TV Review: Mob Psycho 100 (2016)

Mob Psycho 100 (2016) written by Hiroshi Seko based on the manga by One

Shigeo Kageyama is a regular middle school student except he has psychic powers. He keeps a low profile at school and the rest of his life, keep his powers in check and never using them against other people. Sometimes he might show off but he is more worried about than impressed with his own abilities. He goes to a psychic consultant named Reigen to get advice. Reigen's business is a sham--he pretends to be a psychic and solve supernatural cases, though he just tosses salt around most of the time. When he realizes Shigeo (who is nicknamed "Mob") has authentic powers and can banish evil spirits, he takes him on as an assistant so he can "teach" Mob how to control his powers. They start having odd adventures battling local disturbances and larger, more organized psychic problems. Meanwhile, Mob tries to fit in at school. He joins the body-building club to get more exercise and a more impressive physique. The jocks are amiable fellows devoted to working out and take him under their care. He's also in a telekinesis club, though they mostly play games and eat snacks. They don't initially know about Mob's powers. And, being a school student, he has a girl he's interested in but too shy to talk to.

The show is a great blend of action and comedy, with occasionally very serious bits. Mob is good-natured and tries to help out people, often trying to talk them out of doing bad things before using his powers. Some situations escalate out of control and he has to use his powers. He also sometimes escalates out of control, with his emotions hitting "100" and resulting in a power outburst. Most of the rest of the cast are good-natured and helpful. Normally, in a situation like this the jocks would be bullies/antagonists but they are on Mob's side. Reigen is comically fraudulent and does give good advice and guidance to Mob. Mob is able to turn around some of the bad guys, including an impish spirit called Dimple. I was surprised how charming and inventive the show is, though I am definitely a fan of oddball things.

Highly recommended.

TV Review: Wonder Man (2026)

Wonder Man (2026) created for television by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest based on the Marvel Comics 

Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a hard-working actor who works too hard on his performances. He tries to dig into his characters' back stories, even on set when the rest of the production is ready to go, not to renegotiate the narrative. He gets fired from his current job. Desperate, he hears a childhood movie hero, Wonder Man, is being rebooted by a German auteur director, so he moves heaven and earth to get an audition. He happens to run into Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) who is also down and out. Williams idolizes Slattery, who helps him out and is also trying out for Wonder Man, though in another role. Slattery has ulterior motives. The Department of Damage Control has taken him into custody and blackmails him into befriending Williams so he can get the dirt on Williams. Damage Control suspects Williams is dangerous, which viewers see at one point when Williams stresses out and causes a bit of destruction in his apartment through some sort of superpower. 

The show has more than a bit of Hollywood narcissism--a story about actors and their tough lives, with lots of name dropping and famous locales. I found that aspect disappointing though I am sure others would enjoy it. On the other hand, I liked the growth of Simon's character, away from a self-defeating perfectionism and self-centeredness. A lot of it is due to his friendship with Trevor, which is all a front at the beginning. Trevor learns to like Simon and hate that he is betraying him. They have good chemistry together and their misadventures are entertaining if not always sensible. The ending is especially satisfying.

Recommended, especially for Marvel fans.

As I write (September 2026), this is only available on Disney+.

TV Review: Little House on the Prairie (2026)

Little House on the Prairie (2026) created for television by Rebecca Sonnenshine based on the book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Ingalls family heads out west to start a new life in the town of Independence. Charles Ingalls (Luke Bracy) took a flyer at its word and sought his own piece of land. The Osage Indians still live in the area but the federal government is working out a deal. The trip is treacherous, almost costing their lives. They find help from some neighbors and some of the Independence townfolk, including Doctor George Tann (Jocko Sims), who patches up some injuries on Caroline (Crosby Fitzgerald), the mother. Daughters Laura (Alice Halsey) and Mary (Skywalker Hughes) have a tough time adjusting. Mary is bookish and misses friends and family; Laura is more of a tomboy and has troubles being more lady-like. They go through various adventures as Pa builds the house and farms the land while the rest of the family interacts with the neighbors (including a Native American family with a much nicer house and Mr. Edwards (Warren Christie), a rough settler living on his own nearby). Trips to town put them in touch with the local women's club (creating social drama for Caroline) and the general store with its cute young boy clerk (creating romantic drama for Mary), and the James family with its two daughters about the younger Ingalls's ages (creating social drama for both Mary and Laura). 

