Benjamonster's TV

Welcome to my Monday Newsletter. This week, I am looking at the new limited series Expats, Masters of the Air and Griselda , the latest episode of True Detective: Night Country and more! EXPATS There were three big premieres this past week but none of them were super exciting to me personally. The one I enjoyed most though was Expats , a Prime Video limited series based on the 2016 novel The Expatriates . The series, set in an expatriate community in Hong Kong, follows the interconnected lives of three women (Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, & Ji-young Yoo).  The first two episodes were not perfect by any means but they interested me enough to definitely keep watching. I was frustrated in the first episode when the characters just kept talking around an event that was meant to be a secret from the audience. This isn't some mystery box show, I don't think it needed to keep what happened a secret until nearly the end of the second episode. And the very obvious vagueness in dialogu...

Welcome to my Monday newsletter! Today I am looking at Death and Other Details, the season finale of Fargo , the latest episode of True Detective: Night Country , the Emmys and more! DEATH AND OTHER DETAILS There's a whole lot of murder mysteries premiering in January on TV. One of the ones that interested me most going in was Death and Other Details , a dramedy set aboard a luxury cruise ship. After watching the first two episodes, which premiered on Hulu this past Tuesday, I'm still somewhat intrigued but my enthusiasm was dampened somewhat by two uneven episodes to kick off the series. There's a strong cast here led by the Violett Beane and the great Mandy Patinkin along with strong supporting actors such as Jayne Atkinson and Jere Burns. When I put this show on my Most Anticipated list, I drew comparisons to The White Lotus because it's a murder mystery in a luxurious setting. But this certainly doesn't aim as high as Lotus and yet it takes itself more seriously...

Happy Emmys Day! This week's Newsletter includes a review of True Detective: Night Country , a preview of the Drama categories at the Emmys, thoughts on the season finales of For All Mankind and The Curse , the latest episode of Fargo and more! TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY I actually haven't watched any of the True Detective seasons. It's always been on my list but as the reaction to the second and third season was more muted, I just never got around to it. So I can't comment at all on how the fourth installment, Night Country , compares to previous seasons. But I thought the first episode of Night Country was strong and I look forward to watching the rest of the season. The first episode does a great job with mood setting. It starts on the last day of daylight in Northern Alaska and then continues when Alaska is dark 24 hours a day (hence the "Night Country"). The feel of constant night seems to be a major part of this season given the name but it also helps...

Welcome to my weekly newsletter! This week I am looking at the Emmy race in the comedy categories as well as the latest episodes of Fargo, For All Mankind, The Curse and more! EMMYS COMEDY PREVIEW Last week, I looked at the Limited Series races for the upcoming Emmys (January 15). Here are my predictions & wishes in the main comedy categories! Outstanding Comedy Series Will Win: The Bear Should Win: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Should Have Been Nominated: Poker Face Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Will/Should Win: Jeremy Allen White, The Bear Should Have Been Nominated: Drew Tarver, The Other Two Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Will Win: Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary Should Win: Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Should Have Been Nominated: Bridget Everett, Somebody Somewhere

Happy New Year! In a very busy newsletter today, I am looking at my most anticipated shows for 2024, the Limited Series race at the upcoming Emmys, For All Mankind, The Curse, The Crown, Fargo, Dr. Death and more! MY TOP 10 MOST ANTICIPATED SHOWS OF 2024 As we begin 2024, there should be no shortage of TV with the strikes resolved. We may not get back to pre-strike Peak TV but there will be plenty to watch. Here are my Top 10 Most Anticipated Shows of 2024. To be considered for this list, it had to be new or an anthology. So even though I can't wait for a returning show like Abbott Elementary in February, I did not include it on this list.  Honorable Mentions: Ripley (Netflix, TBD), Griselda (Netflix, Jan 25), The Penguin (Max, TBD), Apples Never Fall (Peacock, March), Shogun (FX/Hulu, Feb 27), Sugar (Apple TV+, TBD) 10.  Agatha: Darkhold Diaries  (Disney+, TBD)  - I have enjoyed exactly one Marvel show in the history of Marvel TV shows and that was  WandaVision...

Welcome to my final newsletter of 2023. My weekly newsletters will resume on January 1, 2024. I didn't get caught up on as much as I hoped to so it's a pretty short newsletter. This week, I am looking at my Top 10 Shows of the Year, The Crown and  A Murder at the End of the World . YEAR IN REVIEW: TOP 10 SHOWS I already counted down my Top 10 Episodes and Top 10 Performances. Now, here is my final countdown for 2023 - my Top 10 Shows of the Year! This was a tough list to make! 10. Fargo (FX) Fargo is back in form for its fifth season. The show got back to basics and seems to be doing everything that made it a beloved show in the first place. Anchored by strong performances including Juno Temple, Jon Hamm and Jennifer Jason Leigh, I can't wait to see how the season ends. 9. What We Do in the Shadows (FX) I was sad to hear the upcoming sixth season of this comedy will be the last. It felt like a show that could go on forever with the wild antics of the vampires. I am rarely a...

Welcome to my Monday newsletter. This week, I am looking at My Top 10 Episodes of the Year, Mr. Monk's Last Case, Frasier, Fargo, For All Mankind and more! YEAR IN REVIEW: TOP 10 EPISODES Last week, I took a look at my Top 10 Performances of the year. This week, I am taking a look at my Top 10 Episodes of 2023! 10.  Fargo "The Tragedy of the Commons" (November 21, 2023) The first episode of the new season of Fargo showed us that the series was back in form with an outrageous action sequence and the perfect mix of dark comedy and just plain darkness. 9.  What We Do in the Shadows  "Urgent Care" (August 10, 2023) One of many delightful summer episodes from an always reliable laugh factory, the episode in a supernatural urgent care was just so inventive and funny. 8.  Abbott Elementary  "Educator of the Year" (April 5, 2023) Of the first season and a half of the show, this episode probably best depicted what it's like to be a teacher, especially when ...