Mosquito Coast (Apple TV) (through two episodes)-Based on a novel in the 1980s that was adapted into a Peter Weir film starring Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and River Phoenix. The protagonist, Allie, was inspired by novelist Paul Thoreaux's self-reliant father (who would often take his kids dumpster diving) along with American cult leaders like Jim Jones and Joseph Smith (father of Mormonism and all-around wild and kooky guy) who wanted to take what they viewed as the American ideal and create that utopia with it somewhere else.
Fortunately, Allie does not want to kool-aid a thousand people to their deaths or marry dozens of women. He has a family and just wants to live off the grid in Central America where he can test new societal theories or something or other. That's all in the book, which I didn't really read or in the faithful film adaptation (which, coincidentally, I haven't watched yet).
In this series, Allie (played by Paul's nephew Justin coincidentally) isn't so much wanting to leave as he happens to be the most wanted man in America based on how many federal agencies are after him. Why he and his wife are on the run isn't revealed, which is perhaps the smartest adaptational move. We're left guessing how severe their transgression must have been if cops and feds must care about them so much. In the tradition of "Lost", it's always nice leave the audience piecing a puzzle together. The series is well-paced and the family dynamic keeps this story above the level of a standard narrative thriller.
Girls5Eva (Peacock)-This is more in the "what I'm giving a chance to" thread but will soon quit if I don't see some results. This take on 90s girls groups juxtaposed with current times is well below the level of the Fey/Carlock creations Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, 30 Rock, Mr. Mayor. I'm trying but it's not grabbing me even though it's kind of an interesting cast (Paula Pell, pop singer Sara Bareilles, Eliza from Hamilton, Busy Phillips). Perhaps, it's just that shows about entertainers making a comeback are stale.
Also, maybe it's time that Tina Fey stop leaning so heavily on Fey's husband music director Jeff Richmond for his trademark boinkiness. It's ok, Tina, let him down gently.
I instead recommend the Comedy Central Show "The Other Two."
Mighty Ducks (Disney Plus) -It's in the tone of the 90s film and it's more of a pre-teen drama than a teen drama which is an interesting dynamic that evoked nostalgia for the 10 year old me who watched this in the movie theater. In other words, it's a capable reboot if you can put yourself in the shoes of the audience. The show mostly works on the dynamic between Lauren Graham and Emilio Estevez. As original coach Gordon Bombay, Estevez begins his narrative arc pretty far down at the bottom of the well. He appears to have PTSD'ed out of the sport. Graham, like Zooey Deschanel or Kristen Bell, is all-purpose sitcom gold. She brings a spunk and energy that has worked in everything she's been in so she's a welcome infusion here.
The End of the F***ing World (Netflix)-A British high-concept show about two teenagers who are both uniquely disturbed. James considers himself a psychopath who feels like he needs to kill someone to come of age. Alyssa's the epitome of a goth girl. What she lacks in outer appearance (eye shadow, black ensemble, ripped stockings, etc.) she makes up for in top-notch bluntness and a vocal timbre that's as varied as a barnyard cow. Alyssa wants to run away and takes James with him and the two form an awkwardly pubescent Bonnie and Clyde with no real idea where they're going or what they're doing. Highly recommend.
New Girl-(Originally ABC, now Netflix)-I've been re-watching the first season and impressed how the show is so low-concept. Jess Day being "new" or a "girl" isn't really much to build a show around. The concept is basically "let Zooey Deschannel go full Zooey Deschannel" and her outlandish personality is hilarious enough in an absurdist way to carry the show. The three other leads--Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, and Lamorne Morris--all got a big boost visibilitty-wise from this show but they are mostly replaceable archetypes of fun-loving single guys. Although the show has a different creator (Elizabeth Merriweather), this show seems to be a commercial successor to "How I Met Your Mother" in that some of the humor comes from the characters inside jokes (or at least that's what the dialogue aims for).
The Monkees (originally NBC, then MTV, now YouTube)-This is an extremely charming 60s series that was made to emulate the success of the Beatles 1964 film "A Hard Day's Night" (a comic film in which the Beatles played themselves getting into exaggerated hijinks at a tour stop) with four goofy guys trying to make a living as a rock band. As someone who has seen "A Hard Day's Night", I can certifiably say this improves on the original. Rater than have the band just be naturally goofy in a cute "they don't take themselves too seriously" winky way, the Monkees are full-throttle anarchy akin to the Marx Brothers. Being defiant of authority and order is intrinsic to who they are, far more than being handsome me who want to seem relatable. Reality-breaking tricks like fast-forwards a la Keystone Cops, over-the-top musical cues and the gang breaking into song (the reason that the group existed) cements the comic climate that this is a world where anything goes. It also helps that A) the band was not famous in-universe or at the start of the series and B) the four have distinct personalities. Davy is the love-struck front man, Peter is most child-like, Mike is aloof, and Mickey is the silly one.
Psych (USA now Peacock)-I remember watching one episode when it came out and thinking it was over the top and ridiculous. It's in the mold of other USA shows at the time about exiled geniuses who worked outside the system (sidenote: it's incredible that the network built an entire slate of shows with the same exact premise). The protagonist is a guy with a militaristic dad who, for reasons beyond me (possibly OCD), wanted to imbue his son with the gift of being able to notice things really well when he was young. As an adult, Shawn pretends to be psychic so he can be hired as a police consultant and he drags his friend, Gus (Dule Hill) along for the ride. I've heard people cite the pair as a great example of BFFs but Hill often comes off as a pushover in relation to Shawn and while the character is supposedly anti-authoritarian in a fun way, he often comes across as annoying. This especially the case when he's theatrically pretending he solved the case. If not for the chemistry between Shawn (James Roday Rodriguez) and Juliet (Maggie Lawson), this show is still terribly over-the-top. I could however see the outline of a better show if James Roday Rodriguez was just given some network notes to dial it back 10-20%.
Bless the Harts (Fox)-As good as always. I've reviewed this plenty of times before. The show is on the brink of cancellation so now's a great time to support it and get in on the letter-writing campaigns.
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