I’m writing the next day about what I watched on Christmas Eve, which means you are reading this on Christmas, so Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! And for those who don’t celebrate, today is weird because everything is closed… except movie theatres. I guess you gotta go see a movie today.

1) Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix)

English Audio Description Provided By International Digital Center

Written By liz Gutman

Narrated By Sri Gordon

Status: Unknown

This seems like a no-brainer for a second season, except for the lawsuits Netflix is having to deal with. They gave outlast a second season, and that show was steeped in controversy as well. While this admittedly misses the point, it’s like playing the Hunger Games for fun. I’d be offended if Squid Game was real, and make believe was our form of entertainment, but it isn’t, so it’s fun to see random people competing for a prize. I like how the show has no lead yet, since there are a ton of people left, and they still introduce us to people who are about to get the cut. It’s fun. Also, the audio description is interesting, because as we learn the names of some of them, it will stick with the name, while others are still numbers. Names help for the long term. Without facial recognition, you can’t expect me to remember who all these different numbers are.

Episode Grade: A-

2) Far Away Downs (Hulu)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Limited

I will be going back after this and watching Australia, to see which is better. I’ve actually never seen it, and I figured taking the backwards approach this time might be fun. This isn’t really new product, it’s the equivalent of the Snyder Cut of Australia.Definitely some white savior stuff going on. Must acknowledge that.

Episode Grade: B+

3) Bookie (MAX)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Unknown

The only thing I knew about this was Charlie Sheen. The internet talked about him so much, I thought he was starring. He’s not. he just appears in the first episode as himself. However, the show is entertaining, and the banter between the leads is interesting. I like it. Other familiar faces pop up in the pilot as well.

Episode Grade: A-

4) Reacher (Amazon)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Renewed

I know this has no shot of ever being Emmy nominated, but I have hopes. It’s easily one of my favorite shows currently airing on TV, and with all the shows that ended this season, Reacher is a bright spot I hope keeps going for a while. The second season premise with people targeting Reacher’s Special Investigation team is a nice start. I am excited for the future. For those who worry about “does the dog die?”, the Season Premiere might rub you the wrong way, as they do find a dead dog.

Episode Grade: A

5) What If (Disney Plus)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Renewed?

What If is such a great concept, as it is like a contained anthology series for Marvel. They can play around with concepts. Like the zombie episode was so well received, it is getting its own show. i was hoping a Nova Corps centric episode would introduce Nova, but Nebula was the star, with a host of secondary character appearances that lifted me up so much. Korg is a Top 5 character for me. I just love what Taika has done with him, so any time I get to bask in all that is Korg, I’m happy, but Howard The Duck also pops up! It’s mostly a “What If” for Nebula.

Episode Grade: A

6) South Park: Not Suitable For Children (Paramount Plus)

English Audio Description?: Yes

Status: Special Episode

It’s not like I want to see naked South Park characters, but in this special not quite hour long episode, lots of nudity is in the audio description. This is one of those times I wish I could see again, just to see… like… are they really showing all this stuff? Is it obscured? How are they doing this? Like, are Randy’s nuts really resting on the kitchen counter? The other plot, with kids being hyped up about Clout and Sports Drinks really had me out of touch. I think kids just chase clout in any form, based on what people say is cool, because I’m totally unaware of there being a mad rush for sports drinks. If there is, I’m officially too old, and I need to go to my cave now.

Episode Grade: A

I had a great day of TV. I have no idea how much I’ll be watching, or what on Christmas, but it’s not a normal day, so my list could be all over the place. Plus, I plan to squeeze in some movies.