Tag Archives: FX

If We Controlled Your Remote… 9/4/18

Posted on September 4, 2018 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 #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. Continue reading →

Share
Posted in If We Controlled Your Remote | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on If We Controlled Your Remote… 9/4/18

If We Controlled Your Remote… 6/3/18

Posted on June 3, 2018 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

Tonight, FX premieres the latest spectacle from prolific TV series creator Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story). Pose is set in 1987 New York, where all walks of life come together and intersect – from the wealthy Wall Street businessmen, to those who participate in a unique world of ball culture, and the social and literary elite. Blanca Rodriguez (Mj Rodriguez) has been a longtime member of the House of Abundance, the reigning champion in a world of underground costume ball competitions. Each week various “houses” challenge one another to compete in themed costume balls, where the participants are judged on their outfits, attitude, and dance skills – the only prize being bragging rights and reputation. Assisting and mentoring all of those who compete is house grandfather Pray Tell (Tony Award winner Billy Porter).

Blanca decides it’s time for her to break away and start her own house, which doesn’t go over well with her former house mother, diva Elektra Abundance (Dominique Jackson). However, Blanca wants to create a new home that is welcoming to LGBTQ youth who have been rejected by their birth families, like she was. She soon crosses paths with dancer Damon Richards (Ryan Jamaal Swain), who is currently sleeping on park benches after his parents kicked him out of their home for being gay. Meanwhile, young New Jersey couple Stan (Evan Peters, American Horror Story) and Patty Bowes (Kate Mara, House of Cards) also find themselves entering a new, unfamiliar world of luxury and glamour when Stan takes a job at Trump tower. His new boss, Matt Bromley (James Van Der Beek), is the epitome of everything 80s, from his casual drug use to his “Greed is Good” type attitude. However, is his new setting, Stan also starts to explore another side of his desires when he meets transgender streetwalker Angel (Indya Moore).

Pose is certainly not going to appeal to everyone. In fact, I was about to quit watching the pilot halfway through, but I was glad I stuck with it. While I don’t understand this ball culture – or why one team is judged to be better than the other – at the core of the series is a really interesting and compelling character drama with characters that we don’t see on TV. The glitz and glamour of these balls is just icing on top of a much deeper show that I am interested to see more of. The series feels very authentic, featuring the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular roles, as well as the largest recurring cast of LGBTQ actors ever for a scripted series. However, at no time during the pilot did I feel like the show was getting political or pushing an agenda. It doesn’t specifically call out the characters as being gay or transgender – they are treated like any other character, just everyday folks trying to get by and facing issues that anyone can relate to. Although, the series is set in the 1980s, and there is also the very serious scare of HIV in this community at that time. Tonight the series is being kicked off with an extended 97-minute premiere. I highly recommend those who maybe aren’t drawn in by the glitzy Ryan Murphy spectacle part of the series stick around to experience the more dramatic core of the show.

On tonight’s premiere, “Pilot,” in 1987 New York, Blanca Rodriguez pursues her dream of becoming a house mother after receiving a devastating medical diagnosis; Damon Richards moves to the city with aspirations of joining a dance company.

Don’t miss this new show tonight on FX at 9/8c.

I’ll also be watching/recording Fear the Walking Dead, Food Network Star, Westworld, and Succession.

Share
Posted in If We Controlled Your Remote | Tagged , | Comments Off on If We Controlled Your Remote… 6/3/18

If We Controlled Your Remote… 5/30/18

Posted on May 30, 2018 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!

Jenny’s Choice

I’m so excited about tonight’s series premiere of Reverie. It comes from Mickey Fisher, the creator of Extant, and stars Sarah Shahi, whom I’ve loved in everything I’ve ever seen her in, like Person of Interest, Fairly Legal, & Life. She plays Mara Kint, a former hostage negotiator and expert on human behavior who endured a horrible tragedy in her personal life and quit the police force and became a college professor. But her former boss, Charlie Ventana (played by the incomparable Dennis Haysbert, from one of my favorite shows ever, The Unit, among others), recruits her to do what she does best in an entirely new way. He now works with a company that invented a highly advanced immersive virtual-reality program called Reverie, in which you can live out your wildest dreams. It’s so good that they’re finding some people don’t want to come back out from it, and if they stay, they’ll die. So she’s brought in to go in with them and convince them to come out.

It’s such a fun, cool premise. I’ve seen the pilot, and it isn’t surprising that Sarah Shahi rocks it. She’s brilliant in everything, and this is no exception. The cast also includes Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes, Covert Affairs), Jessica Lu (Awkward.), & Kathryn Morris (Cold Case).

On tonight’s episode, “Pilot/Apertus,” former hostage negotiator Mara Kint is hired by tech company Oniratech to save people who have lost themselves in a sophisticated virtual reality program called Reverie.

Step inside Reverie tonight on NBC at 10/9c.

