TV Recap: Aug. 21-27, 2022

NEW SHOWS
Kevin Can F**k Himself – “Mrs. McRoberts Is Dead” (B+) / season premiere
Felt very reminiscent of Breaking Bad, in that the writers have painted themselves into a corner, then have to figure a way out of it. The first half felt a little forced and flustered, but the second half was a stroke of genius.

Only Murders in the Building – “I Know Who Did It” (A-) / season finale
A rousing, meta resolution to this season’s mystery. The show’s middle 10 minutes or so – at the “killer reveal party,” which is a killer party that reveals the killer – was some of the most purely pleasurable television of the year.

BINGEING
The Critic – Season 2 (B+ average)
Not as sharp as its first season, but Jay’s ongoing relationship with single mom Alice lets him reveal some rare human emotions. A shame this show didn’t last longer.

The Sandman – Season 1 (A- average)
Holy shit, they did it. After decades in development hell, this team pulled it off. They made the intricate stories and beautifully horrifying images come to life, all while updating the characters in ways that made perfect sense for 2022.

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Too Early for This: Oscar Picks – August 2022

I’m not going in-depth this time because only – checks notes – one potential Best Picture nominee has come out so far. So enjoy the mystery for now.

BEST PICTURE
Armageddon Time
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
Bardo

Empire of Light
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans

She Said
The Son
White Noise

BEST DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle, Babylon
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Bardo
Sam Mendes, Empire of Light
Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness

BEST ACTOR
Austin Butler, Elvis
Adam Driver, White Noise
Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Hugh Jackman, The Son
Bill Nighy, Living

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Tár
Viola Davis, The Woman King
Ana de Armas, Blonde
Carey Mulligan, She Said
Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once

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TV Recap: Aug. 14-20, 2022

NEW SHOWS
Evil – “The Demon of the End” (A) / season finale
Two words: Demon Nativity. After last week’s unexpected turn of events, I was expecting more tragedy. But things seemed to work out for our trio of assessors and their families, at least until the horrifying revelations of the last 10 minutes. No show is more willing to make us love our characters despite their flaws, and I can’t think of any show that would end with a Laurie Anderson song.

Better Call Saul – “Saul Gone” (A) / series finale
About as good as could be expected. While I initially thought all the cameos were too cutesy, they actually make the whole episode even sadder. This finale even mirrors Breaking Bad‘s “Felina,” with the criminal protagonists attempting to making things right with their former accomplices before getting what they deserve (if such a thing exists). If Odenkirk goes this entire show without ever winning an Emmy, it’s further proof the Academy doesn’t know what they’re doing.

The Rehearsal – “Pretend Daddy” (A) / season finale
All of the hand-wringing and thinkpieces over the show’s ethics proved unnecessary, as Nathan Fielder himself wrestles with the impact his show had on one of its youngest participants: a 6-year-old boy named Remy who bonded with Nathan in their many days of parenting practice. It’s brilliant, heartbreaking and hilarious.

BINGEING
The Critic – Season 1 (B+ average)
Some of the jokes and movie parodies are extremely dated, but the core still works. This is still a funny, culturally literate story of a very lonely man who loves cinema, food and his son.

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Every Episode of Seinfeld, Ranked in Tiers

I recently finished a rewatch of Seinfeld on Netflix, so I figured I’d do something I haven’t done in two years: I’ll rank every episode in tiers. Some rules: Nothing in Season 1 is up to the highs of the show’s best, and only a handful of episodes in the final season are.

So here are my rankings. Disagree away!

CLASSIC TIER
Season 1
N/A

Season 2
“The Apartment”
“The Deal”
“The Chinese Restaurant”

Season 3
“The Pen”
“The Library”
“The Parking Garage”
“The Subway”
“The Fix-Up”
“The Boyfriend”

Season 4
“The Cheever Letters”
“The Opera”
“The Virgin”
“The Contest”
“The Pick”
“The Outing”
“The Implant”
“The Junior Mint”

Season 5
“The Puffy Shirt”
“The Dinner Party”
“The Marine Biologist”
“The Hamptons”
“The Opposite”

Season 6
“The Race”
“The Beard”
“The Jimmy”
“The Fusilli Jerry”

Season 7
“The Engagement”
“The Wink”
“The Sponge”
“The Wait Out”
“The Invitations”

Season 8
“The Bizarro Jerry”
“The Little Kicks”
“The Chicken Roaster”
“The Abstinence”
“The Little Jerry”
“The Pothole”
“The English Patient”
“The Summer of George”

