by Julian Spivey The ending of the most recent episode of “SEAL Team” titled “Aces and Eights,” which premiered on Paramount+ on Sunday, Nov. 6 wasn’t a surprise to me because I know what’s going on outside of the fictional world of the series with the cast. It was still a major disappointment. (Stop reading now if you haven’t seen the episode) Let me begin by explaining why the tragic ending to “Aces and Eights” was not surprising to me. Max Thieriot, who plays Clay Spenser in “SEAL Team,” is the creator and star of the new CBS drama “Fire Country,” which premiered in early October. When I heard “Fire Country” was picked up to series this past spring I just assumed that would be the end of Thieriot’s run on “SEAL Team.” Very rarely do actors pull double duty on two shows airing concurrently. So, all season six of “SEAL Team” I’ve expected the character of Clay to say farewell to Bravo Team. The most obvious choice for Clay’s farewell was on the battlefield and it appeared to me – and probably many viewers of the series, especially those who knew about “Fire Country” – that this would occur at the beginning of season six following the bombastic way season five ended in the spring. Indeed, when season six premiered in September it looked like Clay would be a goner. He was the victim of a direct strike and one of his legs was left mangled. Due to the state of his leg and him vomiting up the antibiotic pill given to him at the scene it appeared he would succumb to infection. Surprisingly, the series opted not to kill off the character at the beginning of the season. Clay’s leg was amputated and his time operating with Bravo Team was over. The series decided not to give Clay the heroic battlefield death you would see from many TV shows and movies, and I was fine with that decision. Many warriors come home changed forever by physical or mental wounds and live fulfilling lives. It seemed this was the future “SEAL Team” envisioned for Clay. I still expected his run on the series to end, but in a positive sendoff, where he and his wife Stella (Alona Tal) and their newborn son ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. Unsurprisingly Clay develops depression as the result of his life changing abruptly and in episode six of the season titled “Watch Your 6” is considering suicide. He walks off into the woods with a rifle planning on ending his life before being talked out of it by his brothers in arms. This wouldn’t have been a satisfying end to Clay by any means, but it would’ve been a realistic one in terms of how lives of many servicemen end. Again, it felt like the show was going to send off Clay and his family in a positive manner. Things were looking up for the character in episode seven of the season titled “Strange Bedfellows” when Clay helps out a fellow vet struggling with PTSD. It seems Clay has finally found how he wants to spend the rest of his career – helping out those who are like him. At the end of “Aces and Eights,” Clay receives a phone call from this vet Ben (Joey Pollari), who’s considering suicide and destroying the military sign-up center that he blames for destroying his life. Clay talks Ben out of killing himself and as Ben hands Clay his gun a security guard shows up and shoots Clay dead. The aftermath of Clay’s death both on his Seal Team brothers and his family at home will be seen in the two-part season finale that airs its first episode on Sunday, Nov. 13. It's certainly a shocking way for Clay to die, though not surprising based on knowing there was a good chance he wasn’t going to outlive this season. I just feel those in charge of the show, led by executive producer Spencer Hudnut, did the audience dirty in the end with the way they chose to bring his storyline to a close. Hudnut told USA Today this week: “I struggled with it. I love Max and this character, which has been a big part of me for five years. But once it was clear, it became a question of how. We thought about having Clay ride off into the sunset, but that just isn’t the show.” But … many military veterans do wind up riding into the sunset. Shows are going to be emotional, especially when we’ve spent more than 100 episodes with these characters, but those in control of the shows shouldn’t intentionally string along the emotions of the audience by constantly putting a beloved character in danger and then having him escape leaving us to believe everything will be alright in the end. Sure, it’s just a fictional show and character, but the death of Clay Spenser doesn’t seem befitting of the character. Not in this way.
