Timed Pot Shots, Killer Plays And More

Yes, it's been way too long since I've done one of these but here it is, my final TV Jumble Blog for 2023.

Big Brother (UK): After it's axing from Channel 5 back in 2018, five years was enough time for this show to be missed and for ITV2 to swoop in and bring it back. Their first series was nothing short of a triumph, running for six weeks before eventually Jordan Sangha ended up winning. Having a diverse cast, shorter runtime, decent tasks and twists, it was great to see the show recapture the appeal of its earlier years on Channel 4. I really hope ITV2 can maintain that quality going into the next few years.

Chucky: Falling victim to the split season format, due to the actor and writers strike at the time, you can't begrudge the show for giving half a story, can you? Fortunately the first four episodes are actually pretty strong with a multitude of plotlines meshing into another fairly well. You got the title baddie himself at the White House desperate to perform a ritual to save his life while Jake, Devon and Lexy come for him. Then there was the campiness of Tiffany's trial and prison stint while the Collins family are decent new protagonists. You even get some brief updates for Nica, Andy and Caroline, so overall, it's a good first half.

Loki: 2023 has seen MCU fans getting a taster of what DC (specifically DCEU fans) have had to deal with. However along with the final segment of the Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy, they got a brief reprieve with the secomd season of this show. Now it's not as good as the first season but it was definitely miles ahead of recent MCU Disney+ shows with a rather befitting ending for Loki overall as a character. Not even the controversy surrounding Jonathan Majors as Kang could deter from that.

Only Murders In The Building: Every time this show returns, I wait for the season to end and then binge watch it. I know no other way with this one. Anyways Season 3 gave us the mystery of who killed actor Ben Gilroy (Paul Rudd) and it wasn't his co-star Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep), though the show enjoyed teasing the idea. Season 3 gave Charles, Oliver and Mabel their own new love interests with mixed results, nearly broke up the podcasting trio, had a mother and son who were way too close for comfort and even gave Howard and his boyfriend more screen time. Will I be back for Season 4? You bet I will.

South Park: It's been a long time since I've really watched this particular show that I'm amazed it's still on the air. Like a lot of long running shows, it's sort of become background television. Anyways, if there was an award for a piece of media where certain groups on the internet spectacularly missed the point, it would be. Yes, Joining The Panderverse had a lot to say (and not very originally) about the overuse of diversity with some too easy jabs at Disney but it was ripping on people who complain about diversity. Even Cartman - the actual embodiment of entitled man babies managed to get that glaringly obvious message in this decent enough special.

Wilderness: I'm a fan of Jenna Coleman and quite like Oliver Jackson-Cohen and this six part limited series had the pair as a Welsh/English couple named Liv and Will living in New York. Their relationship appears idyllic until Liv found out that Will was cheating on her with a co-worker and from there onwards, she spiralled into madness, which included the accidental death of the other woman, Cara. It's a decent enough series, though Jenna Coleman struggled a bit with the Welsh accent. The ending doesn't exactly portray Liv in a positive and feels like a misguided attempt to legitimise her actions throughout the series. Your mileage may vary with this one.

• The second series of The Tourist will air on BBC1 from New Year's Day with Jamie Dornan returning to the show, which will be set in Ireland this time.
• Jenna Coleman will play Detective Ember Manning for upcoming BBC series The Jetty.
• House Of The Dragon's second season will air on HBO from summer 2024.
• HBO/Max have confirmed the next seasons of Euphoria, The White Lotus, The Last Of Us, And Just Like That and Welcome To Derry will premiere in 2025.
• Filming for the final season of Stranger Things will commence in January. 
• Karen Gillan, Hugh Bonneville and Alex Kingston are the main cast for Steven Moffat's Douglas Is Cancelled in ITVX.
• The second series of Big Boys will air on Channel 4 in January.
• CBS have confirmed the seventh and fourteenth seasons of Young Sheldon and Blue Bloods will be their last.
• Station 19 will end after seven seasons on ABC in 2024.
• Matt Smith will play the title character in the upcoming series adaptation of The Death Of Bunny Munro for SkyTV.
• Bob Odenkirk's Lucky Hank has been cancelled by AMC after one season.
• Filming has resumed for American Horror Story: Delicate and American Horror Stories Season 3. Tommy Dorfman and Henry Winkler will appear in the former and latter, respectively.
• Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans will premiere on FX/Hulu from January 31st. Jessica Lange will also appear in the series.