BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: September 25, 2023

Welcome to my Monday newsletter! Today, I will be looking at the new season of American Horror Story, the rest of the season of The Other Black Girl, FOX's seminal 2000s drama The OC and more!

I STARTED DOWN THE "AMERICAN HORROR STORY" ROAD AGAIN

My history with American Horror Story is pretty consistent. I've started quite a few of the seasons over the years but never finished a season or really even came close. The closest I ever got to finishing a season was the original edition, Murder House. I watched probably about half of that season mainly because of Connie Britton. Most of the others I bail after one episode. I think it very often is Ryan Murphy his worst instincts. There is an amazing cast but it's way too campy. There is an interesting premise and strong production values but a narrative mess. 

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: September 18, 2023

Welcome to my second Monday newsletter! Today, I will be looking at the third season of The Morning Show, Hulu's new The Other Black Girl, some thoughts on recent trailers and more!

IT'S "MORNING" AGAIN ON APPLE TV+

The Morning Show returned for its third season last week and it's off to a wild start. My history with the show is a bit all over the place. Despite the mixed reviews from critics, I absolutely loved the first season, enough to award it my 2020 Outstanding Drama Series for my Benjamonster Awards. I thought it was expertly acted and didn't dive too far into the melodrama. So when critics were trashing the second season before it premiered, I dismissed it because I knew I liked the show. Well, that wasn't the case for Season 2. I thought the entire season was a mess for many reasons but perhaps most specifically because of its handling of Covid. There were plenty of shows that tried to incorporate COVID and the results ranged from expert (Superstore) to terrible (This is Us). But The Morning Show may have even been a step below terrible. Arriving in Fall 2021, it forced us to relive the nightmarish early months of 2020 in too many dumb ways. 

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: September 11, 2023

Welcome to the first Monday morning newsletter of my blog! This week and every week I will be taking a look at TV news, mini-reviews of new shows and shows I'm watching and other fun things! The length and content will vary by week. I hope you enjoy! This week, I have My Top 10 Most Anticipated Shows of the Fall, a mini-review of Apple TV+'s The Changeling, a fresh look at one of TV's all time classics and more!

MY TOP 10 MOST ANTICIPATED SHOWS OF THE FALL

It is a pretty bleak fall for TV with the dual strikes of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA continuing. While the summer may have been pretty normal, audiences will be feeling the effects this fall with little semblance of a broadcast season, less releases on premium channels and streaming services, and some planned high profile shows pushed back.

That being said, there are still some shows to get excited about. Below I've listed my most anticipated fall shows of 2023. Let's hope the studios come to their senses and give the writers and actors a fair deal soon so the drought can ease up in 2024.

BLOG UPDATE: Plan for This Fall

Just a quick bit of housekeeping for the blog this fall!

My personal life has gotten busier in recent months. As a result, I have not been able to stockpile posts for the year the way I often do in the summer (Schedules of the Past, One Season Wonders, etc).

Combined with the ongoing strikes, I decided to pull back this fall but I didn't want to abandon the blog entirely as I've been doing it since 2010! So for this fall, and possibly for the entire year, I will be doing a post just once a week. BUT it will be a lengthy one as I will do a weekly newsletter that takes a look at recent new shows I've been watching plus commentary on any TV news. It's possible this newsletter might eventually make its way to a substack or something like that. But for now, I am going to just post a newsletter every Monday morning.

So check back next Monday and every Monday for my weekly newsletter!