4), The Middle (ABC, 9/23), The Mindy Project (Hulu), Mom (CBS, 11/5), SHIELD (ABC, 9/29), Sleepy Hollow (Fox. 10/1), Undateable (NBC, 10/9)

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best, tv

critics’ picks – top tv of 2014

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transparentWe’ve said goodbye to 2014 and when I think of how we spent it, it mostly with some television. The critics have posted their top picks so take a look and see what they think. Stay tuned for more top picks including my top tv.

  • The Affair (Show) – MRo, GG
  • The Americans (Fx) –  JP, MR, MRo, TG, AS, HS, MZS, DF, AFI
  • Broad City (Com) – JP
  • Cosmos (Fox) – MZS
  • Downton Abbey (PBS) – GG
  • Enlisted (Fox) – MR
  • Fargo (Fx) – JP, MRo, TG, AS, HS, EW, DF, AFI
  • Game of Thrones (HBO) – MRo, TG, HS, EW, DF, AFI, GG
  • Girls (HBO) – GG
  • The Good Wife (CBS) – JP, MRo, HS, EW, GG
  • Hannibal (NBC) – AS, EW, MZS, DF
  • Happy Valley (Net/BBC) – MR
  • High Maintenance (JP)
  • The Honorable Woman (Sund) – TG
  • House of Cards (Net) – GG
  • How to Get Away with Murder (ABC) – AFI
  • Inside Amy Schumer (Com) – EW
  • Jane the Virgin (CW) – MR, MRo, AFI, GG
  • The Knick (Cin) – AFI
  • Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) – JP, MZS, DF
  • The Leftovers (HBO) – AS
  • Louie (FX) – JP, TG, EW
  • Mad Men (AMC) – TG, AS, EW, MZS, DF, AFI
  • The Missing (Starz) – MZS
  • The Normal Heart (HBO) – MRo
  • Olive Kitteridge (HBO) – MRo, HS, MZS
  • Orange Is the New Black (Net) – JP, MR, TG, AS, HS, DF, AFI, GG
  • Penny Dreadful (Show) – MR
  • Private Violence (HBO) – MZS
  • Please Like Me (Piv) – EW
  • Rectify (Sund) – MR, AS, EW, DF
  • Review (Com) – MR, AS, DF
  • The Roosevelts (PBS) – MRo, HS, MZS
  • Shameless (Show) – DF
  • Silicon Valley (HBO) – JP, HS, AFI, GG
  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) – MRo
  • Transparent (Am) – JP, MR, MRo, TG, AS, HS, EW, AFI, GG
  • True Detective (HBO) – TG, AS, MZS
  • The Walking Dead (AMC) – TG, HS
  • You’re the Worst (Fx) – MR

AFI, AS – Alan Sepinwall for HitFix, MR – Maureen Ryan for Huffington Post, MRo – Matt Roush for TV Guide, TG – Tim Goodman for The Hollywood Reporter, JP – James Poniewozik for Time, HS – Hank Stuever for The Washington Post, EW – Entertainment Weekly, MZS – Matt Zoller Seitz for Vulture, DF – Daniel Fienberg for HitFix, GG – Golden Globe Awards

And for a roundup of more lists check out: News for TV Majors 

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