Surprisingly very little television shows were had. You know, i do other things, right? Here’s a quick rundown of what I thought was the tops. I think that’s an old timey phrase.

1) The Offer (Paramount Plus)

English Audio Description Available?: Yes

I finally started this limited series about the creation of The Godfather film, and I’m a sucker for movies about movies. That’s probably why I was so surprised when Mank didn’t work for me, because this is a pretty solid sub-genre to throw at me. There is a rather excellent Robert Evans impersonation in here, but really most of the cast is great. I think there’s an added level of excitement when you start a series like this that it will continue to be at least as good as the pilot, so my unbridled optimism put this at the top. Also, the audio description for this is incredibly and somewhat interestingly upbeat. It ends up reinforcing a tone for the show that this is a lighter show, and not something really dark. This narrator would be inappropriate for something like Ozark or Euphoria for example.

Episode Grade: A

2) The Walking dead (AMC)

English Audio Description Available?: No

probably one of the most hurtful things has been knowing that the show I loved probably more so than any other show on television, which is in more need of audio description than any show on TV, yet proclaims to be inclusive by including deaf and partially deaf actors and characters into the cast, is inaccessible to me. This episode dropped two months ago, and i literally wait until a friend of mine has the time, and is ready to knock the next episode off. I go ahead and read a recap in advance, to make watching the episode easier, but i shouldn’t have to go to extraordinary measures to stick with the shows I was watching before I lost my vision. I can’t think of how many people this has probably happened to with a myriad of other shows. But for The Walking Dead, it’s unwatchable without audio description, or a human watching with you. Only 8 episodes left until the series is over though.

Final Grade: A

3) The Big Con (Apple Plus)

English Audio Description Available?: Yes

This documentary from the people who brought us McMillions explores the crazy story of a lawyer in Kentucky who scammed thousands from exploiting disability claims for social security. Being someone who now falls into that category, I wanted to see how this turd took advantage and hopefully was eventually eaten by a bear. At least, that’s how I think the series ends.

Episode Grade: A

4) Bosch Legacy (FreeVee)

English Audio Description Available?: No

Amazon created a free streaming service so they can provide even less audio description. They took a show that ran originally on amazon, cancelled it, fired most of the cast, kept three original actors, and then moved them to a spinoff on their free service so it no longer has audio description. once again, frustrating to follow a character for 7 seasons, then to just be dropped like that. Luckily it’s still easy to follow. In the third episode, I think I already predicted where Bosch’s case is going to go, and I think I figured it out when he did. I would consider giving this a higher grade, but they had this guy who they spent a few minutes showing how smart he was only to have him ask what “KIA” stood for. If you can’t put two and two together that the person you are looking for went to Vietnam and is listed as KIA, quit your job, and go live in a cabin in the woods. you’re no longer of use. I know that the producers thought they were doing us a service for anyone else who couldn’t figure that one out, but what else would the K stand for? People usually throw “MIA” into everyday speech, knowing it means Missing In Action, so what possibly could that K stand for? Kissed In Action?

Episode Grade: A-

5) Pachinko (Apple Plus)

English Audio Description Available?: Yes, With Dubbing

See, Netflix, it’s not that hard to make a foreign language series and debut it with English Audio Description instead of waiting to see if it becomes a hit. Apple just dropped this Korean/Japanese drama with English Audio Description and dubbing, so we can understand the whole thing. Granted, not all voice actors are great when it comes to voicing the dialogue, which is putting this show at the bottom. Not that every one is bad, but we’ve got some people struggling, not just with the tone, but also the translation of the words. When translated literally, a lot of the sentences are not structured the way an English language writer would have written that sentence, which makes it even harder to read. However, there’s nothing like this show on TV or Streaming, that I’m aware of, so this generational drama ended up being a nice surprise overall.

Episode Grade: B+