Thoughts on 5 New TV Shows

1. House of the Dragon - I'm so mad that I started watching this fucking show. I had no plans to watch it, but then reviews starting rolling in and everyone started saying great things about it (some even giving it 10 out of 10 *AHEM*), so I was like "well I guess I have to watch it!". But I definitely didn't. It's so blah. Every single thing that has happened so far has been incredibly predictable (I'm on episode 6, I think) and I hate every single character. I will say that the acting is FAR better than it was on Game of Thrones, though, so thank fuck for that (90% of the acting on GoT was awful - the only exceptions were Dinklage and Headey). I usually do prefer when they do time jumps that they get new actors instead of aging or de-aging the actors, but it's super weird that they only replace the two main actresses. And it's even weirder that the "older" actresses don't look that much older than the younger versions. I do love Olivia Cooke though - she's definitely a big draw for me. I also think that the other actress is great too (sorry, I'm having a lazy day and don't feel like googling her name), but she also looks identical to Hunter Schafer from Euphoria (I honestly thought it was her until I saw someone else say she looked like Hunter - baffling that those are two different people!). Paddy Considine is one of the greats, obviously. My only real problem with the cast is obviously Matt Smith (I know I've mentioned several times how much I hate him). I know I'm in the minority with that one, but I honestly can't understand how anyone thinks he's hot, but also he's a terrible actor too! I also think it's absolutely psychotic that people root for this couple??? Just baffling. Anyway, I don't really expect it to get better, but I'm somehow still invested so I'll keep watching (obvi). 

2. Reboot - This is cute! I thought the idea of it was kind of dumb, but that cast drew me in! Rachel Bloom! Paul Reiser! JUDY GREER! ELIZA COUPE! All just terrific. Bloom is definitely the standout. Her and Reiser have incredible chemistry as father/daughter. And after watching the pilot episode, I no longer think the idea is dumb because it is definitely taking the "sitcom" in a new direction. We are getting this influx of reboots. The Fresh Prince, Saved by the Bell, Full House - all have reboots. And SURPRISE! You know what else apparently has a reboot?? Reiser's Mad About You! I found this out because I thought to myself "wow, I really miss Paul Reiser" (I know he's in Stranger Things, but he's not funny in that) and I used to LOVE Mad About You - so I googled if there was ever talk of a reboot and apparently it already exists! It's listed as a "Spectrum Original". What the fuck is that? Another streaming service?? Ugh. Anyway, back to this show, I think playing off of the "reboot" idea works really well. The show moves really quickly, has some great one-liners, is easy to binge-watch, and has some great back and forth between the different generations, with great commentary on what's considered "acceptable" within the comedy realm. It's also genuinely funny while also being fairly broad comedy (I honestly laughed out loud when he said he made reservations at "The O.G" and it's The Olive Garden). Also, my favorite TV dad shows up in the last episode (Sandy Cohen!). I can't wait for season 2 (*crosses fingers that there will be a season 2*)

3. American Gigolo - I have no idea how this ended up on my watchlist? I feel like I saw a trailer for it and it looked good, but it's not. At least so far. I think I'm on the 4th episode, but not much has happened other than someone getting murdered in the beginning. And then they just talk about it for 4 episodes. I'm waiting for the rest of the story to emerge, but I'm afraid that it's not going to? I like Jon Bernthal a lot, but I really, really, really like Gretchen Mol. I've always been a big fan of Rosie O'Donnell (I used to watch her talk show every single day. Recorded it on a VHS tape so that I could watch it after school), but she is giving one of the worst performances I've ever seen and it's making me sad. It's like she's trying too hard to be nonchalant, but it doesn't even make sense for the character because she's playing cop who actually cares about solving the case. It's so weird. I watched the movie version that the series is based on quite a while ago, and I don't really remember it, but I thought I liked it. It doesn't even feel like it's in the same universe as this show is, though. I also don't think the non-linear story is working at all - the timeline is confusing and so far none of the episodes have felt cohesive at all. On a side note - I'll never understand attractive women paying for sex, though. Like literally just go outside - an attractive man will have sex with you. For free! Anyway, I'm not really invested at all, but I'm hopeful that it will get better? Please? 

4. Andor - I was really looking forward to this. I LOVED Rogue One - honestly, it's one of my favorite Star Wars projects. I also LOVE Diego Luna, but was pleasantly surprised to find out that Adria Arjona is in this. Unfortunately, I'm not loving it. I don't dislike it, but I'm 4 episodes in and...not much has happened? I really like the vibe of it, though, because it feels kind of Blade Runner-esque. It's darker, more adult-like, but I'm also waiting for it to pull me in. Also, there is another actress in this that I really don't like - the one that's in that movie Monday (I didn't like her in that, but was willing to give her another chance, but I hate her in this too! Again, too lazy to google her name *shrugs*). She's kind of ruining things for me even more. I don't have much more to say about it but it's still early, though, and like I said, I like the vibe of it. 

5. Last Light - It's been a long time since I've been stuck watching a bad television show (and I mean genuinely bad, not like HotD, that is a well-made show that I just don't like. There's a big difference) - I've been much better at limiting my viewing, plus television is good now! Even some of the bad shows are good by comparison to actual bad shows (not sure that sentence makes sense, but it does in my head). But this is bad bad. Real bad. Luckily it's only 5 episodes long, so I'm not stuck watching it for 11 seasons (*ahem* The Walking Dead). And I think it's a mini-series and it received mostly terrible reviews (that I saw after watching it!), so it's doubtful that there will be another season of it. The reason I watched it is for Matthew Fox; I've been a fan since Party of Five, but even more so with Lost. He's an incredible actor and is waaaay underrated because he's known mostly for television and has never quite made the jump to solid film roles. Well, unfortunately, while watching this, I was bored and googled him out of curiosity because I *thought* he was one of the "good guys" in Hollywood, but apparently he might not be??? I never heard about the alleged assault (he was accused of punching a female bus driver) nor had I heard about the accusation from his Lost co-star that he "beats women", which is a pretty serious accusation to make for no reason? Also, I'm confused as to whether he is still with his wife - some websites still have them married (to the same woman for 30 years!), but some have them separated or divorced - but I couldn't find anything about him being abusive towards her. But again, there must have been a reason this accusation came to light? So disappointing, but I guess it's not that surprising anymore. Anyway, the reason the show is so bad is simply because it's boring. Like, so boring for a show about a global apocalypse type event. It's desperately trying for a World War Z kind of vibe, but it fails miserably. I do like the actress from Downton Abbey, though! I don't think I've ever seen her in anything else so it was a little jarring at first, but she's adorable.