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
First thing this morning, A Discovery of Witches made its U.S. debut on streaming services Sundance Now and Shudder. The series, which aired on Sky TV this past September in the UK, is based on the bestselling “All Souls†trilogy by Deborah Harkness. Historian Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer, Hacksaw Ridge) is a witch who refuses to use her magical powers – not that she really knows how to control them anyway. After her parents were murdered, Diana was raised by her Aunt Sarah (Alex Kingston, ER, Doctor Who) and her partner Emily (Valarie Pettiford, Being Mary Jane) in their farmhouse in Madison County, New York. Sarah is upset that Diana denies her magical heritage and wants her niece to embrace being a witch, but Diana is more concerned with her academic career. While she received tenure at Yale, Diana has now returned to Oxford in hopes of obtaining a professorship.
While doing research for a paper on Alchemy, Diana accidentally discovers a bewitched manuscript that had been thought to have been lost for hundreds of years. When she opens the book, she finds herself thrust into a dangerous world of witches and vampires, with many parties eager to get their hands on the manuscript. Vampire/geneticist Dr. Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode, The Crown, Downton Abbey) has been trying to figure out why his breed are dying out and are having trouble siring new vampires. He has been looking for The Book of Life for over 100 years and believes the manuscript contains information about how the vampires were created – this information may be the key to their survival. He finds himself inexplicably drawn to Diana after she opens the book but must try to control his urges. Meanwhile, power-hungry witch Peter Knox (Owen Teale, Game of Thrones) is also after the book, but he has other, more nefarious purposes in mind.
This series is beautifully shot, with some really great production value. The pilot quickly establishes the main characters and some of the rules of this world, where vampires, witches, and other demons hide in plain sight among the humans, always fearful of being discovered. The first season is 8 episodes and covers the events of the first book of the trilogy. The series has already been renewed for two more seasons, and the plan is to cover one book per season, so there’s plenty more to come for fans! I’m not sure if there are plans to eventually air the series on the linear Sundance TV network, but today the entire season is available on both the Sundance Now and Shudder streaming services.
At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, I got the chance to speak with some of the cast and creators of the series and hold the actual book itself! Check out my interview videos at NoReruns.net.
Check out the entire first season streaming now on Sundance Now and Shudder!
I’ll also be watching/recording Grey’s Anatomy, A Million Little Things, The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Fam, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place, Gotham, and The Orville.
Jump with us to see else we think you should watch.
Jenny’s Choice
I was so thrilled to have Brooklyn Nine-Nine back last week. The move to NBC didn’t upset any of what makes the show great. It was still just as funny and heartfelt as it has been since the beginning. The season opened right where the previous season left off: Jake and Amy were married, they were all celebrating at the bar, and Capt. Holt was about to read the email that told whether or not he’d gotten the position of commissioner. Unfortunately (well, fortunately for us!) he didn’t get it, and it sent him into a tailspin, and he decided to take a vacation… Also unfortunate, it was to the same resort that Jake and Amy went to for their honeymoon. Holt showing up everywhere they happened to be really put a damper on things – even interrupting the hilarious moment when Amy was dressed up as the woman from Die Hard for a fun sexytimez with Jake. The two of them attempted to make Holt feel better, but they only convinced him that he should quit for good. Thankfully they also made him change his mind about that, and before he left the resort, he offered to pay to extend their honeymoon, minus Holt himself. He was going to go to the mayor to complain about the new commissioner’s policy (similar to “stop and friskâ€).
Back at home, Rosa went to Terry with a problem, and Terry went from being confident to freaking out because he didn’t think he could help her like Holt would have. He spent the episode trying to find Holt’s instruction book he’d written to his replacement in case he did get the commissioner job. In one of the most heartfelt moments of the episode, when Terry did get his hands on the book, one of the first things it said was that if they ran into a problem they couldn’t solve, to ask Sgt. Jeffers, who always knew what to do. It was really sweet. The other story line that episode was Charles learning his father and Gina’s mother were getting a divorce. He kept trying to get Gina to spill about why, going so far as to put on a wig and mask of Gina’s face to try to unlock her phone (and wasn’t that creepy?!), and he was pissed when he learned she’d told her mother to leave his father and get a divorce. But it was a sad and sweet moment at the end when she admitted that yes, she’d said that because she’d found out her mother was cheating on him and he didn’t deserve that.
