Tag: Netflix

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 11/06/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day, we have a renewal, and that comes in the form of Nobody Wants This on Netflix. Season 4 is coming, so congratulations to everyone involved. I haven’t even started Season 3, and this thing already got picked up for a fourth season. Thanks for doing the work, because I’m obviously way behind on shows, and it’s only going to get worse in November and December when every single film studio sends me its entire slate of films to catch up on for awards season voting. Also, don’t forget, spoiler warning! Who … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 11/06/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 11/05/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day, did you happen toremember that yesterday was the 5th of November? Even with that catchy“Remember, remember the 5th of November,” I still forgot to celebrate.And this is the 20th anniversary of V for Vendetta, a movie which,interestingly, did not actually open on the 5th of November. It justcenters around it. Consider this your typical spoiler warning for thefollowing shows, because I will be discussing some pretty significantplot points. I don’t have any grand news about major pickups orcancellations, except for the fact that CBS did some shuffling to itsschedule and pushed … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 11/05/26

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Possible Love

John Stark

I’m absolutely elated to be writing this review, because last year we headed into awards season with a complete and total dearth of international features with audio description, especially those trying to qualify for the Oscars and earn as many nominations as possible. Well, possibilities are endless, and Netflix has surprised me by giving its festival darling Possible Love English audio description here in the United States, which came along with my screener because Netflix is awesome. Thanks, Netflix. When you show up, you absolutely do show up. I’m proud to report that Possible Love has audio description produced by … Continue reading Possible Love

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 11/04/26

John Stark

Spoiler warning! There will be spoilers ahead for the shows below, so proceed at your own risk. I probably should have been giving this warning a while ago, but I’ve started trying to be a little more conscientious about it. Given the fact that I do discuss plot points, it’s only fair to warn people. Sometimes I’m reviewing episodes or shows so late that I assume you’ve probably already seen them, but who knows? I have no idea where you are in your viewing journey. Also, I thought I might occasionally mention a film that I’ve watched but have chosen … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 11/04/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 11/03/26

John Stark

SPOILER WARNING: Today’s Small Screen Diaries contains spoilers for the episodes discussed below, including major plot developments, character revelations, and endings. Proceed at your own risk! Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day, is it a blue tsunami? Except, as a Florida resident, I feel like I got up and went to school, only to discover that all my classmates were getting on a bus to Disney World. Naturally, I got really excited. Oh my God, all my friends are going to Disney World, and I get to go too! Then the teacher stops me and asks, “Where’s … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 11/03/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 11/02/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day, vote. Go vote. Today is Election Day, and if you live in America, go vote. Right now. If you’ve put up with me long enough to read my daily ramblings about television, I have a feeling telling you to vote probably behooves me. So vote. In other television news, HBO Max has renewed Euphoria for a third season, which isn’t particularly surprising, considering I imagine they’re anticipating another strong showing at the Emmys. And I also saw Paget Brewster reacting to the cancellation of Criminal Minds: Evolution on Paramount+. Apparently, that’s … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 11/02/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen diaries: 11/01/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries, which I think should probably start coming with a spoiler warning. Generally, I’m pretty far behind on some shows, so I’m not always worried about spoilers because I’m reviewing things after they’ve already happened. But I have no idea how far behind you are, and that’s not really fair. So, consider yourself warned. There may be spoilers ahead, and today there’s certainly a lot to talk about. In first place is Dark Matter, Season 2, Episode 5, on Apple TV with audio description. What a wonderful episode, and also an excellent example of audio … Continue reading The Small Screen diaries: 11/01/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/31/26

John Stark

Hope you had a lovely Halloween! I obviously tried to embrace the holiday, which is why I didn’t publish any reviews yesterday. I’m sure Hollywood has come to a standstill as a result. I’ll try to knock some out today. I did watch a few television shows, but not too many, since the focus was more on Halloween. However, before getting into my rankings, I figured I’d let you know about some of the shows returning next week that you may or may not be interested in, because there’s quite a bit happening. NBC is bringing back St. Denis Medical … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/31/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/30/26

