A Varied Mood Board Of Shows

I know it's been freaking long since I've done one of these but here's another snapshot of stuff I've been watching over the last few months.

Big Mood: Channel 4 have found a new niche of comedies with a more serious undertone and none serious than this one. Lydia West and Nicola Coughlan are on fine form as the level headed Eddie and the flightier Maggie, and both make for a believable friendship. Throughout the six part series, you had Maggie battling both her bipolar and writers block while Eddie struggled to keep her dead father's along pub alive and dealt with an unwanted pregnancy. There's not many laughs to be had with the show but there's a good insight into friendships and mental health.

Celebrity Big Brother: While ITV2 certainly got the parent series right, I have to admit the celebrity version on ITV was something more of a mixed bag. Way too many influencer types, other unrecognisable celebs and one that seemed more fitted for the Daily Mail style audience. On the other hand, there was something entertaining in watching Louis Walsh make a prat out of himself yet while the winner was decent enough I suppose. It just felt a bit of a letdown after last years much better civilian series.

Ripley: Prior to watching this, the reception seemed to be mixed at best. Some loved seeing a newer version of The Talented Mr Ripley. Others were put off by the black and white format and felt Andrew Scott was too old for the role of Tom Ripley. Personally, I think he's the best thing but there were times where Ripley was almost too inept to live (that boat scene in the third episode being the best example). The show's gorgeous looking, beautifully capturing the 1960s time period and Italian setting. The lacklustre ratings on Netflix and audience antipathy on the other hand does however indicate that we shouldn't expect seconds for this one.

True Detective: I don't know. I liked the first episode of this season but I have to admit, the show just fell apart as it went along. The finale both felt rushed in some parts and a slog in others and despite a good partnership with Jodie Foster and Kali Reiss,  just didn't care enough about either Danvers or Navarro to be really invested as the season concluded. Some wasted actors and a barely contained misandry in the writing didn't help at times either.

Wreck: Back in late 2022, the returned BBC3 struck gold with this nautical slasher/horror series and while the second series traded the cruise ship setting for a wellness centre in Slovenia, it lost none of it's groove. Throughout the six episodes of this second series, we lost so many characters, gained some new ones (and lost some of them), got some great character development, inventive kills, bits of romance, alliances switched up and a promise of more vengeance. What I'm trying to say here is that I really hope BBC3 commission at least one more series of this delightfully batshit crazy show. 

• Joshua Jackson will lead upcoming ABC medical drama, Dr Odyssey, created by Ryan Murphy.
• Speaking of Ryan Murphy, he will produce another horror series on FX called Grotesquerie with Niecy Nash, Leslie Manville and Courtney B. Vance heading up the cast.
• So Help Me Todd has been cancelled by CBS after two seasons.
• Fallout has been renewed for a second season by Amazon.
• Production for the second season of Gen V has been halted following the recent death of Chance Perdomo last month.
• Season 4 of The Boys will premiere on Amazon from June 13th.
• Grey's Anatomy has been renewed for a 21st season while spin off Station 19 will conclude next month after seven seasons.
• CSI: Vegas has been cancelled after three seasons by CBS.
• Seth McFarlane has admitted that Family Guy won't be ending any time soon.
• The third season of Netflix's Sweet Tooth is coming soon and will be the show's last one.
• ITV have announced that the fourteenth series of Vera will be it's last.
• CBS have changed their minds again and given S.W.A.T. an eighth season.
• Netflix have renewed The Witcher for a fifth and final season ahead of it's fourth season. Liam Hemsworth replaced Henry Cavill in the lead role.