The stories are loaded with drama thanks to the difficulty of frontier life. All the episodes are interesting and a lot of attention is given to side characters like the doctor, who gets romantically involved with the general store owner. The Native American family are part of the Osage tribe about to be displaced if the deal with the US government goes through. Most of the adventures have happy endings and the family's plucky American spirit often wins the day.

Another television adaptation ran for ten years starting in 1974. Starring Michael Landon as Pa and Melissa Gilbert as Laura, the show was a childhood favorite in my family. The two stars have a lot of star power, boosting an upbeat and family-friendly drama. This new series has fine acting but no one is particularly outstanding. The stories have a slightly larger scope, telling the experiences of side characters, especially the indigenous population who are more sympathetic than in the 1970s show. The old show did not do much with the Indians, though a scene of two males invading the Ingalls cabin and taking most of their stuff is in both shows. In the 1970s, it's a moment of unmitigated terror (Pa is in town, leaving the women alone to face the half-naked males who don't speak English). In the new show, subtitles reveal that one of the Native Americans claims he is justified in taking the Ingalls' stuff since the whites have taken a lot from the Osage. They still come off as bad people and get something of a comeuppance, but they are treated as more complicated than earlier. 

I haven't read the books, so I don't know how either series compares to the source material. This new series seems like a prequel because the 1970s series is set in Walnut Grove, the existence of which only comes in at the very end of the 2026 series.

I enjoyed this series though I think the original 1970s show is better. Maybe that's my childhood bias showing? I would watch more of this show if/when they make more.

Mildly recommended.

As I write (August 2026), this is only available streaming on Netflix.

TV Review: The Count of Monte Cristo (2024)

The Count of Monte Cristo (2024) directed by Bille August based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas

Edmond Dantes (Sam Claflin) is on the verge of becoming ship's captain for his boss and husband to his sweetheart Mercedes (Ana Girardot). The previous captain died during their last voyage, leaving Dantes in charge of the ship. The captain alos picked up a letter during a clandestine meeting with Napoleon on his first Mediterranean exile. Dantes does not know about the content of the letter but his rival for the captaincy, Danglars (Blake Ritson), knows it is treasonous. He hatches a scheme with Fernand (Harry Taurasi), a cousin of Mercedes who wants to marry her. They send a letter to the local police investigator Villefort (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard) accusing Dantes of being a Bonapartist. Villefort investigates and is on the verge of exonerating Dantes when he discovers the letter is intended for Villefort's father, a Parisian Bonapartist. If that gets out, his father will be in trouble and so will Villefort. Villefort sends Dantes off to prison at the Castle D'If, an island prison where none escape. Mercedes promises to be true but Dantes's death is falsely reported. She eventually marries Fernand, Danglars becomes a wealthy banker, and Villefort works his way up to Paris law enforcement.

In prison, Dantes swears vengeance and eventually makes friends with Abbe Faria (Jeremy Irons), an imprisoned priest who has been tunneling out of his cell. Faria and Dantes start tunneling together as Faria educates Dantes on everything he knows, including a fabulous treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. After years of work, Faria dies before they are done. Dantes makes a fabulous escape, finds the treasure, and returns to France as the Count of Monte Cristo, ready to get his revenge on the people who put him through fifteen years of unjust and horrible imprisonment.

The story is famous and has been made into film and television versions many times. This recent PBS Masterpiece production has lavish settings and costumes. The eight-episode arc has time for most of the plot of the book. It does a good job with that. The filmmakers throw in some extra subplots that weren't really necessary--an affair that results in an illegitimate child and a lesbian couple. Those creative licenses stick out like sore thumbs and do not sit well in the narrative. The performances are good and the ending retains Dantes's realization that his revenge has a much bigger cost than he expects. This would have been great if the creators stuck more closely to the novel.

Mildly recommended.