And finally, Jake and Amy returned from their extended honeymoon, and Holt said he had indeed gone to the mayor, but apparently the new commissioner wasn’t very happy. He’d closed the lower floor of the building, so now all of the people who worked there were now working on the 99 squad’s floor. The elevator doors opened to completely crowded chaos. LOL It’ll be fun to see how THAT works out! (I’ve seen tonight’s episode, and it goes just as well as you’d imagine! Haha Plus, tonight’s story is one fans have wanted to see for ages, and it’s just perfect!)
On tonight’s episode, “Hitchcock & Scully,†Jake and Charles investigate a case of Hitchcock and Scully from the 1980s. Meanwhile, Amy’s uniformed officers and Terry’s detectives fight over limited resources.
See how Hitchcock and Scully became who they are tonight on NBC at 9/8c.
I’ll also be watching/DVRing The Big Bang Theory, The Titan Games, Top Chef, Dr. Pimple Popper, Fam, & Beat Bobby Flay.
Phoebe’s Choice
Not sure if you’ve tuned in yet for the delightful scifi comedy that is The Orville, but we’re early in season two and you have time to hop in the escape pod and join us on this galactic adventure. Created by and starring Seth McFarland, the show is a Star Trek satire that is almost better than several iterations of that iconic franchise. (Sorry, Trekkies, but it’s true!) This past week they built an exit from the show for actress Halston Sage by writing a satisfying conclusion to her arc.
The episode began with Alara, Sage’s character, discovering that she was losing both strength and body mass. Her home world’s intense gravity was the source of her superhuman strength, but being absent from it so long was starting to take its toll. This forced her to take a sabbatical on that home world, called Xeleyah. Captain Mercer (McFarland) personally drove her home. We saw that her family was highly anti-military and as such did not approve of her enrollment in the space fleet, but they were very glad to have her home. They wanted her to quit. She just wanted to recuperate and then get back on the ship. There was some tension, and they decided to go to the family’s beach home for some peace of mind.
Back on the Orville, they got a new security chief in the form of Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld, The Tick, The Venture Bros.). He’s quirky and kind of gross and perhaps perfect for this show. Surprised to find another family vacationing at the remote beach near them, Alara’s family invited them to dinner. Soon, though, tables turned and the unexpected guests were holding them hostage at blaster point! Their son committed suicide, and they blamed Alara’s father, for he was the one who stopped his science career early. Rightfully so, though, he insisted. Captain Mercer came back during this situation to check on Alara’s recovery, which was perfect timing to allow Alara to spring into action. She soon had subdued both the bad guys. In the end, though, she opted to stay on Xeleyah, retiring from the fleet to spend more time with her family and go back to school. The option to return to the show stays open while Sage gets better roles in movies. Win/win. And maybe a third win if Warburton stays on for the rest of the season? We’ll see starting tonight!
On tonight’s episode, “Nothing Left On Earth Excepting Fishes,†Ed finds himself behind enemy lines when he crash-lands on a mysterious planet. Meanwhile, Kelly questions why Gordon wants to take the Command Test.
See how Ed gets out of possible trouble tonight on FOX at 9/8c.
I’ll also be watching Gotham, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place, and the actual Trek show that airs these days, Star Trek: Discovery in its season premiere.
Megan’s Choice
Grey’s Anatomy returns tonight after leaving us on the edge of our seat in the fall finale. There was a horrible windstorm in Seattle, and it rocked the hospital to its core. The doctors were dealing with traumas left, right, and center when the power went out, stranding Meredith in the elevator with Deluca. Owen, Amelia, and Teddy were also stranded together. There was a lot emotional drama and sexual tension happening in those elevators. Deluca and Meredith need to end up together, but she is unsure about him because of the fact that he dated her sister. The other elevator is where the emotional bomb was dropped because Teddy came clean about being pregnant and it’s Owen’s baby – this could really ruin the relationship Owen and Amelia have been rebuilding. In true Grey’s fashion, I have no idea what is going to happen, but I am here for the ride.
On tonight’s episode, “Shelter from the Storm,” the windstorm continues to blow through Seattle; and after the power goes out at Grey Sloan, the doctors are left scrambling to save their patients’ lives, including Meredith, who desperately needs to get to Cece for her heart transplant. Meanwhile, Owen, Amelia, and Teddy confront their complicated situation.
To find out if any of these complicated situations have a light at the end of the tunnel, tune in to ABC at 8/7c.
I’ll also be watching The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, The Titan Games, A Million Little Things, The Good Place, Law & Order: SVU, and Top Chef.
