Off To Thailand, Back To Hell's Kitchen Or The Wilderness

Yup, a lot of shows have popped up in the last few weeks with at least one ending for good and others getting their latest seasons in full swing.

9-1-1: Lone Star: Those last three episodes really came and went by so fast, didn't they? While it's baffling that FOX axed the show after five seasons, I'm glad the show went out on a strong note. TK and Carlos adopted the former's half brother, Owen went to New York, Tommy survived, Marjan got married and Judd took over the fire house. Not to mention some crazy antics involving an asteroid. At least the main show will still be around for the foreseeable future.

Daredevil: Born Again: It's felt like an eternity since the announcement of this show and the massive retooling that happened between filming but yesterday, Disney+ released the first two episodes and the reviews were a bit more mixed compared to its Netflix predecessor. Personally, I liked both episodes though I'm over the show trying to find ways of keeping Charlie Cox out of his costume more than that spoiled death. Still, I am enjoying Matt's new dynamic with various new characters as well as the mayoral story with Wilson Fisk and the White Tiger story. So far, I think the good outweighs the bad here.

Dexter: Original Sin: I'm genuinely impressed with how this prequel series has managed to become as entertaining as the original. I'm also impressed with how Patrick Gibson has embodied the role of Dexter Morgan as well as Michael C. Hall back in the day (and again this summer). Hiring Patrick Dempsey to play the main villain so depraved he'd mutilate his own child was also a clever move along with the death of Laura in flashbacks and arrival of Brian Moser in the current day. The Deb plot did falter a bit but I loved her scenes with Tanya and Maria in the penultimate episode.

Prime Target: Have you ever sat through an entire season of a show and not had a bloody clue why you bothered? Apple TV+ attempts of a conspiracy show with Leo Woodall as gay mathemacian Edward could have been a thrilling show or even mildly entertaining if it leaned a bit sillier but sadly, it took itself too seriously, was very dull and plodding and wasted a lot of talented actors like David Morrissey, Martha Plimpton, Harry Lloyd, Stephen Rea and so on. The finale tried to inject a bit of edge into it but it was a case of too little and too late. I'll be surprised if this gets a second season.

The White Lotus: It's been over two years since we've had this show dominating the conversation and trading Sicily for Thailand, we've got the returning Belinda from the first season and a slew of new characters. There's the very rich and very dodgy Ratliffs, with some sexually inappropriate siblings while age gap couple Rick and Chelsea spent most of their time getting bitten by snakes, interacting with other age gap couples and one of them taking an overt interest in Sritala (the manager). I am loving the bitchy friend trio - Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie but the staff haven't been as dynamic as some of the past ones. As usual, there's the mystery of a dead body and right now, it could be any of them. 

Towards Zero: Over the last few years, there's been a mixed reception towards the BBC's adaptations of Agatha Christie books. Usually some complain because the casting has been more diverse than in the past or because the person adaptating usually changes too many elements from the source material. Of course, there's no exception with the same criticisms but honestly, it's a pretty decent take on the novel. You've got a disgraced tennis star with both his former and current wives, a bed ridden matriarch, estranged family members, a sympathetic lawyer, a world weary detective, beleaguered staff and a murder where you probably guessed the killer and motive without having read the book. I do think these adaptations should be done as 90 minute TV movies than three hour long episodes but it's a decent if slowish take on the classic novel.

Yellowjackets: Season 3 so far has been entertaining but it's also raised the question of how much gas is left in the tank for this show. In the present day, Natalie's death barely had time to register when Lottie also ended up being dead. Shauna and Misty clashed while Taissa and Van had some better news and both Callie, Jeff and Walter had their moments. In the flashbacks, there was the girls setting up camp outdoors, Ben's trial and Shauna getting closer to Melissa and becoming more antagonistic towards everyone else along with some more screentime for Mari. It's a solid start but I'm still waiting for the likes of Joel McHale and Hilary Swank to show up. 

• Drew Starkey and Anya Taylor-Joy will play a married couple in upcoming Apple TV+ series, Lucky.
• The Recruit has been cancelled after two seasons by Netflix.
• Uma Thurman, Peter Dinklage, Krysten Ritter and Neil Patrick Harris will appear in Dexter: Resurrection, which will premiere in June on Showtime/Paramount+.
• Harry Lawtey won't be returning for the fourth season of Industry but Kit Harrrington will and Max Minghella has also joined the HBO/BBC series.
• The second season of The Last Of Us will premiere on HBO from April 13th.
• This month on ABC will see a crossover event between 9-1-1 and Doctor Odyssey, factoring Angela Bassett's Athena Grant.
• 9-1-1: Nashville will be the new spin off and will premiere on ABC in the autumn. Expect casting news very soon.
• Mid-Century Modern will premiere all ten episodes on Hulu from March 28th.
• Filming for the second season of Daredevil: Born Again has begun while Vision has added Ruairidh Mollica in an undisclosed role to its cast.
• James Norton has been cast as Ormund Hightower for the third season of House Of The Dragon. Lucas Aurelia has also been cast in an undisclosed role.
• The fate of Heartstopper on Netflix is currently unknown. 
• Netflix have ordered limited series Vladimir, which will start Rachel Weisz as a woman who becomes obsessed with her new colleague.
• The fourth season of The Bear is currently in production and will premiere on FX/Hulu during the summer.

Yes, We See You Now

Ah, yes. One final TV Jumble Blog for 2024 but not my last blog for the year. Anyways enjoy.

911: These last few episodes before the show cut to it's mid season finale were a mixed bag. I knew when Tommy was reintroduced as a love interest for Buck that he was unlikely to be a long term character but I was hoping he'd have lasted a bit longer and given a far less abrupt exit but oh well. On the other hand, Brad became an oddly entertaining foil for Bobby and Eddie finally ditched the mustache.

