Well, in TV news, John Oliver inked a 3 year renewal for Last Week Tonight with HBO. The Traitors: UK is nearing a premiere date. Someone marvelous won Dancing With The Stars. The Critics Choice nominations were so interesting for the TV nominees this year. Ramon Rodriguez slid in for Will Trent over more obvious performers like Brian Cox for Succession. The actresses nominated for Fall Of the House Of usher would not have been my go to nominees. It’s very sad that Mark Hamill was snubbed for that series. Anyway, without further delay, the roundup!

1) The Witcher (Netflix)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Renewed

Siri is once again in need of rescue, and Garolt is once again obligated to do so. Big character death in Episode 8, well… as big as it can be and not be one of the leads.

Episode Grade: B

2) The Buccaneers (Apple Plus)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Unknown

The second episode felt a lot more like a modern take on a classic, with the young cast all taking front and center in a rowdy party (at least as rowdy as things got back then), and some character dynamics started to show, but not all of them with substantial explanation. I’m still not sure this is the strongest offering Apple has this year.

Episode Grade: B-

3) Doom Patrol (MAX)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Final Season

After being rescued by Cyborg, the Doom Patrol has to go to various points in time and try and retrieve a skin tag. Timothy Dalton reprises his role thanks to time travelling.

Episode Grade: A-

4) Pain Killer (Paramount Plus)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Limited

This one kinda grossed me out a bit. It was all about the main suspect being tied to this torso they found that was decomposing in an attic, and all the evidence they had, that was thrown out due to improper procedure. It’s actually terrifying that an individual can walk free after doing that, and it’s because the police didn’t do their jobs correctly. Not because he’s innocent, but because of something else. This episode also followed a reporter for most of it, and there’s a point where he’s driving around looking for the house where the body was found, hoping to find it. I was hoping it had mysteriously burned to the ground. Who would want to live there? “Oh, it’s a great house, except there used to be a decomposing torso in your attic.”

Episode Grade: B

5) Designing Women (Hulu)

English Audio Description?: No

This was unintentional, but I hadn’t watched an episode of this in a while, and you know it features Jean Smart….

Episode Grade: B-

6) Frasier (Paramount Plus)

English Audio description?: No

Status: Revived

And then jean Smart was the guest on the next show i watched. She popped up on Frasier. This is the original series, but still. WTF. How random. I had no idea she was in the next episode of this, as I’m much deeper into Frasier than I am designing Women. Very. Strange.

Episode Grade: B+

7) The Guilded Age (MAX)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Unknown

Hot Take. This show has too many characters, and not enough time to develop them. I’m struggling to choose who “the lead” is, but Christine Baranski is the scene stealer for sure. I probably should not have enjoyed the scene as much, but when two black characters are talking, and seemingly in the middle of an argument, one asks the other if they believe all they should aspire to is to learn how to milk a cow, and I thought that was such a sick burn for the period. Go get that education, sir. Everyone should aspire to be more than just a person who milks cows.

Episode Grade: B-