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My scoring headcanon:
1: Garbage,
2: Terrible,
3: Bad,
4: Below Average,
5: Average,
6: Above Average,
7: Good,
8: Great,
9: Perfect,
10: Changed my definition of perfect and made me re-evaluate my standards
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Make Some Noise (2022)
Good
Created by and hosted by Sam Reich as a spin-off "unchanged" from their previous Game Changer, episodes each take on three comedic guests as they take turns improvising to prompts given by the host. A fairly old format, the series is a fun enough spin, and has clever enough prompts, that it works. That's of course nothing to mention that guests themselves which are of course the talent and draw to the series (and Dropout in general), and everything you'd hope and expect from this is on show here. While there is the odd weaker episode, as a whole its a blast, and I was roaring with laughter on multiple occasions. Taking inspiration of course from many before it, from the original Whose Line is it Anyway to the newer @midnight, for fans of improv and the format would certainly recommend.
Slings and Arrows (2003)
Perfect
Created by Susan Coyne, Bob Martin, and Mark McKinney as well as starring Coyne and McKinney, we follow Geoffrey Tennant (played by Paul Gross), a troubled and struggling theatre director who's life drastically changes when he reunites with his old director Oliver Welles (played by Stephen Ouimette) and becomes involved with the New Burbage Theatre Festival. Each season follows Geoffrey as he puts on his latest Shakespearean production and all the antics that follow. Honestly the characters in this series were all phenomenal, I loved the cast. The writing was crisp and nuanced, there was a very clear love for theatre, acting, and of course Shakespeare put into the work, and with such a clear vision we end up with something consistently as powerful as it is entertaining. Lots of laughs, I genuinely found the series quite funny, and its drama is as equally nuanced; strong enough I teared up more than once over its run. Season one featured Rachel McAdams and the production of Hamlet which was a joy, and each season following was surprisingly equally strong in subtly different ways. In the end of its three seasons I can say was a treat. If you're a fan of Shakespeare, or you're not and want to be, would highly recommend.
Fallout (2024)
Above Average
Created by Geneva Roberts and Graham Wagner for Amazon Prime, we follow Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell), an underground vault dweller hundreds of years after nuclear war has destroyed most the surface of the globe. A story familiar for fans of the games, Lucy must adventure to the surface to rescue her father and discover what kind of civilization is left intact in the irradiated, monster-ridden world above. As a show there are considerable shortcomings, but ultimately quite a good time. A franchise based around heavy world building the show hits the ground running introducing us to the lore and the backstory, through the lens of 4 or so characters in places and times. Again for those already familiar with the games this rapid catch-up may seem fine, however a series introduction the opening is considerably blocky, with strange pacing, and frankly weird dialogue. As someone who has played much of the games, there's a lot to be said on the production choices around which were to give that "video game" feel, however I don't like many of those choices, personally. Characters only interacts as if its a Bethesda engine, lots of standing and talking, sitting and talking, or walking and talking. Characters never have business, or things to practically do, in scenes. And the opposite, during any scenes of movement or action montages we get basically zero dialogue, sometimes for minutes at a time. If really does feel like watching a video game at points, in a subtle way the bad first-person scenes in the new Halo adaptation didn't even capture. However these choices may certainly appeal to some and they certainly seem to, totally fair. There are also tons of references to things across all the games, which was neat, although ascetically its of course continuing into the heavier saturation, Todd Howard version of the Fallout universe, most prominent now in the styles of the games 76 and Shelter, which again of course makes sense as he serves as a producer. Some practical props were hit and miss, as was the CGI. Things in scenes and backgrounds tended to look great, however hero props the characters actually held were often very cardboard / rubber looking. And I don't wanna talk about the de-aging CGI. Narratively as we progress the series improves although as story twist after story twist comes, especially towards the end, I didn't mind them, they just rarely felt justified by what lead up to it. That said the set pieces and wardrobe are all great, I was extremely impressed. Acting is all suitable, Purnell as Lucy was good, I of course loved Walton Goggins' performance. Ultimately a pretty fun story that does eventually come together once it gets going, although I expect may be a bit confusing or lacking for those completely unfamiliar with the lore from the games. I liked it, didn't love it, but will definitely check out the next season whenever that comes.
