What I'm Watching April-May Edition: Black Mirror, Poker Face, Blood Line, etc.

 

America’s #1 Family (Amazon); Ramy Yousef’s first series was poignant and packed wollops of sentimental value but let’s be clear: It was NOT a comedy, no matter what lies the golden globes or Emmys will try to feed me. The show still exists to give the Muslim community

much needed visibility, but it’s max funny. Leaning on the animated equivalent of fourth wall breaks, it had kinds of nods to old-school silliness with dream sequences of a kid’s teacher crush responding to her or the president popping in as guest star of the week.

Twisted Metal (Peacock): A post apocalyptic dark comedy with a certain aesthetic that screaming for you to notice it in the same way as a darker Wes Anderson, the Seth Rogen show Preacher or Robert Rodriguez. Anthony Mackie (the MCU) and Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine Nine) are the leads, but the series seems to be hoping its scene stealer, Sweet Tooth, will be the draw. Voiced Will Arent, sporting a psychotic clown mask, and a roused body similar to Batman’s Bane, he’s painted as a poor man’s joker in his childish antics and his randomness over who he kills (which is the most fear-inducing quality of even a boring villain). In the first episode, he wants the protagonists to listen to his stand-up act which is supposedly its own form of hell. Sound menacing enough for you?

The dark quirk angle is there but not hard enough to make the show wholly can’t-miss. It’s watchable, not spectacular.

Black Mirror (Netflix)-This season had 3 spectacular episodes—Bete Noir, Hotel Reverie, and USS McCallister 2-which is enough to excuse the fact that Charlie Booker swings big and won’t always get it right. Even this analysis undersells Black Mirror's batting average: Each episode revolves around a deep question (the Peter Capaldi episode, for example, asks "Are there consequences to being billigerent to video game characters?") that the viewer might not be interested in answering (like myself). Thes Eulogy episode was also of strong and poignant, but Paul Giamatti's take was too dark for my mood that day. Personally I like my mopey Paul Giamatti to not get outright clinically depressed as this guy was.

Poker Face (Peacock) Charlie Cale’s penchant for being at the right place at the right time is handled organically enough that it doesn’t feel like half the gimmick it is on every other whodunnit show of this nature. But the Peter Falk imitation, oy vey, let’s not overdo it Natasha Lyonne. As I said in the first season, what makes Poker Face great is that justice isn't always served in some perfectly congruous way. Virtually the only constant is that Charlie will be left to pick up the pieces and start a new life. This isn't dissimilar from the Western hero who is forced to ride off into the sunset over the closing credits, because he would never fit into the civilized society he helped build.

Through four episodes of the second season, Riann Johnson's series whole-heartedly immerses us into different subcultures (funerary homes, abusive child acting, the Florida animal control that birthed Gator King, etc). One episode is a half send-up to the Departed with the comedic stylings of Lyonne, John Mulaney, Simon Helberg and Rhea Perlman inserted in the leads (and yet, it somehow works). Ano

Bloodline (Netflix)-Because I was just visiting the Florida Keys, I was reminded of this series that was one of Netflix’s first streamers in 2015. Interestingly enough, Despite not being up of the big murder plot, that’s the long arc of the season, I am actually finding that the show consisted me based on the scenery porn, The quality of the acting, the chemistry, And the dialogue. The basic family dynamics, and the sense of what is happening in the smaller sub pots are enough to keep me engaged. I think this makes sense though, Not all viewing is predicated on people following every element of the plot.

Srugim (Yes TV, now on Amazon)- After doing a film talk about Judaism on film, I was convinced to look at an Israeli show. Despite being half-Israeli, I've never been particularly attached to Israeli culture and didn't initially think this had much to do with my American Jewish experience. There's a lot to unpack in my detachment from Israel (an anomoly among the Tribe) and enjoying one show isn't going to repair such a gap, but the point of my exploration between Judaism and the media was to illustrate that the gaps in our understanding of religion start out from a pretty immense place (even between sects of Judaism), so the media has a surprisingly large amount of work to do in our religious messaging.

