Benjamonster's TV

Welcome to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am looking at Sirens plus the season finales of The Last of Us and The Studio and the latest episode of Hacks . I am also looking at the Emmy race for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and continuing my countdown of the Top 25 Shows Since 2000 with #18! WHAT'S NEW SIRENS Sirens is a new soapy limited series that seemed to Netflix's Memorial Day answer to Labor Day's The Perfect Couple . Based on a play, the series takes place at a beach resort owned by the powerful and somewhat mysterious couple Kiki and Peter Kell (Julianne Moore & Kevin Bacon). But the story is really about two sisters from Buffalo, Devon and Simone (Meghann Fahy & Milly Alcock) and the dynamics between them. Let's start by saying this show is a complete mess. These soapy, "beach read' shows all seem to be trying to be the next The White Lotus , but none of them have Mike White's biting voice and satirical eye. So they end up being...

Welcome to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am looking at Duster plus the latest episodes of The Last of Us, Hacks, 9-1-1 and Poker Face . I am also taking a look at the Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy race and continuing my Top 25 Shows Since 2000 with #19! WHAT'S NEW DUSTER Duster is a new crime drama that is the first show where JJ Abrams has a "creator" credit since 2010's Undercovers , which is shocking considering what a run he had in the 2000s with Lost, Alias and Fringe among others. This series takes place in the 1970s and features Lost alum Josh Holloway, Rachel Hilson and Keith David. The show really embraces being set in the 70s and has the feel of an old fashioned 70s movie. It's not just the car and the music, it's the whole vibe of the series that feels very retro. Holloway is enjoyable in the lead role and I've been a fan of Hilson for several years now. Keith David is giving an over the top performance and so is Gail O'Grady (who d...

Welcome to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am looking at the new season of Poker Face plus most recent episodes of Hacks, The Last of Us and The Studio . Also, I'm taking a look at the Lead Actress in a Drama Series race and continuing my Top 25 Shows Since 2000 with #20.  WHAT'S NEW POKER FACE Season 2 Poker Face returned for its second season this past week with the first three episodes of a twelve episode season. The show was last season back in the beginning of 2023 so it's been a long time. I know, strikes and everything, but that's too long. The show sort of brought back the love for the procedural before that became even more pronounced in the last year so it seems like it should fit into a TV landscape that seems to be embracing streaming versions of "case of the week" shows with longer seasons. Yet, there doesn't seem to be a ton of buzz for the second season. SPOILERS AHEAD for the first three episodes. I understand why Peacock dropped the fir...

Welcome to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am looking at The Four Seasons plus the finales of The Righteous Gemstones, Good American Family. St. Denis Medical and the latest episode of Your Friends and Neighbors . Also, I am looking at the Emmy race for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and continuing my Top 25 Shows Since 2000 with #21. WHAT'S NEW THE FOUR SEASONS Netflix released its adaptation of The Four Seasons this past week and I actually watched all eight episodes in just four days. It was an easy binge and with two episodes for each season, structured in a way that I could easily watch two episodes a day since its Thursday premiere so, since I've seen the whole season, SPOILERS AHEAD for those of you who still plan to watch. On the whole, I really enjoyed this show. I liked that it came from the Tina Fey factory but didn't have the joke a minute feel of 30 Rock or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt among others. While I like things about those shows, they are a little t...