Tag / Homeland

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Post Mortem – Homeland

In August of 2019, Showtime announced that, after 8 seasons, Homeland would be coming to an end.  Starring Claire Danes as a CIA operative, the show jumped back and forth between the US and the middle east, as Danes’ Carrie Mathison worked to make the world more secure for the United States.  After struggling to find its way after a successful first season, which led to keeping the engaging Damian Lewis’ Nicholas Brody for far too long, the show found its footing by turning its focus back overseas.

 

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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.

7:00

Batwoman – The Arrowverse expands once again, with this entry coming out of last year’s crossover event.  Ruby Rose puts on the cowl to protect the streets of Gotham.

Outside of the Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover episode, I haven’t actually gotten around to watching this yet, though the episodes are piling up on the DVR.

7:30

God Friended Me – The latest “do-gooder has a direct line from God” returns for a second season after being surprisingly entertaining.

I’m still enjoying this, but I am a little concerned that they’ve already leaned hard into the “keep the obvious couple apart for dubious reasons” trope.

8:00

Supergirl – The fifth season sees the return of Jeremy Jordan and the exit of Mehcad Brooks.

We’ll see how the outcome of the Crisis crossover impacts the show moving forward, as it looks to have a completely new status quo.

9:00

Silicon Valley – The Pied Piper gang returns for their final season.

The show got an honorable wrap up, with the crew finally succeeding, but forced to kill their own creation for the good of the world.

Shameless – Season 10, the first without Emmy Rossum, may be a bit of a stretch.  But, I guess if I’ve watched this long, why stop now?

I am slowly working through the season, which is turning out to be a bit of a slog without Emmy Rossum.  It’s been renewed for an eleventh, and final, season, so I may as well keep going with the finish line in sight.

New entries hitting the screen this winter include:

Doctor Who – Jodie Whitaker returns for her second go-around as the Doctor.

Homeland – The Showtime drama returns for its final season.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – Jane Levy returns as a coder who starts to hear people’s inner musical dialogue.

The Outsider – Based on a Stephen King book, the new HBO drama stars Jason Bateman.

Avenue 5 – A sci-fi comedy from the creators of Veep.

by admin

Midseason Review – Sundays

old-tv-set1With 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.

8:00

Shameless – Season 8 of the show is on tap to return in November.

The Gallagher clan is close to wrapping up their latest season, which has been interesting, as always.

The Walking Dead – I kind of lost interest in season 7, following the (in my opinion) bungling of the introduction of Negan in the previous season finale.  I have 14 episodes sitting on the DVR, so it may soon be time for a decision on whether to continue with the show or not.

While I continued recording the show, I have yet to jump back in and watch any.  I may be about ready to jump ship and delete them.

So that’s where we stand with the shows I planned to watch in the fall. Let’s take a look at new shows starting this spring:

Homeland – The show returns in February for its 7th (and final?) season, with Carrie goes up against a president who she feels is abusing the power of the office.

Counterpart – STARZ enters the fray with a sci-fi espionage drama starring J.K. Simmons.

Crashing – Pete Holmes returns to HBO for his second season.

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2017 Emmy Awards – Drama

Emmy_statueTonight’s the night for the Emmy Awards, so it’s time to finish off my predictions for the awards.  Today, we’re focusing on the awards for Dramas.  I most likely have seen most of these shows, so, unlike my annual Oscar predictions, I will not mostly be going on gut feel and word of mouth, but will have a somewhat informed decision.

Outstanding Drama

Better Call Saul

The Crown

The Handmaid’s Tale

 

House of Cards

Stranger Things

This Is Us

Westworld

I watched two of these, but I don’t expect either of them to win.  With Westworld being HBO’s only entry, my guess is it will take home the prize.

Outstanding Actress In A Drama

Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder

Claire Foy, The Crown

Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale

Keri Russell, The Americans

Evan Rachel Wood, Westworld

Robin Wright, House of Cards

If it were up to me, I’d give the award to either Keri Russell, but I assume that Viola Davis will take home the prize.

Outstanding Actor In A Drama

Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us

Anthony Hopkins, Westworld

Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul

Matthew Rhys, The Americans

Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan

Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us

Some new blood in this category.  I’m assuming that Brown and Ventimiglia will split the vote and leave Sir Hopkins to claim victory.

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Midseason Review – Sundays

old-tv-set1With 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.