In this case, the show focuses on a specific class of Israeli Jews who are Sabbath-obervant but not secluded from secular society. This quintet is on the verge of 30 and preoccupied with settling down. That tends to happen across the board for religious devotees who can't get it on outside of marraige, and the show deals with that quite frankly. 

The show is labelled as a drama which is accurate, but it veers into a certain dramedy territory and finds the appropriate soft moments to balance out the emotional heaviness. The five leads (except maybe Reut) can be described as self-sabatoging or more charitably described as taking a while to find themselves. Either way, it's highly compelling TV.

 

What I'm Watching August Edition

 Mulligan (Netflix)-A post-apocalyptic comedy that stands out for its levity. A close comparison would be Will Forte’s  dark comedy “Last Man on Earth” in which a small band of characters survived a pandemic in a sea of nothingness; while the comedy centered around the pathos of sexual frustration. guilt, and the rotating door of ostracizing. In contrast, the post-apocalyptic landscape of Mulligan is a semi-populated city (Washington DC) that survived the attack of aliens, thanks to our titular hero. Mulligan is a dim-witted hunk in the style of Pete Davidson (though surprisingly played by Nat faxon) who compromised the aliens’ defenses threw his only skill: Throwing a baseball through a Death-Star like-design-flaw. The sole surviving senator decides that’s enough to qualify him as president and he’s joined by Mrs. Nevada (Chrissy Tiegen) who serves as his first lady (though their relation goes unconsummated so far); a senator that embodies Southern cliché to humorous rapture (Dana Carvey), a pair of star-crossed academics (Tina Fey and Sam Richardson) with a great Sam-and-Dianne vibe; and an alien leftover from the invasion (Phil LaMarr) who is often the sanest person in the room. There is also an ample amount of room for cameos (Questlove and Weird Al play themselves), world building (the previous president is confirmed to be alive at one point) and entertaining recurring guest stars that could build the world out. On the whole, this is a show has a few broad strokes (if the Korean billionaire isn’t supposed to be a proxy for Kim-Jung Un he’s awfully stereotypical; ditto the beauty queen) but it mines the character interactions well.

Good Omens (Amazon)-Neil Gaiman’s seminal novel of biblical humor pits the four Horsemen of the apocalypse, the antichrist, a rogue angel Azaraphel (Michael Sheen), his demon partner-in-crime Crowley (David Tenant) and a number of other colorful characters in a tale that’s as epic as it is whimsical. But that was the first season. This season centers around a mystery: The angel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) shows up at a Azaraphel’s book shop with an interesting case of amnesia. Considering Gabriel’s playing for Team Heaven and Crowley’s playing for the other side and it’s an eternal battle with high stakes, Crowley’s terrified at the site of his old nemesis. He wants to off him, but then we wouldn’t have a reason for Azaraphel and Crowley to go on adventures together and this uneasy alliance is the heart of the show, so Azaraphel convinces forked-tongue pal to perform a minor miracle and hide him from the powers that be. Trying to keep the secret from their overlords and the ensuing aftermath is the bulk of the plot. Through four of six episodes so far, the majority of the screen time has been spent on pseudo-origin stories on the Azaraphel/Crowley friendship and other wayward angles. I want to root for this show and the whimsy and world-building is always charming, but if they have to have this much filler, perhaps they should have started from the drawing board with this one. I’ll stick it out to the end.