TV Review: Spider-Noir (2026)

Spider-Noir (2026) created for television by Oren Uziel based on the Marvel Comics character

Ben Reilly (Nicholas Cage) is a private detective in 1930s New York City. He used to be The Spider, a super-hero who fought crime (organized and otherwise). That ended five years earlier when his wife died. Since then, crime is on the rise, especially due to the influence of Silverback (Brendan Gleeson), a crime boss who is on the lookout for new opportunities. One opportunity is the emergence of other superpowered people. Through subordinates, he hires Reilly to tail a guy who can cause fires (like the Fantastic Four's Human Torch). The guy sets fire to Siverback's mansion, so finding the flame guy is more important than ever. Reilly discovers another PI on the case, who winds up getting killed when the situation gets more complicated. Reilly is able to talk his way out of the situation, though he winds up being hired by lounge singer Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li), who is more or less owned by Silverback, to find her missing bodyguard who is also developing superpowers. As the situation gets harder and more complicated, will Reilly resume his alter-ego he had hoped to leave behind?

Obviously the answer is yes, though he goes through a lot of angst along the way. Reilly's motto is "With no power comes no responsibility," which he knows deep down is the wrong way to go about things but he's also so burned out and unhappy. Cage gives a good performance, with some of the over-the-top ticks and physicality that he is known for. The PI part of his character lets him bluff his way into and out of situations; the Spider part lets him physically imitate a spider or other insect. 

The show leans into the noir with the down and out detective going up against organized crime, which includes corrupt cops and politicians. The villains are scarred war vets (like Reilly) who have trouble fitting into society, only partly because of their new powers. Plenty of whiskey is drunk and plenty of cigarettes are smoked. The show is available in black and white or color. I watched the first episode in black and white then immediately afterward in color. I didn't think the color added much to the storytelling so I kept with the black and white. The show has dutch-angled shots almost all the time, another trademark of noir films though maybe not as much as here. I found the style enjoyable if occasionally over the top.

Marvel has generally been successful in doing the superheroes-in-a-given-genre treatment (Ant-man as a heist film, Captain America: Winter Soldier as 1970s paranoid political thriller. etc.). This is another example which I enjoyed.

Recommended.

As I publish this (June 2026), the show is only available streaming from Amazon Prime.

TV Review: The Burroughs (2026)

The Buroughs (2026) created for television by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, executive produced by the Duffer Brothers

Recently widowed Sam (Alfred Molina) moves into The Buroughs, a retirement community chosen by his wife for their twilight years. All their money is sunk into it, so he can't refuse to stay though he is very unhappy there. He initially rebuffs his neighbors but is convinced to try being friendly rather than lonely. His cul-de-sac has a bunch of eccentrics that he meets at a barbecue hosted by his neighbor Jack (Bill Pullman). Sam starts to blend in but the situation gets worse when he goes to Jack's house one night and discovers a monster feeding on Jack. Sam manages to chase the monster away but Jack dies from the injury. Sam's first reaction is doubt, especially since he keeps having visions and nightmares of his deceased wife. Is he mentally unwell or are monsters really creeping around all over the place?

The show follows a familiar story arc for Sam as he tries to sort things out, both with the threat and with his new friends and with his supportive daughter Clair (Jena Malone). The stellar cast includes Alfre Woodard and Geena Davis as neighbors. They all do a great job. The creepy town has all the amenities you'd expect (like the Mexican restaurant, pickleball, and fancy golf carts to get around) and has that menacingly far-too-innocent vibe about it. Not much of it feels original but the blend is nice and Sam is a very sympathetic character played masterfully by Molina.

Mildly recommended--I enjoyed watching this but probably won't watch it again unless some friends or family want to watch it together.

