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The King Arthur Legend with a female lead? Of course! So we get this one to cross off our list, too. The setup isn't too bad, Katherine Langford is ok as Nimue, the lead character. In the beginning she's depicted as powerful but her powers and their limits are never really established. So sometimes, when in danger, she doesn't or can't use her powers and sometimes she does/can, depending most likely on what the script writers want to happen next. Another thing: If you want a female lead and the story is about a magic sword, how about you cast an actress that can actually wield a sword? Langford couldn't convince me for a second that she can win any fight with that sword. And the fight with the wolves...cringe worthy. Which brings me to the special effects. Yes, it looks like they didn't have a big budget for CGI, but they could have used it more cleverly. But they didn't and some effects look really bad. With regard to the rest of the cast, only Gustaf Skarsgård stood out as Merlin. Even though Merlin is depicted as a drunk, Skarsgård balanced out the characters weaknesses to have him somewhat likable. Father Garden and King Uther were convincing enough as villain and rivals to get hold of the sword. But the ones that should have made an impression are Arthur and Gawain, but they were totally bland and not contributing anything substantial to the plot. They serve as good people to talk to, to give advice and for the female lead to make love to. I don't blame the actors. The script simply doesn't give them enough to do. Fallen victim to the woke agenda, they aren't allowed to be strong and forceful, only the women are. Male villains, of course, are allowed to be strong and dangerous, and show all that 'tocthic mathculinity". That's their reason of being. The season's finale is surprising, but not in a good way. They were going for a massive cliffhanger, I guess, but the last scenes feel totally off. To wrap it up, 'Cursed' is for people who need a regular dose of fantasy fare and who aren't picky about it. My main complaints about it are the lead's arbitrary use of her powers, her lame sword fighting, the arbitrary plot development, the pushing of the woke agenda and the lack of memorable characters that aren't villains. I don't know about you, but to me, that's too many complaints for it to be a good show.

One episode was enough, I simply couldn't take any more of it. Yes, a show can be rude, vulgar, silly and totally gross. But if it's supposed to be a comedy, it has to be funny! It's full of lame, boring, unfunny characters no one gives a crap about! Poor Jake Johnson. Maybe he saw the finished show and hoped it wouldn't be released, but no such luck! The most obvious question is: Who greenlit this? But I cannot help but to think that now, because of the current situation, they're throwing things at us that had been previously shelved, for good reasons (unfunny!), but now they're running out of shows and we get to watch what's left in the 'vault'. Did I say it's totally unfunny? Maybe. But to be sure: TOTALLY UNFUNNY CRAP!

The King Arthur Legend with a female lead? Of course! So we get this one to cross off our list, too. The setup isn't too bad, Katherine Langford is ok as Nimue, the lead character. In the beginning she's depicted as powerful but her powers and their limits are never really established. So sometimes, when in danger, she doesn't or can't use her powers and sometimes she does/can, depending most likely on what the script writers want to happen next. Another thing: If you want a female lead and the story is about a magic sword, how about you cast an actress that can actually wield a sword? Langford couldn't convince me for a second that she can win any fight with that sword. And the fight with the wolves...cringe worthy. Which brings me to the special effects. Yes, it looks like they didn't have a big budget for CGI, but they could have used it more cleverly. But they didn't and some effects look really bad. With regard to the rest of the cast, only Gustaf Skarsgård stood out as Merlin. Even though Merlin is depicted as a drunk, Skarsgård balanced out the characters weaknesses to have him somewhat likeable. Father Garden and King Uther were convincing enough as villain and rivals to get hold of the sword. But the ones that should have made an impression are Arthur and Gawain, but they were totally bland and not contributing anything substantial to the plot. They serve as good people to talk to, to give advice and for the female lead to make love to. I don't blame the actors. The script simply doesn't give them enough to do. Fallen victim to the woke agenda, they aren't allowed to be strong and forceful, only the women are. Male villains, of course, are allowed to be strong and dangerous, and show all that 'tocthic mathculinity". That's their reason of being. The season's finale is surprising, but not in a good way. They were going for a massiv cliffhanger, I guess, but the last scenes feel totally off. To wrap it up, 'Cursed' is for people who need a regular dose of fantasy fare and who aren't picky about it. My main complaints about it are the lead's arbitrary use of her powers, her lame sword fighting, the arbitrary plot development, the pushing of the woke agenda and the lack of memorable characters that aren't villains. I don't know about you, but to me, that's too many complaints for it to be a good show.

It's baffling that this show was created by Armando Iannucci who also created 'Veep'. Maybe he wanted to do something silly and hoped to get away with it due to the success of 'Veep'. Well, it worked, kind of. Not the show itself. That didn't really work. The first episode is not good and the show only gets slowly better after that, but not really good enough. Too many of the characters are not well written, especially Josh Gad's character. Yes, he's very successful and rich, yet kind of dumb at the same time. We get it. How much jokes can you get out of such a one note character? I fear, we're gonna find out. The rest of of the characters are based on good ideas but aren't well developed. So they lack wit and poignancy. The humor actually provided is a little too dry for my taste. Or simply not funny enough? I'm very generous with my rating only because of episode 8, the "We're not really in space" episode. I hope there's more where that came from. Episode 9 was ok and I waited for the next episode until I realized that this episode was the season's anticlimactic finale. Very underwhelming. Well, the show got renewed for a second season, waddaya know. Let's hope for the best or maybe they'll at least correct the biggest problems...

Well, if you're a female skater in that age range, you might be into it. But skater or not, after watching 5 episodes, I'm wondering who would stick with this show. It may be based on a real group of female skaters, but, you know, real life can be boring. And watching those characters talking and having said nothing interesting for 5 episodes, is neither fun nor entertaining, no matter how much it's based on real events. When I was that age, we talked about things we experienced, saw, heard, pop culture, movies, shows music. Things, we cared about. But the characters in that show seem to be interested in very few things. And, while skateboarding is fun, watching some people doing nothing more than basic stuff on their skateboards gets boring quickly. The show is very episodic, there is no overarching story line and it's the same things happening over and over again. Skateboarding, getting high, meeting people, talking blah blah, getting in trouble...again. Wash, rinse, repeat. Btw, did you know that being stoned and talking nonsense can be fun when you do it, but is absolutely uninteresting when you watch other people do it? If not, you'll learn watching this show. A note to the writers: It's 2020, and saying to someone "She's gay!!!" doesn't raise any eyebrows these days. And trying to pretend people would be even a little shocked because someone is gay is simply embarrassing, especially when the show's story takes place in New York! The show is based on a movie I haven't seen. While the idea, the 'story' and the characters may be enough for a feature film, there is clearly not enough material presented to hold up your interest for an entire season. If the show had distinct and interesting protagonists each having their distinct take on life united by a common passion, the show could be forgiven the lack of a real story. But this is not that kind of show. If you want to check it out, watch 3 episodes. That's what you'll get at least the next 3 episodes.

