57 Channels and Only This Is On: November 12, 2023

 

 Fear the Walking Dead:  So Morgan recently went back to Atlanta and now Dwight is going all the way to Virginia?  Geez, it is like there is unlimited fuel in the apocalypse.  How are these people driving long distances?

 

Survivor:  Well, Kaleb’s Shot in the Dark turned out was worthless if he was just voted out the very next week.  But it looks like we are heading for an all chick’s alliance.  How often does that actually work out?  Just Parvati?

 

The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion:  How appropriate on the Pride episode, it comes down to two gay homosexuals being up for elimination?

 

Doom Patrol:  Well, that did seem like a pretty definitive ending.  I wonder what would have happen if there was a third season.  Would Rita have stayed dead?

 

Loki:  They really suck Sylvie with that silly mullet all season?  I feel really bad for her.  So Loki is just He Who Remains Now?  Though I am confused what actually happened to Who He Remains.  But this whole season was confusing.

 

Lessons in Chemistry:   I recently got three free months of Apple TV+ and got caught up on this show.  It is hilarious.  Though of the shows I have watched so far, there seems to be a theme on this service of shows that I laugh a lot through, but I am not entirely sure if they are actually supposed to be funny (The Morning Show and See being the other two that fit this bill).  Calvin being hit by the bus followed by an episode with a talking dog was just wild.

 

As for the latest episode, I was surprised none of Elizabeth’s audience actually showed up to the protest.  Except her rowing partner was there but was not actually even mentioned at all like he was a glorified extra.   And just how does the priest know Calvin?  I get a very strong female Forrest Gump from this show and these giant coincidences just feeds into it.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: November 5, 2023

 

Fear the Walking Dead:  Wait, Charlie is alive?  I am pretty sure we saw her die.  Although, I guess she is dead now, granted we did not actually see her die.  Just heard a gunshot and saw some brown hair under a tarp, so, who knows, maybe she will come back to life a second time.

 

Survivor:  The Shot in the Dark is so forking stupid.  Especially if Kaleb gets voted out next week.  But maybe he will end up like Wentworth who got all but two or three votes and make it quite further in the game.

 

The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion:  Yeah, there was no chance they were able to get 23 ball in 23 minutes that was just an impossible task.  But I did like this challenge.  It is a shame it was not two teams to see who can do it the fastest.  That would have been fun.

 

Quantum Leap:  An episode in the middle of the L.A. Riots was as awkward as I was expecting.  

 

Doom Patrol:  There is really only one episode left?  How are they going to take down Immortus and the butts with teeth at the same time?

 

Loki:  So how did Sylvie manage to keep a Temp Pad when the TVA seemed to disappear?  But if Loki time jumps to before the start of the season and just negates everything we saw, that will just make this a waste of a season.  And I was extremely disappointed that Casey was not actually from Jacksonville.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 28, 2023

 

Fear the Walking Dead:  Thankfully they explained who that the big reveal was because did not remember that guy at all.  He was from, what, the second season?  I vaguely remember him and his family took in the main cast but then (shocker!) turned out to be evil.  But I think it is pretty reasonable to assume that someone you bashed in the head with a hammer died and did not just lose an eye. 

 

Billions:  I wonder at what point they decided to end the series with Take the Money and Run.  I would not be at all surprised if it they thought of it right after deciding to do a show about evil people with a lot of money.  But good riddance to this show.  Oh, wait, they are developing Million, Trillions and shows set in London and Miami (where it sound like Wags will be going).  Meh.

 

Survivor:  These Gen Z’ers are annoying.  You are grown men, stop playing with your Pokémon.  Even someone on The Challenge was talking about those things for small children.  At least one of them got voted out. 

 

The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion:  Finally a season without the same old boring cast members with the same old alliances… well, at least until the champions arrive.  Though it does seem at this point they may not show up until the “Chaos” section.  And everyone working together for The Challenge was weird.  What happens when they succeed?  Where is the drama?  But poor women, they all decide to vote for a guy and the very first women nominate another woman.  I do wonder how the whole vote would have gone down if anyone other than Berna had voted first.  They really should do a secret vote like in USA. 

 

Doom Patrol:  So the Butt’s with Teeth can talk now?  Cool.  Though how did the one Butt with Teeth become the scientist lady? 

 

Loki:  So all time has been destroyed?  Well, Marvel had a good run.  Oh wait, there is still two episodes left?  How do you continue after the destruction of all time?

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 22, 2023

  

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon:  Much like Dead City, I was not aware this was an ongoing series, though will there be much Daryl in the Book of Carol?  I just hope the zombies killed the kid.

 

Billions:  So Prince just let Taylor walk?  Seems uncharacteristic of him.  And how was Bobby let back in the US?  Wasn’t he wanted by the federal government?  But Prince has his vice president and crushed the Bobby/Chuck alliance.  Congratulation, it was a good run for the show.  Good night.  Oh, wait; there is still one more episode left?  Oh, Prince is going down.

 

Survivor:  Really, another quitter?  Someone needs to fire the casting division (get a new casting director for The Challenge why you are at it CBS).  The problem is just way too many super-fans.  The show used to look like a cross-section of American and now it looks more like a D&D convention.  What happen to all the athletes?  Beauty Queens?  Anyone over 40?  Now it is just nerds who cannot even climb a ladder or dive under a log without breaking their skull.  Probst should be embarrassed by this season.

