1. Watchmen - The hype was real for this, and for the most part, I think it lives up to it. The cast is incredible. I've been a Regina King fan for years, but she really thrived in this. The standout performance, for me though, is Jean Smart. I used to watch Designing Women when I was a kid - and I used to think she was so funny, but it was a different kind of funny than what most women on television were at that time - she was smart funny and dry funny. She's been around for years on various tv shows (24, Samantha Who?), but it really wasn't until Fargo that I remembered how much I love her. The third episode of Watchmen, Jean gives an unforgettable performance - it's just sublime. The story is ambitious (maybe a little too ambitious?), but ultimately really strong. It's based around a dark day in American history - the Tulsa massacre, and how the events of something so traumatic can have decades-long consequences. I'm glad that this is just a one season show - not everything needs to be dragged out for forever.
2. The Outsider - I was nervous about this because I thought it was going to be similar to the other current Stephen King television show, Castle Rock. While the cast on Castle Rock is outstanding, the rest of the show is hot garbage. Luckily, The Outsider is far more cohesive and interesting. The mystery is really creepy and the suspense builds nicely with each episode. Ben Mendelsohn really carries the series, but I have to say, Cynthia Erivo is mesmerizing as Holly Gibney - probably one of my favorite characters on current television (no-one comes close to Villanelle, though). I was really rooting for Cynthia at the Oscars this year (obviously she wasn't going to win the Actress award because everyone had their mind set on Zellweger for some baffling reason, but she could have taken home the Song award), which would have made her an EGOT winner at the young age of 33 (if you count Daytime Emmys - which I personally think should count). Also, Julianne Nicholson is such an underrated actress. She will probably be overlooked for this performance, but she does such a great job of portraying grief and anger in a really vulnerable way. Overall, I would definitely recommend this if you are into horror/sci-fi shows - it comes to a satisfying conclusion, so I'm interested to see how they continue the story for another season.
3. The Mandalorian - I have to admit that by the time I got around to watching this I wanted to punch every single person who posted a Baby Yoda meme. And then I started watching the show, and came to the realization that I WOULD DIE FOR BABY YODA. Literally. He's just about the most adorable creature ever put on screen. Every time he appears, my heart just burst with joy. Anyway, I'm a little disappointed that Pedro Pascal keeps that helmet on for the entire season because I love him, and I kept forgetting that it was him under there. Plus, I'm not sure he's the best actor to use purely based on voice? I'm not really familiar with the extended Star Wars universe, so some of the plot went over my head, but overall I enjoyed this.
4. Devs - I'm not fully invested in this show. It keeps bouncing back and forth between being extremely predictable to what the fuck is happening/this doesn't make any sense. And I'm not sure it's going to be worth it. Also, the cast is weird - like nobody matches their role. I'm only on episode 4 so I assume (hopefully) that it will all come together cohesively, and that maybe the weird acting is done on purpose. I think I just had higher hopes for it because Alex Garland has some pretty neat sci-fi ideas. But so far, it just feels like a chore to watch.
5. Avenue 5 - This is an entertaining little comedy/sci-fi. I enjoyed it, and laughed out loud quite a few times. It's a little bit of mindless entertainment, but sometimes that's necessary - just to watch something that doesn't take too much mental energy is sometimes a blessing, especially during recent events. The cast work really well together - and even though I really don't like Josh Gad, he has some really funny dialogue to work with. I'm excited for season two - and I can see this show working for multiple seasons and growing into something great. The basics for a great show are all there.
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