The enjoyment we have for a TV show is based on finding that meeting point between the scale of ambition for a show and our perception on where that scale needs to be.
The new Stranger Things spin-off Tales From ‘85 has a really broad mix of critical response. Alison Herman at Variety, for example was disappointed in the show. Her criticism exemplified through comments like:
“Tales From ‘85” is quite literally doodling in the margins of “Stranger Things” mythology
And
To summarize the plot of “Tales From ‘85” is redundant, because it’s the same plot as any other season of “Stranger Things”
She wasn’t alone with this sentiment, but other critics have been much more favourable. The reasons I really liked Tales From ‘85 are exactly what Herman saw as negatives. I like that the show is a relatively low-stakes side quest that just colours in the margins. Mostly, I just wanted to spend a bit more time with these characters during one of my favourite eras of the show.
It exactly met where I felt the ambition for this show needed to be. There’s plenty of time for other spin-offs that will further the characters or world of the show. Instead, this just felt more like a novel or comic book tie-in. And that was enough for me.
But then I felt very differently about new Prime Video animated show Kevin. It’s an adult animated comedy (a genre never known for being especially ambitious) about a house-cat in NYC that moves into an animal rescue shelter after his human companions break-up and he doesn’t want to live with either of them.
There’s the occasional clever joke delivered with a strong line delivery, but mostly the show is just hacky jokes about how these animals have slightly skewed human traits. Kevin is confused in how these animals, which speak to and engage with humans, actually fit into the social strata. This seems like a petty complaint, but it just creates an odd friction that leaves the show feeling slight and poorly thought-out.
With a really great voice cast including Jason Schwartzman, Aubrey Plaza (the co-creator of the show alongside UCB performer Joe Wengert), John Waters, Whoopi Goldberg, Aparna Nancherla, and Amy Sedaris, my expectations were set far higher than this show was willing to match.
It’s weak sauce, but there will be those who are far more forgiving of this sort of show who will be perfectly entertained by it.
Unchosen is a British show on Netflix about a family living in a cult community whose lives are upended by a mysterious stranger who rescues their daughter from a near-drowning incident. It never elevates beyond being a pretty typical show about a cult and probably would have been better served as a movie rather than a serialised four-parter. An unambitious development process results in a lack of ambition seen on the screen.
The same can be said for Netflix original film Apex, which is a by-the-numbers Charlize Theron action film about a woman being hunted by a man (Taron Egerton) in an Australian forest. Nobody is putting in their best work with this, mercifully tight 95 minute feature.
Something that really burns me about the movie – Egerton as an Australian man who lives off the land in a remote area keeps making references to the “gas station,” a term never used by Australians ever. Sure, this may be a film made in Australia and set in Australia, but that sort of creative choice is clearly made to appeal to the US market. With Australia now having local content mandates for international streamers, I’m again beating the drum about the need for content quotas supporting local work when that work results in a movie with a US star, an Icelandic director, and Australian characters delivering uniquely American phrases.
This Is a Gardening Show with Zach Galifianakis is a deliberately low-ambition 6x15 minute show where the comedian is literally talking to neighbourhood kids and local produce farmers about garden stuff. Low ambition. Low stakes. High returns.
Returning TV
From (s04), The Way Home (s04), Criminal Record (s02), Running Point (s02), New Bandits (s02)
New TV
Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 — Netflix
Who’s in it: Brooklyn Davey Norstedt, Luca Diaz, Benjamin Plessala, Braxton Quinney, Elisha “EJ” Williams
What’s it about? Welcome back to Hawkins in the winter of 1985, where the original characters face new monsters and a paranormal mystery.
Half Man — HBO Max [US] | BBC One [UK] | Stan [AUS]
Who’s in it: Richard Gadd, Jamie Bell
What’s it about? When Niall’s estranged ‘brother’ Ruben shows up at his wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives, from the eighties to the present day.
Kevin — Prime Video
Who’s in it: Jason Schwartzman, John Waters, Whoopi Goldberg, Amy Sedaris
What’s it about? Following the breakup of his human owners, a cat named Kevin (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) relocates to a chaotic pet rescue in Astoria, Queens, embarking on a journey to discover his true self and where he belongs.
My Brother The Minotaur — Apple TV
Who’s in it: Ely Solan, Billy Jenkins, Brian Cox, Michael Sheen T’Nia Miller
What’s it about? When a minotaur raised by humans starts dreaming of his mythical past, he sets out on a wild adventure with help from his brother and friends to understand who he really is.
If Wishes Could Kill — Netflix
Who’s in it: Jeon So-young, Kang Mi-na, Baek Sun-ho, Hyun Woo-Seok
What’s it about? Follows five friends in high school who receive a death warning from a mysterious wish-granting app. As they struggle to escape their fates, they uncover chilling truths that connect the app to the sudden death of a classmate.
Sold Out on You — Netflix
Who’s in it: Chae Won-bin
What’s it about? A workaholic home shopping host heads to the countryside to get her show back on top, but a mysterious farmer shakes up her plans - and her heart.
This Is a Gardening Show — Netflix
Who’s in it: Zach Galifianakis
What’s it about? From scents to science, Zach and his kid crew dig into composting, as an expert breaks down the dos and don'ts of making healthy soil.
Unchosen — Netflix
Who’s in it: Asa Butterfield
What’s it about? When a young mother from a sheltered cult crosses paths with a mysterious stranger, she embarks on a risky affair that awakens desires and dark secrets.
Flunked — Netflix
Who’s in it: Bérangère McNeese, Alexandre Kominek, Jean-Claude Muaka, Yannik Landrein
What’s it about? Eddy, a math genius and small-time crook, avoids jail-time by going undercover as a teacher. His mission: to identify the kid of a major criminal.
Santita — Netflix
Who’s in it: Paulina Dávila, Gael García Bernal, Ilse Salas, Erik Hayser
What’s it about? Left with a disability after a crash, Santita leaves the love of her life at the altar. Twenty years later, he returns with an ask that changes everything.
Mint — BBC One
Who’s in it: Emma Laird, Lewis Gribben, Laura Fraser, Sam Riley, Lindsay Duncan
What’s it about? A darkly comic and unconventional drama about a crime family's inner life, told through the eyes of its daughter, who is searching for love.
New Movies
Apex — Netflix
Who’s in it: Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, Rob Carlton
What’s it about? A grieving woman seeks solace in the wilderness only to become ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a serial killer.
That’s the newsletter for this week.
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