Summer TV Roundup, Week 5
We're past Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer. The network season is officially over, as it were, and now we're on to summer programming. There aren't as many new series right now, but there still are some. 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.
Monday Nights:
Barkskins, Mondays at 9 p.m. on NatGeo (Premiered May 25)
About: This latest NatGeo series is based on the novel from Anne Proulx, and focuses on a group of people trying to navigate the rough circumstances and conditions of "New France" in what is now the United States in the 1600s. The limited series is eight episodes, the first two of which premiered Monday for the holiday. It has some recognizeable actors, including David Thewlis and Marcia Gay Harden, but it's also a bit rough around the edges in terms of content, etc. For fans of historical fiction, especially those that might have read the source material, it seems like this will be a welcome addition to the landscape. I had hoped that I might be taken with this as well, but to this point I wasn't that interested in what felt like a slog to watch at times. Even in this low content period, this didn't have enough of a hook for me.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-
Barkskins, Mondays at 9 p.m. on NatGeo (Premiered May 25)
About: This latest NatGeo series is based on the novel from Anne Proulx, and focuses on a group of people trying to navigate the rough circumstances and conditions of "New France" in what is now the United States in the 1600s. The limited series is eight episodes, the first two of which premiered Monday for the holiday. It has some recognizeable actors, including David Thewlis and Marcia Gay Harden, but it's also a bit rough around the edges in terms of content, etc. For fans of historical fiction, especially those that might have read the source material, it seems like this will be a welcome addition to the landscape. I had hoped that I might be taken with this as well, but to this point I wasn't that interested in what felt like a slog to watch at times. Even in this low content period, this didn't have enough of a hook for me.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-
Tuesday Nights:
Star Girl, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW (Premiered May 19)
About: This latest superhero project was originally created for the DC Universe streaming platform, and is airing there first on Mondays. But now it is also going on The CW, taking the spot where "The Flash" aired during the season. This one is in an alternate timeline from the other DC universe shows on The CW, and centers on a world where heroes all perished a decade earlier. But evil still lingers, and a young girl named Courtney (Brec Bassinger) who recently moved to Nebraska with her mom (Amy Smart) and stepfather (Luke Wilson) finds a staff, and with it some powers. Turns out her stepfather used to be a hero's sidekick, and he still has a lot of pieces from that world, pieces that could provide a clue to what happened to Courtney's father when he disappeared a decade earlier. That is the set up that occurs in the pilot, along with some nifty action sequences. It feels like more of a traditional hero origin story, and the casting here (including Joel McHale as a hero in flashbacks) is pretty solid here. I thought the pilot was strong, and this looks pretty promising. This could be a nice addition to the summer landscape.
Pilot Grade: B
Star Girl, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW (Premiered May 19)
About: This latest superhero project was originally created for the DC Universe streaming platform, and is airing there first on Mondays. But now it is also going on The CW, taking the spot where "The Flash" aired during the season. This one is in an alternate timeline from the other DC universe shows on The CW, and centers on a world where heroes all perished a decade earlier. But evil still lingers, and a young girl named Courtney (Brec Bassinger) who recently moved to Nebraska with her mom (Amy Smart) and stepfather (Luke Wilson) finds a staff, and with it some powers. Turns out her stepfather used to be a hero's sidekick, and he still has a lot of pieces from that world, pieces that could provide a clue to what happened to Courtney's father when he disappeared a decade earlier. That is the set up that occurs in the pilot, along with some nifty action sequences. It feels like more of a traditional hero origin story, and the casting here (including Joel McHale as a hero in flashbacks) is pretty solid here. I thought the pilot was strong, and this looks pretty promising. This could be a nice addition to the summer landscape.
