2. Prime Target - I added this show to my list after watching Leo Woodall in the new Bridget Jones movie. He's a cutie pie. I'm only on the 3rd episode, but I kind of regret it. It's not bad, per say, but I'm definitely bored by it and I know there's a million other things I could be watching (there are TOO MANY shows right now! I still haven't watched Adolescence, The Studio, Dying for Sex, the new Daredevil! I'm so behind!). It's described as a "Bourne Identity" type show, but I don't get that vibe at all (I know it's early still). But, I really do like Leo - and I just realized that he's with Megan Fehy in real life???!! Since their season of The White Lotus??!! That's so cute! I love her (and I'm so happy she's starring in a new film. The Drop? I think it's called that. Anyway, she's a STAR for sure). I like that Woodall's character, the main character, is gay - and it's not really a topic of discussion. Seems rare for a thriller type series with a hot newcomer. I also like the actress in this, Quintessa Swindell. She's definitely got screen presence. It's just that the pilot episode was SO SLOW and BORING until the last 10 minutes, when something finally happens. And the the second episode is the same until the last 2 minutes (I was NOT expecting that ending!). But it's really annoying to watch 50 minutes of nothing before something good. The third ep picks up...slightly. It's quite scary to think about the level of surveillance that is happening in the world right now, but also I lead a very boring life so I don't really mind if I'm being watched (I know it's not right though, but I don't care enough to...care, if that makes sense. Like my husband has a vpn (? I think that's what it's called lol) on his phone to block things like targeted ads, etc. and I just...don't care. Anyway, I'm kind of interested in where this story is going, but I'm just not fully invested in it.
3. The Pitt - When this was first released, I told myself that I'm definitely NOT going to watch another medical show. I'm still hate-watching Grey's Anatomy! It's been like 20 years! Plus, I thought it was weird that Noah Wyle was doing this role again. But then the rave reviews starting pouring in, and I couldn't help myself. AND LET ME TELL YOU: This is the BEST new drama series of the year. Maybe 5 years? Maybe in the last decade. It's like ER by way of 24. But also AMAZING (and you won't see a crowning birthing shot in ER). The concept seems so simple - set in an emergency room following around the staff during a 16 hour shift in real time (each episode is one hour of their shift). But, from a filming aspect, it's technically spectacular - the way the camera weaves between these characters, following different plots and perspectives so seamlessly. It's brilliant. But the only reason it works is because these characters are fully realized. And complicated. None of them are seen as superhuman - they are flawed, emotional, exhausted, broken people who are in a work environment that involves saving peoples lives. Noah Wyle leads the way, and if he doesn't win an Emmy for this, I WILL RIOT (quietly from my couch). I feel like him having so much "doctor" experience from his ER days, is actually why this performance is so good. We already trust him as a doctor, so we can focus on the human side of this character - and that human-ness really comes through towards the end of the season during episode 12 & 13, in which the ER is hit with victims of a mass shooting event. I'm not exaggerating when I say that these are the two best episodes of television that I've seen since Breaking Bad's "Ozymandias". It's unforgettable. I don't think we've ever seen the effects of a mass shooting event with this much intensity and devastation. But the thing is - the series starts off great from the first episode, so it's not like every other show that people often go "oh...it gets SO GOOD, you just have to stick with it", instead it's like "OMG this is SO GOOD". And then it just keeps getting better!!! It almost seems impossible. But, anyway, back to the cast - I think most are relatively unknown actors. The only ones I recognize are Shawn Hatosy (who disappointedly disappears after the first episode, but don't worry he comes back WITH A VENGEANCE), and Katherine LaNasa (although I admit, I never knew her name before - but she's been in a lot of stuff. Most notably, Justified). But you'll get to know the other names like Taylor Dearden (who is Bryan Cransten's daughter!!), Isa Briones, Fiona Dourif (who is Brad Dourif's daughter!!! Nepobabies ARE GOOD!!), Tracy Ifeachor, Supriya Ganesh and my personal favorite, Gerran Howell because they ALL deserve ALL the awards. And I say my favorite is Howell, because his character is the most loveable (Huckleberry for the win! Plus the actor is Welsh, but his American accent is perfect), but it's really hard to choose because all of the characters get a moment to shine. The final episode is really good too because we learn things about some of the characters that are quite shocking, but it's all told so matter-of-factly. I almost cried when I learned that Huckleberry was homeless and then Santos invites him to live with her ("I know Krav Maga", "cool. I don't know who that is". LOL through the tears). Santos is probably the most interesting character because she's made to be unlikeable, and almost like a bully, but you WILL end up liking her. I will admit that they go a little too far with all of the emergencies and it's a bit unrealistic - in the first 7 hours we see a possible sex trafficking victim, a spider bite, a child drowning, a poisoned child molester, a shooting victim, etc., when in reality most people in an ER are there for the flu or a car accident. But it keeps the drama moving and keeps your interest. The episodes FLY by. I also like that a lot of the storylines are kept open and/or are unresolved because that does feel real. I can't wait for season two!!