 

Doom Patrol:  Happy Immortus Day!  You knew a musical episode of this show would not disappoint.

 

Loki:  Ultron was evil and all, but at least he did not want a physical form to fork a dude.  I am not sure if that is more or less creepy than Loki wanting to hook up with the female variant of himself.

 

The Challenge: USA:  Well, at least Chris was able to win a show without some stupid loop hole, so congrats I guess.  Dude is still boring and probably should not been cast.  Now I just need to decide, what was a funnier way for Fessy to bomb out of a final: not being able to eat gross things after blaming his partner’s bad ankle or going the wrong way because even the chicks were able to hit an axe on a target? 

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 15, 2023

  

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon:  Oh no, they are going to kill Daryl?!?!?  Oh wait, the promo completely spoiled that he is going to get out of the predicament.  Not that I thought for a second they were going to kill off the titular character.

 

Billions:  Finally, Bobby is back.  For someone who was front and center in the poster, the guy has barely been here.  If he appears in the final two episodes, that would be just five of the twelve.  But my bigger complaint is that Prince got U2 to play at his political campaign (one of the least believable things to have ever happen on this show; and that is saying a lot) but they played Beautiful Day at the end of the episode instead of the much better End of the World.  Though that is a weird request for a political rally.

 

Quantum Leap:  So Magic no longer works for the military?  So why was he allowed back in the building?  The modern day timeline has always been really stupid.

 

Doom Patrol:  Thankfully they put out two episodes because I had absolutely no clue who Immortus was.  But then again, I was unaware that the person who played Rita in the stage production was the same person who Madame Rouge pushed into the hole.  Then it looks like we are getting a musical episode next week.  Awesome.

 

Loki:  Of all the places in time of any planet this show could have sent Sylvie, they sent her to the one place and time where she got herself one of the most hideous mullets ever.

 

The Challenge: USA:  Were they actively trying to ruin Hall Brawl?  That puzzle was so stupid if it was easier to just run back and forth ten feet and guess rather than actually solve it.  Remember when you used to get a penalty for a wrong guess?  Then the Hall Brawl aspect meant nothing, basically the first one through got maybe a half a second head start on the puzzle.  Why did anyone bother to fight in the hall is beyond me.  So stupid.  But at least Josh finally went home.  Please stop bringing him back.

57 Challenge and Only This Is On: October 8, 2023

 

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon:  Not killing the dad is probably going to come back and bite Daryl.  He better hope the auntie is very persuasive.

 

Billions:  So Prince knows of the coup but we still have not gotten to the scene where he throws a chair through Wendy’s window.  I guess that comes when the alliance to bring him down actually does separate Prince from his billions.  So now Prince is bringing in a guy and Chuck is bringing in a guy… could they both actually be bringing in Bobby?  Bobby is clearly the guy Chuck is recruiting for their group, but why exactly would Prince trust Bobby at all?  But I predict that Chuck’s thumb drive gets exposed before the end of the season.

 

Only Murders in the Building:  On no, poor Sazz. Though I did predict that someone would kill her thinking it was Charles way back in season one. Finally got that right belatedly.

 

This finale was missing some hilarious reveal. First season had a drugged Charles, there was the Killer Reveal Party in the second season. I thought it was coming when Mabel mentioned it was too easy when they got the mom to confess. Instead it seemed like they went for a too dramatic reveal with the producer threatening to kill himself which just felt out of place on this show. It probably did not help that the producers were the worst part of this season.

 

But hey, we did finally get a full performance of Creatures of the Night. And I guess the nanny turned out to be the killer in the musical. I mentioned this last week, but I really hope they film a full production of Death Rattle Dazzle and put it out as a special as we wait for I have to assume will be a strike delayed fourth season.

 

Ashoka:  I have been saying all season: they should have found someone better than Erza. Looks like I have been proven right because the bum has up and left them. Now here Ahsoka and Sabine are, foreign to their world. Straight and composed, Thrawn's sermons they can do without. But I am sure they have found that everybody loves to love them when they're far, far away.

 

Quantum Leap:  Really, writers and actors were on strike, but this was the show that somehow managed to come back?  And they yadda yadda three years?  This is going to be a rough season.

 

Loki:  Well, that was confusing.  But at least there was more Pillboi and the new guy was funny.  Gotta love the duct tape bit.  But pretty ominous that one of the judges is Kaittlyn Stark’s creepy sister.

 

The Challenge: USA:   Oh, Michele, I told you that you chose unwisely last week.  But hilarious that the Goof is offering to go in himself next week.  I would love to see it.  But who can he beat at Hall Brawl.  But hey, at least it is not the throwing challenge from earlier this season.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: July 30, 2023

 

The Walking Dead: Dead City:  Wait, so this was not a limited series?  For some reason I thought it was, but that certainly did not feel like an ending.  But if the Croat’s gameplan this whole time was to get Negan to his side, why not just ask?  Why the elaborate plan to kidnap Maggie’s kid when he could have just rolled up to wherever Negan  was.

 

Cruel Summer:  So who could have the dude page that could have also been the killer?  I think maybe it was the black dude.  He could hold a grudge that he took his girl early this season.   Of course the death could always be an accident so maybe it is brother.  It would be hilarious if it turns out to be Parker who seemed important early but looks to be this season Angela who was this mysterious newcomer who turned out to be no one important.

