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.

Blundering Up A Deathstorm

Usual thing, it's been a while but here are some shows I've watched in the meantime.

911: Season 5 has been ticking over rather nicely as a season with the last few episodes adding some new recruits to the station with Lucy and Jonah, Buck's relationship with Taylor revealing more on her own past and the much needed returns of both Maddie and Howie along with Eddie dealing with his past traumas. As usual, there's some way cases along the way and heartwarming moments from various characters. 

Bridgerton: Season 1 of this glossy period piece was appointment television and one of the biggest boosts for Netflix and Season 2 managed to do it all over again. I thought the show  might have trouble topping the Daphne/Simon story but the Anthony/Kate (and Edwina, breaking from book lore) managed to be even more compelling while the consequences of Lady Whistledown's getting on Queen Charlotte's nerves definitely came to a head during an incredible confrontation between Penelope and Eloise.Other highlights included Benedict getting high as a kite, the flashbacks for Papa Bridgerton, Newton the dog and of course, Lady Featherington trying to outsmart Jack throughout the season. Needless to say, I'll definitely be watching the next season.

Derry Girls: Four episodes into the third and final series of this gem of a show and it's been some of the best comedy in the last decade. While creator Lisa McGee is definitely right to end the show on a high instead of overextending it's natural life span, I am going to miss these characters and I know, there's three episodes left to go but still. So far, this series we've had the girls and James pass their GSCEs along with talent shows, train journeys and clearing out the wrong house. Not to mention sublime guest appearances from the likes of Liam Neeson, Damien Molony, Amy Huberman, Sinead Keenan and Conleth Hill. I'm confident the finale will absolutely stick the landing. 

Killing Eve: What an absolute train wreck of a final season this turned out to be. If you thought that Game Of Thrones ended on a bad note, then this one surpassed it. This whole season was little more than an absolute snorefest and I had a horrible feeling the moment the show decided to go there with Eve and Villanelle, something would undercut it. Needless to say it did and in a rather spectacularly bad way. Both Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer tried their best but not even their talents alone could say this season from ending the show on a needlessly unpleasant note.

Moon Knight: On to the sixth Disney+ MCU show and I have to be honest, this one was something of a mixed bag for me. While Oscar Isaac does a great job as Steven Grant/Mr Knight and Marc Spector/Moon Knight (and very briefly, Jake Lockley), the pacing for this show felt somewhat sluggish in parts and it really took a while for things to properly get going. Still, we got a good villain with Ethan Hawke's Arthur Darrow, Kayla's transformation into Scarlet Scarab was nicely handled and I'm all for more horror and supernatural elements in the MCU.

The Flash: Quick note: I'll see out the remaining episodes of this season but after that, I am done with this series. I've been trying my best but I've genuinely gotten to the point where I can no longer watch this show. It's become far too much of a chore to sit through and it desperately needs to end now, regardless of it's ratings on the CW. The Deathstorm arc was mostly a mess,, Frost's death had no real impact and the time sickness story with Iris has been dragging out for far too long. The only plus has been brief returns of Sue, Ronnie and Eddie in recent episodes. 

• Max Greenfield, Gabourey Sidibe, Nico Greetham, Bella Thorne and Dominique Jackson are some of the actors appearing in the second season of American Horror Stories.
• American Horror Story's eleventh season has been rumoured to have some filming in New York, a first for the series.
• House Of The Dragon will premiere on HBO from August 21st and on SkyAtlantic the next day.
• Jack Ryan will end after four seasons on Amazon.
• Filming for the seventh season of Outlander has begun while the sixth season has recently finished airing on Starz.
• And Just Like That has been renewed for a second season.
• The Nancy Drew spin off, Tom Swift will premiere on the CW from May 31st.
• Maisie Williams will star in the upcoming Apple show, The New Look.
• Julia has been renewed for a second season by HBO Max.
• Jason Isaacs and Lior Raz have joined Apple anthology series, The Crowded Room.

He Gives The Worst Pep Talks

It's been a while and with another lockdown due for Ireland, here's a rundown of some shows I've been watching over the last few weeks.