Pilot Grade: B
Sunday Nights:
Snowpiercer, Sundays at 9 p.m. on TNT (Premiered May 17)
About: This latest series is a take off on the movie of the same name, and features some of the same themes. All that's left of humanity is surviving aboard a 1,001 car train, which protects them from the ice age that has consumed the planet. And of course, a rigid class structure is in place and governs the experience. The show is setting up a revolution of sorts, secrets about who is really running things, and then there's the murder mystery that draws in the main characters. So, yeah, there's a lot going on here. Some of it is interesting, and some of it really isn't. Overall, "Snowpiercer" was a movie that I thought was just OK for a couple hours despite the presence of Chris Evans. This series doesn't have that kind of presence, and I can't imagine spending 10 or more weeks following this story as it plays out. In fact, the second episode was kind of gross and brutal, and that was enough for me, really. TNT has waited on this series for a long time, I could have waited longer.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-
Snowpiercer, Sundays at 9 p.m. on TNT (Premiered May 17)
About: This latest series is a take off on the movie of the same name, and features some of the same themes. All that's left of humanity is surviving aboard a 1,001 car train, which protects them from the ice age that has consumed the planet. And of course, a rigid class structure is in place and governs the experience. The show is setting up a revolution of sorts, secrets about who is really running things, and then there's the murder mystery that draws in the main characters. So, yeah, there's a lot going on here. Some of it is interesting, and some of it really isn't. Overall, "Snowpiercer" was a movie that I thought was just OK for a couple hours despite the presence of Chris Evans. This series doesn't have that kind of presence, and I can't imagine spending 10 or more weeks following this story as it plays out. In fact, the second episode was kind of gross and brutal, and that was enough for me, really. TNT has waited on this series for a long time, I could have waited longer.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-
Hightown, Sundays at 9 p.m. on Starz (Premiered May 17)
About: This latest series is set in Provincetown, a wild part of Cape Cod, and involves drugs, murder, binge drinking, and, apparently, a lot of sex. At least that's my takeaway based on the first two episodes. Starz is home to "Outlander," and had "Power" before it ended, but mostly is a premium network that seeks programming that puts it in the public discussion. "Hightown" was a high-profile new piece, premiering the week "Outlander" ended, but it doesn't really have a great hook. Monica Raymund and James Badge Dale head the cast, and they are fine. But the story is slow to develop, and to supplement the show seems to add more party scenes and sex scenes, which I could do without.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-
About: This latest series is set in Provincetown, a wild part of Cape Cod, and involves drugs, murder, binge drinking, and, apparently, a lot of sex. At least that's my takeaway based on the first two episodes. Starz is home to "Outlander," and had "Power" before it ended, but mostly is a premium network that seeks programming that puts it in the public discussion. "Hightown" was a high-profile new piece, premiering the week "Outlander" ended, but it doesn't really have a great hook. Monica Raymund and James Badge Dale head the cast, and they are fine. But the story is slow to develop, and to supplement the show seems to add more party scenes and sex scenes, which I could do without.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-
Streaming Series:
Sweet Magnolias, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered May 19)
About: This simple slice-of-life series centers on a woman (Joanna Garcia-Swisher), a mother of three enduring a very public divorce after her husband (Chris Klein), the local town doctor, had an affair and knocked up his nurse. She relies on her two best friends (Brooke Elliott and Heather Headley) to help get through it all. And they're planning to go into business, too. There's a lot of different things going on in this drama, which runs 10-episodes for its first season. It's set in the deep south, and based on the book from Sherryl Woods, and it a calm slice of Southern life. It feels like the kind of thing you might have gotten from the Hallmark channel, and in fact the producers have those credentials. I thought the first couple episodes were a little slow and not enough to get me to commit to the binge.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C
Sweet Magnolias, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered May 19)
About: This simple slice-of-life series centers on a woman (Joanna Garcia-Swisher), a mother of three enduring a very public divorce after her husband (Chris Klein), the local town doctor, had an affair and knocked up his nurse. She relies on her two best friends (Brooke Elliott and Heather Headley) to help get through it all. And they're planning to go into business, too. There's a lot of different things going on in this drama, which runs 10-episodes for its first season. It's set in the deep south, and based on the book from Sherryl Woods, and it a calm slice of Southern life. It feels like the kind of thing you might have gotten from the Hallmark channel, and in fact the producers have those credentials. I thought the first couple episodes were a little slow and not enough to get me to commit to the binge.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C
Homecoming, Now Streaming on Amazon Prime (Premiered May 22)
About: This second season has shown it to be sort of an anthology. The first season was about a character played by Julia Roberts, who lost her memories as part of a shady experiment run by a company aiming to help veterans with PTSD. This second season touches on a few characters from that season, but mostly focuses on a new character played by Janelle Monae and Hong Chau, who appeared briefly in season one. Monae's character is also missing her memories, and wakes up in a boat in the middle of the lake, but nothing really exciting comes of that beginning so far. After two episodes, she pretty much arrives at a place where she is known, and episode three features a flashback that begins to fill in all the gaps. This second season is seven episodes, all around 30 minutes. It's a short commitment, but it's missing the intrigue and the style that Sam Esmail brought to season one. Esmail isn't directing this second season, and the visual flourish that added to the experience is also gone. Monae is a decent lead, and Chau is good in her role, but this probably wasn't a world I needed to revisit, especially to simply rehash some of the same plot ideas.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C
About: This second season has shown it to be sort of an anthology. The first season was about a character played by Julia Roberts, who lost her memories as part of a shady experiment run by a company aiming to help veterans with PTSD. This second season touches on a few characters from that season, but mostly focuses on a new character played by Janelle Monae and Hong Chau, who appeared briefly in season one. Monae's character is also missing her memories, and wakes up in a boat in the middle of the lake, but nothing really exciting comes of that beginning so far. After two episodes, she pretty much arrives at a place where she is known, and episode three features a flashback that begins to fill in all the gaps. This second season is seven episodes, all around 30 minutes. It's a short commitment, but it's missing the intrigue and the style that Sam Esmail brought to season one. Esmail isn't directing this second season, and the visual flourish that added to the experience is also gone. Monae is a decent lead, and Chau is good in her role, but this probably wasn't a world I needed to revisit, especially to simply rehash some of the same plot ideas.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C
Comments
Post a Comment