Plot: When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the “Satanic Panic” of the late 1980s, a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts realize they can capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a Satanic metal band, until a bizarre series of murders, kidnappings, and reported “supernatural activity” triggers a leather-studded witch hunt that leads directly back to them.

Review: There have been many 1980s-set retro horror movies in recent years, ranging from My Best Friend’s Exorcism to Totally Killer and more. The 80s were a bastion of paranoia about the impact of Dungeons & Dragons and heavy metal, a thread used in Netflix’s Stranger Things. The new series Hysteria! goes back to the heart of the Satanic Panic to see how one small town in Michigan deals with its own devilish challenges. Led by genre legend Bruce Campbell along with Julie Bowen, Anna Camp, Garret Dillahunt, and more, Hysteria! has a sense of humor but is at its heart a creepy horror romp through a period in recent history that eerily parallels our contemporary culture of fake news, misinformation, and widespread panic about what our neighbors could be up to.

Set in the town of Happy Hollow, Hysteria! centers on Dylan Campbell (Emjay Anthony), a mild-mannered and somewhat nerdy teen who is part of a heavy metal band with his friends, bass player Jordy (Chiara Aurelia), and drummer Spud (Kezii Curtis). When a popular football player disappears and a pentagram is painted on his family’s garage, the town begins to suspect evil may be lurking in their suburban paradise. Dylan decides this may be the time to lean into the Satanic side of their musical tastes, which conjures attention from his crush, Judith (Jessica Treska). Dylan’s mother, Linda (Julie Bowen), is unsure how to feel about her son’s new style, nor is local religious zealot Tracy Whitehead (Anna Camp). Heading the investigation is Chief Dandridge (Bruce Campbell), who must quell the fears of his constituents while addressing the seemingly supernatural goings-on in Happy Hollow.

I can say with sincerity that Hysteria! caught me off guard. Based on the trailers and the cast, I anticipated a comedy, but this series is a dark and semi-serious horror story involving demons, possessions, and the danger of crowdthink. The eight-episode series starts with some tongue-in-cheek moments, gradually giving way to some truly scary imagery and a more complex web involving most of the ensemble cast. Anna Camp echoes great horror zealots from Carrie‘s Piper Laurie to The Mist‘s Marcia Gay Harden, while Julie Bowen delivers a performance I did not think she had in her. Equally, the great Bruce Campbell is deadly serious as the lead law enforcement officer without any hint of Ash lurking in his demeanor. Hysteria! plays it straight, accentuating the horror while adding to the sense of dread as the story goes in a direction I did not anticipate.

The benefit that Hysteria! has over other period-set horror projects is the multiple narratives, none of which feels weak compared to the rest. While the adults focus on blaming Satan and trying to find a scapegoat, there is a sinister plot lurking underneath. Meanwhile, the three main teens, Dylan, Jordy, and Spud, get to play Harry Potter and investigate both to clear their names and figure out what is happening in their town. There is also another thread involving the teens and the cult they manufacture as the paranoia grows. All of these stories culminate in the final episode, which offers closure to the story without leaving anything hanging. Some of the plot elements are wrapped up too neatly, but they work overall.

Creator Matthew Scott Kane makes an impressive debut as a showrunner with this project influenced by the last decade of political and social division in the United States and around the world. There is most definitely an ulterior motive hiding in this story that is not too in your face to detract from the horror of Hysteria! but helps drive it home. Hysteria! includes a solid writer’s room, including Mike Flanagan’s sibling Jamie, who boasts a writing credit and appears in a supporting role. Longtime Seth MacFarlane collaborator David A. Goodman is involved as a writer and producer, but don’t let his resume fool you, as Hysteria! is not a Family Guy-style project. The series also boasts a top crew of directors led by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, director of Kong: Skull Island, who directs the first and final episodes.

Full of classic rock tracks from the 1980s and a neon aesthetic full of big hair, acid-washed jeans, and Reagan-induced fear, Hysteria! has just the right amount of fun to complement the scary. This series unfolds and teases a lot of relevant themes while doing so in a fun and entertaining way. You may be looking for just pure terror this Halloween season, but you will get your fair share of blood and jump scares from Hysteria! but this series is possessed of something altogether more terrifying: a message. Enjoy Hysteria! for the scares, you may learn something eerily true about how easy it can be to convince the world the sky is falling or even that the Devil is among us.

Hysteria! premieres on Peacock on October 18 with a simulcast on USA Network and SYFY. USA Network will air episodes each Friday.

Hysteria!

AVERAGE

6

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Plot: In the sixth and final season of the Emmy-nominated comedy, Nandor, Nadja, Laszlo, Colin and Guillermo will enter the workforce, visit New Hampshire, go to a human dinner party, fête The Baron and conjure a demon — all while trying to find their place and their purpose in this crazy, mixed-up world.

Review: Since it debuted in 2019, What We Do In The Shadows has consistently been one of the funniest television shows. Taking a cue from the mockumentary film of the same name starring Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, What We Do In The Shadows has followed the Staten Island-based vampires Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Prosch), and Nandor’s familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillen) as they have explored the day to day life of the bloodsuckers and their interactions with the human world. The series has been consistent in tone and style and has developed a broad narrative over the years. Now that the series is coming to an end, the show is as funny as it has ever been. With new cameos and characters, revisited plot elements from prior seasons, and the same biting sense of humor, the final season of What We Do In The Shadows never misses a beat.

Over the first five seasons of What We Do In The Shadows, there has been a recurring mention of the mission for the vampires to take over North America, something they have failed to do for decades. In the first episode of this season, the housemates realize their fifth roommate, Jerry (Mike O’Brien), has been in a deep sleep since the 1970s and awaken him. Jerry calls out everything that the vampires have not accomplished in the last five decades which prompts them all to reevaluate what they have done with their lives. In the first three episodes of the final season, they all try to get back to tasks they dropped when Jerry went to sleep, providing the writers and cast the chance to probe back into the quirks and misadventures of this crew while still keeping the focus on standalone episodic tales connected with an overall thread leading to the series finale.