John Stark

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries is the acknowledgment that, yes, I am aware Apple is currently pursuing negotiations for a third season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. However, what they’re apparently looking at is essentially a soft reboot, with a new showrunner and a new cast. It seems Apple wants to take the series in a different direction without abandoning its connection to the Godzilla and Kong franchise, which inherently comes with an audience. They just have to figure out how to attract that audience with different characters and a different approach. I kind of agree. I … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/30/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/29/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day is the sad passing of Sir Patrick Stewart, who passed away after a brief battle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. Despite his health struggles, Stewart managed to film two movies, one that has already been released this year, The Sheep Detectives, and another, Avengers: Doomsday, which is still awaiting release. Sir Patrick Stewart was loved by millions of fans across the globe for his contributions to the Star Trek and X-Men franchises, where he created the iconic Jean-Luc Picard and brought Marvel’s Professor Charles Xavier to life. He was … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/29/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/28/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day, in first place, is the exceptional limited series Last Seen on Apple TV+, which I finished today. So this is the series finale, unless they, for some reason, decide to make a second season, which seems to be happening to a lot of limited series right now. I wouldn’t put it past them, but how many times can this type of thing happen to the same family before it becomes ridiculous? There shouldn’t have been a sequel to Taken, but there were two, and a television series. So who knows? Regardless, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/28/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/27/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day is the acknowledgment that the Gotham Awards announced their nominations yesterday. In terms of precursors to the Oscars, the Gotham Awards are a little like how we have Groundhog Day, where we entrust the weather to a groundhog because that’s how it’s been done all these years. But then, to compete with Groundhog Day, somebody creates their own version with a different animal on the exact same day, and nobody really pays attention to it. That’s the Gotham Awards. They’re that other thing that isn’t even Groundhog Day. The one thing … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/27/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/26/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day, I woke up this morning to discover that Jay-Z has apparently selected himself to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. Now, do I think Jay-Z has enough material to headline the halftime show? Absolutely. Do I think it’s shady that the guy who signed a deal with the NFL to help select these performers has apparently chosen himself? Also, absolutely. It reminds me of the time when Jeopardy executive producer Mike Richards conducted this massive search for the next Alex Trebek, parading a variety of guest hosts through the studio, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/26/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/25/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day is something that has very little to do with the small screen and more to do with a hilarious moment of embarrassment in my life. When my review of You Can See Everything hit Rotten Tomatoes, the world found it and came to remind me that they also saw everything, including the fact that I incorrectly identified Lance Oppenheim as Joshua Oppenheimer. Now, there is an actual documentary filmmaker named Joshua Oppenheimer, who also directed The End. Lance Oppenheim just made Primetime, and perhaps if I had seen Primetime, his name … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/25/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/24/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day is a look ahead at the week, and there are some interesting things happening. Probably the biggest is Dexter: Resurrection returning to Paramount+ on Friday. Aside from that, Hulu has a new reality show called The Mob arriving Monday, featuring a decent slate of celebrities and hosted by Parker Posey. Bill Murray is doing a show about golf courses in Ireland for Paramount+, while Netflix has a new docuseries about Matthew Perry arriving Tuesday. Apple TV has a new Liev Schreiber series, Nocturne, starting Friday. And while it technically isn’t in … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/24/26

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Norm: The Tale Of Norm Macdonald

John Stark

I was definitely a 90s kid when it came to Saturday Night Live. It was this thing I discovered that felt like the adult version of All That, and once I found it and its particular brand of humor, I made an effort to stay up late and catch as many episodes as possible. I absorbed as much of that 90s cast as I could, and while there are plenty of newer cast members I couldn’t pick out of a hat, I remember the years of Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, David Spade, Darrell Hammond, Colin Quinn, Ana Gasteyer, Will Ferrell, … Continue reading Norm: The Tale Of Norm Macdonald

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/23/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries today is the sad news that Syfy has canceled Revival after just one season. Honestly, I forgot this series hadn’t already been canceled, and just assumed it was. Apparently, the network gave the series a chance to find a larger audience through Netflix, but that streaming run didn’t do enough to save it. So, what was once on the fence is no longer on the fence. Personally, the audio description just wasn’t good enough, and Peacock didn’t do a particularly good job of making sure it was consistently available across every episode. So, I … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/23/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/23/26

