I’ve been busy watching ‘quality’ tv and movies to finish up my end-of-year lists (yes my best movie lists usually don’t get done until March). So kind of nice to just watch tv. Though I am a little behind in things. I’m so glad I don’t follow March Madness.

I burned through Mid-Century Modern (Hulu) not because it was great but because it was light, except for the loss of Linda Lavin mid-season, which was heartbreaking. I also went back and finished Squid Games (Net), which, lame, way less engaging to repeat some of these events even with the new perspective, and super lame to end mid events to set up the third and final season. Reacher (Am) is also losing a bit of its luster, the first season definitely the funnest. Over on network tv, The Irrational (NBC) finished the second season, and it’s not amazing, but he’s a likable protagonist, and his insights into the way people work are somewhat interesting in context.

• Hacks (HBO) Season Premiere, Thursday 4/10, 9pm – Excited to see what Deborah and Ava get into as they launch the late-night show, they’re best when they’re on the same side, but they are good as foes.
• Your Friends and Neighbors (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 4/11 – Jon Hamm stars as a failed money guy who starts stealing from his neighbors, and you know there’s secrets.
• The Last of Us (HBO) Season Premiere, Sunday 4/13 – Joel and Ellie won my heart, so I’m excited to see them again, but not sure where the show is going next.
• Sherlock & Daughter (CW) Series Premiere, Wednesday 4/16, 9pm – The American daughter joins to solve her mother’s murder, and I’m assuming other cases.
• The Stolen Girl (Free) Series Premiere, Wednesday 4/16, 10pm – A sleepover brings the worst fears.
• #1 Happy Family USA (Am) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/17 – Ramy Youssef leads the adult animated cast following an ‘upbeat’ Muslim family in America in the early 2000s.
• Leverage (Am) Season Premiere, Thursday 4/17 – This show might not be great television, but I love to watch the latest heisty revenge they get on the bad guys.
• Ransom Canyon (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/17 – Capitalizing on Yellowstone vibes, three ranching dynasties fight for land and whatnot.

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.

Throwing in the towel on Grosse Point (NBC), too confusing about things I don’t care about. I did start With Love, Meghan (Net) in which she is admittedly a little stiff but it’s a ‘sweet’ enough inspiring show.

A variety of things are also starting to rap up for the season. Shifting Gears (ABC), Animal Control (Fox), and Going Dutch (Fox) are all middling comedies but with a need for more funny I stuck with them. I also still enjoy Harley Quinn (Max) though admittedly a little less so as the novelty has worn off. And I ended up sticking with Doc (Fox) which is such a dumb premise but otherwise a pretty standard medical procedural, we’ll see where next season goes.

• Alert: Missing Persons Unit (Fox) Season Premiere, Tuesday 3/25, 9pm – This show isn’t good but for some reason I have kept watching, the title is pretty self-explanatory, this season a couple new cast step in.
• Side Quest (App+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 3/26 – A Mythic Quest spinoff, they do some of the best standalone episodes so curious as to this anthology treatment of those impacted by the game.
• The Studio (App+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 3/26 – Seth Rogan takes the helm of a studio and takes a comedic look behind the scenes of his negotiating for success
• The Conners (ABC) Season Premiere, Wednesday 3/26, 8pm – This shift post Roseanne has held up and I’ll watch into the final season.
• Bosch: Legacy (Am) Season Premiere, Thursday 3/27 – Excited for the return of this even if it will reportedly be the final season, it will fill the Reacher hole in my schedule (though this is a much better show).
• Mid-Century Modern (Hulu) Series Premiere, Friday 3/28 – I think there should always be a show following this Golden Girls formula, put 3 likable actors together and throw in a sassy senior, this time it’s Matt Bomer, Nathan Lane, and Nathan Lee Graham (who I don’t really know) with Linda Lavin.
• The Last Anniversary (AMC+) Series Premiere, Sunday 3/30 – A young woman inherits a house on a remote island, and family secrets are found.
• The Bondsman (Am) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/3 – Kevin Bacon stars as a bounty hunter back from hell to return those escaped and maybe try to redeem himself, sure.
• Dying for Sex (Fx/Hulu) Series Premiere, Friday 4/4 – In this comedy, Michelle Williams plays a woman diagnosed with cancer who decides to leave her husband and explore her sexual desires, promising cast.