Sôsô no Furîren (2023)
Great
Produced by Madhouse and based on the manga of the same name by Kanehito Yamada, we follow Frieren, a thousand+ year old elven mage, still wandering in search of rare magic and spells now nearly a century after she and her band of heroes already saved the world by defeating the Demon King. Sad she didn't get to know her companions well enough during those short but consequential decade of her life, she begins a new adventure to the ends of the earth to find the place where souls rest, so she can finally meet them once again. A lovely twist on the expected structure, Frieren is gorgeous in its animation and very strong in its characters and world building. While mostly focusing on Frieren herself as a backdrop with her past adventures saving the world, she slowly forms a new troupe of companions to travel with her on her new adventures. I honestly had a lot of fun with this one and am very much looking forward to more. While not doing anything unexpected with many of the tropes of the genre, the series is just consistently well done and well produced. Again the animation is stunning, more in the backdrops and still shots of the world around them, but also those few dynamic scenes that do happen are always done well. It's just fun, funny, good time. If adventure fantasy anime seems your type of thing this one is up there, would recommend.
The Starlost (1973)
Above Average
Created by writer Harlan Ellison for CTV, we follow the Earthship Ark, a massive spacecraft far flung into the universe hundreds of years after fleeing a dying Earth. Presumably inhabited with billions, the Ark is made of many biosphere domes, each their own isolated civilizations fostering some culture, technology, or industry to future generations once the Ark can find a new replacement for the lost Earth. We follow three leads, escapees from a more primitive religious dome as they wander the ship's halls and slowly discover its history and unpredictable future. The format follows a fairly expected framework, with the three generally moving from dome to dome per episode, with each then presenting some dilemma based on the precepts of that dome, a la Twilight Zone mixed with a bit of Star Trek. Harlan Ellison himself, the creator known for much darker sci-fi, namely I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream, would have likely hated that description of the final product. He quickly left the show prior to the first even airing due to the network "dumbing down his narrative", which does come through in what we get, but it also was 1973 network television, so what can you expect. The world building and overarching structure of the series was great, and while definitely cheesy and apparently not quite what they'd hoped, the costuming and special effects are all fun and honestly well enough done for the time. The acting isn't always the best, nor is the writing, but none of its necessarily bad. Slow paced, with a tendency to be a bit soapy and overdramatic, its short enough that for sci-fi lovers, especially of this era's sci-fi, would recommend. This show can certainly be... of assistance.
Judge Judy (1996)
Good
Created by the titular Judy Sheindlin presiding as judicator, Judge Judy takes on real cases, with real people, in small claims court televised for the world to see. Influenced heavily by the earlier The People's Court, the series quickly became a hit with Sheindlin's quick wit and stern but fair decision making. The cases are often just up to the point of ridiculous, with those chosen being the more dramatic of the applicants, a process in itself bringing into light the nature of the show's production. A "public" courtroom involving flying out to a Hollywood studio for filming, this often leaves waiting months for decision making (and presumably real court procedure) in order to be on the show. Which further goes into the technical legalities of it all, from my understanding while not acting as an official judge of any specific jurisdiction, with her instead acting as arbitrator with final decision making power, which could then be used in further court should one party not comply. All said, Sheindlin is so fun to watch, and takes nothing from anyone, in all the best day-time reality ways. I've watched a bad amount of episodes at this point, and more power to her for keeping it going so strong so long, with its many similar spin-offs and similarly styled clones over the years, it's clearly something to uphold. It's also my grandma's favourite show of all time, so I'd never dare say anything bad about it. Pure entertainment, would recommend.
