Summer TV Roundup, Week 9
We're hitting the stride of summer, and there's some interesting offerings coming out, but the faucet has slowed to a trickle. But are the new offerings worth your time? In these weekly posts I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this summer. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.
Sunday Nights:
Perry Mason, Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered June 21)
About: This latest HBO series, classified a mini-series, revisits the classic character in a way you've not seen him before. The series is set in the 1930s, and Mason (Matthew Rhys) is a private investigator. The pilot begins with a gruesome crime, the death of a child, and soon Mason is asked to look into it. While he might be good at his job, he's a wreck in his personal life with plenty of issues to work out. He's got an ex and a child he isn't on good terms with, and he's struggling in other aspects of his personal life as well. But his friend, a well regarded lawyer Elias Birchard 'E.B.' Jonathan (John Lithgow), brings him aboard to find answers about the dead child and he begins that work in the pilot, which was moody, introduced the world and set up the story. I thought it was strong, and Rhys is a great performer who makes a good lead here. I think this is shaping up to be something engaging, albeit dark. I'm excited to see where this goes. This was one of the more anticipated series debuting this summer, and so far I think it's living up to that promise.
Pilot Grade: B
Perry Mason, Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered June 21)
About: This latest HBO series, classified a mini-series, revisits the classic character in a way you've not seen him before. The series is set in the 1930s, and Mason (Matthew Rhys) is a private investigator. The pilot begins with a gruesome crime, the death of a child, and soon Mason is asked to look into it. While he might be good at his job, he's a wreck in his personal life with plenty of issues to work out. He's got an ex and a child he isn't on good terms with, and he's struggling in other aspects of his personal life as well. But his friend, a well regarded lawyer Elias Birchard 'E.B.' Jonathan (John Lithgow), brings him aboard to find answers about the dead child and he begins that work in the pilot, which was moody, introduced the world and set up the story. I thought it was strong, and Rhys is a great performer who makes a good lead here. I think this is shaping up to be something engaging, albeit dark. I'm excited to see where this goes. This was one of the more anticipated series debuting this summer, and so far I think it's living up to that promise.
Pilot Grade: B
Streaming Series:
Love, Victor Now Streaming on Hulu (Premiered June 17)
About: This new series for Hulu was originally developed for Disney+ before it moved to its new home. It's a 10-episode season, each about a half hour and is a spin-off of the feature film "Love, Simon," which was about a young man embracing his sexual identity and sharing that truth with family and friends while finding love. This series attempts to cover similar ground, but explores a different, more difficult story. With the original film star, Nick Robinson, offering voice-overs that tie the two together as he corresponds with the series star Victor (Michael Cimino). This is well made and the episodes moved at a decent pace. You're interest in the series will likely be somewhat tied to your interest in the subject matter, and that wasn't strong for me.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C
Love, Victor Now Streaming on Hulu (Premiered June 17)
About: This new series for Hulu was originally developed for Disney+ before it moved to its new home. It's a 10-episode season, each about a half hour and is a spin-off of the feature film "Love, Simon," which was about a young man embracing his sexual identity and sharing that truth with family and friends while finding love. This series attempts to cover similar ground, but explores a different, more difficult story. With the original film star, Nick Robinson, offering voice-overs that tie the two together as he corresponds with the series star Victor (Michael Cimino). This is well made and the episodes moved at a decent pace. You're interest in the series will likely be somewhat tied to your interest in the subject matter, and that wasn't strong for me.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C
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