Summer TV Roundup, Week 12
We're making our way through July, and there are a number of new streaming series to choose from. That will only grow next week as the latest streaming site, Peacock, comes online tomorrow. In these weekly posts I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this summer. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.
Sunday Nights:
P-Valley, 10 p.m. Sundays on Starz (Premiered July 12)
About: This series, based on the play of the same name, is set at a strip club in the south. Like many other Starz series, this one has a lot of adult content that helps it earn its premium cable position. It has some interesting potential stories, though some of it felt, to me, a bit similar to the plot of some of the characters in "Hustlers." It has some decent performances, but I wasn't really taken with the stories or content here. I'd like to see more of a window into the lives of these folks away from the club, and the pilot teased that out but didn't fully go there.
Pilot Grade: C-
P-Valley, 10 p.m. Sundays on Starz (Premiered July 12)
About: This series, based on the play of the same name, is set at a strip club in the south. Like many other Starz series, this one has a lot of adult content that helps it earn its premium cable position. It has some interesting potential stories, though some of it felt, to me, a bit similar to the plot of some of the characters in "Hustlers." It has some decent performances, but I wasn't really taken with the stories or content here. I'd like to see more of a window into the lives of these folks away from the club, and the pilot teased that out but didn't fully go there.
Pilot Grade: C-
Streaming Series:
Stateless, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered July 8)
About: This series was created in Australia and is now streaming on Netflix. This one has a star-studded cast, including Dominic West and Cate Blanchett, but the real star here is Yvonne Strahovski, who gives one of the more compelling performances I've seen this year. This one is about immigration issues, family issues, and mental health issues, telling the stories of varied individuals that end up at a detention center, including those detained and those who work there. It's compelling in its idea, but like many series released this year it isn't an easy watch. I went through the first two and a half episodes, and while moved by the performances it just wasn't a subject I wanted to commit to watching. Others may feel differently with what they're willing to watch during this tough time.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+
Stateless, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered July 8)
About: This series was created in Australia and is now streaming on Netflix. This one has a star-studded cast, including Dominic West and Cate Blanchett, but the real star here is Yvonne Strahovski, who gives one of the more compelling performances I've seen this year. This one is about immigration issues, family issues, and mental health issues, telling the stories of varied individuals that end up at a detention center, including those detained and those who work there. It's compelling in its idea, but like many series released this year it isn't an easy watch. I went through the first two and a half episodes, and while moved by the performances it just wasn't a subject I wanted to commit to watching. Others may feel differently with what they're willing to watch during this tough time.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+
Close Enough, Now Streaming on HBO Max (Premiered July 10
About: This animated series is aimed at adults. It's about a couple, with a young daughter, coping with finances and adult responsibilities while living with another divorced couple. Each episodes is about 25 minutes, and contains two shorter episodes within it. So I watched the first two episodes, which was really the first four stories. It had its moments, but this isn't my style of show or narrative. For those that like wacky adult cartoons, this is pretty mild but well produced. But it didn't really hook me with any of its four stories.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-
About: This animated series is aimed at adults. It's about a couple, with a young daughter, coping with finances and adult responsibilities while living with another divorced couple. Each episodes is about 25 minutes, and contains two shorter episodes within it. So I watched the first two episodes, which was really the first four stories. It had its moments, but this isn't my style of show or narrative. For those that like wacky adult cartoons, this is pretty mild but well produced. But it didn't really hook me with any of its four stories.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-
Little Voice, Now Streaming on Apple TV+ (Premiered July 21)
About: Apple TV+ as a streaming service doesn't get as much hype, but they've come strong with a variety of unique originals. "Little Voice" is about a young woman, Brittany O'Grady, who is an aspiring musician trying to find her own voice. The series was co-created by Sara Bareilles, who knows a little something about being a singer. I liked the basic premise, and O'Grady is an affable lead. But there wasn't enough bite and forward movement in the plot here. I watched the first two, with episodes running about a half an hour, and neither the way the stories were told nor the music was compelling enough to really pull me in and hook me. This was OK, and feels like a light watch, but it didn't feel necessary or compelling. That's tough when there are so many things competing for your time.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C
About: Apple TV+ as a streaming service doesn't get as much hype, but they've come strong with a variety of unique originals. "Little Voice" is about a young woman, Brittany O'Grady, who is an aspiring musician trying to find her own voice. The series was co-created by Sara Bareilles, who knows a little something about being a singer. I liked the basic premise, and O'Grady is an affable lead. But there wasn't enough bite and forward movement in the plot here. I watched the first two, with episodes running about a half an hour, and neither the way the stories were told nor the music was compelling enough to really pull me in and hook me. This was OK, and feels like a light watch, but it didn't feel necessary or compelling. That's tough when there are so many things competing for your time.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C
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