Things are relatively quiet with the Olympics going on. I don’t watch a ton during the week but enjoy the weekend dabble, mostly just whatever they put on NBC but a little exploring. Putting my Hulu Live through the paces to figure it out and think I’m starting to enjoy the interface once I found the sort by live sports channels.

I’m also continuing my Marvel Catchup on Dis+ with Hawkeye and Moon Knight. Very different takes on the universe, Hawkeye was very much tied to characters and things that had happened in ‘the world,’ which I still find annoying since who can remember all of that, but liked the interplay between the characters. While Moon Knight was pretty origin story standalone and a little bit on the wackadoodle side but a glimpse into Egyptian Gods. I will say that Marvel overall seems to be covering different kinds of protagonists and dealing with social issues better than I would have thought.

I also finished up what is now the final season of Reginald the Vampire which was a fun show. Time to add a vampire option back in.

• Batman: Caped Crusader (Am) Series Premiere, Thursday 8/1 – No idea if this animated take is supposed to be worthwhile but for me, it feels like there is a lot going on in this universe with different character takes between Harley Quinn/Kite Man and the new Joker movie, the new Penguin series and whatever else.
• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 8/1 – A student is looking into a murder from 5 years ago.
• Mr. Throwback (Pea) Series Premiere, Thursday 8/8 – A memorabilia dealer reunites with his sixth-grade teammate Steph Curry, with the actual Steph Curry along with Adam Pally who I like (from Happy Endings/The Mindy Project).
• The Umbrella Academy (Net) Season premiere/series finale, Thursday 8/8 – I lost this show after season 2, I remember it starting strong but not sure if my interest waned or just a timing thing but could go back and pick up 3 and 4 to finish it out.

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 finally made my way through the rest of Ripley and 3 Body Problem on Netflix, both were good but I didn’t find myself that compelled to watch between episodes, Though I will return when another season arrives of 3 Body. I’m also still making my way through the Marvel backlog and am finally to sort the current universe on Disney+ with WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, both entertaining in a Marvel way. Hulu really seemed to be promoting Kevin From Work which was a meh workplace/romance/comedy. I also did That ’90s Show on Netflix having enjoyed That ’70s Show, unfortunately, most of the characters weren’t that well-defined but fun to see some of the old cast. And I finished The Bear on Hulu which still had some great episodes but this season’s story felt stuck as was Carmy.

Clearly I’m keeping myself busy, a few more things to take a look at before the Olympics hit.

• The Ark (Syfy) Season Premiere, Wednesday 7/17, 10pm – I enjoyed the first season of this tough decisions in trying to start a new world when all goes awry though it’s probably not great.
• Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (Max) Series Premiere, Thursday 7/18 – A spinoff of Harley Quinn which I enjoyed.
• Those About to Die (Pea) Series Premiere, Thursday 7/18 – An epic drama set in the world of Roman gladiators with Anthony Hopkins as the Emperor.
• Lady in the Lake (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 7/19 – A noir thriller with Natalie Portman as a Jewish housewife trying to shed a secret past and become an investigative journalist, she connects with another mother on a dangerous path.
• Dress My Tour (Hulu) Series Premiere, Tuesday 7/23 – I might be ready for a new reality show and this caught my eye, a competition to design outfits for real touring artists.
• Time Bandits (App+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 7/24 – A take on the movie from Taika Wititi+ and starring Lisa Kurdrow+, a ‘ragtag’ group of time-traveling thieves.
• The Decameron (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 7/25 – A soapy period drama with some elites trying to get away from the plague at a lavish retreat by Jenji Kohan+ with Zosia Mamet and Tony Hale among others.
• Olympics (NBC/Various) – Let the games begin opening ceremonies on Friday 7/26.

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.

Not a lot of new series for a bit. 4th of July you can find some fireworks. Shark Week starts on Discovery 7/7. And Wimbledon kicks off on 7/1. I’ve been continuing with my Marvel backlog I jammed through the one season of Helstrom (Hulu), it clearly didn’t get renewed but I thought it was kind of mindless fun. I’m also chugging through True Detective (almost done with s3) and finally decided to try out The Boys (Amazon) again, in general, I fell out of love with this but the spinoff Gen V got me back into it. And of course, I’ve started The Bear (Hulu) I’m trying to pace myself with 2 episodes a night.

