Apologies for the lateness of this weekend’s email. I’ve literally been without Internet for the past five days and it has seriously put a dampener on my ability to watch TV. After a disastrous night of trying to watch free-to-air TV, my wife and I instead opted to survive by hunting and gathering. It’s been a hellish week of surviving on video scraps that we found on hard drives and in my long-dormant Blu-Ray collection.

Late on Saturday afternoon, the Optus Internet man turned up and Internet was quickly restored. In the 24 hours that followed, I have had trouble tearing myself away from the TV. Norm Macdonald has dominated a lot of my TV viewing, along with a whole lot of catching up on missed TV from throughout the week.

It did get me thinking about a time before the Internet. I remember as a kid and a teenager occasionally experiencing intense boredom. But now… I don’t think I can legitimately claim to have been bored in my home since 1998.

There’s a lot of new TV to get through this week, but there’s also a bunch of returning favourites that include: Bojack Horseman, The Deuce, American Horror Story, Shameless, The Last Ship, Snatch, and American Vandal.

Keep watching!
Dan
- TV Watching Guy (again - finally!)

Rel

Watch: Fox (US)

Stars: Lil Rel Howery, Jessica 'Jess Hilarious' Moore, Jordan L. Jones  
A successful comic tries to put his life back on track after his marriage falls apart.

Kidding

Watch: Showtime (US) | Stan (AUS)

Stars: Jim Carrey, Frank Langella, Catherine Keener
Jeff, a famous children's television icon, struggles to retain his sanity as his family falls apart.  

YOU

Watch: Lifetime (US) | Netflix (Globally)

Stars: Penn Badgley, Elizabeth Lail, Luca Padovan  
When a brilliant bookstore manager crosses paths with an aspiring writer, his answer becomes clear: anything. Using the internet and social media as his tools to gather the most intimate of details and get close to her, a charming and awkward crush quickly becomes obsession as he quietly and strategically removes every obstacle - and person - in his way.

Strangers

Watch: ITV (UK)

Stars: John Simm, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Katie Leung  
Jonah Mulray lives an ordinary life until he is told that his wife has been murdered in Hong Kong. He travels to repatriate her body, but discovers that she has been living a double life throughout their marriage as he uncovers a wider conspiracy.

Black Earth Rising

Watch: BBC2 (UK)

Stars: David Olawale Ayinde, Tyrone Huggins, Sarah Amankwah, John Goodman  
The story centers on Kate Ashby, who works as a legal investigator in the law chambers of Michael Ennis. When Kate's adoptive mother Eve takes on a case prosecuting an African militia leader, the story pulls Michael and Kate into a journey that will upend their lives forever.

A Discovery of Witches

Watch: Sky One (UK)

Stars: Matthew Goode, Teresa Palmer, Owen Teale  
Diana Bishop, a historian and reluctant witch unexpectedly discovers a bewitched manuscript in Oxford's Bodleian library. This discovery forces her back into the world of magic in order to unravel the secrets it holds about magical beings. She is offered help by mysterious geneticist and vampire, Matthew Clairmont. Despite a long-held mistrust between witches and vampires they form an alliance and set out to protect the book and solve the mysteries hidden within while dodging threats from the creature world.

The First

Watch: Hulu (US)

Stars: Sean Penn, Rey Lucas, Brian Lee Franklin  
Follow the first human mission to Mars, exploring the challenges of taking the first steps toward interplanetary colonization. The story focuses not only on the astronauts, but also on their families and loved ones, as well as the ground team on Earth.

Forever

Watch: Amazon

Stars: Maya Rudolph, Fred Armisen, Catherine Keener  
June and Oscar live a comfortable but very predictable wedded life when suddenly they find themselves in a completely unexpected situation, raising questions about love and marriage.