Category: TV Series

Genre: TV Series                                 

Grade: A

Notable People: Ansel Elgort, Odessa Young, Ken Watanabe, Sho Kasamatsu Created by: JT Rogers

Title: Tokyo Vice

Review: Wow- this is still a hard one to not want to binge. Adapted from the memoir of Jake Adelstein, a young man from rural Missouri, who goes to Japan to pursue his dream of being an investigative journalist for Japans’ leading newspaper, Season 2 picks up full steam where the first season left off-and only gets better. Jake doubles down in all of the underbelly of Tokyo life and becomes ensnarled with the devilish ministrations of the infamous Yakusa gangs. The supporting characters become more fleshed out in season 2 with a number of compelling outside story lines. Extraordinarily well acted, with crisp dialog and a startling sense of being encompassed by Japanese culture- half in English and half sub-titled. Elgort, Young and Kasamatsu are perfectly cast in great roles and Watanabe may be the foremost Japanese actor of his generation. I found myself bowing to people everywhere I went. Season 3 is purported to be most likely.

Genre: TV Series   

Grade: A-/B+

Notable People: Sly Stallone, Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Max Casella, Dominick Lombardozzi, Created by: Taylor Sheridan

Title:  Tulsa King

Review: New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi is released from prison after 25 years and exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Okla.; realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, Dwight slowly builds a wacked-out cowboy/misfit/ drug dealer crew. Part comedy and part Mafia wannabe show, Stallone takes the cake, shocking us in his comedic versatility and deadpan one liners. This is not high brown art, but a lot of fun and a close second in mob-gone awry shows to Miami Steve in Lillehammer. Another boost for the current Midas touch of serial television, Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, et al). I am almost ashamed to admit how much I liked this show- which was immediately renewed for second season, moving from Tulsa to Atlanta………. Yo, Adrienne……

Genre: TV Series   

Grade: A-

Notable People: Juno Temple, Jennifer Jason Leigh, David Rysdahl, Joe Keery, LaMorne Morris, Sam Spruell, Jon Hamm, Created by: Noah Hawley

Title:  Fargo

Review: By far the best season since the initial season and though it does certainly not match the chops of the original Francis McDormand film, it has the Coen brothers stamp all over it. Hamm has a career resuscitating role as a very bad religious zealot/crazed all powerful rural and controlling sheriff (and father/husband) and serial abuser- after his stuck as Mad Men hiatus and Spruell is the character you’d expect from every Coen brother’s effort.

Temple is magnificent (how did she manage that accent), and unrecognizable from her wonderful stint in Ted Lasso. The merging of sweet, passive and lilting classic Minnesota personalities combined with the underlying evil and violence is just too good- Hawley and the Coens are masters at this. Loved this cast, loved the writing, loved the bizarre array of Lutherans. Fargo is the story that shifts like a chameleon, but, thankfully, does not go away

Genre: TV Series                          

Grade: A

Notable People: Damian Lewis, Paul Giamatti, Corry Stoll, Maggie Siff, David Constabile, Asia Kate Dillon, Daniel Breaker, Condola Rashad, Jeffrey DeMunn, Created by: Andrew Ross Sorkin

Title:  Billions

 

Review: after several lackluster seasons following the departure of Lewis and the loss of the amazing Bobby Axe character, the show rebounded for magnificent finale with Lewis’ return and his subsequent uneasy alliance between he and US Attorney, Giamatti, to fight the evil empire that was Stoll. Snappiest dialog on serial TV and an individual and absolutely huge recurring, ensemble cast for the ages. Constable steals every scene he is in as the dandy Daddy Wags and DeMunn is wonderfully malevolent as the know-it-all patriarch fixer. The writing on the last season was a masterpiece and the finale riveting. A show that makes you like most of the characters despite their astounding level of greed and self-indulgence; just great acting. This show will  be missed

Genre: TV Series       

Grade: A

Notable People: Omar Sy, Herve Pierre, Ludivine Sagnier, Antoine Gouy, Created by: George Kay and Francois Uzan

Title:  Lupin

 

Review Sy gets more brilliant with each season as the amazingly charming and astoundingly resourceful Assane Diop; a world class thief (think Robin Hood or Errol Flynn) who models his every move on the exploits of a French literary hero. The thrills are a mile a minute, while still being incredibly cerebral and challenging to keep up with. This third season had impossibly trumped the first two. Wonderful series-plus you get a bird’s s eye view of Paris as a bonus.