Season 9
“The Merv Griffin Show”
“The Slicer”
“The Betrayal”
“The Burning”

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TV Recap: July 31-Aug. 6, 2022

NEW SHOWS
Reservation Dogs
“The Curse” (A-) / season premiere
“Run” (B+)
This was already one of my favorite shows of last year. As soon as the creepy dude picked up Elora and Jackie and started playing Pat Green’s “Wave on Wave,” I knew it was going to be one of my favorites of this year too. Both of these are typical second season “reintroduction” episodes, but there’s no show on TV more pleasurable than this. Even when times are tough for these characters, there aren’t any I’d rather spend time with.

Beavis and Butt-Head
“Escape Room/The Special One” (A-) / season premiere
“Boxed In/Beekeepers” (B+)
As sublimely stupid as ever.

BINGEING
The Bear – Season 1 (A- average)
A pretty monumental achievement, especially given how challenging it is to begin with. FX and Hulu may submit this as a comedy, but it’s pretty clearly a drama, and a heavy one at that. Most of these actors I’ve never seen before (including the lead, since I never watched Shameless), and they all knock it out of the park. It may have raised my blood pressure, but it also raised the bar for shows in an already great year.

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Streaming Picks: August 2022

FILMS
Top Pick
Licorice Pizza – Prime 8/5
One of 2021’s best and most prickly films is now widely available, for good and for ill. Paul Thomas Anderson’s sunny coming-of-age comedy is a joy to watch, though outrage-minded viewers will find plenty to crow about online. Watch it and decide for yourself.