I’ll also be watching/DVRing American Ninja Warrior, MasterChef, & Brother vs Brother.
Jump with us to see else we think you should watch. Continue reading →

Share
Posted in If We Controlled Your Remote | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on If We Controlled Your Remote… 5/30/18

If We Controlled Your Remote… 4/24/18

Posted on April 24, 2018 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, The 100 finally returns for its fifth season on The CW. When we last left off, everyone was trying to escape the deadly radiation that was rapidly approaching. The lucky 1200 people who had been selected for the bunker were locked away, with Octavia inside and in charge. The remaining folks only had 90 minutes to escape and were desperately trying enact their plan to head back up to the Ark ring. However, in their haste to get things done quickly, the communications system went down, which meant that someone was going to have to activate the power on the Ark ring manually. Clarke volunteered, but when she got to the satellite station, the situation was worse than expected. She knew she wouldn’t get back to the ship in time and told the others to launch without her. They reluctantly did this but still weren’t out of the woods. They were rapidly running out of air and needed to dock the ship and get the oxygen scrubber connected to the Ark ring ASAP, which Bellamy managed to do in the nick of time. Meanwhile, Clarke was left on Earth, unprotected from the radiation but with the glimmer of hope that she would be immune.

The finale then cut to 6 years and 7 days later. Clarke is alive and well, living on a small, green plot of land along with a little girl named Madi. Every day Clarke tries to contact Bellamy and the others on the radio but has never made contact with either those on the Ark or those in the bunker. When she hears a loud noise overhead, she assumes it’s the others finally returning. However, she’s shocked and dismayed to discover a giant prison transport ship, with the name Eligius Corporation stamped on the side, landing nearby.

Who is this little girl Clarke is living with, and how did they survive the past 6 years? What is the Eligius Corporation, where did this ship come from, why are they here, and will those aboard pose a threat to Clarke? And when are the folks on the Ark ring and/or in the bunker going to make their way back to land? There are so many questions and so many opportunities for interesting stories. I look forward to seeing what the fifth season brings!

On tonight’s season premiere, “Eden,” Clarke struggles to survive on a desolate, scorched earth. Meanwhile, her friends in space come across a long-awaited beacon of hope.

Catch up with everyone tonight on The CW at 9/8c.

I’ll also be watching/recording The Middle, black-ish, For the People, Rise, LA to Vegas, New Girl, The Flash, Legion, and The Last O.G.
 
Jump with us to see else we think you should watch. Continue reading →

Share
Posted in If We Controlled Your Remote | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on If We Controlled Your Remote… 4/24/18

If We Controlled Your Remote… 3/25/18

Posted on March 25, 2018 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

Tonight, FX kicks off the new drama Trust, inspired by the real-life saga of one of America’s wealthiest families, the Gettys. The series opens in 1973, as oil tycoon John Paul Getty (Donald Sutherland, Ice, Crossing Lines) is living in a mansion in the English countryside along with his wife, mistresses, and pet lion. While Getty is the richest man in the world, he is still an extreme penny-pincher. His sons can’t stand him — he doesn’t give them any respect, and they don’t necessarily want to take over the family business. Getty’s estranged, free-spirited grandson John Paul Getty III (Harris Dickinson, Clique) arrives at the mansion and impresses his grandfather with his knowledge of arts and culture. Getty seems some potential in the 17-year-old as a successor, but Paul has ulterior motives and is secretly looking for some quick money to pay off a debt. Getty wants Paul to earn his money and sends him off to Italy to learn more about the business, but Paul’s lack of maturity ultimately gets him into trouble and leads to his infamous kidnapping and ransom at the hands of the Italian mob. Getty hasn’t kept his fortune by giving it away, and he’s not about to start now, no matter what the kidnappers demand. Paul’s mother, Gail Getty (Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby), is the only one trying to negotiate with the kidnappers, but she has no access to the family’s money, and Paul’s father, J. Paul Getty Jr. (Michael Esper, Shades of Blue), is too busy to care.

The series was created by Simon Beaufoy (Battle of the Sexes, Everest, 127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire), and the first 3 episodes are directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting , Steve Jobs, 127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire). The cast also includes Brendan Fraser (The Affair), Anna Chancellor (New Blood), Norbert Leo Butz (Bloodline, Mercy Street), Charlotte Riley (Peaky Blinders), and Luca Marinelli.

I really enjoyed tonight’s premiere. The series has amazing production values — you would think it was a film and not a cable TV series. And the acting is great — Donald Sutherland is such a commanding presence who can be both charming and despicable at the same time. I am not familiar with all the details of this kidnapping case — I didn’t see the recent Oscar-nominated film, All the Money in the World — so I am really looking forward to seeing how this all plays out and what twists and turns lie ahead. It seems ridiculous that someone with that much money would refuse to pay the ransom for a family member. I’m really interested to learn more about what was going through John Paul Getty’s head at the time, how the kidnappers react to this unexpected turn of events, and what ultimately happens to Paul.

On tonight’s premiere, “The House of Getty,” John Paul Getty III, a member of one of the 20th century’s most iconic families, is kidnapped in 1973.

Catch the beginning of this famous family saga tonight on FX at 10/9c.

I’ll also be watching/DVRing Barry, Deception, Instinct, Timeless, Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Family Guy, The Last Man on Earth, Silicon Valley, Billions, & The Walking Dead.

Share
Posted in If We Controlled Your Remote | Tagged , | Comments Off on If We Controlled Your Remote… 3/25/18