Captain Fall (Netflix)-Although it’s flying under the radar, I’m not sure if any animated black comedy has come along that’s this black—or at least this murdery. Maybe Archer? Captain John Fall is the black sheep of his family and that’s an understatement. His parents don’t want him to appear at family parties because he’s such an embarrassment, and his brother is an inappropriate mooch of epic proportions. It doesn’t help that John is at the bottom of his class at the naval academy. However, failing upwards is as good of a way to succeed as any. An international cartel is seeking the dumbest possible captain to serve as a patsy for all the war crimes they wish to commit on international waters, so after the unfortunate murder of everyone at the employment referral agency, John lands himself a prestige position where the crew go to elaborate lengths to keep him and the passengers in the dark to all the atrocities they commit the following atrocities: Trafficking brides for an Arab billionaire, abducting humans for a human zoo, killing endangered animals for Viagara, facilitating arms deals, and sponsoring child soldiers. Pretty horrific, huh? What’s more, the crew alternatively seduces, befriends, and feeds the captain a continuous stream of false information to keep him under the illusion that he’s riding high. The ride is entertaining enough that we’re excited for the anticipation of what happens when this all comes crashing down.

Righteous Gemstones (HBO)-Having just watched and fallen in love with Danny McBride’s “Vice Principals”, there’s not as much of a tightness to the narrative here. One can miss almost any episode and not feel particularly lost. This is becoming a bit of a weakness in the third season. Even the religious satire – the key factor separating RG from McBride’s other two shows – isn’t particularly strong when the family’s descent from moral grace isn’t particularly defined. On the upside, Edi Patterson and Tim Baltz are given much more to do as a couple whose marriage is tested by an extra-marital affair. On the minus, there’s significantly less Baby Billy (Walton Goggins) and he has the most potential for an interesting storyline and the tongue-twister-based best running joke (Baby Billy's Bible Bonkers) I've enjoyed in a while. When you put each character’s arc on this show through a fine-toothed comb, there often isn’t anything that interesting going on with many of them. It’s not a knock on the character work of John Goodman, Adam Devine, or Danny McBride, but standing still will only get you so far.

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)-At times, “What We Do in the Shadows” is among the funniest things on TV, but oftentimes ambitious shows can go in directions that don’t take everyone along. One of the show’s serialized arcs over the third and fourth seasons saw Nandoor the Relentless get increasingly depressed and lonely. This infected the show with an unfortunate Debbie Downer vibe for me, but I get the sense that the feedback from many of the fans was successful. Besides, the last season offered the vampires engaging in a full-on commercial venture and the uncanny valley of Colin Robinson (an uncanny valley of a character) growing from toddler to unruly teenager before our very eyes. And Shawney! OK, I concede…there’s generally too much going on right with this show to tune out. But when the show starts off on the right foot, like Season 5, it’s a beautiful site to behold. By this, I mean forward movement: Guillermo is finally a vampire, Colin Robinson has discovered his own tribe, he and Evie are trying to bore the world (or rather, Staten Island, on an epic level).

Miracle Workers (HBO)-Simon Rich, the SNL writer, who penned “Man Seeking Woman”, has a way of writing absurdist historical fiction (and adjacent tropes) that has served him extremely well in this anthology series. In the original season (set in a Kafkaesque version of Heaven), The Middle Ages and Oregon Trail, Rich’s characters possessed a charming sense of anachronism as they went about their limited existences: Characters were either too loaded with blind optimism or too self-aware about bleak circumstances.  While this is an anthology series with the same actors switching off roles each season, the general configuration through the first three seasons has been: 1) Steve Buscemi as the dumb optimist (despite being God himself at one point) 2) Geraldine Viswanathan as the cautious pragmatism, 3) Daniel Radcliffe being the most dynamic character that drives the plot 4) Various other actors (Lolly Adefope, Quinta Brunson, John Bass, Karan Soni, Peter Serafinowicz) fill out the cast as needed. In this version, things are askew as Geraldine Viswanathan is a warlord in an apocalyptic landscape, and Buscemi mostly plays a filler role as Daniel Radcliffe’s employer. The formula is off.

Mrs Davis (Peacock)-A nun goes to war against a practically omnipotent AI system with the help of an ex-boyfriend and Jesus in human form (a dude named Jay). This is an interesting world to kick around in. It’s also a plus if you’re a luddite myself and wish to vicariously live through a heroine kicking ass against thoughtless technological advancement. But it’s extremely dense and confusing. I’m sticking with it but, fair warning, this requires a lot of checking on the wikis for clarification.

