A Poltical Thriller that Kicks Butt: The Night Agent Season 1

 

It was one of the posted talked about shows in 2023. Have you seen Netflix's The Night Agent? Here's my quick review.

From Thriller to Dreadful: Secret Invasion miniseries

 

Did Disney+'s Secret Invasion live up to the hype? Here are my thoughts.

Beef Season 1

 

One of the biggest talked about shows this year was Netflix's Beef. Here's my thoughts on season one.

Life Lessions: Not Dead Yet Season 1

 

Gina Rodriguez returned to television last season with a new comedy, Not Dead Yet, and it's pretty good. Here are my thoughts.

A Political Thriller to Watch: The Dipolmat Season 1

 

Netflix's The Diplomat, starring Keri Russell, is a series everyone must watch. It's a true political thriller that works, but only with Russell. 

The Water Cooler Show of 2022: Reacher Season One

 

In 2022, this show became a "water cooler" show. I'm talking about Prime's Reacher. I don't think I've had many people close to me to check this show out. Well, here are my thoughts on season one just in time before season two begins this week!

Reacher is about a former US military policeman who gets mistakenly arrested for murder. But after he gets released, he teams up with the police detective and an officer to investigate, which turns into a vast conspiracy.

 At the same time, the story has some bite to it, with it being a small-town conspiracy thriller. It's the action scenes and comeback lines that steal the series. Not to mention Alan Ritchson shines as this new version of the title character, Jack Reacher, but Willa Fitzgerald and Malcolm Goodwin are good and have this trio of perfect chemistry that I can't get enough.

Even though season two is in a different place with different characters, I can't wait to see what they have in season two. 

I give it a 9/10

What did you think of season one? Are you excited for season two? Leave a comment below!

You can catch Reacher on Amazon Prime.

A Little Gem of A TV Series: Primo Season One

 

If there was a little gem of a TV show, Amazon Freevee's Primo would be that show. 

Created by Shea Serrano and Executive Produced by Mike Schur, this coming-of-age comedy is about Rafa, a 16-year-old high school junior who's navigating school, societal expectations, and a hectic home life that's anchored by his single mom, Drea, and his five uncles. 

If you are a fan of any of Mike Schur's comedies (Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Good Place), you'll like this series. It's got plenty of humor, heart, and cultural representation of an American-Mexican family. 

Christina Vidal, as Drea, is one of the highlights of the series, along with Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, who plays the lead character, Rafa.  Plus, the dynamic between Rafa and his uncles is hilarious at times. With the first season containing only eight episodes, it went quickly and left me wanting more. 

Overall, I give the first season a 9.5/10.

Have you seen Primo? Leave a comment below.

You can catch Primo on Amazon Prime/Amazon Freevee.

Never Doubt a Man like Joe: Joe Pickett

 

Okay, so one of the most exciting shows to watch this summer was Paramount+'s Joe Pickett. I started off watching the first season while the second season was still airing on the streaming service, but I got through all two seasons of the series, and I hope there will be more. 

The series follows Joe Pickett, the new Wyoming-based game warden, and his family, who live in a small town near Yellowstone National Park. It's a mix of police drama with Western that's in line with other shows like Dark Water and Yellowstone. 

It's the characters in this series that stand out, like Pickett and his wife, Marybeth (played by Michael Dorman and Julianna Guill), who deal with the mystery of crimes, conspiracy, and even family drama. 

What makes me love this show the most is its family drama dynamics that both carry on from the first season into the second season. And yes, at times, it had pulled my heartstrings. Not to mention the mysteries and supernatural-like stories that come into the series, I give it a 9.5/10, and I highly recommend checking out this series on Paramount+.

Update: as of October, Paramout+ announced that the series had been canceled. 

Have you watched Joe Pickett? What did you think of the series? Is it sad that the series isn't continuing? Leave a comment below!

You can watch all two seasons on Paramount+.

Rescue in the Sky: SkyMed Season 1

 

Are you looking for a medical drama to get you through until Chicago Med or Grey's Anatomy returns? Sky Med on Paramount+ might be the show for you. 

Sky Med, a Canadian series, centers on the nurses and pilots of an air ambulance team that go on call to make the recuses and transports on life and death decisions. 

I've enjoyed this series. It's not St. Elsewhere or ER, but it's got likable and representative characters and exciting stories that kept me tuning in to each of the first season's nine episodes. 

It's fun, action, and drama all in one. I give it an 8/10.

What do you think of SkyMed? Have you seen the series? Leave a comment below!

Sky Med is available on Paramount+.

Doctor Who "The Star Beast"

 

The Doctor is back and starts this three-part special with the petal to the metal!

As The Doctor returns to earth, he shockingly reunites with Donna Noble, who still doesn't remember him. He tries to keep his distance from her, but soon, a spaceship that looks to be crashing down suddenly lands, and UNIT and Doctor investigate. 