While you would think that it would become difficult to keep storylines fresh, especially when you set the season-long narrative to be about what happened in the past, What We Do In The Shadows is still just as funny as ever. Mark Prosch continues to shine, and Colin Robinson takes a more prominent role each successive season. The series does also revisit Laszlo’s sex addiction, porn collection, and scientific exploits while Nandor contemplates his Relentless title and Nadja remains frustrated by the idiotic men surrounding her. We even got a visit from Baron Afanas (Doug Jones) and The Sire, who have always provided fun moments. Kristen Schaal remains a main cast member this season, but The Guide has limited screen time in the first trio of episodes, something the plot indicates will expand in the remaining chapters. While I won’t spoil anything that happens in these first episodes, they are overall a strong opening for the final season that seems like any other season and not contemplative or focused on ending the storylines of these characters.

The last two seasons of What We Do In The Shadows have closed with a feeling of completion to the character arcs, only to return for another solid year of adventures for these characters. The first three episodes this season strike a balance between the characters bickering and in-fighting within their mansion, with the second episode venturing outside of the home and into a workplace. I have always been lukewarm about the vampires interacting in public places, as it borders on ridiculous, but this season works within the plotline being developed for Guillermo. It is also interesting that this season directly addresses the documentary crew that has been chronicling the vampires since the first episode, which leaves me wondering if What We Do In The Shadows will reveal anything about the filmed footage as they did in the final season of The Office. I hope they do not and just let the season end with some questions left unanswered.

Kyle Newachek and Yana Gorskaya each directed five episodes of the final season, with DJ Stipsen on one episode, bringing the final season to a total of eleven episodes rather than the ten in each of the first five seasons. Writers include returning scribes Paul Simms, Sam Johnson, Sarah Naftalis, Marika Sawyer, Jake Bender, Zach Dunn, Max Brockman, William Meny, Shana Gohd, Rajat Suresh, Jeremy Levick, Amelia Haller, and Lauren Wells, with producers and series creators Jemaine Clement and Taika Waiititi not returning to help close out the final season of the show. Regardless, this talented creative group has managed to mine this concept consistently for over half a decade without ever wasting an episode. I know these first three chapters do not go nearly far enough into the season’s overall arc, but they set things up well, and I never once felt like the cast or crew were giving anything less than their best effort. The jokes are strong, and these actors know their roles inside and out, which makes this series the best comedy on the air next to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

While only the first three episodes of the final season of What We Do In The Shadows were made available for this review, it is impossible to judge how the series finale will or will not wrap things up. Based on how these opening episodes nail every joke and set up the narrative direction for the last run of the series, I am confident that What We Do In The Shadows will leave fans happy with where Nandor, Laszlo, Nadja, Colin Robinson, and Guillermo will be in their journey to take over North America. Few shows have remained this funny over six seasons, with many series continuing too long with diminishing returns. By going out on top, What We Do In The Shadows sets itself up to be considered one of the funniest sitcoms of all time and leaves the door open to revisit these characters in the future.

The final season of What We Do In The Shadows premieres on October 21st on FX.

What We Do in the Shadows

AMAZING

9

-

Viewer Ratings (0 reviews)

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The post What We Do In The Shadows The Final Season TV Review: The vampire comedy goes out on top appeared first on JoBlo.

Plot: Follows a grieving therapist who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives … including his own.

Review: When the first season of Shrinking premiered in January 2023, I called it one of the year’s best shows. Audiences felt the same as the follow-up series from Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence alongside Brett Goldstein and Jason Segel. It was warmly received for its balance of humor and emotional storylines. Almost two years later, the sophomore run of Shrinking is finally debuting on AppleTV+ with the main ensemble back for more psychological shenanigans. Segel and Harrison Ford continue to shine alongside Jessica Williams, Christa Miller, Michael Urie, Ted McGinley, Lukita Maxwell, and Luke Tennie, with some new faces joining the cast. Shrinking continues to shine a light on the harder aspects of love, grief, illness, and relationships while doing so with a positive bend that echoes the inspirational and aspirational tone of Ted Lasso.

Season one of Shrinking found therapist Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel) surfacing from a drug and alcohol-fueled bender after the death of his wife. Jimmy discovered that when he shifted his perspective from safe therapeutic practices and took risks, it worked to help his patients while also giving him the boost he needed to function as a doctor, friend, and parent to teen daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell). Despite warnings from his mentor, Paul Rhoades (Harrison Ford), Jimmy took on Sean (Luke Tennie), a war vet suffering from PTSD. Not only did Sean move into Jimmy’s home, but he became a family friend. As the season progressed, Jimmy began a sexual relationship with his wife’s best friend and fellow therapist, Gaby (Jessica Williams), while re-engaging with his best friend Brian (Michael Urie). Jimmy also got closer to his nosy but loving neighbor, Liz (Christa Miller). At the end of the first season, Jimmy dealt with his patient Grace (Heidi Gardner), almost murdering her husband based on his advice.

Season two picks right up from where the first left off. Gaby is struggling with her relationship with Jimmy, while Alice is worried her father may backslide into his addictive behavior. Paul is doing well with his girlfriend, Julie (Wendy Malick), and Sean is successfully running his own food truck. Jimmy is finding it hard to deal with Grace’s actions last season, but he is pushing through until the return of the drunk driver responsible for Tia’s death. This season shows new relationships forged, especially the stronger friendship between Gaby and Liz, which affords Jessica Williams and Christa Miller a lot of solid back and forth. Ted McGinley also gets a larger role this season, while Michael Urie is charming as always as Brian and Charlie pursue adopting a baby. We get more time with Jimmy’s more unique patients, including Wally (Kimberly Condict). All of the storylines move well through the season, changing a lot across the twelve-episode run.