 

Justified: City Primeval:  Hopefully actually got on that plane, I fear we might see her again, even before the finale when I have to assume there is a father / daughter trip to Graceland.

 

Secret Invasion:  Did they really need to gun down Shooter McGavin like that?  Was there even a human version of him?  I did not see him in the pod rescue scene.  So is Khallissi the most powerful person in the MCU now?  She has the power of pretty much everyone who was at the Endgame battle.  That makes her way too powerful.

 

Full Circle:  I am still confused by what exactly Claire Danes did twenty year ago and how exactly her uncle fit into all of thise.  Though I did enjoy that her dad just turned out to be a clueless moron.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: July 23, 2023

 

The Walking Dead: Dead City:  I do not get why the bald dude let the Croat that they were coming?  What exactly think what would happen?  And where did all the Croat’s people go, and more importantly, where is Hershel?  It seems like he has been abandoned.  Do they have a backup lair?

 

Cruel Summer:  Well, we already know that the dude was grazed, so pretty obviously Isabella did not kill him with the cliffhanger shot.  The question is did all the drugs and alcohol actually kill him?  Since there are a couple episodes left, I guess the obvious answer is no.  My theory is that after what they did this night, the girls decide to keep him captive (how season one), he gets loose, and then someone kills him.

 

Justified: City Primeval:  It is great to have this show back even though Raylan’s daughter is annoying (okay, ordering the dumbest drink on the menu was hilarious, right up there with when the Crowe attempted the 12 Foot Rule on Raylan and the time Dewey thought he had four kidneys).  Hopefully he puts her on the first flight to Florida at the start of the next episode.  These are also lower tier Justified villain.  He is too much of a mustache twirling villain with no depth. 

 

Secret Invasion:  So the dad is dead-dead, burial and all.  But is Fury’s wife just going to try and kill everyone that Gravik sends?  Speaking of Gravik, how exactly do you kill someone who indestructible?  Bomb?

 

Full Circle:  Is this a comedy?  I laughed a few times, there is noted comedian Jim Gaffigan, but it still feels very much like a drama despite the multiple comedies of errors.  I feel like I would have liked the show more if it were an over the top comedy.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: July 16, 2023

 

 

The Walking Dead: Dead City:  So no one notice Negan dispose of a body and clean up the crime scene?  Lucky for him I guess.  But trying to humanize Negan by being upset that the Croat killed someone when dude went around at this time bashing people’s skulls in is a bit much.

 

Cruel Summer:  Well, the girls now have motive with him trying to mack on both girls.  I wonder if they try to entrap him in a threesome but them torture him, but one goes too far.  Crazy neighbor seems more and more like a red herring.

 

Secret Invasion:  Of course she was not actually dead; Emilia Clarke is too famous to be killed off halfway through a show.  But what a stupid plot twist.  If you have to explain your plot twist with a flashback, it probably is not good.  It was still stupid of her not to shapeshift to get out of there.  But are they really going to do the same silly plot twist this week, but with her father?

 

Full Circle:  I like the moral implications of what do you do if someone claims to have kidnapped your kid but it turns out to be the wrong kid.  What do you do?  Except so many comedy of errors, this may have been a better show if it were an actual comedy. Oof, how exactly do you competently explain why the other kid had the exact same hoodie and same shoes?  And did the other kid not have an sort of ID probing he was not who they thought they kidnapped?  And did the guy really not notice he shot a dummy?  Shouldn’t the lack of blood be a huge clue?  Then I do not understand calling for a ransom if you are not going to take it and were just going to kill him anyway.

 

The Blacklist:  Ten years, and over 200 episodes and it was almost worth it to watch the absolutely laughable stupid ending.  Seriously, Red gets gored by a bull and never explains to anyone why he shut down his criminal empire?  Rood riddance.

The Twenty-Five Best Shows of 2022-23

1.  Only Murders in the Building

2.  The Great

3.  Tell Me Lies

4.  Extraordinary

5.  Star Wars: Andor

6.  Harley Quinn

7.  Ghosts

8.  The White Lotus

9.  Yellowjackets

10.  Ms. Marvel

11.  Single Drunk Female

12.  The Boys

13.  Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head

14.  Abbott Elementary

15.  Wedding Season

16.  The Mandalorian

17.  The Last of Us

18.  The Capture

19.  Wreck

20.  Reboot

21.  She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

22.  The Head

23.  Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies

24.  History of the World, Part II

25.  House of the Dragon

To be eligible for this list, the show must have aired a majority of their season between July 2022 and June 2023.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: July 9, 2023

  

The Walking Dead: Dead City:  Did Negan just kill that dude by cheese grater to the face?  Seems like that would just be painful, not actually kill you.

 

Cruel Summer:  I said after the second episode that Isabelle and Parker had some unspoken connection and not so surprising when the Landry’s kicked her out, it looks like she moved into Parker’s.  Then you had Parker stirring things up by pushing her towards Luke even though she was with Jeff.  And was that the crazy neighbor Megan was helping, I do wonder how he fits into all this.

 

Secret Invasion:  Why did the Skrull cared so much that Fury had the kid of the person he was impersonating? And is G'iah really dead? Kind of strange for a shape shifter to not shift her shape when trying to escape. But I guess if G'iah really is dead someone who looks like Emilia Clarke is chilling in one of those pods and will be rescued as soon as next week.

