Running Up That Hill, Two Cassies And One Last Fairground Ride

 Yup, this is gonna be a tad longer than usual, so buckle in.

911: Season 5 has been pretty steady without too much boat rocking, only for there to be an arc with new character being a sort of serial killer with a saviour complex that put both Hen and Howie in danger and made Bobby question his own judgement. Other than that, there was a fire at the 911 centre that killed off Claudette, Hen and Karen getting remarried, Eddie coming back to the station and Buck ending things with Taylor. 

Derry Girls: The final three episodes of this show ended the series on one hell of a high note. From a delightful change in pace with the mothers getting a flashback episode of their own to a Halloween night ending in the death of Clare's father and then the hour long finale focusing on the Good Friday Agreement. This show absolutely nailed the landing with a series finale that did the the characters justice as they head off into an unknown but promising future. 

Love, Victor: I watched the third and final season in the space of two days and for a final season, I think that it did a good job of ending things with the characters. Victor and Benji might have had various obstacles in their way but it did make sense for them to be the endgame couple here. In terms of couples we also got Lucy and Lake, Rahim and Connor, Mia and Andrew and maybe even Felix and Pilar again. While I do feel the slight reduction in episodes might have speeded things up too quickly, overall this was a nice show to have watched.

Stranger Things: The first seven episodes of the fourth season of this show really took things to new and exciting heights. I mean, villain wise, Vecna is definitely up there with some of the scariest seen on this show and the way held connected to most of the different characters this season has been impressive. From trying to terrorise both Max and Nancy to a shared history with Eleven and the way his brutal actions put new characters like Eddie in the frame, he's definitely made one hell of an impression. I can't wait to see how the final two episodes wrap up his story and get Joyce, Murray and Hopper back into the main action of the season.

The Boys: The first four episodes of Season 3 have been quite the ride. I thought Homelander was terrible in the first two seasons but this season so far has not only made him even more unhinged than usual, but at every turn he's managed to undermine and outsmart every one else around. Then there's Billy and Hughie road testing the Temp V compound while searching for Soldier Boy while Maeve and Starlight conspire against Homelander. It's been gripping stuff so far.

The Flash: Now that we're into the final hurtle of episodes, it feels like an effort has been made to make things more interesting. How about one good Thawne who is in love with the speedster soon to be known as Fast Track while the other bad Thawne works with the now suddenly evil Deon? Not to mention the lack of Iris has been surprisingly good for the show. Not everything works as Diggle's two year plot was sloppily resolved, Cecile's now going down the vigilante path and Caitlin and Mark'a plan to resurrect Frost also feels rather tedious.

The Flight Attendant: I absolutely loved the first season of this show and thought it was a gem in HBO Max's crown but I hate to admit that I've been struggling with the second season. Five episodes in and it's been something of an almighty slump in quality. Cassie's recklessness while sympathetic beforehand has more ridiculous this season while having to deal with a doppelganger as well. On the plus side, Max and Annie are delightful as is Cassie's sponsor Brenda, but the Megan subplot and not enough Miranda have been low points this season.

• Charlie Carver and Billie Lourd will appear in the eleventh season of American Horror Story. The theme has yet to be revealed but the setting is 70s/80s New York.
• Cody Fern and Judith Light will appear in episodes of American Horror Stories second season. The show will be released on Hulu from July 21st.
• UK Viewers will be able to see The First Lady on Paramount+.
• AMC are interested in more spin-offs for Breaking Bad now that Better Call Saul is ending.
• Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo will star in the upcoming Apple TV series, Criminal  Record.
• Wilderness, an upcoming series for Amazon Prime will have both Jenna Coleman and Oliver Cohen-Jackson as leads.
• The CW have cancelled Charmed, Legacies, Dynasty, Roswell: New Mexico to name a few series.
• HBO Max have cancelled JJ Abrams Demimonde as well as both Raised By Wolves and Made For Love.
• Game Of Thrones have a sequel series focusing on Jon Snow in early development for HBO.
• Nicola Coughlin and Luke Newton's characters, Penelope and Colin will be the love story of the third season of Bridgerton.

Girls Get It Done

My last TV jumble blog for this year (though not my last blog, lol) and while I didn't watch a lot over the Christmas period, here's a few things I did finish up on.

A Recipe For Seduction: Without a doubt the strangest thing I have ever watched in my life and if there wasn't proof enough that 2020 really was that off a year, this 15 minute telemovie in which Mario Lopez played a silver fox version of the infamous KFC creator really drove that point home. With some hammy as hell acting, a gay supporting character and a soap opera romance along with a scheming love rival and even more scheming mother, this was pure daft but surprisingly entertaining. Sequel for next Christmas, yeah?

Schitt's Creek: Okay, so I watched all of Season 2 in the space of a few days (took a break for Christmas though) and yes, I get the buzz for this show now. The second season only built on the premise of the first season with Moira running for Mayor and not being shy in being underhanded, Johnny standing up for Roland and the town in a lovely scene during the finale, Alexis dumping Ted, getting with Mutt, losing Mutt and then working for Ted while David's adventures working for Wendy, making an old family recipe with Moira and the fun rivalry with Stevie and the addition of Jake. I'm totally sold on this show and will get through the remaining four seasons. 

