TV Show Review

Backstrom (2015-?)

Backstrom

Backstrom (2015-?)

Network:

Fox

Starring:

Page Kennedy

Beatrice Rosen

Rainn Wilson

Genevieve Angelson

Dennis Haysbert

Plot:

Backstrom, the renowned misanthropic police detective, takes on new and daunting cases.

Review:

I like Rainn Wilson from watching him on The Office so I tried this out. Pretty disappointed. There was nothing that really stood out. It’s a lot of familiar tropes and while I like how gruff and insensitive Wilson is he didn’t have any positive qualities. I kind of like a good quality or two. He did have a kid living with him that could either be his son, or more than likely his father’s bastard child, but I didn’t get the feeling he did it out of any kind of goodness,

The supporting cast didn’t give me a reason to watch either.

With all the other good shows out there this one just doesn’t make the cut.

2/5

The Man in the High Castle (2015-?)

The Man in the High Castle

The Man in the High Castle (2015-?)

Network:

Amazon

Starring:

Rufus Sewell

Luke Kleintank

Alexa Davalos

Plot:

Based on Philip K. Dick’s award-winning novel, and executive produced by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner), The Man in the High Castle explores what it would be like if the Allied Powers had lost WWII, and Japan and Germany ruled the United States. Starring Rufus Sewell (John Adams), Luke Kleintank (Pretty Little Liars) and Alexa Davalos (Mob City).

Review:

This is an alternate universe were the Allies lost, how cool is that? I had a lot of hype when I read the plot synopsis and honestly didn’t think the pilot could live up to it. Surprise, surprise, it did!

There are several stories going on, but by the end of the pilot most were wrapped together nicely. The twist at the end was a surprise and made me want to know what happens next. The fact that I have to wait for Amazon to pick it up and then who knows how long for them to actually get the season ready for release, is kind of sad; but I like being included on this end of things, as a viewer.

I’m excited for the possibility of this show happening. It’s going to need a pretty big budget, but I would actually get my prime membership back to watch it.

4.5/5

Marvel’s Agent Carter (2015-2016)

Agent Carter

Marvel’s Agent Carter (2015-?)

Network:

ABC

Starring:

Hayley Atwell

Shea Whigham

Lyndsy Fonseca

Plot:

Peggy Carter becomes a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent during WW2 after her boyfriend, Steve Rogers (Captain America) is feared dead in a plane crash.

Review:

I watched this live but I waited to post my review because I was so excited after seeing it I would have barely been able to write more than, it was awesome! Even now, after I’ve given it time to sit, I still want to just say, it was awesome! I’ll try for more, though.

Agent Peggy Carter, Hayley Atwell, is such a great female role model. She’s gone from being one of the front runners during WWII to being treated like a glorified secretary. None of the men she fought with during the war are working with her, so no one seems to know her true potential. It’s the forties so they treat her like she should be serving coffee and filing the paperwork they don’t want to. She takes it all in stride, though, and uses the fact that they underestimate her to her advantage. She’s one step ahead of them the entire time and able to work to her own ends. I can see this coming back to bite her in the ass later.

Agent Carter is still trying to get over the loss of Captain America but she doesn’t moon over him like the men she works with seem to think. There are several flash backs to the Captain America movie, which I kind of thought they went a little over board with, but since you can’t assume everyone has seen the movie, it was understandable. I was also hoping that some of the men she’d fought with would be in the show, but they did not make an appearance in the first two episodes.

I liked the radio story they would go to every now and then. It was Captain America saving a nurse that was forever being captured by Nazis. It showed a great contrast between how women were perceived at the time and how Agent Carter acted.

There were questions asked, questions answered, and questions left to be figured out. Tons of ass was kicked by Agent Carter and male chauvinist pigs were out witted. I am still incredibly excited about this show, but hopefully that gives you some information other than, it was awesome!

5/5

Galavant (2015-?)

Galavant

Galavant (2015-?)

Network:

ABC

Starring:

Joshua Sasse

Timothy Omundson

Vinnie Jones

Karen David

Mallory Jansen

Plot:

Prince Galavant’s quest for revenge over the King who stole his one true love.

Review:

I’ve been looking forward to this for months. It’s a knight in shining armor singing and everyone else around him sings too. I love musicals and cheesy stuff, so naturally this was right up my alley.

There were several things I liked and a couple things I didn’t. I thought the story dragged in a couple places. I was also distracted in the workout montage because Isabella, Karen David, was fighting with a foil and Galavant, Joshua Sasse, was fighting with a sword and I kept wondering if that was possible. Wouldn’t the sword be too much weight for a foil? It’s silly, but it distracted me.

Loved Karen David and Mallory Jansen’s characters. They’re both strong, opinionated women who are trying to get the best out of life. You can argue that they’re both damsels in distress, but they don’t act like it. Madalena, Jansen, is basically a gold digger, just looking out for herself, that has the king dancing to her tune. While Isabella is trying to save her family and kingdom by manipulating Galavant. I’m hoping the writers find a way for Isabella to save herself without depending completely on Galavant.

The ego of the story is Galavant and it will be interesting to see how he takes being manipulated by two women. Right now he thinks he’s saving them but when he finds out that he’s being played I wonder how his ego will take it? He completely lost it when Madalena left him for the king. They’re also already hinting at a possible romance between him and Isabella, but maybe they’ll go in a different direction? We’ll see.

3.75/5

The Librarians (2014-?)

THe Librarians

The Librarians (2014-?)

Network:

TNT

Starring:

John Larroquette

Rebecca Romijn

Christian Kane

Plot:

A group of librarians set off on adventures in an effort to save mysterious, ancient artifacts.

Review:

The Librarian is like a poor man’s Indiana Jones and I have to say I love it. It’s a mixture of magic, history, science, and intellect. Yes I know it’s all made up and I’m sure they get things wrong, but it encourages thinking instead of going in guns blazing. The hero is a librarian that solves problems with his mind but can also kick butt.

I’m really curious to see how this series develops since Noah Wyle is not going to be in every episode.

The first episode set up the series, the new librarians are going to be dealing with the effects of the released magic, and I thought it was pretty good. On par with the movies so far. The second half (second episode?) wasn’t quite as good as the first but it was still enjoyable.

I love the fact that John Larroquette is a new character, that it wasn’t just a bunch of young geniuses added to the universe. I’m excited about this show and I thought the pilot was pretty good.