My Television

So what's good? I am constantly asking myself that. There are a million options now a days. Cable, which is going downhill, Disney Plus, Netflix and Prime are all the things we have. I could go on about a million shows I have watched over the years BUT I think I am going to say it has to have aired in the last 3. I also figure I need to keep it down two 1 or 2 per service or this will go on all day. 

I have to start with Game of Thrones. I am not about to go deep into it because for 7 seasons it was the best show on T.V. Yes it had some slow moments and some gross moments but it might have been the best thing on T.V. I will go as far as to say ever. Then we had the final season, with no source material. Could we just redo it? I am not complaining because I didn't like it, that it wasn't an ending I wanted. I mean how often did that show do something fans didn't want. I rant because it really was awful. Arya killed the Night King. Sure that was awesome, but that's it? A massive army that has been scaring people since the first episode, that decimated the north and that was it? Jon is the true heir! Did that matter at all? He could have been a Ned Starks' actual bastard and it would have had the same impact. Oh Jamie has an amazing story arc then chooses to go back and die with his sister? Also they die due to rocks? Theon was the only well written thing in the entire season. Douche-y pirate guy kills a dragon with one shot in a surprise attack? That high in the air and the dragons didn't see it coming? Also the golden company was useless. We all thought we might see the "Mad Queen" but it should have been written over at least 2 seasons, not just a single episode and flip the switch to killing an entire city. What happened to the Sand Snake in the dungeon, that story went where? Oh the Mountain and the Hound was a decent end, other than that what a way to absolutely ruin an amazing series. Again I am not complaining because I didn't like the endings (I admit I didn't) but they didn't even feel Game of Thrones! They literally feel like, no twists, no turns, no betrayals just meh lets wrap this shit up.

Sons of Anarchy was another amazing series. You look around during its height and it was all over clothing, comics, it moved outside of the small screen. I will admit I have a couple shirts and at one time owned a Reaper Crew hat way before it was popular. During the first season I bought it when no one was watching Sons yet and some guy in a bar wanted to fight thinking I was in the "reaper crew" gang. That is was a real gang. All five and a half feet of me was like oh fuck. I told him about the show, hopefully he ended up watching it and enjoying it. That's all side shit my point here was getting to the spinoff Mayans. I quite like the cast and as for characters I love EZ, Angel and Coco. What I don't enjoy is the fact they jump right into the shit. SOA seasons 1-3 IMO are by far the best. While they are intense, they aren't as crazy as the last few. You can relate to Jaxs struggles (Some what I mean no most people aren't outlaw bikers...) but Mayans jumps right into being an informant, a powerful cartel and revolutionary group. Had they built up to that insanity it might be an easier pill to swallow. Also Lincoln Potter was a great character on SOA. They brought him back and made it all fucky. While I like him, he is cuckoo bananas. My complaint with Mayans is just what I said, there was no build up. Honestly I really couldn't care if most of the MC died where as seeing the Sons die in later seasons was heartbreaking as they had been built up. If I was writing it, maybe we would just be touching on the revolutionaries in the upcoming season. Just introducing them and actually would have spent way more time learning about the MC. I will keep watching, I mean it is decent but I doubt it will ever be even close to SOA. (Also if you wanted to do a spin off, really should have done First 9. Way more people would have been into that. Could we get that going or maybe publish Johns book?)