The Gentlemen (2024)
Average
Created and directed by Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Sherlock Holmes) and starring Theo James as the lead, we follow Edward Horniman, the second son of a wealthy English landowner who is given his estate upon his death, superseding his older brother, and unknowingly also inheriting the past black market criminal relationships of his father. I liked previous Guy Ritchie stuff, so a longer form series certainly peaked my interest. Unfortunately it follows many of my initial fears in that it ends up feeling more a 10 hour, 10-act movie, than it does a properly paced serial. Expecting Ritchies usually punchiness in style, we do get that, but its so drawn out that at times the show feels a crawl, I was surprised how bored I often was. The characters are all turned up to eleven, which was to be expected, but tonally its not quite as funny or satirical as I've felt his other works have landed, sometimes it does feel a bit too macho serious, at others just goofy. Production-wise its top notch. Definitely high budget, looks very pretty, all the suits and outfits are very cool, as of course are the sets. There were some of the post-production choices I didn't like, namely the directors notes writing over the top of some scenes (very Guy Ritchie), especially where it just felt like the writers thinking they were really clever and over-explaining plot. Ritchie is a great director, and if you like his style, you'll like his work in this. Every shot feels unique, he clearly spent a lot of his focus there. Unfortunately the writing, characters, dialogue, not my favourite. The main plot being the classic never ending fetch quests for macguffins, this time from crime boss to new crime boss. Very bland, surface level characters, all tropes. Again could be argued was for the sake of satire but I don't really buy it. In the end, it was competently made, but I don't think it was good, especially on a narrative level. All said I didn't even realize until more than half way through this that it was actually a spin-off of another 2019 Guy Ritchie film of the same name. Should I watch that? Will it re-contextualize everything for the better? I'd guess not, but as for this, if it seems like your kinda thing it probably is. Wasn't mine.
PEN15 (2019)
Perfect
Created by Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and Sam Zvibleman, and starring both Erskine and Konkle, we follow Maya and Anna, two 13 year old best friends experiencing their lives in middle school with all the comedy, drama, and chaos that brings. A fictitious comedy based on the creator's actual childhoods (although they actually met in college), we get a brutally honest, and genuinely funny comedy, one of the best I've seen in a while. I gut laughed hard nearly every episode, and more than once it had me in tears. Erskine's physical comedy (especially after first seeing her in the newer Mr and Mrs Smith) was absolutely hilarious, and her and Anna's friendship was a joy to watch. Often representing very genuine, difficult realities, the show doesn't shy away from tough concepts, but still somehow does so in a way thats enjoyable and earnest. Extremely well written, directed, and performed, the clear vision / voice of the creators comes through so strongly, it just couldn't be anything else. I loved it, it felt complete although short at only 2 seasons, I would highly recommend for a mostly good, but very real time.
Wartime Farm (2012)
Good
Another follow up to the previous _ Farm series we're again joined by Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn, and Alex Langlands, as we follow the trio of historians and archeologists as they live on a historical WWII era British farm throughout the seasons of a calendar year, as an explorations into daily life on the farm how it would have been during its height. Generally speaking the more modern the history the less I'm engaged, but I must say this was one of the most fascinating of the series so far because of it. Throughout we get many lived experience retellings of the troubled times, the might of those left in Britain during the raids, struggling to produce whatever goods they could. If you're a fan of history, particularly WWII history, this series shines some light on impacts of the war not as often told. Would certainly recommend.
Tudor Monastery Farm (2013)
Above Average
The final of the _ Farm series (so far), this time joined by Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn, and Tom Pinfold, the latter a newbie of the bunch. Sadly Alex Langlands from the previous series is missing, and is certainly missed. The farthest back in history gone yet at representing life ~500 years ago, I was immediately impressed and reminded of the dedication of staying in period clothing and dress throughout. This has been true for all the series, and is particularly a treat when there's larger gatherings or others of particular industry with specific garb, but it really honestly is impressive the detail they put into particulars. That all said, going back so far in time I imagine things get increasingly more difficult (and expensive) to reproduce in the modern era for television. At only again 6 episodes like the original series, we somewhat feel rushed through the period, and never get a true sense they were truly living there. Again understandable as living a true monastery lifestyle would be a whole different dedication required than even representing Victorian / Edwardian farming periods as some modern luxuries still made life generally livable (for middle / upper classes) without relying on mass communities for basic tasks. All said, was definitely interesting and informative, but the three hosts seemed the most tired and detached for this one. I still haven't checked out the Victorian Pharmacy series, itself a spin-off of Victorian Farm, so fingers crossed Tubi also adds it eventually. As for this one, if you've seen all the others, or are particularly interested in this time period, would recommend.
