Television Reviews |

Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne Star in the Visually Beautiful but Narratively Mediocre Amazon Prime Series

Carnival Row Beautifully Stumbles into Its First Season

August 30, 2019 Cortland Jacoby Television, Television Reviews

Ever since the ending of the tumultuous final season of Game of Thrones, networks and streaming sites have been scrambling to find a replacement for it in the culture. HBO is trying to keep its hat in the ring with the Game of Thrones prequel, a Watchman series based on the comic, and the fantasy adaption of the His Dark Materials series. Netflix has the upcoming The Witcher, and Amazon Prime now has Carnival Row, premiering on the streaming platform this Labor Day weekend. If you are like me, you have a white walker sized hole in your television loving heart and while Carnival Row doesn’t fit the frame perfectly, it does its best to satisfy the craving, while making something new.

Television Review: Hulu's Pen15

Hulu’s Pen15 Raises the Bar for the Coming of Age Comedy

February 8, 2019 Cortland Jacoby Television, Television Reviews

Bad haircuts. Questionable fashion choices. Changing bodies. Masturbation. Devastatingly awkward moments. I think it is safe to say that no one would voluntarily go back to middle school, but comedians Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle did revisit the most humbling time in a person’s life and infused all the age’s awkwardness and heart into the Hulu show Pen15. Premiering this Friday and produced by The Lonely Island, the show gives an honest depiction of 13-year-old girls trying to navigate the trials and tribulations of middle school and growing up. It’s just that the leads are played by 30 somethings.

Television Review: Insecure "Ready-Like"

Ramification and Revelation

September 18, 2018 Kyra Davenport Television, Television Reviews

As a #teamlawrence member, I wasn’t mad at all to see the latest episode of “Insecure” open up with a few saucy sex scenes, Lawrence (Jay Ellis) sexy chocolate self, Lawrence has been waxing some asses! Lucky ladies! But…. the dick downs have not come without ramifications; Lawrence now has chlamydia. Insecure has been receiving some backlash for not showing condom use in the most of the steamy sex scenes throughout the past few seasons of Insecure, I applaud Issa for showing the youth and us reminding us grownups that casual sex can be fun, feel damn good, but your ass better wrap it up or STD infection can occur and as we all know all are not curable.

TV Revue: Grown-ish "Back & Forth"

Grown-ish “Back& Forth”

March 28, 2018 Derrick Dunn Television, Television Reviews

Grown-ish closes out its stellar freshmen season with the aptly titled “Back & Forth.” At the closing of last week’s episode, Zoey (Yara Shahidi) found herself in a predicament when both Aaron (Trevor Jackson) & Luca (Luka Sabbat) confessed their feelings for our heroine. The love triangle gets worse when Cash (Da’Vinchi) returns, deciding that he wants Zoey back.

TV Revue 9-1-1 "A Whole New You"

9-1-1 “A Whole New You”

March 23, 2018 Derrick Dunn Television, Television Reviews

FOX’s winter hit 9-1-1- closes out its freshmen season with the episode “A Whole New You.” Picking up where the last episode ended, Abby is beginning the process of grieving after losing her mother. Connie Britton was great in this episode and honestly showed her range. Through the season we’ve come to know Abby as a caretaker and 9-1-1 operator, but who is Abby without her mother?

TV Revue: Grown-ish "Crew Love"

Grown-ish “Crew Love”

March 22, 2018 Derrick Dunn Television, Television Reviews

After nearly losing the friendships they established in last week’s episode, the characters are back to normal on Freeform’s Grown-ish. Episode 10 titled “Crew Love.” The show has been successful tackling numerous rites of passages we all experience in college. “Crew Love” finds the crew getting ready for Freshman Formal.

TV Revue Grown-ish "Safe & Sound"

Grown-ish “Safe & Sound”

March 14, 2018 Derrick Dunn Television, Television Reviews

Episode 11 of the hit Freeform series, Grown-ish is titled “Safe & Sound.” This episode centers around on who deserves a safe space on campus. Similar to last week’s episode, which saw two of the background characters taking the lead, “Safe & Sound” pushes Ana (Francia Raisa) to the forefront.

"TV Revue "9-1-1-"Worst Day Ever"

9-1-1 “Worst Day Ever”

January 25, 2018 Derrick Dunn Television, Television Reviews

“Worst Day Ever” is the emotional packed fourth episode of FOX’s 9-1-1. The episode opens with various passengers on a plane returning home. Two of the passengers sneak away to join the mile-high club while another pair of passengers, a mother & son are enjoying some quality time together. Moments, every flyer’s worst feat happens, the descent into a crash! Breaking the show’s usual routine, we hear a different operator taking the phone call as opposed to Abby (Connie Britton).

TV Revue: Grown-ish "Cash Rules Everything Around Me"

Grown-ish “Cash Rules Everything Around Me”

January 24, 2018 Derrick Dunn Television, Television Reviews

Freeform’s spinoff series Grown-ish, continues its stellar freshmen season with its fifth episode “Cash Rules Everything Around Me.” After getting his mojo at the end of last week’s episode, basketball Phenom Cash Mooney (Da’Vinici) is now dating Zoey (Yara Shahidi). Zoey seems to have forgotten about Cash’s special treatment he received during midterms in episode four and is moving towards a serious relationship with Cash.

Grown-ish “Starboy”

January 18, 2018 Derrick Dunn Television, Television Reviews

College sports are the dramatic backdrop of Episode 4 of Grown-ish titled “Starboy.” Starboy” opens with Zoey giving a voice over on how noteworthy millennials have archived goals before the age of twenty-five. Wanting to make her place in the world, and take out of the competition, Zoey makes a deal with Dean Parker to tutor a star basketball player, hoping to get a letter of recommendation, but her friends believe the relationship is something more. We were introduced to the basketball player last week, in a coda moment.