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.
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 first three episodes because, even though they still each have a case, they are of a piece trying to resolve the cliffhanger from last year. I'm glad the show made the decision to resolve the overarching arc to loosen up the show and just let it involved Natasha Lyonne's Charlie going from location to location for no particular reason and not put her "on the run" for the entire season again. But because they needed to resolve the story and because this show will always rise and fall based on the case and the guest stars, the first three episodes were a bit uneven.
The second episode, featuring Giancarlo Esposito and Katie Holmes, was my favorite of the three. I thought the first episode, which featured Cynthia Erivo playing five different roles was ambitious but not all that well-executed despite some interesting work from Erivo. And the third season resolved the cliffhanger from last year and felt less "case of the week" in a way that didn't work as well. The second episode felt the most like a first season episode with the unique setting of a funeral home, strong guest turns and a compelling case to solve. Natasha Lyonne is as strong as ever and I'm excited to continue to follow this show through the second season.
Also...
I didn't get the chance to check out Netflix's Forever yet but I am interested in the show. I also do plan to watch the new season of Criminal Minds: Evolution but it wasn't a priority to watch the premiere this past week.
Hacks
I thought this week's Hacks was the best so far this season. The show finally got Ava and Deborah back on the same page but not before a complete meltdown from Ava. This may have been Hannah Einbinder's finest moment in the entire series to date. She has really evolved as an actress and you could understand every feeling she was feeling from her facial expressions, especially in the scenes with her ex and the final scene with Jean Smart. I felt like for awhile it was interesting that it felt like Ava wasn't really contributing anything positive to the late night show but I think that final scene between Smart and Einbinder sort of shed more light on why neither of them were on top of their game. It will be interesting to see them presumably firing on all cylinders together again in the coming episode. I thought this feud was well earned but we don't need another huge feud for awhile after this one.
The Last of Us
I really liked this week's episode of The Last of Us. As Ellie and Dina recklessly tried to find Abby, we had some really tense moments and interesting (terrifying) set pieces. We also learned two very important bits of information going forward: that Cordyceps can be airborne and that Ellie knew what happened with Joel in Salt Lake City. With next week's episode set to be a flashback (and a whole lot of Pedro Pascal), I think this episode left the narrative story in a good place to come back to in two weeks. Last week's episode was slow moving at times but set the groundwork for this episode in my opinion and the two work really well as a tandem.
The Studio
The Studio aired its Golden Globes episode this week. This was an episode I've heard about since the show premiered and there were many, many celebrity cameos. While there were some funny moments and lines, I feel like I'm continuing to cool on this show more and more as others are finding it better and better. I didn't think this episode was as funny as many in the online chatter seemed to think. I thought the recurring Sal joke got old fast, just like a few other running gags through other episodes. I also feel like the show has made Seth Rogen's Matt too much of a sad sack. We're not seeing enough wins for him that don't feel a little patronizing. Bumbling is fine and funny, but I'm just starting to feel sorry for him and I don't think that's the show's intent.
THE EMMY RACE for LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
The Emmys have been an increasingly tough nut to crack for broadcast dramas with very few performances making it in since 2010. In fact, no actress from a broadcast drama has been represented in this category since Mandy Moore for This is Us in 2019. But that is likely to change this year with Kathy Bates a strong contender for Matlock. Bates made it in twice for Harry's Law a little over a decade ago and that was less well received than Matlock. With no representatives from The White Lotus, The Pitt or Severance in this category, Bates might even be considered the frontrunner. Her biggest competition and another near lock for the category is Bella Ramsey who was nominated two years ago and has taken on an even more prominent role this season. None of last year's nominees are eligible again but Ramsey isn't the only returnee from 2023 who could be in the mix. In fact, five of those six nominees are eligible again. In addition to Ramsey, there is Keri Russell for The Diplomat, Sharon Horgan for Bad Sisters, Melanie Lynskey for Yellowjackets and 2017 winner Elisabeth Moss for The Handmaid's Tale. Russell seems a sure bet for a nomination while the others could also get in (though it seems unlikely for Horgan). Among possible first time nominees, Britt Lower did not get in for the first season of Severance but there seemed to be some buyer's remorse for that snub and she is very likely to make it in this time. Keira Knightley was well received in Black Doves but that show doesn't seem to have much of an awards footprint. And while she wasn't nominated for the first season, you can never count out the legendary Helen Mirren for 1923. If the broadcast renaissance goes further, dark horses include Carrie Preston for Elsbeth and Kaitlin Olson for High Potential. But Preston didn't make it into a weaker field last year and Olson has never snuck in for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia so I wouldn't count on either. And because of her Oscar win, you can't totally count out Zoe Saldana even though Lioness was not really a critical play. I'd also keep an eye on Nicola Coughlan for Bridgerton after her surprise SAG nomination while a couple dark horses include Emma D'Arcy for House of the Dragon and Nicole Kidman for The Perfect Couple, which recently moved categories from Limited to Drama.
Projected Nominees (ranked by likelihood of a nomination):
1. Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
2. Kathy Bates, Matlock
3. Keri Russell, The Diplomat
4. Britt Lower, Severance
5. Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid's Tale
6. Keira Knightley, Black Doves
Just Missing:
7. Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets
8. Nicola Coughlan, Bridgerton
9. Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters
#20 - ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (ABC, 2021-Present)
For the second week in a row, I have a current show making the list and it was another tricky one to slot. If you read the blog regularly, you might know that I work in education. As is probably the case with any field of work, I'm extra critical of shows set in schools or about teachers. Abbott Elementary doesn't get it all right but it gets a lot right. It has an exceptional cast led by the vision of Quinta Brunson and the hilarious Janelle James and it also has insightful things to say about education. I am a little bit critical of the show digging into interesting story arcs and then struggling to get out of them but on a week to week basis, the show is very enjoyable. It has sort of settled into a comfortable long-running broadcast comedy by this point but shows like that are so exceedingly rare these days that it feels almost revolutionary by how standard it is.
COMING UP
It's a pretty quiet week for premieres as is often the case in May. On Thursday, Prime Video has the premiere of Overcompensating, a comedy that hasn't gotten much buzz yet. Also premiering Thursday is Duster on Max, a 70s-set crime drama starring Josh Holloway and the fourth season of Love, Death + Robots on Netflix. Friday has the premiere of futuristic dramedy Murderbot starring Alexander Skarsgard. It looks expensive but Apple has attempted many Sci-Fi shows and only Severance has broken out. Also premiering on Friday is the seventh season of The Chi on Showtime. The Chi has been on since 2018 but has never grown beyond its loyal audience.
Comments
Post a Comment