Around the Tubes: November 16, 2019

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 Big Little Lies, Kristen Bell, The Morning Show, King Princess, Apple Music Replay, ANNA SOFIA, Oh Wonder, Maja Kristina, BENEE, The Band, Diana Ross, Holly Hobbie, Green Book, Eddie Griffin: E-Niggma, The Toys That Made Us, Made From Scratch, Showtime, and An Unquiet Life.

- HBO's smash-hit Big Little Lies returns for more drama, secrets, and seduction then ever before with the release of Big Little Lies: The Complete Second Season on DVD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on January 7, 2019. Iconic actress Meryl Streep joins the all-star cast in season two, along with Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoё Kravitz. Fans can purchase the DVD with all 7 exhilarating episodes from the second season and go behind-the-scenes with an all new featurette titled, “The Lies Revealed: A Conversation with the Cast.” Big Little Lies: The Complete Second Season is priced to own on DVD at $29.98 SRP ($34.99 in Canada), and is also available to own on Digital via purchase from all major digital retailers. Big Little Lies: The Complete Second Season will be available on Blu-rayTM courtesy of Warner Archive Collection. The Blu-rayTM release includes all the same content on DVD and is also arriving January 7, 2020. Warner Archive Blu-ray releases are found at wb.com/warnerarchive and your favorite online retailer.

- Kristen Bell Shares Frozen 2 Spoilers and Animation Secrets from The Tonight Show:


- The Morning Show: NEW EPISODE - Debutsed Friday, November 15: "No One’s Gonna Harm You, Not While I’m Around” In the fifth episode, “No One’s Gonna Harm You, Not While I’m Around,” a looming article threatens to upend the power structure of The Morning Show. Special guest stars include Mindy Kaling, Marcia Gay Harden, Cheyenne Jackson and Tom Irwin.

- Vevo announces the release of King Princess’ live performances of “If You Think It’s Love” and “Hit The Back.” American singer/songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist King Princess delivers her soulful vocals over warm, atmospheric synth production inspired by influences like Perfume Genius, Nick Cave, Beyoncé and Dolly Parton.

- As we near the end of another decade and the world once again becomes blanketed in layers of holiday nostalgia and pumpkin spice, we invite you take a musical journey down memory lane with the brand new Apple Music Replay. Beginning right now, Apple Music subscribers can relive the highs, lows and in-betweens of 2019 with the songs, artists, and albums that soundtracked and defined their year. Additionally, with Apple Music Replay we create a playlist with your top songs for 2019-AAAAAND one for every year that you have been an Apple Music subscriber. You can also save these to your library and share them with your friends. Apple Music Replay was built to celebrate your favorite music from our growing catalog of over 60M songs.

- On the heels of fan-adored independent anthems “Meaner Girl” and “I Try,” rising star and critically acclaimed 16-year-old singer and songwriter ANNA SOFIA serves up a new single “No Fun” as her official debut for Electric Feel Records/Republic Records. Check out “No Fun” Here!

- Oh Wonder announces details of their upcoming third album, No One Else Can Wear Your Crown, which will be released on February 7th, 2020! The new album will include their first single “Hallelujah” and most recent follow-up “Better Now.” Oh Wonder also shares a brand new track from the album, “I Wish I Never Met You,” out now.

- Buzzworthy 21-year-old Swedish songstress Maja Kristina unveils the music video for her brand new single “Idiot.” Watch the official music video for “Idiot” HERE.

- Garnering over 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify and receiving critical praise across the globe,19-year-old indie pop sensation BENEE’s STELLA & STEVE EP arrives today – listen HERE! The five-track EP includes the irresistible pop bop “Supalonely” feat. Gus Dapperton, as well as BENEE’s recently-released viral hits “Find an Island” and “Monsta” and new songs “Drifting” feat. Jack Berry and “Blu.”

- The Band’s influential, pioneering self-titled album is being celebrated with a suite of newly remixed and expanded 50th Anniversary Edition packages. Available now via Capitol/UMe, the album is available as a Super Deluxe 2CD/Blu-ray/2LP/7-inch vinyl boxed set with a hardbound book; 2CD, digital, 180-gram 2LP black vinyl, and limited edition 180-gram 2LP “tiger’s eye” color vinyl packages. All the Anniversary Edition releases were overseen by The Band’s Robbie Robertson and feature a new stereo mix by Bob Clearmountain from the original multi-track masters, similar to the acclaimed 50th anniversary collections of last year’s Music From Big Pink releases. The 50th Anniversary Edition’s CD, digital, and box set configurations also include 13 outtakes, featuring six previously unreleased outtakes and alternate recordings from The Band sessions, as well as The Band’s legendary Woodstock performance, which has never been officially released. Order/stream The Band (50th Anniversary Edition): TheBand.lnk.to/TheBand50

- The spirit and sound of the iconic angelic voice of Diana Ross rings bright again this holiday season with the vinyl reissue of her classic Wonderful Christmas Time. The 20-track collection is available for the first time in two physical configurations, a standard black 2LP, a limited-edition translucent red 2LP. Wonderful Christmas Time is also available on CD and all major digital platforms from Ross Records/UMe.

- Holly Hobbie season 2 premieres on Hulu, Friday, November 22. As season two gets underway, Holly’s life begins to get more complicated (Boys! Bullies! Breakouts! Biology tests!) and so does her music. Holly continues to use her life as a source of inspiration for her songs but this season, for the first time, some people don’t like what she has to say. When Holly’s attempt to deal with the haters backfires, Holly wonders if some topics are off limits. Like, can she write about her crush on Tyler? Her friends? What about her family? And if she does, can she handle the consequences? All this second-guessing triggers a serious case of writer’s block and spirals Holly into a big ol’ funk which is further exacerbated when Holly meets another talented musician who isn’t afraid to express himself. As Holly starts to collaborate with him she finds her voice again – but is she ready to share it with a bigger audience?


- The television premiere of the Academy Award winning film Green Book will air on Showtime on Saturday, December 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Network subscribers will also be able to watch the film across all platforms including SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, SHOWTIME ANYTIME® and the Showtime stand-alone streaming service.

- Veteran entertainer Eddie Griffin is back for his third Showtime comedy special, Eddie Griffin: E-Niggma, premiering on Friday, December 6 at 11 p.m. ET/PT. The hour-long special is filmed at the restored, historic landmark Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, home to many iconic performers including Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and Lena Horne. Griffin’s unapologetic storytelling canvasses his 30-plus year comedy career and offers an intimate glimpse into the 10th year of his nightly Las Vegas residency, The Eddie Griffin Experience. Through his quick wit and a fiery rhetoric, Griffin flexes his perspective on a number of personal family situations and real-world issues while teaching sociopolitical and hypothetical history lessons along the way.


- Prepare for a plastic-and-nostalgia overload- wildly popular Netflix docu-series The Toys That Made Us is back this Friday for its third season, with new toys, stories, and perspectives. The series delves into all of the legendary toys, action figures, and figurines that shaped America's childhoods, and this upcoming season tackles Power Rangers, My Little Pony, Wrestling, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, following prior seasons' dives into Barbie, G.I. Joe, LEGO, Hello Kitty, and more. Watch the trailer.

- An all-new episode of Made From Scratch, the unscripted weekly series from FUSE that features artists as they cook their favorite childhood dishes with family members who helped them rise to prominence, on Tuesday, November 19 at 11:00 pm, ET/PT on FUSE. On this episode of Made From Scratch, Vic Mensa and his sister Lizzy make one of their favorite meals growing up, “Omo Tuo,” a Ghanaian stew. Vic and his sister talk about the drama surrounding his foundation, when a racist landlord kicked them out because of the music video for “Camp America.” Plus, they talk about growing up taking chances, details on his new album, and founding a label. Grab a seat at the table as these artists share their personal stories and the special meaning behind their menu. Made From Scratch airs Tuesdays at 11:00 pm, ET/PT on FUSE.

- Showtime Networks Inc. and A24 Films have entered into an exclusive output agreement under which qualifying A24 films theatrically released through November 1, 2022 will air across SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as on SHOWTIME multiplex channels and streaming services. The agreement allows Showtime Networks Inc. to exhibit high-profile A24 features across its premium services on-air, on demand and online. The announcement was made by Kent Sevener, Executive Vice President, Content Acquisition and Business and Legal Affairs, Showtime Networks Inc. The deal will include up to 16 films annually produced by A24. A24’s upcoming theatrical releases include Gotham Award-nominated Waves, starring Sterling K. Brown, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Lucas Hedges; Mike Mills’ next film starring Joaquin Phoenix; Green Knight, starring Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander; Joel Cohen’s adaptation of Macbeth starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand; Zola from Janicza Bravo; and Jonathan Glazer’s untitled WWII project. The deal also gives Showtime Networks exclusive rights to the television premiere of A24’s previous Oscar®-winning and nominated films including Moonlight, Lady Bird, Room and Ex Machina.

