This felt like a really good day full of some good television, for the most part.Trying to figure out who got the top spot was a big challenge this day.
1) Reacher (amazon)
English Audio Description Available?: Yes
Look, I’m behind. I know. I didn’t rush on Reacher since it got a second season renewal almost immediately. So this was Episode 5 for me, and I seem to keep getting surprised by this show. The stakes keep changing, the bar keeps getting reset, and Reacher is by far one of the best new shows I’ve seen in a long time. Lee Child must have written some really great books, because every episode is engaging, and almost a mini-movie itself. here, we had a scene in a car that I didn’t see coming, and later a cliffhanger ending I also did not see coming. I love being surprised, and Alan Ritchson is killing it as Jack Reacher. That’s probably the biggest surprise.
Episode Grade: A
2) Atlanta (FX/Hulu)
English Audio Description?: No
The lack of English Audio Description kept the season 3 premiere from taking the top spot. I loved what Donald Glover did with this first episode, telling this specific story, instead of immediately jumping back in with the gang after the hiatus between the 2nd and 3rd seasons. This episode had a lot to say, and that’s one of the reasons I put up with Atlanta not having audio description. I love perspectives that are not my own, and Glover gives me that in spades.
episode Grade: A
3) Julia (HBO MAX)
English Audio Description Available?: Yes
In the 7th episode of the season, Julia and the gang travel to NYC so Julia can speak at a gala. While there, we see there are still a rather amazing amount of prejudices being thrown her way, even as everyone proclaims to love and adore her. She has an interaction with a male chef at his restaurant that takes a very sharp turn, but even though Sarah Lancashire is perfection as Julia Child, this episode was stolen by David Hyde Pierce and Bebe Neuwirth, who were stuck in the hotel room together as the former was quite dramatically suffering from a mild flu, and the latter agreed to stay behind so Julia wouldn’t have to, and also so she wouldn’t have to meet up with a guy she had changed her mind about.
Episode Grade: A
4) The Last Days Of Ptolemy Gray (Apple Plus)
English Audio Description Available?: Yes
In this second episode, I got a bit more interested. the pilot had me all over the place, but Samuel L Jackson earns basically any show he agrees to star in a three episode guarantee from me, but I only needed the second episode. Everything I felt like I didn’t like about the first episode was missing in the second, creating a stronger, more cohesive project. This is also where the series really starts to take off, and we start getting a new side or two of Jackson’s very complicated Gray.
Episode Grade: A-
5) Life And Beth (Hulu)
English Audio Description Available?: Yes
I’m finally starting into this Amy Schumer comedy, and while Episode 1 has it’s moments, it didn’t quite sit enough in the character of Beth for me to necessarily care. There are some good laughs to be had here, and I hope that the show continues to push Schumer in a new direction.
Episode Grade: B+
6) The Wonder Years (ABC/Hulu)
English Audio Description Available?: Yes
I’ve enjoyed having Bruce back, as it has opened the door for many plot lines that are relevant to the period. I know not everyone is loving this reimagining, but I like it, and I’m glad it got a second season renewal.
7) The Golden Girls (Hulu)
English Audio Description Available?: No
I know it seems like I just throw these rewatches in here haphazardly, but this was the Mickey Rooney episode, and if I hadn’t watched so much great television already this day, it would have ranked higher.
Episode Grade: B+
8) The Girl From Plainville (Hulu)
English Audio Description Available?: Yes
in the third episode of this Hulu limited, I’m starting to wonder why we are getting such a lengthy limited series. Man, when they talk about exploring backstories, I feel like this show is going really hard on character development, and laying out this entire show in a long format. But, instead of stretching it out, wouldn’t it feel tighter if they weren’t so pressed to deliver 8 hours of what used to be a TV movie type storyline?Even one or two less episodes and some editing would create a tighter series.
Episode Grade: B
9) Killing It (Peacock)
English Audio Description Available?: Yes
I also just started this Craig Robinson show, and there were some parts that worked, and were funny, and some parts that didn’t. But by the end of the episode, we seem to be set up for what I’m sure is a hilarious premise.
Episode Grade: B
10) The First Ladies (Showtime)
English Audio Description Available?: No
This show could use some audio description. I think that might also be hampering my ability to embrace this show. It’s fine, and I find parts of it interesting, but for the most part I’m disappointed by the lack of strong performances from an immensely talented, yet miscast ensemble. I hate to say anyone here is giving a bad performance, but they are all flawed, not quite matching the famous individuals they are supposed to mimic. Overall, I continue to be most interested in Betty Ford’s storyline, and of the three, Michelle Pfeiffer is as close to scene stealing as this show can get.
Episode Grade: B-
11) Welcome To Fletch (FOX/Hulu)
English Audio Description Available?: No
I’m not really sure why I’m watching this show at this point. I actually don’t want a second season. i would much rather have had Pivoting, and I’m finishing off the first season of a show I actually want to see get cancelled. I think that says it all.
Episode Grade: C-
