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procrastinator’s top tv of 2022

March 8, 2023 No Comments

TV years have gotten a bit murky. It used to be if it was on broadcast tv you watched it or you didn’t. Now with so much cable and streaming we’re often catching up. I know I am. Including all the cable channels who could watch it all?

And if I had the time I definitely don’t have all the channels. The biggest shift was I finally got HBOMax, but not until late in the year. I have definitely not caught up on all the 2022 fare, though you’ll see I was able to get started. I am also dabbling with getting different options for a limited time (e.g. Paramount+ and Apple+).

Recency bias may have resulted in some of this ranking but as you know on any given day who knows but you gotta land somewhere.

The Bear (Fx/Hulu) – If I’m lucky every season there is something new and special that draws me in, this was it for me this year, a very tense tale of a ‘real’ chef heading home to run a local restaurant after his brother dies and let’s just say things don’t go smoothly.
Hacks (HBO) – I just just finished this but was so drawn into these two women and their dysfunction and personal growth together as they turn an old-school comedian’s act into something new, Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder for the win.
Barry (HBO) – I can’t help myself with these painful shows where you can’t imagine how this is all going to work out, and Bill Hader’s hitman looking for a change in LA does it to a T.
Somebody Somewhere (HBO) – Ok so maybe the new HBOMax subscription was a good idea (and I’ve only scratched the surface); I was really drawn in by this look at a woman’s return to her small Kansas town and her struggle to fit in with family and found family.
Ghosts (CBS) – Based on an English show which I have yet to check out, Rose McIver plays a woman who inherits a family home and can see the undead, it brings lots of fun as we learn more about the long-term residents and watch them try to make a future.
Abbot Elementary (ABC) – You’ve likely heard about this one and for good reason, Quinta Brunson’s teachers in Philly has a ton of heart with its silliness.
Yellow Jackets (Show) – My Paramount+ temporary subscription led me to this (though I tried not to add any new shows) and couldn’t stop watching this time-split tale of present-day and the immediate aftermath of a plane crash filled with a high school girl’s soccer team, I mean that would traumatize anyone right?
Evil (Para+) – I’m a big fan of the King’s series and this is no exception, this show literally creeps me out with its trio of skeptics and believers investigating ‘occurrences’ for the church, and their personal lives are not unimpacted.
Reservation Dogs (Hulu) – Indigenous teens in rural Oklahoma do what they gotta do to make it to California while dealing with family and local drama, a nice mix of off-format, story, and character/relationship focus.
Ink Master (Para+) – This is my favorite reality show and as it was brought back it moved networks and changed judges but they were able to maintain the core of the thing (though I do miss Chris and Oliver), testing the skills of a tattoo artist to see who is the master

A few series that wrapped this year and while the final season might not hit the top ten, the series in their entirety were noteworthy (this is also a bit of a cheat to list more shows):

Animal Kingdom (TNT) – I enjoy a good crime drama and this So Cal surfing crime family sure brought the drama, it was a little uneven but I think quite good for what it was.
Atlanta (Fx) – Donald Glover really took artistic license but for the most part it was incredibly successful while also building rich characters and an interesting overall arc in this look at an up-and-coming rapper and his manager.
Better Things (Fx) – I just love what Pamela Adlon did with this semi-autobiographical dramedy about her family and her life surrounding Hollywood, this show was consistently in my top ten.
Claws (TNT) – Ok this was one heck of a campy show but if you want to watch a bunch of over-the-top nail artists take on some serious Florida crime these characters had heart and style.
David Makes Man (2021-OWN) – The first season of this was one of my favorite looks at coming-of-age both through the story and visuals and while the second season’s time jump wasn’t as successful for me it was still really interesting.
Dead to Me (Net) – Christina Applegate and Linda Cardelini play unlikely friends who won each other and me over with their approach to every ridiculous twist and turn they run into through their start with grief.
Deutschland 83/86/89 (2020-Sund/Hulu) – I caught these after the fact but loved the Americans-ish spy drama and the time jumps to see where it all went.
The Good Fight (Para+) – Christine Baranski can do no wrong and I enjoyed her years starting over at a new law firm following The Good Wife, they created something new but kept a lot of the elements of what made the former work through quirky characters, cases, and overarching issues, I actually paid to get the rest of this show.
Grace & Frankie (Net) – This show wasn’t revolutionary but the throwback feel of a screwball buddy comedy worked with not only great leads of Fonda and Tomlin but a fun supporting cast.
Killing Eve (BBC) – Ok this show kind of lost its way but that first season was enough to keep me in for moments of Eve and Villanelle’s relationship, assassins and spies, and some great outfits.
Ozark (Net) – This show pushed the edges of dark both metaphorically and visually but this family, with great performances, doing everything they can to survive, and maybe even thrive, through a money laundering entanglement with the Mexican drug lord, don’t get in their way.

