Jeez, I watched a lot of shows from last November through May. There was that blizzard, and I was laid up a few times for medical reasons. But still, this seems like a lot of shows. Better time management? More hermit-like tendencies? Anyway, here are my thoughts on the programs I viewed.
LOVED
The American Revolution (PBS) As a kid I think I learned the most about the American Revolution from that Johnny Tremain movie they showed us in school. Turns out there was a lot more information to discover, which I did thanks to yet another superb Ken Burns documentary series. I was really shaken by early Americans’ utter hypocrisy regarding slavery: They considered themselves “slaves” to the British yet it didn’t occur to them to free their own slaves. And though I know we treated Indians poorly as well, I never grasped the full, truly shameful facts. Wonderful to have Peter Coyote back as narrator, with an all-star cast of historical letter readers. And though I can’t imagine that the Orange One tuned in, I appreciated that the entire series was a subtle rebuke of all things Trump.
Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man! (HBO) Judd Apatow seems to have spent at least half his career trying to prove to us what a fan of comedy he is. Nevertheless, this two-part documentary he directed is a compelling, hilarious, heartbreaking love letter to one of the absolute funniest people of all time. (It took me so long to post this review, Mel Brooks recently turned 100.)
2026 Winter Olympics (NBC) The successes of Mikaela Shiffrin and Alysa Liu made me ridiculously happy, and Ski Mountaineering is an insane event! Loved it.
LIKED A LOT
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (NBC) If you miss the rapid-fire smart comedy of 30 Rock, I beg you to watch Reggie Dinkins. It was created by two 30 Rock vets, and of course stars Tracy Morgan (as a former football great trying to salvage his reputation). Very funny turn by Daniel Radcliffe as a documentary director, and it’s always nice to have Bobby Moynihan around.
Plur1bus (Apple) It took me a few episodes before I was onboard with the extremely negative protagonist of this sci-fi series, but once I did, I was totally hooked. Looks like they haven’t even begun filming season 2, so don’t hold your breath.
DTF St. Louis (HBO) Jason Bateman is a TV weatherman in this dirty comic mystery costarring David Harbour as his sad-sack buddy and Linda Cardellini as a desperate housewife. Fun to see a made-to-order cheery Bateman character get caught up in some nasty shit.
Rooster (HBO) I loved the smart, funny, sweet first episode and I thought, “Great, Jonathan Krisel from Portlandia and Baskets has toughened up an offering from middle-of-the-road crapmeister Bill Lawrence.” But then the next episodes weren’t as good. Steve Carrell is terrific throughout as the titular Rooster, a Carl Hiassen-esque best-selling author who lands a visiting professor gig at the prestigious university where his professor daughter is having personal problems. Against my better judgement, I re-slotted this as “liked a lot” after a really sweet season finale.
Untamed (Netflix) Thanks Will White for recommending this one! The likeable Eric Bana – a poor man’s Mark Ruffalo – stars as a Yosemite National Park Service special agent whose ex-wife is still nearby. A death at the park seems connected to a previous unsolved park death, and the investigation makes for a taut mystery-thriller with a superb sense of place. Season 2 will have a different setting and I hope the creators can make it just as compelling.
Trapped (first two seasons Roku, third season Netflix as Entrapped) I’m a sucker for snowy foreign mysteries. Set in a remote Icelandic town, Andri is the bear-like chief of a three-person police force, and also the dad in a broken family. In season 1, the sleepy villa is upended when a corpse is found floating near a visiting cruise ship. Season 2 pits locals against a foreign-funded power plant, and people end up dead. Season 3 is on the outskirts of town, with drug-running bikers vs. hippy-dippy cult members and, yes, murder. The series also deals with human trafficking, right-wing extremists, and political and corporate corruption. I’d love a fourth season but it seems unlikely.