911: Lone Star: I'm at the halfway point of the first season of this spin-off series and it's going pretty well. Now I don't love the show quite as much as it's parent series but the characters are coming along nicely enough, the cases are fun enough to watch in parts (that bachelorette party) and the show continues to make some great strides in diversity as well as we saw some insight into Paul's dating life and of course with TK and Carlos's relationship. Owen and Michelle's plots are solid enough but I don't see Owen actually dying and we already know that Michelle isn't coming back next season.

Derry Girls: With the last two episodes of Series 2, I have officially caught up and I'm ready to see what the show will bring for it's third series when it comes back next year quite likely. I loved the homage to Carrie as well as the girls ditching school to meet Clinton and of course, James finally being accepted as a member of the gang. I'll even go as far as to say that I think the second series was even stronger than the first one and the bar had been set pretty high there.

I Hate Suzie: And it's over. I don't know if this show will get a second series (it definitely feels like it needs one tbh), but I did see a lot of what the finale did coming a mile off. Suzie's marriage collapsed, her career is in a strange place and her friendship with Naomi has also become strained. This was a great vehicle for Billie Piper's talents as co-creator and lead actor and it definitely feels like it deserves some award love at some point. US viewers will be able to see the series on HBO Max pretty soon.

Lovecraft Country: I mentioned in my previous review that this show could be so confusing to watch and the last three episodes definitely felt the most confusing. This show has definitely been an experience to watch and I quite liked Atticus and Letitia as protagonists but it might hep next season if the plotline was a little clearer to follow though.

Schitt's Creek: I know, I'm probably the last person to actually watch this show but E4 got the rights to it and are airing at least the first season in double bills. My first thoughts: I don't love it yet but I definitely like it and I can see why Moira Rose especially has made such an impression on people as the Rose family have lost their fortune and seem to be stuck in the worst town in the US with the worst televised Mayor seen in quite a while. It might take a few more episodes for me to really get into it though.

The Boys: I decided to wait until the first two season finished up to actually watch the first season and now, I've watched four episodes in the last week. This somewhat cynical take on the superhero genre definitely gets very meta and extremely violent in parts with Homelander proving to be far scarier than most comic book villain. Still though, I'm not sure that Billy Butcher is much better but fortunately there are sympathetic enough characters with Hughie, Starlight, Frenchie, Mother's Milk and Queen Maeve to balance things out a tiny bit and the superhero costumes do look pretty good. 

• Raffi Barsoumian has been cast in the role of Bishop, a sadistic scientist for the sixth season of Legends Of Tomorrow.
• The Flight Attendant will stream on HBO Max from November 26th.
• Paddy Considine has been cast in a lead role for House Of The Dragon, the prequel spin-off for Game Of Thrones. The show will debut in 2022.
• Dexter will return for a ten episode limited series on Showtime for Fall 2021.
• Euphoria will return for two special episodes ahead of it's upcoming second season. The first one will air on December 6th.
• Star Trek: Discovery has been renewed for a fourth season. Meanwhile UK viewers can currently watch the third season weekly on Netflix.
• Kristen Bell will star in The Woman In The House, which has been ordered to series to Netflix.
• Steven Krueger has joined the cast of Roswell: New Mexico for it's upcoming third season.
• Disney+ have ordered a series of Willow with Warwick Davis set to reprise his role from the original movie.
• Amazon will also be tackling a series based on I Know What You Did Last Summer.

It Can Get Worse Elsewhere

It's been a few weeks but here's a round up of things I've been catching up over the last few weeks.

911: It might have taken SkyLiving a little longer, but the third season has finally finished up and it was a rather satisfying way to end the current season. The return of Abby in the final two episodes seemed to offer needed closure between her and Buck while Chimney and Maddie will be parents in the next season and Michael has gotten the all clear. I've really enjoyed this third season a lot and the show continues to impress with the stunts they've pulled off this season. It's also a good thing that while filming for the next season is underway, I've got the spin-off to catch up with. Speaking of which ....

911: Lone Star: Moving the action from California to Texas for a spin-off that probably wasn't really needed but certainly doesn't hurt either. I'm wondering if FOX are trying to build a franchise here (if another spin-off happens, then the answer will be a resounding yes). The first two episodes of this show weren't as strong as the parent series but did the job to keep me interested. Rob Lowe is decent lead as Owen Strand (who may or may not die as this series progresses) while Liv Tyler's Michelle is an okay secondary protagonist. I'm quite taken with the slow burning love story between TK and Carlos and the show's diversity is great to see. I don't know if I'll love this show as much as 911 but it's off to a decent start so far.

