After I made that post about me being concerned about the CBS lineup already, they went and started looking at a new likely series order for a reboot of the series Cold Case. Kind of poetic to look at reviving Cold Case, since that’s kind of what Cold Case is about. Looking at things no one is actively looking at. Maybe something will move to Paramount Plus?

I checked out the new Good Times (Netflix), which is nothing like the original show, because humor is totally different. And now, every show has a talking baby. So, this has to have one. Lots of breast jokes, but from the baby’s perspective of wanting milk. The humor is on par with edgy adult animated sitcoms already in existence. In some ways, it is better to not try and recapture the magic at all, but then why name it Good Times? For brand recognition? The audio description here is more like what all audio description should be. However, I feel like that because the characters are almost entirely black, that somehow allowed the audio description team to actually include race in the character descriptions. A show with a predominant white cast wouldn’t have thought twice about making this kind of audio description, which is what is more problematic. Overall, I thought the audio description was strong. Perhaps my only question would be the style of the animation, because each series has a different look, and there’s not much here for me to understand the animation itself, but I followed the show fine. Middle/Top tier.

One Day (Netflix) got more emotional as I assume I’m closing in on the final few episodes. I’m slightly baffled that I’m still watching. There was some fighting, someone read a journal/diary they weren’t supposed to read. This show is pretty well described. Middle/Top tier.

Not Dead Yet (Hulu) also had one of its better episodes, in the same week I’ve already mentioned that Will Trent did OK, and Abbott Elementary seemed to be making slight improvements. This episode had a lot more physicality in it, in terms of having a company baseball game. Sight gags got described too, including the incontinent cockatoo. I do actually enjoy this narrator, and hope she can get in with a better company. I’m still not sold on Vi-Tech, but we are a few episodes into the season, and I’m starting to notice what seems like a more concerted effort to improve the tracks. I’ll say this episode was Middle tier. If you want a specific as to what else could be improved on, there was what felt like a running gag that two characters were on some kind of kiss cam during the game, but the description around this never really matched what was suggested on screen, so I couldn’t ever be sure of what was actually happening. Still, you can improve.

We Were The Lucky Ones (Hulu) finally starts to answer the question of ‘why this show?” In the third episode, when the experiences start to feel more unique. Now, it feels like the show that is reminding you that not everyone went to a concentration camp. We see characters toiling in a Russian work camp, and how evil the men running those camps really were. Meanwhile, Joey King’s Helena is working for a doctor, which is supposed to help “the movement”. And, we see Logan Lerman on a boat, but that boat doesn’t really go where it is supposed to. The audio description here is still perhaps a bit too happy for the subject matter, but the written material is good. Episode 3 definitely kicked into gear for me. Middle tier.

American Rust (FreeVee/Amazon) is a show I didn’t grade last week. I was trying to figure out too much stuff. I saw this originally on showtime where the first season had no AD, so I was a little confused now that the second did, and it has been a long time since season 1. I didn’t want to grade based on sheer excitement for the existence of audio description on a show that previously did not have it. Descriptive Video Works has done some really nice work here. Honestly, I think an audience can follow the second season without knowing about the first, since they really start into a new plot that doesn’t rely heavily on the crime from the first season. Jeff Heck has written a really tight audio description script, and Matthew Dick is a solid dramatic narrator. This is the kind of voice that should be on we Were The lucky Ones. It’s not overly dark like you might get from Ron Snow or William Michael Redmond, but it is serious and matches a serious show. Tonality is so important, which is something that other AD companies are missing the boat on. I love some narrators, but putting them on certain projects is weird. If they contrast too much, it can be a problem. Matthew Dick is someone I’m less familiar with, but he could easily be used for more TV dramas, and probably should be especially over the narrator on We Were The Lucky Ones, and also the next show I’m about to mention. So, after not grading this last week, I’m pretty sure this is Top Tier audio description, and not just because the show suddenly has it.

Apples Never Fall (Peacock) might be the worst show of 2024. Not in terms of AD, but the writing and acting from these characters is not good. Even the actors I like and respect are not really doing good work. I’m five episodes in now, and I really cringe at some of these lines, and the acting. I am curious as to what the hell happened to Bening’s character, and I’m already this invested, so I’ll see if this show can redeem itself at all, but this is hot garbage. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. This narrrator is way too happy about a murder mystery style show. Casting in audio description is so important. This is not a bad narrator. She’d be fine on a dozen other projects. But not this. Middle/Bottom tier.

The Rookie (Hulu) introduced a breakup I’m fairly sure won’t stick for very long,but I’m glad it wrapped up a little storyline. I knew that the previous episode was going to set up the baby conversation between Nolan and Bailey, and they will have a kid of some kind. I can feel it. Nolan is going to lose this battle. The odd thing about all these ABC shows is that of all the ones I’m watching, it’s like The Rookie didn’t change at all. Everything else did, but I swear this is the same level. Middle/Top tier.

Manhunt (Apple Plus) is also kind of a dumb show. It’s a crowded year, but Tobias Menzies wouldn’t be a bad Emmy contender, if he wasn’t up against Jon Hamm, Matt Bomer, David Oyelowo, Ewan McGregor, and the rest of the leading men in limited series. Now, i guess Michael Douglas? Booth is portrayed as such an ass, I do love that. So is Johnson. Huge asshole. It does have some solid audio description though. However, in contrast to what I started with at the top, Good Times, this show really only points out black characters, and is even inconsistent in doing that. There were a couple of characters skipped over, but they did define this father/son duo in the series as being black, perhaps because of how Booth interacts with them? However, unlike Good Times, this show doesn’t mention its predominantly white cast. So, there’s that. But, this is par for the course, it’s just something we should probably think more about what it is we are really doing here, and it stems likely from a lack of diversity in the industry. Middle/Top tier.