Concluding its second season earlier this year, Young Rock is back for season three on Binge. So I said last time the show was on the slide a little. This season it got a bit worse. While the Rock's story is fairly interesting, the laughs in season three are now very few and far apart.
NBC moved the show to Friday's with far smaller viewing figures than previous seasons.
Moving shows to Friday can be the kiss of death. Also a couple of new sitcoms landed on NBC this 2022-2023 TV season.
So will Young Rock return for a fourth season? My bet is no. They seemed to get it on, then out of the way ASAP. Starting early November last year, concluding just last Friday.
The Rock has been in the headlines for everything from Black Adam to Fast on the Furious fueds.
I always have to see my shows through to the bitter end (even Dynasty's reboot!) this isn't quite the bitter, bitter end, however it's getting fairly darn close.
The fourth season of hit Netflix series You is back. This time in two parts. Most likely to retain subscribers for longer. The fourth season was ordered by Netflix on October 13, 2021. Penn Badgley returns as Joe Goldberg alongside Tati Gabrielle as Marienne Bellamy, Charlotte Ritchie, Tilly Keeper, Amy-Leigh Hickman, Ed Speleers & Lukas Gage. This time You is based in London.
When will Part II air you ask, March 9, 2023.
Part I was a real wild ride. Murder, less sex (see news articles re: Badgley's creative move) and a pile of new characters.
I am excited to see where the second part will take us viewers.
The series has again been a HUGE hit on Netflix, so I am expecting a fifth season to be announced any minute.
As Cobra Kai, Stranger Things are both coming to an end, Netflix needs a hit. You could be just the hit it needs.
So if you need some downtown (along with eye candy) from World Pride. In Sydney that is. Well You might be just the streaming series for You. So to speak.
If you are new to You it's an easy as binge. You can catch up in no time. Also I finally started The Last of Us. WOW!
Big Sky's third season was subtitled Deadly Trails, it was also a return to form following a so-so second season.
Created by David E. Kelley and based on The Highway series of books by C. J. Box. The series streams in Australia on Disney+. A little later too than the USA, as this third season wrapped up mid January. So getting it a little later on Disney, without reading spoilers was a bit of a miracle. However little heat about the series means, will there be a fourth season?
The season kicks off with a new mystery arc, new dangers. After encountering a mysterious man in the wilderness, a hiker falls off a cliff to his death. Investigating it as a missing person case because no body is found, Jenny and Beau question Sunny Barnes, proprietor of Sunny Day Excursions.
Sunny vows to offer her assistance, but she's later shown bringing food to the mysterious man. Elsewhere, Tonya and Donno are shown running a diner, while Tonya has also started a real estate business. Using threats that she's still investigating their connection to the Bhullars, Cassie cajoles Tonya into selling her the ranch her late father coveted at a below-market price.
Jensen Ackles from The CW's long running Supernatual series joins the series three cast. As does Reba McEntire, J. Anthony Pena, Australian Luke Mitchell, Seth Gabel, Henry Ian Cusick, Anirudh Pisharody, and Madalyn Horcher.
Also Lyle Lovett & Darius Rucker were guest stars on an episode for the third season.
So the cast has grown, with some big ass names. Hello Queen of Country music, McEntire!
However will Ackles and Reba McEntire be enough to get a fourth season of the David E. Kelley? As above there isn't much online about the show, the ratings grew with 7 day viewing totals, however will it be enough? Network TV in the USA seems to be culling a number of dramas in favour for reality or game shows.
ABC really only has Grey's and Station 19 which are kicking goals, so maybe it will get a fourth and final series in place of a new series to debut mid September this year.
I enjoyed this season a pile more than the hit and miss season two. Also the tighter, shorter episode run kept the series on track. I feel a 13 episode run should have been the case for the previous two seasons.
OK, up next week Young Rock concludes its third (and also maybe final season?), I should have finished You, season four Part I along with possibly one more binge. It's a big end to summer TV 2022/2023!
Bad Behaviour is the latest miniseries (I am assuming this is a one and done, it says all episodes now streaming) on Stan. This could be the biggest summer of Stan with originals with a couple of films, new series and Bump returning!
Based on the book of the same name by Rebecca Starford, the series depicts the gripping and unsparing story of how the desire to belong, sets in motion a cruel dynamic.
Bad Behaviour had its international premiere at 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in Berlinale Series section on 20 February 2023, where it will competed for Berlinale Series Award.
The four episode run premiered last Friday. So four episodes, too easy, I am done and dusted! A basic idea of the plot is, Jo goes to boarding school and tries to build relationships with fellow students in her dormitory.
It's dark and at times very, very mean. I enjoyed it in part, however even my mother said it could be a bit dark for her. They loved Dexter for a reference point.
I want to support local series, however this one just didn't hit the spot for me. Where Bump is fun, with a kind side, Bad Behaviour was just dark, cruel, twisted while also being a little too woke in parts.