Derry Girls: It's a good job that when it comes to their own homegrown comedy that E4 will repeat these shows a lot because now I can finally see the second series of this brilliant show and the first four episodes were fantastic. Between the girls meeting lads from another school, a very unprofessional English teacher, a disastrous journey to see Take That and the antics at a neighbour's wake, this show has hit every funny bone. Looking forward to what the last two episodes have in store.

I Hate Suzie: It's interesting to see how much this series seems to have mirrored or lifted certain elements from Billie Piper's own career trajectory and personal life. It's also further proof of how much of a truly underrated actor she really is as the last few episodes have introduced us to Suzie's extended family, seen her career opportunities go up and down in equal measures as well as her relationships with her agent and family spiral big time. With the ads being initially underwhelming, the show itself has turned out to be quite gripping. I just hope the finale can stick the landing though.

Lovecraft Country: Every week I watch this show both in fascination and with absolutely no idea what's going on. I don't think I'm the only person who view this series this way. It's a genuinely interesting show but it's also massively veered from what it originally seemed to be about, hasn't it? The last few episodes focus on characters such as Ruby, Ji' Ah and Hippolyta while Letitia and Atticus have been more in the background has been a mixed bag but at the same time, at least it's not boring. Just more of a fascinating but messy series. 

• Not only has The Boys been renewed for a third season but Amazon are also planning a spin-off focusing on a younger group of characters. 
• Ryan Murphy will be tackling a miniseries based on Jeffrey Dahmer for Netflix. The show will be titled, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
• Adam Tsekhman has been promoted to a regular for the sixth season of Legends Of Tomorrow, having recurred in the previous three seasons.
• Russell T. Davies upcoming LGBT themed series has been retitled It's A Sin and will air on Channel 4 and HBO Max from 2021.
• Cobra Kai's third season will be released on Netflix from January 8th 2021 and the show has been renewed for a fourth season.
• Alex Morf, Leah Gibson and Nathan Owens have joined the cast for the second season of Batwoman, playing Victor Zsasz, the Whisper and Ocean respectively.
• Iman Vellani has been cast as Ms. Marvel for the upcoming Disney+ series. A show focusing on Nick Fury is also in development.
• The Walking Dead will end with an eleventh season, consisting of 24 episodes to be aired over the next two years. A spin-off focusing on Carol and Darryl will also happen.
• Pennyworth's second season will begin airing from December.
• Family Guy has been renewed for a 20th season while it's 19th season has started airing on FOX.

Santa Muerte Is Coming

Another TV Jumble, another catch up on some of the biggest shows I've been watching over the last few weeks.

911: This show really has been swinging out some really strong material into it's third season. The most recent two episodes delved into a chapter of Athena's past previously unexplored while Henrietta caused a devastating accident. Some genuinely powerhouse performances from both Angela Bassett and Aisha Hinds in these episodes while this season has also explored the reckless actions of both Eddie and Maddie in different areas of their personal lives and careers.

Derry Girls: I'm not sure when RTE1 plan to air the second series but I will try and catch it before Channel 4 get around to the third one. The last episode of the first season had a talent show and more importantly revealed that Claire was a "wee lesbian". I think the show did a good job of handling the story with Erin being initially horrified by her friend's reveal before taking to her defense. I definitely want to see where the show goes with Claire from here on in.

Love, Victor: If you're a fan of Love, Simon then this streaming series spin-off is definitely the worthy successor to it. We're back in Creekwood High and this time, it's Victor Salazar (Michael Cimino) coming to terms with his sexuality, getting involved with Mia while also wanting to be with Benji as well. It's a sweet, feel good series with a likeable cast and lead man and the continuity to a certain movie definitely works in the show's favour.

Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels: Now I loved the original series and reviewed all three seasons of it, so I was looking forward to this sequel series but two episodes in, I hate to admit it, but it's leaving me a little bit cold so far. On the plus side, Natalie Dormer is doing a good job as the main baddie, Magda and the latter's various disguises but Tiago needs to be a bit more dynamic as a lead character and the pacing needs to seriously pick up.

The Good Place: It's taken E4 an age to actually air the third season and with the show long since finished it's run in the US, better late than never. Last time we saw them - we had Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani and Jason all on Earth, essentially getting the chance to have a do over with Michael nudging them along. The opening episode was a little slow but it was a nice enough reintroduction to the gang and it'll be interesting to see if Michael's experiment will succeed.