TV Review: Legends (2026)

Legends (2026) created by Neil Forsyth based on The Betrayer: How An Undercover Unit Infiltrated The Global Drug Trade by Guy Stanton and Peter Walsh

In the early 1990s, Margaret Thatcher's government wanted to step up drug enforcement, especially with the deaths of two young people that played prominently in news coverage. The job falls to Customs House, which keeps an eye on stuff and people coming into the United Kingdom. Specifically, the project is given to Don (Steve Coogan), a higher up who has had experience going undercover to expose criminal operations. His first problem is that no one in Customs has any training in undercover work. He puts out an internal advert and has to whittle down interested employees (who know no details about what they will be doing). He winds up with four agents. Guy (Tom Burke) is a family man who is bored with his regular job but doesn't want to endanger his family. He works alone, infiltrating a Turkish crime family bringing in heroin. Kate (Hayley Squires) and Bailey (Aml Ameen) work together to infiltrate the Liverpool distribution system. Erin (Jamine Blackborow) works behind the scenes supporting their cover stories (called "Legends" by Don) and tracking down license plates, companies, people, and any other information needed. The system is volatile since the field workers quite often make it up as they go along, leading to a lot of harrowing situations.

The show moves at a brisk pace but it also keeps things grounded and the characters' problems (professional and personal) in focus. The cast is very good, portraying bravado and vulnerability. Some bits at the end are "big speeches" about themselves and the importance of their work. By that point in the story, they feel justified. The complications that arise make for exciting drama. The show is very satisfying.

Highly recommended.

As I write this (June 2026), this is only available streaming from Netflix.

TV Review: Stranger Things: Tales from '85 Season 1

Stranger Things: Tales from '85 Season 1 created by Jennifer Muro and Eric Robles based on the series created by the Duffer Brothers

Set between the second and third seasons of Stranger Things, the story here introduces a new kid, Nikki (voiced by Odessa A'zion), who joins up with Eleven (voiced by Brooklyn Davey Norstedt) and her friends. Nikki's mom is a substitute teaching science at Hawkins Middle School while the regular teacher is on a short sabbatical. What isn't on sabbatical is a group of new terrors from the Upside Down who didn't get eliminated in the sealing of the rift. As the baddies attack various kids, Eleven and the gang fight them. Nikki witnesses one fight and joins up, since she's a misfit too. She's a tinkerer and has a garage full of inventions that happen to be helpful in fighting the monsters of Hawkins. But can she survive the meta-problem of being a character not in the regular continuity?

The show is animated which has strengths and weaknesses. The entire cast is replaced visually with drawings. None of the original actors have returned to reprise their roles, which is a bit jarring. The creature effects work well. The script is okay. It introduces new people and monsters and features a twist or two to keep the suspense going amidst the action. But it can't really change anything big or introduce anything really new without breaking the larger narrative it's nested into. I mostly enjoyed the show but wasn't wowed. They write the characters like they are in the live action show  but there's nothing amazing or breath-taking. 

Mildly recommended--you definitely need to see the show before watching but it's not as good as the show. I may watch Season 2 when it comes out, but it won't be a priority.

As I publish this (May 2026), this is only available streaming on Netflix.

TV Review: Secrets of the Silent Witch (2025)

Secrets of the Silent Witch (2025) created by Matsuri Isora

In Monica Everett's world, magic is created by chanting formulas and using mana. She is a horrible candidate for magecraft since she is extremely shy and withdrawn around other people, hardly ever speaking up. But she has a lot of mana and works hard, discovering how to craft magic without chanting. So she becomes the Silent Witch. Her abilities are great enough that she becomes one of the Seven Sages, the greatest magic-wielders. But she still would rather be surrounded by books than by people. She retreats to a mountain cabin where she studies and writes. This idyll is ruined when another of the Sages comes to her with an assignment. Second Prince Felix is attending school at a prestigious academy but threats have come against his life. The other Sages are too old to pass for students at the school (and thus protect the prince in secret). But Monica looks the right age because she is the right age. She reluctantly goes to the school where she needs to befriend others and surreptitiously defend the prince from any would-be assassins. 

Monica's character is very charming and sympathetic. Her awkwardness around others is a common problem, especially among teenagers. She loves books and numbers, often assessing others based on mathematical ratios or solving problems by calculating out things. She slowly gains friends, mostly people who want to help her fit in or excel at the school. Her intelligence lets her save the prince more than once while her style of interacting helps keep suspicion off of her. The show moves at a slow pace, working through various prestigious school challenges like tea parties, horseback riding, ballroom dancing, and chess. And assassination attempts. The situations provide humor as well as character and plot development. It's a very enjoyable watch.