Other Recommendations
10 Things I Hate About You – Peacock 8/1
21 – Hulu 8/1
The 40-Year-Old Virgin – Peacock 8/1
500 Days of Summer – Prime 8/1
The Age of Adaline – Netflix 8/1
A.I. Artificial Intelligence – Prime and Paramount+ 8/1
Akeelah and the Bee – Hulu 8/1
American Gangster – Peacock 8/1
American Sniper – HBO Max 8/1
Amy – HBO Max 8/1
Animal House – Peacock 8/1
Backdraft – Peacock 8/1
A Beautiful Mind – Peacock 8/1
Before Midnight – Prime and Paramount+ 8/1
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – Prime 8/1
A Better Life – Peacock 8/1
Billy Madison – Peacock 8/1
Black Swan – Hulu 8/1
The Blair Witch Project – Hulu 8/1
Blast from the Past – Hulu 8/1
Blazing Saddles – Hulu 8/1
Blow Out – HBO Max 8/1
Blue Velvet – HBO Max 8/1
The Book of Eli – Peacock 8/1
The Boss – Peacock 8/1
The Breakfast Club – Peacock 8/1
Bridget Jones’s Baby – Paramount+ 8/1
Bridget Jones’s Diary – Netflix 8/1
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – Prime and Paramount+ 8/1
Cake – Paramount+ 8/1
Casino – Peacock 8/1
Cast Away – Hulu 8/1
Constantine – Netflix 8/1
Cooties – Peacock 8/1
Crooklyn – Peacock 8/1
Dan in Real Life – Hulu 8/1
Definitely, Maybe – Peacock 8/1
Despicable Me – Hulu 8/1
The Devil’s Backbone – HBO Max 8/1
Do the Right Thing – Peacock 8/1
Enemy – HBO Max 8/1
Enemy of the State – Peacock 8/1
Ex Machina – HBO Max 8/1
Eyes Wide Shut – Netflix 8/1
Face/Off – Prime and Paramount+ 8/1
Fantastic Mr. Fox – Hulu 8/1
Fast Times at Ridgemont High – Peacock 8/1
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – Netflix 8/1
A Fish Called Wanda – Prime and Paramount+ 8/1
Frost/Nixon – Peacock 8/1
Funny People – Peacock 8/1
Gaslight – HBO Max 8/1
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai – HBO Max 8/1
Ghostbusters (1984) – Hulu 8/1
The Good Shepherd – Peacock 8/1
The Graduate – Paramount+ 8/1
Grease – Paramount+ 8/1
Groundhog Day – Hulu 8/1
Happy Gilmore – Peacock 8/1
Haywire – Peacock 8/1
A Hologram for the King – Peacock 8/1
Horrible Bosses – Peacock 8/1
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People – HBO Max 8/1
Hulk – Peacock 8/1
I Feel Pretty – Hulu 8/1
I’m Still Here – Prime 8/1
In Time – Hulu 8/1
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) – HBO Max 8/1
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back – Paramount+ 8/1
Kingpin – Prime and Paramount+ 8/1
Knocked Up – Peacock 8/1
Legends of the Fall – Netflix 8/1
Lions for Lambs – HBO Max 8/1
Little Women (1994) – HBO Max 8/1
Locke – HBO Max 8/1
The Lost City – Prime 8/1
Love & Basketball – Netflix and HBO Max 8/1
The Machinist – Prime 8/1
Man on Fire – Hulu and Peacock 8/1
Men in Black – Netflix 8/1
Men in Black 3 – Netflix 8/1
Men of Honor – Hulu 8/1
Mermaids – Prime 8/1
Midnight Run – Peacock 8/1
Miss Congeniality – Netflix 8/1
Mississippi Grind – HBO Max 8/1
A Most Violent Year – HBO Max 8/1
The Mummy (1999) – Peacock 8/1
The Muppets Take Manhattan – Hulu 8/1
Mystic Pizza – HBO Max 8/1
Mystic River – Peacock 8/1
Ninja Assassin – Hulu 8/1
Obvious Child – HBO Max 8/1
Once – Prime and Paramount+ 8/1
Planes, Trains and Automobiles – Paramount+ 8/1
Pride & Prejudice (2005) – Peacock 8/1
The Proposal – Peacock 8/1
Reality Bites – Peacock 8/1
Remember – HBO Max 8/1
Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion – Prime and Paramount+ 8/1
Ronin – Prime 8/1
Salt – Peacock 8/1
Serenity – Peacock 8/1
Shame – Hulu 8/1
Shooter – Paramount+ 8/1
Shrek – Peacock 8/1
Shrek 2 – Peacock 8/1
Slow West – HBO Max 8/1
Source Code – Hulu and HBO Max 8/1
The Spectacular Now – HBO Max 8/1
Spider-Man – Hulu and Netflix 8/1
Spider-Man 2 – Hulu and Netflix 8/1
State of Play – Peacock 8/1
Sweet Home Alabama – Peacock 8/1
Synecdoche, New York – Hulu 8/1
There Will Be Blood – Paramount+ 8/1
Thief – Prime 8/1
This Is 40 – Peacock 8/1
The Town – Netflix 8/1
Trouble with the Curve – HBO Max 8/1
Tusk – HBO Max 8/1
Uncut Gems – Peacock 8/1
Under the Skin – HBO Max 8/1
Undercover Brother – Peacock 8/1
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story – Prime and Paramount+ 8/1
Wanderlust – Hulu 8/1
War Horse – Hulu 8/1
Waves – Peacock 8/1
Wayne’s World 2 – Prime 8/1
The Wedding Singer – Hulu 8/1
Whiplash – HBO Max 8/1
Woman in Gold – Netflix 8/1
The Yards – Prime and Paramount+ 8/1
You’re Next – Peacock 8/1
Flight – Netflix 8/2
Belfast – HBO Max 8/5
Skyfall – Netflix 8/5
The Nice Guys – Netflix 8/9
Candyman (2021) – Paramount+ 8/11
Dope – Netflix 8/11
Mr. Peabody & Sherman – Peacock 8/11
Father of the Bride (1991) – Hulu 8/12
The Hate U Give – Hulu 8/15

NEW SHOWS & SPECIALS
Top Pick
Reservation Dogs (Season 2) – Hulu 8/3
One of 2021’s very best shows got no love at the Emmys, but that sadly wasn’t surprising. But the show still returns triumphantly with a two-episode premiere. Last season ended with countless possibilities, so I’m excited to see where it goes.

Other Recommendations
Beavis and Butt-Head (Season 9) – Paramount+ 8/4
Bluey (Season 3, Part 1) – Disney+ 8/10

OLD SHOWS
Top Pick
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season 8) – Peacock 8/12
The show’s attempt to grapple with its place in the lineage of other pro-cop series always brought the comedy to a grinding halt. But when it focused on its brilliant ensemble making jokes, it still sang. The one great addition was John C. McGinley as the officers’ union rep, who’s single-mindedly focused on making sure law enforcement is never held responsible when they break the law.

