Show

Travelers (2016-?)

travelers

Travelers (2016-?)

Network:

Netflix

Starring:

Eric McCormack

MacKenzie Porter

Nesta Cooper

Plot:

Hundreds of years from now, surviving humans discover how to send consciousness back through time, into people of the 21st century. These travelers assume the lives of others, while attempting to save humanity from a terrible future.

Review:

Once again Netflix sprung something on me I hadn’t heard anything about. I think I might be hanging out in the wrong places on the Internet.

As soon as I saw this was about time travel I knew I had to give it a try. Sure it was set in present day so there would be no cool settings, but whatever, Continuum was pretty cool when I watched it.

After watching two episodes I had to bail. I just can’t handle the slow pace. The concept is fine, but there wasn’t any kind of reveal that made me want to stick around. None of the characters were super appealing either. I guess I was supposed to be drawn in by the fact that they were disarming a dark matter bomb, but I was never on the edge of my seat. I didn’t care. The stakes weren’t properly revealed to make me care, just little vague hints.

Oh well, one less show I have to watch.

2/5

American Housewife (2016-?)

american-housewife

American Housewife (2016-?)

Network:

ABC

Starring:

Katy Mixon

Diedrich Bader

Plot:

A family comedy narrated by Katie, a strong-willed mother, raising her flawed family in a wealthy town filled with perfect wives and their perfect offspring.

Review:

I know how crazy this sounds, but this was my most anticipated new show. A plus size woman, firmly middle class, living in a very affluent neighborhood surrounded by Stepford wives. That’s not quiet my life, but it feels like it sometimes. I have to force myself to take my daughter to story time because I swear the children there are little pod children. They’re the same age she is but the can all sit there, quietly, unmoving for almost half an hour. I comfort myself with the fact that my child has personality and is clearly amazing, but the looks the other women give me can be annoying. Pregnancy hormones don’t help either.

American Housewife ended up focusing more on the plus size thing than I was hoping for, but from what I’ve read the next episode isn’t like that so I’ve got hope. Katy Mixon and Diedrich Bader had good chemistry and I liked their report, I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.

4.5/5

Timeless (2016-?)

timeless

Timeless (2016-?)

Network:

NBC

Starring:

Abigail Spencer

Matt Lanter

Garcia Flynn

Malcolm Barrett

Plot:

An unlikely trio traveling through time to battle unknown criminals in order to protect history as we know it.

Review:

First, it’s a time travel show, I had to at least watch the pilot. Second, it started with an LBJ dick reference, how can you not like that? My biggest concern now is that I might like it too much which means it’s probably going to get canceled.

The way they handled time travel wasn’t groundbreaking, but that’s honestly what I want in a time travel show. I loved the fact that they came back to present day at the end and little things had changed, but only they knew about it. I liked Abigail Spencer’s character and Malcolm Barrett’s, but thought they were pushing it with Matt Lanter. I can suspend my disbelief that a pretty boy is delta force, but then he gets his ass handed to him in his first real fight and only survives cause a woman from the 30s jumps in with an iron skillet. Also, what little we know about his backstory so far is pretty cliché, all in all not my favorite character. Still, with all the time travel things could change, we’ll see.

Excited and hopeful but also cautious. In the past my favorite new shows were Almost Human and Limitless, not to mention a few other one season cancelations. Hopefully Timeless breaks the cycle.

5/5

Foyle’s War (2002-2015)

Foyle's War

Foyle’s War (2002-2015)

Network:

ITV/PBS

Creator:

Anthony Horowitz

Starring:

Michael Kitchen

Honeysuckle Weeks

Anthony Howell

Plot:

As WW2 rages around the world, DCS Foyle fights his own war on the home-front as he investigates crimes on the south coast of England. Later series sees the retired detective working as an MI5 agent operating in the aftermath of the war.

Review:

Wow was not expecting this, it was crazy good. Foyle’s War was recommended to me by Netflix after my parents visited and used my Netflix account. One day I thought, why not, next thing I knew I was spending a month and a half watching this show. It was hard to get anything else done because all I wanted to do was watch.

I loved the fact that Foyle, Michael Kitchen, didn’t let people use the war as their excuse for being bad. So many people would tell him there’s a war going on, what I did was for the greater good, and he would just look at them and give that dad look that says, ‘I’m so disappointed with you and that the ends doesn’t justify the means.’ Loved it.

Foyle had a moral compass that could not be corrupted.

The side characters were just as interesting. Sam, Honeysuckle Weeks, made it through the entire season and I liked to see the development. Milner, Anthony Howell, didn’t make it in the final few seasons and the last season he was in was kind of rough, but he was still a good character.

Honestly, that’s my only complaint with the show. The first five seasons are amazing, but the last few aren’t as good. Foyle is no longer a police detective or not really and Milner eventually gets a promotion but he changes when that happens. He seemed to really learn from Foyle, but then all of a sudden he’s just as bad as everyone else.

It didn’t make the show horrible or even bad, but it wasn’t as awesome as those first few seasons.

Highly recommend Foyle’s War.

5/5

Fuller House (2016-?)

Fuller House

Fuller House (2016-?)

Network:

Netflix

Starring:

Candace Cameron Bure

Jodie Sweetin

Andrea Barber

Plot:

D.J. Tanner-Fuller is a widow and mother of three. Things become too much to handle, so she asks for help from her sister Stephanie and her best friend Kimmy.

Review:

I don’t remember exactly what I thought when I first heard that Netflix was making this, but I believe it was along the lines of, “Why?”

After having binge watched the entire first season on release day, I can safely say, “More please.”

Fuller House of course had loads of nostalgia attached to it since I’d watched the original show growing up, however I found that the parts and episodes I liked the most were the ones that weren’t filled with cameos from the original older cast members. In fact easily the worst episode was the first one, the increase in quality after that one was immense. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the first pilot, but there were plenty of cringe worthy moments and I think a series written with everyone in it would have not worked.

This was also a family show, with comedy for the entire family, not just kids like the remake of Boy Meets World, Girl Meets World. I’ve read some people think the humor was too adult for a family comedy, but I disagree. It had nothing more risqué than what you find in an episode of Modern Family.

D.J., Candace Cameron Bure, Stephanie, Jodie Sweetin, and Kimmy, Andrea Barber, take up their roles like no time has passed. The kids, who could easily drag down the show, are as entertaining as the original Full House kids. It’s like I’m watching a 90’s sitcom through the lens of the 10’s. It’s awesome.

Honestly, as soon as I finished the season I wished there were more episodes. I’ve already re-watched the first episode and I can see myself re-watching the entire season easily. Now I wait to hear if Netflix decides to pick it up.

4.5/5

Side note: I don’t understand why the original series isn’t on Netflix US, it’s available in other countries, I’d really love an opportunity to re-watch the original series.