Not a huge list of titles, but I did spend a bulk of the day at a theatre watching Oppenheimer (review coming soon). It has only fueled me even more to talk about audio description, so lets go!

9) Desperate Housewives (Hulu)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Ended

I feel like this is probably a much better show, but it is quite tough to navigate without audio description. Making an investment in a series with over 100 episodes would be nice for Hulu, and would make what is somewhat a classic TV show available to all. It’s hard for me to have a solid opinion, as the in show narrator often doesn’t say anything relevant to what’s happening, but it feels a lot more dishy.

Episode Grade: C+

8) Futurama (Hulu)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Revival now airing

It would be nice to have audio description on the original series. This was another episode that put Bender front and center, but this show isn’t always funny through dialogue, or situations, but often leaves you wondering what sight gag you missed. Still stuck in Season 2.

Episode Grade: C+

7) Designing Women (Hulu)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Ended

I keep thinking how could a sitcom like this warrant audio description? The easy answer is it ran a long time, and that audio description should be easy to earn. But within the context of the show, there’s always some new guy seemingly popping up (like on golden Girls), and we not only don’t know what the core cast looks like (if you never saw the show), but the guest actors. As a show, i feel like there’s a lot of tokenism with their lone black male character. Like he shows up for a good laugh, but doesn’t get any decent subplots.

Episode Grade: C+

6) Dinosaurs (Disney Plus)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Ended

I’d love for kids these days to experience dinosaurs, as there really isn’t another prime time sitcom like it… ever. Not that other shows haven’t used uppers as characters, but with a rare exception, there are no humans. Every character is a puppet. There’s something about that fact that just makes me want kids these days to experience what that is. Unlike the three previous shows already listed, this has a much shorter run, and is aimed at kids and families already, so the plots are typically simple. This week the baby was thought to be from the wrong family, so they had to swap babies.

Episode Grade: B-

5) hoff The Récord (BritBox)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Ended

This show is pretty funny thanks to David Hasselhoff’s willingness to look like an idiot. But, after an email exchange with BritBox, they are one of the services that has no plan for audio description. They unapologetically are inaccessible, just very polite about it. We need to change that. Britbox, I will compell you to add audio description. Feel free to write to Britbox and ask for audio description: support@britbox.com

Episode Grade: B

4) Nora From Queens (MAX)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Final season?

In what I can only assume is the series finale, Nora talks to Aquafina, and after being offered different versions of her life, chooses the one she has. It was very self aware, and it totally felt like a series finale. Sadly, this show doesn’t have audio description, and there are references to things I can’t see, but are the focus of a joke.

Episode Grade: B+, Series Grade: B+

3) The Witcher (Netflix)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Renewed

Still making my way back through Season 1. Our Witcher tries to compell Siri’s grandmother to let him take her, but she knows better, and refuses, even locking Garolt up. But, when the battle comes to her kingdom, guess who needs a Witcher now?

Episode Grade: A-

2) I Am A Virgo (Amazon)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Not Yet Renewed

I’m not a prude, but the sex in Episode 4 detracted from the message of the episode. What Felix and jones were going through was way more important and somber, and then we cut to a ton of sex happening in Bing Bang Burger. Easily half the episode was sex. I enjoyed the messaging coming out of Episode 3, but it was two very clashing points of view in the same episode. I’m sure boots Riley felt there was an intended effect, but I just wanted to know what jones had up her sleeve. props to Elias. I don’t usually compliment him, as he’s not one of my favorite narrators, but writing the audio description for two super powered individuals having that much sex, and then delivering it in a way that was non intrusive worked. Sometimes, his lack of seeming interest in what he’s talking about hurts a project, but here, it would be weird if someone was really getting into it, and then cutting back to Felix sobbing. This time, his disconnected narration worked.

Episode Grade: A-

1) Platonic (Apple Plus)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Not Yet Renewed

Sylvia doesn’t tell Charlie she was fired right away, but his reaction kinda sucked. Then Charlie seems to think Sylvia is having an affair so he goes down a rabbit hole. However, the meeting, and the silly fight, that was good stuff. It was nice to see Will stand up against the creeper, and his friends didn’t begrudge him too much, so I felt like the messaging here landed.Can’t wait to hear what Charlie thinks he has a right to say in the next episode.

Episode Grade: A