A flat out misfire showing again that being a good dramatic actress/actor (Perette) doesn't mean you're good at comedy. It also shows (again) that being a funny stand up comedian (Leggero) doesn't mean you're hitting it out of the park in a sitcom. And if we take these two points and you make a show with so-so characters and with scripts lacking funny lines and don't give enough room for funny performances, you'll end up with a comedy show that ****. To be fair to Pauley Perette, her character as the sincere caring mother was probably designed as a counter weight against the irresponsible, kind of crazy relatives in her house. But you need at least a minimal amount of comedic feel and timing to play along and maybe the guts to tell the director that this is not working, not with that script. And, sorry, I can't see the comedic strain in her. But otoh, the rest of the gang isn't funny enough largely due to the script to make that premise work. Jaime Camil and Izzy Diaz are the lucky ones in this show. They get to play light and laid back characters making it easy for them to be funny or at least enjoyable. Natasha Leggero has, in my opinion, the heaviest weight to lift. She is supposed to be funny and a little crazy but she also has to persuade us that she is basically a good person having a good, sometimes even heart-warming relationship with her sister. Leggero can only make it work in part, her performance looks forced and she can't merge all these antagonistic character traits into one person convincingly. I don't blame her. She's a stand-up comedian, not a trained actress. And it would require a good, seasoned comedy actress to pull that off. So, the basic ingredients are there, but the show doesn't have the resources to make it work, unless a miracle happens. Well, good luck with that.

I tried to watch 2, maybe 3 episodes, I can't recall. Each episode, I watched a couple of scenes. None of them could hold my interest. So I gave up each time and then quit entirely. I don't criticize the plot because I couldn't really get into it, obviously. However all the action that happened on screen looked like stuff I've seen many times before with no hint of a new take on them. Also, many sets looked kind of improvised (or it's just me). This and the scenes and the interactions between the characters made the show unwatchable for me. It was what the characters said, the way they said it, the relationships between them the scenes conveyed...I kept saying to myself 'Ugh, this is not good!'. I don't now what about this exactly put me off. Maybe it was a combination of bad dialog writing and not so great acting. I don't want to trash the actors. The are mostly young and maybe not that experienced and did what they could. Maybe one seasoned, good actor/actress could elevate the material and pull the other actors/actresses along, but that's speculative. I know, the show is on a budget, but so are and were other shows, like 'Dark Matter' (cancelled too early, of course) or even 'Killjoys', which I didn't enjoy much. But even 'Killjoys', not that good, was better than 'Vagrant Queen'. Or how about 'Van Helsing'? One of my favorite shows, not expensive looking, no fancy effects, but good characters and a compelling and suspenseful story. It can be done. You can balance out many things with good writing. Some people might somehow find 'Vagrant Queen' a kind of campy piece of fun. I, myself, couldn't help thinking that it is lacking in so many ways that it is way below my basic requirement for acceptable entertainment. This show has so much room for improvement it's inexplicable that it is the way it is. And for what ever reason(s) it is like that...Stop it!

After watching the entire show, I'm puzzled about the reviews of professional critics, which weren't too enthusiastic about it. I'm sure most of them aren't into fantasy stuff and they were already overfed with GoT and, as we all were, disappointed by its ending. And now, yet another fantasy show...I mean, if you're not interested, don't review it! I think that was an entertaining show and I enjoyed it. Of course there were some negative points here, mostly the non linear parts of the storytelling. I was confused especially by the fourth episode, where the plot revolves around a much younger queen Calanthe and her soon to be married daughter which was a story in the past, and then the camera suddenly jumps to Yennefer sitting in a chariot with Queen Lyria, a story playing in the future. I have yet to find out, why they put that plot in there. Also the entire Yennefer back story arc was probably from the past. The writers struggled to give all of the main characters a backstory and they didn't manage to work it in seamlessly. Many who read the books probably had something different in mind for the show, so if you're one of them, you'll probably have plenty of complaints about the show. I think the cast was good, they played their characters convincingly. Henry Cavill was a very good pick as the lead. I liked the writing and the dialog was actually really good at times. I liked Cavill's deadpan delivery of his wisdom, also providing some very dry humor. There was enough suspense, excitement and fun and I didn't see the plot turns coming. And that's a good thing. Yes, there is nudity, some boobies and a bit of lovemaking, but tasteful enough. I wanted to say 'not offensive' but some people are so easily offended. The fight scenes were well choreographed, the special effects where good enough. You can't expect top notch CGI in a TV show, especially if it heavily relies on those. The sheer number of effects would make it too expensive. I for one, am looking forward to season 2. I recommend giving 'The Witcher' a try!

i watched it and I can't recommend it to adults. I'm pretty sure the source material, which I haven't read, is better. If there's anything in there that makes it interesting for a mature audience, it all got lost in the translation to TV. What is presented in the show is a world where people form a bound with a 'demon' which is depicted, at least in the first season, as merely a talking pet. This might be attractive to kids imagining they had something like this. The catch is: The human's life is also tied to the life of the 'demon' (talking pet). If it dies, the human dies. And we are talking here mostly about cute, furry and small pets. Or birds. Or butterflies. Running around and flying around freely. You know what eats butterflies? Birds do. Or some cuddly little pet gets crushed by a vehicle or trampled on by other people. All not happening in the show. What does happen is that your cute and furry little companion gets choked by a monkey and you choke, too. If someone wants to harm you, he/she can just target the 'demon', which of course happens in the show. Opposed to what you would think, the so called 'demons' don't have any supernatural powers to defend themselves. The entire concept is utter nonsense. Apart from all that, the adaptation to TV doesn't work well. I would say the source material doesn't translate well to the screen. From what I read, there is complex world building in the source material and what we see on the screen feels somehow incomplete and disjointed. It feels like seeing many parts of a bigger picture without the context necessary to enjoy it without too many unanswered questions. In this world, the church is very strong and a new scientific discovery or theory might be considered heresy. The clerical part of the story gets barely enough screen time and not enough to really feel what it's like living in that kind of world. All in all, it was an unsatisfying viewing experience. I'm done with this show. Kids may like it, as they probably won't think too much about the implications of the core concept, but for adults? Don't waste your time. There are better shows out there.