Recommended.

TV Review: Untamed (2025)

Untamed (2025) created by Elle and Mark L. Smith

A young woman falls off of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, almost taking out two mountain climbers coming up the face. National Park rangers show up to investigate, including the Investigative Services Branch Agent Kyle Turner (Eric Bana). He's a bit of a prima dona and is clearly very competent but not very popular with the regular rangers. For help (and to keep tabs on Turner), he's assigned the relatively new Ranger Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago), who came over from the Los Angeles police department. They have an uneasy but growing professional relationship as they work to discover who the girl is and why she ran off the cliff edge. The investigation involves an odd assortment of park employees and residents (including a hippie compound hiding out inside the park) and a lot of painful history for Turner. His young son died six years ago in the park under horrible circumstances, an event that did a lot of damage to him.

The story begins with interesting mystery and good character development. The cinematography is beautiful and the unfolding of the mystery is handled well if slowly. Turner's backstory is very moving and Bana gives a great performance that buoys up the slower moments of the show. Unfortunately, a lot of the elements become very familiar and the last two episodes of the six-episode arc look more like a soap opera than a mystery thriller. I was losing interest fast but they managed to finish out before I lost patience.

Barely recommended--watch for the scenery and the good acting.

Currently (March 2026) this is only streaming on Netflix.

TV Review: The Wrong Mans Series 2 (2014)

The Wrong Mans Series 2 (2014) created by Matthew Baynton and James Corden

After being inadvertently drawn into a massive conspiracy in the previous series, innocent Brits Phil (James Corden) and Sam (Matthew Baynton) wound up in a witness protection program. Their car exploded but they managed to escape; the government faked their deaths to protect their families. The guys have different names and live in a small Texas town. Sam wants to go back home even though it would be risky for his girlfriend, who suspects a conspiracy and has spent the time since his funeral advocating for a government release of information. Phil is more settled in, though that changes once he fakes a call home (which he isn't supposed to do) and the neighbor answers, saying his mom is in hospital for serious problems. Phil decides he does want to go back since his mum has no one else. They work together through all sorts of schemes and complications involving Mexican smugglers and Eastern European terrorists.

The show gives an enjoyable comedic take on over-the-top conspiracy/spy shows like 24 and Alias. The story is totally bonkers but in a fun way. The two leads keep things moving along and are charming enough to keep viewers rooting for them. Things turn out well even as more and greater implausibilities are piled up. The Christmas theme running throughout is a nice touch. I enjoyed the whole thing as diverting fun.

Recommended.

I watched it for some credits on Kanopy. Weirdly, Series 1 is not available though I had seen it a long time ago.

 

TV Review: Eighty-Six (2020)

Eighty-Six (2020) created by Asato Asato from the light novel series

The Republic of San Magnolia, a somewhat-ahead of our time country, is at war. They tout their defense forces as unmanned drones heroically knocking back the enemy. But the drones are not unmanned, they are vehicles piloted by people (mostly teens) from the Eighty-Sixth district. Eight-sixers are considered socially inferior to the grey-haired, blue-eyed denizens of the other eighty-five districts. So naturally they are disposable and maybe not trustworthy. The military uses handlers (safe tucked away that the capital's military headquarters) to direct the drones' attacks. One handler, Major Lena Milize, is outspoken in her contempt of the situation. Her military equals at HQ spend most of their time drinking and enjoying themselves and making fun of her for how seriously she takes the responsibility. Her record stands for itself, with many successes. She's assigned to a new group, one that has caused previous handlers to go crazy or commit suicide. 

As the story goes on, it spins away from the capital and Major Milize. The focus narrows to the elite unit which survives several battles and gets involved in harder and harder missions. They eventually get the opportunity to leave the battlefield behind, but they have more loyalty to each other and to victory than they have contempt for the oppressive elitists hiding at the capital. And they slowly gain some respect for Lena

The story deals with a lot of different issues. There's class division that makes both sides contemptuous of the other, though some characters are able to look beyond that and recognize their shared humanity. The Eighty-sixers also deal with a lot of death in their ranks, since they are constantly on the front line and don't always have the resources they need. The interesting social dynamic is supported by exciting action sequences and an extra sub-plot where two siblings wind up on opposite sides of the conflict. The whole package is handled well.

