57 Channels and Only This Is On: January 19, 2025

 

Mayfair Witches:  Wait, does Rowen really have a pull light switch right next to the switch in her basement?  Seems kind of redundant.  But just as I predicted, the evil spirit has grown to his adult self by the second episode.  But what I could not predict was that he would go on and fork someone to death.  Maybe when the tarot cards are telling you someone bad is coming, maybe do not bring a stranger back to your house.  And wasn’t that Rowen’s cousin?  Is that not incest if he sort of her kid?  I am beginning to think it is not best to put much thought into this show.

 

Skeleton Crew:  Enjoyable finale and show as a whole, but something felt off about Jude Law the whole time.  It felt like he was going to be on a redemption arc, but that went out the window when he straight up murdered the cheap werewolf mask guy.  Then he went on a weird tangent to talk to the computer when he had plenty of credits he could have bailed a long time ago.

 

Harley Quinn:  So we are in Metropolis this season.  Cool.  Hopefully they find a way to work in King Shark.

 

The Head:   Wait, so everyone is dead now except the two chicks from last season?  How did the care blow up?  Though, considering two bodies were burned beyond recognition makes me wonder if one or both are not the people we think they are.  Granted, where do you get a charred body in the middle of the desert that quickly?

 

But kind of an annoying fake-out with the boyfriend being the one in the prison just for him to rebuke punishing Maggie.  Now we have to wait to see if that guy survive and is doing his payback.  Though, if not him, then who did all this.  Granted, it would be hilarious if they just assumed this was part of some evil plan that just turned out to be a comedy of errors, well aside from the sabotage we already know about.

Around the Tubes: January 18, 2025

 

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post includes blurbs on Paradise, A Thousand Blows, and Erin Gibney.

- Hulu has debuted the second trailer for Dan Fogelman's upcoming drama series "Paradise," starring Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden, and Julianne Nicholson.  The series premieres Tuesday January 28 with three episodes at launch, then streams weekly.

- From “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight, “A Thousand Blows” is set in the perilous world of illegal boxing in 1880s Victorian London and based on little explored real-life characters with incredible stories.  The six-episode first season will premiere on Friday, February 21, 2025 on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.  Inspired by the true life stories of a group of characters battling for survival in the brutal East End of London in the 1880s. Hezekiah Moscow and Alec Munroe, best friends on the run from Jamaica, find themselves thrust into the criminal underbelly of London’s thriving bare-knuckle boxing scene. As Hezekiah finds fortune and fame through the art of pugilism, he attracts the attention of the infamous Queen of the Forty Elephants, Mary Carr, who sets about exploiting his talents to further her criminal enterprise. Meanwhile the menacing and self-declared emperor of the East End boxing world, Sugar Goodson, determines to destroy Hezekiah whose ambitions to fight in the West End threatens everything he has built. What ensues is a battle of the old world against the new.

- Country-pop singer-songwriter Erin Gibney just released her new single, "not something i've told my friends," on January 10, 2025, via Rock Ridge Music.  Says Gibney about the song: "'not something i've told my friends" is a song I wrote after I started speaking to my ex again. When we began talking, I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt. I knew it was wrong, I knew I would get hurt, and I knew for sure that my friends would disapprove. My friends had seen me work through all my emotions of the breakup and had been by my side through all of it. They helped me heal, and, by talking to my ex again, I felt like I was not only letting myself down, but letting them down as well. I wrote 'not something i've told my friends' as a way to work through those feelings and remind myself why I stopped talking to my ex in the first place." 

The Ten Most Anticipated Events of 2025

10.  Gross Point Gardening Society (February 23):  The trailer makes this look like a reboot of Desperate Housewives but with AnnaSophia Robb and Amy Santiago.  To which I say, sign me up.  Though, I do wonder if you are doing a Desperate Housewives rip-off, why is it on NBC and not, say, Peacock where you do not have to worry about network restrictions?

 

9.  A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (TBD):  It might be a while before we get another season of Hot D so it seems wise to put on another Game of Thrones spin-off in the middle of the hiatus.  Hopefully this one is better than the first one.

 

8.  Spaceballs 2: Back for More Cash (TBD):  a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, we were promised a Spaceballs sequel.  Now that we got part two of History of the World, not it is time for that long awaited other Mel Brooks promised sequel

 

7.  Apple Cider Vinegar (TBD):  Big year for Kaitlin Deaver, she is going to be in the new season of The Last of Us (albeit playing what I hear is a very divisive character), but I am more interesting in her other, non-IP show coming this year about a health guru who fakes her cancer diagnosis.