John Stark

Kicking off today’s Small Screen Diaries are two bits of good news, one of them pretty great. After a week of watching Carrie dominate the charts, Amazon has decided to indulge Mike Flanagan’s three-season plan by at least giving him a second season. So Carrie will return, and hopefully Flanagan will eventually get to complete the story he envisioned. Meanwhile, NBC has picked up Line of Fire for a full season, which is also welcome news if you’re a fan of that show. It’s always nice to start things off with some positive news, especially when so many shows seem … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/23/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/22/26

John Stark

Kicking off today’s Small Screen Diaries with the news that two more television shows are potentially being revived from the dead. The classic sitcom staple Coach is looking at being revived for a second time, this time with Ty Burrell taking over the lead role from Craig T. Nelson. They’re also envisioning this as a single-camera comedy instead of the traditional multicamera format. This isn’t the first time Coach has been on the reboot table, as a previous attempt to bring the series back ultimately went nowhere. We’ll see if this second swing is a hit or miss. Meanwhile, Disney+ … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/22/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/20/26

John Stark

Kicking off today’s Small Screen Diaries with a little bit of renewal news that I’m incredibly indifferent about, mostly because the current season is dreadful. Well audio described, but absolutely dreadful. Not surprisingly, FX has ordered a 14th season of American Horror Story. You would think that 13 might have been a logical conclusion for the series, considering the significance of that number to the horror genre and just how long this franchise has been running, but apparently they’re going to keep this thing going, pedal to the metal. Anyway, enough about that. It’s time for the rankings. Taking the … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/20/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/19/26

John Stark

Kicking off today’s Small Screen Diaries is the best thing I watched on what was otherwise a fairly neutral day. I can’t say I was overly enthusiastic about anything, and the five shows I watched were all pretty close together in terms of quality. However, if push comes to shove, I’m narrowly giving the victory to Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story on Netflix, primarily because of its excellent audio description. The previous episode showed us what happened to one member of the Borden household, while this episode answers the question of what happened to the other, where he ended up, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/19/26

Editorial2 Comments

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/18/26

John Stark

As the sun rises this early morning, I reflect upon that which I have consumed in the day prior, and meditate now on the content therein, deciphering for you which of these programs rose to the occasion. Probably going to go back to kicking off tomorrow, but it’s a change, at least. Taking home the top spot on a rather interesting day, especially considering some of the newer entries, is Dark Matter, Season 2, Episode 3, on Apple TV, with audio description. The existence of so many different versions of the same characters makes this an excellent showcase for audio … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/18/26

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Free Leonard Peltier

John Stark

Netflix came out strong for Indigenous Peoples’ Day this year with the release of Free Leonard Peltier, which is one of the best documentaries of the year, and certainly one of the best documentaries Netflix has released this year. Directed by Jesse Short Bull and David France, the film explores the life of Leonard Peltier, an Indigenous rights activist who spent nearly 50 years in prison following his controversial conviction for the murders of two FBI agents. Even if you already know how this story ends, it’s still a journey worth taking, as the film explores the reasons why Leonard … Continue reading Free Leonard Peltier

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Sacrifice (2026)

John Stark

I feel like it’s important to always make the distinction between a Netflix-commissioned film and a film acquired by Netflix, because these are films that could have been acquired by anyone. Oftentimes, critics who get lost in the Friday night shuffle of Netflix originals get tripped up when there’s a film that Netflix didn’t actually make. Sacrifice is one of those films. It premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where Netflix did not immediately pick it up, eventually acquiring it in May of this year and slating it for October. Not necessarily the most promising trajectory for a … Continue reading Sacrifice (2026)

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/17/26

John Stark

Kicking off today’s Small Screen Diaries is a look at the week ahead, which is kind of bare, if I’m being honest. Maybe it’s just my perspective, but at least it gives you plenty of time to catch up on shows. The biggest returning show this week is Nobody Wants This, which returns to Netflix for its third season on Thursday. NBC’s Reba McEntire-led sitcom Happy’s Place returns Friday for its third season, with a new companion in Newlyweds, a sitcom starring Téa Leoni and Tim Daly, which has a tall order to follow considering how good Stumble was, and … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/17/26

