57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/20/2018

Billions: So the end of the last episode felt like series finale. A very sad series finale where the bad guys won and had depressing ways of celebrating. Which begged the question, what is next. At first I was thinking that Axe was also going to throw his hat into the ring for governor. Then Chuck got screwed over for a favor to take down Axe that Axe still escaped. But Wendy did make a very convincing argument about power. Politics does seem like a horrible way wield power. Then we end this episode where I still have no clue where the show is going. Unless everyone Chuck, Wendy, and Axe screwed over the last two episodes, Connerty, Taylor, Chuck’s dad, Jack Foley, Mafee, Lara, et al, team up to bring down the trio.

Fear the Walking Dead: Okay, why is Dharma always leaving? She left new guy, she tried to leave Alicia. Just do not give us a full episode explaining why. And I missed why exactly the zombies were attracted to the jeep that covered up the hole in the bridge. And really, that many zombies washed up on shore over night?
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

I’m Dying Up Here: Cassie has a kid? So do we know the father or just some random dude back home? And will we ever see the kid again or is this a Peggy Olsen situation where the kid goes to the sister and is never talked about again?

Timeless: After spending three years in the past, why is Jiya so dismissive of waiting a year for training a new pilot. And if Mason built the thing, how hard would it be for him to fly it. Of course none of that matters because future Lucy shows up to go get Rufus back even though they are not allowed to travel to times they lived in and did not travel with a pilot.
You can download Timeless on iTunes.

Supergirl: Why the fork did Saturn Girl go back to the future when Reign still had Pestilence’s power. That seemed stupid. 74% is still not 100% had just one Legionnaire stayed back. Ugg. We better be getting a Saturn Girl spin off soon. And if Lex Luther’s biggest enemy is a Kyrptonian, how does he not have a safe room that is Krptonian proof?
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Lucifer: I expressed last week that I would have been disappointed if Angel Charlotte show up last week. I never realized there would not be a next season. Oops. Oh, and Chloe finally saw Lucifer’s devil face, so at least they went out on a bang.
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

Rise: Well Ted Mosby continued to be annoying to the end. Clearly he should have been fired for putting the musical back the way it was written. But instead the superintendent shuts down the dram department because of funding cuts? Aren’t most drama departments self-funded except for the maybe the teacher’s bonus? Most concession stands can make a mint. But maybe Ted Mosby should have kept grease as the musical. Maybe then the drama department would not have been shut down and maybe the show would have gotten enough eyeballs not to be canceled.
You can download Rise on iTunes.

The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars II: And we have yet another advantage that helps the Stars. Either they are really lucky or they are getting some divine intervention from the producers. And Devil is probably ruing Shane’s plan to use the save as a ploy to get the Stars to trust the Champs a couple episodes again.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

The Handmaid’s Tale: Well that was one of the creepiest marriage ceremonies I have ever witnessed. So is the driver and all those dudes future Commanders? Are they always going to be part of the working class with little upward mobility? The preacher talked about replenishing the Earth with children, are these women able to bare children? I would assume not because wouldn’t they make them Handmaid’s. And what is with all that blood? I do understand Offred not telling anyone because if that was a miscarriage, they may not have any more need for Offred. But with Offred talking to her belly, I guess she did not lose the baby. Or she went even more crazy.
You can stream The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu.

Survivor: Ghost Island: Nothing more mind blowing than last week Laurel debating going with Wendell who she trusts but knows she cannot beat or the girls who she does not trusts but thinks she can beat and then voting with Laurel. Things got even more annoying this week and Laurel continued to hem and haw over turning on Wendell only decide against it because Wendell was too stupid to tell Probst he was done with puzzle and she thought it would be bad form to vote him off right after that. Laurel, that is except when you vote someone off: right when they do something historically stupid. Imagine if Parvati decided not to vote out for the Ice Cream Scooper because he stupidly gave up immunity. That is why Parvati won and why Laurel will not.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Blacklist: I spent the who season thinking there is no way what those bones in the duffel bag are going to be as important as Red is making them out to be. And then we learned the bones were Raymond Reddington. Wait, what the fork? So the first couple season Red kept on insisting that Lizzie was not his daughter only to finally admit later. And now we learn Raymond Reddington, Lizzzie’s father is dead. So what have we been watching?
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

The Americans: Is Elizabeth turning soft? First she almost does not burn the picture which can easily track her to someone she should not be around. Then she does not kill the Congressional aid when he clearly figure out she was not who she says she is? Then she does not kill the person her handler tells her to, and not only that, she had turned her back on the Center and teamed up with Philip to protect Gorbachev. Oh yeah, but most importantly, Stan has pretty much figured out who she is.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Krypton: So Zod is Seg’s son. Wait what?!? That is some Shakespearian shirt right there that I never saw coming. But why would I? Maybe there is a swerve coming up. Maybe you do not need Zod and El blood to open Doomsday’s lair. Maybe Seg as a brother. Oh, and I wonder when Chekov’s Doomsday would show up again. But will it go off in the third act? Will it get bottled up in Kandor? Can Zod and Seg save Kandor. I guess if Zod is Superman’s uncle, anything can happen on this show. And where (or when) is Adam Strange?
You can download Krypton on iTunes.

Gotham: Gotham is starting to look like Arkham City with each villain taking turf. Including a couple we have not seen before. Was that Man-Bat? And I have no clue who that mother-kid pair that looked to be in Joker masks were. But then you had Butch and Ras died for the second time each. Lee and The Riddler may have killed each other but their bodies are in the possession of Hugo Strange. Selina may be the best off of many of the main characters with just a damaged vertebra. I take it an experimental surgery will give her cat like reflexes?
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Blindspot: So a side effect to her memory erasing drug is now Jane only has memory from before she was drugged and does not remember anything that happened after she came out of the duffel bag? And Zapata is evil now? Alrighty.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

Once Upon a Time: So The Evil Queen’s happy ending to have complete power. Silly me, I thought the big event they were taking her to was a wedding and maybe they found a way to resurrect Robin. But I guess it was a fine finale for show that has not been good for years.
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: When the characters started to think they were invincible because they know that are in the future I was convinced one would die. And Fitz seemed like the most likely candidate because he impregnate Simmons, then die before anyone knew she was carrying. And then he got crushed by debris… except he did not die? And he is in space? None of that sequence made sense. Well until I read someone else recap noting that future Fitz died and present day Fitz is in space waiting to go the future that is no longer happening. Yeah, that is only slightly less confusing. But I guess Zeke really did blink out of existence. Oh well.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 5/18/2018

- TBS' Emmy® Award-winning late-night series Full Frontal with Samantha Bee is pleased to announce it is gamifying* the 2018 midterm elections. Samantha Bee, who totally knows what coding means, is working with some of the best minds in Silicon Valley to develop the non-partisan This is Not a Game: The Game game. TINAG:TG is a heart-pounding, prize-stuffed turducken of a trivia game in which average citizens play to the death OR win kick-ass prizes, not sure which. We're waiting to hear back from our lawyers. America's dismal midterm election turnout SUCKS and we are 100% certain this game will solve everything. Full Frontal is not sure why this responsibility has been left to late-night hosts but is up for the challenge.

