Good grief is this a full week of new and returning shows of note. A few quick bullet point thoughts to get you through knowing where to click play:
- New Apple TV+ show Shrinking entertained me greatly. Most of the reviews have been highly favorable (mine included - the link is below). The first three episodes debut in just a few hours time.
- Lockwood & Co may seem like the standard YA show that you either always click past and ignore, or find yourself very much drawn to. Know that the showrunner is Attack The Block writer/director Joe Cornish. That may influence your interest as to whether to watch it or not.
- The big show of the week is proving to be Poker Face - it is writer/director Rian Johnson (Knives Out, and that really good Star Wars movie) and Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll) teaming up for an episodic mystery-of-the-week show inspired by series like Columbo. The first four episodes are available to stream now on Peacock in the US and Stan here in Australia.
- American Auto is back for a second season. I'll be honest, I haven't watched past the very first episode. But if the show sounds like a reality documentary show on Discovery about car repairs, know that it is actually a sitcom about car manufacturers from the creator of Superstore. That may be reason to give it a proper look.
- Wolf Pack is a teen supernatural drama that has dusted off Sarah Michelle Gellar to be part of the ensemble cast. The fact the rest of the cast aren't getting a look-in and the cover art on Paramount+ couldn't look more Buffy if they tried really says a lot to me about how the show itself doesn't have a whole lot worth talking about.
Here's that review of Shrinking that I penned:
Dan Barrett
returning:
9-1-1: Lone Star (s04), American Auto (s02), How I Met Your Father (s02), Kings of Jo'Burg (s02)
new:
Shrinking - Apple TV+
Stars: Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams
A grieving therapist starts to break the rules by telling his clients exactly what he thinks. Jimmy has lost his wife and wants to try a new approach to his loss, but it is unclear how this will help others.
Lockwood & Co - Netflix
Stars: Ruby Stokes, Cameron Chapman
A girl with psychic abilities joins two teen boys a the ghost-hunting agency Lockwood & Co. to fight the deadly spirits plaguing London, doing their best to save the day without any adult supervision.
Against The Ropes - Netflix
Stars: Caraly Sánchez
Released from prison, Ángela tries to regain the respect of her daughter, who loves lucha libre wrestling, by entering the ring as a mysterious persona.
The Snow Girl - Netflix
Stars: José Coronado
When a little girl goes missing during a parade in Málaga, a young newspaper journalist becomes fiercely determined to help Amaya's parents find her.
Mila in The Multiverse - Disney+
Stars: Laura Luz
Mila is 16 years old and living the adventure of her life, traveling through the multiverse in search of her mother, Elis; she comes face to face with The Operators, a mysterious and dangerous group that wants to exterminate all universes.
Extraordinary - Hulu (US) | Disney+ (Internationally)
Stars: Máiréad Tyers
Adrift in a big, confusing world and armed with nothing but a bit of hope and a lot of desperation, Jen begins her journey to find her maybe-superpower; in doing so, she might discover the joy of being just kind of ok.
Poker Face - Peacock (US) | Stan (Aus)
Stars: Natasha Lyonne
A mystery-of-the-week series following Charlie Cale, who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road in her Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can't help but solve.
Wolf Pack - Paramount+
Stars: Sarah Michelle Gellar
A teenage boy and girl have their lives changed forever when a California wildfire awakens a terrifying supernatural creature.
Everyone Else Burns - Channel 4
Stars: Simon Bird
`Everyone Else Burns' is a coming-of-age comedy following a Mancunian family and the puritanical Christian sect to whom they are devoted. The family is headed by patriarch David, played by Simon Bird and his amazing haircut. The family are steadfast in preparing for Armageddon and avoiding eternal damnation, although worldly temptations sometimes get in the way. As they navigate modern-day life, the show explores what it feels like to balance faith, family and identity in a world that could end tomorrow, even though it most likely will not.
Accused - Fox
Stars: Michael Chikilis
The series chronicles ordinary people wherein each episode opens in a courtroom introducing the accused without knowing their crime or how they ended up on trial and we are told the events that lead them here from the defendant's point of view.
movies:
Teen Wolf: The Movie - Paramount+
Stars: Tyler Posey, Tyler Hoechlin, and other people not named Tyler. Dylan Sprayberry is in it, but not the other Dylan from the cast, FYI.
A terrifying evil has emerged, and the wolves howl once again. Only a Werewolf like Scott McCall can gather both new allies and reunite trusted friends to fight back against what could be the most powerful and deadliest enemy.
Shotgun Wedding - Amazon Prime Video
Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel
Darcy and Tom gather their families for a destination wedding, but the ceremony gets put on hold when gunmen take everyone hostage. Now, they must do everything they can to save their loved ones -- if they don't wind up killing each other first.
You People - Netflix
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Jonah Hill, Julia Louid-Dreyfus, David Duchovny, Nia Long
A new couple and their families reckon with modern love amid culture clashes, societal expectations and generational differences.
That's it for this week. Enjoy your time on the couch - there's a lot to get through.
