Category Archives: If We Controlled Your Remote

What do we think you should be watching each night? Find out!

If We Controlled Your Remote… 5/1/20

Posted on May 1, 2020 by and

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

Early this morning, Amazon Prime Video released the 10-episode first season of the new sci-fi comedy Upload, from series creator Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks and Recreation). In the year 2033, people now have the option to upload themselves into a digital afterlife before they die, allowing them to essentially live forever. Those who are still living on Earth can interact with their deceased loved ones using virtual reality headsets – and other specialized equipment, should their needs be a little more intimate. However, much like life on Earth, every bit and byte in these virtual worlds has been monetized, and only the rich can afford to spend their digital afterlife in a luxurious place like Lakeview.

Nora Antony (Andy Allo, Chicago Fire, Pitch Perfect 3) is a customer service representative for the Horizon corporation. It is her job to be an “angel” to the residents of Lakeview, helping them get accustomed to their new digital after-lives and assisting them with whatever needs come up. While she may be good at her job, her boss, Lucy (Andrea Rosen, Episodes) doesn’t appreciate her and is constantly threatening to lower her star rating. Nora also hasn’t had much luck in her personal life, resorting to using a sketchy hook-up app when she feels lonely. However, Nora’s life is about to change when she is assigned to a new Lakeview client.

Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell, The X-Files, The Flash) is a bit of a party boy but also an intelligent programmer. He and business partner Jamie (Jordan Johnson-Hinds, Letterkenny) are working on a freeware program that would allow people of any means to be able to afford to live on in a digital afterlife. However, when Nathan is badly injured in a suspicious self-driving car crash, his wealthy girlfriend, Ingird (Allegra Edwards, Briarpatch), makes the decision to upload him to Lakeview. While Nathan is now “living” in luxury, he also feels trapped as Ingrid has control over his finances and what he can do with his endless time. However, his new angel, Nora, becomes a breath of fresh air…well, if he could breathe.

Once I started watching this show, I couldn’t stop – I thoroughly enjoyed this first season and was screaming to see what happens next after it ended! In some ways the show reminded me of The Good Place – though it does take advantage of the fact that it’s not on network TV and is thus not as family-friendly. The series offers a unique, interesting, and sometimes wacky alternate take on the afterlife, mixing in witty writing, clever humor, topical references, and some really fun, quirky characters. There is a really nice blend of humor and character drama, along with the underlying mystery of whether or not what happened to Nathan was truly an accident. The cast is fantastic and have such great chemistry with one another. In addition to the main characters, there’s also some fun recurring characters, such as the annoying A.I. GUY (Owen Daniels) who seems to be everywhere, Nora’s foul-mouthed 18-year-old client Dylan (Rhys Slack) who’s stuck in a 12-year-old avatar body, and Nora’s co-worker Aleesha (Zainab Johnson) and her clients, young veteran Luke (Kevin Bigley, The Moodys) and bigoted billionaire David (William B. Davis, The X-Files).

The series has some really fun and interesting ideas as to what the future will be like. I just hope the actual future includes another season of this series!

Check out the first season now on Amazon.

I’ll also be watching/recording Trying, Prop Culture, Hollywood, The Blacklist, and The Graham Norton Show.
 
Jump with us to see else we think you should watch. Continue reading →

Share
Posted in If We Controlled Your Remote | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

If We Controlled Your Remote… 4/30/20

Posted on April 30, 2020 by , and

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

Tonight, NBC is reuniting the cast of Parks and Recreation for a special hour of TV. The series originally ran on the network from 2009-15 and featured an amazing cast, including Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O’Heir, and Retta.

Tonight’s event begins with The Paley Center Salutes Parks and Recreation, a half-hour special that looks back on some of the show’s most iconic moments over its seven seasons, as well as some fun behind-the-scenes stories from the cast. This will be followed by the all-new A Parks and Recreation Special, a brand-new episode of the series that was filmed by the actors at their homes during this time of isolation. The producers have stated that all of the original characters from the series will return, as well as several guest stars from the Pawnee universe. When the series ended, it was sad to say good-bye to these quirky characters, but I am so excited that we’ll get to take this trip back to Pawnee to get an update on Leslie Knope and the gang. This show always made me laugh, and I am really looking forward to this new episode – I am especially interested to see if/how they work in the fact that Chris Pratt has become a major film star since he initially took on the role of the dim-witted, out-of-shape Andy Dwyer!

On tonight’s special, “A Parks and Recreation Special,” Leslie Knope connects with her friends from the Pawnee Parks and Recreation department – Ron Swanson, Andy Dwyer, April Ludgate, Ben Wyatt, Tom Haverford, Donna Meagle, Ann Perkins, Chris Traeger, and more – to check in during a challenging time.

The special and new episode air tonight on NBC starting at 8/7c.

I’ll also be watching/recording Young Sheldon, Council of Dads, Top Chef, and Tacoma FD.
 
Jump with us to see else we think you should watch. Continue reading →

Share
Posted in If We Controlled Your Remote | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

If We Controlled Your Remote… 4/28/20

Posted on April 28, 2020 by

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!

Megan’s Choice

The Flash has been stringing viewers for a while now with Iris’s doppelganger, which has put the beloved West-Allen relationship status on the rocks. This was especially apparent with the emotional fleeing of fake Iris from Barry on last week’s episode. The real Iris is trapped in the mirror dimension with the deceptive Eva, who is actually behind the whole thing for revenge against her husband. I am hopeful that going forward we will get answers on Camilla as well as wrap this story up.

On tonight’s episode, “Liberation,” after recent events, Barry takes a closer look at his life with Iris. Eva makes a bold move.

To see what happens with Iris, tune in to The CW at 8/7c.

