Shivoncarla

INSATIABLE - SEASON ONE

Insatiable is a harsh example of the best intentions yielding the worst results. ... Insatiable is unforgivably inelegant as satire. It fails not only to land its purportedly progressive message about body image and weight, but also its storylines tackling sexuality, sexual agency, classism, race, and transgender acceptance.

ZOO - SEASON ONE

Stupid conventional TV writing and even worse acting bring down this promising premise. Still it's fun to watch animals go amok. The concept is so big and so good as an epic cautionary tale that you have to be at least curious.

GRAHAM NORTON - SEASON TWENTY

The making of a national treasure. Time after time, Graham Norton is the one who asks the questions that no other chat show host would dare dream up. On his red sofa sit the world’s most sought-after celebrities: recent guests have included Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Will Smith, David Beckham, Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman, the list is endless... Recent polls put Norton top of the list of Britain’s funniest comedians and of celebrities that members of the public would like to invite home for dinner. Not bad for a man who once asked a female guest to fire ping-pong balls from between her legs. As a British Citizen, it's nice to have a chat show host from our side of the water. So what other chat-show is competing with Graham in the UK? Exactly.

THE ALIENS - SEASON ONE

Just watched episode one. So far? Fintan Ryan’s science-fiction comedy-drama plunged straight into the action, without giving us much in the way of backstory. It is more fun that way: the inevitable confusion makes it more of a rollercoaster ride. There will be plenty of time to find out what the aliens are doing here, how they manage to be so like us (they also come in black, white, gay, straight etc), and why they are so despised. Any further physiological and neurological differences will be furnished on a need-to-know basis. The Aliens comes from the same producers who brought you Misfits, and it is made with the same verve and eye for down-at-heel chic. The Troy ghetto, while grubby, is also cool and vibrant-looking, even a little continental; the human side of the UK is exceedingly drab in comparison. Kinda makes you wish you were a 'Mork', I wonder if that was Ryan's intention?! We will see...

11/22/63 - SEASON ONE

Pretty much all of the success in 11.22.63 comes from Franco being able to take the concept from bizarre to believable, with a major assist from Cooper, who combines with Franco in the early episodes (and flashbacks) to give this series its much-needed dramatic believability.

TERRA NOVA - SEASON ONE

The idea that in the long-ago past there were differing versions of how to reinvent humanity's future could make for compelling drama, and those kind of story lines are more likely to be more intriguing than what will transpire among the Shannons, unless this bland family's character development takes a great leap forward very quickly.

THE STORY OF TRACY BEAKER - SEASON FIVE

Another British Classic. Having no experience whatsoever of foster care, orphan-hood, or anything other than the two-parent family, I was fascinated by Tracy's story. Fifteen years on, I still have a lot of respect for Jacqueline Wilson, and found myself swept along with Tracy's fast-paced, but problematic life.

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE - SEASON ONE

Yes, this is chilling stuff. And provocative. It makes you ponder just how precious freedom really is and what kind of sacrifices you would make to maintain it.

DATES - SEASON ONE

Dates is perfectly scripted half-hours, it tells the oldest story there is – boy meets girl (or girl meets girl) – without ever retreading old ground. By shooting its episodes in mostly real time, it brings drama to the minuscule ticks of conversation while drawing you into the complexity and preposterousness of the dating game.

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD - SEASON ONE

I, like many others, can't help but compare 'Fear the Walking Dead' with 'The Walking Dead' and while I really hoped it would either surpass or offer an alternative to the same ol' zombie stereotype. It did not. In fact, I was begging for SOMETHING in the first episode. Excitement maybe? Suspense? Better Acting? Something other than... well, boredom.