Recommended.

TV Review: Agatha Christie's Seven Dials (2026)

Agatha Christie's Seven Dials (2026) adapted for television by Chris Chibnall from Christie's novel

Hosting a swanky party at their dilapidating mansion in 1925, Lady Caterham (Helena Bonham-Carter) and her daughter Bundle (Mia McKenna-Bruce) wake up the next morning to discover one of the guests has died. Not just any guest, either, but Gerry (Cory Mylchreest), a bright young fellow working the Foreign Office and soon to propose to Bundle. Circumstances make it look like suicide to the bumbling junior detective called in. Bundle, who is clever and likes to ask questions, does not buy that interpretation and begins her own investigation. The clues are very mysterious, like the seven alarm clocks set up on the mantle in Gerry's bedroom (even though eight were planted throughout the room as a practical joke) and a mysterious half-written letter to his half-sister that mentions "Seven Dials" with no context. As Bundle follows the trail of clues and bodies, a grander conspiracy is exposed.

The story starts off very promising. Bundle is the sort of spunky young woman most parents hope their daughter grows into--she has enough self-will not to get steamrolled by anyone and she's smart enough not to be hoodwinked. Random clues are revealed and suspicion gets tossed around in the typical Christie way. Unfortunately, in the last half hour the explanation of what is going on comes and it is rather preposterous. The bigger conspiracy does not quite hang together and many bits of action at the end are very implausible. The story veers off from cozy mystery into international espionage, a transition that is very abrupt. The ending is a bit silly and opens up the possibility of sequels more in Ian Fleming's genre than Agatha Christie's.

Barely recommended--this is eight- or nine-tenths good, but failing at the end hurts a lot.

As I write this (January 2025), this is only available streaming on Netflix.

TV Review: Stranger Things Season 5 (2025)

Stranger Things Season 5 (2025) created by the Duffer Brothers

With the town of Hawkins under a military lock-down, all the factions are trying to accomplish something. The heroes are trying to hunt down Vecna in the Upsidedown, using technology and grit, even though Vecna supposedly was destroyed at the end of the last season. The military are looking for Eleven (Mille Bobbie Brown), who is trying to lay low but also participate in the hunt for Vecna. The Upsidedown baddies (maybe led be Vecna?) kidnap a seemingly random citizen of Hawkins, which brings on the confusion and shifting priorities for the good guys. Mayhem ensues from there.

The final season is exciting and pulls most everything together for a big blow-out ending. Some of the character bits feel too drawn out (like the "coming out of the closet" scene) but most are right on target. The action is fun and, for the most part, well thought out. Everyone gets a moment of heroism and their narratives end in satisfying ways. It's a good ending to the show which felt a little wobbly in the last season.

Recommended.

As I write this (January 2025), this is only available streaming on Netflix.

TV Review: Blood Blockade Battlefront Season 1 (2015)

Blood Blockade Battlefront Season 1 (2015) created by Yasuhiro Nightow

New York City has been renamed Hellsalem's Lot because a portal to a Hell-like dimension opened up several years ago. Demons and other oddities have poured into the city. Life is a mixture of magic, superhuman (and indeed non-human) characters, and typical city life. Leonardo is a young photographer who has special "All Seeing Eyes of the Gods" and comes to Hellsalem's Lot to join Libra, an organization that fights crime in the city, specifically the weird, supernatural stuff. The organization itself is a collection of oddballs with random powers using their abilities in creative ways. 

The show is a bit episodic--the characters usually deal with a situation of the week. A subplot is introduced with twins (a boy and girl) who become part of a bigger plan to upset the balance of power. The twins are marginal until the last two episodes. One of the other episodes focuses on finding a place for lunch that everyone can agree upon, so the show balances the over-the-top action with a lot of humor like that. The characters are fun with some interpersonal intrigue to go along with the bigger action. Viewers are dropped into the story in the middle and it's a bit hard to keep up with what's going on, especially for English speakers/readers who need to read subtitles along with translations of data being shown on screen. I feel like I need to go back and pause the show at points so I can get all the details, a prospect I find enjoyable. Maybe before I watch season 2...

