As I was not born blind, I’m still attached to certain shows. I won’t continue to mention it throughout every viewing this season, but it does bear mentioning that Top Chef (Peacock) has returned, and despite its many Emmy nominations, and this being its 21st season, it still has no audio description. It does have a new host, as padma left the show last season, but Tom and Gale are both back.
Also, I wish that the trendy new docuseries Quiet On Set (MAX) had audio description. It does not. There’s a chance I might talk about this again, since the subject matter is so troubling, and I love my 90’s Nickelodeon. But the first episode mostly doesn’t deal with child abuse yet, and Drake Bell hasn’t been mentioned. The first show is more about All That and Amanda Bynes (who did not participate).
MAX does have audio description on God Save Texas (MAX), which I was drawn to as the first episode is directed by Richard Linklater, as he visits his hometown. Other directors will explore the problems of their Texas hometowns, but Richard came from a town with 7 prisons, and he explores how that affects the local culture, as well as thoughts on Texas leading in number of executions.
Arq: The Animated Series (Paramount Plus) does a fine job of introducing us to the world that is inspired by the video game, and the characters. It has a tough time deciding who it is for, young, teens, or adults. I really can’t tell. There are moments when I wouldn’t want little kids watching, but then again, I loved Jurassic Park as a kid. The voice cast is stacked with huge names like Gerard Butler, Vin Diesel, Russell Crowe, Michelle Yeoh, Elliot Page, and Karl Urban among others. it can be silly at times, as our main human (who is LGBT! Represent!) keeps talking to dinosaurs. The audio description feels like it was done by first timers. I’m not a fan of the narrator, and the written audio description I even think could have been better. Halo has set such a high bar for what audio description can do for a series like this.
The second episode of X-Men 97 (Disney plus) saw Magneto accept a trial, so he can vindicate himself and earn the trust of his new X-Men. Meanwhile, a high tech assassin takes away the powers of one of the main characters in a shot that was meant for Magneto, and jean gives birth to cable (aka Nathan Summers), before later running into… herself? This show needs to figure out why it has Bishop, but I still love it. The audio description by Jedidiah Barton and Deluxe is fantastic and quite immersive.