I may not be the right one to review typical christmas shows or better, in this case: 'Christmas event series', but I can tell you this about "The Moodys": You can do worse than watching this show, a lot worse. It's starring Denis Leary, Jay Baruchel and also Elizabeth Perkins. Good to see her again. The other actors are good, too, playing likable and convincing characters. As they say, it's not Shakespeare, but it's an entertaining enough story about a group of well enough fleshed out characters that feel like real people. It's not relying on typical Christmas tropes, it's a little comedy, a little drama a little romance. You know, all the ingredients for this time of year. It's not trying too hard to be anything it doesn't want to be. If you want to relax cozy in front of the TV with a hot beverage and candy, give it a try. I admit, the script could have been better. It could have picked up the pace from time to time. it's a little too relaxed, but there are worse things. I, for one, will be watching the rest of the show.

I heard that Kaley Cuoco gives the voice to Harley and I gave the show a try. The first thing that came to my mind is that it's visually unappealing. Maybe it uses a too narrow range of colors, I don't know. I didn't like the looks of it. But even ignoring that: Wow, is this show bad. It wants to be funny. But it's not. I tries really hard to be funny which makes it so much worse. There's one word for it: Pain. It's painfully unfunny, painful to ****, I can't believe it. I couldn't stop shaking my head watching this. But to be fair, I only watched the first episode.Maybe it gets better, but I doubt it. On top of it, you see an average rating of over 80 by 'professional' critics. A group that's supposed to function as a ****'s over. The only thing they must think about is keeping their job by clapping to everything that appears to cool or woke to a small minority that litters social networks with their garbage. ****. Humanity is doomed. What can I say more? And endless tirade or nothing at all. I choose the latter. And you know what, show-runners and critics? Go f**k yourselves!

If there's one good thing you can say about 'The Mandalorian', it's that it doesn't hit you over the head with gender politics, at least as of episode 4. That's mostly it. I hoped it would be good, but it's mediocre at best. In the first couple of sequences, it has the Star Wars feel to it, but soon you realize, that it's because of things you've seen in every single Star Wars movie. It's a show that's severely lacking, and I mean basic things like creativity, suspense, excitement, emotion and, as if I had expected otherwise, originality, like, maybe having it's own visual style? And you know what it's also lacking? Running time! With episodes of only a little more than 30 minutes, isn't it obvious that they have no real stories to tell? We literally see short episodes, with simplistic plotlines and solutions. In episode 4, omg, arriving on a planet getting to know some people, training a town and fighting some villains and an AT-ST, all in 30 minutes? That's as unsatisfying as eating icing without the cake! And, unexpectedly, it has a typical Lucas-fault, that is, lack of visible emotion. The main character wears his helmet all the time. Other characters are either cgi or with heavy silicon makeup or...also wearing helmets. But when actual actors with human faces appear, they are appreciated, like Carl Weathers, Werner Herzog and Gina Carano (great!). But those interactions are too short to really make a difference. Real acting, facial expressions can elevate weak material to something worth watching. Those opportunities are mostly lost here. And one question: Is the Mandalorian really played by Pedro Pascal or do we only hear his voice? I believe the latter is true. It's the logical and cost efficient way to go under these circumstances. As for originality: When you see the action scenes, do you see anything interesting or cool? Like, the gunfights. The other bounty hunters want to kill 'Mando', a gunfight ensues and it looks so generic, like dozens of gunfights you've seen before. Nothing in this show is fresh, compelling or original, be it the dialog, the sets, the action, the cgi **** visuals in general. It all looks like they weren't really trying, but just cashing in. As for saving money: Remember the scene with the green guy (episode 2?) 'Mando' froze in carbonite? Did we see some cool freezing effect? No, just as in 'The Empire Strikes Back', we see some steam blowing up and the next thing we see is him 'frozen' in carbonite. Are we in the seventies? Wth? It's 2019! Think what you will about 'Star Trek Discovery'. Yes, it's not good, it's barely half a Star Trek show, it's full of gender politics. But visually, it's in a different league than this show. CBS spent some money for this. 'The Mandalorian' looks like it was made with the minimal effort necessary to get it done. First I wanted to give it a 5, but after writing this review I realized that the show is too underwhelming and the 30 minute format gives me no hope I'll see something meaningful or something with substance. Sorry, only a 4.

I usually don't watch this made-for Christmas stuff, so I'm not sure how much help I am for you. So, it's not a movie, it's a series and I looked into it because I saw that Brent Morin and Hayes MacArthur are in it. You might know Morin and one of the female leads, Bridgit Mendler from the show 'Undateable'. Without too much details, in a nutshell, it wants to be kind of traditional like watching a nineties show you like, to make you feel cozy but also bringing something new-ish to the table, but I won't spoil it for you. It's new-ish for a mainstream audience, of course. It doesn't really work, the show feels dated nonetheless probably due to the fact it feels thoroughly manufactured for the event it is meant to fit. The characters are mostly either one note or poorly fleshed out. The show has a laugh track that feels way off when you see the things happening on screen. Loud laughter to amusing 'jokes' at best. Now, for those who want more details, I'll give you this without spoilers: Dennis Quaid as Don Quinn, the rigid, patriarchical control freak who wants to celebrate Christmas exactly how it's always been done and Brent Morin as Matt, the wannabe future son in law of youngest daughter Emmy (Bridgit Mendler) as a struggling musician who is of course not good enough for the father. As expected Morin tries too hard to please him an makes mistake after mistake. Would you have guessed that? The oldest daughter (Patsy) depicted nervous and hysterical, a very dated female stereotype. The others are likable, Hayes MacArthur (Sean) and the two in-laws or quinn-laws/outlaws (Joy, Todd) as they call themselves. I especially liked Elizabeth Ho as Joy, Sean's wife. She's the most fun in this show. Adam Rose as Todd, Patsy's husband is fun, too. I'd like to see Elizabeth Ho in a good sitcom. MacArthur, Ho and Rose play characters that actually feel like real people, but sadly they're one-note. And unexpectedly, it's Ashley Tisdale who surprises as a woman who, after a breakup with her husband, goes on an emotional journey to find out who she is. So, at least one character who goes through a plausible transformation. That doesn't sound bad but it's all overshadowed by the cringeworthy, hackneyed interactions between Matt and Don and the totally expected events that pull Matt and Emmy apart to create some tension in the relationship. This is a major part of the show and it is something you've seen many times before and that **** the life out of the show. But there's more, Don has a crush on a nurse at the hospital, so we have to deal with that, too. As I said, the show has a laugh track. Fits that nineties vibe you're supposed to feel. The problem is, this show isn't funny enough to warrant any kind of laughter. You hear laughter for no apparent reason, the supposed jokes are lame and the laughter virtually never matches the 'funniness' of the jokes and the punchlines. Most times you hear the laughter you shake your head disbelieve but sometimes it's just irritating. I can't recommend it, but if you really want to look into it, watching one episode is enough. You'll see what you'll get in the entire show. A gallon of egg-nog might help watching it, together with friends. I, for one, regret wasting my time with it.