• Sunny (App+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 7/10 – A woman living in Kyoto received a domestic robot after her son and husband are killed in a ‘mysterious’ place crash in this mystery thriller.
• The Emperor of Ocean Park (MGM+) Series Premiere, Sunday 7/14 – Is a judge’s death a heart attack or foul play?

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.

Things have been light so I’ve been able to do some backlog. The Comeback (HBO) which was well done but a little too cringe for my taste. Baby Reindeer (Net) and Swarm (Am) both also too uncomfortable for me to really enjoy. And then the light Runaways in my Marvel catchup and Peacemaker, which was actually pretty fun, in my DC catchup. I also cranked through the second season of True Detective and may need a break before starting season 3.

• Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC) Series Premiere, Sunday 6/23, 10pm – I loved the original Orphan Black and am a fan of Krysten Ritter, unfortunately, I think I lost AMC in this shift from cable to Hulu Live so may need to add this to the temporary catch up list.
• Land of Women (App+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 6/26 – Adramady starring Eva Longoria a woman who gets out of the city with her mother and daughter when the hubs disappears around big financial scandal.
• The Bear (Fx/Hulu) Season Premiere, Thursday 6/27 – I was nervous the second season wouldn’t live up to the first but it might have been even better, I’m nervous again but very excited for a new season of this great show.
• My Lady Jane (Am) Series Premiere, Thursday 6/27 – Alt fantasy Tudor world romance?
• Suicide Squad Isekai (Hulu) Series Premiere, Thursday 6/27 – A new animated take on the criminals are gathered and in this one sent into an otherworldly realm, I think this is a new anime and not Harley Quinn related.
• Domino Day (SundN/AMC) Series Premiere, Thursday 6/27 – A supernatural drama where a woman/witch is hunting on the dating apps and a coven is trying to track her down.
• Supacell (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 6/27 – Ordinary Black Londoners get superpowers and come together to save someone.

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 realized I don’t actually subscribe to Peacock so have yet to check out the second season of We Are Lady Parts but I have been keeping myself busy. I am also not watching Bridgerton, I enjoyed the first season enough but the second season felt a little been there done that. I enjoyed though not as much as the book, The Sympathizer. Really enjoyed the third season of Hacks, those two are so great. And in the just fine category I found How I Met Your Father when I was looking for some easy laughs, easy just not so funny. Also in my Marvel catch up I did Cloak & Dagger which again was entertaining enough.

• Clipped (Fx/Hulu) Series Premiere, Tuesday 6/4 – A good quality cast in this look at a troubling time for the LA Clippers.
• Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (Hulu) Series Premiere, Friday 6/7 – A dramatic telling of 1972 Lagerfeld before he becomes the designer you likely know him as.
• Queenie (Hulu) Series Premiere, Friday 6/7 – Based on the novel, a 25-year-old woman living in south London has a messy breakup and after some missteps tries to face the past to move forward.
• Fantasmas (HBO) Series Premiere, Friday 6/7, 11pm – I am not sure how to describe what looks like a very weird show but basically a search for a lost gold earring and many tales along the way.
• Presumed Innocent (App+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 6/12 – A new take on the novel/movie this time with Jake Gyllenhaal as an attorney accused of murdering a woman he had an affair with.
• Professor T (PBS) Season Premiere, Sunday 6/16, 8pm – I watched the original and this version kind of simultaneously so I can’t really remember what’s what but enjoy this series.
• Hotel Cocaine (MGM+) Series Premiere, Sunday 6/16, 10pm – Danny Pino stars as Roman Campte the hotel manager in the center of the Miami cocaine scene

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’m getting more used to watching regular tv via Hulu Live though I do miss some of the functionality of my TiVo. I couldn’t quite bring myself to get rid of my it when I did some electronic recycling including my DVR. If I stick with Hulu or something else I don’t need it but now I’m wondering if an antenna would give me regular network channels. That way I could still do the rounds on streaming but wouldn’t be beholden for regular stuff. Television has really gotten too complicated, and expensive, let me know any suggestions.

As for new tv we’re mostly finishing out seasons so I can continue with my Marvel and HBO backlogs.