Honorable mention: Alaska Daily (ABC), Dark Winds (AMC), Get Shorty (Epix), Only Murders in the Building (Hulu), Professor T (PBS), Reginald the Vampire (Syfy), Resident Alien (Syfy), Russian Doll (Net), Single Drunk Female (Free), So Help Me Todd (CBS), Upload (Am), Welcome to Wrexham (Fx), White Lotus (HBO).

There are also a few shows I am enjoying but not up to date on: Better Call Saul (AMC), Euphoria (HBO), and The Flight Attendant (HBO).

Is this just everything I watched last year? Sadly no. But I admittedly didn’t choose the smallest subset to mention.

For critics’ picks, there’s a good list at Metacritic. What were your faves?

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

July 5, 2020 No Comments

I actually knocked a few things off I’d been streaming Grace & Frankie (cute), Queer Eye (fun enough), Orange is the New Black (very uneven but some great elements in early and final seasons), Bosch (will miss his detective capers), and Upload (fun sci-fi romance romp) as well as a Hot in Cleveland rewatch (fun and fluffy). Still plugging away at others and thinking of diving back into a few dvr saves like the final season of Mr Robot.

In this round’s new launches Peacock comes out on Wednesday July 15 – and is apparently free, but not sure that applied so everybody. A quick google got me to Peacock TV which seems to indicate you need an X1 (xfinity device?) or a Flex (internet with an option like a roku?) with a basic level of service. Whether this will also be available online or with other smart devices is unclear but would seem like a bad move if not. There’s also a paid version that gets you ‘more’ but what that means is also unclear. I have to say if I bothered to look into this and I’m not sure about it it’s really not a good sign, but likely more clarity as the launch date approaches/passes.

