Kinda shot myself in the foot on this one today. Talk about rolling out the red carpet for Squid Game.
TV Shows Watched: Creature Commandoes: S1E6 (MAX) with audio description, Squid Game: S1E5 (Netflix) with audio description, Missing You: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity: S1E9 (Amazon) with audio description, and Call me Ted: S1E6 (MAX) with audio description.
Movies Watched: Seeking Mavis Beacon (Hulu) no audio description, Wildcat (Apple Store) no audio description, Perfect Days (Hulu) no audio description, Glitter And Doom (screener, but this is on Tubi) no audio description, and Solo (screener) no audio description
Best Episode: Squid Game- I didn’t even give it real competition this time. Netflix’s first new show of 2025 was a Harlan Cobin limited, and the eyes just rolled so hard they flew out of my head. Why are Netflix and Amazon adapting ever single novel of Harlan Cobin? What happened to all the other excellent books from people like John Grisham, Michael Crichton, James Patterson, Nicolas Sparks, etc.? Each one of those has had at least one, if not many, of their works turned into hit films. They all have books that would make great limited series, and even failed movies that could be remade as a limited. Timeline was a great book. Awful movie. Give it 5 episodes, and see what a Timeline limited series could do. I’m so over Cobin.
Runner Up: Creature Commandoes- There is enough here to warrant a runner up spot for a show that often never makes it here because the competition is stronger. I don’t hate this show, I like it, it is fine.
Best Performance: Someone From Squid Game- We saw 11 in a harrowing situation I’m sure that actress did excellent with, and I’m sure the mother competing also nailed her scenes.
Runner Up: Maya Hawke (Wildcat)- While this does not have audio description, Hawke did some lovely work, and certainly pushes back on any idea of her being an actress only because of her last name.
Best Audio Description- Squid Game- Because, obviously.
Runner Up: Creature Commandoes- There actually is quite a bit to describe here, as the Commandoes are “non-human”.
Best Moment Of Audio Description: Squid Game- (No Spoilers)- 11 receives a visit.
Runner Up: Squid Game- In general, once again, the task of tracking a ton of new faces, and trying to give us some kind of idea that any or at least one of these people could live. To be fair, with two episodes left, there are a LOT of people left alive. I also find it hard to believe that, even as a series lead, Guillen would be a lone survivor twice. Either he doesn’t survive, or some people will survive with him, so getting us invested maybe has a payoff. Or, a new victor is crowned. In which case, they would be new.
Worst Episode: Missing You isn’t awful, but I have been burned by these Cobin adaptations before, and I’m just not pushing forward. there was one on Amazon, Shelter, that the online community really wanted to see get a second season, but none of these ever do. It is mentioned here, as I only saw 5 episodes, and this is the one show I don’t plan on continuing.
Worst Performance: The contestants on Are you Smarter Than A celebrity? Ted Turner (Call Me Ted)- No emotion. He describes 9/11 the same way your neighbor would tell you he just cut his lawn the other day. He’s so bad at recounting his own life, I wish they had just cut him out, and used someone else.
Worst Audio Description: Solo and Perfect Days are non-English, so they easily win this. All five movies should have had it. The funny thing is that because Wim Wenders directed Perfect Days, the soundtrack to that film is full of American hit songs. Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay, House Of The Rising Sun, etc. SIn English. Original singers. So, he made a movie where everyone lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes Japanese, but jams out to American music, and no one can put audio description on this thing. Hilarious.