It does have beautiful moments however it was at times a challenging watch with bullying and bitchy behaviour at the centre of the show.
Starring mostly new comers, Dan Spielman and Diana Glenn star as Jo's parents.
Stan has a number of new/quality series now streaming. Including the latest buzz series Poker Face which I need to check out. If your a fan, good news that has been renewed early for a second season!
Velma was from my childhood from the Scooby-Doo series. Now comes an American adult animated mystery horror comedy television series based on the character Velma Dinkley.
HBO Max gets executive producer Mindy Kaling as the voice of the titular character, with Sam Richardson, Constance Wu and Glenn Howerton in supporting roles. Season one revolves around Velma Dinkley and the other human members of Mystery Inc. before their official formation, making it the first television series in the franchise to not feature the Scooby-Doo character.
I missed Velma when it premiered on mid January on Binge (in Australia) then concluded after five weeks of double episodes earlier this month.
Apparently a second season is in development, however you know with HBO/HBO Max lately, a renewal can turn into a cancellation at the drop of a hat!
Also the series has had awful reviews online. Like awful! On IMDb it's sitting at 1.4 out of 10!
Velma serves as an alternate universe origin story for Mystery Inc., pitched as a love quadrangle between them.
It primarily focuses on Velma Dinkley as she tries to solve a mystery regarding the disappearance of her mother, as well as the numerous murders of local teenage girls.
In the final (SPOILERS AHEAD) Velma refuses to believe her mother was the killer, but she doesn't have much time to prove her innocence before she is sentenced to death. After talking to her, she notices how mechanically she repeats all her answers, and realizes Diya was hypnotized.
She remembers that the killer also hypnotized her two years ago to blame herself for Diya's disappearance. Daphne finds the pocket watch that Velma remembers the killer used for hypnosis, and they discover the logo of the Jones' company on it.
Velma figures out that Victoria Jones is the killer, trying to recreate Dr. Perdue's work to switch Fred's brain with a more competent person's, so he could be a proper heir to the family company. Upon arriving at the Jones', she finds Daphne and Fred tied together in Perdue's lab and stops Victoria before she can hurt them.
A fight ensues, ending with Norville's unexpected arrival, and he accidentally kills Victoria in the process. Despite solving the case and being hailed as heroes, the four of them drift apart due to the events and their complicated relationships with each other.
In a mid-credits scene, Sheriff Cogburn is killed by a new murderer. So will this be solved if indeed a second series lands on HBO Max and Binge?
Velma was a fun easy watch. Lot's of laughs along with unexpected lines in the first half of episodes. HBO Max is totally cancelling almost everything of late, so time will tell if we get to actually meet the new Scooby-Doo!
Knock at the Cabin is maybe one of the most interesting films to hit the big screen thus far in 2023. Yes it's early but after Magic Mike, man the bar is low this year (already), low!
Described as an apocalyptic psychological horror film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who also has Servant streaming on Apple TV+ currently, Knock at the Cabin is down to limited screenings due to the opening of Ant Man.
Based on the 2018 novel The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul G. Tremblay, the first adaptation of one of his works.
Starring Knives Out's, Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff (Looking, Glee), Ben Aldridge (Pennyworth), Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn, and Rupert Grint.
No spoilers here, but here is a brief idea of the film. Kicking off with a family of three vacationing at a remote cabin are suddenly held hostage by four strangers, who demand they sacrifice one of their own to avert the apocalypse.
Since opening late January, the film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $41 million worldwide.
I really enjoyed the film. It doesn't over stay it's welcome, it gets to the point and unlike some of Shyamalan's previous works it packs an important, timely message.
Unlike Servant where four seasons in I am still wondering what am I watching and what is the point? Remember the random film, The Village, like WTF was that?
This though is a return to form for Shyamalan, Knock at the Cabin is a solid film in a rather hit and miss cinema period. I would have to give this a fairly solid 3.5 Stars. Plus how sexy is English, Ben Aldridge! Wow! Like wow!
A wee photo essay. I had a blast with some girlfriends in Byron. A real beautiful, interesting spot on the way to QLD, but just within the NSW borders.
I have never seen so many people without shoes in a Coles or Woolies. Or shirts or pants if a female was wearing a bikini. That said my parents live near Wyong Coles so that is really saying something, RE: the shoes that is.
There has been limited posts of late. Apologies, February has been crazy busy. Over on my music blog (Flashing off the Record) you can check out Hope D as the feature record this week. Like last year the music blog may live here for a bit, maybe over Autumn. However I can promise you at least three TV posts next week! Yes THREE! Until then here is Byron Bays!
The Time Traveler's Wife really does not have the usual HBO vibes. Except maybe the swearing and nude Theo James. Who is hot BTW. He was annoying in the The White Lotus season two, however here he is fairly good. Maybe cause he is nude, a lot. Mainly in episode one and six!
The sci-fic romantic drama (that's a random genre, right?) television series based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Audrey Niffenegger. Was also a movie, with Aussie Eric Bana.