- Align and Goldcrest Features announced today that the as currently untitled (f.k.a An Unquiet Life) feature starring Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), and Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard, Misbehaviour), will begin filming on November 14th. The story of the world’s most beloved children’s author, Roald Dahl (Bonneville) and his film star wife, Patricia Neal (Hawes) will be directed by John Hay (Lost Christmas, There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble). Hay also wrote the film alongside David Logan. The picture is being produced by Donall McCusker (The Hurt Locker), Adrian Politowski (The Artist), Martin Metz (Mandy) and Nick Quested (Danger Close ).

Previewing Dollface

Whenever I see awards nominations where all the acting nominations come from the same movies/shows that are also nominated for the top prizes I wonder is that a bit of a cheat? I mean congratulations; the best script and best directors of a great piece of art were able to make you look like a competent actor. I contend that the best acting awards should go to people who appear in crap but still manage a great performance. Like Kat Dennings in 2 Broke Girls, such a horrible show but she made it watchable and will it through six season when had any other actress been cast it likely would have been the first show canceled. Seriously, put Phoebe Waller-Bridge in a British remake of 2 Broke Girls and see how it does.

But thankfully 2 Broke Girls was finally canceled so Dennings can go on to do bigger and better things. The bigger is reprising her role in the MCU as Natalie Portman’s snarky side kick. Though she has not been announce to return to the Thor franchise with Portman in Thor 4 but will pop up in the Disney+ WandaVision show. Um, yeah, okay, that should be… interesting. Then the better being Hulu’s latest comedy, Dollface.

Like their dramas, Hulu’s comedies up to this year have been sparse. They launched two in 2015 as well as continued The Mindy Project that all lasted at least three season but only one of them was airing as of last season. But like the dramas that upped their output this year, Hulu launched five new comedies. The first three, PEN15, Shrill, and Ramy were all critically but it seems like no one but critics actually watched (I was lukewarm to all of them). Then came Four Wedding and a Funeral which critics and audiences all agreed was unnecessary. But Hulu saved the best for last with Dollface.

The show starts off with Dennings getting dumped by her longtime boyfriend who gives her the titular name. Though the signs should have been there, seriously ladies, do not date a guy who names his pets after Entourage characters. The thing is, after spending five years with this guy, Dennings has to reconnect with the girl friends she neglected during the relationship.

The best friend is played by Brenda Song who in nearly a decade on the Disney Channel sitcoms learned to hone a finely tuned comedic timing. Then there is their mutual name dropping friend played by Shay Mitchell who in nearly a decade on Pretty Little Liars… did not. Really, she kind of kind of comes off as a middle class American who tries too hard to be Tahani Al-Jamil. The break out star of the show is Eshter Povisky (Alone Together) who joins the friend group because… um, to be with someone she does not share her name with, I guess. I am not sure how it happened but I am glad it did because she has the best lines and just knocks even one out of the park. Just when you think her description of whiskey was going to be the funniest part of the season, she attempts to have a threesome. Please comedy writers, just please start putting her in everything.

Dollface reminds me of the critically under watched FX show Man Seeking Woman in that it can be completely absurdist at times (granted Man Seeking Woman was absurdist at all times). Like after her breakup, Dennings has to pick her things up at the “Emotion Baggage Claim” before being picked up by a cat lady bus driver. I mean an actual lady with a cat head that talks to her. It is because the show is too weird that award show will likely overlook Kat Dennings again, but I will just appreciate she is on my television again.

All episodes of Dollface are on Hulu tomorrow.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: November 10, 2019

Supergirl: This whole season makes little sense with the Lena storyline, but the sentient tattoos made the season even more nonsensical. And I do not even want to talk about the Doc Oct rip-off in the Robocop helmet.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Watchmen: Silk Specter made this episode a little less boring than the previous ones.

The Walking Dead: So Negan has his leather jacket back and a new bat. And then got captured by the Whispers. Maybe for the first time since being captured, the writers are going to finally give him something to do.

The Affair: Starting off the series finale with a flash dance. A flash dance with Helen’s neighbor that her boyfriend knocked up and then flew her across the country for her daughter’s wedding. Then there was just a random dude that I did not realize who it was until Noah mentioned his name and I finally realized, oh, that is the oldest son we have not seen since maybe the first season.

Then we finally got what I have been waiting for all season, Joanie meets a Soloway. I thought she may have bumped into one of the Soloway children, but no, she met an old Noah (in old man make-up that was very obvious him) who now owning the Lobster Roll. But what I never say coming was that the creepy reporter Joanie forked was Vic’s kid who gave a Spaceball’s explanation of how he was vaguely related to Joanie. Kind of made the whole series worth it for that scene alone.

But what a weird ending. This season seemed to be about Noah’s chickens coming home to roost set upon the backdrop of #MeToo. We the viewers knew some of those stories were made up and over-exaggerated, but Noah was still a pretty huge pervert who deserved some shame. But then they ended on a redemptive note, Noah outlive both his wives (I thought he was talking to Alison at the end; oh, and Helen’s mom lived to 100?), none of his children get even a mention in the future, and then he get the final shot doing the flash dance he choreographed as the final scene. But I kind of wish the whole season was this weird. The show set itself up as a super-serious piece of “art” but we never really got an explanation of two way some of the acts were wildly different telling of the same event. I guess Occam’s Razer is that was just how that person remembers things.

Mr. Robot: It only took me twelve minutes to realize, oh wait, no one is talking. Then two minutes later the guard whistled at Darla and I just rolled my eyes at the lengths they were going to pull off the now dialogue. Kind of a lame gimmick to pull off with so little time left. At least the one shot episode last season served a purpose and was by far the best non-season one episode. There were just too many times where there really should have been some dialogue. And I was a bit confused at where they broke into. Did this company just have a Soul Cycle open on Christmas Day?
You can download Mr. Robot: on iTunes.

His Dark Materials: This is the second attempt at adapting the books, the first bombed so bad it took down an entire movie studio. But after watching the first episode, maybe the book just is not something that should be adapted; the whole daemon thing just does not look good on screen and just comes across as weird when you see it in living color. And so far it is kind of confusing. I kind of need a Game of Thrones type map title sequence to give me an idea of where this is. Plus, and I really supposed to be scared of the chick from The Africa?

Castle Rock: Well, how Annie turned out the way she did makes much more sense now. Oh geez. Although her obsession with the song Let the River Run has a much darker context now. But from the moment that Rita started to show, I thought, oh no, is Annie going to kill her and steal her baby? Though I never thought that Joy could be her half-sister. Granted when we saw Annie’s wanted poster, it was only for murder, it did not say anything about kidnapping. But what I do not understand is where did Joy get the book. Did Annie just keep a copy this whole time; transfer it from computer to computer all this time?
You can watch Castle Rock on Hulu.

Survivor: Island of Idols: There have been plenty of dumb advantages but whatever they offered Janice may have been the worst. You get the triple wammie of not being trusted for playing it, not being able to vote, and then not even being able to view tribal Council. The Kellee was one of the most interesting plays in the history of the show. Then she managed to pull it off flawlessly and even had one unintended consequence of Jamal burning his Idol which then should put a target on his back which she clearly wants. As long as Dean does not blab about it, this may go down as one of the best moves in the history of the show. But she was one of four people targeted in the promo so maybe it will end up backfiring.
You can download Survivor: Island of the Idols on iTunes.

The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2: So now the British team has four actual British players and four non-Brits? It is a shame more people did not defect earlier. Really, Georgia, Bear, and Theo should have defected a long time ago when they realized they were never going to gain the numbers. But it will be funny if Cara/Paulie keep on sending in Americans who beat a Brit and then the “British” team then beats the Americans.
You can download The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 on iTunes.

The Good Place: Oh wow, they finished the new experiment half way through the season. So what next (the title of the next episode seems like it could be a spoiler… or just something Jason says… or maybe both)? You got Simone and the blogger MIA, did they freeze or did they go so far that they are not affected? Could they have found their way to The Bad Place (or been kidnapped by Sean) and have to be rescued? That would be too close to last episode though. Ugg, they usually they give us a teaser of what to come instead of a huge cliffhanger like this.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

Titans: So did Raven know the gargoyle was going to go off and kill that dude or was it an unintended consequence? And just when is Old Robin going to get out of prison and how? Kind of seems like he know how but moneybags Bruce could always donate a win to get his release. Him just abandoning everyone just seems weird and these last too episodes just seems like a waste of time while they stall for the finale.