What I'm Watching August Edition: Reviews of Loot, Central Park, Resort, Never Have I Ever, The Shrink Next Door

Loot (Apple Plus)-Maya Rudolph stars as a rich socialite who decides to take a more hands-on approach to running her own charity after her husband dumped her. It’s a classic classist comedy like “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” or “The Nanny” in which people of different social strata learn a little bit from one another. Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island) and Ron Funches are a highlight as a pair of co-workers who are a better fit as besties than Booster’s character would care to admit.  The show is watchable but seems to rely a little too heavily on Maya Rudolph to carry the jokes. Unfortunately, Rudolph’s character of Molly Novak isn’t that much more memorable so far (I’m 4 episodes in) than her character outline suggests.

Never Have I Ever (Netflix)-I hate to use the term “jump the shark” because that fails to acknowledge the show’s achievement of once being good and it implies that it’s the show’s fault that current viewing isn’t as rewarding as past viewing. Never Have I Ever ended on a happily-ever-after resolution that took away my investment in seeing where the characters might go next. Season 2 featured a wonderful arc with Common as a love interest for the mom, the cousin standing up for herself professionally, and the independent-minded Dev yo-yoing between Ben and Paxton before landing in a place of self-respect. I’m still nipping away at an episode here or there, and I’m always happy that other people will get a chance to enjoy another season of a deservingly good show. I just might not partake.

Central Park (Apple Plus)-Set in New York’s Central Park (something I personally view as a minus), the story tells the tale of villainous hotelier Bitsy Bindingham (Stanley Tucci) and her efforts to purchase over Central Park for presumably nefarious purposes. Defending the park are expose reporter Paige (Kathryn Hahn) and husband and Central Park manager Owen (Leslie Odom Jr) and their two mixed-race children Molly (Kristen Bell) and Cole (Tituss Burgess Jr) are also pretty equally invested on the side of good. The family and story’s narrator (Josh Gad) provide the warmth while Bitsy’s snootiness and the deadpan of her devious lackey Helen (Daveed Diggs) provide the humor. And did I mention there’s songs provided by the musical talents of Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs, and Kristen Bell?

The Shrink Next Door (Apple Plus)-A harrowing yet highly engaging watch about a cunning psychiatrist, Ike Herschkopf (Paul Rudd), who manipulates his patients into giving up their lives in service to him. Although the real Herschkopf swindled at least 16 patients, the story focuses on a nominal millionaire (Marty, played by Will Ferrell) who comes to visit Dr. Ike at a low point in his life (parents just died, uncle is suing him, ex-girlfriend is demanding, yada yada yada) and feels like a new man after a few sessions.

I watched this show in a vacuum so I had no idea through the first two or three episodes where this eight-episode miniseries was going. It seemed like an uplifting story of a therapist helping a timid sack of a man with a few dark undertones here or there. Of course, I knew that prestige TV networks since roughly 2010 haven’t been interested in low-stakes feel-good stories in eight-episode chunks. So yes, I was prepared for the dropping of the other shoe (is that an expression? I don’t even know), and boy did it drop. Dr. Ike persuades Marty to cut off his only family (sister Phyllis, played so endearingly by Kathryn Hahn), make him president of his business, take over his house in the Hamptons and move into the master bedroom, and eventually write him in his will.

Like the aftermath of Hitchcock’s The Birds, I wouldn’t be surprised if a sizeable number of viewers get a nightmare or two about what evil lurks in the hearts of their own therapists.

The series is tear-inducing with credit going to the performances of Will Ferrell and Kathryn Hahn (although it’s regrettable Hahn isn’t in most of the middle episodes) with Rudd providing equal weight as the villain. This isn’t a sad clown performance where a comic actor wants to stretch his wings: This is the real deal.


The Resort (Peacock)-A married couple (Christine Milioti as Emma, William Jackson Harper as Noah) is experiencing the doldrums during their 10^th anniversary vacation to a tropical Mexican resort. What possibly shakes them out of their rut is when Emma get shaken out of their rut when Emma discovers an old cell phone from 15 years  through going down the rabbit hole of a local  missing persons case.

