And Just Like That .... Another TV Jumble Blog

Also my last TV Jumble blog of the year. You know the drill, stuff I've been watching over the last few weeks. Let's get into it.

And Just Like That: It's somewhat odd to think of Sex And The City as a franchise but it is one. It was a popular book, then TV series that ran for six seasons, spawned two theatrical movies, a prequel series that ran for two seasons and now a sequel series, sadly lacking Samantha Jones. Still, the first four episodes have seen Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte navigate their social circles in lieu of their former friend's absence while also dealing with widowhood, getting older and learning more about the world around them. Four episodes in and there's no denying this sequel has lacked the magic of it's original series and some of it's attempts of presenting more diversity has been dicey at best. Hopefully the show will get it's groove for the remainder of the season.

Chucky: For a movie franchise that has spawned six sequels and an unnecessary reboot, taking the most evil doll for a cable series could've been easily been a mixed bag. After watching this eight episode first season, I can definitely say this series was an overwhelming success. Chucky works just as well on the small screen as he did on the big and straight to streaming. Te uses of classic characters such as Tiffany, Andy, Kyle and Nica along with new protagonists such as Jake, Devon, Lexy and the unfortunate Junior worked brilliantly. This show was a joy to watch from start to finosh and I'm really pleased that it will be returning for seconds.

Dexter: New Blood: With only three episodes left, this show definitely feels like it's shaping up to be a mid-tier season/series for me. It's not quite recaptured the heights of the first few seasons but it's also managed to avoid the lows of the last few seasons as well. It was nice having appearances from both Angel and the Trinity in episodes along with Angela becoming more aware of who her boyfriend really was. Less good has been Harrison, who has become somewhat annoying to watch while Kurt definitely could be a more compelling antagonist for Dexter. He's become rather underwhelming, in spite of his efforts to come between Dexter and Harrison.

Hawkeye: It's been a mostly good year for the MCU's debut with Disney+ shows and ending this year was this delightful six part series, focusing on Clint Barton and new protege Kate Bishop. As a pairing the two of them were excellent to watch, Lucky the Pizza Dog was obviously adorable too. The use of the Christmas worked in the show's favour, Maya was set up well for her own Disney+ series and it was nice to see Yelena again. Minor quibbles, would be Eleanor's painfully obvious villainy and perhaps Wilson Fisk being a tiny bit underused. Other than that, I still had a really good time watching this series.

Pennyworth: I wasn't a huge fan of the first season of this Alfred Pennyworth based series but upon learning that it had been renewed for a third one, I decided to give the second season a go. I'm glad I did as I actually found myself enjoying this season a lot more than expected. Like Gotham before it, this show found it's strength by reveling in being utter batshit crazy and became more enjoyable as a result. Whether it was the gang working together against the Stormcloud plot, Thomas and Martha getting to be parents to a girl, Alfred's reunion with his father or even the oddball romance with Bet and Katie, this season definitely hit it's stride. I'm looking to seeing what next year's time jump brings for this show.

The Flash: After the last two seasons being sadly poor, a part of me has felt ready to bail on the show. Fortunately this five part event has managed to breathe some life into things. It's not quite as good as crossover events from series past but both Reverse Flash and Despero certainly gave Barry the ring around. Not to mention some welcome returns from Ray Palmer and Damien Darhk, hints of future events for other characters and of course, other characters about to return. It's a good start and here's hoping the quality can be maintained when the show returns in March.

• Netflix have cancelled Cowboy Bebop after one season.
• David Tennant's Around The World In 80 Days has been renewed for a second series. It will premiere on BBC1 on Boxing Day.
• BBC3 will relaunch as a terrestrial channel again from February.
• American Dad has been renewed for two more seasons.
• Turner & Hooch has been cancelled after one season on Disney+
• A prequel series for Walker is in early development from the CW.
• UK viewers can see The Resident on Disney+ from next month.
• The third season of Atlanta will premiere in March on Starz.