February TV Checklist

 

Half of February was dominated by The Winter Olympics, so there’s not that much to share. Here’s what I was watching this past month.

THE OLYMPICS (CBC)
It’s not as fun to watch with the drastic time zone difference. We ended up fast forwarding a lot of stuff. That’s a lot of rocks for curling, let’s just forward to the final three or four. I loved watching snowboard cross; that was fun. I don’t understand the four-man bobsled when the difference between first and seventh is literally a fraction of a second, oh, and the Germans seems to have magical sleds. I also wonder who thought two-man luge was a good idea. Anyway, I’m Olympic-ed out.

SEVERENCE (APPLETV+)
The pacing is pretty slow but I’m intrigued. It definitely has an extended Black Mirror vibe. I do enjoy the characters with exception of Patricia Arquette’s role; she’s not pulling me in. Only three eps in but I’ll stick it out to see where it goes.

THE AFTERPARTY (APPLETV+)
This show is great. It’s a well plotted murder mystery with lots of fun elements. Each episode is from a different suspect’s point of view and done with a different genre as well: one is animated, one is more action-packed, one is a romantic comedy. My favourite is Ben Schwartz and his musical version. Schwartz plays the high-energy role he always plays (Parks & Rec, House of Lies, Space Force) but darn it if it isn’t entertaining. Looking forward to the big conclusion this week.

SPACE FORCE (NETFLIX)
I love the cast of the show and the premise has potential but the writing is just not there. While Steve Carrell get a couple of goofy moments, he often has to play the straight man. Really liked Jimmy O Yang (Silicon Valley) this season. I wonder if it will get picked up for more?

PAM & TOMMY (HULU/DISNEY+)
This was pure morbid curiosity. I remember when their sex tape was in the news. Lily James & Sebastian Stan embody Pam and Tommy well. And boy do we see a lot of their bodies, a little too much at times. Seth Rogen awkwardness as the contractor who stole the tape was pretty entertaining. Why this is eight episodes instead of a two-part TV-movie is beyond me.

PEACEMAKER (HBO)
That was so much fun. I was thoroughly entertained. I loved the plot and the characters had great chemistry. James Gunn is amazing. And I still love that opening title sequence.

BILLIONS (SHOWTIME)
I like the Olympic bid storyline they have going on. Get rid of Wendy and Taylor though; they’ve overstayed their welcome.

AMAZING RACE (CBS)
The all-male team has a little too much testosterone at times; calm down. I didn’t realize how beautiful Corsica is; might have to visit it sometime.

JEOPARDY (SYNDICATION)
Watching this and the double-header college tournament is too much Jeopardy in one night. My brain is full.

THE GILDED AGE (HBO)
Couldn’t give it a few episodes; I didn’t care what was going on. The main character is boring and the servants don’t hold a candle to the Downton Abbey downstairs crew. Christine Baranski gets some fun lines but not enough to keep me interested.