During one frightful and stormy night (cue the organ music) 15 years ago, a pair of young lovebirds (Skyler Gismodo as Sam and Nina Bloomgarden as Violet) disappeared during a hurricane. Careful not to reveal the sequence of events before Emma and Noah (and the audience) learn them, the series deftly cuts between past and present as Noah and Emmy chase after the trail of Sam and Violet.  

There’s an unevenness between the relative excitements of the past and the present. Sam and Violet, are a fun combination of hormones, angst, and naiveté, whereas Noah and Emma are about as fun as the Needlers (Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers) on SNL. What saves their scene is a delightfully kooky local named Balthasar Frias who fashions himself a noir detective.

The series is ambitious--needle-dropping all over the place and taking its time to cut between stories--and while it's uneven from week to week, it's enough to keep me guessing.

What I'm Watching May Update: Being Erica, Flight Attendant, Winning Time, Pentaverate, Adventure Beast

 

 

Adventure Beast (Netflix)-Bradley Trevor Greive (AKA BTG) is a field zoologist who is so enthusiastic about animals, that he regularly gets mauled and nearly eaten by them on an episodic basis and does so with effective zeal. In other words, he's a pretty zany character and the actor has an easy time selling the part. After all, the character is heavily based on the actor who is an ex-Australian military paratrooper and naturalist who has appeared on Animal Planet series such as Fear Island: Fortress of the Bears and Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved.

BTG is joined by two extremes as his side kicks: Overly timid field assistant Dietrich and exuberant niece Bonnie. Both push the extremes of their characters for great comedic effect.

Each episode is set in a different ecosystem with solid plotting and has a semi-educational nature, as BTG spews animal trivia like he has tourette's syndrome. On the whole, it's mostly a lot of fun. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

 

Pentaverate (Hulu)-Mike Myers plays separate members of a secret cabal of five highly influential people who secretly control the world or some junk. Myers also plays a washed-up reporter investigating this titular cabal as his last big scoop. Pretty much the only non-Myers characters are Keegan Michael Key (and later Ken Jeong) as the audience surrogate who is inducted into the Pentaverate mid-series and they’re both pretty refreshing additions because we can only watch Myers ham it up so much.

Through four episodes, I’m thankful there aren’t as many characters as gross as Austin Powers’ Fat Bastard or midget humor (AKA Mini-Me) as Mike Myers has been known to go overly blue before.

The thing is I want to like Myers: His versatility on Saturday Night Live and his commitment to a comic concept is pretty admirable, and in some ways he’s pioneered comedy. However, even if he’s safely veering away from gross, the series still runs out of steam. For the deep dives that Myers does into certain topics like Eastern mysticism (The Love Guru) or, in this case, conspiracy theories, there’s a tremendous laziness in the world-building aspects of the show. Instead, it feels like an excuse to do impressions. 

Winning Time (HBO)-Possibly my favorite show of the year. This docudrama about the beginning of the Magic Johnson era is apparently completely detached from the historic story. At the same time, maybe it's better in this age of hyper scrutiny to just throw an honest attempt at documented history out the window and rely more on the "based on a true story" moniker at the start of each episode? The advantage is that it allows producer Adam McKay to tell the most exciting story his imagination can muster and it's pretty damn exciting.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

 

Being Erica (Soapnet, available on Hulu)-A woman goes back in time on an episodic basis to readjust her life so that she can’t be a failure. Let’s first clear this up: Is she really a failure? She’s 32 and unmarried and didn’t use her high-powered degree but is pretty independent anyways. Can we stop with the single-shaming?

The show is a mix of Hallmark Channel female-centered wholesomeness (with Erin Kapluk ably filling in the plucky female protagonist) and the kind of thinky what-if scenarios that populate good low-stakes science fiction.