 

6.  The Running Man (November 21):  The last time Edgar Wright adapted something, we got cult classic, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.  It will be interesting what he does with the book that was already adapted into an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie.

 

5.  Daredevil: Born Again (March 4):  Last year was a down year for comic book adaptations.  But they are back in full force this year.  Marvel is releasing three films and six television shows.  DC is starting its James Gunn era in earnest with one movie and at least one show.  But the one show I am most excited for is the reboot of the Daredevil show.  Okay, the reshoots and complete overhaul makes me a little skeptical, but hopefully it will end up being as good as the Netflix show.

 

4.  Andor season 2 (April 22):  The first season was one of the best thing Star Wars has ever produced, and apparently has the price tag to prove it.  Thankfully that got it filmed before Disney started tightening the purse strings

 

3.  Wake Up Dead Man: a Knives Out Mystery (TBD):  a new cast of big names are set to annoy Daniel Craig, hopefully this is good as the first two.

 

2.  Predator: Badlands (November 7):  Not much is known about the lasted movie in the franchise.  The title gives you an idea of where it will be set, through it is unclear when.  Prey showed playing with history is an interesting wrinkle for the franchise.  Oh, and the predator is going to match wits with Catherine the Great herself, Elle Fanning.  Huzzah!

 

1.  Happy Gilmore 2 (TBD):  C’mon, was there any doubt as what would be number 1?

The Ten Best Movies I Saw in 2024

 

1.  The Fall Guy

2.  Oppenheimer

3.  Alien: Romulus

4.  Renfield

5.  Abigail

6.  Totally Killer

7.  Turtles All the Way Down

8.  Bullet Train

9.  Cocaine Bear

10.  Mean Girls

57 Channels and Only This Is On: January 12, 2024

 

Mayfair Witches:  Wait, Rowen was pregnant and gave birth to the evil dude from season one that is now aging so quickly, they will probably be able to bring back the actor by next episode?  This is why you do not wait two years in-between seasons.  I do not remember any of this crap.  But if they are going to rip off the What We Do in the Shadows’ storyline, they should have put that actor’s head on a baby’s body.  That would have been much more entertaining.

 

Skeleton Crew:   I have been saying that Jude Law will turn on the kids only to save them in the last minute because it seemed clearly he was on a redemption arc, but it is hard to redeem him when he straight up murdered extremely cheap looking werewolf mask guy.

 

The Challenge: Battle of the Eras:  Poor Michele, all she had to do was be more likable than Tori and she wins.  How exactly did Tori have a higher karma vote than Michele?  Was it simply the vacation alliance?

 

Shifting Gears:  If you told me there was a show starring Kat Dennings, Stifler, and the dude from Ed, I would get excited for it.  Unfortunately that show is top-lined by Tim Allen.  Sigh.

 

The Head:  Our long national nightmare is finally over, I have The Max again, and just in time to catch up on this season of The Head.  I was surprised to see the show is being released weekly because the previous two seasons were all at once.  Not only that, The Max usually releases two to three episode at once. 

 

This season is an upgrade from season two.  Maggie is the most interesting character and it is nice having her back in middle of anything instead of just trying to find where Arthur is.  Speaking of Arthur, I have to assume he is not dead, otherwise, why have his flashback?  I am also assuming at this point he is corresponding with Maggie in some mind game.  But is he behind the current timeline?  His daughter has been conspicuously safe so far and I think he gave the playbook of what he would do earlier this season.  As for now, I am going with him, but hoping for a more interesting twist.

Around the Tubes: January 11, 2025

 

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post includes blurbs on Roy Wood Jr.: Lonely Flowers, Harlem, The Best Heart Attack of My Life, Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler. 

- Hulu has debuted the trailer for the Original comedy special "Roy Wood Jr.: Lonely Flowers."  The special will premiere on Friday, January 17 and is the third Original special in Hulu's new stand-up comedy brand, Hularious.  TRAILER | In this stand-up special, Roy Wood Jr explores how lack of connection has sent society spiraling into a culture full of guns, rude employees, self-checkout lanes, and why some of us would rather be alone rather than be connected. 

