Did you find yesterday’s services for President Carter accessible? were you able to follow everything? Sound off in the comments.
TV Shows Watched: Creature Commandoes: S1E7 (MAX) with audio description, Doc: S1E1 (Hulu- Originally Aired On FOX) No Audio Description, Shifting Gears: S1E1 (Hulu- Originaly Aired On ABC) with audio description, and Abbott Elementary: S4E9 (Hulu) with audio description.Movies: Second day. No movies.
Best Episode: Abbott Elementary- The buzzzed about crossover between Abbott and Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia had to merge the humor of two very different shows, and it mostly worked. I really enjoyed watching the It’s Always Sunny cast outside their element. Charlie Day learning to read was a standout moment, but Danny Devito really embraced the absurdity of this crossover.
Best Performance: Charlie Day (Abbott Elementary)- I miss the period of time when Hollywood was really trying to make Charlie Day happen. he’s a very gifted comedic actor who needs the right projects. Please, keep trying. Caitlin Olsen on High Potential is the perfect example of just keep trying. He was hilarious this week.
Best Audio Description- Shifting Gears- Yes. A sitcom. To be fair, the three shows that had audio description were all half hours. But, Shifting Gears, has abandoned ViTech, and whatever the heck they’ve been doing, and roping in Zoo Digital and Dave Wallace. not to mention, Hulu correctly ported the audio description, on the actual next day. I watched Shifting Gears at the exact same time of day I watched high Potential the previous day, which couldn’t get its audio description to Hulu. the show itself is not amazing, but Dave is always doing performative audio description that supports the work. In some aspects, he’s almost like a laugh track. he doesn’t feel like he’s just narrating any show, he feels like he’s narrating a sitcom. It’s the same thing we like when we hear voices that engage kids on family fare, or that creepy voice in a horror movie, or even a seemingly culturally appropriate voice. Dave just really understands beats really well. Even though he’s given a script, he seems to know what the intention of the moment is in terms of any joke, punchline or setup. He supports the show, while also giving a fantastic description track. there’s no subjectivity here. This audio description track is better than the one that Abbott Elementary is currently saddled with, and that is a better show. With any luck, ABC will learn and grow from making a smart choice with this series.
Best Moment Of Audio Description: Creature Commandoes- The best single moment probably was (in the least spoilery way) “the transformation sequence”. It involved a radical new procedure, much like how Bruce Banner becomes The hulk. Again, that’s the least spoilery way to describe that.
Worst… Anything?- well, Doc doesn’t hav audio description on Hulu. I’ve been really disappointed with most of FOX’s new shows. They actually keep cancelling their highest rated dramas, 911 and Lone Star, because they are too expensive. In their place, they replace them with cheaper shows. it is just a notch above The CW, which almost entirely imports shows from UK/Canada/Australia. But, everything from rescue High Surf to Accused has let me down. Doc is an odd one, because it is probably the best new show they’ve had in a few years, in terms of a new drama, but it also is trying to be cheap. molly Parker is a lovely actress, but an odd choice to anchor a new drama in 2024. And her biggest co-star is Scott Wolf? Weird. So, the lack of audio description, combined with this being really just a very average show. FOX needs someone else at the helm of their programming.