7:00

Once Upon A Time – The fairy tale show is back for season 6, with a refocusing on life in Storybrooke.  With little else in competition, I see no reason not to continue turning in.

Nothing really to say about the show.  I’m still watching, but not really enthused.

8:00

Shameless – Season 7 of the show finds Fiona running the diner and on her own as the fallout from last season’s finale.

The season wrapped up in December with things starting to look up for most members of the Gallagher clan.  Which can only mean that season 8 will tear them all down again.

The Walking Dead – After a disappointing season finale where producers failed to deliver on the long-promised plot point of who would be killed by the new character Negan, the show has some work to do to regain the trust of the audience.

To be honest, the big reveal of who Negan killed at the end of last season was so anti-climatic, that I kind of loss interest in the whole thing.  I have 6 episodes sitting on the DVR waiting to be watched.  I can’t say right now if I ever will.

9:00

Quantico – After a strong first season that started to fizzle towards the end, the show gets rebooted somewhat with the CIA replacing the FBI and a promised reduction in the soapy elements that plagued season 1.

I must admit, a bit of the magic from season 1 has been lost.  I let a number of episodes pile up and, when I did binge through them, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy them.  But watching week to week leaves a little to be desired.  The show is moving to Mondays starting tomorrow.

Elementary – Sherlock and Watson return for their 5th season of crime solving alongside the NYPD.

Nothing too exceptional here.  The show is enjoyable, but not extraordinary. Continue reading →

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2016 Emmy Awards – Drama

Emmy_statueTonight’s the night for the Emmy Awards, so it’s time to finish off my predictions for the awards.  Today, we’re focusing on the awards for Dramas.  I most likely have seen most of these shows, so, unlike my annual Oscar predictions, I will not mostly be going on gut feel and word of mouth, but will have a somewhat informed decision.

Outstanding Drama

The Americans

Better Call Saul

Downton Abbey

Game of Thrones

Homeland

House of Cards

Mr. Robot

As much as I would like to see The Americans take home the trophy, I’m assuming that the love affair with Game of Thrones will continue.

Outstanding Actress In A Drama

Claire Danes, Homeland

Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder

Taraji P. Henson, Empire

Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black

Keri Russell, The Americans

Robin Wright, House of Cards

If it were up to me, I’d give the award to either Keri Russell or Tatiana Maslany, but I assume that Viola Davis will take home the prize.

Outstanding Actor In A Drama

Kyle Chandler, Bloodline

Rami Malek, Mr. Robot

Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul

Matthew Rhys, The Americans

Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan

Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Some new blood in this category.  I’m going with the long shot and picking Matthew Rhys.

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by admin

Midseason Review – Sundays

old-tv-set1With 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.

7:00

Once Upon A Time – The fairy tale show is back for season 5, after an uptick in quality during the past season.  With little else in competition, I see no reason not to continue turning in.

I must say, I wasn’t hugely enamored with the first half of the season, thanks to the “Emma is the Dark One” storyline.  With that wrapped up, hopefully the back half is more to my liking.

7:30

Brooklyn Nine-Nine – FOX’s comedy hit returns for its 3rd season amid little like-minded competition.

Still funny, but now airing on Tuesdays in a revamped comedy block from FOX.

8:00

The Good Wife – After a so-so season that saw Alicia running for states attorney and mostly separated from the rest of the cast, the 7th season finds Julianna Marguiles surrounding herself with a whole new crew.

The signs of aging are starting to show, but it is still one of the more enjoyable hours of my week.  With the Peter running for President storyline having wrapped up, the show faces a fresh path forward, though rumors do persist that this will be the last season.

The Leftovers – After burning through the original source material in season 1, Damon Lindelof and crew have a whole new location for season 2, as the survivors move on to a town where nobody departed.

Season 2, which can only be described as brilliantly absurd, ended in December.  The show was renewed for a brief 3rd season to wrap things up.

Homeland – The fifth season starts with Carrie Mathison having left the CIA behind, but I’m sure she will be pulled back in to the fold relatively quickly.  Last season proved the show could continue without Damian Lewis on board as Brody, but I think they’ll want Claire Danes back in the middle of things sooner rather than later.

It was a bit of a down season for Homeland, which wrapped up last month.  Hopefully, it can find its footing moving forward.

