There are a few more new shows joining the lineup today. As more and more of these start into my rotation, I may drop some hints of some shows that won’t be returning, and I’m done with. Like, my own list of cancellations. Titles I’ve removed from ‘continue watching”.
TV Shows Watched: The Recruit: S2E5 (Netflix) with audio description, High Potential: S1E12 (Hulu) with audio description, Will Trent: S3E5 (Hulu) with audio description, Apple Cider Vinegar: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Clean Slate: S1E1 (Amazon) with audio description, and The Rookie: S7E5 (Hulu) no audio description
Best Episode: Apple Cider Vinegar- Is this the shocking new Netflix hit “based on a true story” that rocks social media? Is this baby Reindeer? maybe. It wasn’t the thing I enjoyed the most, but it was technically the best, so i gave it the edge over the runner up. You have no idea how bad I want to say Clean slate, given the current climate, but that show, while not awful, is not great either.
Runner Up: High Potential- I’m really loving Caitlin Olsen in this role. If you really want a perfect lineup of TV, High Potential needs to be paired with Matlock/elzabeth. It seems if you are willing to wait a day, you get audio description for High Potential.
best Performance: Kaitlyn Dever (Apple Cider Vinegar)- It shouldn’t come as a surprise that we have yet another great role from dever, whose catalog of terrific performances includes unbelievable, Justified, Book smart, Short Term 12, and certainly her major new role in The ALst of Us. Here, she’s playing the central figure, an Aussie influencer who lied to help her brand. It is a smart casting choice, and Dever is likely going to knock us out by the end. But, early on, she has to be believable potentially as a cancer patient, but also as a liar.
Runner Ups (Tie): Caitlin Olsen (High Potential) and Noah Centenao (The recruit)- Olsen is typically solid week in and week out on High Potential, but so is Centenao, who has all the charisma to carry a series. I don’t think the recruit, as a show, is as interesting in its second season, but he has great moments. Specifically, one video call to Hannah, where he has to impress upon her the seriousness of the situation. this kid is a star.
Best Audio Description: The Recruit- it has these really complex action sequences, and little moments of building tension. the track is really good, and compared to the other shows, one of which didn’t even port audio description this week, it is the clear front runner.
runner Up: clean Slate- but then, we finally have a category where I can mention clean Slate. The character descriptions here are predictably pro-representation for a show with black leads, and a lead actress who is black and trans. So, needless to say, someone understood the importance of nailing the character introductions in the pilot. Even certain things thrown in to help shape the characters, like the trench coat Desiree is wearing when she comes home, were nice touches. Another well written track.
Best Moment Of Audio Description: The Bike Chase (The recruit)- Probably the most involved of all the action sequences in the fifth episode. I think that’s the moment that stood out to me the most.Runner Up: the Hijacking (High Potential)- I so rarely find a moment written in anything by viTech where I’m impressed on any level, but this weeks episode had a hijacking of sorts that did feel like for 30 seconds, the audio description slayed.
Worst Of- WTF happened? Where was the audio description for The Rookie? Come on Hulu. I rarely have problems getting audio description for this show, and High Potential, Will Trent, and The Rookie all air on the same night, are all ported to Hulu early Wednesday morning, and I watched all three on Thursday. I even watched it last of all the shows, so they had the whole day to upload the track. these services need someone whose job it is to do nothing but acquire audio description, and make sure it is uploaded on time, and coordinate so everything debuts with accessibility. Hulu is so bad at this.