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Animals

John Stark

I remember that glorious moment when we all realized Ben Affleck could actually direct. Gone Baby Gone was a surprisingly good crime thriller, one of those underseen gems you can recommend to family and friends because they likely haven’t seen it. But even if they have, it usually sparks a conversation about how underrated the film is, considering it didn’t exactly explode at the box office, nor did it sweep the Oscars. He followed that up with The Town, which is always rapidly rising on my list of favorite films of all time. Every time I see it, I’m reminded … Continue reading Animals

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/16/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for today, in a pretty easy first-place finish, is East of Eden, which is on Netflix with audio description from Descriptive Video Works, written by Liz Gutman and narrated by Paul Hoffman. The series has some really wonderful audio description attached to it, but this was also probably my favorite episode in general. I don’t love everything that Cathy ends up doing as a character, but Florence Pugh is so terrific in the role that she makes up for a lot of it. This is very much a series where you’re watching the antagonist … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/16/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/15/26

John Stark

The Small Screen Diaries for today should probably be dominated by a hot new series, but just because something new hits streaming doesn’t mean it immediately rockets to the top of my rankings. You’re going to have to wait a minute for that one, because today’s number one show is something I’ve already been watching, and it deserves to stay on top because it is truly excellent television. That distinction is important, because while I basically enjoyed everything I watched today, there’s a difference between something being entertaining and something being genuinely great. First place remains Furious, season one, episode … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/15/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/14/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day is a renewal for Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, the Apple TV series that debuted in May and has finally been called up to the big leagues alongside other shows that premiered around the same time, like Widow’s Bay and Star City, which had already received second-season renewals. The Tatiana Maslany and Jake Johnson series attracted quite a bit of attention, but unfortunately, because of its premiere schedule, it was ineligible for this year’s Emmy Awards. It hadn’t aired enough episodes within the eligibility window, which puts it in the strange position of … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/14/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen diaries: 10/09/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day, Paramount had some big news, announcing that its new Avatar series has already been renewed through a third season. This certainly suggests that Paramount is committed to continuing to tell stories within the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, even after shifting the upcoming animated film, The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, away from a traditional theatrical release and over to streaming. For fans of the new series, which premiered yesterday, congratulations! Apparently, Paramount has enough confidence in the show that it doesn’t even need to wait for the audience … Continue reading The Small Screen diaries: 10/09/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/08/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries today is a little bit of catch-up, because I realized I’ve been doing a lot of renewal news lately, and I’ve skipped over a few shows simply because I hadn’t started watching them yet. That’s not really fair to the people who have been watching. So, if you’ve already become an instant fan of Crew Girl or A Different World on Netflix, both series have already been picked up for second seasons. This seems to be part of Netflix’s determination to move content along at a quicker pace, rather than leaving audiences wondering whether … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/08/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/07/26

John Stark

Netflix has been on a bit of a roll with series renewals and cancellations lately, and today is no exception, thanks to the early renewal of The Hunting Wives for a third season. When a streaming service is comfortable with a show’s budget, and social media reactions consistently suggest that investing in its future is worthwhile, making an early renewal decision is smart. As I’ve noted before, and as many others have pointed out, the longer audiences have to wait between seasons, the more likely they are to lose interest. Honestly, I think Netflix has to be terrified about the … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/07/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/06/26

John Stark

Yesterday, I talked about the renewal of one show and realized that I completely skipped over another renewal, which was Imperfect Women on Apple TV. This surprised me because it really isn’t a show that needs a second season, and it falls right in line with the ongoing trend of making me wonder why we even bother labeling things limited series anymore. It was a limited series, and now it has a second season coming, so it’s not very limited, is it? Apple has ordered a second season of Imperfect Women that will focus on Kerry Washington’s character, Eleanor, continuing … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/06/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/04/26

John Stark

I guess I’ll kick off today’s Small Screen Diaries with a little good news for fans of Tulsa King, as Paramount has renewed the Sylvester Stallone drama for a fifth season, despite the company still being in flux in the middle of a merger. Interestingly, the fifth season will apparently move the action to New York, which isn’t entirely surprising given the direction of the series, but does seem a little strange when your show is literally called Tulsa King. I suppose you can still be the king of Tulsa without actually living in Tulsa. Meanwhile, I don’t believe Lioness … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/04/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/04/26