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2015 New Fall Season – Sundays

old-tv-set1We finish up our yearly look at the new fall lineups with the Sunday night offerings, which features some returning favorites, but nothing new to watch, except on cable.

7:00

Once Upon A Time – The fairy tale show is back for season 5, after an uptick in quality during the past season.  With little else in competition, I see no reason not to continue turning in.

7:30

Brooklyn Nine-Nine – FOX’s comedy hit returns for its 3rd season amid little like-minded competition.

8:00

The Good Wife – After a so-so season that saw Alicia running for states attorney and mostly separated from the rest of the cast, the 7th season finds Julianna Marguiles surrounding herself with a whole new crew.

The Leftovers – After burning through the original source material in season 1, Damon Lindelof and crew have a whole new location for season 2, as the survivors move on to a town where nobody departed.

Homeland – The fifth season starts with Carrie Mathison having left the CIA behind, but I’m sure she will be pulled back in to the fold relatively quickly.  Last season proved the show could continue without Damian Lewis on board as Brody, but I think they’ll want Claire Danes back in the middle of things sooner rather than later. Continue reading →

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2015 Emmy Awards – Drama

Emmy_statueTonight’s the night for the Emmy Awards, so it’s time to finish off my predictions for the awards.  Today, we’re focusing on the awards for Dramas.  I most likely have seen most of these shows, so, unlike my annual Oscar predictions, I will not mostly be going on gut feel and word of mouth, but will have a somewhat informed decision.

Outstanding Drama

Better Call Saul

Downton Abbey

Game of Thrones

Homeland

House of Cards

Mad Men

Orange Is The New Black

Now that Breaking Bad has moved on, I’m assuming that Game of Thrones will take its place.

Outstanding Actress In A Drama

Taraji P. Henson, Empire

Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black

Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder

Claire Danes, Homeland

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Robin Wright, House of Cards

I was pleasantly surprised to see Tatiana Maslany finally recognized for her excellent work in Orphan Black, but I assume that Taraji P. Henson will take home the prize.

Outstanding Actor In A Drama

Kyle Chandler, Bloodline

Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom

Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan

Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul

Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

With the final season of Mad Men in the books, I assume that Jon Hamm will take home the trophy for his overall work on the series.

Continue reading →

by admin

Midseason Review – Sundays

old-tv-set1With 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.

7:00

Once Upon A Time – The fairy tale show is back for season 4, after an uptick in quality during the past season.  With little else in competition, I see no reason not to continue turning in.

The first half of the season was a shameless attempt at cashing in on the Frozen phenomenon.  We shall see what the producers have up their sleeve for the spring.

7:30

Brooklyn Nine-Nine – FOX has moved its breakout comedy hit from Tuesday nights, where it was ill-matched with New Girl and The Mindy Project.  Now it will compete along side more like minded, if animated, comedies.

The show still has a tendency to treat Andy Samberg’s character as too much of a simpleton to be taken seriously as a successful detective, but, beyond that, it is still bringing the funny.

8:00

Resurrection – ABC’s tale of what happens when the dead start to return, as though nothing had happened, became the surprise hit of the spring.  The mystery of why seems to be a big part of the show, so I imagine they will need to tackle that sooner rather than later, and I can’t imagine how they can come up with something reasonable.

The show is burning through its cast of characters, and hasn’t really addressed much of the mythology behind the how and why the dead have returned.  I still think they will need to do so soon.

The Good Wife – More like the Great Wife, if you catch my drift.  Rarely do you see a show hit a creative high point in season 5, but that is exactly what The Good Wife did last season.  The status quo was upset once again in the season finale, so it will be interesting to see things play out once again.

Interesting point about the show: Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi have not shared a scene together since episode 14 of season 4, which aired on February 17, 2013.

The Newsroom – HBO’s and Aaron Sorkin’s take on 24 hour cable news returns for a third and final season, dealing with the fallout of last season’s faked story storyline.

The show, and possibly Aaron Sorkin’s television career, wrapped up in December after a final season dealing with a fake Edward Snowden and the real Edward Snowden.

Homeland – The fourth season gives the show a fresh start, with Brody finally dead.  Time will tell if they are able to pull out of the talespin that overextending the Brody story put them in to.

When dealing with CIA spy stuff in Islamabad, the show was as good as its ever been.  When dealing with Carrie’s personal life, opinions diverged.

Continue reading →