In this edition of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, the point of this post is to function as a review compilation, if you will, of some notable 2023 television series that I’ve either caught up with in the last few months or which I never found the time to write about when they were released way back when (i.e. my review notes backlog). For this post, I have specifically highlighted three shows from the past year that didn’t fully work for me, even though I liked a fair bit about them.
F.A.Q.
- What are Additional Bite-Sized Reviews?
– My movie and television catch-up review series ‘Additional Bite-Sized Reviews‘ is an evolution of the Overview-article section previously titled ‘What I Didn’t Write About.’ In articles such as this one, I will provide my readers with my thoughts on select new films, new shows, or even classics that I feel like giving my thoughts on relatively briefly, since I don’t have the time to dedicate thorough reviews to them at this point in time. - Why do the bite-sized reviews not include either a letter grade or a review score?
– In my full and thorough reviews, I like to score or grade what I watch. But since these reviews aren’t as detailed, I think it is fairer to the films and shows to simply just decide whether or not to recommend them. I guess you could say this is the only type of review that is basically ‘scored’ with the classic thumbs-up/thumbs-down-method on my site, though sometimes my recommendation answer comes with a caveat.
The Changeling: Season 1 | Series | Created by Kelly Marcel | Release Year: 2023 | Season Length: 8 Episodes | Recommended?: No.
Based on Victor LaValle’s novel of the same name, The Changeling is a horror-fantasy fairy tale narrative set mostly in New York City that follows Apollo Kagwa (played by LaKeith Stanfield) as he goes in search of his wife following a horrific and traumatic event that changes the course of his life forever. The show is all about family secrets and history, the stories we’re told when we’re kids, the truth in fairy tales, and generational trauma.
For quite a while, I was completely hooked by this show. The premise and the solid cast (led by LaKeith Stanfield) really are of a quality that makes this a show that it is easy to fall for. However, it lost its luster halfway through the season. The first three episodes of the Apple TV+ mystery fairy tale were absolutely terrific, but then, as it went along, it much too often felt like the remainder of the season was going in circles and being too vague about the nature and details of the show’s most unique elements.
It all concludes with a bafflingly short 29-minute season finale that is deeply unsatisfying and that basically soured me on the journey it took to get there. On the whole, I do get what the show is going for thematically, but the way the season is structured is bewildering and patience-testing. I do think that LaKeith Stanfield, Clark Backo, and Adina Porter are all very good in it, and that there are some really strong episodes (episodes 3 and 7 are especially powerful, but the latter is hurt somewhat by its placement in the season). But the season eventually becomes quite frustrating, and it basically ends with what amounts to a teaser trailer that made my jaw drop due to how unwise of a conclusion it was.
Monarch – Legacy of Monsters: Season 1 | Series | Developed by Chris Black and Matt Fraction | Release Year: 2023-2024 | Season Length: 10 Episodes | Recommended?: Only to die-hard Godzilla fans.
When this show was first announced, it sounded like the most obvious success story that Apple TV+ could possibly launch. It is essentially a series about the world of the Godzilla vs. Kong American kaiju universe that is set in between the American blockbuster films from Gareth Edwards, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Adam Wingard, and so on and so forth. This show had the opportunity to show off different kaiju and, at the same time, fill in the blanks on the ground in a way that maybe could make us even more invested in the films. And they even had a really nice story structure hook in that it was to be set in the past and present concurrently, with Kurt Russell playing a kaiju expert of sorts in the present and his real-life son Wyatt Russell playing the same character in the 1950s and 1960s.
And, not unlike The Changeling, it got off to a strong start as it immediately did a good job of tying it together with the films through a guest appearance that both added to the show and our understanding of one of the previous films. On top of that, the many kaiju monsters that would appear were realized using movie-level visual effects, which meant we would, on occasion, get sequences that rivaled the American films, as the show had a decent balance of kaiju to human scenes.
However, problems started to arise in episode four, when forced or contrived drama started to become a thing, and, from time to time, it genuinely felt like the writing would betray the characterization of the main characters in previous episodes. I had issues with blocking and structure in a later episode, and, frankly, eventually, the present-day material was just nowhere near strong enough to be as engaging as the flashback sequences, in part due to lesser-known actors struggling to sell the material they’ve been given but mostly due to how forced some of the turns were.
And, frustratingly, the season concluded in a convoluted and messy green-screened major final event that never looked good or held your attention. It was a disappointing development because I liked the show and the core cast, but it started to trend downwards. Hopefully, if there is a season two, they can fix and tweak certain elements to make the show live up to its potential.
The Crown: Season 6, pts. I and II | Series | Created by Peter Morgan | Release Year: 2023 | Season Length: 10 Episodes Released in Two Parts | Recommended?: Only for completionist fans of the series.
Once upon a time, back when the first season of The Crown was released, I put forth the notion that Claire Foy, the original actress to play Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, could become the face of Netflix’s original programming. A lot has happened since then both on-screen and in real life. The show became a relative sensation, the show has now concluded many years later, and three different phenomenal British actresses have played the lead role (each separated by time jumps every other season). At the same time, the show’s reputation has changed from being something rumored to be enjoyed by Elizabeth II to being criticized by friends of her eldest son, who, of course, is also now King of England. A lot can change and a lot has changed. Along the way, as the show became more and more focused on the present, its focal point changed in a way (from ‘Lilibet,’ as she was often lovingly nicknamed, and to Charles and Diana) that kind of robbed the show of its successful formula and its magic (even though the focal point shift was partially understandable given how massive the Charles-Diana story is). However, one thing that never changed was the impeccable attention to detail, production design, and feel of it being a true prestige television series. Even when the show struggled in season five, it still had that to buoy it up.
Like with my review of season four, I am very much late to the party here. The dust settled on this series a while back, but given my love of the show and, especially, the early seasons, I thought I owed it to myself to turn my old but extensive viewing notes into a review, so here goes. The final season was split into two volumes, one to complete the tragic Diana narrative and one to wrap up whatever modern storylines related to the Queen that the show’s writers deemed worthy. Now, while I did, on the whole, enjoy my time with this final season, due to its elegance, historical attentiveness, and rich performances, this final season — not unlike season five — is, however, a definite mixed bag, as it had several serious issues.
Parts I and II suffer because of the story and history being overly condensed, a few shockingly poor characterizations, and the use of a narrative tool that was controversial and stylistically off compared to what the show was known for. To go into specifics, there are some questionable deviations in historical accuracy that might lead one to think that the show is deliberately treating certain individuals more leniently. To add to that, the casting and writing of Prince Harry is shockingly insensitive and harsh (the show ironically makes a point that he needs extra care and attention, but the show itself fails to paint him as more than a stock supporting character). And then there was the business with using ‘a ghost’ to allow certain characters to voice their feelings (or have them be forgiven), and this felt slightly cheap and uncomfortable. Still, though, at the end of the day, I had a good time with the series as a whole (plus, there are many great moments in Part II when it felt like The Crown of old), and I’ve loved how my mother and I have always enjoyed watching it together over the years.
– Reviews Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 