Recommended, though you have to keep up with a lot that's going on.

TV Review: A Man on the Inside Season 2 (2025)

A Man on the Inside Season 2 (2025) created by Michael Shur based on the Chilean documentary The Mole Agent

Charles (Ted Danson) is still working at Julie's (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) detective agency but they are doing the bread-and-butter jobs 0f private investigation--busting suspected cheating spouses. Charles wants something more substantial than following sleazy guys around. A job falls in their laps--Wheeler College is about to honor one of their graduates, but only to get a $400 million-dollar donation from him. Brad Vinick (Gary Cole) is an egotistical corporate sleazeball about to get his portrait in the gallery of great graduates from the college. College President Jack Beringer (Max Greenfield) gets an anonymous threat and his laptop is stolen. Anonymous threatens to reveal secrets unless the college refuses to give Vinick honors and take his money. Julie's agency is hired to find the laptop and who the anonymous person is. Charles pretends to be a visiting professor of engineering at the school, trying to sus out who among the faculty might be blackmailing the president.

The story spins out from there, ranging through a lot of suspects and a lot of personal dramas. Charles immediately falls romantically for Mona (Mary Steenburgen), a music professor who is a kooky free spirit and instantly off Charles's list of suspects (but not off Julie's). Pompous English professor Doctor Benjamin Cole (David Strathairn) despises Charles so naturally he's Charles's top suspect. Plenty of other characters are possible suspects too. If that's not enough, Charles goes back to the retirement home community for help, along with his daughter and their family. A lot of narrative strands are played out with most of them getting resolved sooner or later. The writers care maybe even more about the characters than the mystery.

I found the show enjoyable but not as tightly realized as the first season. The resolution of the mystery is not quite credible but the focus is more on comedy and personal situations. Quite a few in-jokes and easter eggs are thrown into the show too. I laughed plenty each episode and appreciated the occasional insightful commentaries on human relations.

Mildly recommended--this is a fine sequel but not as good as the first season.

As I write (December 2025), this is only available on Netflix. 

TV Review: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023)

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023) created by BenDavid Grabinski based on the comics by Bryan Lee O'Malley

This animated version of Scott Pilgrim's life starts off like the movie and graphic novels, where he discovers the literal girl of his dreams Ramona at a party in his hometown of Toronto, Canada. Her seven evil exes mobilize to fight him before he can date her. In the first fight, Scott loses--a major plot twist in the very first episode and the exact opposite of what happens in the previous versions. The story then plays out as Ramona tries to figure out what happened. Their friend Young Neil mysteriously writes a screenplay for a Scott Pilgrim story where he beats all the evil exes, which goes into production and stars many of those evil exes. So at least they show up in Toronto and Ramona does not have to go far to interrogate them.

I was happy to see that this was not just another faithful adaptation into another format (i.e. a cash grab). The plot twists open up new possibilities, most of which work well, and are fun. The show has the same lighthearted tone and visual style. Toward the end I figured out what was going on before the characters did. The whole series is quite entertaining. All the cast from the movie came back to voice their characters and they do a great job. This is a labor of love and whimsy and will be very enjoyable for fans of the other Scott Pilgrim stuff.

Recommended, highly if you are a Scott Pilgrim fan.

As I write (November 2025), this is only available streaming on Netflix.

TV Review: Cassandra (2025)

Cassandra (2025) created for television by Benjamin Gutsche

A family moves in to a smart home built in the 1970s. The place is a bit run down but the son Fynn (Joshua Kantara) tinkers with the system and manages to get it back on line. Every room in the house has a monitor with a smiling female face. Also, a tall, slim, red robot has a TV for a head which also shows a seemingly benign Cassandra (Lavinia Wilson). It isn't long before the AI starts doing odd things, especially torturing Sam, the mom (Mina Tander), who is suffering from PTSD after her sister committed suicide in their previous home. Flashbacks show the original owners (and builders) of the house, a biomedical scientist (Franz Hartwig) and his manipulative and paranoid wife whose name is....Cassandra (yep, same actress). The horror drama builds out from there as pre-teen, modern-day daughter Juno (Mary Amber Oseremen Tolle) befriends the AI and father David (Michael Klammer) tries to keep things from getting blown out of proportion by the rest of the family.