- Game Show Network, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, has added actor John Michael Higgins (“Great News,” “Pitch Perfect”) as host of its new survey-matching game show, American Says. The new half-hour series will premiere June 18 at 5 pm ET and will air Monday through Friday. American Says is a fast-paced studio game show where two teams of friends and family face off to guess America’s responses with fill in the blanks to survey questions covering every topic under the sun. They’ll have to be quick when trying to think of what America says, as time is always ticking and the team with the most money banked after three rounds will head to a bonus round to see if they can guess even more survey responses to win up to $15,000.

- The first seven installments of the Star Wars saga are streaming all month long on TBS. TNT’s “People in Peril” themed films include American Sniper, Green Lantern and San Andreas.

- Plain Spoken: From The Chicago Theatre – a narrative film experience by John Mellencamp –is available on DVD+CD, Blu-ray+CD, and Digital Formats. A unique voyage into the mind and music of John Mellencamp, Plain Spoken is a live concert filmed at the historic Chicago Theatre, overlaid with personal commentary from the man himself reflecting on his career and life. This DVD set not only includes the original version of the film that debuted on Netflix, but a “non-commentary” version of the concert, as well as a live CD. The set list traverses material from across John Mellencamp’s career, from classics like “Small Town” and “Pop Singer” to songs from his most recent release Sad Clowns and Hillbillies.

- Chvrches: Miracle: The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon


- The Aces: Last One: Late Night with Seth Myers:


- Platinum-certified duo Marian Hill’s highly anticipated sophomore album, Unusual, is out now—listen here! Unusual is made up of ten tracks written and produced by Jeremy Lloyd (production/songwriting) and Samantha Gongol (vocals/songwriting) of Marian Hill. Leading up to the release, the duo, “known for an arty blend of jazz and R&B that fits curiously well on a dance floor” (Apple Music), released three tracks, “Subtle Thing,” “Differently” and “Wish You Would,” off the album. “Differently” was produced by Marian Hill and notable Canadian producer Boi-1da (Drake, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, Lana Del Rey). Apple Music hails the track as, “an ominous hip-hop cut about jealousy…bursting with nervous energy yet feels meticulously controlled, a tension carried throughout the album.”

- Amanda Brown has built her career on taking risks that provoke intense reactions. Her new album, Dirty Water, brims with a distinct confidence, the kind only earned by choosing personal truth over people pleasing. Out now, the album meditates on the complexity of life’s ups and downs, as told by Brown’s unmistakable vocals -- capable of both awe-inspiring power and delicate nuances.

- BBC Sound of 2018 winner and the exceptional breakout star, Sigrid, releases new video for ‘High Five’ yesterday. The Spielberg inspired coming-of-age visual is directed by long-term collaborator Ivana Bobic, a relationship that has already spawned videos for breakout hit ‘Strangers’ and the live hybrid for ‘Raw’.


- Tune in Friday, May 18 at 9:00 to watch the broadcast premiere of the concert special “Stone Temple Pilots” on AT&T* AUDIENCE Network via DIRECTV Ch 239, AT&T U-verse Ch 1114 and streaming on-demand through DIRECTV NOW.

- TBS has ordered up another season of hilarious misadventures with TV’s most dysfunctional family of The Detour. After a bonkers road-trip, a disastrous move to New York City, and a run from the law in Alaska, the Parkers will be back for a fourth season of The Detour, one of cable’s top 10 comedies. With the return of The Detour, TBS is building on the extraordinary success of a 100% renewal rate since the network’s rebrand in 2016.

- Shometwim has ordered the drama series City on a Hill, starring Golden Globe winner and Emmy® nominee Kevin Bacon (The Following) and Screen Actors Guild® award winner Aldis Hodge (Underground). With a 12-episode order, City on a Hill will premiere in 2019. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President and CEO of Showtime Networks Inc.

The Five Most (and Least) Anticipated Shows of 2018-19

I recently looked back at last year’s Most Anticipated list which turned out to be a pretty bad class. Rise and Good Girls were the best of the bunch though the former never even came close to being as good as it should have been. The Mayor and The Gifted both made the list but I was pretty meh on both (though the addition of the triplets in the latter gives me slight hope for season two). I closed the top five with Young Sheldon, a show I did not even bother to watch.

The thing is, this season is worse. Not one show grabbed my interest. Really, only one Pilot piqued my interest, The Greatest American Hero, but ABC inexplicably passed on that so they could air even more family sitcoms. Seriously, ABC will air five hours of family comedies this fall. Meh. But here are the five shows I may watch an episode or two next season:

1. Cosmos: Possible Worlds (Midseason, FOX) – I guess this is a cheating calling this a new series because there has already been a Cosmos on television twice, but everything below this is kind of meh.


2. Anne’s (Midseason, NBC) – Bill Simmons on his podcast constantly talks about how they should reboot Cheers and NBC finally did… sort of. It is not called Cheers and not in Boston (Abby’s is in San Diego). Bonus point for finding Natalie Morales getting her first regular television gig since the underappreciated The Middleman.

3. Manifest (Mondays at 10:00 on NBC) – Okay, this looks bad. And it will not last. Seriously, when was the last time one of these strangers are brought together by some weird occurrence lasted more than one season? Resurrection? And even that bombed hard in season two. Actually, is that the only one after Lost? But I miss hate watching Lost, so I will check this out.


4. Schooled (Midseason, ABC) – I did not care for the backdoor Pilot, but the announced version does not include the principal’s sister and kid, instead is replaced with Lainey for n apparent reason but I guess that is an upgrade.

5. The Neighborhood (Mondays at 8:00 on CBS) – They did recast the white dude with Deputy Leo, so…


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 shows you could not pay me to watch next fall (click on their names to watch the trailers where available).

1. I Feel Bad (Thursdays at 9:30 on NBC) – Seriously, did they name the show I Feel Bad so ever critic can write “… for watching this crap?”

2. New Amsterdam (Tuesdays at 10:00 on NBC) – Remember when medical dramas were dead. I believe Grey’s Anatomy was the last one standing. Then NBC launched one in Chicago. The Fox did one that is also returning. And now NBC has a second medical show. Yawn.

3. Magnum P.I. (Mondays at 9:00 on CBS) – Magnum does not have mustache… what the fork?

4. Last Man Standing (Fridays at 8:00 on FOX) – Um, wasn’t the show about a guy living in a house of girls? Two of the daughters are not even coming back and the third daughter moved out a couple seasons ago. If the show is just going to devolve into Tim Allen fighting about Trump with his black neighbor, who is now in the main cast, hard pass.

5. Everything on The CW – When The CW abandoned Sundays a decade ago, I figured the network would not even exist ten years later. Except here we are and the little network that barely does is actually reclaiming Sundays. With two extra hours to fill, that means they had even more new shows than usual. And they all look horrible. They got on the reboot crazy, except they are not bringing back hits like other networks; instead they are bringing back Charmed and Roswell, two shows I never watched in the first place. Then there is a Vampire Diaries spin-off which is almost as yawn inducing as a reboot. They did order a couple of original show; well as original as a crappy Friday Night Lights rip-off can be. Oh, and then there is a show about a blind chick who saves crimes with her dog. The CW everybody.