Pokemon konsheruju (2023)
Great
After re-getting Netflix for the new Avatar and needing something to sponge out my brain this recommendation immediately caught my eye. A big fan of Pokemon growing up, and an even bigger fan of animation now, Pokemon Concierge was a treat through and through. Fun in both its lighthearted stories of life on a serene Pokemon island resort as well as its stunning stop motion animation, seeing each new pokemon and how they'd been crafted was joy. Primarily following Haru, played by Non, the newest employee and concierge at the Pokemon resort as she helps visiting Pokemon make the most of their vacations. Equally impressive and adorable, and very short and sweet at only 4 sub 20 minute episodes, it made for a great afternoon watch. Would recommend to anyone and everyone, and especially fans of Pokemon to begin with. I look forward to hopefully seeing more.
Tensei Shitara Suraimu Datta Ken (2018)
Average
Looking to branch out in my anime watching I was fascinated with this new-ish seeming satire based subgenre of isekai anime (anime where characters suddenly find themselves in some other world / life) which doubles down on both the main character being unreasonably powerful trope along with having some ridiculously long gimmicky name. This one continually coming up on lists as one of the "first" and highest ranked examples, we follow Rimuru, a middle aged Japanese man who suddenly died, being transported and transformed into a small blue androgynous slime. Somehow a magic being in their head is able to answer any question asked and they quickly set about powering up and making friends. The series is bizarre, and like most in the genre I assume escalates quickly beyond recognition. This series it quickly begins to feel more like watching someone speed run the good karma storyline in a video game than it does a narrative anime, but I get some people are looking for that. A show that's truly afraid of conflict, any tension or disagreements are just as quickly resolved as they arise, and the power scaling just goes exponential the longer it goes on. The animation is done well I must say, especially the fight scenes, which there are a decent amount of, and I understand some might just enjoy this "for the plot". It can get surprisingly brutal, and equally surprisingly tame and boring. Its never really a comedy, but it also never takes itself seriously; I'm not sure what tone its ultimately going for. Frankly I can't believe I watched nearly 50 episodes and with a new 3rd season soon on the way, it passed the time I guess, but surprises me that its so highly rated. There's a million and one characters, and a bunch more subplots, which I'm sure might go somewhere by episode 463 whenever that comes but I just don't have the patience to wait till then.
Edwardian Farm (2010)
Good
A follow up to the previous Victorian Farm we're again joined by Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn, and Alex Langlands, as we follow the trio of historians and archeologists as they live on a historical Victorian Edwardian era British farm throughout the seasons of a calendar year, as an explorations into daily life on the farm how it would have been around a hundred years ago. I loved the original, and at double the length with 12 episodes and focusing at the cusp of the age of industrialization, so much has changed, the exploration of so many new technologies was constantly interesting and came with some depth that in hindsight feels missing from the original. From the novel (hand pumped) vacuum cleaner, to copper mining, or artificial trout hatcheries, they tackle them all and its a pleasure to watch. As before, this type of content is right up my alley, and I again have immediately started the next series Wartime Farm (though am most excited for Tudor). If you like history would highly recommend, informative and fun.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024)
Below Average
The latest Netflix live action adaptation and this time of one of my personal favourites, so warning probably went into this hypercritical. Following the Avatar, the last airbender in a world inhabited by four peoples each with the power of earth, wind, water, and fire respectively. Sealed in ice for 100 years after the Fire nation began its quest for world domination, the Avatar, sole master of all four elements, has returned as a child, hoping to bring peace and balance back to humanity. Covering the same scope as the original animated first season, this new series somehow feels very rushed, even though its total run time by my napkin math is only about an hour shorter in length. We spend each episode racing through plot, with favourite characters cherrypicked from throughout the original series and plopped in, and almost all dialogue is exposition. The CGI, especially on the elements themselves, is quite good, although notably fur on any animals looks awful. The acting is also quite bad, with really only the exception of Sokka, played by Ian Ousley, who nailed it, otherwise a lot left to be desired. There was a lot of mumbling through lines, to the point I had to turn on captions at points to know what was being said. It would be easy to rag on Aang, played by Gordon Cormier, but honestly I think its a difficulty of the character, you can't really have an MC child prodigy without casting a child prodigy to play him, so good luck with that. Aang is in many ways a live action role that's doomed to fail. That said, even many of the other castings were a let down, I was excited to see Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Uncle Iroh, and while fine, I was disappointed. Kids will likely like it, but even for that demographic how it offers anything that the original series doesn't, I'm doubtful, which is still just as accessible, so just watch (or re-re-re-watch) that instead. Honestly my most controversial opinion is probably that while not terrible, its only a little bit worse than LoK.
