Summer TV Roundup, Week 13
July is quickly fading from view as we head toward August and an uncertain Fall TV landscape at best. But in the mean time we have streaming services launching, new shows appearing and cable outlets continuing to roll out their original scripted fare. In these weekly posts I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Summer.
Sunday Nights:
P-Valley, 10 p.m. Sundays on Starz (Premiered July 12)
About: This series from Katori Hall is based on her stage play of roughly the same name. It's set in the Mississippi Delta at a strip club called The Pynk. There women are trying to earn a living and deal with the complexities of their lives and situations. The greater themes made the stage production work, but I've yet to see a lot of depth in episodes that have debuted so far. The performances are fairly solid, but this isn't a story I could invest in.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-
P-Valley, 10 p.m. Sundays on Starz (Premiered July 12)
About: This series from Katori Hall is based on her stage play of roughly the same name. It's set in the Mississippi Delta at a strip club called The Pynk. There women are trying to earn a living and deal with the complexities of their lives and situations. The greater themes made the stage production work, but I've yet to see a lot of depth in episodes that have debuted so far. The performances are fairly solid, but this isn't a story I could invest in.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-
Streaming Series:
A Brave New World, Now Streaming on Peacock (Premiered July 15)
About: The Peacock is finally online, as NBC's streaming platform has finally made it to market. Among the new scripted offerings at launch is the highly publicized "A Brave New World," the beautiful looking series based on the Aldous Huxley novel. It is led by Harry Lloyd, Jessica Brown Findlay and Alden Ehrenreich, and it's got a gorgeous look as it shows a dystopian future. The performers here are solid, and the series even features Demi Moore in a supporting role. If you're a fan of the novel, you'll likely be interested in seeing how this plays out. I haven't read the book, but I was curious to see how this series would come together. That being said, I wasn't taken with the first two episodes, that had a lot of style but a dry production and lack of compelling characters. This was the first big swing for Peacock, but it doesn't feel like a win.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C
A Brave New World, Now Streaming on Peacock (Premiered July 15)
About: The Peacock is finally online, as NBC's streaming platform has finally made it to market. Among the new scripted offerings at launch is the highly publicized "A Brave New World," the beautiful looking series based on the Aldous Huxley novel. It is led by Harry Lloyd, Jessica Brown Findlay and Alden Ehrenreich, and it's got a gorgeous look as it shows a dystopian future. The performers here are solid, and the series even features Demi Moore in a supporting role. If you're a fan of the novel, you'll likely be interested in seeing how this plays out. I haven't read the book, but I was curious to see how this series would come together. That being said, I wasn't taken with the first two episodes, that had a lot of style but a dry production and lack of compelling characters. This was the first big swing for Peacock, but it doesn't feel like a win.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C
Intelligence, Now Streaming on Peacock (Premiered July 15)
About: To fill out the rest of the original offerings lineup Peacock added a pair of shows from England. The first is a comedy that features David Schwimmer as an NSA Agent that is assigned overseas to a British unit. He comes with a lot of swagger and tries to impress upon everyone his skill and knowledge, but it's a lot of bluster for the most part. Schwimmer does a nice job, and the first two episodes I previewed had their moments. This isn't incredible, but it's entertaining and mildly compelling.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+
About: To fill out the rest of the original offerings lineup Peacock added a pair of shows from England. The first is a comedy that features David Schwimmer as an NSA Agent that is assigned overseas to a British unit. He comes with a lot of swagger and tries to impress upon everyone his skill and knowledge, but it's a lot of bluster for the most part. Schwimmer does a nice job, and the first two episodes I previewed had their moments. This isn't incredible, but it's entertaining and mildly compelling.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+
The Capture, Now Streaming on Peacock (Premiered July 15)
About: The final new scripted series from Peacock is another British series, this one a drama, that focuses on a young detective (Holliday Grainger) who gets called into an assault case featuring a high-profile soldier (Callum Turner) that isn't what it seems. There is clear footage of him committing a crime, but the security service redacts the footage. And the soldier claims he didn't do what the cameras show him doing. Who is right? What's the truth? And will they find the missing woman? That's what the series is about, and so far through two episodes it's the most interesting and compelling of the new scripted shows on Peacock. I'm curious to see where the first season, which is eight episodes of about an hour, goes.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+
About: The final new scripted series from Peacock is another British series, this one a drama, that focuses on a young detective (Holliday Grainger) who gets called into an assault case featuring a high-profile soldier (Callum Turner) that isn't what it seems. There is clear footage of him committing a crime, but the security service redacts the footage. And the soldier claims he didn't do what the cameras show him doing. Who is right? What's the truth? And will they find the missing woman? That's what the series is about, and so far through two episodes it's the most interesting and compelling of the new scripted shows on Peacock. I'm curious to see where the first season, which is eight episodes of about an hour, goes.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+
Cursed, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered July 17)
About: This latest Netflix series, which comes from Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler, is set in the legend of King Arthur. This one focuses on Nimue (Katherine Langford), the Lady of the Lake, and her role in bringing the legend to life. Langford previously starred on "13 Reasons Why" and was, frankly, the best part of that series. This one has a good look and some interesting characters. It starts with a flourish and I've enjoyed the production and different aspects through the first three episodes. Devon Terrell is solid as Arthur, and Gustaf Skarsgård does well as Merlin. I also thought Peter Mullan fits nicely as the main antagonist in the series. This has a good look, a solid cast and a decent was fun to watch. I thought it was a nice addition to the Netflix library.
Pilot Grade: B+
Second Episode: B
About: This latest Netflix series, which comes from Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler, is set in the legend of King Arthur. This one focuses on Nimue (Katherine Langford), the Lady of the Lake, and her role in bringing the legend to life. Langford previously starred on "13 Reasons Why" and was, frankly, the best part of that series. This one has a good look and some interesting characters. It starts with a flourish and I've enjoyed the production and different aspects through the first three episodes. Devon Terrell is solid as Arthur, and Gustaf Skarsgård does well as Merlin. I also thought Peter Mullan fits nicely as the main antagonist in the series. This has a good look, a solid cast and a decent was fun to watch. I thought it was a nice addition to the Netflix library.
Pilot Grade: B+
Second Episode: B
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