The Blacklist: So the baddie of the week was… a computer? Alrighty. But no fall out from Aram stealing the nametag from Red’s buddy. I thought for sure his new lady friend was nefarious, maybe she just is a thrill seeker and that was a complete coiuncidence.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: November 9, 2019

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 Reprisal, Jack Johnson, Mary J. Blige, Snow Patrol, Chelsea Cutler, Maja Kristina, The Russian Five, Desus and Mero, Billions, and Wrongful Conviction.

- Hulu released the official trailer for upcoming drama series Reprisal from the executive producer of The Handmaid’s Tale. The series stars Abigail Spencer, Rodrigo Santoro, Mena Massoud, Rhys Wakefield, Madison Davenport, Gilbert Owuor, David Dastmalchian, W. Earl Brown, Craig Tate, Wavyy Jonez, Shane Callahan and Rory Cochrane. Reprisal will premiere all episodes Friday, December 6th only on Hulu.


- Multi-platinum recording artist and environmentalist Jack Johnson announces the release of Brushfire Records’ This Warm December, Vol. III, the latest in a trilogy of coveted holiday albums from his label. This Warm December, Vol III features both original and holiday-classic songs from Jack Johnson and friends, including G. Love, Bahamas, Mason Jennings, Zach Rogue (of Rogue Wave), Zach Gill, Paula Fuga and more. Fans are able to pre-order This Warm December Vol. III, with an immediate digital download of the original first track, “New Axe” by Jack Johnson starting today, November 8. The full-length album will be available on November 22 with limited-edition vinyl available on December 13, all through Johnson’s own Brushfire Records. To pre-order the album visit, thiswarmdecember.com.

- Mary J. Blige, the legendary Grammy and Golden Globe winning and Oscar nominated singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist and honorary Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, will release an immersive box set of her biggest 1990s hits along with rare remixes, HERstory, Vol. 1, on December 6 via UMe. The collection will be released in three physical forms: a set of eight standard-weight black 7" vinyl records, a 1CD version, a 2LP set and a digital version. From her solo 1992 hit "You Remind Me" to the 1993 remix of "What's the 411" featuring K-Ci (of K-Ci and JoJo) and the Notorious B.I.G., HERstory, Vol. 1 tells the story of Blige as she first established herself as a tour de force of '90s R&B.

- Snow Patrol have announced details of a new album. Reworked features 13 reimagined versions of some of the band’s biggest hits alongside three brand new recordings and will be released on 8th November via Polydor Records. The record accompanies a Reworked tour in November and December and follows the release of Reworked EPs 1 and 2. Twenty-five years into a career that has taken in one billion global track streams, five UK platinum albums, an Ivor Novello award and Grammy and Mercury Music Prize nominations, Reworked marks a period of looking back and taking stock. “After 10 years of no success, no-one – least of all us – expected us these last 15 years to sell 17 million albums, headline festivals and play to thousands of people all over the world,” says frontman Gary Lightbody.

- Singer, songwriter and producer Chelsea Cutler reveals her long-awaited debut album, How To Be Human, will be released in January 2020! In celebration of the album announcement, Chelsea debuts the video for her latest single “Lucky” feat. Alexander 23 today—watch it HERE!

- Bbuzzworthy 21-year-old Swedish songstress Maja Kristina shares her brand-new single entitled “Idiot. Check out “Idiot” HERE via Eddie O Entertainment/Republic Records. Known for alternative pop, straight shooting lyricism and raw emotions, Maja once again delivers an anthem that’s as confessional as it is catchy. On the track, vulnerable verses give way to a quick-witted refrain where she calls out an ex without pulling any punches.

- - Critically-acclaimed documentary The Russian Five will make its U.S. television debut on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 11 p.m. ET on NBCSN, immediately following coverage of the Wednesday Night Hockey matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers. The Russian Five tells the story of the first five Russians to play hockey together in the National Hockey League (NHL) and how they helped transform the Detroit Red Wings from perennial losers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions. Toward the end of the Cold War the Red Wings hatched an audacious plan to draft the best Soviet players from behind the Iron Curtain and help them defect to Detroit, sneaking them out under cover of night and whisking them to the Motor City where they won the fans’ hearts and changed the way hockey is played in North America forever.

- The most expansive and ambitious aerial series explores America’s great cities from breathtaking heights – filmed from helicopters and drones equipped with cutting edge 4K/Ultra High Definition cameras to see our iconic and most treasured landmarks from a birds-eye view. Aerial America returns with 3 episodes Sunday, December 8 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.

- Desus and Mero on Showtime and The Bronx Brewery (TheBronxBrewery.com) today announced that the iconic Bronx comedians, Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, and their home-borough brewery will collaborate this fall on the launch of a limited-release lager. Named Bodega Boys Beer after their wildly popular "Bodega Boys" podcast that put The Bronx-born duo on the map, the collaboration will be an easy-drinking and light-bodied lager with a refreshing, crisp flavor at 5.5% ABV. The limited-edition lager will be available in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans at The Bronx Brewery's Taproom & Backyard located at 856 E. 136th Street in the Bronx. To celebrate the launch, The Bronx Brewery and the late-night show will host an exclusive event at the brewery on November 15.

- Emmy® and Golden Globe® winner Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) and Golden Globe nominee Corey Stoll (House of Cards) have signed on to guest star in multiple episodes of the fifth season of the hit Showtime drama series Billions. Margulies will play Catherine Brant, an Ivy League sociology professor and bestselling author. Stoll joins in a season-long arc as Michael Prince, a business titan from a small town in Indiana. Starring Oscar® nominee and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Paul Giamatti, and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis, Billions is currently in production in New York and will return to the network in 2020. Billions averages 4.5 million viewers per week across platforms.

- The 9th season premiere episode of the Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom podcast has been released here. The episode presents the case of Rodney Reed, the innocent man sentenced to death row in Texas after being wrongfully convicted for killing Stacy Stites in 1996. With overwhelming evidence of his innocence drawing international outcry from the likes of Rhianna, Kim Kardashian, Dr. Phil, the Texas State Legislature, law enforcement groups, and many others, the podcast - which has over 10,000,000 series listens - urges the public to join the petition to the Texas governor to halt this injustice.

Previewing Shameless: Season Ten

After being the most consistent show of the decade, Shameless ended with a big change as Fiona rode off into the sunset, heading south after a big payday leaving the rest of the Gallagher clan to fend for themselves. The shakeup was supposed to be bigger because after his character’s own happy ending, being reunited in jail with his one true love, Cameron Monaghan also announced his departure only to announce he was returning to the show a couple months later. Too bad they locked his character away for a pretty violent crime.

With no more Emmy Rossum we get what I believe is the very first update to the title sequence in the ten season history. So instead of getting to see Fiona urinate every week, we get to see Debbie urinate every week (it took me until the second episode to catch that). And instead of Debbie wrapping Liam in toilet paper, Liam is the one who wraps Frannie. Then instead watching Fiona fork the dude who left the show back in the first season but we still got to see his naked behind every week, Ian and Lip get busy in the Gallagher bathroom. Although they did not update all the scenes which leads to a very weird moment of seeing a very young Carl followed by a grown very naked Carl about a minute later.

But the more things change, the more they stay the same and Shameless is as consistent as ever. The new season even starts off with Fiona, sort of. Even without Fiona and Ian in prison, there are still five Gallaher’s livings in the house with another one on the way. Yep, Lip’s baby mama is now very pregnant but was worried about having a child with severe health problems in her family. But she is going to great lenths to make sure her kid comes out all right. Somehow Frank is still allowed to stay; I guess he is still recovering from the broken leg from last season. Luis Guzman is back as Frank’s lone friend but he may be worse off than Frank now.

Without Fiona around, Debbie has stepped up as head of the household, though she was kind of taking that role last season when Fiona was spiraling. But she is hording all the money Fiona left her but knowing her brothers and father, that may be the smartest decision. Micky got arrested to give Ian the fairytale ending, but months later, they are much more Married with Children inside a six by eight cell. Then there is Liam who is starting to embrace his black heritage. So Shameless is as shameless as ever.

Shameless airs Sundays at 9:00 on Showtime.

