Always Be Streaming... Schwarzenegger and Monkey Kings

It's a really heavy week of TV shows with some major star power on screen.

There’s quite a bit to know TV-wise this week. Here’s what’s up:

1. Apple TV+ released Platonic. It has Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, who had great chemistry together in the Neighbours films (or as we know them in Australia, the Bad Neighbours films), re-teamed. Here they are two friends who had a falling out that are reigniting their friendship at a point where both feel somewhat aimless in life.

   
   It takes a couple of episodes to really get going, but it’s a really fun hang-out show that I had a great time with. If you’re not into it by the end of season 3, I’d cut loose.

   

2. Gremlins: Secrets of The Mogwai is a new animated prequel to the live action Gremlins movies. The animation in the series is GORGEOUS. But, the storytelling rarely rises above being a pretty good Saturday morning cartoon. This is to say that the show is perfectly fine, but to set your expectations.
   
   I will keep watching, but might relegate it to Saturday mornings where it belongs.

   

3. FUBAR is the first TV series to star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Unfortunately for it he has partnered with Nick Santora, best known for the trite Scorpion TV show. The show isn’t offensively bad, but the special effects are pretty subpar and the ‘fun’ spy dialogue even worse.
   
   As a child of the 80s, I have considerable fondness for Arnie. And in recent years following him on social and watching silly videos alongside his miniature horse and pig, I’ve come to really like the man too. I just wish he’d give up on scripted fare - it seems like far too long since I’ve seen him in anything great - I’d be far more interested in seeing him front a reality show where the focus isn’t on acting…

   

4. American Born Chinese is likely fantastic television for younger teens (12 year-old me would have been bananas for it), but the series (based on the Gene Luen Yang graphic novel) was a bit too juvenile for my tastes as the very mature adult man I am. Series lead Ben Wang is very charming playing a Peter Parker type of character. Fans of Journey To The West and/or TV series Monkey will certainly want to give it a look as it incorporates Chinese mythology in with a modern YA drama. The Monkey King features prominently.