Kevin Can F**k Himself (2021)
Above Average
Created, written, and produced by Valerie Armstrong (Lodge 49), we follow Allison McRoberts (Annie Murphy), a Massachusett's sitcom housewife struggling to cope with her manic toddler of a husband Kevin. Opening as a traditional multi-camera sitcom, bright lights, and canned laughter. Kevin and his friends are introduced until eventually we find Allison alone, and the series quickly switches formats completely to gritty, realistic drama. Moving into a single camera and ditching the laugh tracks, we're slowly revealed the darker side of life for this sitcom housewife as she learns how to deal with her idiotic partner. A masterclass in colour grading and lighting, the series sandwiches together the two styles in a very cool way. This is definitely a show for show people. This positive is unfortunately also the shows ultimate downside, at 44 minute episodes we essentially get a full 22 minute sitcom, with another 22 minute drama shuffled in filling in the behind-the-scenes of Kevin's show. It's something that works most times it's done, but as the series progresses, focuses on Allison as the lead, and gets continually darker, it means these sitcom sections feel more and more detached from reality. This could have worked very well on a meta-commentary, almost uncanny level, which the show hints at, however it ends up feeling more as if the writers thought of the gimmick first and the filled in the rest of the story later, as in it never feels like they agreed where they wanted to go with it. The writing is fairly good, and I though most of the leads did well, although didn't love many of the side character's performances. It was a show that had so much potential, but much like Armstrong's earlier work Lodge 49, it was always dipping its toe in surrealism without ever fully diving in the pool, something I would have liked to see. Also like Lodge 49 its a show increasingly difficult to get your hands on, the first season was on Prime but I needed AMC+ for the second. Cancelled after only those two seasons, it seems the writers got a heads-up as, while rushed, things do wrap up cleanly and satisfactorily more-or-less. More of a drama than a comedy, I did laugh a decent number of times still, so if any or all of this sounds like your kinda thing, sure, I'd recommend.
Victorian Farm (2009)
Good
Hosted by Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn, and Alex Langlands, we follow the trio of historians and archeologists as they live on a historical Victorian era British farm throughout the seasons of a calendar year, as an explorations into daily life on the farm how it would have been over a hundred years ago. Exactly the type of tv, I'm a bit biased in my love for it, but entertaining educational content is always welcome. The three hosts are great, especially Ruth, it was a pleasure each time to see what new challenge they'd be taking on that month on the farm. Only 6 short episodes followed by a Christmas special, the success of this first series lead to multiple more follow-ups, and I'm already the better part through the next Edwardian Farm, which (spoilers) is also great. If you like history, or just a relaxing informative watch, would definitely recommend.