If I look into a mystery show about a girl that has psychokinetic powers and is probably AI these days, I don't expect anything new. I mean, it's ABC... So it's no surprise we see mostly stuff we have seen before, but that's not really the problem I have with this show. The problem is, that it's a timid, boring, thrill-free, mediocre affair with low stakes and gender politics that are so obvious that the show and some of its male characters are simply embarrassing. You see, it's a mystery show and I would like to get some suspense, maybe even a little excitement from it. But after a few episodes, after the novelty has worn off, you would hope for the pace to pick up and the plot to move forward, maybe a little action, you know... Well sure, things happen, you learn things about the characters, some characters involved in the affair get killed, and yet, everything somehow just plods along. One reason for that is, that the stakes here are remarkably low. Jo, the local police officer , hosts Piper, a girl they assume to be an android with special powers, at her house. The girl/android belongs to a big company that wants it back, as expected. But in spite of this the main characters, Jo, who is a divorced single parent living with her daughter and her father in a house, don't seem to be in any danger. Neither is her ex-husband, who often drops by. There is never a feeling of a threat, when they are at home, except for one night, but the intruder is after a device Jo obtained, not after the girl. But you would expect that this big company would have minions who could terrorize the family until Jo would give in. Or they could put pressure on Jo's superiors. But that doesn't happen. So the only character in 'danger' is Piper. But she doesn't appear to be a human being, so we don't know what kind of danger she's supposed to be in. So, as I said, the stakes for the main characters are low. The fact that the family members are in no danger also evades an ethical predicament Jo could face: Would she risk the lives of her family for a girl that's most likely not even a human being? The show deliberately avoids this situation to emerge, because in this case it wouldn't be believable for Jo to keep Piper at her home. Instead for thrills and suspense we get a lot of talking and driving around in cars and...gimmicks. Like Piper having 'daydreams' in which she communicates with the owner of the company or his **** these sequences don't move the plot forward, at least as of episode 8. It's just gimmickry. And by episode 8, I got the feeling this will go on and on and on... Nothing really dramatic to be found, no suspense or excitement. I'm bored... There's one other thing: Never in my reviews have I ever dealt with 'female empowerment' stuff. But in this show it's too obvious: There are no male characters with authority or competence in this show. Jo is the only one who has anything to say. The officer working under her is a wet blanket. A very nice guy but without energy, being kept on a need to know basis but who does what Jo wants him to do. Her father is old, gentle and has cancer. Her ex-husband is just...there, talking, driving around in his car, that's it. He's not relevant to the plot. He's black-ish (Donald Faison) and is there probably for diversity reasons. The journalist who contacts her, Benny Gallagher, is more dynamic, but he has nothing to say or to decide and in later episodes, we really don't see that much of him, e.g. sitting on a hotel bed with his laptop. In episode 8, the Feds finally come, and the lead agent, having travelled probably hundreds of miles, has nothing better to do than to **** up to Jo, telling her what an amazing job she has done (???). He's not trying to mislead her, he really means it and comes across as a total ****. It's so embarrassing, I cringed. I couldn't believe what I saw. The Feds have authority over local police, he's sent to take charge of matters, why else? So, wth is this? As for competence: There are computer/tech experts, the woman trying to crack the stolen hard drive and Emily, a technical whiz working for the company. No men. The FBI agent is a joke (see above). However, the 'bad guy', the owner of the company, is a **** course. Many shows are doing this and here, it's so obvious that it rubs me the wrong way. I don't mind strong women as lead characters, but stop depicting men as weak, evil or irrelevant. So, as you would guess, I don't recommend this show. I doubt that the time you invest in it will pay off. Even besides the gender politics, the show doesn't deliver what you would expect from it. There are enough other shows to pick from. So do that.

The premise sounds reasonable: An alien ship lands on earth and builds a crystalline, impenetrable structure around it. The military and scientists try to analyze it and establish contact with the aliens. A spaceship is sent to a distant star where the aliens are assumed to be from. But then, oh boy, the trouble starts. Katee Sackoff is passable as the ship's commander Nico and I liked Samuel Anderson as the ship's AI (William) a lot. Among a purely american crew, the AI picks as a visualization of itself a...British black man with a beard. Priceless! But I'm glad it's Samuel Anderson. The rest of the crew is basically a pain in the *ss. They're an annoying bunch of whiny, bickering twenty-somethings that would pass as undergraduates at best. Especially Michelle, the 'computer whiz' is yelling all the time. If I had been there, I would have tased her and put her back to cryo-sleep. According to Michelle, they got rid of mandatory uniforms a decade ago. That's so cool and in episode one, we get to see all female cast members in sports bras. Great! And so woke! The 'medical officer' appears to be transgender and that person is the only crew member that looks stable, competent and trustworthy. At least one! The space trip is basically a wrap-up of all scify themes and tropes you know from many scify shows and movies. Since the writers preferred action and scares over suspense and character development, the show throws one scify theme after another at us. Sometimes you would have two or three of those themes in one episode together. It's non-stop action, one emergency after another. Some of them due to stupid behavior of one of the crew members, like opening the helmet on a foreign planet, well...there is enough oxygen to do it! And it's all completely random and arbitrary, a fire, AI failure, cryo sleep **** goes on and on. They need food and...find an earth-like moon that's not too far away...Come ON! And of course, those hormones. Smooching and sex is apparently unavoidable. Ah, those sports bras! Based on all the above there should be no doubt in your mind that the science is all nonsense. Another problem: The space trip goes on for seven to twelve months, due to detours they make. So on earth, they're analyzing the strucure for almost a year? Those two time lines don't match convincingly. But that's just a minor issue of the show because on the whole it's all a big old nonsensical mess. Even in the season's finale, where you learn more about the aliens, you'll be all question marks about what happens. It's somewhat cryptic but it's to avoid spoilers: When you see the last couple of scenes you won't really understand why it's necessary what the aliens do and especially, you won't understand what they don't do. But despite all that, I can understand why some people like the show. It's entertaining in a way and the production value is ok. It doesn't look cheap. So, if you have nothing to do, give it about three episodes, that will give you a good impression what you're dealing with. On the other hand, looking at the (user-) ratings, I wonder if it's worth it, because the question is: Do you really think we'll get a second season?