 

The Clearing:  So Freya killed Asha, except maybe not because someone else said Adrianne did.   So did Adrianne convince Freya she killed Asha, or was the guy just trying to comfort Freya by putting blame elsewhere?  Meh, what a meaningless show.

 

The Blacklist:  Finally we have gotten to the endgame, Red is on the outs and people think he is dead, except, he forgot to put decoy bodies in the plane.  Ooops.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: July 2, 2023

 

The Walking Dead: Dead City:  When I first saw those helmet dudes, I thought the blades were a bit overkill, but I guess they could come in handy in a zombie apocalypse

 

Cruel Summer:  So Isabella has been connected to two drownings?  It seems way too early in the season for that not to be a red herring though.  I do wonder if we will see that summer with the dead chick at some point.

 

Secret Invasion:  Wait, Shooter McGavin is a Skrull?!?!?!  I feel so betrayed. 

 

The Blacklist:  Yet another week, yet another dismantling for Red’s criminal empire.  This season really did not need to be 22 episodes.  How is there still three left?  Let us just to Red's reason why he is doing it.

The 13 Most Anticipated Events of 2023

 

The great Adam Duritz told us that it was a long December but there is reason to believe that this year will be better than last.  Here are thirteen reason why 2023 may actually be better than last year.

 

 

13.  Obligatory Superhero Mention:  It was a rough year for superheroes in 2022 and it looks like fatigue is finally settling in.  Marvel Phase 4 fizzled to an incoherent end.  It was even worse for DC which saw a Batgirl film get canned when it was almost finished filming and chaos ensued when the control given to James Gunn.  Henry Cavill was out as Superman days after it being announced he would return so Gunn could direct a Superman movie himself (that is some Big Dick Cheney Energy).  But as of now, DC will be releasing four zombie films tied to the last regime: Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 7), The Flash (June 16), Blue Beetle (August 18), and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, half of which star someone with a lot of bad press last year and it is unlikely anyone in these movies will be seen again in these roles.

 

12.  Marvel launches Phase 5 with Ant-Man: Quantumania (February 17) featuring the theatrical debut of Kang who was last seen in the season finale of Loki, though this Kang is a variant of that one.  Yeah, that was one of the problems with Phase 4, it started getting confusing.  That will be followed by Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 (May 5), which will likely be Gunn’s last contribution to Marvel (at least until he gets fired by DC), The Marvels (July 28), featuring one of the few bright spots of Phase 4: Ms. Marvel.  On the small screen, there will be new seasons of What If…? and Loki, spin-offs starring Echo and Agatha as well new show Secret Invasion (featuring Emilia Clarke’s MCU debut after unsuccessful stints in the terminator and Star Wars franchises)  and Ironheart.  Oh, and Sony is still trying to make their Spider-Man Cinematic Universe a thing and will release something called Kraven the Hunter (October 6).  Oof.  But at least they have Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (June 2), a sequel to the entertaining animated movie.

 

12.  The Drop (January 13, Hulu):   I am not sure if this is a mockup of The Slap, but I am just going to pretend it is.

 

11.  Orphan Black: Echoes (TBD, AMC):  Does we need more Orphan Black, especially without Tatiana Maslany?  And how exactly do you do this show without her if there are about a hundred people in this world who look like her?  Little is known about this show other than it stars Krysten Ritter, though we do not know how many Krysten Ritters there will be.

 

10.  Evil Dead Rises (April 21, theaters):  This is the second attempt to revive the Evil Dead franchise without Sam Rami writing or director or starring Bruce Campbell (both or producing).  This is the first one to take outside a cabin in the woods but instead the Book of the Dead will be found in the bowels of an apartment building.  Hopefully the change of scenery will add something to this film that the first reboot did not.  Unfortunately this is one of the films that Discovery took off the HBO Max schedule and put it in theaters.  So I guess I will have to wait an extra 45 days to watch.

 

9.  Community: Six Seasons and Finally the Movie (TBD, Peacock):  During the third season, Community was preempted for couple months to air The Cape.  In the show, Abed became obsessed with the show even declaring that it would run for six seasons and a movie, a phrase that became a rallying cry for the show’s fans as it was perpetually on the bubble.  Of course NBC canceled it one season shy.  Yet, somehow, Yahoo! Screen (almost a big footnote as The Cape) picked it up for that sixth season.  Then seven year after its six season, the show is finally getting a movie on Peacock. 

 

8.  Party Down (February 23, Starz):  Speaking of long gestating revivals of cult comedies, rumors of a Party Down movie date back over a decade but it is getting a full series return to the same network that axed it thirteen years ago.  Everyone from the second season is back except Lizzy Caplan (Chloe Zoe joins the cast to replace her) and as depressing their lives were when the original aired, I can only imagine how more depressing it will be this time.  My one hope for the revival is that, much like Rob Thomas’ last revival, he brings back Jason Doring (I believe he played a Young Republican in the first season) just to kill him off.  That would be hilarious.

 

7.  The Last of Us (January 15, HBO):  I never played the video game, but if the adaptation is half as good they say the game is, we will start off 2023 on a high note.

 

6.  The Curse (TBD, Showtime):  Emma Stone is quickly becoming the queen of weird television shows.  She recently appeared in the trippy Maniac and next up is this comedy which also stars Nathan Fielder (who is also set to direct) about a cursed house being renovated by an HGTV show.  Sounds wild.