The main additions to this season are Damon Wayans Jr and Brett Goldstein. I won’t spoil who either actor plays in the series, but they fit well into the dynamic of this ensemble. As co-creator of the series, Goldstein is very different than his Ted Lasso character Roy Kent. Some may expect him to be gruff and vulgar, but this character shows Goldstein’s range as an actor. Damon Wayans Jr is equally good at playing for laughs but handles the dramatic side of this series as well. The central cast continues to gel as an ensemble, especially Lukita Maxwell and Luke Tennie as the younger cast members, but this is still a solid showcase for both Jason Segel and Harrison Ford. Ford is more natural and likable as the gruff Paul than he has been in any big screen role in his career. The mentor/parental bond between Paul and Jimmy really drives this series forward, with the interplay between any combination of characters working seamlessly. This is a testament to the talented actors as much as the writers.

Jason Segel does not boast any writing credits this season; Bill Lawrence is credited as a co-writer on the finale, and Brett Goldstein on two episodes. Zack Bornstein, Kyra Brown, CJ Hoke, Sasha Garron, and Ashley Nicole Black join the writing team alongside all of the returning scribes from season one. At the same time, Zach Braff returns to direct episodes, continuing his relationship with Bill Lawrence from their Scrubs days. Randall Keenan Winston returns as director for the longer season as well. Everyone behind the scenes does solid work here. Shrinking continues to mine the positives and pitfalls of therapy, using the inspiration of psychiatrist Phil Stutz to lend realism to this story. There is so much going on in each half-hour episode that you will need a few minutes to unpack what develops for each character. I have never been more thankful to Apple for releasing episodes weekly than as a binge.

Shrinking continues to thrive as a comedy that is about feeling good as much as it is about just feeling. Emotions and mental health are not always easy topics to handle, and while Ted Lasso found a unique way to deliver positivity through the lens of sports and team camaraderie, Shrinking is a more direct look at the licensed mental health experts in our lives and how their own personal networks of friends and family can help them cope with their own ups and downs. Shrinking is once again one of the year’s best shows, thanks to Jason Segel and Harrison Ford fronting an ensemble that does not have a single weak spot. It is impossible not to like this show or these characters because they reflect our real lives, albeit much funnier.

The second season of Shrinking premieres on October 16th on AppleTV+.

Shrinking

PERFECTO-MUNDO

10

The post Shrinking Season 2 TV Review: Jason Segel and Harrison Ford continue to shine appeared first on JoBlo.

Plot: Following the events of the Survivor series, Lara Croft has abandoned her friends to embark on increasingly more perilous solo adventures. But she must return home when a dangerous and powerful Chinese artifact is stolen from Croft Manor by a thief with an uncanny personal connection. Her daring pursuit will take her on an adventure around the world and to the depths of forgotten tombs, where she will be forced to confront her true self, and decide just what kind of hero she wants to become.

Review: The Tomb Raider franchise has always been stronger as a video game than it has been in live-action. The two Angelina Jolie-led feature films and the Alicia Vikander-led reboot were met with lukewarm reception. While the reboot hewed closer to the grittier tone of the more recent video games, none of the adaptations have captured the energy of Lara Croft in the way the franchise deserves. The Crystal Dynamics-produced Survivor trilogy, comprised of Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, was universally beloved by critics and fans as the best run in the series’ history. After the third and final game, the series now turns to an animated adaptation that continues the video game trilogy and a bridge from the prequels to the original entry in the Croft saga. Led by Hayley Atwell as Lara Croft, this Netflix animated series balances the humor and quick wit of the title character with an epic, globe-trotting adventure that fans will greatly appreciate.

Opening with a flashback to her time hunting for a Latin American artifact that shared a connection with Chinese history, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft begins with the title character mourning the loss of Conrad Roth (Nolan North), her Uncle, and dealing with her father’s legacy. When Lara (Hayley Atwell) decides to auction off all of Richard Croft’s artifacts, she runs into a thief named Charles Deveraux (Richard Armitage), who connects the Croft family and the mysterious item known as the Curse of God. Drawing on her experiences from the Survivor game trilogy, Lara teams with her friends Jonah (Earl Baylon) and Zip (Allen Maldonado) to reclaim the artifact and stop Deveraux from kick-starting another cataclysmic event. You know, typical Tomb Raider shenanigans. This also marks Zip’s first appearance since the 2008 game Tomb Raider: Underworld.

The series, having jumped over the trauma of how Lara lost Roth and the rift it drove between her and Sam Nishimura (Karen Fukuhara) and Joslin Reyes (Mara Junot), blends flashbacks to Lara’s trauma with her new adventure to find Deveraux. The eight-episode season brings the video game’s penchant for puzzles and riddles into the forefront rather than trying to make it into something different. A clear narrative thread connects the entire series, which owes a huge debt to the heavy character development from the three video games that directly preceded it. But, as dark as those games were, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is lighter, breezier, and more fun. That does not mean it waters down the subject matter, as this animated series is not afraid to shed some blood. Some fans may not immediately like the style of this series, which is a staple of Netflix animated projects. Still, you cannot say that the series differs greatly from the source material besides the more colorful palette.

What helps this Tomb Raider excel where the films have failed is the charisma of Hayley Atwell. Best known for her work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Peggy Carter as well as Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Atwell has been a charming presence for years. Imbuing Lara Croft with some emotional depth to balance her smart-ass attitude, Atwell is not as distant and cold a figure as Angelina Jolie was, nor is she as scrappy as Alicia Vikander. Because Camilla Luddington’s work portraying Croft in the Survivor games set the tone, Atwell can take the character to the next level. The addition of the other voice actors opposite Atwell, including Zoe Boyle as Camilla and Roxana Ortega as Abby, fleshes out this series from being considered just a cartoon to being held up as a more respectable action series, animated or otherwise.