Finally, at the end of episode 4, I feel there is promise to get to know more of what's going on in a show that has given us precious little information to hold on to. Because it's like this: Myfanwy, the lead character, is a so called 'EVA', that is someone with 'Extreme Variant Abilities'. She regains consciousness lying on the floor in the streets with dead bodies around her and having no recollection of who she is and what has happened. So, it's all about the mystery finding out her identity, what's going on and why her memories where erased, the former of which she finds out pretty quickly. She works for the 'Checquy', a secret government agency that employs EVAs. What they mostly do is chasing and apprehending 'vultures', people (EVAs or not) that abduct other EVAs to sell them in auctions to the highest bidder. While she tries to get her life back together, in part due to letters she wrote to herself in foresight, we get to meet Myfanwy's colleagues, most of them EVAs. There are some problems with the show, most of it due to the lack of exposition or any other means of providing context to the viewer: We don't know what to make of many of the characters, even though they seem important. That lack of knowledge makes it difficult for the viewer to assess the situations the characters get into and what's really going on. Characters seem to have hidden agendas or secrets we don't know about. Conversations among them are usually spare and full of evasion tactics to keep secrets from the others. In each episode the viewer expects more information to put the puzzle together but the show doesn't give us enough of that, at least in the first four episodes. That makes it a somewhat frustrating viewing experience. All in all, in spite of my critique, 'The Rook' is an interesting show that has a lot going for it. The atmosphere is well established, the acting is good. But the show has a at least one mystery and several secrets and it is bad at explaining enough of the things it presents. I'll be watching the rest of the show, but to get through it, you need patience and it's possible that the reward you get may not be high enough for the investment you made.

After watching a couple of episodes, I came to the conclusion that the show is not really cutting it. First of all, I really liked 'Medium' and I like Patricia Arquette. What I find obvious is the lead's resemblance to her. She looks like a young Patrica Arquette. That's not really a bad thing, but it somehow tells me that the showrunners aren't aiming very high, trying to associate the lead of this show by her looks to the lead of a much better show. I got ahead of myself but it's simple: 'The Inbetween' does, in general, what 'Medium' did, but it's inferior in every aspect. It checks all the boxes of the genre, it does, but it feels all so by the numbers. What I find annoying is, that the lead character panics every time she has a vision that is terrifying even though she has experienced those visions since she was a child. She must know very well by now that the visions start and end and that she is in no danger. But almost every time she starts panicking and screaming. It's tiresome and it's only there to make the show more dramatic. 'Medium' delivered suspense and a sense of urgency, but 'the Inbetween' somehow doesn't. The plot points feel too mechanical, I don't feel any suspense. At the end of every episode I saw (maybe 5), I was underwhelmed. Maybe it's difficult to make another 'Medium' and come up with something new. However, there's no complaints about the acting, it's good, I like the british guy. If you watched 'Medium', it will look very familiar, but not as good. So, if you're really desperate for that kind of 'I see dead people and have visions' show, watch it. You might enjoy it. You just mustn't compare it to 'Medium'. They're no match. 'The Inbetween' is not a bad show, by all means, but it's simply not a good show either, at least not good enough for me. I give up.

It's a typical Fred Armisen show with the humor you might have gotten to know from his other shows. There's a fair amount of funny and quirky stuff in there (the wooden fan that has no power and one of the female leads has a job spinning it manually :-))) ) It's about a group of friends who start to make a living out of spook gigs. And, by the way, the show is in Spanish with English subtitles. Armisen plays a minor role and it's fun to watch him speak Spanish (he can do it, his mother is from Venezuela). The characters a likable and enthusiastic, just like the entire show, but you regularly wonder how they pull of their gigs. Given the money and technical equipment they have (or more like the lack thereof), I can't see how they're supposed to be able to do all this. To be fair, there are more things, more plotlines involving other characters going on in each episode than just the spook gigs and they have a quirky charm. However, I didn't find them neither compelling nor funny enough. They always hint at something funnier, but it simply doesn't happen. Fans of Fred Armisen will probably like this show no matter what. I must admit that I overdose on Fred Armisen's humor fairly quickly, so you have to take my review with a grain of salt. All in all the show has it charms, but in all that it offers, it isn't quite enough to feel it worth my time. I'm not sure whether I'll continue to watch it.

Has an interesting premise that could make for a 'guilty pleasure' for some people. Also, both american and british actors more or less popular might make you wanna look into it: Sean Bean, Billy Zane, Miranda Richardson, Gus Khan and Michael Biehn, among others you might know. It's part zombies and part 'Running Man' (among others), which means there's nothing new here. People in the city have a curfew because zombies roam the area at night. There are flashbacks (of course!) showing us how the virus that is responsible for all, was created and how it spread. The people are not allowed to leave the city. A race at night, organized by a mysterious stranger, gathers a group of diverse characters who want to try their luck. Since what they do is illegal, zombies and authorities are after them, the latter not hesitating to open fire. The prize for the winner is a permanent stay on an island without zombies. The pace picks up quickly once the race starts and we see contestants die right from the start. The show has enough excitement and action to keep you invested. The characters are interesting, some are regular people (a family), some are complete weirdos (Billy Zane and his crew). Yep, it's fun! And by the way: I just LOVE the 80s style title theme. I. LOVE. IT! After half of the episodes the show loses steam and runs out of ideas. I also found the ending somewhat predictable, the winner comes as not much of a surprise. Still, i kinda enjoyed it. It you have some time to waste, this is one of the better shows to pick. Go ahead, give it a try!