Previewing Back to Life

In a measure of full disclosure I have to mention I have never seen Fleabag. I do know that swept the Emmy’s earlier this year but in the overabundance of streaming site, Prime has just fallen by the waste side as an extra pay service even if just for a month to steam everything and cancel. I bring this up because in every mention of Back to Life, everyone also mentions Fleabag, the two shows even share a producer. But I did like Hulu’s This Way Up which also got many Fleabag comparisons.

Since Fleabag won all the Best Comedy awards and This Way Up was pretty funny, I was expecting Back to Life to be humorous, but, it is not very funny at all. And I am not entirely sure if it was really supposed to be (British humour can be to us Yanks sometimes). The lead actress gives herself hideous bang early on and there is a lady cop hamming it up later in the season, but the laughs are far and few in between.

The subject matter is pretty heavy as the show revolves around who spent half her life in prison; she spent eighteen years there after being locked up when she was eighteen. And that is not the least of her parents problems as mom has been hooking up with a much younger man and poppa is oblivious to it all. Oh, and this being a small town so no one forgets what she did.

Except us the audience does not really know. Considering she spent almost two decades behind, it clearly is something serious. So really, Back to Life is much less a comedy as it is a mystery and breadcrumbs of what exactly happen through each of the six episode, the show is just delivered in the comedy like twenty-five minutes installments. I wish I knew this going in because going in thinking it was a comedy, I came away feeling very underwhelmed.

Back to Life airs Sundays at 10:00 on Showtime. Or if you just want to watch the show as a two hour and thirty minute movie, Showtime is releasing all six episodes at midnight this Sunday On Demand or via the Showtime Anytime app.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: November 3, 2019

Watchmen: So we actually got a quick answer to kind of a silly question from the premiere, how do two black people have three white children. Everything else was mostly confusing and still kind of boring.

The Affair: Ooo, our very first duel perspective… whatever that means. I am still not entirely what different things happening during different acts means. When it went back to Noah, I was convinced Helen was dead. But are we officially done with Joanie now? She has been absent for a couple episodes now and there is just one left.

Mr. Robot: Wait, Tyrell does not want to be killed by The Dark Army so he just walked away to bleed out to death in the wood? But I guess whatever that glowing thing will save him. But that storyline was still better than the FBI storyline where she pleasured herself to sleep on Christmas Eve where she dreamed about being killed by the Dark Army.
You can download Mr. Robot: on iTunes.

Castle Rock: I do not think Pops is done as done as the doctor thinks. I think that he can be reborn like his nephew. It was all but confirmed this week that is not the same nephew since his dog, who has better sense than Ace, wanted to attack him. But what exactly is he and what exactly does he know of Ace’s life? And what are these invasion of the body snatchers type people’s obsession with eggs? He did mention this started four hundred years ago and we learned that some thought it was witches while others think Satanist. But neither are known for body snatching.
You can watch Castle Rock on Hulu.

Survivor: Island of Idols: They did a good job making me wonder which way Aaron was going… right up until the point where he did not reciprocate dude’s fist bump. I do not even care if that was kind of a huge spoiler because it was just so forking hilarious. Not quite, “Natalie, can I have your jacket?” but it was up there.
You can download Survivor: Island of the Idols on iTunes.

The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2: I understand having an alliance with the other team to keep yourself from going in, but you have to draw the line somewhere, and that was a colossal dumb move by Joss. I get Kayleigh, she is the weakest and she needs to stick around by any means necessary, but for Joss to put in Georgia instead of Smashley just handed the Americans the win right there. Had he picked Smashley, best case scenario, the Americans loose two strong players and you gain one, worst case scenario, the U.S. loses one and you stand pat. Instead you risk the truly worst case scenario which would have been Georgia going home and Tori staying with the U.S. Picking Smashley may have been the only way the Brits could have win, yet Joss stupidly stayed loyal to people who will not be sharing their winning with him.
You can download The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 on iTunes.

The Good Place:Mmmm, Michael let Bad Janet go. Kind of makes me think if the whole show has been a test for Michael to see if demons can be reformed.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

Titans: So if Starfire is now mad that her sister is queen, why did she leave and refused to return when summoned? Makes about as much sense as Batman not having voice mail. But why even wait until Superboy woke up? Why didn’t Old Robin call him when he arrived to let Superman know?

The Blacklist: So Aram just happened to crash the same wedding and just so happened to get the nametag as Red’s buddy? There has to be something else to his lady friend. She was a part of that death club so she is not above shady things.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: November 2, 2019

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 High Fidelity, Back to Life, Mallrat, Killing Eve, BENEE, Charlie’s Angels (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Emilia Clarke, and Common Knowledge.

- A departure from Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel and beloved 2000 film, Hulu’s High Fidelity centers on Rob (Zoë Kravitz, who also serves as an executive producer), a female record store owner in the rapidly gentrified neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn who revisits past relationships through music and pop culture, while trying to get over her one true love. All 10 episodes of the romantic dramedy launch Friday, February 14, only on Hulu. High Fidelity also stars Da’Vine Joy Randolph, David H. Holmes, Jake Lacy, and Kingsley Ben-Adir. The series is developed for television by writers Veronica West & Sarah Kucserka. West and Kucserka executive produce alongside Midnight Radio’s Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg as well as Nick Hornby and Jeff Reiner. Jesse Peretz will direct and executive produce the pilot. Midnight Radio’s Adrienne Erickson will serve as producer. The series is produced by ABC Signature Studios, part of Disney Television Studios.

- Showtime will release all six episodes of the new series Back to Life to its subscribers at midnight on Sunday, November 10 prior to its on-air debut that night at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The episodes will be available for on-demand streaming or download on the Showtime and Showtime Anytime® apps, as well as for viewing via Showtime On Demand. Back to Life will debut on air with back to back episodes and continue with two new episodes every Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

- Mallrat’s arrival has been nothing short of extraordinary. From the sleepy town of Brisbane, Australia, the 21-year-old has cemented herself as a "woman revolutionizing pop" [Paper Magazine] . With refreshingly honest observations of day-to-day life layered over saccharine melodies, there's a slow-burning restlessness in her sound that is impossible to ignore. With a colossal mind, attitude and voice, Mallrat takes the stage at The Late Late Show with James Corden to perform lead single, "Charlie" off of the EP Driving Music EP. Named after her golden labrador retriever, Charlie, Mallrat's wistful vocals are stacked against shimmering textures of pop. WATCH JAMES CORDEN PERFORMANCE HERE.

- Heavenly Recordings and Sid Gentle Films will release the original soundtracks for Killing Eve Seasons 1 and 2 on December 13th, 2019. In the US the product will be available for download on December 13th, 2019 and physically on January, 10th, 2020. “You have to tick every box for a piece of music to work in cinema or TV,” says DJ turned film composer David Holmes. “It can’t just almost work: it has to slot in perfectly.” As post-episode surges towards song-seeking app Shazam testify, Holmes and music supervisor Catherine Grieves left no box unmarked with their BAFTA-winning music for Seasons 1 and 2 of BBC America’s Killing Eve. Adapted from Luke Jennings’ Codename Villanelle novellas by lead-writers Phoebe Waller-Bridge (S1) and Emerald Fennell(S2), the Emmy-winning spy series has established itself as a swaggering, slippery, playful and punchy thriller of cat/mouse obsession like no other. And it comes with killer soundtracks to match, modern classics of pick’n’mix curation cut from the cloth of cinematic style but tailored with a moody, mischievous vivacity of their own.

- Averaging nearly 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify and receiving critical acclaim, buzzing 19-year-old indie pop phenomenon BENEE shares a brand-new single entitled “Monsta” and announces the release of her upcoming STELLA & STEVE EP out November 15th. Check out “Monsta” HERE.

- Republic Records and Sony Pictures Entertainment release the year’s biggest and most-anticipated album, Charlie’s Angels (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Check out Charlie’s Angels (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) HERE. The blockbuster record features the runaway smash “Don’t Call Me Angel (Charlie’s Angel)” by Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Lana Del Rey, “Pantera” by Anitta, and “How It’s Done” by Kash Doll, Kim Petras, ALMA, and Stefflon Don. Additionally, it boasts a total of five new songs from co-executive producer and Grammy®-winner Ariana Grande. These include another triple threat anthem “Bad To You” featuring Normani and Nicki Minaj, “Nobody” with the legendary Chaka Khan, and “Got Her Own” with Victoria Monét as well as Grande’s own solo song “How I Look On You.” The soundtrack also spans tracks from Danielle Bradbery, M-22, Arlissa, and Kiana Ledé as well as the unparalleled Donna Summer.