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.

I did binge through Running Point (Net) which was cute but a little ridiculous and not revolutionary. I tried Suits LA (NBC) but had to pass, the characters were kind of smarmy and blah at the same time. I’ll give another watch to Grosse Point Garden Society (NBC) which is at least a little campy as we follow past and present timelines to ponder a murder. I also caught Paris & Nicole: The Encore (Pea) which was almost too painful to finish, the ridiculousness of earlier years had some charm but now the manufactured events don’t work.

Upcoming looks like a lot of drama. I just need a little more light fare though I am turning back to Squid Games (Net) which I figured I’d finish the season of even though this second series hasn’t grabbed me. I have also confused myself with adding subscriptions to Peacock and Paramount+ since I normally only do one at a time but between end-of-year movies and return series, I got overwhelmed. I still haven’t done my best pic list…

• Adolescence (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 3/13 – A British crime drama about a 13-year-old accused of the murder of a classmate.
• Long Bright River (Pea) Series Premiere, Thursday 3/13 – Amanda Seyfried stars in this suspense series as a police officer dealing with the opioid crisis and a personal connection.
• Dope Thief (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 3/14 – Brian Tyree Henry stars as one of two friends who get in over their heads as they pose as DEA agents to rob a house.
• Good American Family (Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 3/19 – All might not be what it seems when a family adopts a girl with a rare form of dwarfism, some good cast including Ellen Pompeo, Christina Hendricks, Dule Hill, and Mark Duplass.
• Happy Face (Para+) Series Premiere, Thursday 3/20 – Based on a true crime where a girl discovers her father is a serial killer.
• The Residence (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 3/20 – Uzo Aduba as an eccentric detective solving a murder at the White House.

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.

Finishing a few things. High Potential was one of my fave new procedurals, not because the premise particularly adds much (or is consistent) but Kaitlin Olson and the cast are good. Laid on Peacock was kind of fun chaos though don’t we all tire of the self-involved protagonist? Also on Peacock the very odd house of people taken in by some fleeing jewel thieves, Leopard Skin, not necessarily good but interesting. I also finished up Bookie which I didn’t realize was the final ep of the season which turned out to be the final ep of the series.

And caught the first Good Cop/Bad Cop which so far seems like a solid enough procedural with some small-town quirks and family drama thrown in (though my HuluTV didn’t pick it up, for some reason I’m having trouble with CW shows). Oh, and there’s a State of the Union on 3/4, personally, I won’t watch 47 live.

• Black Ops (Hulu) Series Premiere, Tuesday 2/25 – This looks like a pickup of a BBC comedic series of two new recruits getting in over their heads undercover.
• Running Point (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 2/27 – This is the new Mindy Kaling (+others) series starring Kate Hudson who takes over a a basketball franchise.
• Toxic Town (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 2/27 – Based on a true story about mothers looking for answers when their babies are born with disabilities.
• Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue (MGM+) Series Premiere, Sunday 3/2 – A small plane goes down and folks are dying one by one.
• With Love, Meghan (Net) Series Premiere, Tuesday 3/4 – I don’t get all the Meghan hatred out there and since she was doing a bunch of lifestyle before she got Harried I’m mildly intrigued by this series.
• Daredevil: Born Again (Dis+) Series Premiere, Tuesday 3/4 – Jessica Jones was my fave of these series but had heard Charlie Cox was coming back and curious.
• Deli Boys (Hulu) Series Premiere, Thursday 3/6 – This is like Gentlemen but for Pakistani American brothers and convenience stores, and a comedy.
• Dark Winds (AMC) Season Premiere, Sunday, 3/9, 9pm – This show is really good and I think I lost this channel in my switch to HuluTV so I may look into AMC+ or any other options once these are all released.

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.

I caught the first episode of Paradise (Hulu) which aired as a tease on network and it was entertaining enough though I’m somewhat dubious they can keep the intrigue. Also happy to dive back into the not ‘good’ but fun Wild Cards (CW). The first episode of Watson (CBS) was a little too bland but very House mystery illness of the week.