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

It looks like a nice, relaxing summer show. The location definitely looks nice. Sadly, I could not get through the first episode. The main character is a big smartass show-off who seems to know and notice everything. On a flight, she notices a guy carrying a gun on the plain she's on. The air marshall on board of course doesn't notice it, because he's a looser (apparently...) A chase and gunshots ensue. After a murder occurs on the island, she somehow manages to get interviewed by a news person trashing the local authorities as incompetent and saying they're not doing enough or the wrong things or...whatever. Conveniently, one of the local cops, an asian hunk, comes over for a visit, not at all p*ssed by her making them look bad, but on the contrary, asking her for assistance. Why they didn't kick her butt into the next plain back to where she came from is one of the fascinating mysteries of the show. The silliness piled up until I had enough.I just quit half way through the first episode. I like the actress, Poppy Montgomery, I've seen her before in other shows, no problem there. But her character in this show is just too annoying. Some people (you know who I mean) will say "Oh, if the character were a man, you would find him cool!". No, no, no. Definitely not! I would call him an *ssh*ole. Maybe it gets better in subsequent episodes, but I just couldn't take it anymore.

I didn't think I'd like it, but I did. First of all, my age is way above the target audience. But it was a relief to watch a marvel show that didn't feel padded and stretched out. And the number of flashbacks where acceptable and actually helpful. Sure, it's not a great show, but the lack of feeling annoyed by it is refreshing. That's how low I set the bar these days. The main actors do their job well and I like the supporting cast. It's engaging to see the two heroes getting to know their powers. The villain (the company and its henchman) is pursuing a plan hidden 'in the darkness', so there's enough excitement about who the heroes will encounter next. The finale makes you wanting more. Is O'Reilly a new villain? What are here powers? We'll see...

The show is mainly about a sympathetic looser named Dud who is a former surfer but after getting bitten in the foot by a snake in Nicaragua can't surf anymore. He has become a slacker sleeping in his car or, illegally, in apartments that are up for rent. Since he has no steady income he is in debt to the local pawn shop and is constantly trying to get some money from somewhere (e.g. on the beach with a metal detector) to pay it back. He often crashes at his sister's apartment. She works at a local diner trying to pay off the debt of their father who died a year ago surfing/diving. Or better, most likely died since his body was never found. Dud can't accept his fathers death, often having daydreams and seeing his father while looking into the water of a swimming pool. One day, he digs up a ring on the beach and tries to sell it at the pawn shop. It isn't worth anything but at least he is told that it's a membership ring for a local lodge. One day he accidentally ends up in front of it, so he wants to give the ring back. Since Dud is curious about the interior of the lodge, the man in charge, Ernie, shows him around. Dud decides to become a member and sells a watch, probably from his father, to pay the membership fee. All the members he encounters are likeable and relatable and you become invested in their lives. Dud and Ernie, though very different in character and age, become friends. There is a main plot-line about the succession of the old leader of the lodge but some of the members get their own little stories. One other plot-line involves Duds sister getting a chance to move up to corporate and become an executive. You get the feeling you're part of a bigger story about people being in a not so great place moving forward slowly, growing and developing. There are some twists and turns in later episodes you won't expect and one you might expect, making the trip a bumpy ride with characters having setbacks, one involving self sabotage. So the personal development of the main characters moves forward slower than you expect. Since you are invested in the characters and like them, it's an entertaining watch. However, what I didn't like about the show is, that towards the end, other characters get more screen time showing you their stories leading to too many plot-lines and making the show feel scattered. Another issue I have with the show is the season's finale. I think at best, you'll be ok with it, but I don't think you'll like it. I find it disappointing and unsatisfying because it leaves too many things unresolved. If the network decides to pick up the show for a second season, fine. But if not, which has happened often enough and you watched the first season, you might come to the conclusion that you've wasted your time.

It's a show about a murder of young girl in a small town in Missouri and Amy Adams is a journalist named Camille who grew up in that town but has left it a long time ago, after her sister got murdered there. She is joined by Chris Messina as detective Richard Willis from Kansas City who is somewhat a specialist for those kind of murders. Now, according to Wikipedia this is supposed to be a psychological thriller. After watching 5 episodes, I can assure you, there is nothing thrilling about that show. It's a psychological something. Sure, it has atmosphere and brings you in a certain mood. Is that enough? Of course not. Since nowadays it has become almost obligatory to add a chock full of flashbacks to any tv show, the writers appear to have made the decision to double down on that. Being true or not, you get the impression half of every episode consists of flashbacks. Ok, maybe only 30%. Additionally the producers thought it was masterpiece cinema to switch back and fourth between present and past within a second. To go even further, you'll see Amy Adams (now) seeing Amy Adams as a girl as well as other characters from the past in one scene. Sometimes, while watching this, you get the feeling, these flashbacks give you some crucial information about the killer and you have missed it. Or maybe you haven't missed anything. You just don't know. After 5 episodes, almost half of the season, Camille and Richard still have no clue who the killer is. They have literally nothing. Instead we have the very original story of someone coming back to her home town having to face her past and confront her (*sigh*) 'inner demons' . Of course, after 5 episodes, we don't know much about these 'inner demons' either. How do make people watch this show and stay with it until the finale? You give them interesting characters and an interesting story even though it might have no thrills most of the time. The problem with this show is: It. Has. No. Interesting. Characters. Period. You get characters you get stories, but nothing about it is compelling. The main character herself is somewhat of a stereotype. A damaged, alcoholic human being incapable of maintaining a personal relationship. Yeah. Fresh and new. There is simply not much more to it. It's well crafted, technically, but it's so much style over substance it's infuriating. I really don't use the term 'pretentious' a lot but this is definitely a big pile of pretentious BS.

