Mandy Dunkle

Now that shows like Fringe, Lost and the like are over...Haven is still around providing the viewers a much needed place for earth-bound SciFi. With its "Trouble of the Week" stories (much like a monster of the week) and the back-story of its main characters, the awesome acting skills of Emily Rose who plays at least four different characters (sometimes in the same episode!) over a period of time both past and present, is a great acting range and gives this scenic town a much needed breath of fresh air.

Filmed entirely in Canada with predominately ALL Canadian actors (sans Rose & Eric Balfour), it's a sleepy little hit that tugs at your heartstrings, brings in the romantic triangles and brings out your want for good to overcome evil.

A little bit Charmed, a little Witches of Eastwick, and the hints of Asgard land of Thor thrown all into one. This female-led family has an almost campy sense to it, yet they know it. It has a lot of what is found on Lifetime's schedule (sensual, cheesy romance) only that they're allow to swear more and wear even less then what is shown on network TV.

It's an interesting concept and the ladies are all lovely to look at and watch. Julia Ormond plays the mother and is absolutely the mama bear, but watch out! You don't want to cross her path in the ways of magic. The characters are fun and interesting and where it may get somewhat over-the-top, it's purely a show for summer fun. It's like a good romance novel that you can't put down.

Based on semi-true experiences and tales from a real psychic, the show follows Melinda Gordon (Hewitt) with her backstory as a clairvoyant who can see and talk to earth-bound spirits since childhood to her marriage and life in a sleepy town where she manages an antique shop.

It is through the shop that she meets these ghosts and some of their "unfinished business" counterparts (family, friends that are still living) that Melinda works through and with to help send the ghosts "into the light" and bring peace to both parties.

The show lasted for many seasons on CBS and did focus initially on a "ghost of the week" storyline, until the stories started to turn into more of a direct connection to Melinda and her family/friends on the series. The last few seasons really focused on this and connection to her son who possessed the same, if not greater abilities as Melinda.

A very low-key show in the way of any sort of horror, but still could bring the creep and scary factor for the light-hearted or unsuspecting viewer. Overall, the cast seemed very connected and true to their characters and brought a lot of depth to the episodes and plot lines and carried a basic promise that you are not alone and that love is the everlasting bond that connects us.

Lasting only two 13 episode seasons, The Carrie Diaries tried to bring a second set of Millennials a taste of the world they've been copying for the past five years...the 80s. Great casting came in the form of AnnaSophia Robb as Carrie Bradshaw, fresh from the loss of her mother and starting her junior year in high school. The show was able to depict a fairly decent reality check to the fashion of the day, music and the need to have an abundance of EVERYTHING. Especially for those in NYC at the time, it wasn't all dark and dramatic but especially a watered-down, PG-13 version of the original show. Granted, this was for a 16-year-old audience and as such, gave plenty of eye-candy in the male department (and did I mention the fashion?). There were times where it focused a little too much on the adults/parents and didn't have enough oomph to keep the show on track, accept for Carrie's mentor Larissa, who was an absolute dream of a character and I could watch her all day. But overall it was a fun journey to see how Carrie got her start in journalism, first loves, her first time, first NYC parties and of course wearing gorgeous clothing.

This classic (old & new) children's program is an essential staple in a toddler, preschooler or child's life. Growing up in the 70s and 80s, I never missed an episode and now a mother, I have passed on the legacy to my children. With a few new characters and segments to freshen the scene for the viewing audience, not a lot has changed with the format. All the original characters (human and Muppets!) are still in place, along with their own growing family and some new neighbors, too. With catchy songs, rhymes, repetition in learning is key. The show always provides a great sense of humor and authentic experience for both the parent and the child. You can't miss out on Sesame Street!

An intense and well-written drama, this slightly unique take on a murder mystery became a true masterpiece before the first season even ended. Well-rounded and complex characters, Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) & Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) are two Louisiana State Police detectives who are introduced to the audience first in their 'present day' selves reflecting on a case that they had been assigned almost 20 years prior in 1995. Thinking that the case had been solved all those years ago, the audience begins to see that the two detectives are no longer in contact with each other and slowly see that the case may have not been solved, but that the killer is still at large. Haunting visuals and twisted imagery really suck the viewer into the twisted world of the killer, primarily through the brilliant acting of McConaughey. This is truly a show that cannot be described further without giving too much away and requires you to watch it from beginning to end (binge watching, yay!). As for its second season, which is an entirely different series of characters and story, it pales in comparison to its predecessor. To some people, including myself, I personally wished I skipped it. A lot could be said that the second season failed to meet expectations due to the departure of season one director, Cary Fukunaga. His visionary directing is what really captured the essence of the characters and the cinematography. At the time of this review, there is confirmation from the series producer that there is to be a season three and hopefully they can learn from their mistakes to get the series back on track.

Trying to get a youth-based generation to come on board with another apocalyptic story, "Between" fails to keep the audience entertained. The concept is there, small town in Canada suffers from a mysterious disease that starts killing off their 21+ townsfolk and leaves the minority (literally!) to fend for themselves. The problem? Only about one or two of said minors has a brain in their head. The rest are completely aloof, narcissistic, or just plain dumb.

One can't really get too wrapped up in the characters since the writers have plagued (see what I did there?) us with too many to pay any attention to. It was only until the fifth & sixth episode that it started to thin the herd a bit.

The fact that this show was renewed for another season baffles me. I seriously want to like this and may still watch the first season to the end, but this is on Netflix. NETFLIX! And they aren't releasing the entire series in one full swoop, but making the audience wait week after week. And to top it off, after the sixth episode, they've kept us waiting at least three weeks until the next episode. What gives? There is no way this season isn't already in the can. Give the audience a chance to have a steady pace with the show or just drop it completely. Rework the writing and the acting, and you may just have something to salvage.