A Tale Of Two Psychopaths

As usual, it's been a while since I've done one of these but a look into some of the shows I've watched over the last few weeks.

And Just Like That: Talk about having cancellation creep up on you. It's pretty obvious that Michael Patrick King and his three leads thought they had more time but HBO thought otherwise. These last few episodes saw Carrie ditch Aidan and almost get with the English writer while coming out with an ending for her book. Miranda and Steve found out they were going to be grandparents and Charlotte and Harry started having sex again. If this show hasnt wasted most of its time giving audiences everything they didn't want from a sequel series, we'd probably be getting a fourth season. Live and learn.

Dexter: Resurrection: On to a sequel series that gave audiences exactly, how fucking good did this show turn out to be? It's like the writers managed to recapture the heights of the original show's first four seasons. There's so much to praise here, but the Dexter/Harrison dynamic was what it needed to be for both characters and Leon Prater turned out to be one of the best season Big Bads we've had on the show. Add Dexter bumping off fellow serial killers, an expected but affecting exit for Angel and this season just hit all the right spots. 

Only Murders In The Building: With previous seasons, I'd usually wait until the finale and binge watch the lot but I decided to go weekly this season instead. Four episodes in and you've got Charles, Oliver and Mabel trying to solve their former doorman's death, along with a mob hit and coming to the realisation that being mainstream podcasters can get you censored. Throw in Logan Lerman, Christopher Waltz and Renee Zellweger as a trio of scheming billionaires and it's a good start so far.

The Girlfriend: Ah, another glossy thriller with a female protagonist who's a psychopath. Actually this time, it's two of them with both Olivia Cooke and Robin Wright giving it their all. The former as unhinged estate agent, Cherry and the latter as the equally unbalanced Laura. The object of their psychopathy - the rather dull Daniel, played by Laurie Davidson. He's Cherry's new boyfriend and Laura's son with incest vibes between the two. Throughout the six episodes both Cherry and Laura up the ante in their crazy pursuit of Daniel but only one could come out on top. It does lag in the middle but it's enjoyable enough.

Wednesday: Season 2 of a show where the writing isn't that different to an episode of Riverdale. I snark but in fact, I do enjoy this show. This second season was neither better nor worse than the first season. Jenna Ortega still ruled the roost as Wednesday Addams but the season expanded her family, brought back other characters, wasted a plot on Enid that amounted to very little overall and was a bit hit and miss with new cast members like Steve Buscemi, Billie Piper and Joanna Lumley. The show might have overplayed it's use of Lady Gaga as well. With all that said, I'll still watch Season 3. 

- Kit Harrington will star in an upcoming adaptation of A Tale Of Two Cities for BBC/MGM+.

- HBO will air A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms from January 2026 with the third season of House Of The Dragon likely to air next summer.

- Wonder Man will be split into two parts when it's released on Disney+ in December. Marvel Zombies premieres from September 24th.

- Daredevil: Born Again has been renewed for a third season. It's second season will premiere on Disney+ early 2026.

- The upcoming fourth season of The White Lotus will be set in France. Will likely premiere in 2027 on HBO.

- There are plans for further seasons of House Of Guinness for Netflix. The first season premieres September 25th.

- Paramount+ have cancelled Dexter: Original Sin but it does seem that Dexter: Resurrection will get a second season.

- Despite wrapping up this week, Amazon announced that The Summer I Turned Pretty will get a wrap up movie.

- Jessica Chastain and Ben Stiller will star in upcoming Apple TV+ limited series, The Off Weeks.

- Nine Bodies In A Mexican Morgue will air on BBC1 from September 28th.

- Pamela Anderson will executive produce a TV adaptation of Barb Wire.

- Hacks will end with a fifth season for HBO Max.

- The fourth season of The Witcher will be released on Netflix from October 30th.

New York Calling Again

As usual, it's been a while since I've done this but a brief look into some of the shows I've been watching over the last few weeks.

And Just Like That: I often wonder why I keep watching this show because even with certain character exits and guests like Rosie O'Donnell and Patti Lupone, this show has remained a train wreck. Carrie and Aidan haven't progressed as a couple, Charlotte's story with Harry should've been taken more seriously and it's early days with Miranda and Joy. The subplots that other characters have had are a mixed bag but overall, it's been another uneven season so far.

Dexter: Resurrection: It was only a few months ago this franchise was getting back on track with prequel show Dexter: Original Sin. The first two episodes of this sequel series certainly glossed some obstacles from Dexter: New Blood while also setting up a whole new playground for both Dexter and Harrison. There was a lot fan pleasing cameos in the first episode, Angel's now in the same boat that Doakes/LaGuerta once were, Dexter's made a new friend with Blessing and his family, Harrison's developing his own code and Uma Thurman's Charley is involved with other serial killers. It's off to a strong start tbh.

Ironheart: I had such mixed feelings about this show. I didn't particularly care for the title character in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and I did think it was a MCU show that we didn't need. Saying that, it's mostly an okay show that served as a good place to have Riri Williams get her own suit, work through the grief of losing her best friend while also introducing Sacha Baron Cohen's Mephisto in the finale. The stories with both The Hood and Ezekiel Stane were a bit uneven but in general, it's not a bad show.

Poker Face: I have loved this second season and it's done a great job with its guest cast. It's also done a great job in setting up the seemingly sweet and innocent Alex into Charlie's intellectual nemesis. It's only taken the show two seasons to give Charlie her own Moriarty but they did it and perfectly with this particular character. We also got a cliffhanger ending for Alex or did we? Oh we're definitely getting that character if the show returns for a third season.

Sirens: Netflix and Greek mythology themed shows again. Less than a year after the short-lived Kaos, there's this five part series, centred on sisters Simone and Devon and the former's enigmatic boss, Mikaela. It's a show that revelled in it's opulence, was more subtle in the actual sirens part and had some solid performances from Milly Alcock, Meghann Fahy and Julianne Moore. Oh and Kevin Bacon certainly had his moments too. Not the best Netflix series this year but with five episodes, it certainly didn't outstay it's welcome.

The Bear: I watched the fourth season in two days and mostly, I did like it. Not as much as the first two seasons but more than the previous one. The fourth and seventh episodes in particular were highlights. The former focused on Sydney spending time with her cousin and the latter's daughter. The latter episode being a big wedding one with the most amount of guest stars, including Brie Larson as Francine, the much hated rival of Sugar's. Carmy got some interesting scenes with Claire, Donna, Sydney, Richie and Sugar this season but there's a repetitiveness with the restaurant being in trouble that I wish the show would move past.

• Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Richard Madden and Marcia Gay Harden will be regulars for upcoming Netflix series, Trinity.
• Murderbot has been renewed for a second season by AppleTV+
• ABC have commissioned a new series of Scrubs for the Fall schedule. 
• HBO Max have cancelled Duster after one season.
• Stranger Things fifth season will be released on Netflix November 26th, December 25th and 31st respectively.
• HBO Max have ordered to series Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, the latest spin off from The Big Bang Theory.
• Queer Eye will end with it's upcoming tenth season on Netflix.
• Virgin River has been renewed for an eighth season on Netflix.
• Filming for The Boys final season has wrapped. Amazon will release it in 2026.
• Filming for third season of Interview With The Vampire has started. It'll air on AMC in 2026.
• Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy will be released on Peacock from October 16th.
• Slow Horses has been renewed for a seventh season by AppleTV+
• Season 4 of Monster will focus on Lizzie Borden. The Ed Gein season will be released on Netflix later this year.

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.