The Politician: I'm going to start the second season of this show very soon but the last three episodes of the first season were pretty strong. The two part assassination plot felt like a finale while the actual finale felt more like an opening episode for the next season. I'm not sad to see some of the characters leave (Dusty won't be missed) or to see the main action in New York and I'm already on Team Dede and Hadassah than I am Team Payton and his inexplicably growing list of supporters.

- Jeremy Pope will play a love interest for MJ Rodriguez's Blanca in the upcoming third season of Pose.
- HBO have cancelled Run after one season.
- The upcoming fourth season of Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina on Netflix will be the show's last season. A potential fifth season would've featured a crossover with Riverdale.
- Stargirl has been renewed for a second season but will air on the CW instead of DC Universe.
- Lucifer's fifth season will see Tom Ellis playing Michael as well as the title character.
- HBO Max have commissioned a spin-off streaming series for The Batman that will focus on the GCPD. More on that in a later blog.
- Amazon have renewed Hanna for a third season.
- Lucy Liu has been cast in ABC pilot, Fka Bossy.
- The Crown has been renewed for a sixth and final season.
- Lee Daniels will helm a reboot of The Wonder Years, focusing on a black family for ABC.

Your Vote Counts

Yes, another TV Jumble blog as I've been catching up with some more shows over the last fortnight.

911: It took them somewhat longer than usual, but SkyWitness are finally airing the third season and having watched the first six episodes, this season has been pretty enjoyable so far. The first three episodes took in a natural disaster as Buck falling out with the station, nearly suing them and then getting his job back. We also had a rather timely episode concerning Athena's ex husband and of course, the Halloween episode took some interesting turns involving a flock of birds, Maddie getting involved in a domestic case and a body stuck in the front of a car. It's nice to see this show hasn't lost it's touch.

Big Brother: It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since the debut of this iconic reality show and one of the few I will watch on a near regular basis. Yup, a show that made and ruined several peoples careers, transitioned from Channel 4 to Channel 5 and now back to E4 for this Zoom fest of classic episodes as hosted by Davina McCall, Dermot O'Leary, Rylan Clark-Neal and Emma Willis. It's been fun seeing some of the past glories like Nasty Nick getting outed for his gaming tactics and so on. It also feels that maybe just maybe the waters are being tested again to eventually revive this series. Should it happen? I think it's very likely that it will.

Derry Girls: Yeah, I really did leave this one for the longest of times but with RTE1 finally airing this show, I no longer had any excuses. Three episodes in and I can see why there's so much hype for this show. It's genuinely funny and the 90's setting with the main characters - Erin, Michelle, Claire, Orla and the wee English lad James definitely hits the right level of nostalgia as well. So far, we've seen nuns dying after reading Erin's diary, the lot of them getting banned from the chippers and of course, the not miracle surrounding Toto. I can only hope that RTE1 don't delay airing Series 2.

The Politician: Another day, another Ryan Murphy show and one I needed to catch up with as Netflix already have released the second season and the third will be it's last one. Binging the first five episodes of Season 1, the show isn't perfect, tonally doesn't feel that different to Glee and has a very polarising set of characters, especially with it's main protagonist Payton Hobart (and a disappointing shortlived romance with River) but I'm also enjoying the larger than life moments in this series, even if all the main characters look too old to be running for a school election.

- Lucifer has been officially confirmed for a sixth and final season on Netflix. The first part of the fifth season will be released on August 21st.
- Brooklyn Nine Nine will be scrapping some of it's upcoming episodes for it's eighth season due to the BLM protests.
- Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels will air on SkyAtlantic from July 1st.
- Season 4 of The Handmaid's Tale will be delayed.
- American Horror Stories will air on FX on Hulu instead of FX when it's released next year.
- Shows like Riverdale and The Flash could begin filming their new seasons from August onwards.
- HBO Max and DC Universe will release the first three episodes of Doom Patrol Season 2 from June 25th. This season will comprise of nine episodes.
- Shayan Siobhan has been promoted to a regular for the sixth season of Legends Of Tomorrow.
- Manifest has been renewed for a third season by NBC.
- HBO Max have renewed Love Life for a second season.