Category: TV Reviews

The Last of Us – “Future Days” | REVIEW

Bella Ramsey with her back to the camera in THE LAST OF US: Future Days — Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.

This is a recap and review of the premiere of the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. Expect spoilers for season 1 and game 1, but also some references to and comments about the second game (though without spoilers).

The wait is finally over. It’s been more than 2 years since the release of the season finale of the first season of HBO’s adaptation of the beloved and critically acclaimed video game series known as The Last of Us, the two parts of which are my favorite video games ever made. Now, the second season premiere has been released on Max around the world, and the showrunners are now officially no longer adapting the first game, but rather the highly discussed, more complex, and much longer second game (click here to read my spoiler-filled thoughts on The Last of Us: Part II). How did the season premiere live up to the excellent games and the strong first season? Well, let’s have a closer look.

Continue reading “The Last of Us – “Future Days” | REVIEW” →

Adolescence (2025) | REVIEW

Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in ADOLESCENCE — PHOTO: NETFLIX (Still image from trailers).

Series created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham.

Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham’s Adolescence tells the story of a 13-year-old boy, Jamie (played by Owen Cooper), who is shockingly arrested in his family home on suspicion of the murder of a female classmate. When Jamie is questioned at the police station, he repeatedly insists that he is innocent, while his father, Eddie (played by Stephen Graham), is at his side. Later, a child psychiatrist seeks to evaluate the young boy, and the police start to ask questions at Jamie’s school.

Continue reading “Adolescence (2025) | REVIEW” →

Top Ten TV-Shows of 2024

Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti in THE PENGUIN — PHOTO: Macall Polay/HBO.

I watched so many television (and/or streaming) shows this year. In my notes, I was trying to jot down all of the shows that I had seen and, given that I also watch a lot of movies every year, I was even a little bit shocked at how much time I spent watching entertainment (especially because I was very busy with other stuff this year). But, hey, I do love crashing and/or chilling in front of the television, watching a good show, and then jotting down my notes. And, you know, there were a lot of good shows this year. Some of the shows that it hurts to have to leave off the list this time around are Bad Sisters, Disclaimer, The English Teacher, Under the Bridge, The Boys, and Sugar (and I could, honestly, go on). But there can only be ten shows on this list, and let’s now have a look at what shows made it!

Continue reading “Top Ten TV-Shows of 2024” →

Top Ten TV-Shows of 2023

Bella Ramsey as ‘Ellie’ and Pedro Pascal as ‘Joel’ in HBO’s THE LAST OF US — PHOTO: HBO / Liane Hentscher.

The long-awaited (and very late, sorry) list of the top ten TV or streaming shows of 2023 is finally here! I watched a lot of excellent shows in 2023, and I loved a great many shows that couldn’t land a spot on this list, such as Shrinking, Silo, Black Mirror, and Hijack. But, in the end, there are only ten spots on this list, and, well, there are some outstanding series here that just had to be on the list. Speaking of which, let’s now finally get to that very list.

Continue reading “Top Ten TV-Shows of 2023” →

Families Like Ours (2024) | REVIEW

Paprika Steen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas in Thomas Vinterberg’s FAMILIES LIKE OURS — PHOTO: Per Arnesen/TV2.

Series created by Thomas Vinterberg.

Dogme95 co-founder Thomas Vinterberg has had quite the career. He burst onto the scene with his sophomore effort, the Cannes-darling and Danish classic The Celebration, and, though he struggled in the early 2000s overseas, he rebuilt his career on home soil with Submarine and The Hunt, the latter of which was a particular international success critically and with awards bodies. In the mid-to-late 2010s, he took another stab at filmmaking overseas with Far From the Madding Crowd and Kursk (with the Danish drama The Commune sandwiched in between the two). Then, at the very beginning of the 2020s, his binge-drinking dramedy Another Round took him to new heights as he not only accepted an Oscar and a BAFTA for the picture but also became the first-ever Danish filmmaker to be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards. Now, he has turned to TV, as he has crafted a television series about the calamitous potential of climate change that works as an eye-opener and much more. For me, it’s been one of the most interesting shows of 2024.

Continue reading “Families Like Ours (2024) | REVIEW” →

The Penguin (2024) | REVIEW

Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti in THE PENGUIN — PHOTO; Macall Polay/HBO.

Created by Lauren LeFranc (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).