- Daenerys vs. Varys: Emilia Clarke Reveals Conleth Hill's Coffee Cup-gate Confession from The Tonight Show.


- Starting now, fans of Game Show Network’s popular knowledge-based game show Common Knowledge will be able to test their knowledge with the Common Knowledge Skill For Alexa. Like the TV show, the skill features those practical, everyday questions that everyone should know, such as: what should you do when you have a fever? Or, how can you tell if a watermelon is ripe?

Previewing Into the Dark: Pilgrim

The first season of Into the Dark started off with what ended as the best of the bunch. Unfortunately the very next installment ended up being the worst. The second season started out with another strong Halloween tale but thankfully the follow up is a vast improvement over last November’s offering.

Pilgrim features a modern family that hires an acting troupe to reenact the first Thanksgiving so they can celebrate like they used to when everyone was unplugged. If you have seen any Into the Dark installments before, you know things go horribly wrong. Yes the new “pilgrims” take their roles a little too serious, never breaking character even though they show up days early to prepare

Of course the black daughter is not having any of this and sets out to discover what is up with these weirdos. Unfortunately we never know what exactly is going on with the new pilgrims other than maybe it may be because of a wishbone wish. Though it definitely is never explained why the family is eating a full turkey days before Thanksgiving.

Still the episode is funny in parts. Sure I am not sure it was supposed to be funny, but I did laugh quite frequently. Most of the laughing happened at the end when things just completely come off the rails. Even though it is a vast improvement on last Thanksgiving episode, I cannot help but coming away with thinking there is a much better pilgrims taking Thanksgiving too serious story that could have been explored.

Into the Dark Season Two Power Ranking:

1. Uncanny Annie (October)
2. Pilgrim (November)

Into the Dark: Pilgrim premieres tomorrow on Hulu.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 27, 2019

Watchmen: So I take it, the old black dude at the end next to Don Johnson at the end was the young black kid escaping Tulsa at the beginning of the episode. But I found most of the premiere (aside from the awesome Oklahoma performance) pretty boring and confusing… so basically just like every other show ad film Damon Lindelof has been a part of.

The Walking Dead: So the gay dude has an Evil Dead arm now? Cool. But I forgot how many surrogate kids Carol had and they all died. Although I think she killed two of them because they were kind of psychopaths. Ugg, this show has been on way too long. I barely remember most of it at this point.

The Affair: I found it interesting that last week we got Whitney’s wedding prep through Noah’s eye but it was even more surprising that when Noah’s scandal broke, it was though Helen and Whitney’s eyes. Whitney’s act was partiularlly heartbreaking once I realized the douche she used to date was kind of her father and with her new guy she kind of turned into her mother. She has looked so beaten down this season I am beginning worry she will not make it to the end.

Mr. Robot: The annoying dude who was the only bad part of the first season is back? Oh joy. And White Rose listening to Culture Club was a bit gratuitous.
You can download Mr. Robot: on iTunes.

Wu-Tang: An American Saga: So the show just ends with Ghostface and RZA after they shot and robbed a crazy dude? For this whole time I was thinking this was a limited series, but I went back to the press release and it does call it just a series so I guess there can be more. So was RZA really robbed of his tapes and shot the dude to get them back? I do not remember that being in the Showtime doc. Nor do I remember Ghostface knocking up his sister. I kind of want to check his Wikipedia to see if Shuri is listed as one of his baby mama though we do not really know yet if she keeps the baby. If the show does get a second season, I hope they start calling themselves by the Wu names, I am still not entirely sure which ones are GZA, Inspechtah Deck, Cappadonna are or is they even included U-God yet.
You can watch Wu-Tang: An American Saga on Hulu.

Castle Rock: So is Annie crazy and she never killed the dude or is she crazy because she is seeing the dead guy? Or is there possibly a third option, she did kill him and he is back somehow? That is where I am leaning. But the one thing that bothers me with that theory, what happened to the big hole at the construction site? Did no one notice it? Did whatever revived the nephew fill it up?
You can watch Castle Rock on Hulu.

Survivor: Island of Idols: I got excited when they said there would be no Island of Idols this week, but unfortunately they seem to increase the amount of useless commentary from Sandra and Rob at Tribal Council this week.
You can download Survivor: Island of the Idols on iTunes.

The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2: Is Jordon really that stupid? Dude survived being murdered by Turbo earlier this season but them continued to goad him this week. At some point, Turbo is going to get through those security guards and murder Jordan and I will feel as sorry for him as I would someone who poked a bear one too many times.
You can download The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 on iTunes.

The Good Place: Poor Jason, gets his heart ripped out by learning Blake Bortles gets traded. Later learns he was replaced by a Super Bowl winning quarterback only to find out he broke his clavicle. I do wonder if they will be able to work in Gardner Minchew II at all this season (the broken clavicle thing seemed to be added late). Although maybe because of Jeremy Blermiey, Jason may gets to get a Jaguar’s Super Bowl win in his afterlifetime.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

Titans: So where was Rose when all of this was going? Was she off at college? Did she learn about her father and bolted without bothering to tell her father? Is she even the daughter of Deathstroke’s wife? Does Deathstroke have side pieces? Did Jericho and the wife just not know about her which is why she was not even brought up?

Around the Tubes: October 26, 2019

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 Lizzy Caplan, The L Word: Generation Q, The Toys That Made Us, Anna of the North, Oh Wonder, The Oak Ridge Boys, Ready for War, Pariah: The Lives and Times of Sonnny Liston, and Cats.

- Lizzy Caplan’s Meeting with President Obama Did Not Go Well from Late Night with Seth Meyers:


- Showtime as released the official poster and trailer for the highly-anticipated new series The L Word: Generation Q premiering on Sunday, December 8 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The sequel to the groundbreaking drama series The L Word®, which originally ran on Showtime from 2004-2009, continues to follow the intermingled lives of Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals), Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey) and Shane McCutcheon (Katherine Moennig), along with new characters Dani Nùñez (Arienne Mandi), Micah Lee (Leo Sheng), Finley (Jacqueline Toboni), Sophie Suarez (Rosanny Zayas) and Gigi (Sepideh Moafi) as they experience love, heartbreak, sex, setbacks and success in L.A.


- What was your favorite toy growing up? If you know, or if you don't, set your schedule - Netflix's hit docu-series The Toys That Made Us is back with its third season on November 15th. Watch the trailer HERE and get the 411 at Den of Geek HERE. A nostalgic deep-dive into the legendary toys, action figures, and figurines that shaped America's childhoods, this season will tell the stories of Power Rangers, My Little Pony, Wrestling, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, following prior seasons' coverage of the likes of Barbie, G.I. Joe, LEGO, Hello Kitty, and more.


- Anna of the North releases her heartfelt sophomore album Dream Girl. With hypnotic vocals and relatable, genuine lyrics, the album is a tantalizing addition to Anna's newest chapter. Consisting of thirteen songs that nestle comfortably between electric pop and soulful harmonies, Anna is in full control as she cements herself as one of the most exciting and endearing artists out there. Adding to the celebration, Anna announces her biggest tour to date, a headlining tour hitting 15 cities including New York, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles.

- Oh Wonder releases their brand new track “Better Now”—listen HERE! The British alt-pop duo recently returned with their acclaimed single “Hallelujah,” which has already surpassed over 5 million streams within a month—watch a video of the stunning unplugged studio version HERE!

- GRAMMY® Award-winning and Country Music Hall of Fame members, The Oak Ridge Boys, have released their 8th holiday themed album yesterday, Down Home Christmas, available everywhere music is sold from Lightning Rod Records/Thirty Tigers. The new album marks the 3rd collaboration with famed Nashville hit-making Producer Dave Cobb. Down Home Christmas includes standards such as "Amazing Grace" and "Silent Night," plus new originals like "Don't Go Pullin' On Santa Claus' Beard" written by Americana hit-maker Anderson East and Aaron Raitiere, and "South Alabama Christmas," written by Jamey Johnson, Bill Anderson and Buddy Cannon.

- Showtime Documentary Films has announced that the acclaimed documentary feature Ready for War, which explores the phenomenon of deported United States military veterans, will premiere on the network on Sunday, November 22 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The documentary follows three green card holding soldiers at various stages in this process: one in Tijuana fighting to come home to American soil and reunite with his family; another in ICE detention in the U.S. fighting deportation; and a third, lost in the clutches of a drug cartel in Ciudad Juarez, waging a war that was never meant to be his own. Andrew Renzi (Fishtail, They Fight) directs the film, with multi-platinum selling artist Drake (Euphoria, Top Boy) and David Ayer (Fury, End Of Watch) serving as executive producers. Embedding with the dangerous cartels for two years, Renzi and producer Nick Boak envelop viewers in a world of life-or-death stakes from beginning to end. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and will have its U.S. premiere at AFI Fest in Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 19.