One last thing to note:  Plot congruity might not be this show’s strong suit as the butterfly effect is treated extremely casually here. The kind of scrutiny that fans have deployed on Marty McFly’s time-travelling would just not work here. 

Flight Attendant, S1 (HBO)-Loved this black comedy about an impulsive flight attendant who's one-night stand leads to Breaking-Bad-levels of terror as the FBI, crime lords, and an enigmatic assassin are after her. The show’s efforts to evoke horror through quick-take psychological flashbacks (a bit like Homeland’s opening credits) fall a little short, but most of the show manages a lot of moving parts well. Shows where characters are trapped in humongous illicit messes of their own making are plentiful on TV and this is narrowly unique, well-paced, and enjoyable enough to stick out of that pack.

What I'm Watching February Update

As We See It (Amazon)-The story takes place in the Bay area with three autistic people with wildly different wants of life and situations sharing a house under one roof with the guidance of their ridiculously awesome life coach Mandy (Sosie Bacon). Half the appeal is watching Mandy show understanding, commitment, and love in ways that I’m not even capable of in the presence of other autistic people, and I’m on the upper end of the spectrum myself. The story progresses well and trisects with the three central autistic characters diverging towards different paths of which the other two are only marginally aware of.

As someone who is both on the upper end of the spectrum and spent most of my life either unaware that I was on it or actively denying I had it, I can imagine these desires — impatience at people dumber than you, defining your adolescence by sexual experience, the desire to grow up, how desperately you might need a friend if you don’t get out much — as relatable to anyone. The difference is that an autistic person might have a greater barrier to processing these problems.

It’s also worth noting that outside of “Everything’s Gonna Be OK” (which is really not my cup out of tea outside its autistic character), few shows have had characters that are officially identified with this label. Before we give the two shows I’ve covered so far such big accolades, it’s worth noting that TV has had characters appear on TV who had an amiguous disorder because the writers didn’t dive into the psychology manual and weren’t living in a society that rewarded the breaking of glass ceilings. On “The Big Bang Theory”, for example Jim Parsons didn’t realize that Sheldon was likely a person who had Asperger’s until well into the show’s run. Perhaps there’s something to be said for the way a character like that evolved organically, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Space Force (Netflix)-This was on my top 12 shows of 2020 Honorable Mention list even though it has a non-sensical premise. Even if it did happen in the four upside down years of real life during the last presidency, it’s never not jarring hearing a show about a Space Force. It’s growing on its character beats. The romantic story in the middle between the characters played by Tawny Newsome and Jimmy O. Yang is actually played out well in an inverse of the “will they-won’t they” because the two have already slept together and now they’re trying to figure each other out afterwards. Yes, the show is easy fodder for a punchline because the whole show is based on a throwaway punch line, but that doesn’t mean it can’t eventually make its way to be watchable TV.

At the show’s center, one problem is that General Naird (Steve Carell) isn’t a particularly fertile well for any sort of comic tension or anything else for that matter. He’s slightly stubborn in the way most military leaders are (probably by design of their job) and has the requisite stiff demeanor, and there’s an inkling of an ark where a stubborn man might learn his lesson of listening to others (a la Home Improvement) but Naird is fundamentally a decent guy so the bell curve of his arc is pretty flat.

Running Wilde (NBC in 2010, now playing on Tubi)-Mitch Hurwitz’s follow-up to Arrested Development that brings together AD veterans David Cross and Will Arnett with Keri Russell (pre-Americans, post-Felicity). It’s fascinating for a reassessment because there are glimpses of Hurwitz’s brilliance at winding plots together and exposing characters’ blind sides. This time Hurwitz’s genre of choice is the screwball comedy which is about characters negotiating romantic, gender, and class divides in various factions.