4. Gross Pointe Garden Society - I was in for a new trashy Desperate Housewives drama, and this isn't quite there, but I'm entertained nonetheless. I LOVE Aja Naomi King, but I think she should be a movie star by now. She's put in the work! Why has nobody cast her in a big lead role yet? This feels very similar to her other big series How to Get Away With Murder, and I just feel like she should be bigger than that now. I also really enjoy Melissa Fumero in such a different role from Brooklyn Nine-Nine because she is nailing it! Her comedic timing is incredible ("I gotta work" "On a Wednesday??" LOL), but it's not the same kind of comedy as as sitcom. It's more sarcastic and bitter, but still hilarious. I'm not fully bought in on the mystery - they killed someone (maybe? At least that's what they want you to believe, but I'm guessing whoever it is died by accident or self-defense reasons but they panic and think they will be blamed so they hide the body?), and every episode goes back to telling the story pre-"murder" and post- "murder", and sometimes the timeline is confusing (especially if you look down for more than two seconds and the timeline switches). I'm also not loving the whole "who killed the dog" mystery because WHY DID A DOG HAVE TO DIE? Nobody wants to watch that as entertainment. But this is a good show to throw on while you're doing other things - it's not hard to pay attention to, but if you miss something, it's not hard to figure out what's going on. And the characters are all likeable. And the costume design is glorious - especially their gardening outfits! LOL - who would actually wear any of that gardening though?? I wear an oversize tshirt and jeans that are one more hole or stain away from being garbage.
5. Long Bright River - I feel like this show has been done a million times, but I'm a big fan of Amanda Seyfried after The Dropout. But I've actually been a fan for a while - I remember being really surprised by her portrayal of Linda Lovelace. I think she was just cast in a lot of dumb blonde roles early on but she's so much stronger than those roles. The problem with this show is that I feel like I've already seen it. It's like True Detective mixed with that show from last year with Riley Keough (sorry my brain is not working and I can't remember the name of it). It's about a series of murdered unhoused sex workers that nobody cares about until she starts to, but only because it reminds her of her missing sister. This whole "missing sister" plotline is extremely confusing (how long has her sister been missing? 10 years? One year? A few months? I couldn't tell you). And I have no idea why she talks to her son like he's a 70 yar old man? Is there something wrong with the kid??? They kind of act like there is, but he seems totally normal. Also every episode feels 10 hours long - I'm only on the 4th episode but I could swear I was on the 8th episode at least. This might be because of the amount of ads that play during the episodes. Seriously, the pilot episode had more ad breaks than I've ever seen during an episode on a streaming service. What is Peacock doing? I don't feel like it has a big enough audience yet to pull this ad shit. If I had to cancel a streaming service this would be at the top of the list already, and now the ads would make it a lock. ANYWAY, there's a strong supporting cast - like the guy who played Benvolio in Romeo + Juliet!!! He's been consistently working as a guest actor in like one or two episodes of a series, but I've never seen him have a regular main role in anything. He's great! And I like that they are connecting the missing girls to the opioid crisis - this is often the start of the end for unhoused women who end up in this line of work. It could happen to anyone who has addictive tendencies and no familial support, but people still look down in judgement and think that people "deserve" their fate. But I wish the show focused more on this, and less on her personal life. There is NO WAY in Hell that I would be a police officer if I was a single mom. It's such a dangerous all-consuming job. So the whole plot doesn't make sense to me. The missing girls mystery is kind of stupid too because I could have told you within the first 30 minutes of episode one that a cop was involved, but we don't find that info out until the end of the third. She's not a very good cop, is she? And the thing that bothers me the most: the actress that plays the younger version of Mickey literally looks nothing like her at all.
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