- Showtime Sports has released the official trailer and key art for the upcoming documentary film Pariah: The Lives and Times of Sonnny Liston, premiering Friday, November 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Written and directed by Simon George and told through original conversations with luminaries, historians and some of Liston’s closest friends and family, PARIAH chronicles the rise and precipitous fall of one of the most vilified and misunderstood sports champions of all time. To watch and share the official trailer for Pariah, click the link.

- niversal Pictures announced that global music icon Taylor Swift and legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber have collaborated on a new, original song written for Universal Pictures’ film Cats, based on Lloyd Webber’s record-shattering stage musical. The song, “Beautiful Ghosts,” will feature in both the film and in the end credits. Cats, in theaters December 20, is directed by Oscar®-winning filmmaker Tom Hooper (Les Misérables, The King’s Speech), and stars Swift, James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Rebel Wilson and Royal Ballet principal dancer Francesca Hayward.

Previewing ZOMBOAT!

They say you cannot judge a book by its cover, but I have long asserted that you can judge a television shoe by its title. Take the latest British import coming to Hulu, ZOMBOAT! Of course I will watch something called ZOMBOAT! I do not need to see a trailer. I do not need to know who is in it. I do not need to know who created it. All I need to know is that it is called ZOMBOAT! God bless whoever said, you know Zomboat is a good name for a show, but do you know what will make it better? All caps and an exclamation point. Awesome.

For those not sold on the title alone (fine, whatever), ZOMBOAT! stars two sisters Leah Brotherhead (White Gold) and Cara Theobold (Downton Abbey) who decide to escape the zombie by boat. Which seems pretty wise considering zombies cannot swim. I do believe Fear the Walking Dead tried that back in season one but evil humans foiled that plan. The Walking Dead and many other zombie properties exist in this world which is a nice change of pace from shows with people who are just clueless to the concept of the undead; but what they learned from NCIS New Orleans is hilarious. Although the boat they get on is a canal boat that is barely faster than the classic slow walking Romero zombies on this show.

Making things more complicated are two stowaways, two bros, one who likes to take his shirt off, the other who likes to complain about the how the other one still finds time to take his shirt off, even in the zombie apocalypse. So the four have to traverse the English waterways looking for a safe place, though they weirdly leave the safe confines of their boat a little too often. But I guess you need to have a reason to be sprayed with blood at least once in a zombie show.

ZOMBOAT! Premieres today on Hulu.

Previewing Castle Rock: Season Two

Though Stephen King himself was not involved, the first season of Castle Rock, based on King’s works with more Easter Eggs than most people could count, had the hallmarks of a Stephen King novel in that it had a very high concept, two outstanding episodes, some slow moving ones, and ultimately a pretty mediocre ending. One thing the first season was a true iconic King character, sure there was an old version of Alan Pangborn and Jack Torrance’s niece.

The show seemingly set up season two with an end credits scene with the niece heading out west, presumably to Overlook Hotel. Instead the show remains in the titular town though no one from the first season shows up in the second season (that I have spotted anyway, halfway through). Granted they did set up multiple universes in the first season, so we may not even be in one of the two universes we saw last season. But there are references to the Warden killing himself and fires that happened last year. But the setting is the same, we do see the bridge that Ruth jumped off and the bar Jackie Torrance hung out in. Though Shawshank Prison has been shut down.

So no familiar faces this season but there is one very familiar famous name: Annie Wilkes. Yes the main character of Misery and made famous on screen by Kathy Bates. Lizzy Caplain (Cloverfield) is a younger version of the character still rocking the same shoulder length hair cut (flashbacks shows Annie has been wearing the same hairstyle from grade school). Oh and she is also crazy with fits of anger.

We are introduced to Annie and her daughter Joy (I have a bold prediction about her at the end of the review) and they are running away from something with Annie taking temp nursing jobs along the way to get some money and steal some anti-psychotics to keep her sane. But a car crash in Castle Rock, now celebrating its four hundredth anniversary, forces the duo to stay a little longer than Annie would like.

Annie has multiple run in with Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) and his family while in town. Everyone calls him “Pops” though no children of his own, he did help raise two nephews and two Somali refugees who lost their parents to war. Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire) plays the nephew who rents out a place for Annie to stay and is in a blood feud with his “brother” who lives in Jerusalem’s Lot (Salem’s Lot is also a part of this season as well of the theme of rebirth… I think, Annie is not proving to be a reliable narrator) who both want a part of Pops’ minor crime racket and is portrayed by Barkhad Abdi (who utted the iconic line, "I am the captain now" in Captain Philips).

Season two of Castle Rock is a little more even that its predecessor which means there is nothing as great as the two stand out (though a fifth episode flashback comes close) but there are no boring parts that plagued parts of last season. The new season is missing a Jackie Torrance character; Jane Levy sure added some much needed levity to the show. But this is a very different type of story and different type of storytelling because it is at times if we are seeing Annie’s psychotic breaks or if what she (and the audience) seeing something that is actually happening. Still, Lizzy Caplan is great in the role as she knows she is slowly going crazy no matter how hard she tries to avoid it.

But here is my bold prediction; Lizzie Caplan is not the Annie Wilkes we read about in the books, after this Annie dies, her daughter takes the name and goes on to torture authors. Or maybe she will meet up with Jackie Torrance out west and we will eventually get a Castle Rock season populated by all relative of famous Stephen King characters.

The first three episodes of Castle Rock are on Hulu today with a new episode premiering every Wednesday.

A Long Time Ago We Used to Be Friends... And it Is Nice to See You Again

Full Disclosure Notice: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own.

Okay, let me get this out of the way first, this is a review of the DVD Veronica Mars: The Complete First Season (2019) which is kind of stupid and a little confusing. Yes this is the new season, listed as number four on Hulu and called season four by everyone except apparently Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. But it will not be too hard to tell apart from the original first season as Kristen Bell has long hair in the new season and is sporting a gun which she never used when she was on free television. The 2019 version with just two disks is significantly smaller and is as thick as the movie version of the show.

The first Veronica Mars first season launched the same year as this blog and topped my very first Best Television Shows of the Year… and the second… and the third. Unfortunately it was eligible for a fourth because The CW unceremoniously canceled it so they could air shows like Farmer Takes a Wife and Pussycat Dolls Present. By some miracle they were able to revive the show via Kickstarter which was a trial balloon that was not that successfully since no other major studio tried to revive a show or movie that way since.

Then last year I was scrolling Deadline when something popped out like a fever dream: a Veronica Mars reboot was coming. I had to read the article a couple times to make it sink it and realize just where it was being revived, which thankfully turned out to be Hulu, a streaming site I already subscribed to. Then it was a long wait until it debuted. Sure there was plenty of casting notices (it was weird that Dick Casabancas Sr. was announced before Junior), trailers and other cast interviews to pass the time.

And then it premiered and it was like seeing old friends again. Sure calling this season one was silly, but maybe Warner Bros. Home Entertainment because it is not the same show anymore, and really it should not be. With Veronica in thirties now, you cannot have silly high school cases like missing dogs and test cheats (though there is a new character who seems like a young Ronnie fill in if they chose to go that route later). Then with only eight episodes instead of twenty-two, gone are the cases of the week mysteries, replaced with one long case to take up Ronnie’s time.

Rejoining Kristen Bell is Enrico Colantoni as her father Keith and Jason Dorhing returns as the obligatory psychotic jackass turned beau Logan who has been dating Veronica since the movie. Those three are the only characters that get the main title sequence but we get multiple episode from Dick, Wallace, Weevil, and Deputy Leo who has gotten a promotion but will always be Deputy Leo to me. There are also plenty of cameos from the original seasons including a few that they could not quite fit into the movie.

Among the new cast are Oscar winner J. K. Simmons who plays an associate of Dick Sr. from his stint in Chino (we saw Dick Sr. flee the country because of SEC violations and turned himself in at the end of season three). Patton Oswalt plays a pizza delivery boy by say/true crime aficionado by night who gets caught up in the first crime. Bell’s The Good Place co-star Kirby Howell-Baptiste is a bar owns in Neptune. Then there are a few more recognizable cameos throughout the season including someone Dick unsuccessfully hits on who has spent the last decade on one of the most popular sit-coms.