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (2004)
Good
Created by Richard Ayoade and Matthew Holness and starring both, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is a gag satire, a bit of a show within a show, parodying poorly made low-budget tv of the 80's, and is just my kind of comedy. With multiple gut laughs over its run and certainly chuckles each episode, we follow the titular Garth Marenghi (Holness), a best selling horror author providing commentary on old episodes of Darkplace, a show about a haunted hospital which he had produced and starred in decades before. Joined by Ayoade as his publisher and also actor in said fake tv show Dean Learner, we gets lots of rubber horrific monsters, copious fake blood, and gross stereotypes, its cheesy and meta in the best ways. Matt Berry appears as another of the hospitals doctors in probably my favourite performance of his after What We Do in the Shadows, and all the acting is so deliberately bad its good. Short and sweet at only 6 episodes though potentially difficult to get your hands on, if it sounds like your kinda thing I would highly recommend however you can watch it.
Lonesome Dove (1989)
Above Average
Based on the book of the same name by Larry McMurtry we follow Captains Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call, former Texas Rangers living in small town Lonesome Dove who decide to join a cattle drive and head north to Montana. Starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones as Captains Gus and Woodrow respectively, along with Danny Glover and Steve Muscemi also making appearances, the acting all around is very good, and the historical representation of the late 1800s cowboys is very fun. The sets and set pieces are stunning, many of the on location shots look straight off a postcard, much of it is quite beautiful. At four hour and a half episodes the miniseries is never dull, although the pacing does slow at points, it gives us a good amount of time to build a connection between the characters, with many of their own narratives winding into each other. Content warning, there are many brutal depictions of violence towards both Native Americans and women, the show is not subtle about the harsh realities of the times, however will note the also series does quite poor at decent writing of either of these groups, its not just historical accuracy behind its takes; even the main Indian antagonist was played by a white man. I guess shows how even fast forwarding 100 years to the 1980s the world hadn't progressed near as much as we'd hope. That aside, the writing of the two leads is quite good, and especially Tommy Lee Jones puts on a strong, subdued performance, I may have teared up just a bit. Itself followed up by another 1993 mini-series and then a full Lonesome Dove: the Series for two seasons in 1995-96 after that, I'm not sure if I'll catch the rest any time soon, but for anyone looking for a decent western series, yeah I'd probably recommend.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024)
Good
Created by Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane (Atlanta), we follow John and Jane Smith, two young fresh recruits into the company, an international spy agency which pairs them together, acting as husband and wife. A fun twist on the story some already knew, what we have is really quite unlike any iterations before it in good ways, and I quite appreciated its homage and return to more episodic writing and the elusive nature of any of its world building, where we really do learn very little about anything behind the curtain. Ironically as an action series and a romance series individually it doesn't quite nail either, with much of the action sequences being almost indirect, quick, or relatively non-believable. The romance relying heavily on the chemistry between the two leads, it works enough, although as the series makes a heavier emphasis on the two's relationship it improves, though the pacing sways wildly. Together with the world they've built somehow it does work, with little things like constantly talking about their highly sensitive work at full volume in public and always getting away with it, to professional guns who seem to never make a single shot, a lot of it borderline parody. The obvious elephant in the room is Phoebe Waller-Bridge, an original partner and creator behind the show who stepped out relatively early in production due to creative differences, and her voice can still be felt strongly in some of the scenes and interactions. Unfortunately Glover's focus seemed to be on John, so he tends to be more of the main character because of her departure. Maya Erskine, who played Jane, was great, honestly a better performance than Glover in my eyes, but I would have loved to see Waller-Bridge in that role, I think she would have given the entire thing a tone and perspective that felt lacking in the final product. Overall, as an action its okay, and as a romance its fine, but as an overall fun time, yeah its pretty good. If you're coming solely from the Jolie / Pitt vehicle I'd hesitantly recommend, if you're coming from Atlanta I'd likely recommend, and if you're coming from 1996 Scott Bakula series, wow, I'm impressed, like who watched that show.