There is no way I would rant on TV and NOT talk about the Witcher. I think the game has come up more than once in my blogposts..... First off I really dig that the first season shows a lot of the stand alone short stories. For the most part I am digging the casting. (Stop complaining about Triss. NO they didn't take a smoking hot red head. There is more to this show than that!) I cannot wait to see next season and if it start in the actual book series. What I didn't like was the hopping all over. I guess if they wanted to tell all those stories they should have maybe made a more linear timeline. I think a few people complained about that. Also I would have explained a lot more about Nilfgaard and Emhyr. I mean they may be working toward that and maybe they didn't want to build to big a universe to fast. (I mean look at GoT. By the end you need a chart for all the characters but the first season you didn't) But I still think at least introducing that part of the plot would have been good. I mean you have this epic battle for a finale but not a hell of a lot of why. It is literally just, oh hey some dudes from the south are coming, let's fight them! The empire SHOULD be a massive part of the story, so I think it should have been explained a lot better! I am very much looking forward to seeing who ends up on the series. Kaer Morhen has a bunch of people to cast. I can't wait to see who Leo Bonhart is. He needs to be an evil bastard,, hopefully whoever he is will be as good as Ramsay was in GoT. I HOPE we someday see the wild hunt, the scoia'tael, Regis, Gaunter O'Dimm, Olgried and yes Detlaff! The fact is they actually have a LOT of seasons worth of source material and I think if they kind of stay on this track, they can do it. PS yes I do know that is all game stuff, I just assume more people have played the game sthan read the books....... The books will have a million other characters people may not know. Big shout out to both Geralt and Jaskier. They nailed the roles......

So I saw the trailer for the Alienist and thought this looks cool, a serial killer period piece. I wasn't wrong! The cast is stellar, the filmography is also amazing and the story is very well written. The sets and costumes, I can't gush enough about that kind of stuff in this creepy show. Is it me or are bigger and bigger stars hitting the streaming services. Bruhl, Fanning and Evans are all fairly big or rising stars at least in my book. Can't wait for season 2 to be on Netflix. MY BEEF, cause I always have to have an issue.... It is incredibly slow at some points! All shows need a bit of slow points, character building and what have you but this one takes it to a new level. Honestly you could cut a few scenes and characters and it would not hurt the story at all. Unlike some of the other shows I can't drag this review out as there isn't a lot to say, yet. Did enjoy the first season, a lot!

Jeffery Dean Morgan is pretty well the only reason the main Walking Dead is still on TV, if you ask me. It had gotten pretty stale and the Negan / saviors story line breathed life back into the series. Of course that story would help but had anyone else been Negan, I think it could have crashed and burned. While comics can cross over and do well, I  do think people can get fatigued. Your on season 10 and the plot hasn't changed. Our heroes find a "home" a big bad guy threatens it, does something terrible and then in the end they figure a way to defeat the bad guy. Is there even a horror aspect anymore? Honestly the zombies no longer seem to matter and I do like it seems like they are decomposing and die WAY easier than first few season BUT that doesn't seem to matter.... We never see them do much anymore! Sure the whisperers use zombies but they don't even seem scary other than the fact the "bad guys" can hide in them. The whole thing I am getting at is it is getting repetitive. People are losing interest..... This show need a whole shift to make it interesting again. If you look at the big picture and it is actually about humanity, they need to find a new focus not just "bad guys". Also these "Rick" movies better be amazing! See this show has painted Rick as an incredible guy. He has defeated everything that came at him beaten all odds and loves his family and friends. But he just vanishes? They really need a good explanation for that. The Rick they have created would do ANYTHING to get home and likely succeed BUT for some reason he isn't? 0 sense....  I will mention Fear here as well. I had such hope for this show, I thought it would show the fall of society a bit more or explain the virus and it didn't. It followed the same path..... BUT it had the wonderful Frank Dillane who I think is an amazing actor. He had a great storyline. It had great supporting cast in Kim Dickens and Cliff Curtis and Rueben Blades. The cast grew with more and more talent. The problem is it has no story!! Or that isn't even the correct wording. They floundered through the first couple seasons, Nick (Frank) being the best reason to watch then they actually began writing really good stories BUT too short! The biker gang could have been an amazing season or two. The farm was great. The dam and the vultures. I have no idea why they feel the need to wrap stories up so quick??? The main series will drag stories on way too long and this one just wraps them up..... Anyways I will finish fear rant with first the biggest let down was this really didn't explain anymore of the infection. I hoped this would be an origin story. I wanted to either understand the virus or watch the downfall of society.  The time jump was super annoying. I assume they have a plan but did it really need to match up to main storyline? Also killing Nick was dumb. He was the best part of this show. They did a stupid time jump and brought Morgan over, still not a fan of that BUT the episode with those 2 was one of the best Walking Dead episodes of either series. That duo had so much potential and it literally dies that same episode? Fail. However I put faith in the next season. The villain looks great and a great villain can really make a series. I can't believe they are milking it into another series as well, but yes I will be checking it out! (As of last night the new series premiered. I have yet to watch it. I don't have super high hopes for this one. Saying that might be good though, maybe it will knock my socks off)