The case in question is a serial bomber that has attacked Neptune at the height of Spring Break. The problem with a single case taking an entire season to solve is that many episodes that just devolve into a red herring of the week. There are multiple suspects that are fingered through the season but at the end, most just turned out to be insignificant.

Still, of all the single season to solve only one mystery shows, Veronica Mars is one of the best with its witty banter and the chemistry between the Mars’ who just continue to make their claim as the best father-daughter team on television. Veronica Mars also goes straight to the top of the otherwise lackluster best television show reboots of all time. The DVD is kind of bare bones in terms of special features; there is just the 2019 Veronica Mars Comic-Con panel that runs about twenty-six minute. But I believe this is the first time the show will be available to watch in Canada (sorry non-North Americans, you will still have to wait unless you have the right DVD player).

The show was on the bubble during its short run last decade but we are in different times and a show with a dedicated on a streaming site may have a better chance at renewal (Veronica Mars has been in the top five on Hulu’s popular tab for most of its run). We are also in a time when shows do not need to air once a year. So hopefully Kristen Bell, creator Rob Thomas, and Hulu will hopefully agree to give us a fifth season of Veronica Mars in a year or three (just do not make us wait like as song as we did for the movie or fourth season). Or as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will likely call it: Season Two (2020ish).

Own VERONICA MARS (2019): THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON on DVD today (October 22).

57 Channels and Only This Is On: October 20, 2019

Supergirl: So it was Lena who kidnapped Eve last week. Okay, that makes no sense. So what was the whole Leviathan thing that Eve was running from last season? And what the fork is going on with Lena? She just does not make any sense this season at all.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

The Affair: Noah is the protagonist of this show, but the way that reporter laid it out; Noah is a pretty horrible person. But the thing is, we do know he did not have sex with the publicist. Or did he as we have seen, how Noah’s scenes have shown up, they do not always line up what other people say it was. Could we get a flashback act from the publicist to get her side of the story? Or maybe the teacher’s assistant? I do vaguely remember thinking she definitely wanted to have sex with Noah. Or maybe that is what Noah though and her version could be completely different.

Mr. Robot: Wait, there is a third personality? People have long theorized that the American Psycho dude was also Elliot, and there were times I bought into it, but it just seems very unlikely at this point. But I did theorize that Darlene would start seeing Angela like Elliot saw Mr. Robot but she admits that she really does not see Angela. So maybe Angela is Elliot’s third personality. Seems plausible since she just died tragically. I kind of hope it is not someone we het that is still alive and the writers have to explain how Elliot was that person all along.
You can download Mr. Robot: on iTunes.

Wu-Tang: An American Saga: So dude is released from prison, commits aggravated assault on the guy who drove him home, shots his gun off when he arrives home, and starts killing people. I really hope that was some poetic license and not based on actual events because I really do not want to know people like that exists. But I am pretty certain this part was probably poetic license, but I liked how Ghostface’s little brother coins the iconic title, “Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nuthin’ ta fork wit.”
You can watch Wu-Tang: An American Saga on Hulu.

Survivor: Island of Idols: I have been harsh on the stupid Island of Idols twist this season, and it continues to be stupid, but at least Noura spending all that time practicing being the call only for her tribe to make here sit out meaning she loses her vote at the next Tribal Council. Or did she lose her vote at HER next Tribal Council? That was pretty unclear. Because if it was the former, it is kind of no harm no foul because her team won. Maybe this is why only someone from the losing tribe should be sent to the Island of Idols.
You can download Survivor: Island of the Idols on iTunes.

The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2: If the rest of the season boils down to Team Cara Maria vs. Team Georgia, consider me Team Georgia all the way.
You can download The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 on iTunes.

Almost Family: Finally the guy Julia forked that might be her brother in the first episode is back. Thought I still find it weird that instead of finding out if they were related by looking at the DNA results, they just admitted it in that video. Also weird is that Brittany Snow is not the first Pitch Perfect actress to fork her half-brother on screen as Anna Kendrick already did that in A Simple Favor.
You can download Almost Family on iTunes.

Stumptown:So Donal Logue was evil… but not really. Alrighty. I still wish he was around for Dex’s 1500 hours. But I am sure he will pop up again eventually.
You can download Stumptown on iTunes.

The Good Place: Many people predicted that Vicky switched out Michael during the handover (I never bought it) but it turned out it was Janet that got kidnapped all along. So do they not really need Janet to keep the neighborhood together this whole time? That was just Bad Janet’s excuse to explain any hints that she was not Good Janet? I guess we should have all guess this when Janet rudely told Jason that the Jaguars traded Blake Bortles right after breaking up with him.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

Titans: Man, imaginary Batman was kind of annoying. If that is what Nightwing really thinks of him, no wonder he went to the other coast.

The Blacklist: When did Aram turn into James Bond? After he shot all the bad guys with their own gun and kissed the damsel in distress, I thought that was going to turn out to be a dream sequence and then Ressler and Lizzie would wake him up as they rush in to save the day.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Around the Tubes: October 19, 2019

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 Dollface, Lord Huron, Hero The Band, Keb’ Mo’, Evie Irie, KIANA LEDÉ, Great Performances, Celeste Barber: Challenge Accepted, Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, In Concert With CMS, Britain in Color, and A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish

- Kat Dennings stars as a young woman who, after being dumped by her longtime boyfriend, must deal with her own imagination when she literally and metaphorically re-enters the world of women, in order to rekindle the female friendships she left behind. The series also stars Brenda Song, Shay Mitchell, and Esther Povitsky. All episodes of Dollface will be on Hulu November 15.


- Having just wrapped up an 18-month tour in support of their album Vide Noir in Calgary, AB last week, Lord Huron and director Ariel Vida have announced today they are further exploring the world of Vide Noir with a feature-length film of the same name. By no means a mere visual album, Vide Noir is a neo-noir mystery film set in late-Sixties Los Angeles, chronicling a surreal, nocturnal journey through the lens of a space-and-time-bending drug. The film was directed by Ariel Vida and written by Lord Huron’s Ben Schneider, and features a score by the band with new arrangements of their music throughout. Lead by newcomer Victor Mascitelli and NOS4A2 and The Goldfinch star Ashleigh Cummings, the film will be released in early 2020 and serve as both a stand-alone exploration of and the final chapter in the story of Lord Huron’s Vide Noir.

- Decateur, GA’s very own Hero The Band reveal their new EP Back To Myself today via LAVA Records/Republic Records—listen HERE! The EP features title-track “Back To Myself” released earlier this summer, as well as new single “Trouble In My Mind” alongside four new songs. See the full tracklist below.

- With an iconic career spanning over a quarter of a century, four-time GRAMMY Award-winning contemporary blues and Americana artist, Keb’ Mo’ has released his first-ever holiday album, Moonlight, Mistletoe & You, via Concord Records. The 10-track album, produced by Keb’ himself and recorded by Zach Allen at Stu Stu Studio in Franklin, TN, is now available here.

- Sixteen-year-old Sydney-born singer/songwriter Evie Irie releases the official music video for “The Optimist” today. Watch HERE.

- Averaging 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, breakthrough R&B starlet and one of 2019’s fastest rising artists, KIANA LEDÉ returns with a brand new single entitled “Easy Breezy” today. Get it HERE via Republic Records.

- Sam Moore and Dave Prater – the groundbreaking duo, Sam & Dave, who brought their gospel roots to Soul music, were one of the primary chart stars at the Stax and Atlantic labels in the '60s. Bringing the passion of call and response to their wailing soul side, the duo were honored by The Recording Academy™ as one of the recipients of the Special Merit Awards, The Lifetime Achievement Award in May in Los Angeles. As previously announced, in collaboration with PBS' Great Performances series, the Recording Academy™ presents "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends ®," the fourth annual all-star concert offering a prime-time spotlight for the Academy's 2019 Special Merit Awards recipients. Recorded at the Dolby Theatre, the event premieres nationwide Friday, Oct. 18 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/gperf and the PBS Video app.


- Celeste Barber comes to Showtime for her first network comedy special, Celeste Barber: Challenge Accepted, premiering Friday, November 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. In the hour-long special filmed at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City, Barber, hailed by Vogue Australia as “The Funniest Woman on Instagram,” exposes the stories behind some of her most famous Instagram celebrity parody images, her new relationships with famous people, the pitfalls of being married to someone so much hotter than her and what it’s like to be an Anti-Influencer.