The premise, however, is far less adaptable to sustainable comedy in that the central character idle rich Stephen Wilde (Arnett) devotes a tremendous amount of effort and money to courting a childhood crush who is engaged (to Cross). Throwing all the romantic comedy tropes at the fan still doesn’t justify any of these characters’ efforts (I’m not commenting on anyone’s ethics, I’ll leave that to feminist or anti-feminist reviewers to fight amongst themselves over) though it does help the absurdity of it all that Keri Russell’s daughter (Stephania Owen) narrates the absurdity of it all knowing full well that the three principals of the story are supreme idiots.

Disenchantment (Netflix)-The fourth season is slightly better than Season 3. It made my Honorable Mention list in 2019 and my Top 12 in its debut season.

Doll Face (Hulu)-This charming show about female bonding separates itself a little from the “Sex and the City” template by prioritizing a focus on female bonding over the requisite relationship drama. Its as if the show is aware that it can’t pass the Bechdel Test organically and that’s ok.

What’s more problematic is that the show’s quartet is a little bit distant from a Middle America perspective in that they all have jobs in the quaternary and quinary sectors as influencers and marketers. Sort of millennial faux aristocracy.

Kat Dennings is so charming, in my eyes, that she makes material as hackneyed as the double-entendre-laden drivel of “Two Broke Girls” work and she only gets better as the material becomes decent. Esther Povitsky is a gem as well. She’s half with-it and half helpless dork. The other two members of the quartet are forgettable.

Inventing Anna (Netflix)-A journalist (Anna Chlumsky) who is trying to survive in a sink-or-swim work environment sees a fraudulent heiress on trial (Julia Garner). It might have been better if I didn’t read how it all ends but it gets a lot of mileage out of Julia Garner’s vague European accent and the scenery porn. As a journalist I know what it’s like to have the doubly hard task of getting your sources cooperation and getting your editors on board your story idea. Most people don’t realize that you need both those orbits to align to get your story.

What I'm Watching November Edition: Ghosts (CBS), B Positive (CBS), Locke and Key (Netflix), Inside Job (Netflix), La Brea (NBC)

Ghosts (CBS) Season 1-Utkarsh Ambudkar and Rose McIver star as a yuppie couple from the Big Apple who inherit a mansion that’s inhabited by eight ghosts of different eras. There’s a Viking who grunts a lot; a Native American; an effeminate Revolutionary War captain; a 19^th Century schoolmarm with aristocratic roots; a sassy flapper from the Prohibition Era; a flower child who is permanently tripping through the afterlife; a square scout leader from the 80s; and a Wall Street playboy from the 90s. The octet makes for a brilliantly strange found family of people whose only commonality is that they died in the the same spot -- seemingly all of them in comic ways.

Before the arrival of Sam, the ghosts simply had little choice but to entertain each other and passively experience the house’s occupants. However, when Sam has a near death experience, the ghosts are suddenly able to communicate with her and suddenly the living and dead residents of the house have to renegotiate a living arrangement between them.

While there might not be a clear stand-out character among the ghost crew,  the contrasts and dynamics between them add up to making them more than the sum of their parts. This a clever premise that’s executed with just the right light-hearted tone. There’s a certain urgency stemming from the couple’s financial uncertainty regarding their plan that adds some stakes but mostly it’s a lot of fun. 

 

B Positive (CBS) Season 2- Starring the underrated Annaleigh Ashford and token schlub Thomas Middleditch, B Positive is a multi-cam laugh track sitcom that’s a good reminder that sitcoms have evolved for the better nowadays.

The hook is that Thomas's character had an organ donated to him by Ashford's character. At least I think so. There isn't much of the premise's DNA by season 2. It's mostly just a guy fawning over a girl who works in a nursing home.

Annaleigh Ashford’s character is remarkably similar to his other female protagonist creations from “Mom” (Anna Farris) and “Big Bang Theory” (Kaley Cuoco) who wear their hearts on their sleeve and have low filters. I’ve been a fan of Ashford since the days of “Masters of Sex” so here’s hoping her career can take off like theirs.

Similarly, there’s a will-they-won’t-they between the leads that already feels strained by the third episode I saw. I’m taking a pass on the rest. 