And in the finishing categories, I somehow stuck with the series that I described as a medical show crafted by AI, Brilliant Minds (NBC). Finally got around to the second season of The Old Man (Fx) which honestly wasn’t as good as the first (it has since been cancelled). Fellow Travelers from my temp Paramount+ subscription was very well done but a tough watch and maybe a stitch long. And the series finale of 911: Lonestar (Fox) which was Ryan Murphy ridiculous but maybe I have a soft spot for Rob Lowe.

Now that I’ve finished my best tv of 2024 list I’m trying to do a little movie catchup to get to that list. But still enjoy dabbling in some regular shows.

• Yellowjackets (Show) Season Premiere, Sunday 2/16, 9pm – This won’t be done until April so I may need to come back to my Paramount+ subscription after a month or so.
• White Lotus (HBO) Season Premiere, Sunday 2/16, 9pm – I didn’t looove this show as much as others but it has definitely been well done and another stellar cast to check out.
• A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story (Brit) Series Premiere, Monday 2/17 – Based on a true story of a nightclub manager whose life unraveled after getting involved with an abusive race car driver.
• Death in Paradise (Brit) Season Premiere, Wednesday 2/19 – I’ve been catching this when it hits PBS but I may have lost track of it when I moved to Hulu TV.
• Good Cop/Bad Cop (CW) Series Premiere, Wednesday 2/19, 9pm – Brother/sister detective team with their chief of police dad, with Leighton Meester at least worth a look.
• Reacher (Am) Season Premiere, Thursday 2/20 – Sure I’ll take another round of this, it’s pretty mindless.
• Zero Day (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 2/20 – Lies and conspiracy bringing Robert De Niro to the small screen along with Jesse Plemons and Lizzy Caplan so yes taking a look.
• Suits LA (NBC) Series Premiere, Sunday 2/23, 9pm – With the delayed popularity of Suits they had to capitalize on it, I thought the original started fun but then I tired of it.
• Grosse Point Garden Society (NBC) Series Premiere, Sunday 2/23, 10pm – The preview had kind of a Desperate Housewives murder and secrets kind of vibe.

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.

I feel like I’ve been watching a lot of heavy fare so I decided to dabble in some half hours. Colin From Accounts was a cute meet-cute and took advantage of the tail end of my Paramount+ account. Then I caught How To Die Alone on Hulu which was a sweet turn your life around comedy. I’ve also dabbled with the not great Doc and am giving Going Dutch and Shifting Gears a couple of episodes to see if they get a little more funny. And the Hollywood Squares reboot which was kind of old school sweet but not enough to bring me back.

• Paradise (Hulu) Series Premiere, Tuesday 1/28 – A shocking murder in an exclusive community with some good names like Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden.
• Mythic Quest (App+) Season Premiere, Wednesday 1/29 – This series is a gem and will be tuning back in to apple for this and a few other catch-up things.
• Mo (Net) Season Premiere, Thursday 1/30 – It’s been a few years since the first season of this came out but I remember being engaged in the Palestinian family in Texas.
• Wild Cards (CW) Season Premiere, Wednesday 2/5 – I dig a good con show and this fluffy con artist helps a cop redeem himself show is entertaining enough.
• Apple Cider Vinegar (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 2/6 – Kaitlyn Dever looks like a liar touting healthy habits for curing ‘cancer’.
• Clean Slate (Am) Series Premiere, Thursday 2/6 – George Wallace plays an old school car wash owner whose trans daughter shows up played by Laverne Cox.
• Fallen (SundN) Series Premiere, Thursday 2/6 – Based on a book series a girl is sent to a mysterious facility and dives into the battle of good vs evil.

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.

I’ve been ticking my way through some series that one person or another noted as top including faves Evil (Para+) which wrapped up nicely and creepily and Shrinking which still gets me (I took advantage of a free Apple TV+ weekend). I also liked the first season of The Gentlemen (Net) as a light but kind of brutal intro into English society and the drug trade. And eventually warmed to Korean A Shop for Killers (Hulu) though the choppy flashbacks were on the distracting side. I also caught No Good Deed (Net) which had heard wasn’t great but I enjoyed Dead to Me so much that I figured it should be fun enough, which I guess it was.