• Evil (Para+) Season Premiere, Thursday 5/23 – This show has been weird and fun, and I will enjoy this final season even if it means subscribing to Paramount+ again.
• Tires (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/23 – A family auto repair shop is in trouble, can these quirky folks turn it around?
• Eric (Net) Series Premiere, 5/30 – Benedict Cumberbatch stars as a puppeteer father looking for his missing son in ’80s New York by way of a puppet that his son drew.
• Geek Girl (Net) Series Premiere, 5/30 – Awkward teen gets scouted by a modeling agency in this quirky family drama
• We Are Lady Parts (Pea) Season Premiere, 5/30 – This all-female Muslim punk band had a lot of good going on, curious about the next season though it means a Peacock subscription.

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’m still doing my HBO backlog, I finished the first season of True Detective which was good but a little brutal and I May Destroy You which was also pretty brutal but well done and a really interesting look at consent. I also caught the last season of Girls5Eva which moved from Peacock to Netflix, and while it was still fun I’m not sure I enjoyed it as much as the earlier seasons. And while TV never ends we are rapping some stuff up for summer so I hope to continue with my backlog, which also includes some Disney+ where I’ve stumbled into a deep Marvel incomplete catalog.

• Dark Matter (App+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 5/8 – Based on the book, a physicist gets abducted into an alternate version of his life, and is trying to get back to save his family from himself.
• Reginald the Vampire (Syfy) Season Premiere, Wednesday 5/8, 10pm – This was a fun take on Vampire shenanigans, where Reginald sort of accidentally gets on board things aren’t simple in the vampire and human world.
• Maxton Hall (Am) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/9 – A scholarship student and an heir get thrown together in an opposites attract kind of thing.
• Bodkin (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/9 – Will Forte stars in a podcast investigation that turns into more than they bargained for.
• After the Flood (Brit) Series Premiere, Monday 5/13 – A mystery thriller that uncovers an unidentified body
• Bridgerton (Net) Season Premiere, Thursday 5/16 – The first season of this was a pretty fun romance but the second felt repetitive so I’m not sure I’m game for a third, and skipped the other related series, I think I’ve talked myself out of this.
• The Big Cigar (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 5/17 – Based on a magazine article, the story of Black Panther Leader Huey P. Newton’s escape to Cuba.

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 started up with The Sympathizer (Max) and it has a lot of the elements that worked well in the book but might need a couple more to get more cohesive (or hectic in a deeper way). I also enjoyed the tv take on Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Prime) and am excited to see a season two (though not sure it has officially been renewed). I also finished the PBS series Nolly (PBS) which wasn’t super compelling but somehow kept me in for three episodes and Monsieur Spade (AMC) which I liked the vibe of but kept forgetting who all the people were. And diving into some Disney+ with a Marvel review, I think I tried both Inhumans and Cloak & Dagger when they were on and deemed them too dumb to watch. There was only one season of Inhumans which made good mindless watching but it really was dumb. Will report back on Cloak & Dagger.

• Shogun (Fx/Hulu) Season Finale, Tuesday 4/23, 10pm – Folks have been raving about this show, I am a little behind but think it’s definitely a good one though not going to catch up before Tuesday.
• Dead Boy Detectives (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/25 – Two teen ghosts work with a clairvoyant to solve mysteries.
• The Veil (Fx/Hulu) Series Premiere, Tuesday 4/30 – Elisabeth Moss as a badass in an international spy thriller, yes please.
• Fiasco (Net) Series Premiere, Tuesday 4/30 – A mockumentary of a first-time director’s film going awry.
• Shardlake (Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 5/1 – A 16th-century England monastery murder mystery.
• Hacks (Max) Season Premiere, Thursday 5/2 – This show has been a hoot and I’m looking forward to the next season.
• A Man in Full (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/2 – An Atlanta real estate tycoon’s empire starts to crumble, has Jeff Danels and Diane Lane so could be worth a look
• Scrublands (SundN/AMC+) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/2 – Based on the novel an Australian noir crime drama
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Pea) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/2 – Based on a true story about two prisoners who meet, fall in love, and try to stay alive.
• Welcome to Wrexham (FX) Season Premiere, Thursday 5/2 – A new season after being promoted, this series does a great job of telling multiple stories and covering things from touching to amusing.
• Maryland (PBS) Series Premiere, Sunday 5/5, 9pm – A tale of two sisters who find out secrets after their mother’s death, with Stockard Channing as a quirky friend.

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.