The show does a good job slowly playing out the plot, revealing what happened in the 1970s and paralleling it with the present-day family's life. Some of the twists and horrors are a little far-fetched and hard to believe, even toward the end of the show. The series still has its moments of chill and is good at building cliffhangers for each episode. I'm not sure the premise of an evil-AI house holds up for six hours of narrative but this is a good effort.

Mildly recommended and not for the younger crowd. Also, this is a German production and I watched with Englis subtitles.

As I publish this (October 2025), this is only available streaming on Netflix.

TV Review: Resident Alien Season 1 (2021)

Resident Alien Season 1 (2021) created for television by Chris Sheridan based on the comics by Peter Hogan and Steven Parkhouse

An alien (Alan Tudyk) comes to Earth to wipe out the human race. His ship crashes and he loses his mass extinction device. The nearest town is Patience, Oregon, a small and somewhat isolated place. He kills and takes on the appearance of a local doctor, Harry Vanderspeigle. He winds up faking the doctor's social and professional life, which is complicated since the main doctor in town died in mysterious circumstances. He is roped in to be the new doctor. The local police chief (Corey Reynolds), a blowhard who puts more credit in his dog than in his deputy (Elizabeth Bowen), runs a slow and unsteady investigation. Harry's biggest problem is Max (Judah Prehn), a young boy who can see through Harry's disguise and tries to expose him. Max's dad is the town's milquetoast mayor (Levi Feihler) who tries to get along with everybody, to the town's detriment. Vanderspeigle's nurse assistant Asta (Sara Tomko) has a lot of her own small town drama to deal with in addition to the strange new behavior of her boss.

The series shifts the plot from the comics, where Harry is just trying to get along until he can contact home to come and get him. Even with the darker "kill them all" element, this show has a much more light-hearted tone. The alien is sarcastic and superior even though he comes off quite clueless about how humans interact. Tudyk is brilliant in the role both physically and in his line delivery. A lot of voiceover happens with Alien Harry commenting honestly on situations in which he has to try to blend in and be "normal." The show has numerous side plots like the conflict between the sheriff and his deputy, Asta dealing with a daughter she had abandoned in her teens who is now in town, and others. Most things are played for laughs and the show is very enjoyable, if very adult. Harry has a hard time dealing with sexual matters (his species does not have complementary sexes) and some dialogue is surprisingly graphic, though again it's played for laughs more than shock value or social commentary.

Recommended--the show isn't for kids but is very entertaining.

TV Review: Wednesday Season 2 (2025)

Wednesday Season 2 (2025) created for television by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on characters created by Charles Addams

Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) returns to Nevermore Academy, a school for "outcasts" where she saved the day in the last season. Now she is a campus celebrity, a situation that does not sit well with her. She wants to develop her abilities, especially her psychic ones that helped her hunt down a serial killer over summer vacation. After an intense vision that included the death of her roommate Enid (Emma Myers), Wednesday loses her powers just as new murders start happening in Nevermore and the surrounding community of Jericho. If those were not enough problems, new Principal Dort (Steve Buscemi) finagles Wednesday's mom (Catherine Zeta-Jones) into organizing a fundraiser for the school. So mom is around to provide feedback and stress for young Wednesday. Also, her brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) starts at Nevermore, creating more social and familial problems.

The show starts off a bit more gruesome than I wanted with Pugsley digging up a legendary corpse who is reanimated but very rotten physically. The gore scales back as the season progresses, more into what I was expecting. The plot moves along at a good pace, though I think it is probably impossible to guess where it is going since the mysterious reveals are pretty outlandish. Ortega and Myers make a good odd couple, especially when they get to play each other in a body-swap episode that is delightful. The acting in general covers the weaknesses in the plot or the wholesale borrowing from other horror classics like The Evil Dead II. It's an entertaining season that sets up the action for the next season.

Recommended if you are a fan of the previous season.

As I write (October 2025), this is only available streaming on Netflix.