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.

Such Glorious Purpose

It's been a while but here are some of the shows I've been watching over the past while.

911/911 Lone Star: Current seasons of both shows have finally aired on SkyLiving and not surprising enough, they have been influenced by the pandemic for the most part. The crossover event was a modest enough adventure with Buck, Hen and Eddie helping out the spin off crew with a disaster. There was an amusing moment where TK mistook Buck for being gay but other than that, I still find myself preferring the parent series the most.

Batwoman: Season 2 has been something of an improvement and while Safiyah's defeat was anticlimactic, there was something more satisfying in how Alice dealt with Black Mask while Ryan came into her own and hints for next season's foes were revealed. Not everything worked though. The Circe/Kate story resolution was rushed as was Luke's journey to Batwing and Jacob's exit but the show has gotten better though.

Loki: Marvel clearly felt they were overdue their own time traveling themed show and with everyone's favourite God of Mischief on the loose, they had the perfect pitch. Loki working for the TVA, at the behest of the Time Keepers, meeting and facing in love with a female version of himself called Sylvie and interacting with the likes of Mobius and Renslayer. It's not my favourite of the MCU Disney+ shows so far but there's a lot of fun to be had and hopefully the last two deliver.

Love, Victor: I basically blitzed through the second season of this show and I got to admit, I enjoyed it more than the first. The Benji/Victor/Rahim triangle is clearly going to bleed into the next season but it's amusing for now. Victor's parents both dealt with his sexuality in different but believable ways and there was decent screen time for the other characters. Hopefully this show gets a third season.

The Flash: I hate to admit, but I am about almost done with this season. It's been such a hard slog to get through that even the start of the Godspeed arc hasn't filled me with any confidence. The more I think on it, the more I hope that next season ends up being the final season because creatively, this show feels extremely burned out.

The Nevers: Well, that finale was thoroughly confusing as hell. Much as I've enjoyed the show, I'm genuinely stumped as to what the hell is going on. Amalia is from the future - is that it? There's some potential world ending alien war? Possibly. The finale did feel like a game changer but will it bring back people for the second half? I hope so. 

• HBO have confirmed that Lovecraft Country will not be returning for a second season.
• BBC1 and BBC iPlayer will have the UK for the Gossip Girl reboot.
• Filming for the second half of The Nevers first season has begun with the episodes slated to air in 2022.
• Ronen Rubenstein and Billie Lourd will appear in the fifth episode of American Horror Stories.
• Omid Abtahi has joined the cast of Fear The Walking Dead.
• Batwoman will be adding Renee Montoya to its third season. The role has yet to be cast.
• Michael Stuhlbarg has joined the cast of The Staircase.
• Superman And Lois has upped Sofia Hasmik as a regular for its second season.
• Catherine Tate will be working on a prison mockumentary series called Hard Cell where she will be playing multiple characters.
• Peter Capaldi and Jessica Raine will lead upcoming Amazon series, The Devil's Hour, with Steven Moffat working on the show.

We Ended The World Again

It's been a while since I've done this and well, a few news shows have emerged and I've dropped at least one as well. 

911: This season really has been hitting it's stride and with five episodes left to go, the ending of episode 13 with the 911 building being taken hostage was a pretty impressive cliffhanger. I also liked that it tied back into Maddie's co-worker who had been attacked in the previous episode. Speaking of Maddie, it's nice to see the show progressing her relationship with Howie (who's also reconnecting with his half brother) while Bobby, Athena and Hen have all had roles in the storyline with Michael (is the show going to kill him off?) while Buck and Eddie could do with a little more, storyline wise.

Love, Victor: I have really enjoyed this lovely, feel good series and given the cliffhanger where Victor finally came out to his parents, I am so glad that it's been renewed for a second season. The build towards Victor accepting himself along with that wonderful episode that actually featured Simon and Bram has been gripping to watch. I love Benji as well as a love interest for Victor and the show's supporting cast really do compliment the series. I'll definitely be watching next season.

The Good Place: Okay, I'm not sure what's going on with E4 because for the last two weeks there has been no new episodes airing. I'm unsure if they've dropped the series, and if they have, I'll have to watch the rest of it online. Anyways, the episodes I had seen though largely involved Trevor doing his best to sabotage Michael's work getting the group to work together as well as some brilliant scenes with Janet and Gen. This season has been good so far and I definitely want to see how the rest of it plays out.

The Politician: Going into the second season of this show, there are two sadly alarming things I've noticed about this one. There's the fact that this seems to be the least hyped Ryan Murphy show probably since The New Normal and that the LGBT content is probably the worst since arguably Nip/Tuck. Other than that, the second season has been mostly entertaining, even if Dede is a far more sympathetic political candidate than Payton has been during the course of this whole series. As for the double pregnancy story with Astrid and Alice - yeah, we could've done without that. 

The Umbrella Academy: The second season launched on Netflix less than a fortnight ago and it's been quite a wild ride so far. The first four episodes separated the siblings into the 1960's, they all built new lives and then Five had to go and spoil it all because there's another apocalypse. On the other hand, the new setting has worked a treat and all the new characters like Lila, Sissy, Ray and Elliot have all added well to the series. As for the romance with Vanya and Sissy, didn't we all see that one coming?

• Although The Flight Attendant has yet to debut on HBO Max, lead actor Kaley Cuoco has hinted that the show will get a second season. 
• Will Smith will have a producer on an upcoming gritty reboot of Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.
• Sirens has been cancelled after three seasons on Freeform.
• Shows like The Good Doctor and Grey's Anatomy will tackle the coronavirus in upcoming episodes.
• High Fidelity has been cancelled after a season on Hulu.
• CSI: Vegas - a continuation of the original series has been ordered for CBS.
• Adria Adjona has joined the cast of the upcoming Rogue One TV series for Disney+
• Shawn Ashmore will be playing Lamplighter in the upcoming second season of The Boys. The show has also been renewed for a third season.
• Olivia Swann will return as a regular for the sixth season of Legends Of Tomorrow.
• Sarah Paulson will direct for the upcoming American Horror Stories spin off. American Horror Story itself is set to film it's tenth season (theme to be revealed) towards the end of the year.

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.