Lucifer is having a rebound season. The first couple seasons were great. Then it did get stale. I am guessing that is why it got cancelled. I have to say the story concept and the cast have always been good and that's likely why Netflix picked it up. Even the first season on Netflix was okay but not amazing, however this season is great. I mean we have one episode left in the first half after powering through it in a night or 2. (And now we don't literally after I put this down for a day I finished the first half.) God shows up? Like wow I am sure this opens a ton of different story lines we can go with. I was sad that Ella had a "good" guy and it failed. I mean everyone could see that coming BUT it is sad cause A) I liked him and B) Ella actually deserves a good guy! Also I could have a man crush on Tom Ellis, he does a great devil but man him as his twin is so creepy. Guess that is a compliment to his range as an actor. I enjoy that this program can mix cop dramas which are a guilty pleasure and myths. (Yes I said it) It was religious stuff but it also brings in things like Lilith which I am saying is myth. The fact is they could drag out MANY seasons with that combo IF they write it well....

Baby "Yoda" might have been the biggest thing I have seen in awhile. He is so Cute! I am not saying that but that is what I hear from every female who watches that show. But ya he is pretty awesome. (I know it isn't the real Yoda so all you hardcores STOP correcting the term baby Yoda, we know he isnt Yoda!) Anyways it is a neat story. The bounty hunter with a conscience. Plus it is very refreshing to not see a Skywalker in a good Star Wars related story. Like yes baby Yoda seems to have bad ass force powers but that's cool it doesn't dominate the show. I will tell you the truth, it is good. Like Stranger Things though maybe not as good as all the hype. The fact is all the episodes are good BUT is it as amazing as everyone said or was the Star Wars brand a big part of it. Don't get me wrong I really like it BUT did it live up to the hype? Saying that I cannot wait for season two. I really like the casting on this one. Pedro Pascal is one of my fav, ever since he was the red viper. Giancarlo Esposito is always a good villain and actually I have been a big fan of Gina Carano since Deadpool.

I recently finished Good Omens, I gotta say, so so. It had EVERYTHING going for it. Literally everything. The writers are among my favs, the cast is stellar if under valued. Like it had the two things I think are main parts of a TV series. But it didn't hook me. Maybe it was the mix of comedy and fantasy but it didn't get hooks into me. I liked it, no doubt but I played on my phone every episode. Usually that means I am not overly hooked. I think it was I was expecting a darker, less comedic story. The fact was it wasn't bad BUT it wasn't what I expected. If you are expecting something dark along American Gods lines, this isn't it

Speaking of which....American Gods season 1 was amazing!! Fairly true to the books, great acting I was hooked. Neil Gaiman is easily one of my favorite creators and I hoped this would live up to that. Like I said the first season did but I really need to ask what happened with season 2? Like I cannot think of another series that made me more depressed for the second season.... I am not getting into it but wow! I dunno maybe I am missing something, maybe there is some message but to me it just seems like this one goes off the tracks.

I have done a lot of streaming service stuff so I think I should maybe do a couple cable shows.... They do still exist.

Evil was one I had a lot of hope for. It seems like a great premise, even if it has been done before. Anything to do with the church, demons and shit I can get into. The cast is good (Again my 2 main things) but it isn't holding up. Again I blame it on cable since they have a lot of  standards and shit they can't show, but this one seems to get a good story then it dries up. And the "devil" if that is what that thing was supposed to be is BAD. Like terrible, honestly too cheesy to put on TV and it brings your overall show down. 