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by Julian Spivey Blockbuster – Netflix – Thursday, November 3 It’s kind of ironic that Netflix, the business that put movie rental stores like Blockbuster out of business, is now debuting a show called “Blockbuster” about employees of the last Blockbuster store in America. As a movie buff, I look forward to the potential of a workplace comedy featuring Blockbuster employees and the series features a talented cast including Melissa Fumero (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) and Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat). It’s probably a good sign the series was created by “Happy Endings” creators David Caspe and Jackie Clarke, and I hope it could be similar in theme to NBC’s former sitcom “Superstore,” which Clarke also helped create. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story – Roku Channel – Friday, November 4 I thought at first “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” would be a straight biopic and I was excited to see the life and career of Yankovic brought to film. Once the trailer debuted I realized this was going to be a much wilder ride than your standard pop culture biopic fare. But why would a movie about a guy who parodies stuff be straightforward in the first place? Daniel Radcliffe stars as the titular Yankovic and Evan Rachel Wood plays pop sensation Madonna, Yankovic’s love interest (yes, you read that correctly). “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is a big moment for the Roku Channel, but don’t be worried if you’re not a Roku user. I know for a fact you can download the Roku Channel app on an Amazon Fire Stick and I’m sure there will be other options for viewing this film. The Crown: Season 5 – Netflix – Wednesday, November 9 The fourth season of Netflix’s “The Crown,” which aired in late 2020, was arguably the show’s best season yet (I don’t quite think it was, but it was great) and was definitely the show’s most award recognized as it swept the major Emmy drama categories winning Best Drama, Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress in a drama series. Season five sees the show change cast members for the first time since the beginning of season three as the royal family has aged. Imelda Staunton takes over as Queen Elizabeth II with Jonathan Pryce now playing Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Dominic West as Charles, Prince of Wales and Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, Princess of Wales. The season is sure to feature the downfall of Charles and Diana’s marriage. The English – Amazon Prime Video – Friday, November 11 Amazon Prime Video’s newest Western drama series “The English” continues the trend of big screen stars taking on the small screen in streaming series with Emily Blunt taking the lead as Cornelia Locke, an Englishwoman who arrives in the American West in 1890 seeking revenge against the man who killed her son. She meets and is helped by a former cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation, played by Chaske Spencer. The trailer makes it seem like an uber-violent, thrilling series. Fleishman is in Trouble – Hulu – Thursday, November 17 “Fleishman is in Trouble,” is a new Hulu limited series produced by FX Originals, based on the 2019 novel of the same name written by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. The series features the wonderful leads of Jesse Eisenberg and Claire Danes. Eisenberg is a recently divorced fortysomething trying to get his life back on track when his ex-wife (played by Danes) disappears leaving him to look after their children. In the midst of all this, he realizes he’ll only be able to figure out what happened to his wife if he is more honest about how their marriage fell apart. The series will feature a strong supporting cast of Lizzy Caplan, Christian Slater, Adam Brody and Josh Radnor. Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium – Disney+ - Sunday, November 20
Elton John’s multiple-year, delayed by Covid Farewell Tour is reaching its American end this month with a final show at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium, the sight of one of his most memorable career performances. I believe this will be the first-ever concert live stream via Disney+ and will feature Elton John’s greatest hits as he says so long to American audiences in the three-hour live stream that will start at 9:30 p.m. CST. I saw Elton John on his Farewell Tour toward the beginning of it in Tulsa, Okla. In early 2019 and it was absolutely fantastic. I wouldn’t miss this live stream if you’re a fan. by Julian Spivey The Chris Chibnall/Jodie Whittaker era of “Doctor Who” came to an end on Sunday, Oct. 23 with “The Power of The Doctor,” which said farewell to Whittaker’s incarnation of The Thirteenth Doctor.