 

5.  More Star Wars:  Not as rough as the superhero movies and shows, but quite an uneven year for Star Wars.  The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan were not highly regarded and while Andor was one of the most critically acclaimed shows of the year, it was also, reportedly, the least watched live action Star Wars show yet.   Oh, and no The Mandalorian, though the titular character and his little green friend did pop up a couple times on The Book of Boba Fett.  Oh, and it is now three years since the last movie and still no official date for the next one.  But the little green savior will be back on the small screen this year (March 1).  The Asoka spin-off will also be this year as well as a new show Skeleton Crew from the guy behind the latest Spider-Man movies.  But the year will be kicked off by a second season of The Bad Batch (January 4).  A new season of Visions and new animated show Young Jedi Adventures are also expected early this year.

 

4.  Only Murders in the Building Season 3 (TBD, Hulu):  Shockingly, Paul Rudd showed up in season two finale.  Even more shocking, he died in his second season.  Even more shocking than that, the show then announce, despite just killing him off, Rudd would be joining the cast for season three setting up a Fundamentals of Caring reunion and a reunion of 5-timers club members.  I am guessing there will be copious amounts of flashbacks in season three, though evil twin brother cannot be ruled out in a show like this.

 

3.  Women’s World Cup (July 20, Fox):  You know it has been a bad World Cup when  journalist dies at a game and most people think the government had him killed because he dared to wear a rainbow shirt to a game.  The men’s world cup was an unmitigated disaster from all the migrant worker deaths, FIFA banning arm bands, and the government banning beer hours before kickoff and getting caught bussing in fans to cheer for their team.  The good thing about the women’s world cup is that most despots are too sexists to bid on them.   The field has been expanded 32 teams which has led to first time world cup appeared by the Philippines and Zambia in either men’s or women’s cups.  Two time defending champs America have to be the favorite going in, but after a three game losing streak last fall, it looks like European teams are starting to catch up.  Despite the games on the other side of the world in Australian and New Zealand, the first two games for the US are at 9:00 EST, though the third start at 3:00 in thr morning.

 

2.  Yellowjackets Season 2 (March 26, Showtime):  All hail our new Antler Queen Lottie Forking Mathews!!!  Unfortunately the PR people at Showtime ruined that both Lottie and Van will make it to present day with casting of their adult versions (Elijah Wood has also been cast as a Citizen Detective).  But despite that annoyance, I am extremely excited to see the teenagers dissolve into madness as winter quickly fell on the Canadian forest, and mostly fell on poor Jackie.

 

1. Justified: City Primeval (TBD, FX):  One of the five greatest shows of this century is getting a reboot.  While Raylan Givens does not actually appear in the Elmore Leonard book, they are fudging that for the show.  As of now it looks like Raylan will be the only one from the show to return, unless you count his daughter who will be played by Timothy Olyphant’s real life daughter. 

 

 

Here is everything else I will be watching this winter:

 

Mondays

8:00 – The Neighborhood (January 16, CBS)

10:00 – Quantum Leap (January 2, NBC)

10:30 – Miracle Workers: End Times (January 16, TBS)

 

Tuesdays

Leverage Redemption (already back, Freevee)

How I Met Your Father (January 24, Hulu)

Extraordinary (January 24, Hulu)

8:00 – Night Court (January 17, NBC)

9:00 – La Brea (January 31, NBC)

 

Wednesdays

The Bad Batch (January 4, Disney+)

Wu-Tang: An American Saga (February 15, Hulu)

The Mandalorian (March 1, Disney+)

8:00 – The Challenge (already back, MTV)

8:00 – Survivor (March 1, CBS)

8:30 – The Goldbergs (January 11, ABC)

9:00 – Abbott Elementary (January 4, ABC)

10:00 – Big Sky (January 4, ABC) 

10:00 – Grown’ish (January 18, Freeform)

 

Thursdays

8:30 – Ghosts (CBS, January 5, CBS)

 

Fridays

8:00 - Young Rock (January 6, NBC)

 

Sundays

8:00 – The Blacklist (Febuary 26, NBC)

9:00 – Mayfiar Witches (January 8, AMC)

9:00 – The Last of Us (January 15, HBO)

9:00 – Your Honor (January 15, Showtime)

9:00 – Yellowjackets (March 26, Showtime)

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 16, 2022

 

House of the Dragon:  They say when you lose one of your senses; it heightens the others you have left.  I was unaware that if you lose an eye, you will increase in height so much you start towering over your older brother.  It feels like they mixed up like casting.  This Aemond looks more like the Aegon we saw last week.  But now that Viseris is dead, it feels like this show can finally start.

 

The Walking Dead:  So everything is peachy keen between everyone?  With a few episodes left, I cannot image this truce will last long.

 

Kevin Can Fork Himself:  So Kevin was an abusive douchebag this whole time.  Unfortunately that actor is not very good and still came off as goofy.  But then again, none of the actors did a very good job switching between sitcom and drama.

 

Quantum Leap:  It is kind of cool that Ernie Hudson was one of the people Sam leaped into during the original season.  If we keep meeting the people who Sam saved, that would almost make the present day interesting.  But I would still be fine if they dumped that storyline completely.

 

La Brea:  So all that in the premiere and Scott could not get into the building even though the opened the secret passage way.  Why even go back to the clearing, just steal the key yourself?  That all just seemed unnecessarily complicated.  Hopefully we actually can get into the building next week.  Also unnecessarily complicated: getting caught going out the front just so they would have to go out the back way.

