How did i close out the New year? With some movies, shows, and fun. 7 Shows, 4 movies. Truly, a new years spectacle.

7) Welcome To Chippendale’s (Hulu)

English Audio Description? Yes

It’s not that this show was bad, it just of all the shows, seemed to grab my attention the least. I can appreciate Kumail Nanjiani going dramatic here, but I think more levity in this show could do it some good. Hopefully, we swing a bit more in the middle for future episodes. To be fair, a lot of these recent limited series based on real life stories didn’t grab me out of the gate, but won me over by the end. So, this could easily top the list later on.

Episode Grade: B-

6) 1899 (Netflix)

English Audio Description?: Yes

This is a weird show to watch. There are characters here that speak English naturally, but it takes a bit of work to know who is being dubbed. Plus, I thought there was a really expansive ensemble, and it was a lot of getting to know people, wihtout knowing who matters most. The ending to the pilot was super interesting, and maybe a little bit twisty, so I’m certainly hanging around. I don’t know if this will ever be on top, as the audio description dubbing makes things confusing. What I would have done was cast actors speaking English, but with obvious accents representing where they are from. Kind of like how Squid Game obviously made a conscious decision to use English speaking Asian actors, to play the Korean characters. Here, everyone sounds too close to the same.

Episode Grade: B

5) Bumper In Berlin (Peacock)

English Audio Description?: Yes

I thought this would be more of an instant home run, but while I think there is some fun to be had here, an entire show about Bumper is like watching a whole show about Mater from Cars. You do reach a limit.

Episode Grade: B+

4) Leopard Skin (Peacock)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Of the four new shows I started, the one I knew the least about impressed me the most. Two women have their lives upended when some dangerous people invade their home, but it doesn’t go exactly the way you’d expect this plot to go, and I think that’s what keeps it interesting. it didn’t take the same old way every other show would go.

Episode Grade: A-

3) Dead To me (Netflix)

English Audio Description?: Yes

We just kept moving forward, as Judy bottles up her feelings and presses onward after the difficult news she received last episode. Where is this series going?

Episode Grade: A-

2) Grace and Frankie (Netflix)E

English Audio Description?: Yes

Grace got real about her panic attacks every time Frankie keeps talking about her potential death, while Coyote works to get divorced, and Brianna comes up with the idea for post-It’s, Siri, and DoorDash.

Episode Grade: A-

1) The Peripheral (Amazon)

English Audio Description?: Yes

I think this episode was hovering for me, but the idea that more than just Flynn could be traveling soon, if they get more Peripherals, got me interested. I’d love to see the boys go in with her. Squad goals.

Episode Grade: A