The Chibnall/Whittaker era was a disappointment. Sure, there were some good episodes during the duo’s four-year run, but it wound up being the weakest iteration of The Doctor since the show was revived in 2005. I had such high hopes for Chibnall as showrunner of “Doctor Who” after the last few seasons of Steven Moffatt’s run had grown stale for me. As a fan of Chibnall’s crime drama “Broadchurch,” I knew his talent was great and thought he could bring some nice change to the long-running sci-fi series. I was wrong. A lot of fans blame Whittaker, but that’s just not fair. Chibnall was in charge of the series and should be the one to take the blame. “The Power of the Doctor” was the last of three 2022 “Doctor Who” specials after “Eve of the Daleks,” broadcast on New Year’s Day, and the truly horrible (the worst modern episode of “Doctor Who” in my opinion) “Legend of the Sea Devils,” which aired on Easter. “The Power of the Doctor” begins with The Doctor and her two companions Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill) and Dan Lewis (John Bishop) trying to save a high-speed train from a new race of Cyberman, known as the CyberMasters. When Dan is almost killed during this mission he decides he’s ready to call it quits and return home. It was the most unceremonious end to a companion at least during the modern times of “Doctor Who” going back to 2005. It was frankly laughable, but also seemed completely befitting Dan because he seems like a footnote in the show’s history. The least interesting companion of the modern era. The bulk of the story revolved around The Master (Sacha Dhawan) trying to force a regeneration of The Doctor so that he could overtake The Doctor as himself. Part of his plan to do this includes destroying the world by uniting two of The Doctor’s most hated villains (and the two most used in the series) the Cybermen and Daleks. Dhawan did a nice job as The Master during the Chibnall era, one of the few true highlights of this era. I can’t say I prefer him to previous Masters of the modern era in John Simm and Michelle Gomez, but he certainly put his little spin on the character and didn’t disappoint. The story of “The Power of the Doctor” is fine if nothing special and it may even be the finest finale for a Doctor actor since David Tennant’s more than a decade ago. I was disappointed in Matt Smith’s finale and honestly can’t remember anything about Peter Capaldi’s finale. What “The Power of the Doctor” does nicely is fan service when it comes to giving long-time fans of the show familiar faces in former companions Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Tegan (Janet Fielding) and to a lesser extent cameos by former Doctors Peter Davison (fifth Doctor), Colin Baker (sixth Doctor), Sylvester McCoy (seventh Doctor) and Paul McGann (eighth Doctor). These were nice for me, but I’ve only been a viewer of the modern series, so I’m sure they were even more exciting for fans of both eras of “Doctor Who.”Sacha The appearance of a past companion that excited me the most was the brief appearance of Graham (Bradley Walsh), who was my favorite companion of Whittaker’s tenure as The Doctor, though why he was around in the storyline was never really explained and quite confusing. It would’ve been nice to see Ryan, but actor Tosin Cole was either unavailable or uninterested. The ending of “The Power of the Doctor” was genuinely surprising. We knew that Russell T. Davies, who rebooted “Doctor Who” in 2005 and ran the show until 2010, was returning to run the series and that Ncuti Gatwa had been hired to be the next Doctor. We also knew that David Tennant, who’s likely the most favorite Doctor among fans, would be returning for a few specials for the show’s 60th anniversary next year. We assumed when Whittaker’s Doctor regenerated at the end of her finale we’d get our first appearance of Gatwa as the Fourteenth Doctor, but it turns out the Fourteenth Doctor is, in fact, the Tenth Doctor. Whittaker regenerated into Tennant. So, it seems Gatwa will actually be the Fifteenth Doctor when his tenure begins sometime in 2023. The Tennant specials are set to air in November of 2023, giving “Doctor Who” fans a long wait before any new episodes. by Julian Spivey The thing I’ll always appreciate the most about AMC’s “Kevin Can F**k Himself,” which wrapped its two-season, 16-episode run on Monday night (Oct. 10), was its unique, one-of-a-kind format in which it was part single-cam dark drama and part multi-cam, brightly lit sitcom.
The show itself was always solid, though never anything greater, but the format is something I’m always going to remember. Creator Valerie Armstrong took a major swing with this format and should be highly commended for doing so. In the first season, which aired in 2021, housewife Allison McRoberts (played by Annie Murphy fresh off her Emmy win for “Schitt’s Creek) is fed up with her life of being mostly ignored and not much more than a maid for her schlub of a husband Kevin (played by Eric Petersen). Feeling there isn’t another way to escape her sad life she devises a plan to have her husband killed. Anytime Kevin appears on the screen the show is in multi-cam sitcom mode. Anytime he’s not on the screen the show is in single-cam drama mode. This was a choice inspired by the short-lived CBS sitcom “Kevin Can Wait,” starring Kevin James, which unceremoniously killed off his TV wife played by Erinn Hayes in between seasons one and two in hopes of changing the plot of the show and leading to added viewers (it didn’t work). But it did show how some sitcom wives can be so underdeveloped it doesn’t matter if they’re just written off. Hayes made a tongue-in-cheek guest appearance in the “Kevin Can F**k Himself” series finale on Monday night. Allison’s plot to have her husband killed, for which she received help in the form of her friend and neighbor Patty (Mary Hollis Inboden), failed in season one. It failed rather big, in fact, and made her life more of a living hell by turning her husband into a local hero. So, as season two began in late August, the plot had switched from Allison attempting to kill Kevin and rather trying to fake her own death. The first seven episodes of the season see Allison devising this plan, again with the help of Patty as their friendship continues to grow deeper. These episodes also show Kevin, albeit still in a sitcom parody, doing things to make the others closest to him in life like his father Pete (Brian Howe) and his best friend Neil (Alex Bonifer) fade away a bit. One of the highlights of season two was getting to see Bonifer as Neil do a bit more, as he was able to escape this sitcom parody aspect of the show when stumbling upon Allison and Patty’s plans. At the end of the penultimate episode of the season, Allison finally enacts her own plan. She’s assumed the identity of a recently deceased person and moved from the only place she’s ever known Worcester, Mass. to Maine. The finale begins six months later showing Allison to be incredibly bored with her new life, Patty’s incredibly bored in her old life without her best friend, and Kevin, of course, doesn’t seem to care that much. He’s now using his live-in dad as his housekeeper and has already found a new girlfriend. Ultimately, Allison figured out she didn’t need to run away from her life in Worcester. She just needed to get away from Kevin. She returns to Worcester to confront him. Before their confrontation, which has been a long time coming, Pete and Neil, both finally stand up for themselves and rid themselves of their son and best friend, respectively. Kevin still doesn’t understand he’s the problem. As soon as Allison surprises him at their old home, Kevin is ecstatic thinking his luck has turned and things can go back to how they once were. Allison asks for a divorce. At this point, we finally see Kevin in the single cam, darkly lit dramatic portion of the show for the first time. He’s always been a monster, but we haven’t really gotten the chance to see him in full monster glory until now. Kevin gaslights the hell out of Allison and says the divorce is not going to happen and he’ll ruin his wife. She leaves triumphantly. She’s finally escaped her husband. In the end, Kevin officially fucks himself, something that was a long time coming. Allison and Patty reunite and promise to “die alone together,” which isn’t quite a storybook happy ending, but for these two friends, it also kind of is. by Tyler Glover Two hundred years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” the Targaryens ruled over all of Westeros. They had a multitude of dragons that spread fear that helped them sustain their dynasty. However, during the reign of the “Mad King,” Daenerys’ father, they were overthrown, and Daenerys Targaryen and her brother had to flee to exile. At the beginning of ‘GOT,’ Daenerys decides to take back what was destined to be hers: The Iron Throne. “Game of Thrones” follows her on that particular adventure but now, thanks to the first prequel series, “House of the Dragon,” we are given the opportunity to see what it was like when the Targaryens did rule Westeros. Given the huge success of “Game of Thrones,” there is a lot riding on this. Does “House of the Dragon” recapture the adventure, the drama, the intrigue, the dragons, the love, the revenge, and the surprise deaths the way its predecessor did? It does but on a smaller scale.
As we join this series, the matter at hand is who will be first in line for the Iron Throne if King Viserys (Paddy Considine) dies. He has no male heir, and the two options are either his eldest daughter, Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) or his brother, Daemon (Matt Smith). Traditionally, a woman has never sat on the Iron Throne. In fact, when Viserys was even chosen to sit on the Throne, his cousin, Rhaenyrs (Eve Best), was overlooked even though she would have been the rightful heir if gender had not been of any concern. Due to his brother’s poor reputation, Viserys proclaims his heir to be his daughter, Rhaenyra. This causes friction with even her best friend, Alicent (Emily Carey). However, the show presents us with an eerie feeling that when Viserys does die, the succession will be challenged, and blood will most likely be shed. Where this show really is different from “Game of Thrones” was the world was so much bigger in the original. We got a chance to get to know so many characters that we grew to love, ones we hated, and ones that we hated we loved. Due to this prequel series really focusing on the Targaryens, the plot is more focused. This does not stop the “Game of Thrones” drama we have come to love though. Surprise deaths, shifting alliances, breathtaking battle sequences, and intrigue keep us on our toes. It is truly a visually dazzling spectacle that delivers all the thrills of the original ‘GOT, while also making its own mark in the Westeros universe. The performances in the show are fantastic but the real standout is Alcock as Rhaenyra. She deserves an Emmy nomination for this role. Alcock infuses Rhaenyra with the same passion, wit and intelligence that Emilia Clarke did as Daenerys in the original. We are rooting for her to succeed and believe in her abilities. She calls things like she sees them and does not need a council to help her make these “safe” decisions that they have made for years before her. Unfortunately, due to the extreme time jumps, her time on the show is already over. This is one aspect that fans hated about the last season of “Game of Thrones.” Season eight showed us how quickly it could dash to the finish. This show follows the same trajectory. Every episode sees time jump quite a bit. While this didn’t work in the favor of the last season, here it works perfectly. We are getting to see the setup for what is to come. I wish there was a little more time given to some of these story arcs, but that makes the show so exciting. The show still has three more episodes to go before it finishes its first season. So far, the show is doing an excellent job at setting everything up. I am hoping though that as we enter season two, we will get to see the events play out in