Developed by Tasha Huo, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft does a solid job of blending the mythology of the original series of games alongside the rebooted continuity. Huo previously wrote for the Netflix series The Witcher: Blood Origin and the upcoming Red Sonja film. Powerhouse Animation and Red Dog led the way with the animation work on the series. Powerhouse Animation has been a consistent presence in recent years with work on series including Castlevania, Blood of Zeus, Skull Island, and Masters of the Universe: Revelation. Their style is consistent and does not shift much in Tomb Raider, which may create hesitancy in viewers who are not fans of the anime style. Nevertheless, it works here even if it is not the realistic style the video games have become known for, but it still allows for this first of two greenlit seasons to be enjoyable.

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is a fun adventure in the video game universe that builds on the existing mythology and continuity rather than forging its own path. Blending existing characters with new ones works well, and the eight-episode run wraps with a lead-in for the already greenlit season two. Hayley Atwell is a phenomenal Lara Croft, even if it is only in voice. This is a fun series that fans of video games will appreciate, and that is mainstream enough to allow newcomers to join the adventure of Lara Croft and her team of treasure hunters. I don’t think this series will usurp plans for another live-action Tomb Raider movie, but producers of the next film should take a cue from the tone and style of this animated offering when developing the next big screen outing.

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft premieres on October 10th on Netflix.

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

GOOD

7

The post Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft TV Review: Hayley Atwell kicks ass as the video game icon appeared first on JoBlo.

PLOT: After finding the gold at El Dorado, the Pogues return to the OBX and commit to having a “normal” life. They’ve built themselves a new haven, officially dubbed “Poguelandia 2.0”, where they live together and run a fairly successful bait, tackle, and charter tour shop. But after some financial setbacks, John B, Sarah, Kiara, JJ, Pope, and Cleo take Wes up on his offer, drawn back into the “G” game for a whole new adventure.

REVIEW: There are few shows that Netflix has seen greater success with than Outer Banks. With its hot young cast and focus on fun over logic, it’s proven to be a great escape for many people. Following a group of friends known as The Pogues, each season has a different treasure to hunt down. Having already found the gold of El Dorado Now starting its fourth season with an 18-month time jump, there’s a new goal in its sights: Blackbeard’s sunken treasure.

I will be 100% honest: I’m not a day one Outer Banks fan and only was acquainted with the show over the last month. So I’m sure there’s going to be some subtle stuff that I miss or things that long-term fans care about, that I may simply not. And as much as I’m a big horror guy, I also have a soft spot for teen TV dramas so I’ll still give it a fair shake. And as a millennial, the clear comparisons to The OC made this one easy to digest.

Outer Banks season 4 picks up with the Pogues trying to put their lives back together and decide what to do with the money they earned from El Dorado. So they decide to open up a bait and tackle stand along the beach. Not sure how big of moneymakers those tend to be but they felt confident putting their million-plus reward into it. Pollyanna McIntosh is the season’s Big Bad, though we mostly see her right-hand man, Lightner (Rigo Sanchez). They’re properly over the top in their evilness. They’re also after Blackbeard’s treasure but, given the motivation of money, it’s hard to root for the Pogues either. I’d rather the treasure just not be found by either group.

Hilariously, one of the big conflicts for the season is that The Pogues have to get enough money to pay their property taxes on the business. You’d think they’d already have enough money left over from their treasure hunting expedition but that’s explained away through a lost beach race. The writers constantly have to put self-imposed roadblocks just to keep the characters’ backs against the wall. It comes across as extremely lazy writing. Most of the dramatic elements feel really silly and the show has a hard time presenting hard conversations. When things are lighthearted and fun, it’s a good time. But it can be a bit eye-roll-worthy when they try to do something more serious story beats. But I will give them credit, they handle romance well. For the most part.

John B. and Sarah Cameron tend to be the “A couple” but this season they take more of a backseat. Who’s to say if this was always the plan or just a logistical solution? I’ve always had a fascination with the fact that Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline had a very public breakup, yet have still had to perform as a couple on the show. It’s something I can’t help but notice in each episode, whether it’s body language or a lack of scenes with the two of them. There’s no doubt that it’s affected the trajectory of this couple on the show, but they don’t seem to be hinting at any trouble in paradise. So kudos to the actors for being so professional. But it means John B and Sarah are just kind of…there during the events this season.

Kiara and JJ have really taken over as the main characters of the group. Sure, Outer Banks still does a good job of balancing between all of the Pogues, but they seem to have the most interesting plotlines. Even during a heated moment on the beach, Sarah and John B simply stay behind, allowing Kiara and JJ to have a big dramatic standoff with the Kooks. They have the most to do and have some of the more dramatic reveals of the season. Pope and Cleo are paired off but mostly feel like characters used for plot advancement. Need exposition or an info dump? Use Pope. Need a damsel in distress? Use Cleo. Their characters feel a bit shortchanged because of it.

The first half of this Outer Banks season ends on quite the cliffhanger, with JJ’s parentage finally being addressed in a more concrete way. There are clearly going to be some interesting revelations in the second half of the season. I think your enjoyment is going to hinge on just how much you can suspend your disbelief. One big issue with Netflix splitting up their seasons (in an effort to stretch out subscription lengths) is that the narratives feel cut off at the knee. Just as the season is getting into the swing of things, it’s already over. And honestly, not a whole lot even happened. Sure, the Pogues have their new mission, but everything is still developing to the point where it’s hard to tell where the second half will even end up. But the first half was very average, devoid of any major plot developments save for a brief moment to intrigue viewers for Part 2.

OUTER BANKS: SEASON FOUR PART ONE STREAMS ON NETFLIX ON OCTOBER 10TH, 2024.

Outer Banks

AVERAGE

6

The post Outer Banks: Season 4 Review – We Saw Part 1 of OBX’s Return! appeared first on JoBlo.

PLOT: Follows a disparate group of people in rural Georgia who must come together in the face of a mysterious threat in order to survive. Inspired by the New York Times bestselling novel “Stinger” by Robert McCammon.

