TV Shows Watched:The Abandons- S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Will Trent: S4E2 (Disney plus) with audio description, Stumble: S1E3 (Peacock) with audio description, Ponies: S1E1 (Peacock) with audio description, The Sisters Grimm: S1E6 (Apple) with audio description

The Abandons- I really want to know what Kurt Sutter has to say on this. He left three weeks before filming ended, so I wonder if the reason this show feels incoherent at times was that he wasn’t involved in post, or if those three weeks with someone else at the helm killed the show, or whether or not he was the problem. This is a struggle to get through, made more so by the fact that talented actors like Gillian Anderson might have made this a great show. The audio description is great though. I love that despite this being a streaming exclusive, and a series drop all at once, each episode has a “previously on”, likely because someone saw this, realized it was a mess, and figured the reminders couldn’t hurt.

Will Trent- Now that we’re done with that dumb subplot. We can move on, right? I get so frustrated with this show, because it has an amazing cast, and glimpses of brilliance, but it can dive off a cliff sometimes. This whole father storyline, with Will hearing his GPS talking to him, it doesn’t mesh very well with the rest of the show. The AD has never been better. What a fucking upgrade. I can only praise Roy, but I know a company had to have taken responsibility, and they aren’t credited. yo, the thing you took over wasn’t good, and now it is, take a victory lap. It feels like Will Trent was rescued by a benevolent angel investor who wishes to remain nameless. Or, ABC doesn’t want to give them credit, because it’s actually something darker and more sinister, like our audio description for Will Trent is now funded by Isis. Like, in the middle of them being a terrorist organization, they were like… this audio description on Will Trent sucks, even we could do better. Whoever the mystery company is, thanks. Quality AD is just that, and we’re moving this show proudly down the field, instead of getting constantly tackled in our own end zone.

Stumble- the format for this doesn’t quite allow for the best AD. Like, the scene where we watch the surgery, I have a feeling wasn’t shown, but since the character never shuts up, it is impossible to interject what visually is happening. Sometimes AD is not good, other times, the show prevents audio description from being excellent through its natural format. I appreciate when the AD does find a gap.

Ponies- Oh, this was solid. I’d recommend this. Having sat through a bunch of mediocre to awful pilots recently, from The Copenhagen Test, Book-ish, Best Medicine, Starfleet Academy, and even A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms, Ponies has a fresh and unique feeling. The leads are engaging, and while they are under trained for their position, the show admits it. It follows two women who were at the American consulate in Moscow during the Cold War, and they are told their husbands (who were spies) died. Eager to figure out why, the women beg to become spies, and someone thinks it is a great idea, because no one else is using women as spies. So, they become the first female spies, with no real training, also trying to figure out what killed their husbands. It’s not a comedy, but it also isn’t a super dark show. I liked it, and the AD was solid. Jump on the pony.

The Sisters Grimm- A cute concept for kids I hope continues. Who knows. It is so hard to know, without having kids, which shows kids like. I didn’t hate myself watching this.