Other Recommendations
Beavis & Butt-Head (Seasons 3 & 5) – Paramount+ 8/3
George Carlin: Life Is Worth Losing – Peacock 8/11

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TV Recap: July 24-30, 2022

BINGEING
The Staircase (A- average)
During this mostly excellent limited series, I was reminded of Barbet Schroeder’s Reversal of Fortune, another true crime story in which the defendant is such a duplicitous snake that it’s mostly clear that he isn’t responsible for his wife’s death, but it’s not hard to see why so many people thought it was possible. This is definitely Colin Firth’s best role to date, playing a man whose charm has gotten him out of any uncomfortable situation. But this time, the house of cards that is his life can’t hold up anymore. Toni Collette – as the victim – is also tremendous, especially when she’s not doing a trademarked Toni Collette Freakout. Surprisingly, they got the show’s only Emmy nominations. But Antonio Campos’s direction and the performances of Michael Stuhlbarg and Parker Posey also deserved some love.

REWATCH
Seinfeld – Season 9 (B+ average)
It’s clear they ran out of steam in the last few episodes, including the deservedly maligned “The Puerto Rican Day.” The finale is a different beast. The courtroom stuff in “Part II” still amuses me greatly, but “Part I” is a drag. The pre-finale clip show remains the gold standard for this type of thing.

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TV Recap: July 17-21, 2022

BINGEING
Reno 911! – Season 8 (A- average)
The team hasn’t really missed a beat. I, of course, skipped their Quibi season, because nobody watched Quibi. But this return to 22-minute episodes has made me laugh harder than just about anything else this year. There wasn’t a better sight gag than Jonesy (Cedric Yarbrough) dressed as Frederick Douglass singing Silk’s “Freak Me.” And there wasn’t a funnier episode title than “Dangle’s Mike Pence Challenge Coin.” Even Niecy Nash, who was clearly unavailable for most of the filming, was expertly deployed during the show’s many fake PSAs.

CURRENT SHOWS
The Rehearsal – “Orange Juice, No Pulp” (A) / series premiere
Nathan Fielder’s brilliant new show absolutely lived up to the hype. Metaphorically and literally constructed with surprises at every turn, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before, not even Fielder’s past work.

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TV Recap: July 10-16, 2022

NEW SHOWS
Better Call Saul – “Point and Shoot” (A) / mid-season premiere
I wasn’t among the group that considered themselves slightly bewildered by the previous episode, which ended with a shocking death. The writing staff has perfect crafted every moment, so even when we know certain events will or won’t happen, we’re still on the edge of our seats. It’s much harder than it looks.

What We Do in the Shadows
“Reunited” (B+) / season premiere
“The Lamp” (A)

BINGEING
Hacks – Season 2 (A average)
From now until the end of the year, this will be jockeying for the top spot on my favorite shows list with Barry and Better Call Saul. This show was already sharp and sexy, but it went to another level this season, even adding old pros like Laurie Metcalf and Harriet Sansom Harris. Both the show and the characters are more confident, leading to an obscene amount of laughs.

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2022 Emmy Picks: Drama

DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Euphoria (HBO)
Ozark (Netflix)
Severance (AppleTV+)
Squid Game (Netflix)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Succession (HBO)
Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Potential surprises:
Bridgerton (Netflix) – 1 nomination
The Gilded Age (HBO) – new show
Pachinko (AppleTV+) – new show
This Is Us (NBC) – 4 nominations
Yellowstone (Paramount Network) – never nominated

Ineligible: The Boys, The Crown, The Handmaid’s Tale, Lovecraft Country, The Mandalorian, Pose

In my dreams: Evil (Paramount+)

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Brian Cox, Succession
Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Jeremy Strong, Succession

Potential surprises:
Jonathan Bailey, Bridgerton – never nominated
Kevin Costner, Yellowstone – never nominated
Adam Scott, Severance – new show
Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us – 3 nominations

Ineligible: Jonathan Majors, Josh O’Connor, Regé-Jean Page, Billy Porter, Matthew Rhys

In my dreams: Mike Colter, Evil

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets
Mandy Moore, This Is Us
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria

Potential surprises:
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show – 1 nomination
Toni Collette, Pieces of Her – new show
Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age – new show
Juliette Lewis, Yellowjackets – new show
Elisabeth Moss, Shining Girls – new show
Annie Murphy, Kevin Can F**k Himself – new show

Ineligible: Uzo Aduba, Olivia Colman, Emma Corrin, Elisabeth Moss, Michaela Jae Rodriguez, Jurnee Smollett

In my dreams: Katja Herbers, Evil

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