Fall TV Roundup, Week 14

 


We’re making our way through December and we’re nearing the end of new series releases in 2023. Still, we have a few streaming series. The question is what’s worth your time to check out. Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Fall. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Streaming Series:
My Life With the Walter Boys, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered December 7)
About: Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodriguez) is living her best life in New York City early in this series when the unthinkable happens—her parents and sister are killed in an accident. Soon, she’s ripped away from everything she knew in her life. She’s sent to live with her guardian, her mother’s friend Katherine Walter (Sarah Rafferty) and her large family of boys. And they live all the way in Colorado. It’s quite the transition, but can Jackie find a way to move forward. This series is aimed at those who enjoy a good teen drama. The cast is solid, and the story draws you right into the action. I like Rodriguez in the lead role, while Rafferty and Marc Blucas, who plays her husband, are solid as the adults in the series. This feels like something we’ve seen before but it works for what it is. The episodes move at a decent pace, with each around 45 minutes and all eight of the first season available to stream. It’s a decent watch, especially for those that enjoy this kind of drama series.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

World War II: From the Frontline, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered December 7)
About: It seems society never tires of stories from World War II. This new project is a documentary series narrated by John Boyega. It’s a six-episode documentary series that takes the audience through World War II in the European theater. The episodes are about 45 minutes, using a mixture of file footage and interviews to tell the story. For those who are interested in history and learning more about the conflict, it’s a good addition to the offerings on World War II. But this is likely a piece of niche entertainment aimed at a specific kind of audience.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Culprits, Now Streaming on Hulu (Premiered December 8)
About: A good crime drama can suck you in and pull you on an adventure. That’s certainly the case with Culprits, a British crime drama that is now streaming on Hulu. As we open Joe (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) is living a quiet life in Washington in the United States. He’s engaged and caring for his stepchildren. But he’s harboring a secret connected to his life before. In flashbacks, we see he was part of an epic heist. Now, he’s in trouble as someone is tracking down the old crew and exacting a measure of revenge. Can Joe protect his new life from being destroyed by his old life? That’s the question driving this series. We spend part of our time in the present and part of our time in the past, seeing the events and players that led up to Joe re-creating his life. It’s a fascinating concept that has a decent cast, including Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Gemma Arterton. I liked the first two episodes and the pace they move. This is an engaging story with some good performances. It’s an eight-episode season, each about an hour. It moves at a good pace and offers an interesting plot. This is a nice, bingeable series to end the year.
Pilot Grade: B-
Second Episode: B-

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