TV

Downton Abbey (2010-2015)

downton-abbey

Downton Abbey (2010-2015)

Network:

PBS

Starring:

Hugh Bonneville

Phyllis Logan

Elizabeth McGovern

Michelle Dockery

Laura Carmichael

Dan Stevens

Plot:

A chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early 20th Century.

Review:

I watched the first season way back when it first aired but then canceled cable and totally forgot about it until I saw it on Amazon Prime. I ended up not re-watching the first season because I could remember the major points and I flew through the rest.

Mary, Michelle Dockery, was my least favorite character. When Lady Edith, Laura Carmichael, called her a bitch in the final season I nearly shouted, “Finally!” I really did not understand why the man she wound up with even liked her. She was nicer to Matthew, Dan Stevens, in the second season and she wasn’t bad in the third season, but all others she was horrible.

Loved watching the characters grow, I did think the fact that the Bate’s were almost always being framed for murder a bit tedious. All in all I could have enjoyed several more seasons of the show and now I’m trying to find something similar to it.

4/5

3% (2016-?)

3-percent

3% (2016-?)

Network:

Netflix

Starring:

João Miguel

Bianca Comparato

Michel Gomes

Plot:

A thriller set in a world sharply divided between progress and devastation, where people are given the chance to make it to the “better side” but only 3% of the candidates succeed.

Review:

There’s a lot you still don’t know about the world by the time the series is over. Most of the episodes and time were spent on developing characters, explaining why they were there, and showing just how far they would go to be chosen. It was interesting and compelling enough to keep me awake in the middle of the night while I was nursing my newborn.

The one character I really liked, Fernando, Michel Gomes, ended up getting shafted which I didn’t like. I didn’t hate the other characters, though, so it didn’t kill my desire to find out what happens next.

I was really happy to see that it has already been picked up for a second season. I hope we find out more about the world, specifically the Offshore which is where the 3% go.

4/5

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