My Television Recap

Sunday 27th The Last of Us (s2e3) Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (s12e9) The Rehearsal (s2e2) Wolf Hall: The Mirror and Light (s2e6) Tuesday 29th Andor (s2e4-6) The Handmaid's Tale (s6e6) St. Denis Medical (s1e18) Wednesday 30th The Amazing Race (s37e9) Everybody's Live with John Mulaney (s1e8) Good American Family (s1e8) The Studio (s1e7) Survivor (s48e10) Thursday 1st Another Simple Favour Doctor Odyssey (s1e16) Elsbeth (s2e19) The Four Seasons (s1e1-8) Hacks (s4e5) Top Chef (s22e8) Saturday 3rd Saturday Night Live (s50e19)

Another week another fabulous episode of Hacks fourth season. After three episodes of tension filled shenanigans between Deborah and Ava this latest episode showcases how true the friendship between the two women truly is. I genuinely cried tears of happiness watching the fourth episode entitled "I Love L.A." not because of deeply emotional confessions instead I was affected my even through strive these women showing the slightest bit of affection is so moving due to everything the two have been through all the ups and downs. After the built up leading to Deborah's big first late night show we experience the veteran comedian experience a panic attack/stage fright during the day before rehearsal. Jean Smart has always been incredible as Deborah and this episode showcases how even with all the brilliant wise cracks and insults she gets to fire Smart is truly wonderful playing the woman behind the star that Deborah is. The moments of pause both during the rehearsal and later...

After an impressive two episode premiere two weeks ago we pick up on the season's third episode which again continues the tension of   episodes 1 & 2  between Deborah and Ava really shows at their cores how similar our two funny/loveable women are. Throw in some nameless writers surrounding the two's energy and you have a nice third episode to the season. This episode was a nice return to Vegas of seasons past where we again got to experience the wonders that is Deborah "The Queen of Vegas" also a nice appearance by the always loveable recurring character Kiki (Poppy Liu). While not as compelling as the previous episodes I mostly enjoyed this week's episode especially how the charade Ava and Deborah tried to pull over on the writers room has ended up failing as the two women must now deal with the influence of HR. This plot development giving us more material for Michaela Watkins who even in a few short scenes has made Stacey a great character to experience. T...

Only week two of this second season and the drama is heightened on The Last of Us and the reaction from what I've seen has been so well acclaimed to a degree very reminiscent of peak Game of Thrones Sundays where audiences would watch a show on HBO being both shocked and entertained by the violence shown. "Through the Valley" of course was directed by Mark Mylod a television director whose name I associate with incredible episodes of television most especially the many episodes for similarly well acclaimed HBO series Succession so when his name was shown in the credits of this episode I was prepared for some television misery. I mean this man directed the incredible "Connor's Wedding" episode of Succession which even just thinking about deeply upsets me. This episode proves that casting Kaitlyn Dever as Abby was such a perfect decision as she proved multiple times throughout this episode that she can so easily play terrifying, heartbreaking, psychotic and ju...

Sunday 20th The Last of Us (s2e2) Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (s12e9) The Rehearsal (s2e1) Wolf Hall: The Mirror and Light (s2e5) Tuesday 22nd Andor (s2e1-3) The Handmaid's Tale (s6e5) Wednesday 23rd The Amazing Race (s37e8) Everybody's Live with John Mulaney (s1e7) Good American Family (s1e7) St. Denis Medical (s1e17) The Studio (s1e6) Survivor (s48e9) Thursday 24th Doctor Odyssey (s1e16) Elsbeth (s2e18) Étoile (s1e1-8) Hacks (s4e4) Top Chef (s22e7) Friday 25th Dope Thief (s1e8) Saturday 26th Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night

 A couple of days removed from the fourth season premiere of Hacks and recently revisiting the  third season  I'm happy to say the show has surprisingly lost none of it's brilliance with two brilliant episodes to start the season. Picking up immediately after the events of the third season Hacks returns with the tension between Deborah and Ava palpable. I loved this choice of the immediate start as the moment of blackmail was such a major twist that you almost couldn't not return immediately. The artistic couple of Deborah and Ava is so central to the shows success so making the two had odds so intensely so far has given some incredible moments of drama and comedy especially. The intense prank pulling by Deborah led to some of the funniest moments of these first two episodes, I'm thinking especially of a scene where Ava is questioned by her show producer Rob (Dan Bucatinsk) having received a pair of 'panties' from her mysteriously. It was nice to see the play be...

After a two year break due to strike related reasons and just the general lack of commitment to returning yearly for prestige television series HBO's The Last of Us released the first episode of it's hotly anticipated second season which is sure to be major every Sunday for the next two months until the seven episode second season comes to an end on May 25. What I appreciate most about this premiere is rather than give us those big action moments that I'm sure are coming instead we were spoiled with plenty of character building/introduction moments that I'm sure will make the rest of the season more satisfying to experience. We of course again are mainly following Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they continue their survival in this post apocalyptic society the show and game (which I've never played so everything happening is new to me) takes place in. What I liked most about this premiere was the multiple characters we were introduced to the best in ...

