Tag / Paramount Plus

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2025: The Year In Television

With fewer good productions airing on network and cable networks and instead moving to the various streaming platforms, that seems to have taken over as my main form of non-game show or sports television watching. Now that I work from home full time, I have plenty of time to take in whatever they have to offer. Since we cover the network and cable shows that I watch elsewhere, let’s take a look at the 17 seasons of shows I streamed on eight different platforms this year.

Based on a True Story Season Two (Peacock)
A copycat killer starts terrorizing LA.

Black Doves Season One (Netflix)
When a spy’s lover is killed, she puts her undercover identity in jeopardy to find out what happened.

Black Mirror Season Seven (Netflix)
The British anthology returns with a strong six-episode season, including a sequel from a previous favorite.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 (Paramount+)
The BAU returns once again, following up on plot threads from the previous season.

Doctor Who Season Two (Disney+)
Ncuti Gatwa exits what was intended to be a new era for Doctor Who.

Ginny & Georgia Season Three (Netflix)
Georgia’s past comes back to haunt her, and her kids pay the price.

Mr. Mercedes Seasons One – Three (Peacock)
An adaptation of the Bill Hodges trilogy of novels by Stephen King.

On Call Season One (Amazon Prime)
A training officer and her rookie try to keep the streets of Long Beach safe.

Only Murders in the Building Season Five (Hulu)
Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez return for another investigation into a murder in their building.

The Pitt Season One (Max)
Noah Wylie returns to the emergency room.

Pluribus Season One (Apple TV)
A space virus has turned the human race into a single hive mind, save for a handful of immune survivors.

Poker Face Season Two (Peacock)
Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne return after more than a year for a second installment.

The Sex Lives of College Girls Season Three (HBOMax)
The final season sees Reneé Rapp move on for a music career and a new roommate move in to take her place.

Shrinking Season Two (Apple TV+)
Brett Goldstein joins the cast as the drunk driver who killed Jimmy’s wife.

The White Lotus Season Three (HBOMax)
The third season action moves to Thailand.

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CBS Upfronts

We wrap up our looks at the network upfronts with CBS, who released their entire 2025-2026 plans.  The week starts with Monday’s familiar comedy block, starting with The Neighborhood followed by DMV, a new comedy starring based on a short story by Katherine Heiny.  That is followed by the OG FBI and its latest spinoff, CIA, starring Tom Ellis.  Tuesday gets turned over to the NCIS franchise, with the original version leading off the night, followed by NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney.

Wednesday continues as all reality, with extra-long episodes of Survivor followed by The Amazing Race.  Thursday has another hour-long comedy block, with Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage followed by Ghosts.  The new version of Matlock and another installment of Elsbeth finish out the night.  Friday starts with Sheriff Country, an expansion of the Fire Country universe starring Morena Baccarin, followed by the original Fire Country and Boston Blue, a spinoff of Blue Bloods, continuing the adventures of Donny Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan.  Sunday kicks off with 60 Minutes, followed by Tracker, and The Road, giving viewers a “backstage pass into the gritty and unforgiving life of a touring artist.”

On tap for midseason on Wednesdays are game shows The Price is Right at Night and Hollywood Squares, followed by Harlan Coben’s Final Twist, a true crime series hosted by the best-selling author.  America’s Culinary Cup is a new cooking competition series hosted by Padma Lakshhi.  Y: Marshalls, a spinoff of the Paramount+ series Yellowstone sees Luke Grimes’ Kayce Dutton put the ranch behind him and join an elite unit of U.S. Marshals.  Last, but not least, is the second season of Watson.

Gone and never to be seen again are Blue Bloods, The Equalizer, FBI: International, FBI: Most Wanted, Poppa’s House, The Summit, and S.W.A.T.

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2024: The Year In Television

With less and less good productions airing on network and cable networks and instead moving to the various streaming platforms, that seems to have taken over as my main form of non-game show television watching. Now that I work from home full time, I have plenty of time to take in whatever they have to offer. Since we cover the network and cable shows that I watch elsewhere, let’s take a look at the 22 seasons of shows I streamed on six different platforms this year.

9-1-1 Seasons 1-7 (Disney+)
I was introduced to this show when I was in Amsterdam and decided to watch from the beginning once I got home.

Based on a True Story Season 1 (Peacock)
Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina start a podcast with a serial killer.

The Blacklist Season 10 (Netflix)
One final go-around for the former NBC hit, which wrapped up its run in the summer of 2023.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 17 (Paramount+)
The BAU returns once again, following up on plot threads from the previous season.

Derry Girls Seasons 1-3 (Netflix)
A group of friends in Northern Ireland grow up amidst a changing political climate.

