I bet it just got a little more awkward for those of you rewatching That 70’s Show. Just a little bit?

10) Outlander (Starz)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Final Season

I’ve caught up with Season 7. Mistress Fraser is currently in jail for her supposed murder that I couldn’t tell had happened in Season 6, because there’s no audio description. There’s more context given here, and when the more likely murderer confesses, I understood more of it. But there were still lots of questions. Was she on a boat? Is that boat just not moving? Was that another time traveler, and what’s his deal? Who was that again at the end facing off against Jamie? This show is so hard to follow without audio description, and Starz has blown off communicating with me.

Episode Grade: Unwatchable

9) 911 (Hulu)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Moving To ABC

I need to start calling out more shows that aren’t working without audio description. In this episode of 911, there’s this big fire and rescue moment, and Hen ends up staying with her patient to keep them alive, and buck declares too soon that no one died. That is until he meets guest star Jack McGee (Rescue Me) who is losing a battle with mesothelioma. I can follow the scenes where it’s just two people talking, but 911 loves to have a big set piece sometimes that requires a lot more than I can pull as a blind viewer. It’s hard to get wrapped up in the action of sound effects, and ever since this show lost its audio description after Season 2, it’s been a battle. This was S3E16, I believe.

Episode Grade: Unwatchable

7) 8) All In The Family (FreeVee)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Ended

Aside from not imagining being married to Archie for 25 years, this episode seemingly had sight gags. Either that or the studio audience was easily pleased. They laughed several times at things that weren’t dialogue, which just confused me. I’m in season 4, and sitcoms are often about punchlines in audible jokes, which is why they rarely get unwatchable from me, but the couple of moments I felt like I missed a good sight gag didn’t make me feel great either.

Episode Grade: C+

7) X-Men (Disney Plus)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Ended

While I was able to follow this for many reasons, being an X-Men fan, and also having religiously watching this show as a kid (and even another time when it was on Hulu), I have to acknowledge that this series could use audio description for its action sequences. Yes, usually the heroes usually shout out a battle cry that helps, or a response when blasted by someone’s power, so it becomes somewhat manageable, but the experience still isn’t great. And for those who have never seen it, I’d imagine they’d be lost. This also picked up where the last one left off, so what happened to Pyro and Avalanche? Also, without AD, the other three horsemen are really poorly defined.

Episode Grade: B-

6) The Ren and Stimpy Show (Paramount Plus)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Ended

It made me so happy at the top. To hear Log right at the opening was such a solid nostalgia boost for my midlife crisis. Ren and Stimpy were essentially a gay couple that we couldn’t understand, but Stimpy literally throws everything away because he’s crying about how much he misses Ren. This show did have a very particular animation style, and a lot of that is lost without audio description. For example, when Gritty Kitty comes to the house, and Ren tries to pretend he’s a cat, he’s eating the litter in the box. So, while it certainly made me happy in many ways, I can’t deny that this show needs audio description.

Episode Grade: B-

5) This Fool (Hulu)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Not Yet Renewed

After spending two episodes in a bank robbery, the cousins go find the guy who ran the Hugs Not Thugs program to help them with their coffee shop. Aside from some biting commentary about the rich, this really didn’t match the previous episodes.

Episode Grade: B

4) Winning Time (MAX)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Not Yet Renewed

Magic is back, but coach does not seem happy. There’s talk of a trade, which causes a ton of drama. And, Magic may be back, but his magic isn’t. He’s not a starter.

Episode Grade: B+

3) Only Murders In The Building (Hulu)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Not Yet Renewed

Mabel hangs out with Jesse Williams’s character on what she thought was a stakeout, but is more of a date, but they still might have gotten vital information. Meanwhile, Charles is worried that he can’t break up with joy without her trying to kill him, so enter guest star Jane Lynch, who apparently is seeing Charles’s murderous ex. Does she have some solid advice? Finally, Martin Short and Meryl Streep make for the oddest odd couple. I’m kinda working on the opinion that asking Meryl Streep to be on the show and making her the killer almost feels too obvious, so it can’t be her, just like it hasn’t been Tina Fey, Nathan lane, or Cara Delevigne. It’s never seemingly the big named guest.

Episode Grade: B+

2) Swagger (Apple Plus)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Not Yet Renewed

They crammed a lot in the season finale, and while it works, it does have some pacing issues. First, we had to deal with a pregnancy scare, then the boys play their final game, and finally the longest goodbye to each individual player. Obviously, this show is about to drop the majority of its cast, which I always assumed would happen, but I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’m not even sure if Apple is renewing it. i don’t know anyone personally who watches Swagger. And, if we are being honest, the best scene wasn’t even about basketball. It was about having representation in books, when a teacher says she hand picks all the books.

Episode Grade: A-, Season 2 Grade: B+

1) Twisted Metal (Peacock)

“What kind of psychopath spells John without an H?” I think when John uttered that line, I knew which show had won the day. But it wasn’t just that line. It was the reappearance of Will Arnett’s delightfully batty killer clown, as well as the potential vengeance realized at the end of the episode. That, and points for a truly solid use of MMM Bop. That’s hard to pull off, but I’ve never loved hearing that song more. Twisted Metal is proving that with the right team, there’s no real reason a Grand Theft Auto TV series or movie couldn’t happen.

Episode Grade: A+