Donna's daughter, Rose, meets The Meep, who happens to be hunted by the Wrath warriors. Donna soon meets The Meep, and in that classic, Donna reacts to the space creature. The Doctor arrives and tries to understand the situation but gets caught in a battle between the hunters and a UNIT, who are under a mysterious possession from the spaceship. 

As Doctor and the rest escape, he questions why no one got hurt, or even the car they took wasn't damaged. He summoned the warriors to meet along with the Meep and learned that the Meep was a creature that went mad and killed its kind. But just as they explained, the Meep kills the warriors and goes on to do its grand plan by using its drill from its ship to destroy London. 

As the Doctor and others were taken in a holden-cell, UNIT's Shirley Anne Bringham helped break them out. The doctor tries to stop Meep but also gets help from Donna, who believes she needs to do something. Trapped in the ship and separate from a glass wall, the Doctor triggers Donna's memories, goes button-pushing crazy, and stops Meep's plans. 

But that doesn't end as Rose takes the sun-possessed soldier's powers away, but there's a game changer: Donna doesn't die because she passed along half of the time lord powers to Rose. 

Just as The Meep is taken into custody, it warns about how its boss will learn about The Doctor.

The Doctor and Donna agree to take the TARDIS to visit Wilford, who is alive and living in a living facility helped by UNIT. But as they look around the new digs of the TARDIS, Donna spills coffee, and the machine catches on fire. 

"The Star Beast" is an hour special that doesn't waste time explaining the plot and keeps the pace well, making this feel like a mini-movie event wrapped with the classic Russell T. Davis style of a Doctor Who episode. 

I loved this episode, and it had me at times in tears with not only seeing Donna and the Doctor together but also hearing about Wilford and even The Meep with Rose, which has me crying. 

The performances from Tennant and Tate were terrific. I loved Yasmin Finney's performance as Rose and Ruth Madeley's performance as Bringhman. 

Overall, I give this episode special a 9/10. 

You can catch Doctor Who The Star Beast on Disney+ with the following special next Saturday. 

What did you think of The Star Beast? Leave a comment below!

Kara Killmer Leaving Chicago Fire During Season 12

 

Well, it looks like another #OneChicago character is leaving. 

TVLine has reported that Kara Killmer, who has played Sylvie Brett since Season 3, will leave Chicago Fire sometime during the 12 season. 

It's not determined when or how Brett will depart, but we could be looking at a #Brettsey wedding. 

This is only the second departure of a character from the #OneChicago franchise to be announced, as Tracy Spiridakos is set to leave Chicago PD after season 11. 

It's not announced when Chicago Fire season 12 will premiere. The drama is expected to return in early 2024 with a short 13-episode season after the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.

This news hits hard for me as a fan of Brett, but even with her first appearance in season three, I disliked her because she took over after the death of Leslie Shay. Now, she's one of my favorite characters in the #OneChicago franchise. 

What are your thoughts on the news? Leave a comment.

Joe Pickett Cancelled

 

It looks like Paramout+ was right a few months ago about the season two finale will be marked as a series finale. 

TVLine has reported that the Paramout+ series won't return for a third season. 

The series is adapted from the novel by the New York Times bestselling author C J. Box. It started with Michael Dorman as the titular Wyoming game warden, Joe Pickett. Season one aired in December of 2021 on Spectrum, but not long after, it got picked up for season two. When Spectrum Originals closed up the shop, Paramoit+ picked up the streaming rights to both the first season and the unaired second season, both of which are available to watch.

In the finale season of the western neon crime drama, Joe discovered a hunter murdered in the mountains and then realized that it was just one of a series of gruesome murders. To solve the case, Joe deals with a radio anti-hunting activist, a creepy set of twins living off the grid, and his touted past. 

Back in July, Paramout+ made the hot-minute mistake of calling the season two finale a series finale instead of a season finale, calling it a "typo" and saying that the decision on the series future was still TBD. 

You can catch my thoughts on Joe Pickett from my 2023 Summer TV Binge. 

Are you shocked that Joe Pickett has been canceled even after it cheated death once? Leave a comment below! 

Chicago PD's Tracy Spiridakos Leaving After Season 11

 

Looks like the Intelligence team is losing another one of its own.

Special Ops: Lioness Season 1

 

Is Paramount+'s summer hit series, Special Opd: Lioness, worth watching? Here are my thoughts.

During the summer to early fall, there has been a heavy promotion for the latest Taylor Shedian series, Special Ops: Lioness, and while it's exciting to see and hear of a new series from Sheridan, it might not live up to all the hype. 

Lioness is about a CIA team led by Joe, played by Zoe Saldana, who recruits a rookie marine, played by Laysla De Oliveria, to help befriend the daughter of a terrorist they want to eliminate. 

The one thing I enjoyed about this series was the performance from the star-power ensemble cast from Saldana and De Oliveria, including Jill Wagner, Dave Annable, and Nicole Kidman. And there are some incredible action scenes, too.

But the issue is the story, mainly the secondary story with Joe balancing her job and her family drama. It seems generic, but Saldana and Annable do their best to make it work.  

