Shows I'm Watching: The Late Fall/Early Winter Edition
Crime, sci-fi, love, and a little humor is on the list.
Before we get into the shows I’m currently watching, the one I want to watch, and those I’ve happily ditched, if you haven’t yet cast your vote for BEST TV & FILM of 2024, please do so [here]. 🔗 Voting ends on New Year's Eve, and winners are announced via [Substack CHAT] on 1/4.
One caveat is that I hadn’t seen A Complete Unknown [review here] or Between the Temples [review there] prior, and both would have been nominated in the best dramedy and actor/actress categories. Oh well, next time…
Watched/Actively Watching
Black Doves [Trailer] on Netflix | Description: British spy drama centering around an international incident, with a fair amount of distrust sprinkled around.
Who's it for: Guy Ritchie fans, but also those who gravitate to Milli Vanilli, or at least can hum a tune of theirs, and by that, I’m referring to “Girl, you know it’s true.” 🎵
Genre: Cerebral Crime 🕵️♀️🔍📝
Status: Finished S1 | Verdict: Highly Bingeable. Good for the “Home for the Holidays” period. Solid acting props go to Keira Knightly, Sarah Lancashire (Julia), and Ben Whishaw.
Bad Sisters S2 [Trailer] on Apple TV+ | Description: Irish sisters do bad things to deserving men and get away with it. Or do they?
Who's it for? Women of a certain age who have experienced a bit of life and have a predilection for retributive justice. And the men who support those women and want to spend time with them (on Friday nights) or know what the heck they are talking about.
Genre: Drama & Crime/ Familial Love & Dysfunction 🕵️♀️🔍📝 ❤️
Status: Watching S2 | Verdict: I could write a love song dedicated to comedian Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe), one of the show’s creators and writers, who also stars in the show. This season isn’t as good as Season 1, but it picks up steam in the second half.
Dexter: Original Sin [Trailer] on Paramount+ / Showtime | Description: The origin story for Dexter Morgan, the beloved serial killer (with a code, of course) from the original series, which ran from 2006-2013.
Who's it for? Tribute fans of the original series and its lackluster spin-off (New Blood) will take any chance to see a spawned series for the show’s title character. Plus, it takes place in the 90s, so vintage fashion, grunge music, and lack of tech make it nostalgic.
Genre: Cat-and-Mouse Psychodrama 🧠 =ᗢ= 🐭
Status: Watching S1 | Verdict: Christian Slater as Harry, Dex’s stepdad, and Sarah Michelle Gellar as the Head of Forensics for the police are major boons here. The fact that Michael C. Hall (the original Dexter) narrates this series makes the Patrick Gibson Dexter casting bearable.
Silo S2 [Trailer] on Apple TV+ | Description: The sci-fi series, created by Graham Yost (Justified) based on the Silo series, follows the story of a dystopian future in which survivors live underground in silos in a society riddled with class injustices and full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them, but don’t.
Who's it for? Initially, likely pissed off Severance fans waiting for a S2 release. Now, the show’s a bonafide hit on its own. Fans of sci-fi, fantasy, and world-building grub will gravitate to this. I’d also argue that having a social justice reformer mindset makes you a shoo-in.
Genre: Sci-Fi, Rebel Reformer Fantasy ⚖️ 🖖 🥷
Status: Watching S2 | Verdict: Blazed through Season 1. The second season has been slower to find its rhythm, but halfway into this season, and with the introduction of some twists and the presence of our favorite Gen X (Reality Bites, That Thing You Do) cool guy, Steve Zahn, it’s picking up.
Get Millie Black [Trailer] on Max | Description: Good cop/Bad cop caper set in Jamaica involving a human trafficking crime syndicate that tackles race, identity, and abuse of power.
Who's it for: Empathetic, culturally curious, gritty crime fans who want the good people to win and believe they can.
Genre: Fast-Paced Thriller 🚔👮♂️👮♀️
Status: Watching S1 | Verdict: I just finished episode 4 and realized why this show is called “Get Millie Black,” or, rather, it finally earned its title. I won’t get it wrong again. At four episodes deep, I’m no longer chomping at the bit to watch a new episode each week, but I appreciate this show when I get around to it.
Somebody, Somewhere S3 [Trailer] on Max | Description: Sam Miller, a 40-something Kansan, returns home to care for her dying sister, Holly, and a year later, finds herself still in her hometown, unsure what to do with her life. Through friendship and healthy nudging from her chosen family, Sam rediscovers her love of music and forges a life in Manhattan, Kansas.