Watched couple of episodes and during each of them new questions pop up. How on earth would a company let people actually use reverie when they have no save way of extracting people, even against their will? If someone doesn't come back, the relatives will sue the company. If someone comes back, but was in there for too long and having lost his/her job, he/she will sue the company. If someone experiences a trauma during a session he/she will sue the company. I could go on an on. Lawsuits over lawsuits. Maybe I missed that part, but how can you inject yourself inside a dream, when a dream has no location and you don't know what it is? I probably missed it... The show relies too much on people inside reverie not believing Mara that they're in danger and that they have to get out. So, they have to do a lot of 'research' and have to talk to a friend/relative which don't want to talk to Mara at first but open up to her after 2 questions because of her super-duper negotiating skills...Hmpf. Call me a macho, but that feels too much like a show aimed at women. Mara's back story is not very original, but ok. The former co-owner of reverie seems to be a dangerous enough opponent. The show tries to throw issues like terrorism and government abuse of the technology into the mix. But you would expect that nowadays. It's just a little too arbitrary. The show has an interesting premise, but the execution suffers due to the obvious flaws in the entire concept. If questions like the above (and more) pop up watching an episode, it's just not enough fun. All in all, it's not compelling enough for me but it will appeal to an audience. How big that audience ****'ll see.

Just like 'Cloak & Dagger', I didn't think I'd like it, but I did. Again, like the mentioned show, it doesn't feel padded or stretched out. No excessive flashbacks, good supporting cast. Story is good. Getting to know her powers, not a classic villain at first, but interesting plot. The motivation of the 'jumper-hunter' remains unclear, but the finale is interesting. If there is a second season... All in all, if you're into that kind of show, it's a good pick.

Not as good as the first season, but still worth watching. I like the Katydids, and some episodes are really good. Others, however, aren't, as opposed to the first season.

The show was entertaining, the characters interesting. However, there comes a point when you realize, that every attempt of the lead characters at having a lasting relationship is doomed to fail within what feels like a couple of weeks, the show becomes predictable and boring. Sure, you may want to know how exactly the relationships will crash and burn, but why should I get invested in new plotlines with new love interests when it's going to be over soon, anyway?

Turns out to be a good show. Season one was ok but the way it tried to pretend it wasn't obvious what was going on was a little silly. In season 2, it's different. We know what happened and the situation the people are in. The show is very good at conveying the feeling of repression when living under occupation. Masked armed henchmen everywhere, the strain is palpable. You can feel the pressure of the people walking the thin line between trying to give your family a good life even if it means some kind of collaboration with the authorities and on the other hand not betraying other people having them sent to "the factory". The cast and the story are good. I really like Peter Jacobson. His character is the most interesting one, even if he's a villain, at least in a way. I'm looking forward to season 3.

I think people are being too hard on this show. It's not highly ambitious and the show kind of works in that regard. Some of the jokes are really funny. The actors/comedians do what they can. I like them all. Alan Tudyk does his thing, and he does it well. Great to see Danny Pudy, Ron Funches, Christina Kirk again. Vanessa Hudgens' enthusiasm really works when surrounded by her more or less crazy co-workers. The problem that I see with this show is, that it's actually too unambitious, and I mean the writing. The stories the writers come up with don't match the concept and the premise of the show. Sure, set the bar low, you jump over it easily. I just wished, they would set the bar a little higher. In addition, some episodes totally miss out on any super-hero/-villain related theme and thus feel merely like and "office" show. That's unacceptable. The writers need to up their game. Well, never give up hope!

It's Season 2 and it's still such a terrific show. The story is still great, I like the characters and it all feels so real and authentic. Not one bit of cheesiness spoils this wonderful and exciting piece of entertainment.

I like Judd Hirsch and I tuned in just to see him. Sadly, this show is not nearly good enough to give it a pass. It feels too calculated and uninspired. An old white guy with a young fast talking black guy. Felt a little too stereotypical. If it just were funny enough, I could have accepted all that, but it isn't. It's run of the mill, a couple of oneliners and that's it. Katey Sagal is in it, but she doesn't get good lines or a lot to do. David Koechner is a bit more lucky, getting better lines. I liked Maz Jobrani, though. Still, the main characters and the supporting cast can't pull the show out of its mediocrity, to say it kindly. Next!

After 2 episodes, I couldn't believe what I saw. A top notch science fiction series with really good writing, acting and looking visually stunning. Some episodes further and I still couldn't believe how good this show was, in overall quality. After all that's been served to us as sci-fi and fantasy, they really created something amazing. Incredible!

The show won me over in season 1 and the characters have grown on me during season 2. Although, the beginning of season 2 and it's conclution of the season 1 plotline felt like it actually belonged into season 1. So, plot development was a little weired. However, plotlines and character development are interesting and suspenseful and among the things that happen, there are many that are surprising and unexpected. Definitely one of the better and entertaining shows on TV.

Season 3 and it's still one of my favourite shows on TV. The show stays at the top of its game and with no sign of weakness. It takes us on an exciting journey starting in the 80s and at the end of this season, it's the early 90s, and it's still interesting and exciting. I want more!

Still funny, but not as good and over the top as the first season. I had the feeling the writers were running out of ideas. However, finding out who those interrogators work for, was hilarious. Laura Benanti was funny as the chief interrogator. So, maybe not as good as the first season, still one of the best comedies on tv.

The first 2 episodes were ok, but episode by episode, it got better. Halfway through it started having some hilarious scenes in it. Much better than I expected. I like the supporting actors and Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant do a great job, especially the latter, playing the terrified, way over his head husband really well. Glad, the show got renewed for a second season.

I was hesitant at first, but I kinda liked it. Sure, it needs a certain suspension of disbelieve, especially how those three guys could actually pull off that kind of a stunt, but I liked the main characters and the plot was actually far less predictable than I expected. Will be tuning into the second season.

The only 'superhero' show I like. It surely is not for everyone. A great deal of plot takes place inside the main characters mind. So, if you're not into that kind of thing, you probably won't like it. I, for one, found it suspenseful and I was always looking forward to the next episode.

The show has it's charms and is entertaining, but it lacks energy. Pete comes across as a sympathetic looser and his journey is interesting and funny enough, but the performances of the other comedians trying to act are hit and miss. I'll keep on watching for now, but I'm not sure whether it will keep me interested...

It's good enough. Hank Azaria and Amanda Peet do their thing, and it works. The show has some week spots, but Hank Azaria cranks out a couple of funny performances that makes it worth my while and keeps me interested. I just wonder whether the show can go further down that lane without getting repetitive and boring. But let's wait...

After about 3 episodes, I still didn't find the main character and the ones surrounding her interesting. The show wants her to be cute and charming with a devil-may-care attitude, but that was all lost on me, especially because the writers didn't bother to flesh out her character any further. So, I didn't feel any spark in that respect and I found it all rather tedious. That leads you to wondering, why all those people around her think she's great and help her without getting anything in return. Ah well...nevermind. Give it a try, if you must. It's not worth my time, however.