real-time more. This show excels the most in its ability to make us feel like we know where the story is going but surprise us with what will happen. Every Sunday evening, I know two things: I will be anxiously waiting for “House of the Dragon” to come on and that winter is coming. by Julian Spivey “M*A*S*H” is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its premiere on Saturday, Sept. 17 and there are many of my parents and their parents’ generation who were lucky enough to see one of the greatest television series of all-time live in its original run on CBS. I’m one of those who came to the show later on through the many re-runs in syndication. To this very day “M*A*S*H” can be found somewhere on your TV guide on a daily basis – one of only a handful of shows (“Gunsmoke” and “The Andy Griffith Show” two more I know of) that have likely been somewhere on television every day since their original runs ended. I was introduced to “M*A*S*H” when the Hallmark Channel became its exclusive home on cable TV in September of 2013, the week of my 16th birthday. I would get home from school in the afternoon and watch back-to-back episodes of the show five days a week. When you watch 10 episodes a week it doesn’t take long to make your way through a series, even one that aired more than 200 episodes. I’m the kind of pop culture fan who honestly believes the shows, movies, songs, etc. that I love have changed my life and played a role in the person I am today. I think “M*A*S*H” is one of these pop culture things that has formed whom I’ve become and done so for the better. Its morals and view of the world helped me become a compassionate, ethical being. I likely would’ve turned into one either way, but this show mixed with the other shows and films I loved around this time, and the music I grew to love in my teens and into my twenties helped me see it was the right way to live. Hawkeye Pierce is my favorite television character of all time. He’s very likely my favorite fictional character period. He always stood up for the little guy. He despised bigotry and racism. He hated violence, though it appeared everywhere around him. He showed what the best of humanity could look like. The performance by Alan Alda and the writing/creation from Larry Gelbart and others of the character in the TV series (which was truly different from its predecessor in the novel and film version) made a lasting impression on me at 16, much the same way listening to Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash had and would and the performances of everyman actors like James Stewart and Henry Fonda in classic films would. I began to seek out this kind of moralistic entertainment. I still do to this day nearly 20 years later. A lot has been made about the era of Peak TV and the proliferation of the anti-hero. Don’t get me wrong there are plenty of anti-heroes I’ve enjoyed watching both on television and in film, but there’s something about heroes – the old-fashioned kind – that just can’t be beaten. Hawkeye Pierce, though I know he’s a fictional man, is one of my heroes and has been since the moment I got to know him and his mostly heroic and moralistic cohorts on what I consider to be the greatest TV series ever. by Aprille Hanson-Spivey & Julian Spivey September 17 marks the 50th anniversary of the premiere of "M*A*S*H," one of the greatest TV shows of all-time, on CBS. For 11 seasons the series that focused on doctors and nurses saving American soldiers at a medical hospital near the frontlines of the Korean War was among the most popular shows on television. To this day "M*A*S*H" can still be seen somewhere on your television programming guide, a testament to its lasting popularity and importance to the TV medium. In celebration of the milestone 50th anniversary of "M*A*S*H" we have ranked the characters of this classic TV series. 1. Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda) Hawkeye Pierce is the heart and soul of “M*A*S*H.” He’s also the greatest character in television history. His strong moral code is truly the center of the show. You can count on Hawkeye to do what’s right – especially as the series goes on and his womanizing antics fall by the wayside. I’ve always appreciated how the show managed to show Hawkeye’s moral code, while also letting him be a total goofball. It’s a mixture you wouldn’t necessarily believe would work, but the show realized almost from the start it was one actor Alan Alda could bring out in the character. No comedy has ever provided so many laughs, while also making eyes well with tears as “M*A*S*H” did during its run and Hawkeye Pierce was the one delivering both of those in spades, often in the span of one 23-minute episode. JS 2. B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell) Capt. B.J. Hunnicut had the tough task of replacing a beloved character in Capt. Trapper John McIntyre. This was right after fans already had to say goodbye to Col. Blake and get hit with the sad news he was killed. Then, top of season four, Hawkeye misses saying goodbye to his best friend Trapper after going on R&R. Instead, he’s greeted by B.J. in “Welcome to Korea.” It’s a credit to Farrell’s acting skills to slide into that role. In fact, his depth was always more than Trapper’s and their friendship was one of the best ever on TV. A devoted doctor, husband and father, he was a different kind of friend for Hawkeye, one he needed. One of the show’s classic episodes “Death Takes a Holiday” in season nine, shows him doing everything he can to save a soldier and ultimately changing his death time to make sure his children didn’t have to grow up knowing their father died on Christmas. AHS 3. Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit) Head nurse Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan could have easily been written as a stereotype – a blonde, bumbling nurse, the comic relief in a war zone. Even though Houlihan could be infuriating with her no-nonsense attitude and affair with Frank Burns – ew – her character was one of the most important on the show. She was a strong, smart woman, doing her part in the war effort and doing it well. While M*A*S*H premiered in 1972, a time when women were gaining more respect in the world, the show itself takes place in the early 1950s during the Korean War. Having “Hot Lips” written as a tough nurse rather than meek was a smart move by the writers. Her character evolved throughout the show, especially after Burns left. Her frenemy relationship with Hawkeye was one of the best on the show, particularly in the episode “Comrades in Arms: Part 1,” when the two kiss while trapped behind enemy lines. AHS 4. Sherman T. Potter (Harry Morgan) Lt. Col. Sherman Potter had massive shoes to fill. As fans were left stunned by the death of beloved Lt. Col. Henry Blake in the final episode of season three “Abyssinia, Henry,” Col. Potter leads the unit in the second episode of season four, “Change of Command.” Potter marked the beginning of a new age of M*A*S*H, along with Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt. Potter never tried to be Blake – no one could replace him. So, the unit instead got an experienced war horse, who wound up having a heart and profound respect for his fellow comrades. Where Blake was more of a friend, Potter became a father figure to everyone and it was an important role to fill, especially for Hawkeye. He wound up being the glue that kept everyone sane, while also having a compassionate streak that was frankly unexpected. AHS 5. Radar O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff) Cpl. Radar O’Reilly is one of the sweetest characters to ever grace television. His sweet demeanor represented a large portion of young men sent off to war that were completely naïve and really had no business in a war zone. Between caring for his rabbits to bringing along his teddy bear to Korea, Radar provided innocence in the backdrop of war. His most heartbreaking moment was without a doubt informing the unit while they are busy operating on the wounded that Col. Blake had died in a helicopter crash on his way home. It’s one of the most memorable moments in TV history, and Radar delivered the news with heart and bravery. AHS 6. Father Francis Mulcahy (William Christopher) Father Francis Mulcahy took on the role of the show’s moral compass. As the resident priest, he helped spiritually guide the Army doctors and nurses in a way that was never heavy-handed, knowing what kind of moral dilemmas they faced each day. His character was so important because he played a priest as a real person instead of a judgmental stereotype. He wasn’t afraid to be goofy, knowing they needed that break in the madness. But all the while, he sprinkled in bits of religious wisdom, like “Look on the bright side: When they tell us to serve our time in Purgatory, we can say, “No thanks, I've done mine.” AHS 7. Charles Emerson Winchester III (David Ogden Stiers) The addition of Charles Emerson Winchester III in season six of the series continued the show’s incredible knack for replacing original characters with even better characters (has any other show ever accomplished this with such success?) Winchester steps into the role as a foil for Hawkeye and B.J., but you never really hate him like you did Frank Burns. He’s pompous. He’s egotistical. He thinks he’s better than his peers. But he also finds a way to be lovable – probably because unlike Frank he’s able to match wits with Hawkeye and the others and he’s humane, intelligent and a skilled surgeon, qualities his predecessor lacked. He also wants to be anywhere other than Korea, like his comrades at the camp. In many ways, Charles Winchester is a TV antecedent to Frasier Crane. JS 8. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson) Henry Blake may now be known more for the most devastating departure of a character in television history, especially for a comedy series, but let’s remember him at his best as the over-his-head, but friendly commander of the M*A*S*H Unit 4077. Blake knew he wasn’t much of a leader, he didn’t want to be in Korea any more than Hawkeye and Trapper, but he always had his people’s backs and gave us what might be the most memorable line in the show’s history when he says to a heartbroken Hawkeye, “All I know is what they taught me in command school. There are certain rules about a war, and rule number one is that young men die. And rule number two is doctors can’t change rule number one.” Actor McLean Stevenson’s decision to leave the show at the end of season three would also give us potentially the most memorable moment in the show’s legendary history. JS 9. Trapper John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers) If there was one character who kind of got the short shrift on “M*A*S*H” it was Trapper John McIntyre. When the series began in 1972 he was meant to be a co-lead with Hawkeye Pierce, as the character had been in Robert Altman’s 1970 film and Richard Hooker’s 1968 novel, but it didn’t take long for Trapper to become overshadowed by Hawkeye in the TV series, whether this was through the star-power of Alan Alda or being shortsighted by the writing staff. Wayne Rogers, believing the writers has made Trapper into nothing more than the straight man for Hawkeye, decided to leave the show abruptly after the third