- After a shocking Season Two finale cliffhanger that left audiences on the edge of their seats, Harlem will return for its third and final season on January 23, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. From creator and writer Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip), Harlem Season Three will follow the core four women on the precipice of change like never before. Whether it be motherhood, singlehood, sisterhood, complicated career journeys, or even more complicated families, our stylish and ambitious best girlfriends strive to finally choose themselves above all else.  “As we prepare to say goodbye to this incredible series, we’re both grateful for the journey Tracy has taken us on and excited for our global customers to experience a final season that truly honors these characters,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios. “This chapter may be coming to a close, but the series will continue to resonate for years to come.”  Watch The Official Season Three Trailer HERE

- A new dramedy with a whole lot of heart.  Based on the eponymous book by Argentine author Hernán Casciari and inspired by real events, “The Best Heart Attack of My Life” follows a frustrated writer who survives a heart attack thanks to the help of his hosts at the temporary rental house where he is staying. It’s an event that will change his life, and that of those around him, forever.  Available in both subtitled and English-dubbed formats, the six-episode first season will premiere on Friday, January 24, 2025 on Hulu. The series will also be available on Disney+ internationally.  Trailer HERE.

- Multi-platinum singers, songwriters, and producers Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler kick off 2025 with the official release of their fan favorite cover of Gracie Abrams’ viral hit “That’s So True,” recorded at their recent SiriusXM Coffeehouse Session—listen HERE and watch their live performance on SiriusXM HERE.  The duo wrapped 2024 with the release of their critically acclaimed album brent iii and a sold-out Brent Forever: The Tour across North America. Grammy.com praised the album saying, “brent iii takes their profound artistic partnership to new heights and gracefully bookends the brent project,” while UPROXX declared, “Chelsea Cutler and Jeremy Zucker cornered the market on ‘cozy fall’ with their collaborative brent series, and the coziness is hitting apex on brent iii.”

The Twentieth Annual Scooter Television Awards

 

Best Drama: Shōgun

 

Best Comedy: Only Murders in the Building

 

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show: Extraordinary

 

Best Comic Book / Video Game Adaptation: Fallout

 

Best Period Show: Shōgun

 

Best Animated Show: Everybody Still Hates Chris

 

Best Reality Show: Selena + Restaurant

 

Best Remake, Reboot, or (non-comic book) Adaptation: Shōgun

 

Best Miniseries: A Gentleman in Moscow

 

Best Talk Show: Pardon the Interruption

 

Best New Show: Shōgun

  

Guiltiest Guilty Pleasure: Tell Me Lies

 

Worst Show I Made Though an Entire Season Of: Pretty Little Liars: Summer School

 

Best Hour of TV: Did Your Dirty Words Come Out to Play (Tell Me Lies)

 

Best Half Hour of TV: Two for the Road (Only Murders in the Building)

 

Biggest Shocker: The return of Ben Glenroy… sort of.  (Only Murders in the Building)

 

Best Line: "You, sir, are a silly little man! And your hair looks like the tail of a pony!"  (Blackthorn, Shōgun)

 

Worst Idea: Password sharing crackdown (seriously, who cares if you share your password with family members especially if you are on the ad supported tier?)

 

Worst Moment: I do not remember the exact moment, but whenever I realize The Acolyte was a complete mess.  

 

Biggest Disappointment: Era 1 being wiped out early on The Challenge

 

Best Musical Moment: The Perfect Strangers Theme (Only Murders in the Building)

 

Best Karaoke: The Witches’ Road (Agatha All Along)

 

Best New Title Sequence: Shōgun

 

Best GIF: (where are all the GIF’s from the Slapsgiving episode of Tell Me Lies; c’mon Hulu, get on that.)

  

Best Character: Dorothy Lyon (F argo)

 

Best Recurring Character: Glen Stubbins (Only Murders in the Building)

 

Best Guest Appearance:  Scott Bakula (Only Murders in the Building)

 

Best Cast Addition: Death (The Marvel Cinematic Universe)

 

Best Duo: Mariko and the Anjin (Shōgun)

 

Best Trio:  Mabel Mora, Charles Hayden Savage, and Oliver Putnum (Only Murders in the Building)

 

Most Entertaining Male Reality “Star”:  Nicholas "Sifu" Alsup (Survivor)

 

Most Entertaining Female Reality “Star”:  Selena Gomez (Selena + Chef)

 

Most Annoying Reality:  Josh (The Challenge)

 

Most Anticipated New Show of the Next Season: Apple Cider Vinegar

 

Most Anticipated Reboot:  Daredevil: Born Again

 

Show That Should Be Brought Back: Interior Chinatown

 

Biggest Question for 2025: Who could possibly want to kill Leonard?  And what does Téa Leoni have to do with it?