Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!
Kyle’s Choice #1
Tonight, USA Network kicks off the new 10-episode event series The Purge, which is an extension of the popular film franchise. The 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution established the National Purge, a 12-hour period where all crime, including murder, is legal and all emergency services are shut down. This series takes place 10 years after the events of The First Purge and follows the intersecting stories of some of this year’s Purge participants (some willing and some not so much).
As the series opens, we are just 97 minutes away from the Purge, and folks are getting ready for the night of mayhem. Miguel (Gabriel Chavarria, East Los High) is a marine who returns home looking for his missing sister, Penelope (Jessica Garza, SIX), who had been coerced into joining a Purge-worshipping cult run by the charismatic Good Leader Tavis (Fiona Dourif, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency). Rick (Colin Woodell, Masters of Sex) and his wife Jenna (Hannah Emily Anderson, Shoot the Messenger) are trying to climb the social ladder by attending their first pro-Purge party with the rich and elite. And Jane (Amanda Warren, The Leftovers) is a hardworking woman who seems to always get passed over for promotion, so she has hires a Purge-assassin to help her break through the glass ceiling at her firm.
I am a big fan of the Purge franchise and have been really looking forward to this series. I am curious to see how a Purgestory can be told in a much longer format, where we can get more character development and backstory. I’m happy to say that I was not disappointed with tonight’s premiere, which mainly concentrates on the events immediately leading up to the start of Purge Night. It sets up a lot of interesting characters and events and introduces several ominous and mysterious situations. The series will make use of flashbacks to provide more backstory into how each of these characters ended up where they are at the start of the series. I’m excited to see how the rest of the season plays out!
At this summer’s San Diego Comic-Con, I got to speak with some of the cast and creators of the series. You can find my interviews at NoReruns.net.
On tonight’s episode, “What Is America?†Purge Commencement looms. Several characters find themselves venturing into the chaos of the night.
Catch the premiere tonight on USA Network at 10/9c.
Jump with us to see else we think you should watch.
Kyle’s Choice #2
Also premiering tonight, on FX, is the next chapter from Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter, Mayans, MC. The spin-off series is set in the present, 4 years after the events of Jax Teller and the Sons, and follows the Southern California chapter of the Mayans M.C., on the Cali/Mexi border. The series centers around Ezekiel “EZ†Reyes (JD Pardo, East Los High), a young man who had a promising future before a mistake eight years earlier landed him in jail and ruined everything. Now he’s fresh out of prison and a prospect for the MC, with his older brother as his mentor. EZ is about to enter a very different and more dangerous world than he originally saw in his future. The MC is currently involved with the cartel, providing protection as they transport shipments of their “product.†However, they now find themselves under attack by a mysterious, highly skilled group that always seems to be one step ahead of them. Edward James Olmos also stars as EZ’s father Felipe.
For those who have seen Sons of Anarchy, this series has a very similar look and feel – and even some familiar faces that pop up now and then. EZ also feels like the idealistic Jax from the first season of Sons. Jax started off as the guy with the idea that he could change things for the better, and EZ feels very much the same here. He still acts like a Boy Scout who wants to do good and help people, but is it just a matter of time before the M.C. life crushes that spirit?
I don’t think you have to have seen Sons of Anarchy to fully enjoy this series. While there are a few crossover characters and Easter eggs that pop up, the majority of the characters and the storylines are brand new and completely separate from the previous series. I really enjoyed tonight’s premiere and will definitely be checking out more of this 10-episode first season.
On tonight’s premiere, “Perro/Oc,†EZ’s fate is in flux as the M.C. and the cartel find a common adversary.
Meet the newest members of the club tonight on FX at 10/9c.
I’ll also be watching/recording Wrecked and Carter.