John Stark

I was inordinately busy yesterday, so this is one of those shorter Small Screen Diaries kind of days. But I did kick things off by complaining to Crunchyroll about how, despite the latest patch, the iOS version of the app still oddly blocks people from being able to hear specifically English audio description. If you have English audio description set as your primary language, you hear nothing. So, for shows that don’t have audio description, you can still watch them, but if something wants to default to English audio description, there’s just nothing there. I’d already reported this bug once, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/04/26

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Tyler Perry’s Doing Life

John Stark

Tyler Perry’s back. I feel like we hear that all the time. I feel like he’s trying to set some sort of world record for how many films he can direct within his lifetime. He’s getting close to 40 films now, and probably next year he’ll hit 40, which is an astounding amount for someone who didn’t start directing features until after September 11th. From Diary of a Mad Black Woman to now, Tyler Perry has amassed a bizarre filmography containing some of the worst films I’ve ever seen, mixed in with promising content and a few underrated gems. Mostly, … Continue reading Tyler Perry’s Doing Life

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/03/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day, let’s take a look at the week ahead and some things you might be interested in, because even though network television is not nearly as prominent as it used to be, it still means a ton of shows are headed your way, all at relatively the same time, either brand new or returning for new seasons. That is very much the case this week, with CBS returning essentially its entire lineup, including hits like Tracker, Elsbeth, Fire Country, Sheriff Country, Boston Blue, FBI, CIA, NCIS, NCIS: Origins and Marshals, as well … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/03/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/02/26

John Stark

Kicking off today’s Small Screen Diaries is a brand new show, something that I heard through the grapevine from critics was going to be excellent, and that is the new HBO Max drama War, starring Dominic West and Sienna Miller. This definitely piqued my interest, although I think the title may be a little soft and not necessarily descriptive of what the show is actually about. We’ll see with later episodes if they end up justifying the title. Sort of like how Succession told you exactly what that show was about, War seems to perhaps go a little bit overboard, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/02/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 10/01/2026

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day, I can announce that Amazon is sticking with the totality of the Jack Reacher franchise, with Reacher being renewed for a sixth season while Season 5 is still in production. Its spinoff, Neagley, was also just renewed for a second season. So, at this point, the anchor for Amazon is clearly this franchise, and likely Reacher will go on for however long Alan Ritchson wants it to. He continues to star in projects that are both streaming exclusives as well as theatrically released titles, and until he feels like he’s firmly … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/01/2026

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 09/30/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day is Ted Lasso, season four, episode nine, which is on Apple TV+ with audio description. I didn’t have any problems this week with Ted Lasso. I didn’t think there was a scene that was missing something like last week. This episode has the girls fighting to get their underdog team promoted to the next level, and it revolves around the game that will either do that for them or not. There’s also still the mystery of who is trying to steal the team by buying shares, and Keeley has a little … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/30/26

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

unabomber

John Stark

September seems to be the season when Netflix clears out most of what it doesn’t really intend on having as its high-profile Oscar contenders. Even one of its better offerings that kicked off awards season a few years ago, Fair Play, still ended up not making much of an impact in the awards race despite being generally well liked. Well, we won’t have that problem with Unabomber, because I can’t imagine critics piling onto this movie. It’s deeply unsatisfying, aimless, and rather pointless. It’s a film that isn’t sure what its structure should be, how much of either story it … Continue reading unabomber

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 09/26/26

John Stark

Since it’s Sunday morning, let’s start by looking at a couple of shows coming up this week that you may be interested in. From what I can tell, one of the biggest premieres is War, the new HBO Max legal drama starring Dominic West and Sienna Miller, which has a lot of buzz around it and drops on Thursday. That’s the same day as East of Eden, Zoe Kazan’s new adaptation starring Florence Pugh, which premieres on Netflix. We also have some returning favorites this week, including Scrubs on ABC, plus the Animation Domination block with The Simpsons, Grimsburg and … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/26/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 09/25/26