And here is my full fall schedule, at least the networks, hopefully cable has some better offerings or I may have to do something productive with my time this fall:

Mondays
8:00 - The Neighborhood (CBS)
10:00 – Manifest (NBC)

Tuesdays
8:00 - The Gifted (FOX)
9:00 – Black’ish (ABC)

Wednesdays
8:00 – Survivor (CBS)
8:00 – The Goldbergs (ABC)
9:00 – Modern Family (ABC)

Thursdays
8:00 – Superstore (NBC)
8:00 – The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
8:30 – The Good Place (NBC)

Fridays
8:00 – Blindspot (NBC)
9:00 – Midnight, Texas (NBC)

Sundays
Second straight year where this is nothing on Sundays worth watching from the networks. Did they just cede the night to football and cable?

I Want My Music Television: 5/16/2018

Hunger - Florence + The Machine


Well that was freaky sticking your finger inside like that. But I wonder if Florence + The Machine was inspired by Losing My Religion which had a similar scene. But that was a fallen angel, this seemed like some random dude.


Caterpillar - Royce da 5'9" featuring Eminem & King Green


Eminem just stood there next to Royce da 5’9’’ so long I wondered if he was just a statue. He ended up spitting a better verse than anything on his last album, of which I already forgot the name of.


Good Kisser – Lake Street Dive


Wow, the new Lake Street Dive song is super cheesy, and the video just makes it sillier, but it is cheesy in the You Make My Dreams kind of way, which is a high compliment.


2002 - Anne-Marie


I find it pretty weird that Anne-Marie would pay homage to Baby One More Time, Bye Bye Bye, in the same music video as she does 99 Problems. That last one just does not fit with the cheesy teen pop videos.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/13/2018

Billions: Wendy always seemed like the moral compass of the show, sure she had some issues, but after opening looking for a patsy and seducing Mafee into perjuring himself, that is no longer the case. Does that make Taylor the real moral compass? (S)he seemed very upset (or as upset as an emotionless person can be) about the Mafee situation, I wonder if she turns on Axe at any point. (S)he definitely could open up her own shop and even hire Mafee there too. Something has to happen. Obviously, we are just half way through the season. I cannot imagine the Chuck/Axe truce goes beyond this episode after they have been at each other for year. And really did not even get a tease, just Chuck’s sad victory party with Wendy and Axe somehow being even sadder.

Fear the Walking Dead: C’mon, why are you getting into a pool full of zombies? Are these people really that stupid not to lure all the zombies to the edge, kill them, and then not having to worry about zombie (except ones that are at the bottom).
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

Supergirl: So all the Worldkillers are dead except for Reign? And how was the black chick able to use her Worldkiller power as a human? And when Reign turned into Samantha in that one scene, it made me wonder: did Reign change her clothes after reigning terror or did Sam wake up in the Reign costume and never realized she was dressed up like the chick destroying the city when she was out. Oh yeah, but I guess the big news is Lena is making her own Kyptonite. That is not going to go over well with Kara.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Lucifer: So Charlotte actually got into heaven? Cool, but if she shows up next week (or next season) as an angel, that will be lame. Maybe Mama Lucifer will return.
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

Rise: I have never seen Spring Awakening before but now that they spell out all the questionable content, how did this show not get axed after the district read the script? And I was extremely disappointed there was no NBC synergy why trying to replace swear words. C’mon, why not sing “Totally Forked” or “The Bench of Living”?
You can download Rise on iTunes.

The Challenge: Vendettas: I thought it was pretty convenient that the tiebreaker helped gain the Stars majority. Then Hennessey quit making things even again making me wonder if they intestinally injured Anessa to keep the balance. But, oh my goodness, what Louisa did with her Power Play was more underhanded than any “Champ” has ever done. I thought they would swap Tori out with another Star or even poach CT to make their team strong, but to take back Smashley was cruel. I loved it.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

Legion: Did they seriously devote a whole episode to multiverse theory?
You can download Legion on iTunes.

The Handmaid’s Tale: So is Offred just content in being a Handmaid now? I thought for sure when the driver kept calling out to June, I thought she would turn around and said, “My name is Offred.” Instead she just ignored him and started chanting nonsense. Between her accomplice being hung and remembering Luke’s wife, it seems like she now believes she deserves to be punished. I wonder how long that lasts before she tries to escape again. Or maybe she won’t and Luke launched a rescue mission. But something needs to happen soon.
You can stream The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu.

Survivor: Ghost Island: Laurel asked a really stupid question this week, should I go with the people I trust but cannot beat at the end or the people I do not trust but I think I can beat. You always go with the people you can beat. If you stay loyal, you are probably getting third. But that is best case scenario because Wendell and Dominick could turn on you to take the easier to beat SeaBass or Donathan to the finals. It may be harder to get to the finals by going with the girls, but not impossible because SeaBass could be used as a vote. But no, Laurel seems content to just let Wendell win. It is going to be a boring final three hours. No I am just mostly interested in next season’s stupid theme. It may be time for another “all-star” season. There was just two seasons in between Second Chances and Game Changers. I would not mind a public vote because that was probably the best “all-star” season. Or more appropriately the one that sucked the least.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Blacklist: How convenient Samar’s abductor was in very specific ways of killing and just did not put a bullet in her brain given the FBI time to find her. Why he did not just kill her when she stabbed him was just absurb.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

The Americans: Stan broke into the Jennings’ garage in one of the first episodes of the series so I guess it id apropos that he does it again in one of the last. But has he figured out that a lot of their bigger travel agency emergencies coincide with big failures in his FBI cases.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Krypton: Should I know who that weird looking chick at the end was? I had to look up who the computer was.
You can download Krypton on iTunes.

Gotham: So Gordon survived because The Riddler was following him? Huh? Just how exactly did they get far away from that big explosion? And what is with this stupid Ra’s Al Gul storyline this season? He want Bruce to kill him, he dies, is brought back because Barbra was incompetent as the Demon’s Head, does not want to die anymore, and now is teaming up with Jerome’s brother to destroy Gotham. Just does not make any sense.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Blindspot: Wait, did Jane have an accent in the flashbacks? And does this secret federal task force really need two couples?
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: So that is why YoYo said let Coulsen die. The Centipede serum can either save Coulsen or cure Talbot who will likely crack apart the Earth without it. But why not just save Talbot and take Coulsen to Tahiti.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 5/11/2018

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Guns N’ Roses, Snoe Patrol, Jessie Ware, Jessie Ware, Mat Kearney, Drinks, Crime and Prohibition, Erik Griffin: Amerikan Warrior, and Final Space.

- On June 29, Geffen/UMe celebrates one of rock’s most important bands, Guns N’ Roses, with the release of Appetite For Destruction: Locked N’ Loaded Edition box set. Commemorating the band’s highly influential album debut Appetite For Destruction, this lavish box set is the ultimate GnFnR fan’s dream fulfilled. Appetite will also be released in concurrent multiple configurations, Appetite For Destruction will be made available in a 4CD/1Blu-ray Audio Super Deluxe Edition with a 96 page book featuring unreleased photos from Axl Rose’s personal archive, a 2CD Deluxe Edition, 2LP 180-gram heavyweight vinyl edition, 1 CD remaster, and digital download/streaming equivalents.

- Snow Patrol premiere Empress, their second single from Wildness, the band’s first album in seven years. Snow Patrol also return to “Later... With Jools Holland” where they debut a live rendition of Empress, along with performances of Life On Earth, Heal Me, and Chasing Cars. Listen to Empress here and watch the band perform the song on Later... With Jools Holland here.