I’ll also be watching DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, FBI: Most Wanted, and Ellen’s Game of Games.

Share
Posted in If We Controlled Your Remote | Tagged , | Comments Off on If We Controlled Your Remote… 4/28/20

If We Controlled Your Remote… 4/27/20

Posted on April 27, 2020 by

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

Early this morning, Netflix released the 10-episode first season of the new half-hour coming-of-age comedy Never Have I Ever, from creator Mindy Kaling. Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) is a 15-year-old Indian-American girl from Sherman Oaks, California. She’s about to start her sophomore year of high school and is looking to reinvent herself and become one of the cool kids, especially after her awful freshman year. She is hoping to shed her image as “the paralyzed Indian girl whose father dropped dead at a school function.” However, her only two friends are Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez, Class of Lies), who’s captain of the high school robotics team, and Eleanor (Ramona Young, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), who’s president of the drama club.

Devi has decided that, as the first step of rebranding themselves, they all need to get boyfriends – though Devi sets her sights set a bit high, eyeing Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet, Turnt), “the hottest guy in school.” Meanwhile, Devi and her squad are constantly given a hard time by Devi’s longtime academic rival, Ben Gross (Jaren Lewison). Ben is always name-dropping his father’s celebrity clients as a way to prove he’s better than Devi and is constantly expressing how annoying he finds her – though it feels like he’s just trying to mask feelings he might have for Devi.

Devi never really dealt with the sudden death of her father and is seeing therapist Dr. Jamie Ryan (Niecy Nash, Claws), who doesn’t really seem shocked by anything Devi says to her. Devi lives at home with her more traditional Indian mother Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan, Defending Jacob) and very attractive cousin Kamala (Richa Moorjani), who moved in after Devi’s father (Sendhil Ramamurthy, Heroes) passed away, while she completes her PhD at CalTech. Devi is determined to be a reckless teenager and get into all the typical trouble teenagers get into… She’s just not very good at it.

I binged through the first three episodes of this series and only stopped so that I could write up this recommendation. I will be continuing with my binge as soon as I finish with this! This show is so entertaining, and newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is so charming. The characters are a lot of fun, and the ensemble works really well together. While each episode is some new “never have I ever…” statement that Devi is trying to accomplish, the episodes really flow into one another, telling the larger story of Devi’s family and friends and how they are each dealing with their own personal issues and obstacles. There is also this hilarious narration provided by John McEnroe (yes, the tennis superstar), who also provides a really funny and sarcastic commentary on the action that’s taking place. This juxtaposition of an older, white American male narrating the life and troubles of a teenage Indian girl brings the humor to another level.

In addition to the comedy, the show also has a lot of heart, such as during a flashback, when we get a glimpse into Nalini’s life and her loss. The series also does an excellent job of exploring different cultural traditions and clashes. For example, we see Kamala trying to figure out how to tell her family that she wants to live a more American way of life rather than go the traditional arranged marriage route. I am thoroughly enjoying this hilarious series, and I can’t wait to resume watching!

Catch the entire first season now on Netflix.

I’ll also be watching/recording The Baker and the Beauty, 9-1-1, Prodigal Son, and Almost Paradise.

Share
Posted in If We Controlled Your Remote | Tagged , | Comments Off on If We Controlled Your Remote… 4/27/20

If We Controlled Your Remote… 4/26/20

Posted on April 26, 2020 by

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!

Phoebe’s Choice

The idea of a Batwoman show was a lot more exciting than the show itself, as it turns out. Actual Gotham in the Arrowverse with a queer super heroine, heck yeah! Or so we hoped. I don’t hate the show, but they’ve lost a lot of potential in the way they’ve paced their season, the fact that Kate’s sister Alice is the perennial Big Bad, almost no cool villains, and an at-best-adequate set of supporting characters. But yeah, I still watch it. I’m just not sure we need a season two or three.

Last week started with Kate burying the body of Augustus after she had killed him last episode for how he treated both Beth & her mom. Kate’s dad Jacob & Alice were there as well. Alice blackmailed them into letting her go. Jacob, being the chief of police, and their special squad, The Crows, tasked Sofie to track down Mouse. Alice also was tracking down Mouse, and she convinced Kate to help her. Since he had been attacking other nurses from Arkham Asylum, they staked out the house of one of the nurses he had not yet attacked. Mouse did turn up, but The Crows nabbed him first and they sent him back to Arkham.

Meanwhile, Lucious Fox’s supposed killer was let free after he got a retrial scheduled. Luke Fox later confronted the accused killer, Reggie, who swore he was set up. An assassin then sniped him from across the street. Sophia was also targeted by a hitman but was rescued by one of Kate’s other exes: Julia, the British special agent. Despite learning that Alice set her up to kill Augustus, Kate still agreed to “reunite Alice with Mouse,” who was locked in the basement at Arkham. Kate betrayed Alice though, locking her crazed sister into the basement of the asylum as well. We learned that the Quick Store owner who was there the night Lucious was killed had also been taken out by a professional hit. Jacob was almost taken out by an assassin as well but managed to kill him instead.

I just feel so much of the plot has been ripped from a police procedural, a genre I don’t watch. The Cov19 outbreak cut the series short, but apparently there will still be a few more episodes that air this spring. Let’s hope for some cool villains at least, but don’t hold your breath.

On tonight’s episode, “A Narrow Escape,” Batwoman encounters a new challenge when an old villain resurfaces, testing the heroics of Gotham’s most stand-up citizens. Alice’s limits are tested.

See how everyone stands up to the tests this week on The CW at 8/7c.

I’ll also be watching Westworld & Bob’s Burgers.

Share
Posted in If We Controlled Your Remote | Tagged , | Comments Off on If We Controlled Your Remote… 4/26/20