 

Andor:  I am beginning to think it would be best wait until every third episode and watch that three episode block as a movie.  Those first two episodes of the block so far have been slow and plodding, but those third episodes do end up delivering.

 

The Handmaid’s Tale:  When I said Serena could find a driver who was better than Ezra, I certainly was not expecting for her better than Ezra to be June.  I guess she finally realized she was being held captive and this was her only way out of that house.  But now what?  Are she and June just going to become buddies now?  Will Serena help June save her husband if June helps her escape those people keeping her prisoner? 

 

Then back in Giliad, things certainly escalated quickly with that commander not getting even a fair trial, just shot in the middle of lunch.  But how silly that Aunt Lydia is perfectly fine with the rape ritual, but gets extremely high and mighty if the rape does not happen exactly as with tradition.  I wonder if others start telling her stories because that could lead to the death of almost every commander except for maybe Lawrence and Nick.  But what exactly will become of Esther?   Does Giliad have exceptions for rape?  Will she be placed somewhere else?  Maybe Lawrence or Nick will take her in.

 

Tell Me Lies:  I am beginning to think Lucy might just be the psychopath that Stephan is.  Making out with your boyfriend in front of his ex while she is trying to perform is some next level stuff.  But did the Next Week On really just spoil what happens with Drew?

 

Survivor:  Whenever someone does not use their Idol or gets blindsided, I sit from my couch wondering why everyone is not just constantly paranoid.  But we did see this week what happens when you are constantly paranoid and that may get you out quicker than not being paranoid.

 

The Challenge: Ride or Dies:  Kacee and Kaylah gone in the first episode?  How did we ever get so lucky?  Except they ruined that high by bring back Johnny.  And apparently Kacee can be seen in the This Season On, which makes it likely that she replaces Nany who is seen with a neckbrace.  Sigh.  Next thing you know, they will find a way to bring in Josh.  The Senior Tour cannot return soon enough.

 

Stargirl:  Finally, Shiv and Wildcat going at it after snipping verbally for the whole season.   Bet Shiv would have liked the nerd quad on her side after being outnumbered.  But how are they going to explain how her father survived death?  There are kind of an endless list of options in the DC Universe.

 

Big Sky:  So is this show procedural now?  Because this small Montana town may end up having the same murder rate as the town Jessica Fletcher lived in (R.I.P. Angela Lansbury).

 

She-Hulk:  That finally was a little too cute.  All that build up just for one big fake out. But then again, I have never been that big a fan of meta comedy.

 

Pennyworth:  It is obvious that Martha with forgive Thomas, Batman still needs to be conceived, but I wonder just how long will it take her to trust him.  There is also the question is if that is a onetime thing, or will he react that way every time her hears the song?  And was that V of V for Vendetta fame at the end?

 

A Friend of the Family:  Here is another show where the middle child seemed to have a much bigger growth spurt than the eldest child.  But what bizzaro world that someone gets sentenced for five years, but only serves fifteen days?  I understand being lenient on first time offenders, but maybe not be lenient on kidnappers, especially cutting their prison time by 99%.

 

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 9, 2022

 

House of the Dragon:  I am not sure if it says more about me or the show that I found the kid fight the most entertaining thing this show has done so far.  But it is nice to see that Ser Cristian Cole has a line and that line is plucking out the eye of a young kid.  Then the best part of the aftermath was Daemon just hanging out in the back even though his kids were the ones that instigated the whole thing.  But I do wonder where the Sea Snake will land on the impending war between the greens and the blacks.  Both of his children were married to people who quickly married each other after becoming widows.  But they still have four grandchildren, though two bare someone else’s name and while the other two have his name, they certainly do not have his hair.  Of course the way to solve this problem is, in the grand Valerian tradition, is to just marry the cousins to each other, and then their kids would carry on the Valerian name and blood (as long as they do not become king and take the Targaryen name).  It is gross that I actually thought of this as a solution.

 

The Walking Dead:  Yippie, part 3 of the final season is upon us.  Except I vaguely remember what happened in part two.  I remember the evil dude going to Negan’s compound and killing people and that is why he is chasing them, but I forget what was going on in the city and why those people are being chased.  Worse, I do not even care to search the internet to find out why.

 

Quantum Leap: So Al’s daughter has what I assume is a hologram room somewhere, so will Ben have two people talking to him?  Will the two holograms be able to see / hear each other?  Will Al’s daughter be able to block the other chick somehow?  I say this every week and will likely continue to say it until I will it into existence, but just have Al’s daughter be the hologram and get rid of everyone else in 2022.  But it looks like Ben is already jumping into female bodies, I looked it up and this did not happen until the second season of the original, thirteenth episode overall.

 

La Brea:  The most interesting setup of the second season was Scott going into the big glass building in the middle of 10,000 BC, yet he does not show up until the end of the episode and they seemingly just yadda-yaddaed him going into the building.  They better be filling in the gap in the next episode because that building in the most interesting part of the show.  Where did it come from?  Who build it?  How did they build it?  Could they be rewarding the cave people for uncovering the stuff they are digging for?  And just how hard would it be to get into that hole in 1988?  There cannot be a barricade with police all around it, just walk until you find a gap. 