- Jessie Ware: Selfish Love from Late Night with Seth:


- Following its release on Monday, three-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated and BRIT Award-winning multiplatinum singer-songwriter James Bay shares the music video for his latest track “Slide.” Check out the “Slide” here and the video here!

- Tune in Friday, May 11 at 9:00 to watch the broadcast premiere of the concert special Mat Kearney on AT&T* AUDIENCE Network via DIRECTV Ch 239, AT&T U-verse Ch 1114 and streaming on-demand through DIRECTV NOW.

- Prohibition in America was an era of profound contradictions – a period of unprecedented government intervention into the lives of citizens, and yet also a time of exuberance, decadence and casting off restraints. Nearly a hundred years later, Smithsonian Channel’s Drinks, Crime and Prohibition takes a deep dive into the underbelly of a time characterized as much by jazz, illegal booze and female liberation as it was by gangsters and brutality. Weapons experts, historians, museum curators and mixologists weigh in on "the failed experiment” and the compelling drama it unleashed, with all its unlikely alliances, corruption and machinations of organized crime. The two-part special premieres Monday, June 11 at 8:00 on Smithsonian Channel.

- Comedian and I’m Dying Up Here star Erik Griffin returns for his second Showtime comedy special Erik Griffin: Amerikan Warrior, premiering Friday, June 8 at 10:00. Filmed at the Star Theater in Portland, Oregon, the new hour-long special flips convention on its ear with Griffin deconstructing everything from social norms, personal responsibility and lazy protesting to the righteously religious and the female renaissance, all while skewering his own sense of male entitlement.

- Chookity Pok! TBS has renewed its original animated series Final Space for a second season. Born from a seven-minute pilot created by “Tennessee wonder child” Olan Rogers, the intergalactic space saga is TBS’ youngest- skewing original series to debut on the network, reaching more than 20 million viewers across TBS’ linear, VOD and digital platforms. The series pick-up is the latest in a string of renewals for the network, which saw every original series renewed for additional seasons in the last year.

Previewing Patrick Melrose

In the first five minutes of Patrick Melrose, the titular character laughs at the news of his father’s untimely death (okay, he just shot up right before the call and was pretty high) and then finds himself in the bed of two different women. So yeah, this is yet another difficult man show. But hey, in minute six, he says he is trying to kick the heroin. Sure he purchases speed and qualudes minutes later because he just cannot give up everything at once. Oh, and he cannot give up heroin either, he buys some more half way through the first episode.

Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange) considered Patrick Melrose a bucket list role (Hamlet being his only other one) so it is that labor of love that elevates the five part miniseries into just another difficult man retreat. And it is such a vanity project; the star barely appears in episode two when the story flashes back to Melrose childhood to highlight just how difficult a relationship he had with his father who actually thinks he is passing on wisdom to his son.

Another time jump starts the third episode, picking up eight years after the death of Papa Melrose where that pain still lingers but Patrick has to just suffer through everything as he finally was able to kick his additions for better or worse. Each episode takes an interesting take on Melrose’s life popping in for only a short time in his life for a very specific moment before taking the next big jump forward or backward. Cumberbatch is such a livewire; you do not feel like you miss a thing throughout the years.

Patrick Melrose airs Saturdays at 9:00 on Showtime.

I Want My Music Television 5/8/2018

Cry Pretty - Carrie Underwood



Carrie Underwood recently had an accident where she injured her face and itt sounded like she now may now look the guy from The Mask. Nope, in her first music video, she still looks like Carrie Underwood. And she still sounds like her mostly inoffensive, boring self too. Although I guess the power ballad guitar at the end was a nice touch. I miss the good cheesy power ballad.


This Is America - Childish Gambino



Childish Gambino started out as a backpack rapper in a time of ringtone rappers. Then hi last alnbum he went full funk for now apparently reason. Apparently next he is going fully African music inspired sound yet with a very political bent to the visuals which I do not believe he release a video for the last album. .


Accelerate - Christina Aguilera feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 2 Chainz



So is Christina Aguilera trying to be Bangerz-era Miley Cyrus now because even Miley has moved on from that gross phase? And that choppy rapper cadence is even more annoying when a which chick does it.


Ashes (from the Deadpool 2 Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Céline Dion



Deadpool is super-meta and I get it, having Mrs. Titanic Céline Dion topline your soundtrack is a get, but c’mon, but if you are going to go super-meta, even in your soundtrack, you should have gotten king of the soundtracks Kenny Loggins to contribute a song. Okay, sure, this video is funnier than anything they could have done with Kenny Loggins.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/6/2018

Homeland: The Vice President seemed like a guy who would do the right thing at the right time, but oh boy he went hard on the Russian Ambassador and the Senator. But I was totally surprised Saul got out of Russia within the first twenty minutes. Except poor Carrie got left behind. But I wonder why she did not have diplomatic immunity like Saul? I guess immunity does not extend to people who got caught spying.

Then you have Keene’s speech, at first I thought she was going to get killed by the opposition party for her hippy type speech, but halfway through, I realize, oh snap, this is a resignation speech. Kind of out of character after everything she did to hold on to power for the past two seasons. I wonder if the writers were trying to nudge real life counterpoints. But then they yada yada’ed how Carrie was released. I was thinking that was going to be what next season would be about. Yet seven months later, Saul finds the random Russian guy and Carrie was exchanged. Would have been nice if they explained who that Russian was and how Saul found him.

Fear the Walking Dead: Oh wow, Nick was killed by a little girl (who is a shockingly good shot). That was shocking. Mostly because there was no real lead up to why Nick killed the other guy first. I guess maybe we will see just how that escalated to murder in the flashbacks. The guy being a douche while getting to food they were going after first does not seem like a murderous deed. But Nick should have followed Morgan’s do not kill rule.
you can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

Billions: I started this season thinking that the end of the series would feature Chuck and Axe is adjourning prison cells, but is this possibly going to end with only Wendy in jail? Or are Chuck and Axe going to team up to take down Connerty? That was my takeaway from the break the stick metaphor. But I never thought Chuck and Axe would team up after spending two and a half seasons of mutually assured destruction to try to take each other down.

Timeless: So Wyatt’s wife is Rittenhouse? I guess that makes sense? If you are going to save her life, might as well indoctrinate her and use her as another sleeper agent. Might as well do the same for Lucy’s sister. But Rufus is learning the same thing as Gemma on SHEILD in that sure you may not die, but you can get really hurt in the process.
You can download Timeless on iTunes.

Supergirl: Okay, I am a bit confused with the Worldkillers, we saw Reign come from Krypton, but were the other two Worldkillers from Krypton too? Were they sent at the same time as Reign? Are they Earthlings that Reign infected. I feel like I missed something.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Good Girls: What a horrible way to end an episode. I have not been this disappoint in a season one finale of a show I was enjoying since Lost.
You can download Good Girls on iTunes.

Rise: So pregnant chick showed up two weeks ago virtually out of nowhere and now am I supposed to know who the girl who made the video is? And I know you want to pretend to be a guy and all, but c’mon, you really do not need to tell the doctor the kid is not yours.
You can download Rise on iTunes.