REVIEW: The name James Wan attached to a production likely makes you think you are in for something similar to The Conjuring or Insidious. The filmmaker has become synonymous with scary movies as much as he has directed big-budget tentpoles like Aquaman and Furious 7. Still, his prowess as a producer has fostered several cool projects under his Atomic Monster banner in recent years. The new series Teacup carries Wan’s name recognition but is the brainchild of Ian McCulloch. Inspired by the Robert McCammon novel Stinger, Teacup is a unique and original foray into genre storytelling that combines horror, science fiction, and family drama for a creepy drama series that is much more than the teasers will have you believe.

Set on the isolated farmstead of the Chenoweth family, Teacup opens with Maggie (Yvonne Strahovski) and her husband, James (Scott Speedman), dealing with a personal rift. Their relationship is tenuously held together for the sake of their daughter, Meryl (Emilie Bierre), and young son, Arlo (Caleb Dolden), along with James’ mother, Ellen (Kathy Baker). When neighbors Ruben Shanley (Chaske Spencer), his wife Valeria (Diany Rodriguez), and son Nicholas (Luciano Leroux) bring their injured horse to be checked out by Maggie, they must also search for Arlo, who goes missing in the woods. Donald Kelly (Boris McGiver) arrives looking for his lost dog, and soon, they all find themselves trapped by a mysterious force that will brutally kill them if they cross it. Gas-masked sporting stranger McNab (Rob Morgan) warns them not to cross the line, and soon, they all learn that a more sinister situation is unfolding that echoes the popular video game Among Us: an entity has arrived that leaves everyone wondering who the wolf is lurking amongst the sheep.

Thrust together the families include complexities that I will not spoil here that add to the challenge of staying alive with people you do not fully trust. The arrival of outsiders who know what the entity is adds to the complex narrative at play in the series. What I anticipated to be a supernatural or horror series is much more layered as Teacup hews closer to science fiction. The core narrative remains similar to the novel that inspired it, but Teacup changes the setting from an urban setting to the rural environs of Georgia. The diverse cast centers on family units and how parents and children react when their seemingly idyllic lives are disrupted in an apocalyptic fashion. There is a War of the Worlds sensibility to Teacup that echoes the isolationist feel of Stephen King’s Under the Dome. Still, keeping the ensemble small gives us more time with each character as they develop over the first eight-season episode.

What helps sell Teacup is the talented cast. Led by Yvonne Strahovski, best known for the spy series Chuck and her awards-worthy turn in The Handmaid’s Tale, the cast fully inhabit their characters. Scott Speedman plays a more mature variation on his character from The Strangers, while Boris McGiver is great in a less creepy role compared to his recent turn in M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant. Chaske Spencer (Echo) and Rob Morgan (Daredevil) are both fantastic as always, especially Morgan, who is a chameleon in supporting roles but has much more to do in this prominent performance. The younger cast members are good, with Caleb Dolden evoking an eerie character well beyond his years. Kathy Baker is a welcome return to the small screen, but this series never feels small despite the limited distance the characters can venture. That isolation helps add to the anxiety and tension in the story while setting up what will come next if the series gets a sophomore run.

Series creator Ian McCulloch has experience writing on procedural series like Chicago Fire and Deputy but uses his time scripting for Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone to mine the familial drama and tension that is central to Teacup. Yes, this is a genre project, but it focuses more on the characters than the supernatural. Four directors split duties helming the eight-episode first season, including E.L. Katz (The Haunting of Bly Manor, V/H/S/94), John Hyams (Chucky), Chloe Okuno (Let The Right One In), and Kevin Tancharoen (Titans, Warriors). All of the directors have experience with genre projects and use the look and feel of horror and sci-fi to subvert expectations with this story. Yes, there is a reliance on special effects in places to augment the eerie and otherworldly parts of the narrative. Still, most of Teacup is told in a grounded, realistic way that focuses on this story’s psychological and human side, which is anything but grounded in reality.

By parsing out Teacup in half-hour chapters, Ian McCulloch has crafted a series that shifts from what you expect in the trailers within the first thirty minutes and then continues to upend your expectations with every subsequent episode. Teacup is not horror, but it is scary. It is not science fiction, nor is it solely a realistic drama. Regardless of genre conventions, this series is a thriller with a unique twist that keeps you engaged and trying to figure out the truth from the opening scene to the credits of the season finale. This is not a limited series, so there is a plan to expand this story beyond this first thread of the narrative, setting Teacup to potentially be the next big serial drama hit. I had a blast watching this story and figuring out what would come next. I would have liked some more concrete answers by the end of the season, but I am bought into sticking with this story wherever it goes next.

Teacup premieres with two episodes on Peacock on October 10th.

Teacup

GOOD

7

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Plot:  After a devastating loss, Esteban “La Máquina” Osuna is at a low point in his boxing career. Lucky for him, his manager and best friend Andy Lujan is determined to get him back on top. But when a nefarious organization rears its head, the stakes of this rematch become life or death. While struggling to mount a comeback, Esteban must also juggle his own personal demons and protect his family, including his ex-wife Irasema, a journalist who finds herself on a collision course with the dark side of the boxing world.

Review: While many boxing films and series have focused on the sports aspect, La Maquina skews towards the fallout and repercussions of being a successful athlete. Lifelong friends Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal have starred in four films together and produced countless more, but La Maquina is their first television project. Coming twenty-three years since they co-starred in the classic Y Tu Mama Tambien, Luna and Bernal have experienced success together and apart, with each having been involved in the worlds of Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, respectively. Told across six episodes, La Maquina is a powerful drama that showcases what Luna, Bernal, and Eiza Gonzalez are capable of in a narrative that originally treads familiar territory before differentiating itself as the plot unfolds. As Hulu’s first original Spanish language effort, this impressive production blends sports, drama, and humor for a unique series event.