season. The show had no other means to write his character off than by saying he’d been discharged. JS 10. Maxwell Klinger (Jamie Farr) Corporal Maxwell Klinger could wear a feathered boa better than anyone in the U.S. Army. The Lebanese American from Toledo, Ohio, had an important role in "M*A*S*H" as not only comic relief, but to show off the reality of how badly some wanted to get out of the military. His cross-dressing was a running joke – it may be viewed as problematic today, but let’s hope not – but it was also giving him a sense of control in an uncontrollable environment. He wanted out, and the only way out was to convince the higher-ups he was crazy. But his role was filled with hilarious one-liners and once Cpl. Radar O’Reilly left in season eight, Klinger ditched the dresses and filled that hole. Because of that, he wound up being a more versatile character than was probably ever intended. AHS 11. Frank Burns (Larry Linville) Frank Burns is the character you’re supposed to hate. He’s uppity, he’s bigoted, and he’s the gung-ho military man in a setting where you see the worst of what war has to offer. But even though he’s a doctor – and as the show reminds us of time and time again, not a great one – he merely sees soldiers as a means to victory. Even though you never love Frank Burns, he’s important to the show's early years because he gives Hawkeye and Trapper John (and later B.J. Hunnicutt) a foil to play off of, a means to many punchlines. It was probably a good thing for the series that actor Larry Linville decided to leave after five seasons because it’s truly the departure of Frank Burns that gives Margaret Houlihan, his love interest, the opportunity to blossom into something more. JS by Julian Spivey The most anticipated addition to streaming this month for many is without “The Lord of the Rings: The Ringers of Power,” which is a mouthful and premieres on Amazon Prime Video tomorrow (September 2). That’s not really my scene though. Here’s what I’m most looking forward to seeing: The Good Fight (Season 6) – Paramount+ - Thursday, Sept. 8 After 13 years of being of the best characters on television, we’re going to be saying goodbye to Christine Baranski’s attorney Diane Lockhart with the final season of “The Good Fight,” Robert and Michelle King’s spinoff to their acclaimed CBS drama “The Good Wife.” “The Good Fight” has truly stood out on its own (many even think it's better than its predecessor – though I’m not sure I’m in that camp) during its run, even with an abnormally high cast turnover. I’m very interested to see how Lockhart’s story ends. SEAL Team (Season 6) – Paramount+ - Sunday, Sept. 18 “SEAL Team,” which aired its first four seasons on CBS before moving to stream on Paramount+ a few episodes into its fifth season, has been one of my favorite dramas of the last half-decade, despite the fact I didn’t expect much going into the series. I’m excited to jump back into the exciting world of Seal Team Bravo, but a little hesitant because I’m fairly certain one of my favorite characters is being killed off, likely in the season premiere. Reboot – Hulu – Tuesday, Sept. 20 I’m adding this to the list solely because of Keegan-Michael Key being one of the leads and the fact that Paul Reiser (continuing the Reinerssance) has a supporting role. The sitcom, created by “Modern Family” producer Steve Levitan, is about the cast of a fictional hit ‘00s sitcom “Step Right Up” reuniting for a reboot and having to navigate unresolved issues among other things. The supporting cast includes Judy Greer, Johnny Knoxville and Rachel Bloom. The first three episodes of the comedy drop on Tuesday, Sept. 20. Blonde – Netflix – Wednesday, Sept. 28 There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding “Blonde” for a while now, mostly revolving around its NC-17 rating, the highest of all MPAA ratings and one rarely seen these days for a film. “Blonde” is the story of Marilyn Monroe, based on Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 novel of the same name. What worries me the most about “Blonde” is its first teaser trailer that came out a while back and I swear Ana de Armas’ natural Latina accent comes through in her attempt to portray the film icon. I’m also worried that the rating could lead the film to be exploitative. “Blonde” should at the very least be an interesting watch. Ramy – Hulu – Friday, Sept. 30
Hulu’s “Ramy,” which is producer, stars and is frequently written by comedian Ramy Youssef, was one of TV’s pleasant surprises of 2019 when it debuted. The second season, which debuted shortly after the pandemic started in 2020, was strong, but not as good as the first season, but then the entertainment world was put on hold. The third season of “Ramy” is finally coming out at the end of the month and I can’t wait to see what’s going on in the titular character’s life now. The thing I like the most about “Ramy” is it gives insight into the life of someone, a Muslim-American, you don’t often see on television (at least in a non-terrorist portrayal). by Julian Spivey I never found myself caring as much about who killed Bunny Folger in the second season of Hulu’s comedy-mystery “Only Murders in the Building” as I did about the murderer of Tim Kono in the first season of the show last summer. That doesn’t mean season two of the show as a whole was disappointing, I just found myself less into the case, even with the I.D. of the murderer being a secret much of the way through the season two finale “I Know Who Did It,” which dropped Tuesday (August 23). Maybe it’s just that the show’s premise isn’t as fresh in season two as it was when it debuted in 2021 taking on the