The Challenge: Vendettas: Good riddance Hennessy, possibly the most annoying person to ever be featured on reality television. But do the Champs now have majority control of both teams? I guess The Miz could change how tiebreakers work next week, but it will be a boring slog if they let the Champs to roll the Stars. But Champs vs. mini seasons have all sucked so far. And why were Tony and Shane throwing whole bags of balls? You could not possibly break anything that way. I feel like I was missing something.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

Legion: Wait, what exactly just happened. What I got was the Farouk morphed David’s sister into Lenny, but then why does she have Lenny’s memories. And really has her everything except the sister’s eyes?
You can download Legion on iTunes.

The Handmaid’s Tale: I tried to be vague in my critic of the new season in my preview on account that Hulu forbid me from mentioning that June was recaptured in episode three. But that was kind of a big letdown. Is season two just going to be a retread of season one? But even before the capture, this was least interesting episode in the series to date. Really, the June scenes in the last episodes were mostly a bore too. Hopefully something big changes things soon, or at least give us more Rory Gilmore this season.
You can stream The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu.

Survivor: Ghost Island: There are so many advantages in the game now that they are hiding real fake Immunity Idols now? Meh. But I do kind of like split Tribal twist. At least in theory. The two most likely to go home actually did. Sure there were almost fireworks, if only Donathan gave his Idol to the chick whose name I already forgotten. But she was kind of worthless. She goes to the jury and then had to have explained to her that someone had an extra vote advantage. Then we almost had some shenanigans in the other with everyone who could receive votes got one. But on the revote, Michael, the obvious one, was voted out unanimously.

So if only Michael voted for Laurel. That would have been wild. But what exactly was his play? Did he think Laurel was voting with him on Wendall and just hoped Kellyn flipped? And what is going on with Kellyn? She was the best thing about this season but has made to look really bad the last two weeks. First she tried to dictate a vote to Domanick last week, a big no-no on Survivor and this week she is big on Naviti sticking together even that just does not happen on this show in the past decade. And has not happened this season with already two Naviti on the jury and the first person voted out after the first swap was Naviti. I have a feeling Kellyn will be next.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Blacklist: So they took down the big bad last week and this week, Red sends the team on a wild goose chase which got Samar capture. So next week they have to find her. What a weird pacing for the last four episodes. But this whole season has been weirdly paced.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

The Americans: Oh snap, Philip just went after Elizabeth over killing the couple and straight up told her he was not going to entrap Kimmie. Though by the end he is willing to go to Chicago to help her. Something is going to go wrong next week. But one thing that has been bothering me about the travel business is isn’t their extra curricular activities funded by that? And wouldn’t the Russian funnel money through the business to keep them afloat?
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Krypton: Last week I wondered if Doomsday was a red herring or a Chekov’s Gun situation and then he appeared again in the “previously on” so I assumed it was the later. Except he was not shown in the actual episode or even mentioned. Are they just trolling us with that or did I just completely miss something? But I did like Adam Strange admitting he was a D-list superhero in his time. Very true.
You can download Krypton on iTunes.

Gotham: Well, I am sure Gordon survived that blast somehow because we know he will become commissioner eventually, but it is kind of silly, but there is no way that should be the case.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Blindspot: Wait, Patterson’s father is Bill Nye playing himself? How random. And now that he has brought it up, what is Patterson’s first name.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Nothing says evil like going with a goatee. I do have a feeling going after that gravitonium in the Earth is what cracks it apart. Though I do wonder if Talbot is the real Destroyer of World why does Daisy get blamed for it in the future? But maybe the bigger question is why didn’t future Yo-Yo tell current Yo-Yo do not let Talbot near the gravitonium instead of telling her to do not save Coulson. How is Coulson more important than Talbot becoming Destroyer of Worlds?
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 5/4/2018

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Castle Rock, The Affair, Lord Huron, Florence + the Machine, Snow Patrol, Donna Summer, Just Another Immigrant, Bipolar Rock ‘N Roller, Conan O’Brien, Smithsonian Time Capsule: 1968, POV, Carriers at War, and The Forth Estate.

- Hulu announced that Castle Rock, the psychological-horror anthology series from J.J. Abrams and Stephen King, will premiere on July 25th with the first three episodes only on Hulu. Please see below for an exciting new teaser for the series.


- Showtime has released the official trailer for season four of the Golden Globe® Award winning drama series The Affair. The series, starring Golden Globe nominee Dominic West, Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson, Emmy® Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Maura Tierney and Screen Actors Guild Award® nominee Joshua Jackson, will premiere on Sunday, June 17 at 9:00.


- Lord Huron’s acclaimed new album, Vide Noir, debuts at #4 on the Billboard 200 chart this week, marking the band’s first top 10 effort. Vide Noir is out now on Whispering Pines/Republic Records and can be purchased here. Last night, the band performed the album's single, “Wait by the River,” on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” Watch here. The new music continues to receive widespread critical praise.

- High As Hope, the hugely anticipated new album from Florence + the Machine, is set for release June 29 on Republic Records. The first official single, “Hunger,” also premieres today, accompanied by stunning new video directed by A.G. Rojas; watch it here.

- Snow Patrol premiered the song “What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get? via a world first play on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 program. Lowe called the song “deep and emotional” and you can listen to it here. In addition, the band concurrently debuted the cinematic and cathartic music video for the new song, which was directed by Brett Simon. Watch it here.

- On June 22, the day after the first day of Summer, Island Def Jam/UMe is set to celebrate the very best of the 1970s chart-topping output of Donna Summer, the undisputed Queen of Disco and The First Lady of Love, with her classic, No. 1 album, On The Radio: Greatest Hits I And II. This iconic 2-LP collection, first issued in 1979, features 16 of Summer’s sweetest hits of the Seventies; all tracks, as they appeared on the original 2-LP release, are “DJ-mixed” – they segue together – for maximum entertainment. This edition, issued on the heels of the Broadway debut of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, is presented for the first time on highly collectible pink swirl color vinyl.

- Showtime has announced the premiere of a new docu-comedy unscripted series centered around popular UK comedian Romesh Ranganathan, Just Another Immigrant. The 10-episode, half-hour series will air two episodes on Fridays beginning June 8 at 9:00. Just Another Immigrant is a comedic docuseries that follows Romesh Ranganathan, one of the most popular stand-ups in the UK, as he uproots his entire family – his supportive wife, their three kids, his Sri Lankan mother and his eccentric uncle – and immigrates to the U.S. Displaced in Los Angeles, Ranganathan attempts to find success and happiness, while rebuilding a life from scratch. In addition to his efforts to adapt, he has committed himself to booking a U.S. gig – the 6,000-seat Greek Theater – with only three months to sell it out. The series chronicles the true-life adventures of this modern immigrant family and the obstacles of making it in today’s America.

- Prolific combat sports broadcaster Mauro Ranallo and his lifelong battle with mental illness are the subject of a new documentary film from Showtime Sports®. Bipolar Rock ‘N Roller – named for the moniker Ranallo gave himself as a broadcast personality and DJ in the early 90’s – will premiere on Showtime during Mental Health Awareness Month on Friday, May 25 at 9:00.

- Turner’s TBS and Conan O’Brien today announced an expanded partnership spanning television, digital, social and live events that will enable the late night icon to capitalize and interact with his multi-generational fan base across platforms. After 25 years on television and having amassed a deeply passionate and engaged fan base through the nightly show, travel specials, digital content, live events and fan interactions, Team Coco and TBS will take Conan’s enduring brand of comedy to his fans wherever they are. The expansion of Team Coco will be advanced by Billy Parks who has been named to the newly created position of Chief Brand Officer for the joint venture. The longest tenured host in late night television will continue to evolve and reinvent the genre with major shifts to both his late night show and the creation and expansion of a joint Team Coco enterprise with TBS. Conan will continue to air four nights a week on TBS, and in 2019 will unveil a new, less structured 30-minute format that will have guests and a variety of segments drawn from the newly expanded Team Coco portfolio.