Who's it for? Everyone, but mainly people who feel deeply. So, pretty much anyone reading this.
Genre: Familial, Romantic, Platonic Love Dramedy ❤️ 🎵
Status: Finished S3 - Series Finale | Verdict: Easily, a top 10 show of ALL TIME for me. This show has captured the hearts of middle-aged Americans and is universally loved for a reason. That Bridget Everett’s voice isn’t even the top reason I love it says a lot. But, here, listen anyway to her cover of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush’s Don’t Give Up.
» Want more? Read what
and I had to say after watching the second season [here]On My Watchlist
The Agency [Trailer] on Paramount+ / Showtime
Wiki Description: A covert CIA agent is ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites.
Why? The original French series starring Mathieu Kassovitz (The Bureau) was excellent. While I won’t rush to judgment on its Anglo-cultural translation and my preconceptions of adaptations, the cast excites me: Richard Gere, Michael Fassbender, Jodie Turner-Smith, Harriet Sansom Harris, and Jeffrey Wright, among others.
DNF (Did Not Finish)
Man on the Inside - Premise: Ted Danson, playing a retired engineer/professor (Does it matter?), goes undercover in an assisted living facility to find a thief. Cue older people's jokes and heart-warming, cringeworthy moments. Verdict: Michael Schur, the talented creator behind such mockumentary hits as The Good Place, Office, Parks & Recs, and Brooklyn 99, and who is at least partially responsible for Ted Danson’s comedy sitcom resurgence on NBC, created a lukewarm show that played for laughs but ultimately earned very few. I dropped it after two episodes.
Hysteria - Premise: 1980s Detroit and the Satanists are causing a ruckus with their music and murders, mucking up family values, or are they? Verdict: It was funny and unexpected Halloween fare, but then Thanksgiving came, and I lost interest after about 3, 4, or 5 episodes. It happened right around the second time the teenage girl who got kidnapped in the first episode and managed to escape was recaptured by the bad people. Bruce Campbell, an ‘80s horror film icon (made famous by Sam Raimi's Evil Dead horror series), plays a police chief, which kept me in this for longer than I had intended.
Day of The Jackal - Wiki Premise: An elite sniper (Eddie Redmayne), a master of disguise, and a highly trained killer, the Jackal is an assassin, coldly carrying out hits for a fee. Verdict: The original film from 1973 is better than the 2-3 episodes I saw. There’s something about watching Redmayne for an extended period that bores me. He’s not entirely believable in this role, either. His angular face is rather memorable, and he doesn’t harbor the chameleon-like qualities that the Jackal would need to morph into his different character disguises. For that reason, I was out.
No Good Deed - Premise: A married couple, played by Ray Romano and Lisa Kudrow, are trying to sell their posh, Spanish-style villa LA home. Buyer bidding war ensues. Verdict: The shallowness of the families vying for the house makes me never want to visit LA. Are people really this insipid? I held out hope because the cast is stellar (Luke Wilson, Linda Cardellini, Abbi Jacobson, Dennis Leary), and the show is helmed by Liz Feldman, whose Dead to Me with Christina Applegate is one of my all-time favorite shows, but this fell flat, and worse, soulless. It made me question if I ever liked Kudrow or if she always annoyed me this much. In fairness, I watched one episode. But also, I kept pausing the show to see how much time had elapsed and each episode is only ~30 minutes.
Based on a True Story - Premise: Another married comedic couple pairing, but this one infinitely funnier (played by Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina), take a crack at a true crime podcast after coming face to face with a charming serial killer (Tom Bateman) in a bid to spice up their life and make some money. Verdict: The first season ROCKED. Kaley Cuoco, the Millenial’s Jennifer Aniston, does dark comedy well (See my review of The Flight Attendant), and her ability to spar with Messina keeps you entertained. This season feels a bit milquetoast in comparison. There, I said it. I may revisit it, but I’m hitting the pause button after watching two episodes. They’ve already hit snooze. Maybe I’ll rewatch The Flight Attendant.
What shows are you watching? Which ones did you abandon without regrets? What’s on your watch list?
I love your “Who’s it for” descriptions. Hubby and I were in disagreement on many of these options so we didn’t finish. We did enjoy Black Doves. Agreed. Hurray.
I am almost done with season 2 of Somebody Somewhere and it's such a comfort show. I love the platonic relationship between Sam & Joel and I just love Tricia's character. I'm here for the petty Lying C**t pillow.