• With Love, Meghan (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 1/15 – I’m not royally obsessed but I’m a little intrigued by this one, honestly when she was just a Markle she was doing lifestyle stuff so this isn’t a weird flex.
• Harley Quinn (Max) Season Premiere, Thursday 1/16 – I’m not a huge fan of animated stuff but this very adult version is pretty amusing.
• Severence (App+) Season Premiere, Friday 1/17 – I’ll have to pick Apple back up to catch this once they’re all out in March.
• The Couple Next Door (Starz) Series Premiere, Friday 1/17 – When the burbs bring you a maybe too close relationship with your neighbors.
• Prime Target (App+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 1/22 – A thriller series about a math whiz caught in a world of danger and conspiracy.
• Carl Weber’s The Family Business: New Orleans (BET+) Series Premiere, Thursday 1/23 – This spinoff brings you a family with a secret life.
• Watson (CBS) Series Premiere, Sunday 1/26, 9pm – Morris Chestnut stars as Holmes’s former partner focusing on the mystery of medical disorders.

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.

After a variety of New Year’s Eve televised programs, we start to re-kick off some shows. I’ve been looking to play a little catch-up on streaming. Polished off InkMaster and Frasier on Paramount+, both are entertaining enough. Then What We Do in the Shadows (Fx/Hulu) in its final season, that show was always good for some amusing moments. I tuned in to the latest season of The Accused (Fox/Hulu) which has great leads but the anthology of crimes leaves me wanting more.

• Missing You (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 1/1 – A detective matches with her missing fiance based on a Harlan Coben novel.
• Conspirators (AllBlk) Series Premiere, Thursday 1/2 – A group of friends runs into an old friend, leading to secrets tied to a local politician they’re working for.
• Lockerbie: A Search for Truth (Pea) Series Premiere, Thursday 1/2 – A search for justice after the death of a doctor’s daughter in the bombing of Pan Am flight.
• Animal Control (Fox) Season Premiere, Thursday 1/2, 9pm – This show is an amusing enough workplace comedy.
• Going Dutch (Fox) Series Premiere, Thursday 1/2, 9pm – Denis Leary plays a Colonel banished to the Netherlands in an army base that doesn’t do a lot of army.
• Will Trent (ABC) Season Premiere, Tuesday 1/7, 8pm – This show works in that quirky protagonist detective procedural.
• Doc (Fox) Series Premiere, Tuesday 1/7, 9pm – Molly Parker who is always likable stars as a doctor who forgets 8 years of her life and tries to pick up the pieces.
• Shifting Gears (ABC) Series Premiere, Wednesday 1/8, 8pm – Tim Allen is back in a new comedy that we can assume is of similar sensibilities, this time Kat Dennings plays his estranged daughter who moves home with her kids.
• American Primeval (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 1/9 – A mother and son fleeing their past in the American West.
• On Call (Am) Series Premiere, Thursday 1/9 – A rookie and veteran officer go on patrol in Long Beach and this drama tells their tales with a mix of footage a la cinema verite.
• The Pitt (Max) Series Premiere, Thursday 1/9 – Frontline workers in a Pittsburgh hospital with Noah Wyle getting his Dr groove back.

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.

Well, we’re wrapping up the year and things are starting to slow down. Other than holiday specials of course. I’m doing some catch-up on people’s best TV lists. I figure I get about a month or so to sample what I’ve missed before I make my own list. One of those faves was the just completed Somebody, Somewhere on HBO. I have also kept making progress on my HBO backlog with Insecure which was an amusing/engaging journey of Black friends in LA.

I’m tempted to try out the Dexter: Original Sin prequel while I have Paramount+ but not sure I’ll stick around that long after InkMaster and Evil. I can always return but I want to hop over to Apple and maybe Peacock.

• What We Do in the Shadows (FX) Series Finale, Monday 12/16, 10pm – Though this show might not hit my top ten it has been consistently funny, and sorry to see it go.
• Laid (Pea) Series Premiere, Thursday 12/19 – A woman’s former lovers are dying and she tries to figure out what’s up in this rom-com?
• Protection (Brit) Series Premiere, Sunday 12/29 – A witness protection officer tries to get the the bottom of a security breach and her own personal entanglements.

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.