Let me tell you, that insistently fighting with streaming services for audio description feels very much like shouting at the wind, but i do intend on continuing to do it. Because, one day, the wind might just answer back. For those interested, I’m still in an over two month negotiation (it certainly feels like at this point) with Paramount Plus. Also, I reached out to Roku over their lack of audio description for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, and was told it was not available at launch, but *should be* available at a *later date*, so, basically the most non answer that ever was. Here’s the list of seven programs that I did watch, and how they stacked up.

7) 7) Tell Me lies (Hulu)

English Audio Description?: Yes

I do feel like I’ve seen this subject matter breached before, with college students, young freshman girls, frat boys, and the questions of consent. i feel like I know where this show is going, but there is always a possibility that we could be headed in a Promising Young Woman direction. As a pilot, it’s a mixed bag, which is why this is so low. It did a decent job of introducing what would seem to be the major players, but it also didn’t get its claws in by revealing the deep rooted element that would make you feel like you just had to binge this thing in one day. There’s a time jump it plays with, but only to suggest there’s more to the story. It could really take off running, but with so many shows going on, in this day and age, your pilot has to be fire. I’m sorry, it just does. Slow burns don’t work in this landscape of oversaturation.

Final Grade: B-

6) The Last Light (Peacock)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Almost the exact same vein as the last show. A rather boring pilot, that takes the last five minutes to come out of its shell. Then, it wants you to come back because even though the show was dull for 40 minutes, it ended on a few cliffhangers that we MUST want to know the answer, right? Not necessarily true. Unlike the first show, I was attracted to the Last Light because Matthew Fox hasn’t been in anything in a while. But the majority of this plot wants to feel mysterious, and it’s not until critical final moments that it gives you hope this series could be something more. Again, pilots nowadays have to be fire, and this was just a hot stovetop.

Final Grade: B-

5) Mike (hulu)

English Audio Description?: Yes

I still find this show problematic, as it seems to be wanting to charm us with the dirty deeds of mike Tyson. The breaking away into his fourth wall stand up routine to make him likable, as well as efforts to explain why he was the way he was, and paint other characters in his life as being parasites of various breeds, all seem like a distraction from some of the major things Mike has done. This will be a series I won’t know what to think until it’s over, but I approach every episode with trepidation, and this one centered around his relationship with Robin Givens was exactly that.

Final Grade: B

4) 4) Acapulco (Apple Plus)

English Audio Description?: Yes

I actually passed on the first season last year, so I’m catching up on this Eugenio Derbez show from Season 1. Right now, it feels like one of the increasingly large amount of shows we have taking place at a resort of some kind.Eugenio will be the reason to watch, as his character navigates this resort he has always wanted to work for. There are some good gags here and there, but Apple has produced more laugh-by-minute shows right now, as well as better darker comedies. Where will this fit in? I’ll keep watching for now.

Episode Grade: B

3) So Help Me Todd (CBS/Paramount Plus)

English Audio Description?: Yes

This weeks episode was a bit of a mess, only because Todd seemed to be extra goofy this episode, and felt much more Ace Ventura. The show also had moments that too perfectly laid out. Todd found that envelope almost without problem. I’ve been liking this show, but this week signaled to me that they are aiming way more and more comedically as the show moves forward, and I think that might be a mistake.

Episode Grade: B+

2) The Problem With jon Stewart (Apple Plus)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Jon Stewart talks in great detail about our failure to make good on the promise to pull our translators out of Afghanistan. It’s an important episode, as we seem to be able to focus our efforts on Ukraine, but we still haven’t fixed our broken promise to our allies.

Episode Grade: A-

1) Atlanta (FX/Hulu)

English Audio Description?: Yes

look, I’ve never watched a single episode of this show with AD before. And, some of it I did watch after the fact. example being, the first season existed when i could see. but, I stopped watching after that. i had to come back to the series, where I watched Season 2 late, without audio description. When Season 3 dropped at the beginning of the year, it ran without AD. Now, I’ve heard my first episode in this series without audio description, and I had to put this on top as a reward for finally doing the right thing. It made a world of difference. Suddenly, jokes made sense. The whole running gag with the air fryer was perfection. The angry lady in her wheelchair getting attacked with a fire extinguisher was hilarious. Lakeith Stanfield stole this episode. Great work.

Final Grade: A