Lioness is a fine series to watch. It's not great with what the ads have been saying, but there are more good things than bad. It's not Yellowstone, not Seal Team, or The Brave, but if I can watch all eight episodes, maybe you can also watch it.

Overall, I give it an 8/10. 

Have you seen Special Ops: Lioness? Leave a comment.

You can catch all eight episodes of Special Ops: Lioness available on Paramount+.

The Irrational "Pilot"

 

The new fall TV season started this past week, and one of the new shows to hit the fall season is NBC's The Irrational. And It's a series to check out. Here are my thoughts.

We meet Alec Mercer (played by Jessie L. Martin (Law & Order and The Flash), as a world-renowned professor of behavioral psychology with a unique insight into human nature. While getting pulled into a case that involves the murder of a viral celebrity, everything from the evidence points to the suspect, the ex-boyfriend, who also believes that he did it. But Mercer believes that the ex-boyfriend isn't the murderer and proves his point that ends him in the hospital. 

While investigating the case, we learn about our lead character's backstory of the scar burns that he suffered years ago from a bombing, not to mention that the suspect was up for parole but before he could ever clear his innocence, a mysterious person who's at the door gets a look at the suspect who happens to change his mind of not asking for early parole.

It's not a bad first episode, but it's okay. I think the police procedural style of the story is a bit stale. However, I do believe it still has the potential. But I hope writers can balance out the crime-solving with behavioral psychology science.  What comes to my mind as an example is the series Profiler, which added crime procedural with thrillers and science. Martin is perfect for what he's given, and I hope they can develop the character more. If you love Martin solving crime, you'll enjoy this series. 

Overall, I give this episode a 7.5/10.

Have you seen The Irrational? What did you think of the pilot? Leave a comment below!

You can catch The Irrational Mondays at 10/9c on NBC and Peacock.

My Summer TV Binge 2023 Part 2

 

Talk about the summer of catching up. Here's part two of my Summer TV Binge of 2023!

The Diplomat

Netflix's The Diplomat, starring Keri Russell, has to be the one everyone needs to watch. It's a true political thriller that works, but only with Russell. The series is about Kate Wyler, a newly appointed United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, who is adjusting to the spotlight while dealing with an international crisis, making alliances all with a marriage that's about to collapse. 

I loved watching this series, as I couldn't stop until the end. While the writing has its primary storylines and one-dimensional characters like the President of the United States, it is played well by Michael McKean. It still works. Kerri Russell is a gem in this series, and I hope to see more in season two. I highly recommend this series. 

Overall, I give it a 9/10.

Primo

If there was ever a little gem of a TV show, I watched this summer, it would be Amazon Freevee's Primo. Created by Shea Serrano and Executive Produced by Mike Schur, this coming-of-age comedy is about Rafa, a 16-year-old high school junior who's navigating school, societal expectations, and a hectic home life that's anchored by his single mom, Drea, and his five uncles. 

If you are a fan of any of Mike Schur's comedies, you'll like this series. It's got plenty of humor, heart, and cultural representation of an American-Mexican family. Christina Vidal, as Drea, is one of the highlights of the series, along with Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, who plays the lead character, Rafa. With the first season containing only eight episodes, it goes quickly and leaves me wanting more. 

Overall, I give the first season a 9.5/10.

You can catch Primo on Amazon Prime/Amazon Freevee.

Not Dead Yet

Not Dead Yet was last season's new ABC comedy that stars Gina Rodriguez as Penelope "Nell" Serrano, a journalist who fell apart after a wedding failed and moved back to LA. She soon gets assigned to write obituaries by her new boss and soon begins to encounter ghosts of those whom she's writing their obituaries. 

As she can only see and hear them, she has conversations, and they offer her advice on rebuilding her life while helping her write their obits by telling her their stories. And soon after they get published, ed the ghosts disappear. 

If the premise seems a bit familiar, it's not. I thought the same thing when I heard about this series and quickly thought of Ghosts, but that's not true. This series has a good concept for what it is, even though the supernatural of talking to dead people is never explained, and it has a strong ensemble cast from Hannah Simone, Rick Glassman, and Lauren Ash, plus some stunning star guest stars. It has its moments with its life lessons. 

Overall, I give the first season a 7.5/10. 

Beef

This Netflix series has had some buzz when it premiered in April. It was my brother that had told me to watch it because I might enjoy it. Well, I finally watched it, and I immensely enjoyed it. The Netflix mini-series stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun play two people involved in a road rage incident. It takes you on a roller coaster ride from comedy-drama/psychological and tragicomedy to a thriller, and it works. 

Wong and Yeun are amazing and deservedly deserve Emmy nominations for this series. But I think this ten-episode series felt too long that it could be somewhere between a six and eight-episode series. There are some supporting characters that I didn't care for too much that made me lose interest. But after the ending, I'm up for a season two. 

 

Overall, I give this series an 8/10.

Those are some of my Summer binge-watching 2023. Here's to the fall! 

My Summer Binge Watch 2023, Part 1

 

With the fall season underway, I thought I would start with my summer of binge-watch. Check it out!