 

The Handmaid’s Tale:  So June is now back under the control of Giliad?  I know every other time she escape and was captured, she was returned with mostly a slap on the wrist, but they cannot just put her back as being a handmaid after murdering a Commander and helping so many escape with her.  Even if they do send her back to like as a handmaid, is the show really going back to season one thru three?  And Luke definably should not be spared.  Yet, I am sure both will somehow survive, and hopefully escape.  Then is Serena a prisoner now?  It seems like she is very limited as to what she can do and where she can do at that house she is living at.

 

Tell Me Lies:  Bree sure like using her hand.  At least she found someone to reciprocate.  So those two are just going to date for the next six or so years?  Will Bree ever learn how Evan confessed his love to Lucy? 

 

Survivor:  Those guys really made the wrong choice there; the time to dump Nnecka was last week.  One of them even said they made their bed now they have to lay in it.  They already burned that bridge with Noelle and the other dude (whose name I still have not bothered to learn, like most people this season), how are they supposed to trust them?  If they go back, it is 2-2, and they will stuck having to go with a 50-50 shot to correctly play the idol.  Might as well vote off Noelle this week, and then they could get rid of the guy if they go back. 

 

Stargirl:  I really hope Shiv reconsiders Mike and Jakeem’s offer because that trio could be like a bad 80’s teen comedy right there.  Maybe they can have the pink pen force her to join their sub faction.  But she will need some new allies after Wildcat found the Gambler’s laptop in he room

 

Big Sky:  Yeah, I guess it makes perfect sense the creepy psychopath is obsessed with Miley Cyrus.  But what exactly will creepy momma do with the knowledge that Cassie is on to him?  And does Cassie know he is creepy momma’s kid?

 

She-Hulk:  He was not quite Madisynn, but the Rabbit guy was fairly entertaining in his own right.  But Todd has to behind this all.  Though, it would be hilarious if it turns out to be Mephisto who is behind everything.  That kind of would be the perfect way to end the season.  With all the winking this show does, it is surprising they did not do any Mephisto teasing, but I guess they did write this long before Wandavision premiered.

 

Pennyworth:  So the last season ended with the start of a civil war and the new season starts five year later skipping over all the fighting and Britain (mostly) back to normal.  How very Hot D of them.  But Lucius has a basement full of meta-humans, I have feeling the blue guy will not be the only one escaping this season.

 

A Friend of the Family:  I have got through the first two episodes (releasing two episodes up front in mildly annoying, but four episodes is absurd, especially when you are just doing 9 total and they are all pushing a full hour).  That first episode was boring, and then the second episode was extremely weird.  I just do not know how they stretch this story out to seven more episodes.

The Most (and Least) Anticipated Questions of 2022-23 Television

 

The start of the television season is upon us, though it feels like it already started as many big shows started last week.  Though, it reality, it feels like the television season did not even end with a constant stream of notable shows popping up during what typically been a barren wasteland for scripted television.  But I digress.  The unofficial start of the television season is when I like to ask a couple questions that hopefully get answered by the end of the season… if the season actually ever ends in the era of streaming.

  

      1.       Who Will Win the IP War: Marvel, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars?  Labor Day is when temperatures start to fall with the unofficial end of summer, but things are already heating up on television.  We have three episodes of She-Hulk and House of the Dragon as well as two episodes of Rings of Power.  Then the day before the official first day of fall, Andor premieres.  Marvel, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars represent the three biggest names on television right now (sorry DC and Walking Dead who also recently launched less buzzworthy shows).  HBO says Hot D got 10 million viewers for its premiere and increased that for the second episode.  Then Prime said 25 million people watched Ring (though a bit apples to oranges because Hot D was just Americans and Rings were worldwide).  The Ploose did not give out She-Hulk numbers, but something called Samba TV claims 1.5 million households watched the premiere, but again households to people can be apple to oranges).  That viewership went up seems like Hot D is currently in prime position to win the IP wars.  The low states comedy of She-Hulk will probably come in last with Andor being the dark horse.  The last two Star Wars shows were not well received but Rogue One was one of the bright spots of the Disney era Star Wars properties.  But what is clear, there will be a round two.

      2.       Who the Fork Is Lottie Matthews?!?  Fewer things got me more hyped while watching television over the past year than listening to Natalie’s voice mail on Yellowjackets when her AA sponsor found out who emptied Travis’s bank account and asked her, “Who the fork is Lottie Matthews.”  Sure, my theory that Lottie was Pit Girl went out the window, but considering how Lottie went from a background character to a crazy Antler Queen, I am not disappointed.  If she could go off the rails after a couple months, just how crazy has she become twenty-five year later?  Unfortunately the show already spoiled her acolyte Van is still alive when they announced Lauren Ambrose has been cast as an adult version.  Elijah Wood has also been cast, but thankfully not as adult Javi in another spoiler, but as one of Misty’s Citizen Detectives.

      3.       What Now on The Handmaid’s Tale?  After three seasons of torture porn, June actually managed to escape Gilliad last season and celebrated by brutally murdering Commander Waterford.  So what do you do after escaping and killing your capture?  Well, June still needs to rescue her daughter who is still in Gilliad.  Hopefully that does not take three seasons to accomplish.  And while the Commander is dead, his widow is still very much alive.  Though one person we will not be seeing is Emily who has been written off the show.  Though no big loss as she had not added much to the show after escaping back in season two.

