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
Today, Amazon’s free IMDb TV service launches its first original series, Alex Rider, which is based on Anthony Horowitz’s best-selling teenage James Bond-like spy novel franchise. (The author also serves as an executive producer on the TV series). Alex Rider (Otto Farrant, Mrs. Wilson) is just your normal London teenager, who enjoys hanging out with best friend Tom (Brenock O’Connor, Game of Thrones, Dickensian), and deals with normal teenager problems. But all that is about to change.
Alex lives with his uncle Ian (Andrew Buchan, The Spanish Princess) and American housekeeper Jack (Ronke Adekoluejo, Been So Long). When Alex’s uncle is brutally murdered, Alex discovers a secret that shatters his seemingly-normal world. Ian Rider was actually a spy, and he had been secretly training Alex in all aspects of espionage since his childhood. Now MI6 wants Alex’s help to investigate his uncle’s death, which they believe is connected to the assassination of several high-profile billionaires. They ask Alex to go undercover, posing as a new student at Point Blanc, a mysterious, elite boarding school in the French Alps, where the ultra-rich send their troubled teenagers to be reformed. However, Alex soon uncovers something much more sinister going on at the school. In order to survive this deadly, dangerous situation, he’s going to have to utilize all the skills his uncle had taught him over the years. At the same time, Alex doesn’t necessarily know who he can trust as it starts to look like his uncle’s death may have been an inside job.
I have been a fan of the Alex Rider novels for a long time, so I was really excited to check out this series. Fortunately, I was far from disappointed — it successfully translates all of the action, tension, and drama from the novels onto the small screen, with top notch production value. As each episode ended I was excited to keep binging to see what happened next. In this series, Alex has been aged up slightly from the books, but the casting was well done — Otto Farrant gives an excellent portrayal of this iconic title character. The rest of the cast is also great — Ronke Adekoluejo’s casting as Jack is probably the most drastic difference from the books, but I quite enjoyed the actress’s take on the character.
In 2006, the first Alex Rider book was adapted into the feature film Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker. The first season of this series adapts the second novel, “Point Blanc,†across eight episodes. However, Alex’s origin story has been reworked into this first season, so there is no need to have seen the previous movie. The series includes several iconic scenes and action sequences from the book that are faithfully re-created for fans of the novel. Alex Rider has a great blend of action, drama, mystery, and even some humor, and should make for an exciting and entertaining binge. I am thrilled that the series has already been renewed for a second season — I look forward to many more Alex Rider adventures!
IMDb TV programming is available for free with ads and can be viewed the same way you watch other Amazon Prime programming. However, it does not require an Amazon Prime subscription to access. You can find the new Alex Rider series here: https://amzn.to/3na6NGa
I’ll also be watching/recording The Blacklist, The Graham Norton Show, Inside Pixar, and Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.
