Summer TV Roundup, Week 18
We're in the Dog Days of Summer now, with it quickly moving toward Labor Day and the unofficial start of the Fall. This summer has looked different than most, and I wager the Fall will look at feel different, too. Until then, let's consider the new content we continue to get to end summer. Last week there were a trio of new premiers I liked a lot. This week, well, there were new premiers... 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.
Tuesday Nights:
Dead Pixels, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW (Premiered August 18)
About: The CW gave us one of the best shows of summer in "Stargirl," which wrapped up its Tuesday run on August 11. Last week, they debuted a new "comedy" from across the pond called "Dead Pixels" about a group of gamers. It was painfully dull, and when paired with the recycled series "Tell Me a Story" from CBS All Access, it doesn't give me much hope for The CW's makeshift Fall. The pilot was a complete miss for me, and I suspect the rest of the series will be the same. We'll get a second dose on Tuesday.
Pilot Grade: D
Dead Pixels, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW (Premiered August 18)
About: The CW gave us one of the best shows of summer in "Stargirl," which wrapped up its Tuesday run on August 11. Last week, they debuted a new "comedy" from across the pond called "Dead Pixels" about a group of gamers. It was painfully dull, and when paired with the recycled series "Tell Me a Story" from CBS All Access, it doesn't give me much hope for The CW's makeshift Fall. The pilot was a complete miss for me, and I suspect the rest of the series will be the same. We'll get a second dose on Tuesday.
Pilot Grade: D
Sunday Nights:
Lovecraft Country, Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered August 16)
About: The premier for this new horror drama, set in the 1950s and focusing on issues of America's lack of equality, was visually stunning, well acted and quite engaging. It comes from producer Jordan Peele and writer Misha Green, based on her book. I quite enjoyed the pilot and am looking forward to the series. The second episode was arguably even more wild, but I didn't enjoy it quite as much. Still, this series has good leads and some incredible visual flourishes. I think it's building to something pretty engaging, especially for those that love a good dark and twisted tale. This could be another 2020 win for HBO, which has re-loaded and is re-building its brand with fascinating new series.
Pilot Grade: B+
Second Episode: B-
Lovecraft Country, Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered August 16)
About: The premier for this new horror drama, set in the 1950s and focusing on issues of America's lack of equality, was visually stunning, well acted and quite engaging. It comes from producer Jordan Peele and writer Misha Green, based on her book. I quite enjoyed the pilot and am looking forward to the series. The second episode was arguably even more wild, but I didn't enjoy it quite as much. Still, this series has good leads and some incredible visual flourishes. I think it's building to something pretty engaging, especially for those that love a good dark and twisted tale. This could be another 2020 win for HBO, which has re-loaded and is re-building its brand with fascinating new series.
Pilot Grade: B+
Second Episode: B-
Special Series:
Love in the Time of Corona, miniseries for Freeform (Premiered August 22)
About: This four-episode series focused on a set of different characters and relationships they tried to navigate while in quarantine as part of the current COVID-19 pandemic. It was shot mostly in houses, and using "Zoom," and was a novel way to get into original content fit for the times. There were two episodes Saturday and two Sunday. Each was just over 30 minutes. It was an interesting idea, and had some interesting vignettes, but ultimately wasn't a series that totally hooked me. There were a lot of standard kind of romantic tropes (the roomates who can never be together, the married couple struggling to find their footing as new parents, the older couple struggling with the rigors of aging and mental decline). The performances were fine, and the commentary on the real events we've struggled through the past six months were OK. Maybe it felt a bit too soon, and wasn't totally engaging enough to land. But it's an interesting swing and portends more of what we might see as production starts resuming.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C
Love in the Time of Corona, miniseries for Freeform (Premiered August 22)
About: This four-episode series focused on a set of different characters and relationships they tried to navigate while in quarantine as part of the current COVID-19 pandemic. It was shot mostly in houses, and using "Zoom," and was a novel way to get into original content fit for the times. There were two episodes Saturday and two Sunday. Each was just over 30 minutes. It was an interesting idea, and had some interesting vignettes, but ultimately wasn't a series that totally hooked me. There were a lot of standard kind of romantic tropes (the roomates who can never be together, the married couple struggling to find their footing as new parents, the older couple struggling with the rigors of aging and mental decline). The performances were fine, and the commentary on the real events we've struggled through the past six months were OK. Maybe it felt a bit too soon, and wasn't totally engaging enough to land. But it's an interesting swing and portends more of what we might see as production starts resuming.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C
Streaming Series:
Hoops, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered August 21)
About: Ugh. This new animated series has a good cast that includes Jake Johnson, Ron Fuches and Rob Riggle, and is an animated tale. The streamer has done well with some edgy animated series like "Bojack Horseman" and "Big Mouth," and obviously is looking for more of the same with this. Johnson plays the lead as a loser high school basketball coach. The pilot and second episode were outrageous in terms of story, and utterly uncompelling. This is honestly one of the most disappointing and worst series I've seen so far in 2020. It feels like a total miss. It's one of those where you scratch your head and wonder what led to it getting the green light, then click it off and try to forget it.
Pilot Grade: F
Second Episode: F
Hoops, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered August 21)
About: Ugh. This new animated series has a good cast that includes Jake Johnson, Ron Fuches and Rob Riggle, and is an animated tale. The streamer has done well with some edgy animated series like "Bojack Horseman" and "Big Mouth," and obviously is looking for more of the same with this. Johnson plays the lead as a loser high school basketball coach. The pilot and second episode were outrageous in terms of story, and utterly uncompelling. This is honestly one of the most disappointing and worst series I've seen so far in 2020. It feels like a total miss. It's one of those where you scratch your head and wonder what led to it getting the green light, then click it off and try to forget it.
Pilot Grade: F
Second Episode: F
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