TV_SHOWS Posts
Halo (2022-2024) is a TV show, based loosely on story from the Halo: Combat Evolved video game. I do mean loosely. It has Master Chief, Cortana, and the Convenant. Beyond that, it's kind of it's own story. It's a good show, don't get me wrong, especially the 2nd season, which pretty much everyone agrees was better than the 1st. Unfortunately, it was cancelled, just when it was starting to get good, so there is no 3rd season. It's still worth a watch, if you just want to watch a good sci-fi action show, that isn't too long. I'd watch it again and even watched it after it was cancelled, so I knew what I was getting into. Overall, I can appreciate alternate story lines that reveal "untold" beginning stories and new characters, even if this one may have went a little overboard on additional characters - along with their side quests. Maybe it'll get another season one day to give it an ending.
11.22.63 (2016) is a mini-series, based on the Stephen King novel. It stars James Franco, who uses a time rift to go back in time to 1960, with the intent of stopping the JFK assassination. It initially released on Hulu, but I watched it recently on Netflix, where it has held a top 10 spot of TV shows. He can use the time rift as many times as he wants, but the caveat is it resets time from 1960 every time he enters it. He also has to live in the past for 3 years to get to 1963, without changing too many other things.
I liked this show and would watch it again. I've always been interested in learning about the JFK assassination, because it's my birthday (not the same year of course). Also interesting tidbit, I was once ID'ed at a gas station and the guy behind the counter did a double take at my ID. It turns out his birthday is the same as Lee Harvey Oswald's murder, on November 24. Was cool at first, but quickly became awkward, haha.
The show wasn't as predictable as I thought it would be, with some twists and turns, but it ended pretty much as I expected. I'm decent at predicting what will happen in movies and shows, so that doesn't necessarily mean I was disappointed. I would have done some things differently, but it's not my book or show either. Overall, if you like history and action/drama, it's a good watch to binge on a cold weekend.
The Beauty (2026) is a new show by FX, I watched it on Hulu. It currently has 3 episodes, all released 21 January, of a total 11 episodes slated for Season 1. Episodes will begin releasing weekly beginning 28 January. The show is based on a comic by the same name, The Beauty, by Jeremy Huan and Jason A. Hurley. I've never read the comic. The show is about a new drug that makes people beautiful, and is described as the fountain of youth, which can be transmitted from person to person. The corporation behind the drug is trying to stop it's spread, which will cut into their revenue. There is also a side effect, which is gruesome and deadly, but the show hasn't revealed the cause of the side effect yet.
I'm not big on horror and gore, but the sci-fi side of the show is interesting to keep me interested. I like it, enough, so far to continue watching it. I don't want to provide any spoilers, so I wont go into too many details. It has a decently star heavy cast and so far I think the acting may be carrying the writing/directing, somewhat. My theory is the "drug" requires a booster to prevent the side effect, but it's possible a person to person transmission expedites the effect. At this stage (through episode 3), it is almost like 2 shows running in parallel, with few explanations, other than the overlaps. One is law enforcement, investigating the deaths, which occur from the theorized side effect. The other is the corporation trying to contain the spread.
Overall, it's interesting enough to keep me watching, for now. I can't think of another show similar enough to compare it to, but it feels like a prequel to some dystopian stories, where a corporation makes you dependent on it and you have to keep going back to it to live. It also has some Alien: Earth similarities, very thinly, but you'll probably see where that thought comes from if you watch it.
Quantum Leap (2022 - 2024) is a sequel TV show to the original series from 1989. There are several tie-ins and references to the original show and it's pretty much a modern version, but thankfully not a remake. I liked the original, it was one of my favorite shows as a kid. I also like the new one, but it unfortunately doesn't have a finale, as the show was cancelled after the 2nd season. The show has a recurring role starred by Eliza Taylor (from The 100), which made for an interesting twist or two. Overall, I like it a lot and wish it had continued, but it's similar to the original in it feels repetitive and kind of the same types of scenarios over and over. One thing I do like more than the original is how it has a story line in the present, so there are more characters in this show. It's another show that had a lot of promise, but killed off too soon.
Designated Survivor (2016-19) was a TV show, starring Kiefer Sutherland and decently loaded cast, originally on ABC and then on Netflix. It ran for 3 seasons and was cancelled without a finale. I enjoyed the show, which was about a terrorist attack on the US government, during the State of the Union address. When the presidential succession is all together at once, a designated survivor is selected to carry on succession. Tom Kirkman is the selectee and becomes president with basically no legislative government. The show is fast paced, with constant problems and conflicts for the new president to fix. I've only watched it once - I watched it all in 2019 when it moved to Netflix - but I'd possibly watch it again, even without an ending.
The 100 (2014 - 2020) is a TV show that ran for 7 seasons - with a finale. The earth has had a global nuclear war and is believed to be uninhabitable by the survivors who have lived their entire lives aboard the Ark, a space station. An aging Ark forces the leaders to test the survivability of earth, by sending 100 young prisoners to the earth. The cast is great, but you can sense some inexperience with either the writing, the directing, or the acting in the earlier episodes, maybe all of the above. This show takes some patience, but the longer it runs the better it gets.
I've watched this show all the way through a few times. There are some seasons that are better than others, but the story evolves nicely as it goes along and the different settings of the seasons add some intrigue and mystery. It has some cool concepts, which are revealed over time (including time specifically in some cases). If you just read overviews of the seasons and episodes, they can seem sporadic, but everything does connect in one way or another. This is one of my favorite shows to watch, if I have to pick a show to re-watch. It has great music and the central characters are interesting enough to keep you watching. The finale is an actual finale too, which is rarer these days than it should be.