Sunday 13th The Last of Us (s2e1) Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (s12e8) Wolf Hall: The Mirror and Light (s2e4) Tuesday 15th The Handmaid's Tale (s6e4) Wednesday 16th Abbott Elementary (s4e22) The Amazing Race (s37e7) Everybody's Live with John Mulaney (s1e6) Good American Family (s1e6) The Studio (s1e5) Survivor (s48e8) Thursday 17th #1 Happy Family USA (s1e1-8) Doctor Odyssey (s1e15) Hacks (s4e3) Matlock (s1e18) Top Chef (s22e6) Friday 18th Dope Thief (s1e7) RuPaul's Drag Race (s17e16)

Today marked the official end of a grueling and contemplative fourteen weeks (15 episodes) of Max's original medical drama The Pitt. While the series was difficult to watch at times given the intensity and honesty of the fifteen hour shift in the emergency room presented it lead to some of the best television we as a society were lucky to have airing consistently as it did. Before I get into my overall thoughts on the season and especially the focus of the title let me just say knowing the series is returning for it's second season in January makes me quite happy. Having regularly kept up with television on a regular basis as I have for the majority of my adult life the recent trend of multiple years in between season has saddened me as I miss the regular scheduled programming of a network show where it returning year in and year out was necessary to the shows success. Thankfully The Pitt seems to be bucking the trend given it's at least sophomore season returning so soon a...

One thing you must know about me is as a devoted fan of television especially episodic television is once I discover an acting talent on a multiple season running series (limited series too) and genuinely obsess over their individual work they become a love of mine for all time where I will seek out projects solely because they are featured in them. Carrie Coon is a perfect example of this part of my fandom having adored her work as Nora Durst on all three seasons of HBO's little seen yet rightfully favourite drama The Leftovers. I mean looking back on my personal television choice awards I'd have awarded her individually for her work on the shows  first  and  third  seasons. What has attracted me to Coon as a performer over the past decade of knowing her is how grounded her craft a lot of her work feels. She first came to my attention as a name when she received a Tony nomination 2013 Broadway revival of  Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? playing Honey. While I n...

Sunday 6th Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (s12e7) The White Lotus (s3e8) Wolf Hall: The Mirror and Light (s2e3) Tuesday 8th The Handmaid's Tale (s6e1-3) Wednesday 9th Abbott Elementary (s4e21) The Amazing Race (s37e6) Black Mirror (s7e1-6) Everybody's Live with John Mulaney (s1e5) Good American Family (s1e5) The Studio (s1e4) Survivor (s48e7) Thursday 10th Doctor Odyssey (s1e14) Elsbeth (s2e17) G20 Hacks (s4e1-2) Matlock (s1e17) The Pitt (s1e15) Top Chef (s22e5) Friday 11th Dope Thief (s1e6) RuPaul's Drag Race (s17e15) Your Friends and Neighbors (s1e1-2) Saturday 12th Saturday Night Live (s50e17)

 Dying for Sex the latest FX on Hulu limited series premiered today dropped in it's entirety is a compelling story about friendship, sex, health and so many riveting themes that is a quarter into the calendar year is likely to be amongst the best in television productions you'll have the pleasure of seeing all year. Based on the podcast series of the same name Dying for Sex tells the story of Molly a woman  diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer who leaves her 15-year marriage in order to explore herself and her sexuality before her death. Molly in the series is played by Emmy winner Michelle Williams, her best friend and carer Nikki is played by Jenny Slate and the two lead this comedic drama so comfortably so I would've totally been convinced the two had worked together before or even knew each other for decades prior to this production. Over the course of an eight episode season all with episodes lasting about 30 minutes a piece, we experience the highs and lows of Moll...

  With us a week away from the fourth season of HBO/Max's critically acclaimed Hacks I decided today to revisit the shows third season which we all are away rightfully won the series it's first Primetime Emmy Award for Comedy Series. A victory I agree with having also awarded the season my  Comedy Series  win. Having loved the shows first two seasons all the episodes of built up relationship wise between Ava and Deborah really came to a head multiple times throughout the series basically perfect nine episode season. The season didn't waste anytime getting us back into the up and down yet always fascinating relationship between the pro Deborah (Jean Smart) and her young comedy writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) with them almost immediately coming back together with some brilliant moments of comedy and dramatic realisations that carried throughout their bond during the rest of the season. The show also having taken the time to let us know the shows supporting characters also led...

 After finding the first two episodes of Apple TV+ new comedy series The Studio a bit outrageous and over the top at the times watching today's third episode there was something a bit comforting now with enough episodes past that I feel like a I've sat a bit more into the specific delivery and heightened energy of the series. It's sort've funny that with Ron Howard's appearance as himself on The Studio we have now gotten two major comedy series this season using Howard as a main plot point to an episode with Howard having appeared as himself in a memorable cameo on Only Murders in the Building. Howard gets to unleash much more in his Studio appearance leading to some brilliant physical comedy in the shows ending when Rogen's " Matt" Remick giving Rogen a note which leads to their physical altercation. While I still believe The Studio is covering similar themes to that of films like 1992's The Player or HBO's Entourage I'm glad to say I'...