John Stark

Well, to start off my Friday, of course I watched the season finale of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe on HBO Max with audio description narrated by Elliot Schiff. The finale, “Spoiler: Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience,” of course has people divided, but the one thing we shall not be divided on is the excellent audio description that Elliot has provided all season long. I actually liked this show way more than I thought I would when they conceptually announced that there would be yet another Big Bang Theory spinoff. I figured it would continue to deplete the … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/25/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 09/24/26

John Stark

I think the biggest, and really only relevant, TV news to kick this off today is the fact that Netflix has once again proven the term “limited series” means absolutely nothing. They have picked up The Beast in Me for a second season. Originally billed as a limited series, the show is coming back with Claire Danes set to return as Aggie Wiggs following her Emmy-nominated work in the first season. We’ll see if this turns out to be a good decision for Netflix or not. In other TV news, only because I don’t think I’ve mentioned it yet, Disney+ … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/24/26

Editorial1 Comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 09/22/26

John Stark

Kicking off today, I continued with Furious, season one, episode two, which is available on Hulu and through Disney+ with Hulu, with audio description. This definitely is a winner. I can understand a bit more now as to why it has become a breakout hit. Lola Petticrew is still captivating here as this killer with a sympathetic angle, allowing you to follow her as a protagonist instead of purely as an antagonist. Sort of like the mysterious person in The Shards, it would be hard to justify everything that she does, but the way Furious shapes Petticrew’s mysterious character allows … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/22/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 09/21/26

John Stark

I feel like I consistently come in here with bad news all the time, and apparently we’re opening with bad news again. Ride or Die, the Prime Video series starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham, has been inexplicably canceled after one season. This is particularly surprising considering it outperformed other Prime Video shows that have already been renewed. I’ve seen the trades breaking down the viewership data that is available and lining it up against shows like Off Campus, Elle, and some of the other younger-skewing series Amazon has picked up, and Ride or Die was ahead of several of … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/21/26

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 09/18/26

John Stark

Unfortunately, we have to start off the Small Screen Diary for today with a sad bit of news. Not really, because I gave up on the show after the first episode, but I’m sure someone out there cares. Netflix has canceled Sweet Magnolias, which really indicates to me, following the cancellation of Ransom Canyon, that there’s a very specific audience that has either abandoned Netflix or that Netflix is looking at abandoning. And if I was a fan of Virgin River, I would be afraid. I would be very afraid. I mean, I am casually a fan of Virgin River, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/18/26

TV ReviewsLeave a comment

A Good Girls Guide To Murder: Season 2

John Stark

The biggest revelation coming out of streaming might be that there’s enough data now to show that shows filmed within a tighter window and released in a reasonable amount of time perform better and retain more of their audience from season to season than shows with longer breaks. I would say, especially for shows with large ensembles, difficult plot structures, and fantastical worlds we’re somehow supposed to remember years later, that has to be true. I definitely look at certain shows coming up where I know I saw the first season, and there’s a new season coming out, and I … Continue reading A Good Girls Guide To Murder: Season 2

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen diaries: 09/13/26

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: The Walking dead: Dead city: S3E8 (AMC Plus) no audio description, Tomb Raider King: S1E6 (CrunchyRoll) with audio description, My brilliant Career: S1E6 (Netflix) with audio description, The Shards: S1E4 (Disney Plus) with audio description, Have I Got News For you: S5E1 (HBO MAX) no audio description, jeopardy Masters: S4E3 (Disney Plus) with audio description, The paper: S2E1 (Peacock) with audio description Dead City- Already reviewed, but 1 of 8 episodes with audio description is not accessibility. If eight kids were dropped off at day care, and one survived, that daycare doesn’t remain open. Tomb Raider King- … Continue reading The Small Screen diaries: 09/13/26

TV ReviewsLeave a comment

My Brilliant Career: Season 1

John Stark

I choose me. What a bold decision. Never before done by anyone in any film or television series, limited or otherwise. But those big, beautiful words, that power, and so many strong female leads, along with a few strong male leads, are becoming awfully redundant and more than a little derivative. Of course, it’s hard to call Netflix’s My Brilliant Career derivative when it’s adapted from a 1901 novel by Miles Franklin. A lot of the characters who have followed Sybylla Melvyn and had their own self-awakenings may, in fact, have knocked off this novel to begin with. It’s not … Continue reading My Brilliant Career: Season 1