Doctor Who Season 1 (Disney+)
Ncuti Gatwa ushers in a new era for Doctor Who.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 (Netflix)
A new set of interns start at Grey Sloan.

Nobody Wants This Season 1 (Netflix)
A gentile sex/relationship podcaster falls in love with a rabbi.

Only Murders in the Building Season 4 (Hulu)
Yet another murder in the building brings Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez back together for another investigation.

Remington Steele Season 2-5 (Amazon Prime)
The 80s hit, starring Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist, has become a weekend morning staple.

This is the Zodiac Speaking (Netflix)
The latest attempt to identify the notorious Zodiac killer.

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2023: The Year In Television

With less and less good productions airing on network and cable and moving to the various streaming platforms, that seems to have taken over as my main form of television watching. Now that I work from home full time, I have plenty of time to take in whatever they have to offer. Since we cover the network and cable shows that I watch elsewhere, let’s take a look at the 23 seasons of shows I streamed on eight different platforms this year.

Black Mirror Season Six (Netflix)
The British anthology returns with a five-episode season that started strong, with one of the best episodes of the show’s run, but ended poorly.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 16 (Paramount+)
The BAU returns, minus a few key resources, to hunt down the most prolific serial killer they’ve ever faced.

Daisy Jones & The Six (Amazon Prime)
Based on the book by Taylor Jenkins Reid, it is the tale of how a garage band from Pittsburgh morphed into the biggest band in the world, and then how it all blew up.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Seasons 6-7 (Netflix)
The Legends see their travels through time and space come to an end.

Dead to Me Season Three (Netflix)
Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini return for one last go-around.

Doctor Who Specials (Disney+)
David Tennant returns and helps Ncuti Gatwa usher in a new era for Doctor Who.

The Flash Season Nine (Netflix)
The show, and the CW’s Arrowverse, winds down with one final go-around.

The Flight Attendant Season Two (HBO Max)
Kaley Cuoco returns for another go-around as the alcoholic flight attendant who also works for the CIA.

Ginny & Georgia Seasons 1-2 (Netflix)
Imagine Gilmore Girls if Lorelai came from nothing and was somewhat amoral and Rory was bi-racial.

How I Met Your Father Season 2 (Hulu)
The second and final season leaves us hanging as to who the father would have been.

The Last Thing He Told Me (Apple TV+)
Jennifer Garner stars in the adaptation of the Laura Dave novel. Continue reading →

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Post Mortem – Star Trek: Picard

A spinoff of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Picard debuted in 2020 on the CBS All Access streaming service.  Isa Briones, Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Santiago Cabrera, and Jeri Ryan joined Patrick Stewart for the first two seasons, telling the adventures of retired Starfleet admiral Jean-Luc Picard twenty years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis.

For the third and final season, released this spring on Paramount +, the show pivoted to a full-on reunion of the Next Gen cast.  The crew of the Enterprise D reunite for a final mission, saving the Federation, and the universe, from one more attack.  The season gives a proper sendoff to this generation of Star Trek and leaves the door open for a new future, with Seven of Nine commanding a new crew of the USS Enterprise.

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2022: The Year In Television

With less and less good productions airing on network and cable and moving to the various streaming platforms, that seems to have taken over as my main form of television watching.  Now that I work from home full time, I have plenty of time to take in whatever they have to offer.  Since we cover the network and cable shows that I watch elsewhere, let’s take a look at the 32 seasons of shows I streamed on nine different platforms this year.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 (Netflix)
The end of the road for the first series set in, but not completely part of, the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Archive 81 Season 1 (Netflix)
A video archivist is hired to transfer video tapes rescued from a building fire, but they contain much, much more.

Barry Season 3 (HBOMax)
With the acting class disbanded, Barry falls back to his old job while trying to make amends.

The Blacklist Season 9 (Netflix)
Years after Elizabeth’s death, Red returns and the task force re-forms to track down her killer.

The Bear Season 1 (Hulu)
A world class chef inherits the family beef joint after his brother dies.

DMZ (HBOMax)
An adaptation of Brian Wood’s comic series about Manhattan becoming a DMZ following a second civil war.

The Flash Season 8 (Netflix)
Catching up in preparation for the upcoming final season.

High School Season 1 (Freevee)
An adaptation of the memoir from Tegan and Sara shows the twin girls growing up in Canada and discovering their musical talent.

How I Met Your Father Season 1 (Hulu)
Missing all the charm and humor of its predecessor but might have all been worth it for the surprise appearance in the last episode.

Inside Man (Netflix)
A misunderstanding leads to a math tutor being held hostage and a vicar doing anything he can to save his family.

