Whoa, whoa, it definitely was not that.   It was the most watched ON HBO Max which is a pretty small time frame.  But it does include The Undoing, yes

Too disturbing for the voters, and I think it took a higher-caliber show (Sopranos) to break through and make it ‘OK’ for HBO to win.

Another example of how easy that number is manipulated.  They should get rid of it.

One per week is so much better.  Each episode feels more like an event.  A little bit of anticipation can be a good thing.   And isn’t it better when a show you love is ‘in season’ for 2-3 months instead of one day?

Also I like discussing what’s going on with TV shows in between episodes.  Binging turns it into a solitary endeavor.

Didn’t mind the end of the 2nd, but yes, Cailee Spaeny left a very strong impression!

Quite a good first episode.   I was impressed that it confidently established itself without a lot of bells and whistles- just a good cast of characters, good dialogue, and a good setting.  And more importantly, it did all that without being boring at all.  I was invested and am looking forward to more.

In for Kate Winslet but, can’t deny, this looks like Sharp Objects-lite

Chris Rock being nominated over Hawke is a big yikes

Queen’s Gambit with a late run to take over the #2 spot on Metacritic

This is the first season of Fargo I struggled to finish.  Ultimately, this story of two mediocre crime families never found that spark to take it to the next level.  The characters were a mixed bag, some quite good, but also some were quite bad.   The casting of Chris Rock was intriguing but, him as the crime boss just did not work out.  When…[Read more]

‘Last Words’ was a very sweet ending to this excellent series.   That final talk between the old man and Onion was perfect.

Yep, this series is exceptional.  Every aspect of it is executed at the highest level.  Anya Taylor-Joy needs to be running the world but it can’t be said enough how much everyone just nailed it, the casting, supporting performances, directing, the writing, the sets, the period details, and the chess!  Chess has never been better on sc…[Read more]

What a great performance by Ethan Hawke.  The character is over-the-top, but it never feels like over-the-top acting at all.

But it must also be said, in the second episode when Hawke doesn’t appear until the end, this is still extremely watchable, it’s not just Hawke.  Very well put together all-around.

Fallon’s Tonight Show had some big success because they hit upon a gimmick with Jimmy playing grabass with the celebrities.   The novelty had to run out eventually, and when it did, there’s nothing left there.  They would be smart to phase him out.

Watched the first three episodes.   Jude Law is great, but, it fell flat for some reason.  It kinda just hit all the expected notes of the backwoods cult story.  I know I haven’t seen the whole series, but I’m pretty confident saying Midsommar was a far better take on a similar premise.

As Iannucci’s follow-up to one of the all-time comedies, the disappointing Avenue 5 has to be it.

I’d go off-list.  Homeland and Mr. Robot both had excellent final seasons that were better than this crop.

That’s on a short list of the best TV finales.   It impressively wrapped up the season’s main arc, and then, where Carrie ends up, it’s really the perfect ending for her that I never could have predicted, and you can’t ask for more than that.  Extremely satisfying.

It’s great to see Homeland on such a high going into the series finale.  The last two episodes have been excellent.   “The English Teacher” was a throwback in the best way.   And they’ve somehow got the stakes as high as possible for the series finale.   This is a big one on Sunday, and I’m left wondering when the next time I’ll have this kind o…[Read more]

Maybe the best episode of the season?  I just thought every scene was fire.  Everything that’s been built up , the storylines, the character relationships, are really paying off well.  The final sequence was exceptional and it was quite illuminating how they showed the perspective of a ‘designated driver’ and how they could end up in that situation.