The Small Screen Diaries: 05/18/26

Disney Plus greenlit an Ella Enchanted series. That’s what the kids on the interwebs are talking about. Also, Amazon is doing their screenings of The Boys finale tonight in theaters, so check your local listings.

TV Shows Watched: Witch Hat Atelier: S1E5 (CrunchyRoll) with audio description,Big Mistakes: S1E3 (Netflix) with audio description, For All Mankind: S5E5 (Apple) with audio description, Sheriff Country: S1E12 (Paramount) with audio description, KLast Week Tonight: Most Recent (HBO MAX) no audio description yet, and Matlock: S2E13 (Paramount) with audio description

Witch Hat Atelier- I’m kinda liking this. Coco, after being targeted by the dark side of magic in this series, is empathetic toward a dragon, so she tries to conjure the right spells to let the dragon know they aren’t enemies while she and the other three students stay safe. Master Kefi is still trying to find her, made easier by her spells, though he loses her for a second and she’s contacted by a total weirdo in a monochromatic world. The AD here is very well written, and is narrated by a voice that should give some human narrators that refuse to use inflection in their voice pause. There’s no audio ducking here. I believe the AD company is Global3?

Big Mistakes- Bro and Sis get called up to the mansion after retrieving the necklace, only to find out they are still owing some favors, so they are given flip phones, which leads them to a situation that goes hilariously wrong because they are given no context.Dan Levy’s gay preacher is also reconsidering his celibacy, while his sister has a weird reconciliation of sorts with her fiancé. Laurie Metcalf steals the show as their mother, a perfect role for her. If anyone gets a nomination, it should be her.Recently renewed for a second season.

For All Mankind- Things start going south when it is revealed that the big companies are trying to automate Mars, putting all these Marians out of their homes. Riot! Meanwhile, the detective looking into the mysterious death finds answers she probably didn’t want, and we meet an old friend, and see how she gets out of a prison in Siberia and back to the Moon. The AD here is lovely, and while I miss a certain presence on the show, it’s clear they are working toward a goal of wrapping up the whole plot in a meaningful way.

Sheriff Country- Someone’s giving out bad drugs, and it is effecting the locals.I had no problem with the audio description.

Last Week Tonight- John Oliver teaches us about Structured Settlements, and why you shouldn’t sell them to JG Wentworth. The second half of his show is pretty apolitical for those who watch the main story on YouTube. One of the safer ones if for some reason you read me, and think “this country is going in the right direction, I don’t know what he’s talking about, and if John Oliver would just stay out of politics, he’s a fine comedian.” If that’s you, Susan Clark from Sioux Falls, than you can watch his main story this week.

Matlock- Maddie deals with AI, Sarah proves she’s useful, hunter is looming, and Senior )as I haven’t seen the rest of the season) I think is playing his son hard. Before, Julian didn’t have a thought about being his father’s Power Of Attorney, but after a casual drop, and mention in conversation, plus the doctors appointment, suddenly Julian is. And Julian now is legally required to do what’s best for his father, which is likely not what he’s doing with the others. It lined up way too perfectly. I think the bigger question is why, because he could just fire all of them, if he can’t trust them, why keep them around? Musings. CBS is holding this for midseason, so you won’t see Maddie with new episodes until 2027.

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