Just a friendly reminder that Amazon launched the second season of Reacher. Don’t worry, it got an early Season 3 renewal, as well as Star Alan Ritchson getting a deal for his production label. My little boy is all grown up. You might not know this, unless you are a super fan (or used to write for a blog centered around this show), but Ritchson is one of the more surprisingly successful alumni of American Idol. True story. He had a prominently featured audition in Season 2, where he sang directly to Paula, as the guys cleared out of his way, and even got down on one knee. Clearly, not a shy individual. He didn’t survive Hollywood week, but that has not stopped him, and now he’s Jack Reacher, and has a production label that has a contract with Amazon. So, who really won Season 2?

1) Sex Education (Netflix)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Final Season

I spend a lot of time talking about audio description, and trying to explain to those that will listen why we need it, and I feel like I just get the response that it isn’t important enough. Apathy. but this episode has its Hollywood scripted ending, when Issac is finally fed up with the broken elevator, and calls out his school’s administration for not having the proper accessibility he needs, and not making it a priority, while having other things that indicate they have the money to have a working elevator, they’d just rather spend it on fun things. In this version, he is joined in solidarity not just by fellow students, but other students with disabilities who also express how they have been ignored. It’s a well written moment, but in real life, Netflix would rather buy Ted Sarandos a yacht then provide more accessibility. but I bet they felt really good about hosting this episode. Kudos to the writers for at least putting this front and center. Also, Maeve and Otis reach a crossroads, Otis has a long talk with O, and Eric is still seeing shit.

Episode Grade: A+

2) Lessons In Chemistry (Apple Plus)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Limited

Elizabeth is finally ready to have her baby. The name she chooses for it is hilarious. But, this episode is mostly about her struggling as a mother, wanting to work, needing income, and finding out that the people she used to work with are stealing her work. Meanwhile, across the street, a family waits patiently for their husband/dad to return home from war. I’m impressed that this storyline didn’t immediately go with putting elizabeth with the Doctor who needs a rowing buddy, but at the same time, he seemed like he innately understood Elizabeth, and wasn’t threatened by her intelligence like everyone else. Maybe they aren’t done with him. I thought he might be a good fit, but props for not choosing the obvious.

Episode Grade: A

3) Found (Peacock)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Renewed

I’m shocked that last week wasn’t the season finale, and they didn’t end on that cliffhanger. Instead, they resolve it rather quickly and unceremoniously, while trying to save two missing people, and in flashbacks we learn about the day Gaby got taken.

Episode Grade: A-

4) Doom Patrol

English Audio Description Provided By Deluxe

Narrated By: William Michael Redman

Status: Final Season

The series finale of Doom Patrol. Everyone kinda goes their different ways, and onto their next adventures. It’s Cliff we end on though, and in a far more heartbreaking turn than I thought. Brendan Fraser’s work on this series is surprisingly complex, and these final moments of his show why the Oscar winner was the best person to play Cliff. Although, glimpsing into that crystal didn’t necessarily show him the most cheerful future, but I guess… he was content. I enjoyed this wacky show a lot, and unlike Titans (which I didn’t finish), part of me wishes that James Gunn had allowed them to stick around, but the other part of me totally respects this finale.

Episode Grade: A+

5) Star Trek:: Lower Decks (Paramount Plus)

English Audio Description?: Yes

The season finale, and the second of the two-parter. It’s amazing how a series this goofy managed to land a rather complicated plot in its final two episodes, almost like a real Trek series. Kudos. Also, I think I just figured out Ariel Winter is in the voice cast.

Episode Grade: B+

6) Smash (Roku)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Ended

The Dramaturg episode that sees Daniel Sunjata (who needs a show to call his own) join the cast to offer Bombshell some tips. Meanwhile, the other musical is slowly trying to get in a meeting with Derek, and Ivy lands a new role.

Episode Grade: B+

7) Adventure Time (MAX)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Ended

You know, as MAX continues to mine this franchise for new spinoffs, they should really go back and add audio description on the main series. While it’s not that hard to understand, because it’s made for kids, stylistically it’s goofy enough that audio description would complete the whole effect. Kids deserve audio description too. On another note: Paramount needs to do this with SpongeBob. It’s time.

Episode Grade: B-

8) The Masked Singer (Hulu)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Renewed

I’ve heard this airs live with AD, it just never makes it to Hulu. So I never know what these costumes look like. but let me say, I don’t know who Donuts is, but I think he easily has the best voice this season. Easily. If Donuts doesn’t win, we riot. Even the singer who lost to him in the Battle Royale had to give him props in her exit speech.

Episode Grade: B+

9) Bosch Legacy (FreeVee)

English Audio Description?: Ummm.

Status: Renewed?

So, last week when I watched an episode, I had a fellow blind TV lover tell me that this show had audio description because they watched it with it. Now, I am on the FreeVee app, which might be the game changer here. However, Amazon did bother to put the audio tracks for German and Spanish, so they CAN run alternate audio tracks. So I really don’t know what the problem is. Amazon went out of their way to cancel Bosch, which was on Amazon with subscription, and start a new series with almost all of the same cast but over on FreeVee. They made that choice. Why they would hold audio description for people who only watch it through the Amazon app is beyond me, as it is technically a FreeVee series, and they are hosting alternate audio. This is why the audio description journey is so pervasively frustrating, because such a simple things like this is made incredibly complicated and stupid for no reason. There is no reason for this.

Episode grade: Unwatchable, until Amazon treats audio description with respect. The truth is, while I do subscribe to Prime video, not everyone does, and for those who are doing the ad-supported FreeVee app, they should have audio description. Accessibility is not something you get to gate keep.

10) Cheers (Paramount Plus)

English Audio Description?: No

Status: Ended

Cliff has an encounter with a dog that makes him furious, until the dog’s owner turns out to be attractive, and responsive to Cliff. Men. Also, it’s totally OK for a long running classic sitcom to have audio description.

Episode Grade: B-

11) Julia (MAX)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Not Yet Renewed

So happy to be back with Sara Lancashire and the rest of the Julia cast. Here, Julia is about to leave France and go back to her show, which her network really needs her to do because they are airing awful programs about knitting.

Episode Grade: A-