Spring TV Roundup, Week 5

 

We’re racing through April, but we’re in the midst of a great swell of original programming. This includes some high-profile series on streaming. But which of these new shows are worth the investment? Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Spring. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Wednesdays:
Sight Unseen, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on The CW (Premiered April 3)
About: Can a detective be a detective if they can’t see? That’s the meta question posed by this new series on The CW, which was imported from Canada. After watching the pilot, it struck me that this would likely have made a better feature than a series. I still think it’s a tough concept to make work on a week-to-week basis. And yet, the second episode was equally as compelling, finding a way for our protagonist to solve another crime. I enjoyed the back-and-forth, and I still enjoy Dolly Lewis in the lead role. The second episode expanded the narrative and set up some interesting dynamics. It’s still a stretch to see how this works long-term, but I enjoyed this more than some of the Canadian series The CW has brought in over the past few seasons.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

Fridays:
Mary & George, Streaming Fridays on Starz (Premiered April 5)
About: Based on the non-fiction account of Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore) and her son, George (Nicholas Galitzine), as they try to make their way in society in England in the 17th Century during the reign of King James VI (Tony Curran). I didn’t take to the pilot. I didn’t enjoy the story or the storytelling style. That holds true in the second episode, too. It continues the action, the seduction, and the style of the pilot. Moore and Galitzine are still solid in the roles, but I just wasn’t taken with this story. If you enjoyed the novel or like the story, this will appeal more. But it didn’t appeal much to me.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-

Franklin, Streaming Fridays on Apple TV+ (Premiered April 12)
About: Benjamin Franklin is an iconic figure in American history for many reasons. He was a talented inventor. He was a good writer. And, at times, he was a key statesman. It’s the latter that is the focus of the new Apple TV+ series that debuted on Friday. It picks up as the fledgling America is at a crossroads, having suffered a string of defeats and low numbers and morale at the hands of the British in the Revolutionary War. Franklin (Michael Douglas) and his grandson (Noah Jupe) are in France. The French, no friends of the English, remain the best hope for the Colonial Army in their war for independence. But can Franklin the diplomat rally the French to the American cause? This series, which spans eight episodes, is based on the Stacy Schiff book A Great Improvisation. The look and feel are solid, and I enjoy Douglas as an actor. There was a lot that worked for me in the pilot, and I like the basic premise here. Apple has turned out some solid series of late, including interesting historical dramas. This has some potential, depending on how it develops. For now, I think it’s worth checking out.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

Sundays:
The Sympathizer, Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered April 14)
About: The latest for HBO is a Vietnam-era drama based on the novel from Viet Thahn Nguyen. It has a strong cast, led by Robert Downey, Jr. It’s a limited series, spanning seven episodes, dropping weekly in the prime HBO Sunday night slot. The pilot takes the action back to a few months before the fall of Saigon. We are introduced to The Captain (Hoa Xuande), who is working for the South Vietnamese Army Intelligence. He’s also drawn to America and being mentored by a CIA Agent (Downey). But is he who he says he is? He’s not. In this pilot, we see what happened as the war came to an end in country. We leave him in custody, and sharing his story with the Viet Cong. But that’s not where this story ends. We know he’s about to be sent to America where, acting as a refugee, he’ll continue a mission to spy. Downey also plays a few roles moving forward in this black comedy story. The pilot was directed by Park Chan-Wook, who helped bring the adaptation to the screen along with Don McKellar. The pilot moves at a good pace and draws you in. I like Xuande in the lead role and I’m curious to see where this goes as we move to America. It feels like another engaging option for HBO.
Pilot Grade: C+

Streaming Series:
Baby Reindeer, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered April 10)
About: This Netflix series is an import from England starring Richard Gadd as Donny Dunn. He’s a bartender who makes a connection with patron, Martha (Jessica Gunning), that at first seems innocent. Soon, the attachment grows, and it becomes something more. This series was written by Gadd and is based on the true story of his own stalker. It’s a seven-episode limited series, each about a half an hour. It makes for a quick binge, but it walks a strange line. Some of it is meant to be amusing, some of it is meant to be serious. The tone and story weren’t incredibly engaging for me in the first two episodes, but those that are taken with the story and the style of humor might feel differently.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Fallout, Now Streaming on Prime Video (Premiered April 10)
About: This is one of the more anticipated series of the Spring, an adaptation of the popular video game series from producers Jonathan Nolan and his wife, Lisa Joy. The series was created by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner, with Nolan directing the first three episodes, including the pilot. All eight episodes for the first season were released on Wednesday and are available to stream. The pilot runs about 75 minutes, with the rest clocking in around an hour. We begin in post-World War II Los Angeles, where the Nuclear Age has everyone on edge. Soon, a series of bombs detonate, forcing the wealthy and prepared to go to under ground shelters. Flash-forward 219 years, and the world is fractured. Some try to scratch out a living and survival on the surface. Some are living in fallout shelters, which were viewed as humanity’s hope for survival. We’re soon introduced to three primary players who will be the focus of our story. The first is Lucy (Ella Purnell), a shelter dweller forced to the surface after her community is raided and her father (Kyle MacLachlan), is taken. Next is Maximus (Aaron Moten), a steel worker who dreams of being a soldier to protect the weak and keep the peace on the surface. The last is Cooper (Walton Goggins), who was alive and present at the original blast in Los Angeles and now survives as a disfigured Ghoul and bounty hunter. The three are brought together on a quest by a scientist (Michael Emerson) and head to the ruins of Los Angeles. I loved the pilot presentation and the stunning visuals that lay out this world. I’m not familiar with the game, but I was taken with the presentation and the set up. The first two move at a good pace and draw you in to the characters and world. I wouldn’t be surprised if many take advantage of the ability to binge the series this weekend.
Pilot Grade: B+
Second Episode: B+

Good Times, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered April 12)
About: This new series is an adult animated series that is a re-make, of sorts, of the famous and popular Norman Lear sitcom. The original series aired from 1974 to 1979. The late Lear is a producer of this animated re-boot, along with others like Seth MacFarlane and Stephen Curry. The voice cast includes Yvette Nicole Brown, J.B. Smoove, and Wanda Sykes, among others. But this isn’t like the original sitcom, and not just because of the animated style. This feels like a strange hybrid of the sitcom and Family Guy, complete with a “baby” who talks and acts like an adult, in this case something of a gangster. It’s weird and wild. All 10 episodes of the season are now available to stream, each running about 25 minutes. It’s a quick binge if you’re so inclined. I wasn’t taken with the narrative, style, or characters here. Looking at early reviews, I’m not alone in that opinion. It likely has a niche audience, but fans of the original series might not be among them. This was a big miss for me.
Pilot Grade: D
Second Episode: D