Genre: TV Series      

Grade: A-

Notable People: Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, Fiona Shaw, Created by: Nick Pizzolatto, Issa Lopez

Title:  True Detective

 

Review I usually no longer review additional seasons of a show I have already reviewed-but each of this show’s season are so distinctly unalike and individualized that I’m making an exception. This season, developed by original creator of the series, Pizzolatto, and featuring Jodie Foster, was by far the best since the amazing first season with McConaughey and Harrelson. Set in the dark season (no light at all) in remote Alaska it is a riveting tale of obsession, mysticism, friendship and power/greed. Foster has reinvented herself for this role and Reis is a screen staler. The ambience is unlike anything else on television, and although confusing at times, it is hard to look away from. Very unusual, very intense, not for everyone- but film quality television. A whopping 92% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes- which is unheard of for a TV series.

Genre: TV Series   

Grade: A

Notable People: Gemma Arterton, Arsher Ali, Matthew Beard, Rupert Everett, David Threllfall, Tom Bateman, Created by: Morwenna Banks from the novel by Nick Hornby

Title:  Funny Woman

Review Brilliant series set in early 60’s Mod/Canaby street, London. Gemma Arterton Is simply luminous in the title role of a small town girl from rural north of England who wants to be more than Miss Blackpool. Woman’s lib, Gay rights, anti-censorship all in embryonic states and dealt with straight on in this this well set and very funny show with a who’s who cast of British character actors. Fantastic music, costumes, sense of the he times. Just loved this show. Can’t miss watching this one. Renewed for second season without a doubt.

Genre: TV Series    

Grade: A-/B+

Notable People: Kitty Flanagan, Kitty Zemiro, Marty Sheargold, Created by: Kitty Flanagan and Vincent Sheehan

Title:  Fisk

Review Flanagan is wonderful as a lost soul lawyer in this Australian show shoe also produced, writes and directs. Lost soul lawyer Helen Tudor- Fisk (often sounds like tuna-fish!) joins a dysfunctional brother-sister Probate law firm. Flanagan is an iconic comedian in Australia and very droll-dry funny, with some tip of the hat to Larry David’s Curb. The half hour comedy is light, airy and quite funny and her de riguer brown pants suit is worth the price of admission. Australians seem to make good TV (check out “Rake”)

Genre: TV Series                           

Grade: A++

Notable People: Ken Burns and Lynn Novak

Title: The Vietnam War

Review I’ve said before that Burns is the greatest documentarian in film history, and I would place this as his absolute masterpiece. The ten part, 20 plus hour series from 2017 narrates the sad and sordid tale of US involvement in southeast Asia, from the replacement of the French invader-hordes during the Eisenhower years and through the next four presidents. It took us 3 months of dinner watching increments to get through this- partially because of how long it takes, but mostly because of its raw power. It portrays the greatest divide in American history post-civil war- even greater than our current mayhem, and is filled with moral degradation, extraordinary lack of leadership, fear and power based lies that led to the loss of 60 thousand American lives. These were our children sent off by charlatans to fight an ideological power struggle on the other side of the world; one that was never in a million years going to be won. Burns does am amazing job of presenting all sides of this ideological debate, including many perspectives from both South and North Vietnamese warriors, as well las our own. That sense of what this decade of madness did to it warriors/participants becomes absolutely overwhelming to watch in the final episode as they look back, reflect on the impact their, and their family’s lives and ultimately build an astounding remembering wall; we wept for most of those two hours. No American should avoid watching this; if we do not learn from the mistakes of history we are doomed to repeat them. Amazing.

Genre: TV Series        

Grade: A

Notable People: Brie Larson, Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King, Kevin Sussman, Beau Bridges, Created by: Lee Eisenberg

Title: Lessons in Chemistry

Review A drama series starring Larson as a pregnant chemist who teaches a cooking show in the 1950s. The series explores her challenges and choices as a woman in a male-dominated field – and world. The cast is great and the post-war LA fifties focus is exceedingly well done. My friend, Ana, told this was must watch TV, and I signed up for a week long binge for free on Apple to watch it. Larson is absolutely riveting in career defining role as a total nerd/scientist lacking any social skills or any desire to be social, until she meets an equally nerdy Nobel prize type scientist, played to the hit by Pullman. The show brings out a lot of emotion and a lot of well-deserved shame about the way we treated woman as recently as the 1950s. Originally planned as clearly a one and done miniseries of the popular book- the sow has been such a surprise that season two is being considered by Apple. This is terrific show.