Stateless (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 7/8 – The paths of four diverse strangers intersect at an immigration detention center in the Australian outback with Cate Blanchett, Dominic West, Jai Courtney, and Yvonne Strahovski with some good early buzz.
Was It Love (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 7/8 – A single mother has four men come into her life in this South Korean drama.
Close Enough (HBOM) Series Premiere, Thursday 7/9 – An adult animated comedy about a married couple live in a shared space with their kid and their two divorced friends.
Japan Sinks (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 7/9 – An ordinary family faces massive earthquakes in this Japanese animated comedy.
Breathe: Into the Shadows (Am) Series Premiere, Friday 7/10 – An Indian psychological thriller where a man and his wife delve into the case of their kidnapped daughter.
Little Voice (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 7/10 – A comedy about an aspiring singer trying to fulfill her dreams with music by Sara Bareilles.
The Twelve (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 7/10 – This drama from Belgium about twelve jurors deciding the case of a woman accused of killing her best friend and her own daughter.
P-Valley (Starz) Series Premiere, Sunday 7/12 – A dramatic look at the lives of strip club dancers.
The Nest (Acorn) Series Premiere, Monday 7/13 – A couple trying to have a baby meet a troubled 18-year-old surrogate.
Brave New World (Pea) Series Premiere, Wednesday 7/15 – Based on the novel a Utopian society is threatened after a couple meets a man while on vacation in the Savage Lands.
The Capture (Pea) Series Premiere, Wednesday 7/15 – A conspiracy thriller looking at truth of digital evidence in a crime.
Dark Desire (Pea) Series Premiere, Wednesday 7/15 – A married woman’s weekend away sparks some passion, tragedy, and questions in this Spanish drama.
Cleopatra in Space (Pea) Series Premiere, Wednesday 7/15 – An animated comedy based on a graphic novel where she is transported into the future and trains to take on bad guys and get back to her time.
Intelligence (Pea) Series Premiere, Wednesday 7/15 – An American NSA agent, David Schwimmer, joins a UK Government Communications Headquarters in this comedy.
Psych2: Lassie Come Home (Pea) Special presentation, I not that long ago did a Psych binge including the first movie only to find that this one wasn’t out yet, and would like to cross it off.
United We Fall (ABC) Series Premiere, Wednesday 7/15 – A new family comedy, with extended family.
The Secrets She Keeps (SundN) Series Premiere, Thursday 7/16 – Set in Sydney two pregnant women’s lives and secrets collide in this drama based on a novel.
Cursed (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 7/17 – Another re-imagining of the Arthur/Merlin dramatic tale.

Returning streaming: The Protector (Net, 7/9), Hello Ninja (Net, 7/10), Absentia (Am, 7/17).

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.

gym tv

July 26, 2018 No Comments

I’ve somehow had a few recent conversations about good tv to watch at the gym. Since I’m a very irregular gym goer my main draw for doing some cardio is having a good distracting show. I prefer streaming series to avoid commercials, half hour ‘comedies’ to keep the arc short, and since I watch on my phone nothing too dark (visually not tonally) or subtitled. Update: I should note something I realized while tuning into season 4 of Transparent that some of these shows have ‘adult’ content which I think is fine on my small phone but one may be wary in gym or other viewing.

Here’s some of the good ones in some semblance of recommendation order:

Bored to Death (Prime) – This series originally aired on HBO is the perfect gym show, Jason Schwartzman as a novelist with a craigslist ad as a PI gets into a new ridiculous caper each week along with delightfully flawed Ted Danson and Zach Galifinakis.
One Mississippi (Prime) – This show which should have been renewed beyond the two seasons available was a lovely trip with Tig Notaro’s semi-autobiographical character returning home to after her mother dies gives the offbeat local color as well as Tig’s voice through the show and the radio show she hosts within the show, I just always looked forward to the next episode.
Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix) – Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant are the perfect couple to follow on this suburban zombie story which is more over the top amusing than scary though there’s plenty of blood to mess up those pretty homes they’re trying to sell as realtors while trying to keep their business and family together.
Catastrophe (Prime) – This offbeat couple of Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney meeting in London for a traveling tryst gets complicated when she gets pregnant but their complications continue as does their humor while things continue to go awry but it’s really the way the two relate in a less than romantic comedy way that makes the moments.
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (Netflix) – Since these usually run closer to 15 minutes, Seinfeld’s conversations with various comedians don’t amount to much but they do make nice filler if I’ve got a little time left on the elliptical but don’t want to start a while fresh episode.
One Day At A Time (Netflix) – This show is a very successful retake (remake, reboot?) on the original and while the characters are all great they’re a little too focused on the very special episode topics which add nicely done dramatic turns to the comedy but tends to not work as well for me at the gym.
Transparent (Prime) – I have yet to dive into the latest season but this was one of the first streamers I really enjoyed as this family of adult children deal with their father’s decision to come out as Moira a trans woman, and of course they’re all just generally a mess.
Fleabag (Prime) – Phoebe Waller-Bridge does the trick of keeping her protagonist close to the line of likable and relatable and while not always on the right side of that line she blunders her way through each episode as a woman dealing with family and tragedy.
Love (Netflix) – Also in the less than likable protagonist way this brings together two people that you might only wish on each other but Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust somehow keep the relationship and the series something that you want to keep tuning in for.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix) – I enjoyed the earlier seasons a bit more than the latter, I have yet to tune into this most recent release, but Ellie Kemper returning to the real world after spending 15 years in a bunker being brings such enthusiasm to each interaction you can’t help but be amused by the ridiculousness that ensues.
Grace & Frankie (Netflix) – While this isn’t the best show I generally am entertained by each episode if not by the relationship of the polar opposite characters of Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin then by the escapades of their exes and their adult children.
The Tick* (Prime) – I watched this in the comfort of my own home and though it might be a bit on the dark side (visually) it is a very fun and pretty unique tone on the superhero scene and could work well for gym viewing.
Master of None* (Netflix) – I watched this at home as well but Aziz Ansari’s semi-autobiographical take on trying to figure it all out as each episode has its own take and adds up to something much better, this is another one of those that starts good but just gets better.
Glow* (Netflix) – I liked the first season quite a bit and am going to try swapping this into the gym rotation for season two as the gorgeous ladies of wrestling gathers Alison Brie and some additional misfits to try to throw down, some nice turns by Brie and Marc Maron among others.