- Few years in American history have been as pivotal and transformative as 1968. Fifty years later, Smithsonian Channel delves deep into the Smithsonian Institution’s vaults to relive a year that saw breathtaking change, violent tragedy and heroic sacrifice in Smithsonian Time Capsule: 1968. What are some of the significant objects that the Smithsonian decided were worth saving to capture the essence of those turbulent times? Personal stories and curator insights bear witness to a remarkable year that shaped the country, highlighting more than a dozen key objects from across the Smithsonian Institution’s collections. Smithsonian Time Capsule: 1968 premieres Monday, May 7 at 8:00 on Smithsonian Channel.

- For his debut documentary, Quest, director Jonathan Olshefski spent nearly a decade chronicling the daily triumphs and tragedies of the Raineys, a working class African-American family in North Philadelphia. Quest has its national broadcast and streaming debut on the PBS documentary series POV and pov.org on Monday, June 18, 2018, at 10:00. POV is American television’s longest-running independent documentary series now in its 31st season.

- Today’s U.S. Navy faces very different challenges than its Cold War era counterpart. Conflicts are smaller and more regional. Terrorism impacts not only our allies’ sovereignty, but also the security of the United States. A new four-part series offers unique access to America’s elite fleet of mighty aircraft carriers as they engage in real-world action – giving viewers an intimate look at how the U.S. Navy maintains, operates and deploys to troubled spots around the globe. The series also unveils the newest generation of American supercarrier, designed to revolutionize naval warfare. Carriers at War premieres Sunday, May 20 at 8:00 on Smithsonian Channel as a part of its Memorial Day programming.

- Academy Award® winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have composed the original theme music for the highly anticipated new Showtime documentary series The Forth Estate, directed and produced by Emmy®-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus (What Happened, Miss Simone?). This marks the second time the duo have created music for Showtime programming, having appeared in the 18-part limited event series Twin Peaks performing the original song “She’s Gone Away," which is featured on their 2016 album Not the Actual Events.

Previewing I'm Dying Up Here: Season Two

There used to be an old joke that once something is on Showtime, it runs forever. Shameless is going on nine seasons; Homeland just got renewed for an eighth (granted final) season. Ray Donovan is about to start its sixth this summer. But recently the premium channels has gotten pretty trigger happy. Happyish: one and done. Roadies: one and done. Even recently White Famous got canceled after just one season. So I was a bit surprised when Showtime announced a second season of I’m Dying Up Here. Sure, it was the same level of surprised when Dice got renewed for season two; but there will be no season three of that show.

Both I’m Dying Up Here and Roadies shared the same basic plot of following people in the entertainment business but Roadies had the better acting, was more entertaining, and Cameron Crowe’s rolodex brought in new big name guest stars every week. But I’m Dying Up Here has Jim Carrey as a producer who just so happened to just sigh up to star in a Showtime show reuniting him with Michel Gondrey, director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, so read into that as you will.

Why I liked Roadies more was that it uplifting and hopeful contrast to I’m Dying Up Here which, for a show about comics, is pretty dark. Of course many of the characters live up to the title’s name which adds to the depressing nature of realizing few of these people will ever get further than Goldie’s basement. Except one actually managed to have a modicum of success last season when Ron got cast on a sitcom and as season two he actually gets upped to a regular on the show. Though it does seem appropriate with the talent on the show that the last guy to Los Angeles was the first to make it big.

Okay, yeah, Bill did get the couch on Carson and unlike the last guy, did not get any further than the grill of a bus, but it is not much of a starter for Bill. Then Cassie did book Girls Are Funny Too, a network special, but things happen on the night of the premiere. Then Adam, Ralph, and Edgar are minorities in the seventies, so the cards are already against them. But I will say someone does appear on Soul Train this season, just not who you think it would be.

The problems in the first season continue in the second, the stand ups are just not that funny. Sure, that is why most of them are still playing the basement at Goldie’s. On improvement is they got rid of that cringeworthy title sequence, cutting it down to something shorter. There is aa new comic in town who may actually be the funniest of the bunch. Brad Garrett also pops up as a comic the Goldie wants to team up with to launch a second club, but his demons he left in Vegas may put a damper on the deal.

I’m Dying Up Here airs Sundays at 10:00 on Showtime after Billions which moves to 9:00 starting this week.

I Want My Music Television: 4/30/2018

Happier - Ed Sheeran


I was beginning to think Ed Sheeran was turning into Adam Levine, hooking up with a new hot chick in every music video. But here he is back to having a stand in. But didn’t he already do puppets in the Sing video.


Friends –NONONO


From time to time I like to check in on One Hit Wonders to see if they are worthy of a second hit. Then does beg the question is NONONO even a One Hit Wonder. Their song Pumpkin Blood did chart of four different genre chart but not very high on any of them. The song was also used in a shampoo commercial I think as well as a Freeform ad campaign so the song did sort of permeate America. I do not think their new song will do much better despite being a little catchy, but still kind of dark at the same time.


Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Q-Tip feat. Demi Lovato


I cannot imagine things I need less than hearing Q-Tip dueting with Demi Lovato on Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.


Heart to Break – Kim Petras


Well this was cheesy eighties fun from Kim Petras. But I do have to wonder if the light up floor is a Billy Jean homage because it is so eighties or if someone this young has never actually seen the Billy Jean video.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 4/29/2018

Homeland: Holy Dar Adal sighting? I have been wondering all season what he has been up to. Apparently it has just been walking in circles for six months. I wonder if President Bridges will pardon him. But this season has been a big lesson on the 25th Amendment. Good to know they can evoke the 25th on general incompetence. But I wonder if they will go back on it if Simone makes it to the US to corroborate her real story. I believe the 25th was invoked when Reagan got shot and when he was better, Reagan was reinstated as president. But how does one extract a Russian asset from Russia?

Fear the Walking Dead: Oh yeah, since most of them did not appear until the very end, I forgot season three ended in a pretty big cliffhanger where Nick blew up a dam he was standing on while Alicia and Strand were washed away. So I guess everyone made it out alive. Except for maybe the Salazar’s. I had to look it up, but, oh yeah Ophelia died, though I am unclear what exactly happened to Daniel who already escaped a fire, so maybe he is still around.

Then the flashbacks did not go back far enough. Everyone (sans Daniel) is safe living in a minor league baseball stadium with only brief flashbacks by Nick to the Dam. Nick still has not recover as he does not leave the stadium, but we do see him capture the SWAT truck in present day which is not too far in the future because the Vultures are still a thing. The writers are really playing fast and loose with the timeline just to get Morgan on the show.
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

Billions: So Taylor is a sexual person. And one who works pretty quickly. But I guess when you are that analytical, you see what you want and you just take it. As for someone who is not analytical, why is Dollar Bill ramming the car of someone who is very by the book? I guess it is lucky for Bill that Bobby gave the SEC guy the big family talk before that so I guess as long as Bill pays for the damages, SEC guy will not press charges. But what happens to the tainted sample? How does Chuck get that into evidence? Do Axe’s cleaners find it first? And when the gay widow was talking about how noble the doctor was, why did he only think the good will of the doctor was out of compassion and not out of guilt?