La Maquina follows the lifelong friendship between boxer Esteban “La Maquina” Osuna (Gael Garcia Bernal) and his manager Andy (Diego Luna). Esteban is at the tail end of his successful career as a fighter and is poised for a championship match when he loses spectacularly. Desperately needing a financial windfall dependent on Esteban, Andy orchestrates a quick rematch and does whatever it takes to ensure it goes off in their favor. All the while, Esteban contemplates his life after boxing, including his relationship with his two sons and his ex-wife, Irasema (Eiza Gonzalez). Esteban also must face the fallout of a career of getting punched as he begins experiencing hallucinations, which may be a sign of a more serious medical diagnosis. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that more than just athletics is at play as a sinister force returns to collect what they are owed.

Both Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna are immeasurably talented performers and have distinct characters in La Maquina. Esteban is the more grounded character whose challenges romantically and emotionally are subtly played on screen as Bernal carries a full range of emotion in his eyes alone. We learn so much about his life, especially his difficult childhood, through flashbacks that Bernal must encapsulate all of that through facial expressions. Conversely, Diego Luna is almost unrecognizable as Andy, with a wig, lip fillers, make-up, and more cosmetic enhancements that do little to hide Andy’s massive inferiority complex, which is accentuated by a creepy relationship he shares with his mother, Josefina (Lucia Mendez). As their friendship begins to crack under the immense stress of their business relationship and familial bonds, Bernal and Luna portray Esteban and Andy as fictional shadows of their real-life friendship, much like how their chemistry came to the screen in Y Tu Mama Tambien, Luna and Bernal manage to imbue these characters with a similar bond decades after that classic Alfonso Cuaron film.

As good as Bernal and Luna are here, Eiza Gonzalez is phenomenal. Despite being over a decade younger than her co-stars, Gonzalez holds her own as the veteran journalist and ex-wife of Esteban. There is definitely a love shared between these three characters that runs deep, and Irasema serves as a voice of reason, as well as the one who calls Esteban and Andy on their lies and excuses. Gonzalez has shown a prowess for strong leading characters, which she carries into this supporting role. Because La Maquina is fully in Spanish, all three actors show that they and the supporting cast can bring as much intensity to roles regardless of the language of the project. Set in various locations ranging from multiple in Mexico to Las Vegas and beyond, La Maquina often straddles the line between genres but never feels like a foreign production but rather a global one.

Based on an original story developed by Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, Julian Herbert, and Monika Revilla, La Maquina is directed by Gabriel Ripstein and has scripts by Marco Ramirez, Andres Fischer-Centeno, and others. The six-episode series starts out dramatically with a long take that shifts into some elements of humor before completely shifting into drama again. There is a surreal nature to some of the story, which begins to take on more complex elements involving drugs, murder, crime, abuse, and some other reveals, which I will not spoil here. By the penultimate episode, La Maquina reaches a precipice that risks alienating the audience with a bold plot twist that surely pays off in the finale. Because the series is the brainchild of the two lead actors, La Maquina carries an additional heft thanks to the personal investment from both Luna and Bernal.

La Maquina is more focused on the fallout and tangential impact of boxing rather than being a sports story. Sport is key to who Esteban Osuna is and how Andy reaches the level of success that he does, but unlike the short-lived FX series Lights Out or the Rocky and Creed franchises, La Maquina uses boxing as an entry into the lives of these characters while exploring the depths that Esteban and Andy must go to as they try to reconcile their personal demons with their public success. Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna are phenomenal actors in everything they do, but they reach a different level when they work together. La Maquina is a wonderful companion piece to their previous collaborations and deserves to be seen by fans of the actors and those who love solid dramatic stories.

La Maquina premieres all six episodes on October 9th on Hulu.

La Máquina

GREAT

8

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PLOT: Follows the crew of an unloved franchise movie fighting for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe. The comedy series shines a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking, to ask the question — how exactly does the cinematic sausage get made?

REVIEW: HBO has certainly struck gold with The Penguin, once again cementing the cable network as a powerhouse of original series in the age of streaming saturation. But for every great HBO drama, there are iconic comedies that the network has needed since the end of Veep. Blending the insider knowledge of acclaimed filmmaker Sam Mendes and the biting satirical wit of Armando Iannucci, HBO has their next hit series in The Franchise. Mocking the world of Marvel and other studio intellectual property, The Franchise looks at the behind-the-scenes tension while filming a comic book adaptation. Teasing the conflicting personalities, actor foibles and quirks, and the insane influence of producers and executives, The Franchise is the funniest series of the year and one that is bound to appeal to those getting tired of superhero movies as much as those who still enjoy them.

Over eight episodes, The Franchise chronicles the production of Tecto: Eye of the Storm, starring rising actor Adam Randolph (Billy Magnussen) as the earthquake glove-wielding Tecto opposite acclaimed actor Peter Fairchild (Richard E. Grant) as the villainous Eye. Directed by auteur Eric Bouchard (Daniel Bruhl), Tecto does not have a lot of support from the studio, namely the Kevin Feige-esque studio exec Pat (Darren Goldstein). When new producer Anita (Aya Cash) is brought in to reset the production, the crew responds by scrambling to salvage the movie and their careers. This includes First Assistant Director Daniel Kumar (Himesh Patel) and his new Third Assistant Director, Dag (Lolly Adefope). The crew encounters conflict with a rival production, temperamental cast, special guest stars, re-writes, Comic-Con announcements, continuity, product placement, cancel culture, and more. You know, all in a day’s work on a big-budget blockbuster.