Danger 5 (2011)
Above Average
Created and written by Dario Russo and David Ashby, directed by Russo, and starring Ashby this Australian surreal satire follows the titular Danger 5, and international group of five spies working for the Allies in an alternate history where WWII never ended and Hitler is still on the march towards world domination. Constantly ridiculous and always over-the-top, many will know this series simply from its "Sensible Chuckle" meme which often surfaces on the internet. Lots of campy splatter gore, crude humour, and explicit sexuality, but all filmed in a very 60s / 70s style and many action sequences being mocked with obvious miniatures or dummies. It gives the series a very camp Gerry Anderson vibe, especially late Anderson when he moved from pure supermarionation (puppeteering) into intermixing live action (The Protectors, UFO). The series strives to offend, and very often does, but its so ridiculous it gets away with it (mostly). The acting is always deliberately quite bad, and almost constant ADR (replacing dialog after the fact) for most everything spoken; mouths often don't match their words and some characters speak a whole different language altogether, only for everyone to understand them perfectly anyway. Its satire layered on satire in some of the best ways. The first season was good, dare I say great, I was roaring with laughter multiple times and always felt terrible doing it. Returning for a somewhat unplanned second series a few years later, things in my opinion don't go as well, the production quality seems to somewhat increase, which overall hurts more than helps, when you've already created something intentionally excessive going one step further often results is a bit of an unreasonable mess. Again, if you don't mind absurd offensiveness and in fact seek it out I would recommend.
HarmonQuest (2016)
Average
Created by Dan Harmon and Spencer Crittenden and starring both, we follow three heroes (Harmon, Erin McGathy, and Jeff Davis) on a (definitely not) D&D campaign hosted by Crittenden himself as the DM, and each episode brings on a new celebrity guest to join in the adventure. Part animated, part live action as they stumble their way through quests, the animation done by the same studio as Rick and Morty, Starburns Industries. The animation suits perfectly fine for what it asks, and definitely adds to the experience vs just watching them at the table, and it is nice to switch back and forth rather than just animated the whole thing. It gives a presence to the adventure, especially with each episode's guests. That said, the banter is funny at times, but more often kinda slow and expected Dan Harmon humour if you like that, though notably from this its obvious his improv is much much worse than his general writing. It's also very definitely his show, not only is his name in the title and he constantly does the "faux modesty for more applause" gag, but he even eventually controls more than one character which no one else ever gets to do really (except the DM of course) and spends more time interrupting other players to make a bad joke than he does developing his own character or personality. A bit of behind-the-scenes drama, but interesting to learn only after watching part way through that Harmon and McGathy had actually been married and went through a divorce just after the show was seemingly green-lit but prior to its production, yet they continued on as friends and co-hosts, so was weird to watch them interact from then on. There's definitely some microaggressions between the two that take on whole new context. The celebrity guests themselves are all fun and typically highlights of the episodes. The adventures themselves are considerably well done, especially dealing with the chaos that DM Crittenden has to go with, so huge props to him. I would certainly watch another campaign hosted by him, he was very witty. In the end, its another fairly loosely constructed and very raunchy D&D campaign much the likes of Critical Role or the later Dimension 20, though imo not as good as either. Finally the whole thing was filmed in front of a live studio audience, which other than random laugh tracks and applause really adding nothing to it, I didn't really understand that production choice. Only three seasons its pretty quick to get through, but again something more to watch for the guests and Crittenden than anything else. Probably wouldn't recommend to most.