There has been no shortage of superhero television or streaming shows in recent years. Following several years in which superhero shows were mostly CW series for DC Comics, Netflix’s Marvel universe, or ABC entries, we’ve been overwhelmed with a variety of different series with the rise of Netflix competitors. There are so many shows on Prime Video, Max, or, especially, Disney+ that can scratch that itch for you as a comic book fan, and, frankly, it’s been hit or miss for most audiences, with Prime Video’s The Boys easily being the biggest success with fans and critics alike. Now, however, the long-awaited The Batman spin-off series titled The Penguin has finished its run (or first season, in case it gets picked up for another season) on Max, and not only is it a great show, it may actually be the new gold standard for superhero series connected to big screen entertainment.

Continue reading “The Penguin (2024) | REVIEW” →

2024 TV Highlights Thus Far, Pt. 3 | Review Compilation

(L-R, top row) HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (Max); THE ACOLYTE (Disney+); THE BOYS (Prime Video).
(L-R, bottom row) THE BEAR (Disney+/Hulu); THE RINGS OF POWER (Prime Video); SUGAR (Apple TV+).

In the final of the three previously announced ‘2024 TV Highlights Thus Far’ review compilation articles, I take a look at some of the most high-profile series of the year, including two dueling fantasy shows, but also an underseen Apple TV+ gem with a plot development you have to see to believe.

Continue reading “2024 TV Highlights Thus Far, Pt. 3 | Review Compilation” →

2024 TV Highlights Thus Far, Pt. 2 | Bite-Sized Reviews

(L-R, top then bottom) DARK MATTER (Apple TV+), BABY REINDEER (Netflix), TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY (Max), and CONSTELLATION (Apple TV+).

All five shows were definite recommendations in the first (of three) ‘2024 TV Highlights Thus Far’ review articles. They were all shows that I expect to end up on plenty of top 10 lists at the end of the year. This second part is a little bit different. Although, yes, I expect one or two of these to have enough critical appreciation for them to land on plenty of top 10s, the vast majority of part 2’s series weren’t home runs. They are highlights because I found something about each and every one of these series to be really effective, but not all of these are series that I’d easily recommend to friends and family. In fact, some of these shows even disappointed me from time to time, but I think there is enough in every one of these shows to merit them being singled out and discussed. In this part, among other things, I’ll be discussing two Apple TV+ series both of which revolve around parallel universes and the existence of multiple different persons of the same character. 

Continue reading “2024 TV Highlights Thus Far, Pt. 2 | Bite-Sized Reviews” →

2024 TV Highlights Thus Far, Pt. 1 | Bite-Sized Reviews

(L-R, 1st row, then 2nd row) SHOGUN (FX / Hulu), RIPLEY (Netflix), FALLOUT (Prime Video), MR. AND MRS. SMITH (Prime Video), and Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+).

You don’t really understand it when you’re a kid, but, boy, it really feels like time flies by as you get older. When you’re stressed or overworked or even just have more important things on your mind, it can be difficult to find the time to do what you want to do before it feels like you’re too late. This is, in part, why I started doing these review compilation posts sometimes containing bite-sized reviews about shows or films that I feel like I still need to talk about, even though I missed out on the moment right after the release. If you read my website frequently, then you know that I’ve recently posted two backlog/catch-up compilations for last year’s TV series. With that out of the way, I now want to focus on some of the shows of the past seven or eight months that I really want to give you my thoughts on. Today, I’ll focus on some of the shows that I think are the very best of the year thus far, including, but not limited to, a video game TV-adaptation and an incredibly stylish reimagining of an iconic Patricia Highsmith story.

Continue reading “2024 TV Highlights Thus Far, Pt. 1 | Bite-Sized Reviews” →

2023 TV Catch-Up / Backlog: The Greats | Bite-Sized Reviews

(Clockwise L-R) Natasha Lyonne in POKER FACE (Peacock / SkyShowtime), Harrison Ford and Lukita Maxwell in SHRINKING (Apple TV+), Carla Gugino in THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (Netflix), FOR ALL MANKIND (Apple TV+), and THE BEAR (Disney+ / FX).

Just like with the previous 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 just caught up with or which I never found the time to write about when they were released way back when. For this post, I have specifically highlighted five of the past year’s best shows. For quite a few of these, I had initially intended to write extensive, long reviews, but time flew by and now I just feel the need to get my thoughts out there on some of my favorite shows from 2023.

Continue reading “2023 TV Catch-Up / Backlog: The Greats | Bite-Sized Reviews” →