Each episode is set on a specific production day and lampoons the overuse of CGI and the toll it takes on the VFX staff. Aside from Adam and Peter, the only other actors we meet are played by Katherine Waterston and Nick Kroll, as well as one guy in a mo-cap suit who serves as a placeholder for virtually every other role in the film. However, as each challenge is overcome, bigger ones are put in their way, forcing the crew to band together. Eric deals with hiccups and an obsession with Christopher Nolan. Daniel’s aspirations to become a director were at odds with his shared history with Anita when they both started in the business. There is also Eric’s script supervisor, Steph (Jessica Hynes), who harbors a crush on an actor on set, and assistant Bryson (Isaac Powell), who must run point as a yes-man for everyone else. The ensemble is all solid and very funny, especially when you take into context the franchise experience many of them have, including Aya Cash in The Boys, Richard E. Grant in Loki and Star Wars, Billy Magnussen in Aladdin and James Bond, Himesh Patel in Nolan’s Tenet, and especially Daniel Bruhl from multiple projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Franchise will not be for everyone. The lingo and parlance of film sets may go over many viewers’ heads, but it was hilariously on point for someone like me who follows the daily details of Hollywood productions. Like Veep‘s skewering of politics, The Franchise does not pull any punches in giving the movie business a swift kick in the nuts. It also helps that the entire cast is having fun mocking projects that many of them have personally been involved with. In this era of set leaks, internet forum lambasting, and paparazzi photos taken out of context, this new series resonates more than it would have twenty years ago and benefits from the first-hand experience of Sam Mendes, who developed the series and directs the first episode. Mendes’ own experience with the James Bond franchise, Skyfall and Spectre, certainly inspired elements of this series. Still, The Franchise feels squarely aimed at the MCU, which is even funnier because HBO is part of Warner Bros, which controls the DC Universe.

While Veep‘s Armando Iannucci does not boast writing or directing credits on The Franchise, his signature style is clearly in play, having developed the story alongside Mendes. Iannucci’s last HBO series, Avenue 5, never found the audience it needed to stay on the air, but this series feels destined for greater success. Sam Mendes and Armando Iannucci’s story was developed by Jon Brown, who is credited as the series creator, showrunner, and writer on the pilot episode. Brown’s resume includes work on Iannucci’s Veep and Avenue 5 and on HBO’s Succession, giving him major credibility on this project. Subsequent episodes of The Franchise are directed by Liza Johnson, Tom George, and others with writers including Tony Rich, Rachel Axler, and Dillon Mapletoft. Everyone here seems to be having a lot of fun lambasting studio projects with very few punches pulled in, mocking faceless studio honchos all the way down to the day players and crew who never get the credit they are due.

The Franchise is a very specific and targeted send-up of the very industry and projects that the producers and crew of this series are a part of. There is a lot of potential for The Franchise to continue making fun of Hollywood blockbusters for seasons to come with this eight-episode season, never overstaying its welcome while still cramming in copious jokes at the expense of Hollywood studios. With great performances from everyone, led by a hilariously deadpan Himesh Patel, The Franchise should be HBO’s next big hit. I laughed out loud multiple times throughout the series, especially during the back half of the season, with the cameos (both real and fictional) making this a long-awaited satire of superhero fatigue.

The Franchise premieres on October 6th on HBO.

The Franchise

GREAT

8

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PLOT: A series of heinous crimes have unsettled a small community. Detective Lois Tryon feels these crimes are eerily personal, as if someone—or something—is taunting her. At home, Lois grapples with a strained relationship with her daughter, a husband in long-term hospital care and her own inner demons. With no leads and unsure of where to turn, she accepts the help of Sister Megan, a nun and journalist with the Catholic Guardian. Sister Megan, with her own difficult past, has seen the worst of humanity, yet she still believes in its capacity for good. Lois, on the other hand, fears the world is succumbing to evil. As Lois and Sister Megan string together clues, they find themselves ensnared in a sinister web that only seems to raise more questions than answers.

REVIEW: Think about the worst thing you could never unsee boiling in a pot. This line of dialogue spoken by Niecy Nash-Betts in the first episode of Grotesquerie perfectly sums up Ryan Murphy’s latest FX series. The third new production from Murphy in as many weeks, following Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix and American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez on FX (with a fourth, Doctor Odyssey, premiering this week as well), Grotesquerie takes viewers back to the wholly fictional scary stories the talented showrunner started with on American Horror Story. While Murphy’s flagship horror series tells scary stories with a decidedly supernatural bend, Grotesquerie blends the frightening with the realistic in a combination of police procedural and thriller that echoes The Silence of the Lambs and David Fincher’s Seven for what may be the writer/producer’s best effort in years.

Capitalizing on Niecy Nash-Betts’ acclaimed performance in Dahmer, Ryan Murphy has cast her in the lead role of Lois Tryon, a veteran police detective with a drinking problem. While Lois struggles with a morbidly obese daughter, Merritt (Raven Goodwin), and a comatose husband, Marshall (Courtney B. Vance), she is called in to investigate a crime scene that is beyond shocking. With Grotesquerie airing on FX and Hulu, I expected the visuals to be somewhat toned down. Still, the graphic first murder scene involves children, blood, and intentional staging that immediately brings to mind NBC’s Hannibal and the beauty hidden within the disturbing. Lois is taken aback by what she sees and even more so when a nun, Sister Megan (Micaela Diamond), arrives to report on the heinous deaths for a Catholic newspaper. Lois detects something slightly off about the kooky nun, but their partnership immediately develops as the crimes pile up.

Within the first two episodes of Grotesquerie, we witness four different crime scenes, all of which are successively more elaborate than the previous. Lois recedes into her liquor while Sister Megan is appalled and attracted to the crimes. Sister Megan confides in her editor, Father Charlie (Nicholas Alexander Chavez, most recently seen as Lyle Menendez in Murphy’s Monsters), who is fascinated with the macabre and some secret fetishes. Lois tries to contend with what she has seen while also dealing with a sexually voracious healthcare worker, Nurse Redd (Lesley Manville), who may or may not be taking advantage of Lois’ comatose husband. The crimes and Lois’ home life collide often as Grotesquerie, the self-named serial killer, seems to form a bond with the cop hunting them down. The series is structured to make us question whether any protagonists could be serial killers or just wacky players, as we have come to expect from Ryan Murphy productions.