      4.       Will Dr. Ben Seong Run Into Dr. Samuel Beckett?  For years I have been asking for a Quantum Leap reboot with Sam playing the Al role.  While we are getting a Quantum Leap reboot, the leaper is still a dude and the Al sand in will be played by Ernie Hudson.  Sigh.  Now the question is, will the new leaper eventually run into Sam?   Here is hoping he will and it will be sooner rather than later.

      5.       Who Killed Pail Rudd and When Will We Find Out?  Much like the first season of Only Murders in the Building ended with a teaser of a new murder, season two ended will Paul Rudd dying on stage shortly after having a tense exchange with Charles Hayden Savage and a notably shaken Mabel in shock.  Was Mabel the “she” Charles told Paul Rudd to stay away from?  The list of alternatives is not very long.  Lucy is too young but could Lucy’s mom be back in the picture.  Then there is the question of when will the third season premiere.  Season two actually arrived two months earlier than the first, could we get the third season two more months earlier?  That would put it in late April.  For Emmy reason, it is doubtful, but the Emmy window ending in late May, a premiere around that time does not seem out of the question.  Then the other question remains, if Paul Rudd was murdered on stage, will they need to change the name of Only Murders in the Building?

 

As the great philosopher Butt-Head once pondered, how would we know if something was cool if there weren't things that sucked; here are the five least anticipated questions

      1.       Who Will Survive the Walking Dead?  It is the end of the era, after ten seasons, the last as which was split into three parts; The Waling Dead is coming to an end.  So who will survive?  Well, Daryl and Carole have already been announced for a spin-off show (though Carole dropped out) as well as one with Maggie and Negan so I am guess those four survive unless those shows will just be those zombiefied four around eating stupid humans.  Actually, that may actually be better than what we will likely get.

      2.       Who Will Survive The CW Sale?  It was a bloodbath last spring when The CW canceled three of its female fronted superhero television shows (Stargirl was lucky in that it had not aired yet).  The Flash has already been announced for a final season which will leave just Stargirl, Superman, and the upcoming Gotham Knights as the lone superhero shows.  Will any of them or the other low performing show make the cut after the new owners have full control?  Who care, no one will likely watch either way.

      3.       Who Will Survive the HBO Max / Discovery Merger?  The new CEO comes in, axes the almost completed Batgirl and the internet turns into Chicken Little.  Someone even claimed HBO Max would stop making originals and current originals would move to HBO.  Stupid people.  While this month HBO Max will premiering… um, just about nothing, a sizzle real that launched with Hot D promises new seasons of Pennyworth (coming next month) Titans, Doom Patrol, Hacks Minx, Our Flag Means Death, coming soon.  Okay, the only new show is some new show with Elizabeth Olsen based on a story Hulu already did earlier this year.  So the merger may mean less content coming from HBO Max / Discover, but in an era of too much television, that may not be such a bad thing

      4.       Who Will Survive NBC Axing the 10:00 Hour?  This rumor just hit the internet recently launching a thousand Jay Leno jokes.  But if NBC does end up axing six hours every week, what will be left?  Sadly, it will probably not be what historically NBC has done best: comedies.  They are no sitcoms premiering this month, though Young Rock and some George Lopez show are coming to Fridays in November.  But losing 10:00 would also mean no full nights of Chicago or Law and Order shows.  Though what will become of ambitious shows like La Brea that NBC tries every year?  What surprises me about this is that linear television is still very profitable and NBC’s streaming sister, Peacock is the one that seems to be struggling the most.  It seems like a very poor business move.  But if we get less procedurals, maybe that will not be such a bad thing.  Speaking of which…

      5.       Just How Many Spin-Off Are There?  Law and Order and Chicago are not the only shows that dominate an entire night, FBI, All-American, and Walker all take up a full day of programing.  NCIS and The Rookie do have shows on different nights while Grey’s Anatomy takes up multiple timeslots on Thursday .  Surprisingly we are down to just the original CSI this fall.  Who are watching all these shows and their spin-offs?

 

Here is everything I will be watching this fall... Why the fork are there so many shows on Wednesdays?  How about spreading things out?

Mondays

8:00 – The Neighborhood (CBS, September 19(

9:00 – Kevin Can Fork Himself (AMC, already started)

10:00 – Quantum Leap (NBC, September 19)

 

Tuesdays

Reboot (Hulu, September 20)

9:00 - La Brea (NBC, September 27)

 

 Wednesdays

Wedding Season (Hulu, September 7)

Tell Me Lies (Hulu, September 7)

The Handmaid’s Tale (September 14)

Andor (Disney+, September 21)

Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin (Peacock, November 23)

8:00 – Stargirl (The CW, already started)

8:00 – Survivor (CBS, September 21)

8:30 – The Goldbergs (ABC, September 21)

9:00 – Abbott Elementary (ABC, September 21)

10:00 – Big Sky (ABC, September 21)

 

Thursdays

Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head (Paramount+, already started)

She-Hulk (Disney+, already started)

The Lord of the Ring: The Rings of Power (Prime, already started)

A Friend of the Family (Peacock, October 6)

8:30 – Ghosts (CBS, September 29)

 

Fridays

Ramy (Hulu, September 30)

8:00 – Young Rock (NBC, November 4)

 

Sundays

9:00 – House of the Dragon (HBO, already started)

9:00 – The Walking Dead (AMC, October 2)

10:00 – Let the Right One In (Showtime, October 9)