TV News: I did learn that at some point along the way FOX picked up Universal Basic Guys for another season. I know they’re toying with the idea of pulling their anchors and sending them to streamers, so the Simpsons would create original episodes for Disney Plus, Family Guy for Hulu, and I don’t know what they would do with bob’s Burgers. Probably also Hulu. But, do they think a sustainable Animation Domination can be had with just Universal Basic Guys, Grimmsburg, Krapapolis, The Great North, and whatever else they come up with? The new shows haven’t been major draws. It was kinda surprising The Great North got a 5th season, and then Krapapolis got a multi-year deal through Season 4. I don’t understand the business model here.
TV Shows Watched: Silo: S2E1 (Apple Plus) wit Audio Description, Before: S1E5 (Apple Plus) with audio description, lioness: S2E4 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, The Day of The Jackal: S1E2 (Peacock) with audio description, Say Nothing: S1E1 (Hulu) with audio description, 911: S7E10 (Hulu) No Audio Description?, The Masked Singer: Most Recent (hulu) no audio description, Matlock: S1E5 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, and Frasier: S2E? (Paramount Plus) with audio description.
Podcasts: none
Youtube: Luke Hierfield (Supporting Actress Predictions), Chris Stuckmann (Review: Gladiator 2)
Movies Watched: Hot Frosty (Netflix) with audio description (and actually, this was released the same day as Emilia Perez, and the random Lacey Chabert holiday romcom has audio description in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and German! Maybe Netflix should give this a FYC run!), and Twisters (Peacock) with audio description.
First, since I came in hard on Day Of the Jackal, I’m pleased to report there wasn’t an extended sequence like the first 10 minutes of the pilot. The series does start to normalize, Eddie Redmayne starts to speak more and have a character, and the British cast takes over for the most part. Hell, without an action heavy sequence, even the narrator seems dialed back a bit. Everything is just more in the pocket where it should be. So, while you can just open the door and go inside like a normal person, I also asume you could use a wrecking ball, which would create an opening, and then technically… you would still be able to get inside? that’s the metaphor I’ll use here.
Before continues its excellence in describing some really unusual stuff in the narrative. I’m so interested in seeing where this goes. Like, what the hell is going on? And even though Apple has been hitting home runs, they had to put that cherry on top by dropping the second season of Silo on me. My body was not ready for this. I’ve been waiting for Silo for so long. I adore the first season, as I consider it one of the best first seasons of any show ever. I would say maybe westworld is at the top of that, only because Seasons 2-4 have such a clear precipitous drop in narrative quality. but, Silo comes back with a great episode centered on Julia, a potentially vacant Silo, and some excellent audio description describing the decrepit environment she has walked into.
Say nothing is the new FX on Hulu drama that takes place in Ireland around the time of the IRA. We are introduced to a family, who pretty quickly experience an inciting incident, which then triggers flashbacks. this is a 9n episode drop, and I don’t know whether or not I’ll have my interest held for 9 episodes or not. Actually, I could say the same for The Day Of the Jackal. Both shows feel like I’m waiting for that moment where I get locked in for the season. Before gave me that right away. Silo did too. Lioness earned it in its first season. Hell, Matlock’s pilot is perfect. Frasier I watch largely out of nostalgia, so these two new dramas need that hook. The audio description here is solid, with a really even placed narration, that points out a lot of the series more heavy moments. People who have lost limbs due to conflicts with the IRA. Clearly, this is not a happy series, and the audio description reflects that.
Lastly, what the hell ABC/Hulu? Season 7 of 911 was totally audio described except the Season Finale? You know, that’s kind of the big episode of the run, right? I mean, I was able to follow it… for the most part, like I usually try to get through things, but damn. What happened?
And you can believe me or not, but I had guessed that eliminated Masked Singer contestant even before that weird moment where they showed the judges coming up with that clue. The only other guess I’d make right now is that the rocker is Rob Thomas. they were guessing some artists I’m pretty sure didn’t have #1 in the World singles, and Rob Thomas’s collaboration with Carlos Santana, Smooth, very much did.