Comparatively, considering how long this list has been in the past, this was a rather normal amount of television. At least, for me, it felt like it was. I’m sure for some people, this was still a lot. Also, oddly enough, the majority of these do not offer audio description. I spent most of the day watching Star Wars films.
1) Gaslit (Starz)
English Audio Description Available?: No
Even with the lack of audio description, and me being reliant upon another human to tell me what’s happening as the series progresses, I can still see that Julia Roberts is absolutely killing the game. It’s a tremendous performance, one that puts her right back at the top of any potential awards consideration. I think I’m slightly behind, so for reference, this was Episode 3 of the limited series. I don’t normally put non-audio described programming at the top, but this was so far above and beyond the other shows that I would be lying otherwise. There is no tie today.
Episode Grade: A
2) Bosch Legacy (FreeVee)
English Audio Description Available?: No. And I’m angry.
I’m aware that the IMDB TV original Alex Rider apparently has audio description, so I know its possible to give it to Bosch. The thing is, Amazon owns this service. Bosch started on Amazon, and ran with audio description. Then they cancelled it, made a spinoff, and sent it to their free streaming service so they don’t have to audio describe it? What the hell guys? I didn’t invest all that time into like seven seasons of Bosch to be discarded like this, especially since the plot is a direct continuation of the previous series (at least in part). The series is fun so far (only at Episode 2), but I miss Crate and Barrell.
Episode Grade: A-
3) Saturday Night Live (NBC/Peacock/Hulu)
English Audio Description Available?: I’ve never experienced it.
Wouldn’t it be nice though? To know who is in each sketch? Nevertheless, this was the final episode of Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson. All four were among my favorites of the current cast. Now I’m gonna have to learn what an Andrew Dismukes is.
Episode Grade: A-
4) The Hardy Boys (Hulu)
English Audio Description Available?: Yes
I jumped into the second season finally, and let me say, this is about where I expected it to be. This show has never been mindblowing, but it’s just enough to encourage me to follow it. That being said, it’s actually better than anything currently offered on the CW that runs with the same vibe, and those shows could learn a lot from The Hardy Boys when it comes to how to produce a show that doesn’t suck, and feel like “The CW” is a syndrome or a side effect instead of a TV network. Why is it so easy to tell that a show airs on The CW? You can’t do that with any other show. Just their shows. That isn’t a good thing.
Episode Grade: B+
5) The Outlaws (Amazon)
English Audio Description Available?: Yes
Another show that is underutilizing Christopher Walken. Look, I know the dude is old, but he’s a legend, and if shows like this and Severance could start offering him the kind of roles worthy of his casting, that would be nice. Instead, Stephen Merchant built this show around his obnoxious character, as well as throwing in some other mystery. This dark comedy would have worked better as a half hour. The Walken factor has earned it at least one, if not two more episodes before I make an official decision on whether or not to keep following, but right now, the pilot just didn’t work for me.
Episode Grade: C+