Upload (Amazon) This may have had the longest run on my “to watch” list; then an interview with creator Greg Daniels finally convinced me to give it a shot. This comedy with mystery elements has a genius premise that I must’ve mentioned to 100 people: In the near future, we can have our entire personalities/memories uploaded pre-death. Then, depending what your family can afford, your “hard drive” is downloaded into one of several virtual afterlives. It’s also a biting satire of the corporate world, as we routinely hear familiar brand names that have merged with unlikely partners. Funny, goodhearted, romantic, and pretty ingenious.
LIKED
The Paper (Peacock) I think the Greg Daniels interview was for this series. It’s an Office spinoff (including Oscar!) and feels very much like The Office-lite: amusing and watchable but not much more. Perhaps, just like the U.S. Office, it will hit its stride once the show breaks away from its source material.
Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair (Hulu) I enjoyed the nostalgia factor, though the meager 4-episode reboot made me remember the show wasn’t that brilliant in the first place.
Scrubs (ABC) I can’t say I caught much of the show’s original run. I can say that, left to his own devices, creator BIll Lawrence likes a white-bread, gently comic world where everything works out in the end. Watchable and friendly but not much more.
The Franchise (HBO) This Hollywood satire – specifically of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – is certainly sharp. But like other series under the aegis of executive producer Armando Iannucci, it lacks heart. The Studio is much better.
Big City Greens (Disney Channel) I spend a decent amount of time in motels and this airs a lot. It’s a reverse Green Acres: Farm family moves to the… Big City. Funny stuff. But here’s the problem: There are currently 4 seasons and starting with season 3, the family moved back to the farm! And for some sort of “let’s be relatable to modern kids” reason, the divorced mom is back in the picture showing that, I don’t know, co-parenting is awesome. The show doesn’t seem quite as fun to me.
Space Force (Netflix) I decided to finally check out this Greg Daniels effort when I realized the A.I. bellhop from Upload was in this too. Seemed like a comedy cast that was “too big to fail”: Steve Carrell, John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Jimmy O. Yang, Fred Willard (in his last role), Lisa Kudrow, Tim Meadows, Jane Lynch, Don Lake, Aparna Nancherla, etc. And… it’s funny (sometimes very), it’s cute, but it should’ve been a lot better.
The Now (Roku) On my “to watch” list since early in the pandemic. Super likeable Dave Franco leads an all-star cast – Bill Murray, Daryl Hannah, Alyssa Milano – in 10-minute comic episodes involving suicide, debt, and a failing family business. Cute but it just kind of ends.
KIND OF LIKED, KIND OF DIDN’T
Wayward (Netflix) Toni Collette is a creepy head of school at a creepy reform school in a seemingly idyllic but in actuality really creepy little town. Creator and protagonist Mae Martin is incredibly likeable but the show had low production values, seemed to skip episodes just to reach other points in the plot, and ultimately didn’t all come together.
DIDN’T LIKE
Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Hulu) I am a longtime fan of Elle Fanning and this looked like it would be dirty fun: Single mom starts Only Fans account. Except it wasn’t fun, or dirty. Nick Offerman is enjoyable as her former pro-wrestler dad. Michelle Pfeiffer seems miscast as her aging Hooters waitress mom. (Pfeiffer has been married to show creator David E. Kelley for 33 years so I guess he can cast who he wants) A struggle to get through.
YES, I STILL WATCH THE SIMPSONS
Man, Harry Shearer is really looking old these days.
THANKS AND GOODBYE
Finished two 2-season shows that I really enjoyed: the animated Ten-Year-Old Tom and the smart comedy English Teacher. In the latter case, both the series and creator/star Brian Jordan Alvarez were canceled.
LOOKING FORWARD TO
It took me so long to write and post this, I’ve already started – and in some cases finished – shows I was looking forward to. With luck there are quality surprises ahead.
SHOWS I USED TO WATCH AND IN MANY CASES STILL DO
Links to Edition I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX, XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI, XXVIII, and XXIX.
Jack Silbert, curator