Lost in Space Season 2 (Netflix)
The Robinsons manage to get to another planet, but run into more adventures. Continue reading →

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2021: The Year In Television

Now that I am home full time, I have plenty of time to catch up on the streaming shows I may have missed in years past or that were newly released. Since we cover the network and cable shows that I watch elsewhere, let’s take a look at the 34 seasons of the 24 shows I streamed on 8 different platforms this year.

13 Reasons Why Seasons 1-2 (Netflix)
When a high school girl commits suicide, she sends a series of confessional tapes to the people she deems responsible.

The Blacklist Season 8 (Netflix)
Having missed an episode or two along the way, I had to wait for the season to hit Netflix to combine with what was on my DVR to come up to date as the story of Elizabeth Keen wraps up.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 4 (Netflix)
The final installment of the darker interpretation of Archie Comics character somehow found a way to crossover with the 90s ABC version before ending its run.

Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol (Peacock)
A very unfaithful adaptation of the novel which I probably should not have watched right after reading the book.

Devs (Hulu)
A woman keeps digging into the death of her boyfriend, running afoul of his employer, who is up to some sketchy stuff.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+)
Burdened by the legacy of Captain America, both the Falcon and the Winter Soldier try to find their way in a post-blip world.  When the government’s replacement Cap goes bad, the Falcon finally decides he is ready to take on the legacy Steve Rogers left for him.

The Flash Season 7 (Netflix)
I used a combination of Netflix and my DVR to catch up on the goings on from last season.

Hawkeye (Disney+)
Hawkeye takes on a new apprentice when the re-emergence of his old Ronin costume causes an uprising in New York’s underworld.

The History of Swear Words (Netflix)
Nicholas Cage hosts this look at some of our culture’s favorite words, including their etymology and most popular uses.

Loki Season 1 (Disney+)
Loki teams up with many different versions of himself to find out who is behind the TVA.

Love Life Season 1 (HBO Max)
An anthology series that follows one person’s romantic history per season.  The first season focused on Anna Kendrick’s Darby Carter as she learns to love herself and let herself be loved.

Mad About You Season 8 (Amazon Prime)
The 12-episode revival, released in 2019 on something called Spectrum Originals, finds the Buchmans rediscovering themselves after their daughter leaves for college.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation Season 1 (Netflix)
I wasn’t originally planning on watching Kevin Smith’s revival of the old He-Man cartoons, but when fandom acted all butthurt by them, I needed to see what the fuss was all about. Continue reading →

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Midseason Review – Sundays

With the advent of winter premieres, the start of the premium cable network shows, and with February sweeps around the corner, it’s time to revisit my thoughts from the beginning of the season and look ahead at what’s to come for Sunday nights.

9:00

SEAL Team – The fifth season starts on CBS for a month of episodes before being banished to the Paramount+ streaming service.

Well, I managed to watch the three or four episodes that aired before the show headed off to Paramount+. I’m sure I’ll catch up on the rest the next time I score a short-term subscription to that service.

Now, let’s see what interesting tidbits are coming this spring:

Euphoria – The long delayed second season finally started two weeks back on HBO.

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CBS Upfront

Everything old is new this season at CBS, which brings 3 new entries from its collection of established procedural franchises along with 1 new comedy to the air this fall.  The week starts a comedy block of The Neighborhood and Bob Hearts Abishola, followed by 2 entries in the NCIS franchise: the OG, moving from its Tuesday timeslot for the first time in 18 years, and NCIS: Hawaii, where Vanessa Lachey stars as the first female Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor.  Tuesday, CBS follows NBC’s playbook by turning the entire night over to Dick Wolf for his FBI franchise, with the OG leading off the night, followed by FBI: International, the new iteration that follows the elite operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team, and FBI: Most Wanted.

Wednesday night leads off with Survivor, followed by Tough As Nails and the new CSI: Vegas, the “sequel” to the original which brings back William Petersen, Jorja Fox, and Wallace Langham.  Thursday has another comedy block, starting with with Young Sheldon and United States of Al, followed by Ghosts, starring Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar as a duo who decide to convert a huge rundown country estate into a bed & breakfast, only to find it’s inhabited by the many spirits of deceased residents who now call it home, and B Positive. Bull finishes off the night.  Friday starts with S.W.A.T. for a month, before giving way to TBD unscripted programming, followed by Magnum P.I. and Blue Bloods.  Sunday kicks off with 60 Minutes, followed by The Equalizer, NCIS: Los Angeles, and, for a month, SEAL Team before giving way to S.W.A.T.

On tap for midseason is Good Sam, starring Sophia Bush and Jason Isaacs as doctors fighting for the same position, and Smallwood, based on the life of professional bowler Tom Smallwood.

Gone and never to be seen again are All Rise, MacGuyver, NCIS: New Orleans, Mom, and The Unicorn.  Evil and SEAL Team will be moving to Paramount+.