Some of the network tv is finishing up. Resident Alien (Syfy) has held up well, Extended Family (NBC) made a decent pairing with Night Court, and Wild Cards (CW) was a fun compliment to Family Law. Throw in some Children Ruin Everything (CW) and Ride and we can call it a day. I also caught the first Parish (AMC) and while it didn’t immediately grab me there were enough elements to tune back in as well as Sight Unseen (CW) which was ridiculous and the premise will get more ridiculous as they try to move it forward. This week I’m intrigued to see the reviews on The Sympathizer and Fallout, if only because Walton Goggins is in it and The Last of Us shows that shows based on video games can be good.

• Hapless (Pea) Series Premiere, Wednesday 4/10 – A UK comedy series about an obsessive and gaffe-prone journalist, originally aired starting in 2020 in the UK.
• Fallout (Am) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/11 – Based on the video game franchise a woman surfaces from an underground bunker 200 years after an apocalypse to a hostile Los Angeles.
• Baby Reindeer (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/11 – A struggling comedian shows kindness to a woman who turns obsessive.
• Franklin (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 4/12 – Michael Douglas stars in this series based on a book about Benjamin Franklin.
• The Sympathizer (HBO) Series Premiere, Sunday 4/14, 9pm – This book was great, curious how well it translates as we look at a spy at the close of the Vietnam war.
• Under the Bridge (Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 4/17 – Based on a true-crime book a girl goes to meet friends at a party and disappears.
• Dinner with the Parents (Free) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/18 – A comedy set at a weekly family dinner.
• Big Mood (Tubi) Series Premiere, Friday 4/19 – A comedy about female friendship tested by mental illness.
• The Spiderwick Chronicles (Roku) Series Premiere, Friday 4/19 – Based on the book series a family returns to an ancestral home to find fantastical secrets.

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 was so busy catching up on movies I had to limit my tv shows for a bit. Happy to now turn back to a few things I was wrapping up. Starting with Feud: Capote vs The Swans (FX/Hulu) which overall I was meh about, a little fun at first to revisit that era and peeps but not enough of the right notes and seemed to drag on.

• Dead Hot (Tubi) Series Premiere, Wednesday 3/27 – I’m not really sure what to do about Tubi shows, it’s apparently a free network, do I start checking these out? This is a mystery/thriller about besties where something from their past comes back to haunt them.
• The Baxters (Am) Series Premiere, Thursday 3/18 – Roma Downey helms this ‘faith-based’ family journey, based on a book series, pass.
• We Were the Lucky Ones (Hulu) Series Premiere, Thursday 3/28 – Based on a novel inspired by the true story of one Jewish family separated at the start of WWII, I might need a break from the tragedies of war.
• A Gentleman in Moscow (Show) Series Premiere, Friday 3/291, 9pm – I loved Amor Towles’s Rules of Civility but hadn’t gotten to this one, Ewan McGregor stars a what one assumes is a gentleman holed up in a Russian hotel and not allowed to leave, I don’t get Showtime at the moment so maybe I try a quick book read first.
• Renegade Nell (Dis+) Series Premiere, Friday 3/29 – A young woman framed for murder becomes a notorious outlaw in 18th-century England, wouldn’t be my first Disney watch.
• Parish (AMC) Series Premiere, Sunday 3/31, 9pm – Giancarlo Esposito stars as a man whose life is destroyed and he goes back to his wheelman roots, Esposito is always good I’ll check this out.
• Sight Unseen (CW) Series Premiere, Wednesday 4/3, 9pm – A cop who goes clinically blind keeps solving crimes with the help of an agoraphobic remote helper, I feel like the CW already had a blind person solving crimes show, I’ll watch at least one so I can feel good about my disdain.
• Ripley (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/4 – A grifter tries to build a life in the world of wealth and privilege after being sent to Italy to try and bring a rich guy’s son home, I do enjoy a grifter and it’s got Andrew Scott and Dakota Fanning so pending reviews.
• Sugar (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 4/5 – Colin Farrell stars as a PI trying to get to the bottom of a disappearance, I’m currently without Apple so I’ll wait for the reviews.
• Mary & George (Starz) Series Premiere, Friday 4/5, 9pm – Mother and son one of whom seduces King James I, I’m not that into the historical stuff but with Julianne Moore, though Starz isn’t high on my list.
• Mr Bates vs the Post Office (PBS) Series Premiere, Sunday 4/7, 9pm – A David vs Goliath story of British postal managers accused of stealing when money started disappearing.

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.