911: Lone Star: It did look like TK and Carlos were on the verge of splitting up over their opposite views of adopting the former's half brother and the latter's obsession with solving his father's murder. The latter scenario at least got a resolution while the former does seem to be up in the air. I gotta admit, despite some great work from Gina Torres, I really dislike the cancer storyline they've given Tommy and where it's inevitably going too.

Dexter: Original Sin: Four episodes into this prequel series that I don't see enough online chatter about and I'm rather enjoying it. Not enough to review episode wise but certainly enough to keep watching. I'll give Patrick Gibson his dues because stepping into Michael C. Hall's shoes as the vigilante killer was always going to be a hard task but he's done an admirable job so far. Having people like Christian Slater, Patrick Dempsey and Sarah Michelle Gellar also added to the cast has helped, though I do find the Laura Moser flashbacks and Deb's teen rebellion stories the weaker elements of the show. 

Say Nothing: FX coming in late in the year with this interesting enough miniseries, focusing on the Troubles in Northern Ireland and specifically IRA volunteer Dolours Price. In the seventies, Lola Petticrew gave a sterling performance while Maxine Peake fairly matched her in the nineties parts of the nine episode series. There's some great performances from the likes of Anthony Boyle, Tom Vaughn-Lawlor, Josh Finan, Damien Molony and Kerri Quinn to name a few.

Sweetpea: 2024 has certainly been a year for Ella Purnell and starring roles. First there was Fallout and now, this six part series where her downtrodden character, Rhiannon Lewis just snapped and became a serial killer. Not only that but she was also using her bloodlust to climb up the career ladder, get revenge on a former childhood bully and even had a love triangle that ended very bloody in the last few minutes of the show. I think Purnell actually gave her best performance in this show.

What If?: This show has been something of a mixed bag that even hardcore MCU fans have had no choice but to acknowledge it's hit and miss quality. This third and final season, which concluded today was definitely a mixed bag. Anything with the Exiles and the Watcher facing consequences for their own interfering was great. Some individual team ups I liked (Agatha/Kingo, Winter Soldier/Red Guardian, etc) but overall, I found this third season to be mostly okay. Points for adding Storm into the mix and there's potential with Byrdie as a character.

• The third season of House Of The Dragon will film next year but will debut on HBO in 2026. Season 4 will be the final season for the show.
• The third season of The White Lotus will premiere on HBO from February 16th.
• The third season of Euphoria will film in 2025 for a 2026 debut on HBO. It's expected to be the show's final season.
• The second season of The Last Of Us will premiere on HBO in early 2025.
• Sky have renewed both Sweetpea and The Day Of The Jackal for second seasons.
• Disney+ have renewed Rivals for a second season.
• Brendan Gleeson has joined the cast of Amazon Prime's upcoming Spider Noir series, starring Nicolas Cage in the title role.
• Filming for the final season of The Boys has begun but it'll be 2026 before it's released on Amazon Prime.
• The second seasons of Severance and Surface will premiere on Apple TV from January 17th and February 21st respectively.
• Not only will Dexter: Resurrection premiere on Showtime/Paramount+ during summer 2025 but a prequel series for the Trinity Killer, featuring John Lithgow has also gotten the go ahead.
• Filming for the final season of Stranger Things and the second season of Wednesday have wrapped. Both will debut on Netflix during 2025.
• Glen Powell's upcoming series, Chad Powers will premiere on Hulu during the Fall season in 2025.
• The third and final season of Squid Game will release on Netflix in 2025. The second season came out on Thursday.

SDCC Highlight - Dexter: Original Sin AND Dexter: Resurrection Announced

If you couldn't get enough of Dexter Morgan, well, you're about to get Miami's infamous serial killer twice over.

First of all, let's break down the cast of upcoming prequel series, Dexter: Original Sin. Who is playing who exactly?

Dexter Morgan (Patrick Gibson) - Forensic Intern

Sergeant Harry Morgan (Christian Slater) 

Deb Morgan (Molly Brown)

Captain Aaron Spencer (Patrick Dempsey)

CSI Chief Tanya Martin (Sarah Michelle Gellar)

Detective Angel Batista (James Martinez) 

Detective Maria LaGuerta (Christina Millian)

Detective Bobby Watt (Reno Wilson)

Vince Masuka (Alex Shimizu) - Forensic Analyst

The 10 part series will be set during 1991, following the young Dexter Morgan embarking on his double life. Oh and a certain Michael C. Hall not only appeared at SDCC with the cast of Dexter: Original Sin but he'll be doing the voiceover of Dexter's inner voice. Of course that wasn't the only surprise revealed last night.

Not only do we have a prequel series to delve into but how about another sequel show to boot? Yes, I know Michael C. Hall's version of the character was killed off at the end of Dexter: New Blood but death apparently won't keep this bad boy down.

Titled, Dexter: Resurrection, the series will somewhat revive the character for a present day setting with filming slated to begin soon for a summer 2025 release. Aside from being set in the present day, details on the sequel series are a bit vague for now but expect some major casting news to be revealed over the next few months. 

Like a lot of people, I was a big fan of the original Dexter series, even if the last few seasons were lacking. I thought Dexter: New Blood was a near return to form. The news of two new shows, I do have some mixed feelings on. It could be a case of spreading the IP too thin and trying to create a franchise where one wasn't needed but at the same time, both have strong enough hooks that maybe it could work. I mean the original series has managed to be a streaming hit, so there's definitely a new generation who will likely give both shows a go. I'll be watching and reviewing both upcoming shows.

Dexter: Original Sin will premiere on Showtime and Paramount+ from December 2024 while Dexter: Resurrection will premiere in summer 2025.