You are right to feel this week's releases are a little underwhelming. There are some big titles released in the coming weeks. And some of those shows are VERY GOOD.

Unfortunately, those shows haven't debuted this week. And we are left with what we have.

Now, I'll admit to rather liking Koala Man. But I would also point out that a big part of that is the hyper specific Australian-isms peppered through the show. I'm not sure that joy will spread beyond my sun-burned nation.

The headline of this newsletter may be a bit misleading. It isn't that it is the best show. Velma is more that it is the show with the most built-in audience. At 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, that doesn't suggest it'll be worth your time. But at 53%, it may also be the critical consensus as the best new show of the week. Mayfair Witches is sitting at a woeful 42%.  

Of course, you could watch that Netflix Rob Lowe dog movie. Which, in retrospect, sounds almost like how one describes most Rob Lowe films.

returning:

Vikings: Valhalla (s02), Servant (s04), Hunters (s02), Sky Rojo (s03), Sexify (s02)

new:

Anne Rice's Mayfair of Witches - AMC+

Stars: Alexandra Daddario, Harry Hamlin, Jack Huston
Neurosurgeon Rowan Fielding has a problem -- when she gets mad, she kills with her mind; her search for answers sends her toward her secretive biological family; in New Orleans, Deirdre Mayfair is desperate to escape from her aunt's oppressive house.

Alert - Fox

Stars: Dania Ramirez, Scott Caan
A character-driven police procedural drama set in the Philadelphia Police Department's Missing Persons Unit (MPU). When police officer Nikki Batista's son goes missing, she joins the special unit to help other people find their loved ones, even as she searches for her own.

Koala Man - Hulu | Disney+

Stars: Hugh Jackman, Sarah Snook, Hugo Weaving
A family father lives a not-so-secret identity as the titular hero who possesses a burning passion to snuff out petty crime.

Velma - HBO Max | Binge

Stars: Mindy Kaling, Sam Richardson, Glenn Howerton
The origin of the sleuth and member of the Mystery Inc. gang, Velma.

movie:

Dog Gone - Netflix

Stars: Rob Lowe, Kimberly Williams
When his beloved dog goes missing, a young man embarks on an incredible search with his parents to find him and give him life-saving medication.

That is it. You are right to feel this week's releases are a little underwhelming.