Quirky TV shows

[GeorgeStGeorge]

I'll start this as an open thread (in other words, if you have quirky shows other than the two I'm mentioning, feel free to cut in.  Two shows whose first seasons I just watched are described below.  If you've seen them and have comments, those are welcome, too.

The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.  Kristen Bell plays a woman who sees a man and his daughter move in across the street.  Murders happen.  Or do they?  She takes pills and drinks a lot (she has wine glasses which hold a whole bottle), so maybe she imagined it?  The woman I watched the show with had seen the whole series before, so she knew the ending.  I guessed who "the bad guy" was, though some of the events seemed rather improbable.  It's a drama, but there are a lot of humorous moments.  The last episode ends in a teaser for next season.  Streams on Netflix.

The Time Traveler's Wife.  The main characters are a time travelling man and a "regular" woman.  (OK, technically, we ALL travel in time, just in the same direction at the same rate.)  When Henry travels through time, it is not intentional, it just happens.  (He feels a bit nauseous just before it happens.)  In "Terminator" fashion, he always leaves his clothes behind, so he's learned to be good at fighting and stealing (no clothes, no money, either).  An older (late 30s) version goes back to meet the love of his life (Clare) when she's about six.  He gives her a list of times he'll be "visiting," so she'll have some clothes (her father's) ready for him.  The funny quirk is that Clare meets Henry when she's six, but he doesn't meet her until he's 24 (and she's 21).  Older Henry remembers that, of course, so he knew they would meet when he was younger.  Following, so far?  There is no "can't be in the same place at the same time" rule on this show, and Henrys of different ages often wind up at the same place, especially important moments in his life (his mother's death in a car wreck, for instance).  Ran on HBO, so it should be on HBOMax.  The bad news is that it was cancelled after one season.  The good news is that you can see all six episodes in one day.

George

 

[GeorgeStGeorge]

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd post this observation here.

Anyone else notice that a LOT of shows this year and the last couple of years are PREQUELS?

We've got:

• The Winchesters (Supernatural)
• Walker Independence (Walker)
• 1883 (Yellowstone)
• 1923 (Yellowstone)
• House of the Dragon (Game of Thrones)
• Star Trek Strange New Worlds (Star Trek TOS)

That's all I've got on the top of my head.  I suspect that there are a lot of others on streaming services.

George

[Raf]

I'm getting a kick out of Ghosts on CBS. Some clever writing and bread crumbs [a writer's term for comments, asides and plot points that get dismissed immediately but pay off later. Think Captain America nudging Thor's hammer in Age of Ultron, then wielding it in Endgame]. 

[GeorgeStGeorge]

I see ads for Ghosts every time I watch Young Sheldon, but I've never tuned in.  It does seem to have an interesting premise, though.

George

[Raf]

It's fun, but best if you start from the beginning to get a sense of the character development.

 

[GeorgeStGeorge]

A new show on CBS (or Paramount, if you prefer), "Elsbeth."

Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston) is a Chicago lawyer given a "consent decree" to follow police in a certain New York precinct, because the precinct has had a reputation for crossing the lines.  She winds up solving all the murders, of course, showing up the actual detectives.  Picture Columbo as a soccer mom.  As in Columbo, we all see the murder, so we know whodunnit; the fun is watching Elsbeth figure it out.  There is a side arc, in that the captain of the precinct may or may not be dirty.  (I'm hoping, not.)

George

[GeorgeStGeorge]

"Resident Alien" just finished its 4-season run.  Alan Tudyk and a delightful supporting cast.  About an alien (Tudyk) sent to Earth to wipe out humanity, but he crashes in Patience, CO; and his doomsday device is wrecked.  He takes on the identity of the local doctor and eventually learns to appreciate humanity, even saving it once or twice from other alien races.  Even though I just gave a bit of a spoiler, I highly recommend your seeing it.

Four of the cast (Tudyk, Sara Tomko, Alice Wetterling, and Corey Reynolds) were in Houston for ComicPalooza in June and gave an entertaining and informative panel discussion.

George