Timeless: Oh yeah, Lucy has a sister. They are doing a bad job reminding us that. Would it be too hard to go back in time and introduce her mother to the sister’s father?
You can download Timeless on iTunes.

Into the Badland: So where was the “previously on” segment. Didn’t the one chick die? That is pretty much all I remember from last season. And now there are more black eyed people, Sonny’s kid and the two new people. But MK does not anymore. That cannot be a coincidence.

Supergirl: Ugg, still no Saturn Girl, instead she is at some unseen arctic event? Boooo.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Lucifer: So Cain lost his mark because Decker fell in love with him? I do not remember Decker being in love with Lucifer when he was getting hurt around her. I am pretty sure that was always the case.
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

Rise: Just when I though Ted Mosby could not get any more annoying, dude just walks out on the production. And I found it weird when the pregnant chick showed up seemingly out of nowhere, but now she is, was, best friends with the chick who thinks she is a dude? Meh.
You can download Rise on iTunes.

The Challenge: Vendettas: How convenient for the Stars that the tie breaker was the winner of the last elimination is the tie breaker, not the other team in every other tie breaker scenario in Challenge history (that I can remember). But this is still going to be pretty boring is one team just puts up Stars and the other Champs all season. They may need to do a Survivor type tribe swap at some point.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

Legion: Wait did they completely change Sydney’s powers or was I not paying attention. Really, when has any body swapper in sci-fi history morphed their body, not swapped conscience? Seemed like they just did this for the creepy interaction with the boyfriend.
You can download Legion on iTunes.

Survivor: Ghost Island: Kellyn has been my favorite all season but that was a bad look on her this week. You never dictate vote to someone else because that person will turn on you the first chance they get. Even if you are right that you have done everything Domanick has asked and it is time for him to repay the loyalty. But how did we go from Kellyn demanding Michael goes next to Kellyn and everyone but Chelsea voting for Desi (I do wonder who Angela would have voted for). The irony or Kellyn adamantly targeting the stronger guy is that Chelsea makes the tenth straight woman to win Individual Immunity and Cole is the only guy in the last two seasons to win. This may be an anomaly and not a trend because before that, Not Dante Culpepper won five of the last six Immunities.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Blacklist: Wait, how was the guy not in the Mexican standoff able to get a shot off with two guns pointed at him?
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

The Americans: Poor Philip, having to have sex with a hot college chick for his country. Except he then blows his cover to warn her of danger. That is not going to end well for him I aassume.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Krypton: So is Doomsday going to be a Checkov’s gun situation or was that just an Easter Egg?
You can download Krypton on iTunes.

Blindspot: How disappointing that the weird conspiracy theory guy never ran into Rich Dot Com.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Wait no one bothered to destroy the pod that could create the Destroyer of Worlds? Not only that but they kept the Gravitonium still attracted to the pod? Sure, we are dealing with people who did not wait for the “alien attack” option, but c’mon.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: 4/27/2028

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Friday Night Lights, Harlots, The Killers, Poison, Lily Allen, Michael W. Smith, Ariana Grande, The Last O.G., Search Party, and Billions

- Fans can now head to Hulu to watch every episode of the acclaimed series Friday Night Lights, and relive their favorite moments from Coach Taylor & Tami, as well as all of the Dillon High School football team. Friday Night Lights comes to Hulu in a new agreement with NBCUniversal. The series joins a full offering of beloved shows streaming on Hulu, including ER, Felicity, Dawson’s Creek and the complete TGIF block.

- Hulu's critically acclaimed, salacious series Harlots returns with a bang on Wednesday, July 11th for the season two premiere (debuting with two episodes, then releasing weekly). This season of Harlots dives deeper into the feuds, betrayals, and carnal connections amongst the characters, highlighting an incredibly relevant story about gender disparity and socio-economic unrest. Oh, and did we mention, Liv Tyler is making a splash this time around!

- On June 15, Island/UMe is set to join superstars The Killers in celebrating a, well, absolutely killer career to date by releasing all seven of their albums in one complete box set for the first time, the ever-so-aptly titled The Killers Career Vinyl Box. The Killers Career Vinyl Box will be made available to all retail outlets in an across-the-board 180-gram black vinyl configuration, in addition to a limited-edition 180-gram clear vinyl version. A slip mat featuring the “K” from the band’s logo and inspired by the vintage lights of the Las Vegas strip completes both packages.

- Capitol/UMe is poised to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Poison’s best-selling album, 1988’s five-times-platinum Open Up And Say… Ahh!, with a sensationally reproduced 180-gram reissue. The LP was pressed in two collectible color variants: red vinyl (available at select retailers) and a limited edition of 1,000 in green vinyl (available exclusively at The Sound Of Vinyl). Order Poison’s Open Up And Say… Ahh! here.

- Lily Allen: Three:

- Grammy award winning and multi-platinum artist Michael W. Smith has teamed up with the co-creator of the incredibly popular kids show VeggieTales, Mike Nawrocki, to create a new infant and children’s series called “Nurturing Steps.” On May 8th, in partnership with Zonderkidz (HarperCollins Christian Publishing) Michael will release his first book “Nighty Night and Good Night,” a charming tale about a band of animals who are called upon to help their friend Ben. Michael also recorded an album of lullabies – featuring both enchanting hits and original songs – that will be released on May 4th through The Fuel Music in conjunction with Michael’s new children’s book.

- The brand new single from multiplatinum, record-breaking superstar Ariana Grande, “No Tears Left To Cry” is the #1 most added song to Top 40, Hot AC, and Rhythm radio formats. With 247 radio stations adding the song across the three formats, and one of the few artists in history to receive commitments from entire Top 40 panel in the debut week. Last Friday, iHeartRadio gave the new single its world premiere, reaching over 13 million Total Audience Spins on the day alone. Listen to “No Tears Left To Cry” HERE. Watch Official Music Video HERE.

- TBS has given season pickups to two of its original series. Cable’s #1 comedy The Last O.G. will return with a second season and the blistering breakout comedy-thriller Search Party is renewed for a third season.

- Showtimw has picked up a fourth season of its hit drama series Billions. Starring Oscar® nominee and Emmy® and Golden Globe® winner Paul Giamatti and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis, the third season of BILLIONS currently airs Sundays at 10:00, and will move to 9:00 starting next Sunday, May 6 to anchor the night and serve as the lead-in for the season two premiere of I’m Dying up Here. The season three premiere of BILLIONS was its highest-rated ever, up 23 percent from last year. Billions ranks as the network’s No. 2 drama series behind HOMELAND. The announcement was made today by Gary Levine, President of Programming, Showtime Networks Inc.

I Want My Music Television: 4/26/2018

No Tears Left To Cry - Ariana Grande


Ariana Grande is back with moderately entertaining music, but Lionel Richie did a much better job dancing on the ceiling.


Us - James Bay


The first two songs James Bay released from his sophomore album were full, what the fork is happening type songs. The third one is much better.


Bad Bad News - Leon Bridges


I like Leon Bridges and all and this new song is very fun, but I am getting a little tired of people dancing weirdly genre of music videos.


Kings & Queens - Mat Kearney


Here is another unnecessarily choreographed music video, this time from Mat Kearney. At least Bridges’s song had a danceable groove.