The series was developed and written by Steven Moffat, who had previously taken inspiration from Niffenegger's novel for his work on the science fiction series Doctor Who.
Alongside James, Rose Leslie stars in this one and done HBO series. Which has also been removed from HBO Max in December.
It missed it when it premiered on HBO on May 15, 2022.
At the time, the series received a generally negative reception, then came the cancelation after one season in July.
Blending romance and science fiction, the series follows the relationship between Henry DeTamble (James), a man with a genetic disorder which causes him to sporadically travel through time for short periods, and Clare Abshire (Leslie), a woman who met an older version of Henry when she was a girl who told her they were married in the future.
Much like the novel on which it is based, the series raises questions about determinism, free will, and identity.
I enjoyed the first half of the season more than the second. It did feel like this could have totally been a miniseries not a full blown possible long running show.
It's not HBO's best work, it might join The Nevers as a total sci-fi/fantasy flop.
In Australia, The Time Traveler's Wife streams on Binge.
The plot in Magic Mike's Last Dance is thinner than a cheap strippers g-string. Or thinner than the latest landing strip design for millennials waxed never regions.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, written by Reid Carolin, and produced by Channing Tatum, surely this third instalment is the last time we will see Magic Mike grind on stage.
The Magic Mike trilogy, following Magic Mike (2012) and Magic Mike XXL (2015), brings back The Channing Tatum as the titular retired stripper, who leaves Florida for London to help a socialite (Salma Hayek Pinault) produce a stage play.
Originally intended to be digitally released onto HBO Max, Warner Bros. Pictures opted to give the film a theatrical release following strong test screenings. Magic Mike's Last Dance was released in the United States on February 10, 2023.Strong test screenings? Who was witnessing this 2023 trainwreck?
The first film was fun, the second was a bit try hard, the third, well really bad. I never saw the Magic Mike live show in Australia. However I feel like that along with a simple idea on a napkin helped create this nail in the coffin to the Magic Mike franchise.
Some scenes are super cringe. Some are just plan padding to give this a decent run time. I really feel this could have been a one hour TV special wrap up thing.
While there was a few girls giggling behind us in downtown Byron Bay, even the silence of a cinema wouldn't save this film.
It was kind of a sad last hurrah with some fun stripping/dancing. The song choices were also a little off with songs like the Dandy Warhols (whatever happened to them?) mixed with the class strip jam, Pony.
It would be hard to give this more than 1.5 stars. The diversity of the new strip squad was good. Time to hang up the thong Tatum.
Candy or released in Australia as Candy: A Death In Texas. Well it's another American true crime drama from Hulu or Disney+ in Australia.
Created by Nick Antosca and Robin Veith, starring Jessica Biel as the title character Candy Montgomery, alongside Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets) as Betty Gore.
The series originally aired/streamed in May, 2022, with a new episode for five nights.
In Wylie, Texas, in 1980 suburban housewife Candy Montgomery is accused of murdering her neighbour Betty Gore, after having an affair with Gore's husband Allan.
So Candy is about to get some competition as Love and Death is another miniseries based on the Candy Montgomery/Betty Gore coming to HBO Max this year. Random.
Either way this was a good five episode summer series.
It was brutal, however you will never guess the ending unless you have read about the case.
Interesting to see Timothy Simons as Pat Montgomery after he slayed at playing Jonah Ryan on HBO's iconic series, Veep.
Now I am about to have a girls trip to Byron Bay, so posts may be light. Hopefully I can stay on top of all my TV though LOL.
The show first landed on Showtime on November 14, 2021. However I binged all ten episodes of the first season ahead of season two landing, March 26, 2023 alongside Succession season four! Now that's a big Sunday night of TV. Move over MAFS!
Yellowjackets has received seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series and acting nominations for Lynskey and Ricci.
Late 2022, the series was renewed for a third season. This is positive news ahead of Showtime plus Paramount+ merging in the near future!
So the basic plot to the ten episode first run is. In 1996, a team of New Jersey high school girls’ soccer players travel to Seattle for a national tournament. While flying over Canada, their plane crashes deep in the wilderness and the surviving team members are left stranded for nineteen months. The series chronicles their attempts to stay alive while also tracking their current lives in 2021.
This was a total BO$$ show. I was hooked from episode one! So good!
With two more seasons on the way I am so happy to be on the Yellowjackets plane. Quality Showtime viewing. Maybe their best series in a long while.
Three Pines is the latest in my recent revival of watching Amazon Prime. Following the fun film, Shotgun Wedding along with the third and second last season of Jack Ryan, Three Pines is an excellent little murder mystery series.
Starring Alfred Molina based on the novel series by Louise Penny, centered on Chief Inspector Armand Gamache.
The first season premiered on Amazon early December 2022 with four murder mysteries, each spanning two episodes, concluding just before Christmas. So I was a little late to the party, however I really did enjoy this little Canadian series.