Prodigal Son is actually pretty cool. Part of me wanted to say, ya this should be called Silence of the Lambs lite. Which it could be but the father son dynamic does give it a twist. Having some of my fav "under used" IMO actors in it helps. Tom Payne, Lou Diamond, Michael Sheen. Along with Michael Raymond-James who should be in way more and I think I forgot to cast him as Gambit in my last Xmen blog.... I get confused is Malcolm supposed to be tough or not? I mean in a couple episodes he seems like it.... I think if they can keep fresh new cases with a running background story this show has potential to run a few seasons. The last scene in the mid season? finale was amazing. Ainsley I am sure is going to have a helluva story coming up. I have to say in general they have been good at throwing curveballs and I think that is the draw to this series. 

Okay it seems streaming is just taking over....

I had never watched Perry Mason before 2020. For some reason I had a rough idea what it was about but I never watched the 60s TV show. Maybe it was Ozzys song. I am not sure. Anyways I started the HBO version and if I am honest I really wasn't hooked. It was so so, but it get better and better as the seasons drags out. If you haven't watched it, watch it but give it at least 3 to get into it. I like all the actors, the story is great. I guess if I am honest I am a sucker for a good period piece. Peaky Blinders, Ripper Street, Alienist. Its HBO so it's grim and gritty and pulls no punches. All things I like.

I was sold on Hunters from the first trailer I saw. Pacino is in fine form! I thought it was going to be more realistic but from the first few scenes you know it is going to out there. The plot twist to do with Meyer I kinda saw coming. I mean maybe not exactly that but they don't overly hide something is fucked up. I am going to say Logan Lerman goes back and forth for me. Sometimes I feel he is just a whiny bitch,then he brings it back BUT WOW Greg Austin is perfect! I am 50/50 on some of the campy shit. For a bit it seems to take itself pretty serious, then some random wtf moments. Not sure I like that. Although the big reveal at the very end sets up what could be a great next season. If you like Nazi hunting mixed with comicy strangeness this is a show for you! 

How can you not like Garth Ennis, oh thats right from his awful Preacher TV show. But I don't blame him, his source material is awesome. Just the show sucked. Probably Seth Rogens doing. (Ya I know he is involved in this as well) However The Boys makes up for it! This show is the shit, if you like DARK ass humor and comics. How he comes up with this I will never know. The whole concept is amazing and honestly could be true. Who says "supes" would be decent? Think about it, truly amazing powers likely going to be abused. Homelander, like Superman is pretty well a living god. What would inspire him to be good? The way the world is I could see Superman being way more like Homelander than the wholesome 1930s creation. The cast is amazing, I have heard that Karl Urban is kind of a douche but his performance is good. Jack Quaid and Erin Moriarty are amazing. All the cast is amazing! As crazy as this show is, it says something that Stormfront has been toned down to be on TV. I guess Stormfront is supposed to be a Nazi and male but we all know how well that would go in today's world. Also the whole Vought corporation and managing supes is quite the change from Cpt America running the Avengers deeming them the best people to run a super team (Civil War) Vought covering up crimes and not facing consequences. I am not sure what makes this one so good, honestly I think it is because this is literally what supes would likely be like. At least in my mind....

I am going to end with Peaky Blinders. Surprised I didn't start with them. Of all the shows I have recently caught up on this might be the best. I like it because it grows and changes. Tommy has gone from being a simple gangster barely mattering to an MP / gangster defending Britain. Don't get me wrong I am irritated by every season them being doomed and Tommy thinking of some last minute outlandish way to save them. However I will give them they don't underplay, going all the way to the king or making Tommy an MP. The cast has been stellar. The sets and costumes are great. I have to put in a comment on the music. For the MOST part mixing modern music into a period piece works well. BUT I am guessing that takes some doing, you can't just slap any song in and have the same effect. The finale last season was insane! The Nazis seem like an actual villain that is smarter than even Tommy. Plus it was so shitty to watch Gold die. Well that whole season was shit for him but that end sucked. Who doesn't want to see the slaughter of the Billy Boys?? Tom Hardy is great but isn't he always. I mean the same goes for Cillian Murphy. 

So I guess I watch way too much TV. I could put way more up but this is long enough. I have started Ratched, Ozarks. Could easily start Cobra Kai. Fell way behind on Riverdale. What I am saying is the list for TV is long and could go on and on. If you saw something mind blowing let me know. I think this should give you a small idea of my taste in programming....