Streaming Series Return


Usually the end of August and late September is usually a slow time for TV. Summer series are wrapping up and the Fall season for the networks, and most others, doesn't begin until late September. But for the Streaming Services, it's been an explosion to start the month.

There have been a flood of new shows, like "Jack Ryan" and "Forever" on Amazon, and "The Good Cop" and "Maniac," which premiered Friday and I'll cover in the new show roundup Tuesday. But for Netflix, the Fall has also been a time of shows launching their follow up seasons. Below I look at some of the returning shows that have bowed the past two weeks.

American Vandal, Season 2 (Debuted September 14)
About: The first season of this show caught many people by surprise. It was a mock documentary that was all about the search for who spray-painted penises on a bunch of faculty cars at the local high school. It was weird, surprising, and a lot of fun. And now it's back, this time with the same filmmakers moving to a new city and school to search for a Turd Burglar. The new crime is disgusting, and some of the repeated footage can be hard to stomach. But the characters are fascinating and the commentary on society is fascinating, too. I breezed through all eight episodes, and while it wasn't as incredible as the first season, I thought this installment was pretty interesting, too.

Atypical, Season 2 (Debuted September 7)
About: This comedy, of sorts, was an under-the-radar offering in 2017. Keir Gilchrist stars as Sam, a young man with autism trying to navigate the world. I thought his performance was fun and fascinating. As his parents, Jennifer Jason-Leigh and Michael Rapaport are also fascinating. The second season debuted two weeks ago, and it continues many of the same things that made the first season interesting. This one doesn't get a lot of publicity, but I think it has some really rich performances.

Iron Fist, Season 2 (Debuted September 7)
About: Since they finally teamed up last Fall, the individual superheroes in this Marvel Netflix franchise have had their next individual seasons. "Jessica Jones" went during the Spring, and "Luke Cage" went during the summer. To start September, "Iron Fist" got his second go around. This was viewed as the weak link series, and the second season wasn't well reviewed. HOWEVER, I actually liked it better. I thought Finn Jones settled into the part more, and his back-and-forth with Tom Pelphrey as Ward was actually kind of fun. And Jessica Henwick is good as Colleen Wing, and was more featured in Season Two. I actually liked this one better than Luke Cage, and it will be interesting to see how it develops from here.

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