Superhot: The Spicy World of Pepper People (2024)
Below Average
A "documentary" of sorts follow the world of super hot peppers and more specifically a small handful of periphery individuals of that world. Narrated by Ben Schwartz, the series primarily follows the story of Johnny Scoville, an internet personality and very spicy eater on his quest to find the pepper that can finally overtake the (at the time*) Guiness world records hottest pepper: the carolina reaper. While touching the surface of the pepper growing world and the business of pepper production, the series more focuses on a few random individuals in the hot pepper eating scene and quickly turns much more something like My Strange Addiction or Jackass than it does an informative documentary. Essentially watching grown adults torture themselves, I would have been much more interested in the supposed cutthroat industry behind the peppers, and the hidden giant behind the scenes of "Smokin' Ed Currie, creator of the current hottest pepper and a bit of a pepper mob boss, although he doesn't make a single appearance and barely gets a name mention until the very end. In fact, there's hints of industry bullying around different pepper seeds and protection of strains, which in my opinion would have been way more interesting to learn about than watching a competitor destroy their insides for the 100th time or some near conspiracy theorist talk about the secret strain he grows in his backyard. Some subplots focus multiple episodes on "pepper influencers" only to find out upon googling that these people have maybe in the low 1000s of followers on like a Facebook page. I was hoping for a behind the scenes of the quickly exploding pepper empire but instead got something not much better than whats on TLC. Wouldn't likely recommend.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023)
Average
Based on the books of the same name by Rick Riordan and a personal favourite series of mine in middle school, I couldn't not check out this modern adventure of ancient proportions. Following Percy Jackson as he falls into the world of ancient Greek gods and heroes, meets some new friends, and of course goes on a grand adventure, the plot is fine, as expected lifted essentially straight from the book. It is a kids story for sure and leaves a lot to be desired for an adult audience, but I get I wasn't really its target demo. The CGI is decent as expected given its budget, but many of the practical effects (make-up, props) look quite bad, especially for a Disney series. A decent number of names show up to play the various gods and villains although the acting and writing is fairly sub-par, especially the child actors struggle with their performances. Fair as they are kids, but I was hoping the rest of the narrative might make up for it. It mostly doesn't, the whole thing screams Disney in its presentation and feels more a money grab based on a nearly 20 year old book series with mediocre brand recognition. I honestly don't know if its that much better than the 2010 film of the same thing and unless you have kids (or are a kid) I probably wouldn't recommend.
Generation X (1996)
Terrible
Created a few years later off the success of the Fox animated series X-Men, this live-action was aimed at an older audience, following the outcast group of teen students at Xavier's School for the Gifted, all with the familiar super powers due to mutated genetics we expect from the X-Men universe. This time Emma Frost (normally a villain) leads the school, and a mix of newly created mutants and some pulled from the comics fill the classroom. This pilot, and presumably the would-be series to follow, focuses on a new mad scientist villain who has somehow harness the power of dreams, altering them, mind control, etc. The acting and writing are frankly horrible, the villain gives a good go (played by Matt Frewer, who was previously the man behind Max Headroom), but the students and faculty are so boring and none of the drama is compelling. The CGI is of course very 90s, as is any of the costuming, music, and sets. At a reported $4 million budget, I have no clue where that money went, and when it aired Feb 20th on Mardi Gras in 1996 audiences seemed to agree. The version I watched still had the commercials intact, which was a treat in itself; you really got a better sense of what the target demographic was. There was even a quick cut-away to a young Jimmy Kimmel as "Jimmy the Fox Guy", intermixed with all the Mardi Gras celebration segments. All said, I understand why the series didn't land and this hour and a half pilot is all we got. The only reason to watch is if you're seeking out something terrible. Also I'm looking to check out Pryde of the X-Men next, maybe that one was good.
The Amazing Screw-On Head (2006)
Above Average
Pitched as a full series but only a single episode created and based on the Mike Mignola (Hellboy) comic of the same name. We follow the titular Screw-On Head, a sentient robot volunteering his mind and skills to aid President Abe Lincoln on missions in an alternate history 1800s America. Fighting off monkeys, zombies, and more monster than one, the animation is spot on with Mignola's aesthetic, an art style I've always loved and to see it on screen was just perfect. Something very lost in the Del Toro live-action Hellboy films. Unfortunately the plot is where things get a bit iffy, it plays like something perfect for a modern Adult Swim audience in its animation and content matter, but for a digital only series in 2006 I can see why it fell flat. The narrative doesn't make too much sense, again in Mignola style it's not necessarily supposed to, and I'm sure those that did watch were left more confused than entertained. Some bigger name voices join including Paul Giamatti as Screw-On himself, which was great, Molly Shannon appears as a vampire, and Patton Oswalt shows up as the antagonist Mr. Groin. I would love more than anything to see this style of series redone for Hellboy (or my personal favourite Lobster Johnson), but for any fans of the bizarre or any fans of animation I'd highly recommend checking this out.