The Boys: Season 2 continued on a very strong streak of episodes. While Billy has been one of the worst characters for me, I did like learning more about his family and by the finale, he probably did the right in relation to Ryan. The downfalls for both Stormfront and Homelander were glorious to watch, though I suspect both will come back with a vengeance next season. I loved the 'girls get it done' montage, the use of Lamplighter and even the arrival of Victoria hints at some interesting stuff for the next season. 

The Flight Attendant: HBO Max has undeniably gotten off to something of a shaky start but over the last few weeks, things have been looking up for the new streaming app. One of those things was this particular show and while it originally seemed like it was meant to be a miniseries, it's breakaway success has gotten it a second season. As for the episodes itself, the second half of the season upped the ante with Kaley Cuoco giving a sublime performance as Cassie while Alex's death was solved, Buckley turned out to be more dangerous than expected while Miranda proved to be a handy ally to have and even Shane surprised in the finale. Annie and Max proved to be great supporting character, Megan not so much but I'm hoping we see more of Davey next season.

• Matt Smith has bagged a leading role in the upcoming House Of The Dragon series. The show will begin filming next year but will not debut on HBO Max until 2022.
• Cobra Kai will debut it's third season on Netflix a week earlier. It'll now be released on New Year's Day.
• Expect to see two certain characters from Sabrina The Teenage Witch in the final season of Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina, which streams New Year's Eve on Netflix.
• HBO and BBC have renewed His Dark Materials for a third and final season. 
• The Mandalorian has been renewed for a third season but will possibly debut in 2022. Expect several more Star Wars properties on Disney+ over the next several years.
• BBC will be airing A Teacher next month over the course of five nights and in double bills.
• HBO Max are going to revive Sex And The City for a limited series, but it will likely not feature Kim Cattrall.
• The upcoming Clarice series, set to debut in February on CBS All Access will not be able to mention Hannibal Lector nor feature the character. 
• A drama inspired by Nyle DiMarco's life called Look At Me is in development for NBC.
• UK viewers can see the Stephen King miniseries The Stand on StarzPlayer from next month.

In Case Of Emergency (Try Not To Make Things Worse For Yourself)

First day of December and here's a rundown of some of the shows I've been watching just of late.

911: Lone Star: With Season 2 slated to air in January, it's nice that SkyLiving finally have the first season done and dusted. Overall, it's been a decent spin-off. Not quite as 911 itself but it's definitely had a certain charm and it does feel like we've gotten a clean slate in regards to the Michelle and Iris subplot along with TK and Carlos getting closer. I'm not sure where they're going to go with Owen's illness next season (will they really kill him off?) but I'll definitely give the next season.

Schitt's Creek: Thanks to E4 relegating the show now to a terrible graveyard slot, I decided to watch the remaining half of the season online. It's taken me a while to really get into this show but I'm glad I stuck with it because now I can see the fuss behind it. The last few episodes had me in stitches with Moira's sister, Alexis and Mutt as well as David and Stevie and of course, Johnny's unsuccessful attempt to sell the town. Looks like I'm gonna be watching the rest of the series over the next few months.

The Boys: After the first season, I decided to wait a fortnight for some breathing space for the second season and now I've blitzed through the first four episodes of the second season. Four episodes in and this season is so much stronger than the first one. The addition of Stormfront has been fascinating and proves that if you think Homelander is bad, there really is someone capable of being worse. Other than that, we've had a delightful roadtrip with Hughie, Starlight and Mother's Milk, Kimiko reuniting and losing her brother so quickly as well as Frenchie trying to help and Maeve being outed on live telly. Weak elements though would include Billy and Becca as well as the Deep getting roped into a cult and A-Train just being generally awful/ Still, a great batch of episodes.

The Flight Attendant: HBO Max seem to have the strangest of strategies with the release of this eight part miniseries as they seem determined to get it out of the way before Christmas. They really should've started this earlier then. Anyways, the first three episodes of this miniseries sees Kaley Cuoco's alcoholic flight attendant Cassandra getting way in over her head following the death of well connected hook up, Alex. Throughout the episodes, there's intriguing enough flashbacks as Cassandra tries to remember the fateful night while the supporting cast are also pretty strong, including lawyer, Annie (Zosie Mamet) and the rather deadly Miranda Croft (Michelle Gomez). The show is arguably more bonkers than gritty though but that's a good thing.

• The third season of American Gods will air on Starz from January 10th. The season will consist of ten episodes.
• Upcoming spin-off American Horror Stories (FX on Hulu) will have sixteen episodes in it's first season. 
• The Flash has temporarily halted production due to a COVID case. 
• The Mandalorian may have a spin-off focusing on Rosario Dawson's Aksoka for Disney+.
• Amazon have cancelled Utopia after one season.
• A crossover event between 911 and 911: Lone Star is currently being filmed.
• Anne Heche will recur in the second season of All Rise.
• One Day At A Day has been cancelled for a second time as POP have chosen not to renew the show.
• Netflix have renewed Dash & Lily for a second season.
• The Serpent, starring Jenna Coleman will premiere on BBC1 from January 1st.