true-crime podcast genre with a mixture of glee and loving parody. It might also be that there didn’t seem to be as much emotion involved with the death not being someone once close to one of the three main characters as Kono was to Mabel (Selena Gomez) in season one. Though the stakes were undoubtedly still high in season two with Mabel serving as the lead suspect in Bunny’s death at the beginning of the season. So, even though “I Know Who Did It” did a nice job of circulating three potential killers throughout the episode I just never felt as invested as I did last year, potentially because none of the three potential killers were likable. There weren’t very high stakes involved. What did work for the second season of “Only Murders in the Building” was the primary cast of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Gomez, who are always splendid together on screen and provide frequent laughs whether it’s Short’s zaniness or Gomez’s supreme deadpan. Some of the episodes from the season were particularly good like “Here’s Looking at You,” where Martin’s Charles Haden Savage is reunited with his stepdaughter Lucy (Zoe Margaret Colletti), “The Tell,” where Short’s Oliver Putnam breaks out his ‘Son of Sam’ party game that implicates Mabel’s love interest Alice Banks (Cara Delevingne) and “Flipping the Pieces,” which sees the return of Theo Dimas (James Caverly), one of the guest cast highlights from season one. Caverly should’ve been nominated for an Emmy for Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in season one. Maybe this episode in season two will do the trick for the 2023 Emmys? What’s interesting at the end of season two is we already know there’s going to be a third (potentially final) season of “Only Murders in the Building,” so the show must set up a third season like the reveal of Bunny’s death at the end of season one set up the second season. The idea of murders continuing to happen in this one posh NYC apartment building isn’t realistic, but it is the premise of the series and the podcast the trio hosts within the series. So, either an unlikely scenario must continue to occur, or the show must adjust its premise. The series decides to adjust the premise with the trio still being involved in a murder, but this time not within their apartment building, but the murder of an actor in Oliver’s latest Broadway production. We’ll see next year if this is something that can infuse a bit more excitement into the show or if season one was all the magic we’re going to get and have to settle for something entertaining, but not as great as it once was. by Julian Spivey Reservation Dogs: Season 2 – Hulu – Wednesday, August 3 “Reservation Dogs,” an FX production airing only on Hulu, was my fourth favorite show of 2021 when it aired its first season. The show, created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, is the story of four indigenous teens in small town Oklahoma and the ins and outs of their lives and how they want to escape their circumstances. It’s the first TV series to feature an entire indigenous staff or directors and writers and majority of its cast is as well. It’s a unique look into a life we don’t often see on the small screen (or any screen for that matter). Lightyear – Disney+ - Wednesday, August 3 If you were interested in seeing the Buzz Lightyear original story “Lightyear,” but didn’t make it out to the cinema in June or July, it’s now available on Disney+ so you can watch from the comfort of your own home. “Lightyear” tells the story of a young Buzz Lightyear, who the future toy of “Toy Story” fame would be created after, who after being marooned on a hostile planet must find his way back home. Chris Evans voices the hero in “Lightyear,” which was the subject of some controversy because Tim Allen had voiced Lightyear in all four ‘Toy Story’ movies, but again this is Lightyear the man and that is Lightyear the toy. Thirteen Lives – Amazon Prime Video – Friday, August 5 One of the biggest news stories of 2018 was the Thai junior soccer team that was trapped in a northern Thailand cave that was flooding for more than two weeks and the daring rescue mission to save them. “Thirteen Lives,” directed by Ron Howard, is the story of this rescue mission. Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell and Joel Edgerton play the real-life heroes Richard Stanton, John Volanthen and Richard Harris who led the mission. A League of Their Own: The Series – Amazon Prime Video – Friday, August 12 One of the all-time greatest baseball movies is director Penny Marshall’s 1992 flick “A League of Their Own,” starring Geena Davis and Tom Hanks, which told a fictional account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League that formed during World War II when many of Major League Baseball’s finest were serving during wartime. Comedian/actress Abbi Jacobson and producer/director Will Graham have adapted Marshall’s film as a TV series for Amazon Prime Video that will star Jacobson, D'Arcy Carden and Nick Offerman among others. I’m really hoping this one knocks the story out of the park like the movie did. The Patient – Hulu – Tuesday, August 30 Steve Carell seems to be everywhere over the last few years, especially when it comes to TV series on streaming services having previously done “The Morning Show” for AppleTV+ and “Space Force” for Netflix. Now comes “The Patient” for Hulu, which sees Carell as a psychologist kidnapped and held prisoner by a patient, played by Domhnall Gleeson, who reveals himself to be a serial killer. “The Patient” is a psychological thriller told over 10 episodes. |
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