Not as good as the first two season, not as funny. It had a more serious tone. I wouldn't have minded if they had balanced it out with humour. The beginning of the season spent too much time on Sharon's possible infidelity. Rob's unsuccessful search for a new job didn't do it for me, either. It felt there was much less happening, the plot was kind of stalling halfway through. I hope the show will return to form next season.

What I learnt from this show is: Even though I like Ken Jeong, a comedy show with him is not a safe bet. Like, at all! Yes, I like him, although his performances are usually over the top. He's been in shows/movies that were written well enough he could get away with it. Not this one. I don't know how to say it in a polite way. It's bad, it really is. I tried again and again, every now and then (that rhymes, I should sing it), but what I got was rarely funny. Call it stale, unoriginal, tired, it all winds up being: Not funny. The show may have a strong link to Ken's own life, but if it is this unfunny, nobody should know about it. Keep up the myth, bro! And I'm saying this the way Dr. Ken would say it, which is the way no one should say it. I read that the show got renewed for another season. A true headscratcher. Makes you loose faith in mankind. I'll try not to think about it. AFAIK it has a time slot before or after "Last Man Standing" with Tim Allen. Maybe there's where the magic lies. That show knows how to pander to a target audience. For five seasons! Well done Tim! And it helps Dr. Ken...sadly. You can help, people. Don't watch it.

Not long into the first season of "Lucifer" you will realize that this is going to be a police procedural. Lucifer. From Hell. Walking on earth. Helping a detective. Solve crimes. Why? Why a police procedural? With Lucifer. From Hell. And why do we need another police procedural? No matter if it's a new idea or a tv version of a movie, no matter how high concept the idea, why does it have to be a police procedural? It's Lucifer. From Hell. Guys! So is it good? I wouldn't call it that. It's kind of entertaining, more or less. It's not a complete waste of time. If you're into this kind of thing, you might like it. What's interesting in this show is Lucifer's "colleague", the female detective. She seems to be something special and her being close to Lucifer has a specific effect on him. But it's more or less only hinted at, at least for now. It may be something that will keep you interested and you might stick to this show, or not. What this show can't really do, is make me understand the reasons why Lucifer is helping to fight crime as a consultant. And also, why the police would want him as one. There have been enough episodes, but it's hard to swallow and you can't stop asking yourself again and again. "Why does he do it?". Depending on your expectations about the entity of a real Lucifer, you may find this version too ordinary and un-sexy, even though women find him irresistible in the show. A real Lucifer would know the desires of people, he wouldn't have to ask them. For this show to work, he has to know too little about people or mankind, if you will. And sometimes that feels pretty lame. I'm not sure if this show will give you a payoff, on the whole, week after week. So you try it out and decide for yourself. I'm not entirely convinced and I may quit. Let's see. I forgot, Rachael Harris is in it. I really like her. Doesn't help? Ok.

I was hesitant to watch this, but in the end, I did and I didn't regret it. The first few episodes might not make you want more but when you stick with the show, the characters will grow on you and it'll become an entertaining show. There are of course some minor points of critique, some things are a little contrived, like many shows I've watched recently are. But there's not too much of them to get annoyed. I didn't like the ending, however. It was anticlimactic and too much of a cliffhanger. Sure, the plan is to make the viewers tune in to season 2. But if there's no season 2, shows like this will lead to an increasingly disgruntled audience, that will be less and less prepared to take the risk of getting emotionally involved into new tv shows, only to be disappointed. Maybe I'm exaggerating but please, stop these kind of cliffhangers. You don't want to come across as a soap opera.

When the last episode was over I thought: "You really need a comedian to write a tragedy like this." I think it's hard to give this show a mediocre rating, because either you like it or you want to forget about it. I'll give that mediocre rating anyway, because it's an average of things I liked and those I didn't like. The show was very earnest and real. We have popular actors/actresses that did their jobs very well. Many of the stories the people told, where very touching. So, there was really something there, that I liked a lot. You needed a little patience, but it was mostly worth it. But what I ask myself and what leads to only a 5-rating is the why. Why all this tragedy, this suffering and sadness, what did it lead to? What do I get out of it? Nothing. After witnessing a tragedy like this, I need to take something with me. Sadness and tragedy alone are just sad and tragic. A sad and tragic story has to have more than that. Otherwise it'll make you sad and nothing more. I don't need a happy ending. But I need more than a "That's it. It's over.". All of them dead or gone. These are sad things you want to leave behind and if there isn't something more, there nothing you want to keep and take home with you. I appreciate Louis C.K.'s work, but it was too much of a downer for me with no apparent benefits.

If you like Patrick Warburton, it's hard to give the show a thumbs down, at least it's hard for me. I think the low ratings are too harsh. People are being too hard on this show and worse shows have gotten better ratings. But it's true, there is some funny stuff in there, but on the whole, I can't call it a good show. The characters themselves are ok, except for the two daughters. They were created after stereotypes and plotlines with them at their center tend to be lazy. A little improvement in writing would help the show to get a thumbs up, but I somehow doubt that will happen. We know the actors, and we know they have talent, but that is largely wasted. But I will keep my hopes up, you never know.

At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted the watch this show, considering there have been very few new shows I liked this season. But what a surprise, it's actually a lot of fun! If you want political correctness, this show might not be your cup of tea. It covers topics like sex, drugs, alcohol, but not really in a familiar and family friendly way. The way the parents talk with their two children about these issues is refreshing, original and very funny. The parents giving their kids "the talk" about sex ("how do you get pregnant") is just hilarious! I totally cracked up. The kids surprised me, because they contribute a lot of funny stuff. So, if you haven't, give this show a try!

The first and second season were good, after that, things went downhill. The third season was still somehow acceptable but after watching a couple of episodes of this season, I quit. I don't know what's wrong with the professional critics giving this show high ratings. Most episodes were boring and dull. And, of course, not funny, if you didn't catch my drift. Mindy's character was annoying from episode one, but without good writing and good comedy, she's unbearable. The only saving grace, maybe, is Ike Barinholtz. Being my favourite in the show, he always managed to crack me up. He's great! But, all I can say now is: End this show, please! Don't you have anything better on your platter?