Previewing The Handmaid's Tale: Season Two

We got a lot of The Handmaid’s Tale in Trump America think pieces when the show debuted all of which made me roll my eyes. Gilliad is a place run by religious zealots and Trump is by far the least religious and least moral president of my lifetime (and possibly ever) and I lived through a president who stuck cigars in an intern. Sure when (or if) Trump gets impeached, maybe we would have to worry about America turning into Gilliad under Mike Pence, a guy who forced aborted fetuses to have funerals while he was governor of Indiana (that sweeping abortion law was just deemed unconstitutional last week), but certainly not while Trump is still president. If Gilliad were to happen and he was not treated like the other adulterers, Trump would be like the Commander, taking his mistress to sex clubs on the weekend.

That is not to say The Handmaid’s Tale did not deserve all the praise that was heaped on it. The show was a shock to the system, haunting and even funny at times. Elisabeth Moss played the titular with gusto, a compliant slave on the outside with an inner monologue almost as snarky as that of Veronica Mars. While her fellow Handmaids escaped to Canada or send to the fields to work until they die, Moss ends the season still in the service of the Waterford’s.

At the end of last season, Aunt Lydia promised retribution to the Handmaids who refused to execute Janine by stoning. The new season starts up with Lydia fulfilling that promise including an apt and sadistic punishment for the Handmaid who first spoke up for Janine. Well everyone by Offred is punished because she is with child an and a trip to the doctor proves very helpful to June who gains help from someone I did not quite expect.

Where the first season was a rush of blood to the head, the second feels like it has fallen into the dreaded sophomore slump. All the fresh ideas in the first season just feel like retreads when they continue to happen in season two. And at every turn of something interesting in the first couple episodes, things just seem to reset again.

As great as Elisabeth Moss was in the first season, it feels like the second season could have been better spent on the secondary characters that are only sporadically seen at least in the first couple episodes. We get to see Moira adapt to her new life in Canada in the premiere but is not seen for at least the next five episodes. Rory Gilmore, who was last seen in episode five of the first season, does finally reappear in the second episode of this season where we get to see more of the “Unwomen.” Rory does show up one more time in the first half of the season, but I really would like to see more of the camp she was sent to.

We do get to see Rory with her family prior to the revolution and seeing just how Gilliad came to be is always fascinating. Also in flashbacks this season we get to meet June’s mother, who may be even more opinionated than her daughter, as well as Luke’s first wife who makes a great juxtaposition to what June is dealing with in that episode. Apparently the writers are keen on those Trump comparisons because “Resist” sign show up to a speech by Mrs. Waterford in one of her flashbacks. And just when you thought the people of Gilliad could not get any creepier, the Waterford’s get a new houseguest.

Sophomore slumps happen to the best of them and it is not as if The Handmaid’s Tale completely falls off a cliff. There is no Landry kills a dude moment or even a Carrie has sex with a terrorist who killed the vice-president by hacking his pacemaker moment. And unlike Lost, the flashbacks are still interesting in the second season. Really the problem is the flashbacks in the second season are more interesting than what is happening in present day. And there is the problem, the present day scenes have gotten a little stale. But something does happen at the end of the last episode I saw that hopefully sets a spark for things to pick up in the back half of the season.

The first two episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale are available today on Hulu with new episodes every Wednesday.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 4/22/2018

Homeland: Another round of electro-shock therapy for Carrie. Last time was at the end of season one. Though I do not remember her being all that much saner in season two. She did jeopardize Brody by accusing him early only to start boning him. Granted there was months, maybe years between those two seasons so maybe it will work for at least until the end of this season. But Carrie did change, actually gave up running an operation in Russia to win custody for Franny… which lasted almost a full day before giving up Franny and running back to Saul. But I do not understand how catching Simone would save Keane’s presidency. Even proving Russian meddling, I do not see how you can walk back firing your Cabinet.

The Walking Dead: Eugene certainly knows how to play the long game. Sure puking on Rosita was a bit much. But now that Negan was captured (and somehow not killed by slitting his throat during the middle of a zombie apocalypse and no modern medicine) are they really going to do a Maggie vs. Rick next season? Didn’t they already do a big showdown of to kill or not to kill with Carol and Morgan a couple seasons ago? Speaking of Morgan…
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Fear the Walking Dead: …he is on this show now? Isn’t the spin-off five to ten years behind the original? Did they just fast-forward that much? And just where are they now? The show was in southwest near the ocean but I am not sure that is where they were. I guess all those questions will be answered next week because we did not see any original cast member for more than five seconds this week. And I have to say I am not digging the Token Hot Chick from Lost’s new haircut.
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

Billions: There are fewer things I need to see than a naked old dude. And that is the second naked old naked dude on Showtime in as many months. But those Rhodes boys are messed up. So Papa Rhodes did not turn on his son because he squeezed out his casino land? But if he likes ruthless moves, shouldn’t the Ice Juice thing gain enough respect because that was pretty ruthless all around. Chuck screwed over his father, best friend, and his own back account just to spite Bobby Axelrod.

Supergirl: Did I take copious amounts of drugs or did I really see Kara do Beastie Boys karaoke? That was weird. But where was Saturn Girl? I feel any episode without Saturn Girl is not an episode worth watching.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Lucifer: Wait, how did Cain lose his mark? Was it just by spending time with Decker?
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

Good Girls: Why do they continue to pay off the blackmailer. Have they yet to realize if she turns them in, the blackmailer is implicating herself too?
You can download Good Girls on iTunes.

Rise: Ted Mosby just continues to be annoying. After just overtaking the orchestra practice from the conductor last week he does the exact same to the set designer this week. Get a grip dude.
You can download Rise on iTunes.

The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars: The first two seasons of Champs vs… sucked for many reason. One of which was that the non-Champs just are not ready for how crazy and stupid the game is. So a switch up was needed. But even that was ruined because the Champs are sticking together even when they are on different teams. Meh. Hopefully this is over quickly like the other Champ vs. seasons.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

The Looming Tower: Well, here is the problem with these true crime shows, you know how it ends. I guess there were some surprises, like Martin getting his job back. And that interrogation scene was fascinating after the fact. And I wonder if all the time spent on John’s personal life was simply because of that answering machine scene. But it was a little creepy that John called his mistress instead of his wife and children. But where was Bobby during the attack? He strolls up disheveled but not quite too coved in dust and debris completely out of nowhere just for that scene.
You can stream The Path Hulu.

Survivor: Ghost Island: Meh, I really did not need a return of the gross food challenge. But I am surprised that Gervise's uneaten grubs were not on Ghost Island Seriously, why even have a Ghost Island if half the people sent there do not get anything? Random Blonde #2 could have at least gotten her something that automatically put her in the second round or something.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Americans: Was I supposed to see anything in that warehouse scene because I felt like I should have been increasing the brightness on my screen because I had no clue what was going on.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Gotham: I wondered why they killed Ra’s Al Guil but now I am wondering why they killed him only to bring him back? And why does he no longer want to be dead?
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: So did they change the future? I am a bit confused at just what happened especially with Ruby. What was with that white burst? Was that just gavitonium dispersing out of her? And did they not destroy the chamber? If Daisy was to become the Destroyer of Worlds and Von Strucker was the only one that could build it, wouldn’t destroying that be smart?
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.