- Showtime has announced the development of a new untitled limited series based on the bestselling book Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, written by Mike Isaac. Brian Koppelman and David Levien (BILLIONS) will executive produce and write the series, as part of their overall deal with SHOWTIME. Isaac will co-executive produce the project. The limited series will be produced by Showtime. The announcement was made today by Gary Levine and Jana Winograde, Presidents of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc. Pivoting on Travis Kalanick, Uber’s hard-charging CEO who was ultimately ousted in a boardroom coup, the Showtime limited series will depict the roller-coaster ride of the upstart transportation company, embodying the highs and lows of Silicon Valley. Even amid the radical upheaval generated within the global tech capital, Uber stands out as both a marvel and a cautionary tale, featuring internal and external battles that ripple with unpredictable consequences.

- ALL ARTS is happy to announce a new weekly series titled In Concert With CMS that will premiere this Sunday, October 20 and air weekly on the ALL ARTS broadcast channel and be available to stream on the ALL ARTS app and website. The series was created in partnership with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, in celebration of its 50th anniversary season.

- This November, Smithsonian Channel will transform decades of black and white, bringing figures like Winston Churchill, Queen Victoria and Frank Sinatra – and events like the Hindenburg disaster – into the full-color world they lived. The network today announced the season three premiere of the critically lauded and audience-beloved series America in Color, as well as the launch of a new series, Britain in Color. Deeply researched to ensure accurate colorization, the six new episodes of America in Color explore rich themes that still resonate today, from the changing roles of the American worker to immigration and the enduring values of small-town America. The three-episode season of Britain in Color brings to life the full glory of the British Empire and the royal family as well as the iconic Prime Minister. America in Color returns on Sunday, November 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, and the season premiere will be available to stream on the network’s YouTube page beginning Sunday, November 10. Britain in Color premieres on November 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

- Break out the mistletoe and holly. The day is here - and it feels just like Christmas morning. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is excited to bring you the music and the magic of the holidays with the release of A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish – Available NOW on Digital, and on Blu-ray and DVD on October 29. Check out this exclusive clip from the film that will get you excited to relive the timeless tale of Cinderella with a modern-day, holiday twist! Iconic to the characters, the clip reveals Kat’s step-family making her feel unwanted, in true Cinderella fashion!

Previewing Looking for Alaska

Aww nostalgia, when we sit and reminisce about the good old days by blocking from our minds of all the horrible things that happen in our youth and just focus on the pop culture we loved. And I am all for the nineties nostalgia that is in full swing right now which I believe was started when Anna Kendrick reminded us how great a song No Diggity was (then in the second Pitch Perfect featured an entire 90’s Hip-Hop Jamz category during the Riff-Off). Since then Dave Matthews Band were an integral part of a critically acclaimed movie, a Lauryn Hill sample topped the Billboard charts, Friends is the most popular show on Netflix, Wonderwall has been on Spotify’s most streamed for eighty percent of the last year, most of the Roseanne cast is back on television while The X-Files and Twin Peaks saw new seasons recently, Hootie and the Blowfish has reunited and is touring with Barenaked Ladies.

But Hulu is really trying to start a 00’s nostalgia trend. Earlier this year they rebooted Veronica Mars and now they are launching a new series set a year after Veronica Mars launched on something called UPN. But now that I think about it, now that the nineties nostalgia is bringing back Beverly Hills 90210 and Billy Ray Cyrus has the biggest song of the year with a gay country rapper who samples Nine inch Nails and Nirvana while taking his name from one of the greatest rappers of the nineties, maybe it is time to start a 00’s nostalgia trend.

In 2005, a Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage were two years from essentially launching The CW as we now know it with Gossip Girl and now they are back together for another take on a literary work, Looking for Alaska based that year. And their new show looks like something that could have also fit in during those early days of the young network. Well, if The CW had a much bigger budget, better casting agent, and more money for bigger and better songs. After a teaser of what is to come, the show essentially opens with All These Things I’ve Done. What a great song, I am warming up to the 00’s nostalgia. There is also a bizarre Milkshake cover I did not even realize it was the song until it was over. They do seem to bounce between originals and modern covers from the era on this show mostly for the better.

In a measure of full disclosure, I have not read the John Green the book Looking for Alaska is based on or any of his books, or seen The Fault in Our Stars or Paper Town, the two movies that were based on his other books (a third is coming to a Hulu competitor later this year). I did scroll the non-spoilery parts of the Wikipedia page and was surprised how many accusations of pornography were leveled at the book as the show is something that could have very well aired on The CW aside from a couple naughty words and bizarrely an incident with a tube of toothpaste, but even then the camera cuts away really quick before becoming too graphic. In fact there is a scene in the first episode where a guy is told “You can let go now” which is very much like a PG-13 version, new millennium version of “You can blink now.” And since both Green and Swartz (who wrote the first episode) are my around my age, I am convinced whichever of those two wrote the line was influenced by Doc Hollywood.

Looking for Alaska stars Charlie Plummer (Boardwalk Empire) who plays the kind of kid who back in 2005 has no one but his parents show up to his birthday party, probably knowing copious amounts of famous last words is the greatest conversation starter. So he convinces his parents to send him to a boarding school in Alabama (though it took me about half the first episode thinking this was a summer camp). And wouldn’t you know it, he is able find plenty of friends there. There is Denny Love (Empire), his roommate that introduces himself as “The Coronal” (and dubs the new guy Pudge because… irony?), and his buddy Jay Lee (American Vandal). Dude even manages to catch the eye of a recent Romanian immigrant Sofia Vassilieva (My Sister’s Keeper). The Coronal also has a girlfriend played by Landy Bender (who I was surprisinged to learm she is played by the fowl-mount little girl with too much make-up in the criminally forgotten Jonah Hill comedy The Sitter) but I never quite understood that relationship. Oh yeah, and then there is Alaska.

Kristine Froseth plays the titular character. The only thing I had seen her in previous was The Society where she was pretty forgettable. Granted everyone on that show was pretty forgettable. It took me about four or five episodes to realize there were two douchebags with perfectly coifed hair. Then there were three or four brunette chicks that just blended together too. But as Alaska, Froseth is enigmatic; you can tell why clerk would sell her beer with a crappy ID or why Plummer would be so obsessed with her even though he can easily hook up with a cute Romanian.

There also two adults in the show both expertly played when they could have easily come off as clichés. Timothy Simons (Draft Day) plays the Dean of Students but manages to not come off as the completely buffoon who returns to the school he once attended nor an evil authoritarian, but plays the role with the right amount of strictness and empathy. Ron Cephas Jones (Mr. Robot) is the one lunged theology teacher who the perfect people to be around the end of the series.

Not knowing much about the show with a pretty unknown cast based on a book whose author I have never read but base his work, basically only wrote The Fault in Our Stars as a sad sack kids dying in love story based on the trailer. But Looking for Alaska is a witty coming of age story with an abundant amount of pranks between Plummer and the Weekday Warriors (basically the rich kids who go home to their big houses on the weekend) with a homicidal swan terrorizing anyone who comes near him. Looking for Alaska is a fun show about young love and school pranks… until it isn’t.

It is not a spoiler to say something bad ends up happening; the show starts off with a car crash and though the first few episodes are mostly light and low stakes as the pranks get more elaborate, there is a slow creeping dread that seeps into the show thanks to the place card at the end of each episodes that tells the number of days before… presumably the car crash. This ramps into top gear when “1 day before” starts an episode and then ends with one of the main character driving away angry. The next episode starts off with someone saying, “Something terrible has happened” and minutes later we see the place card that simply says, “After.”

Had they adapted the book when it came out, it likely would have been a movie. Thankfully the rights languished in development hell for a decade and a half, long enough for the proliferation of television outlets, some that are not afraid of shows that will not run for two-hundred episodes. So instead of a two hour movie, an hour dedicated “Before” an hour dedicated “After,” Looking for Alaska gets to sprawl to almost eight hours letting up live with characters, and the show is much better for it. Looking for Alaska is an expertly crafted show that touches on every bit of emotion you could possibly want from a television show. If you do cry sometime “After” (or three) or laugh hysterically during the one final prank, I worry for your soul.

If I have one complaint is that Looking for Alaska is only a limited series with these eight episodes being all the time we get with these characters. Had this gone multiple seasons (and the “After” does not happen until late in the run), Looking for Alaska could have gone down a one of the great high school dramas. I actually would not mind if Hulu pulls a The Handmaid’s Tale and go past the book (with one big retcon preferably). Instead it will just have to go down as one of the best limited series in the history of television.

All episode of Looking for Alaska are on Hulu today.