Summer TV Roundup, Week 1


We’re past Memorial Day and into the summer season. We’re starting to get some interesting new shows, but what of them are 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 summer.

Streaming Series:
Adults, Now Streaming on Hulu (Premiered May 28)
About: This new comedy is from FX and premiered over the air on May 28. Episodes are airing weekly on TV, but we got the whole season streaming on Hulu. The season is eight episodes, each about 20 to 25 minutes. It centers on a group of friends in their 20s trying to navigate life, work, and co-habitation. This is the kind of comedy that will appeal to a certain demographic of people and will provide a window of insight into a certain demographic. There were moments I enjoyed, and it’s certainly a quick binge, but this isn’t really aimed at me. You’d likely enjoy it more if it was aimed more at your demographic.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

The Better Sister, Now Streaming on Prime Video (Premiered May 29)
About: This new drama for Prime Video is a complex, adult story. It’s an eight-episode series based on the book of the same name from Alafair Burke. As the title suggests, at the heart of the series is two sisters who have a complex and estranged relationship. We first meet Chloe (Jessica Biel), who is a successful magazine editor of some renown in New York City. She’s married to Adam (Corey Stoll) and seems to have a good life. But when Adam turns up dead, Chloe finds herself in the middle of an investigation. What is she hiding? It’s not immediately clear. But her son, Ethan (Maxwell Acee Donovan), becomes a suspect. That further complicates things because Ethan’s birth mother, Nicky (Elizabeth Banks), is Adam’s ex-wife and Chloe’s sister. Clearly, there is a complicated family dynamic that forces a lot of issues to the front as the investigation progresses. I like the look here and the acting is great. The larger cast includes Matthew Modine, Kim Dickens, and Lorraine Toussaint, among others. The first two episodes move at a good pace, building the mystery and the ideas. Biel and Banks play well off each other, too. I like the potential in this limited series, which feels like a good summer binge. Episodes run about an hour and all eight are now available to stream.
Pilot Grade: B-
Second Episode: B-

Dept. Q, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered May 29)
About: This is another crime drama, this one from Scott Frank and Chandi Lakhani, based on the novel from Jussi Adler-Olsen. It follows a prickly London detective, Carl Morck (Matthew Goode) who is shot as the pilot opens. It’s at a crime scene where the killer emerges and kills an officer, paralyzes Morck’s friend and partner, and wounds him. Now, he’s ready to return to work physically, but he’s still suffering emotionally. His work with a therapist (Kelly Macdonald) isn’t progressing rapidly. He’s assigned to a new, high-profile unit looking into cold cases. He’s assigned a new aide, Salim (Alexej Manvelov), with whom he shares an icy relationship. In fact, all his interactions are prickly. But there’s something to this new investigation, which we see play out in flashbacks. This is a nine-episode series, all about an hour. All of them are now streaming. Scott, who directs six of the episodes, has a great feel for this kind of storytelling, and that shows well in the series. I was hooked by the pilot and the second episode was a great follow up. This could be one of the more interesting new series this summer and is definitely worth checking out on Netflix, especially for those who enjoy a good crime drama.
Pilot Grade: A-
Second Episode: B+

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