Tag / The Flash

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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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2023: The Year In Movies

The return of my annual long December vacation helped push a healthy increase in movie watching for me, with my highest total since the lockdown in 2019.  I managed to watch 88 movies last year, my third consecutive year under 100, despite being home all day and not needing to bother with pesky things like a commute.  Or exercise.  The extended WGA and SAG strikes limiting new output probably didn’t help either.

Here’s a look back at the first 50 movies I watched last year and what recollection, if any, I have of them. The films are listed in the order I saw them.

Luckiest Girl Alive (2022)
Mila Kunis stars as a woman who sees her life start to unravel when she is faced with a years-old trauma.

Do Revenge (2022)
Two high school girls decide to trade off and get revenge on each other’s bully.

Orphan: First Kill (2022)
A long-delayed sequel to the 2009 horror film.

Margaux (2022)
A smart house sets its targets on a group of friends who have rented it for the weekend.

American Pie Presents: Girls’ Rules (2020)
The latest sequel to the comedy hit flips the script and has a trio of girls looking to lose their virginity before graduation.

Sick (2022)
Two friends quarantine at a lake house, but they quickly find out they are not alone.

The Menu (2022)
A chef prepares his final meal, taking out his frustrations on his diners on the way out.

Death on the Nile (2022)
Hercule Poirot takes on another case, based on the Agatha Christie novel.

Unhuman (2022)
A bus full of high school students try to survive after a crash leaves them vulnerable to an attacker.

Shotgun Wedding (2023)
A destination wedding goes off the rails when the wedding party is held hostage. Continue reading →

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Post Mortem – The Flash

Premiering on The CW on October 7, 2014, The Flash ran for nine seasons and, alongside its progenitor Arrow, built what would become known as the Arrowverse, which included at least six different DC-based programs and multiple crossovers, providing at least 36 seasons of programming for the network.  However, with new owners on board looking to make a quick buck, the end of The Flash looks to be the end of the Arrowverse as well.

At this point, I have not seen most of the abbreviated ninth and final season, which ended earlier this week.  Ever since the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, I’ve been catching up once the season hit Netflix, which I’m sure I will do here as well.  Whatever the actors move on to next, I’m sure I will be willing to give it a chance.  Which is more than I can say for what is coming next on The CW.

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The CW Upfronts

It’s another year of change at The CW, which was sold to Nexstar and is cutting programming costs in a bid for more profitability.  Monday starts off with All American, the only returning scripted show, followed by 61st Street., starring Courtney B. Vance and previously airing on AMC.  Tuesday is all “new” comedy night, with three imported Canadian series, Son of a Critch, Run the Burbs, and Children Ruin Everything, followed by Everyone Else Burns, a British comedy.

Canada provides more content for Wednesday night, with Sullivan’s Crossing, starring Chad Michael Murray, followed by The Spencer Sisters, starring Lea Thompson.  Thursdays goes all-reality, with two episodes of the Nikki Glaser-helmed FBoy Island, recently dumped by HBO Max.  Friday remains the same, with Penn & Teller: Fool Us followed by an hour of Whose Line Is It Anyway?  Saturday goes back-to-back with two episodes each of Masters of Illusion and World’s Funniest Animals.  The Sunday night offering is I Am, a collection of documentary features.

Waiting in the wings for midseason are the fourth season of Walker and FGirl Island, which, ok.  Whatever.

Lost to the sands of time are DC’s Stargirl, The Flash, Kung Fu, Nancy Drew, Riverdale, Walker Independence, and The Winchesters.  The fates of Superman & Lois and Gotham Knights are undecided at this point.

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Midseason Review – Wednesdays

We have reached the halfway point of our look back at my thoughts on the offerings for the new fall season.  Here’s what Wednesdays had on tap for the fall.

7:00

The Conners – Another go-around with this reboot, which has somehow made it to five seasons.

You know, it isn’t bad, but it’s not really good either?  I wonder who really watches this outside of Gen X folks reliving their childhood?

8:30

Home Economics – Topher Grace and company return for their third season.

The show wrapped up its third season last week and is still entertaining.

And now the new entries:

The Flash – The CW stalwart returns for its ninth and final season.

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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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The CW Upfronts

It’s a year of change at The CW, which has reduced the number of series it will air this upcoming season in anticipation of being sold.  Monday stays the same with the returning All American followed by its spinoff All American: Homecoming.  Tuesday is all new, with the Supernatural prequel The Winchesters leading off the night followed by Professionals, an international collaboration starring Tom Welling and Brendan Fraser.

Stargirl moves from summer to the fall to anchor Wednesday night, followed by Kung Fu.  Walker continues to lead-off on Thursdays followed by a new spinoff, Walker Independence.  Friday and Saturday remain reality-heavy, with Penn & Teller: Fool Us followed by an hour of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and then Magic With The Stars followed by a double dose of World’s Funniest Animals.  The Sunday night offerings are Family Law, starring Jewel Staite as a highly-paid personal injury lawyer, and Coroner.

Waiting in the wings for midseason are the final seasons of Riverdale and The Flash, along with Nancy Drew, Superman & Lois, and new shows Gotham Knights, where Bruce Wayne’s son is charged with murdering Batman, and Recipe For Disaster, a reality cooking show.

Lost to the sands of time are DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, 4400, Charmed, Dynasty, In The Dark, Naomi, Roswell, New Mexico, and Legacies.

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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 – Tuesdays

Continuing our look back at my thoughts on the new fall season, with the offerings that I found myself interested in for Tuesdays.

7:00

The Flash – The gang returns for their eighth season, and hopefully I work through the seventh beforehand.

Having just recently finished the seventh season, I haven’t quite jumped into these just yet.

8:00

La Brea – This feels like one of the many Lost copycats of year’s past that will pull you in just long enough to get invested and then will get cancelled.

I watched the first episode and, truth be told, it didn’t seem like something I wanted to get involved with unless I knew it was worth it.  I haven’t seen anything that leads me to believe it would be.

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

Black-ish – The eighth and final season finally gets underway.

Naomi – The latest DC superhero adaptation on the CW and the first one for a character created after I stopped reading comics.

Superman & Lois – Assuming I ever watch season one, I’m sure I’ll be onboard for season two.

 

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2021 New Fall Season – Tuesdays

old-tv-set1Continuing our look at the new fall season, here are the offerings that I may find myself interested in for Tuesdays.

7:00

The Flash – The gang returns for their eighth season, and hopefully I work through the seventh beforehand.

8:00

La Brea – This feels like one of the many Lost copycats of year’s past that will pull you in just long enough to get invested and then will get cancelled.