Niecy Nash-Betts once again proves she is an underrated actress with her performance as Lois Tryon. Having worked for decades in comedy roles, including Reno 911! and The Bernie Mac Show, Nash-Betts only recently has been able to showcase her dramatic chops, including a lead role in The Rookie: Feds and Dahmer. This character feels tailor-made for the actress who runs the gamut in emotional range in these first episodes while never feeling miscast in the least. Equally good is Micaela Diamond, best known for her stage work as a singer and actress, who gives Sister Megan just enough quirkiness to keep us wondering if she is altogether sane. It may be too early in Grotesquerie to judge how the series will balance elements of dark humor with the deeply serious subject matter, but so far, it feels like this series is aiming for a unique tone about American Horror Story and American Crime Story. We have yet to see how Travis Kelce factors into the story this season, but any time you can get an acclaimed British actor like Lesley Manville to play a character as surreal and broad as this, you must have some tricks up your sleeve.

I have watched each and every Ryan Murphy series since Popular and Nip/Tuck. Grotesquerie feels distinct from the super-producer’s last dozen or so projects. Co-created with Jon Robin Baitz, Murphy’s collaborator on Feud: Capote vs. The Swans and Doctor Odyssey, and Joe Baken, Grotesquerie has the signature Murphy look and subject matter but handles it differently. This story could have been a season of American Horror Story, but the campiness is virtually non-existent in this show so far. Murphy’s recent forays into procedurals and true crime stories have certainly impacted the flow of his new projects. Still, the absence of his repertory players from this cast helps the series feel fresher. Murphy brings back multiple talented directors from prior projects, including Max Winkler. Winkler has helmed entries in American Horror Story, American Horror Stories, The Wathcer, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, and Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menedez Story, and directs half of the ten-episode season of Grotesquerie. The other episodes come from Elegance Bratton and Alexis Martin Woodall, who bring to life the scripts written entirely by Murphy, Baitz, and Baken.

Grotesquerie has a cohesiveness that has been missing from recent Murphy products, which are rectified by the co-creators writing the entire series. I went in with pre-conceived notions that this would fit alongside any number of Murphy’s prior projects, but instead, it draws from them all while forging a voice that sets it apart. Grotesquerie is disturbing but not yet scary, and yet I am drawn to it because I want to know who the killer is as much as I want to learn more about Loius Tryon. Niecy Nash-Betts is a formidable presence on screen but also a deeply human performer who can be funny and brash when she needs to be but never ceases to make this character feel real. One of Ryan Murphy’s biggest issues in his fictional series is the ability to make the characters seem real rather than larger-than-life, and he and his colleagues may have finally done it with Grotesquerie. It is early to make a final judgment on this one, but I am invested in this series in a way I have not felt with a Ryan Murphy project since the early days of American Horror Story.

Grotesquerie debuts two episodes weekly on FX beginning September 25th.

Grotesquerie

GOOD

7

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PLOT: WWE experienced record-breaking highs and crushing lows under Vince McMahon’s leadership and the mogul’s controversial reign.

REVIEW: When you think about Professional Wrestling, the images of Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and Stone Cold Steve Austin likely spring to the forefront. Yet arguably the most important person in the history of the business is former WWE owner Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr. Through his Mr. McMahon character, he was able to become the most villainous figure in all of wrestling. But it turns out that villainous persona wasn’t far off from the real-life man. Bill Simmons takes aim at it all in his Netflix documentary, Mr. McMahon.

What started as a puff piece about the CEO of the company became a different monster entirely after allegations surfaced against Vince in 2022. The documentary had actually already been completed, only for them to have to add additional material based on the allegations. And honestly, had this controversy not happened, Mr. McMahon would have been the most vanilla doc possible. There are some brutal talking points but the rest can be a bit of a slog to get to them. Rather than a doc focused on Vince, it really shifts into telling the history of WWE more often than not. Some of it is necessary as the viewer needs context for the depraved stuff happening behind the scenes by showing the depraved stuff happening on screen. But as a lifelong wrestling fan, it mostly feels old hat.

The doc establishes early that Vince is an unreliable narrator but that could be said for most in the wrestling world. Notorious overindulger, Hulk Hogan continues his streak of fibbing about events, then nonchalantly talking about how he destroyed a possible wrestling union. He just can’t seem to get the carny out of him. The same could be said of most of the talking heads, who have a history of falsely portraying events. They are wrestlers after all. The line between reality and kayfabe has always been a bit complicated.

One of the most disturbing moments comes when discussing the first ever women’s referee Rita Chatterton (known as Rita Marie in the ring). She had accused Vince of rape in the 80s, which sadly never went anywhere. But it’s very telling that, on camera, Vince says “It wasn’t rape… But if I had, the statute of limitations has run out.” Combine that with the episode stinger that stated, after the statute of limitations for rape had time passed removed, Chatterton sued again—this time Vince settled for millions. Certainly points towards a bit of guilt. Then the Janel Grant allegations are enough to make my stomach turn over.

Anyone who has been paying attention to the world of professional wrestling over the last twenty years isn’t going to be too shocked by the revelations in Mr. McMahon. The first five episodes go over basic info that has been floating around wrestling forums for years. But those on the outside of that world are certainly going to be in for a storm of information. It isn’t until episode 6 that we finally get into the new allegations against McMahon. Given that these haven’t been the subject matter of countless documentaries like the other incidents, this is where the most intrigue lies in the entire documentary. The allegations are truly horrendous. And it’s really the one episode that’s essential viewing.

As a big wrestling fan, this documentary feels more like an attempt to bring the general public up to speed on the crazy stuff McMahon has done over the years. But any hardcore wrestling fan is already going to know the information presented here. It’s well-produced and edited, but the info is mostly the same as we’ve been hearing for decades. If anything, if any of these stories interest you, I’d recommend looking into them further as there are other docs that go fully into these tragedies in more detail. Mr. McMahon is a mostly surface level at an ego-maniac, intent on power and control. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an additional episode in a few years with all the fallout from the many lawsuits against McMahon. Because this is clearly just the beginning of THAT story.

MR. MCMAHON IS STREAMING ON NETFLIX ON SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2024.

Mr. McMahon

GOOD

7

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