Inside Job (Netflix) Season 1: An animated cartoon about a federal government department that does damage control in a world where most conspiracy theories are true. Although it has some of the cynicism of “Rick and Morty”, it’s co-created and executive produced by Alex Hirsch (along with Shion Takeuchi)  who’s most famous for the imaginative yet child-appropriate “Gravity Galls.” It’s a dark turn for sure from the creator and the complexity of the subject matter is heightened by giving the central protagonist (Lizzie Caplan) the Aesperger’s label.

Like “Ghosts”, the show’s premise is a winner and there are memorable moments. The first episode begins with protagonist Raegan Ridley (Caplan) trying to stop her dad from making a fool of himself  in front of the White House as he shouts crazy dribble through a megaphone. It’s immediately established that this is a routine task for Reagan through the fact that this is simply part of her daily commute. It’s smart, economic storytelling and funny in a relatable sense (especially considering I’m a DC native who has seen this kind of activity at the White House often).

The episode involving Valentine’s Day and the nostalgia trip through the 80s are both pretty funny despite following conventional tropes (how many Valentine’s Day episodes have you seen before?). However, the rest of the season was a bit uneven and I’m worried about how high the upper ceiling is on this show. It’s still mildly watchable. 

Locke and Key (Netflix) Season 2-The YA fantasy series is set in an idyllic New England town where a widowed mom of three, Nina Locke (Darby Stanchfield of “Scandal”), moves into her husband’s old home and the family unwittingly enters into a battle of good and evil. As the title indicates the weapons of choice are a set of magical keys that have various functions (one allows you to see into another’s psyche, one allows you to control someone else’s movements, one traps you into a mirror, etc.) and the protagonist family is the Lockes. Get it? Yeah, it’s cute.

In the second season, the show upped the stakes significantly as the big bad, Gabe, used a shape-shifting power to disguise himself as Kinsey’s boyfriend. The show appears to be made for teenage viewers whose hearts are set aflutter with shipping possibilities among various high schoolers. With that caveat, if a show has to cram in superfluous teenage romance storylines, it’s best if the relationship drama ties into the plot. That’s why Kinsey’s love triangle between Gabe and her ex Scott was a nicely performed tightrope act that raised the stakes this season.

Speaking of love interests, apparently Uncle Duncan is gay and engaged? The former’s not a problem (although he’s non-stereotypical which isn’t a good or bad thing but I wonder if his sexuality was changed in adaptation to give the show a token gay character) but isn’t he a reclusive amnesiac? Additionally, Mommy Locke gets a hunky boyfriend this season whose motivations are a welcome enigma.

The show gets a little overly sentimental at points but the essence of the relationships work and the serialization is engaging throughout the entire 10-episode run. Pretty highly recommend. 

La Brea (NBC)-A cross-section of LA denizens fall through a groundswell in Los Angeles that takes them to the stone age and prompts the question “how is this different from a normal day in Los Angeles?” Seriously, I don’t know. It seems like an LA thing though from so many films and TV shows I’ve seen.  

The show cross-cuts between two different scenes.

The dad and husband of two of the victims has paranormal premonitions about what’s happening and gets the attention of a shadow government agency that is determined to suppress the truth and conduct a rescue mission.

Getting the lion’s share of the action is the group of displaced people as they try to figure out what is happening in a loose rip-off of “Lost.” The crew includes a wide variety of professionals such that many are the deus-ex-machinas for each other’s ailments. There’s a kid with life-threatening injuries but fortunately there’s a doctor among the stranded to rescue him. Ditto with a stunted child who’s been trained to pretend she’s mute and a child psychologist who needs to get information from her without traumatizing. Similarly, there’s a paleontologist who can decipher the tea leaves and a cop who can keep order.

The coincidental nature of each person’s abilities isn’t so bad but there’s a clunkiness to the dialogue and the character development that’s par for the course for standard broadcast procedurals rather than the middle brow serial this show aspires to be. This certainly slows down the show but it’s marginally watchable and has enough potential that it’s worth finishing the season.