And for the record there are a few streaming shows that I still recommend heartily but not for the gym

In Treatment (HBO/Prime) – This series is great and I tried it at the gym and it really didn’t work, it’s just too serious and play-like to keep a quick pace on the treadmill but you should check out the therapist in his sessions with various patients.
Dear White People (Netflix) – While a good series, the second season I thought better than the first, there is too much computer typing shown on screen to work well on the smaller screen but give it a look for complexities of race and other college foibles at an Ivy League College through a radio show and other interactions.
Bojack Horseman (Netflix) – I’ve just been doing this series since before my gym habit and while the broad comedy here might work the nuance of those visuals I think warrants a bigger screen, if you haven’t checked out the odd animated take on this alt world following BoJack who takes depression and self-sabotage to a new level but the nuances of characters is as amusing as it is dark.

While I’m still pretty inconsistent about the gym these shows are prolific enough to keep me going for now but let me know any other good picks in the comments, who knows I could start working out more!

* These three shows would likely be higher on the list if gym tested.

new and noteworthy tv: 1/15-1/21

January 14, 2018 No Comments

Well I finally finished The Wire! And it was well worth watching, although it does hold the test of time it would have been nice to see some of the technology elements in real time. And now I’m continuing on with Deadwood and the rest of the roundup but starting to eye what missed series to visit next.

Australian Open (ESPN2) – First week play.
Black Lightening (CW) Series Premiere, Tuesday, 9pm – A superhero is drawn back into his old persona getting some initial good buzz.
The Paynes (OWN) Series Premiere, Tuesday, 9pm – A spinoff from Tyler Perry’s House of Payne starts with a road trip to Florida.
The Path (Hulu) Season Premiere, Wednesday – This cult show returns.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace (Fx) Season Premiere, Wednesday, 10pm – It’s reportedly not another OJ but still worth a look.
Corporate (Com) Series Premiere, Wednesday, 10pm – A new comic look work looking at two downtrodden employees of a multinational corporation.
Grace & Frankie (Net) Season Premiere, Friday – Though not earth shattering I have still be finding this show amusing.
Counterpart (Starz) Series Premiere, Sunday, 8pm – Espionage, intrigue, and government conspiracies oh and a parallel dimension J.K. Simmons
SAG Awards (TNT) Sunday, 8pm – Kristen Bell hosts.
The Resident (Fox) Series Premiere, Sunday, 10pm – This look from the POV of three different doctors at three different stages looks annoying from the previews but with some good talent I’ll still check it out.

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