Mentalist is highly watchable. Probably because of the actors.

And its impressive they managed to give it a decent ending despite the ill fated final season, which ended up being fairly refreshing all things considered.

 

Disney Plus blew a hot Star Wars-y load all over Investor Day.

Rangers of the New Republic (Mando tie-in series)

Ahsoka (Mando tie-in series)


Cassian Andor first look.

Obi-Wan series will see Hayden Christensen return as Vader (set 10 years post prequels).

Clone Wars animated sequel following The Bad Batch.

Anime Star Wars. Finally.

Lando series.

High Republic Era mystery thriller The Acolyte

Something small about Droids

Not Star Wars, but there's also going to be a Willow sequel series with Warwick reprising.

 

Ufotable please. Give it some Unlimited Budget Works.

 

I'm cautiously optimistic for Rangers & Ahsoka but I'm worried that Jon & Dave's focus on those shows will lessen the quality of Mando.

Out of the rest of the announcements, I'll watch Kenobi & check out Anime Star Wars but that's it.

 

I think the Acolyte premise sounds pretty dope. Jedi P.I. yes please.

Never found the Bad Batch to be particularly interesting, but a story that focuses on clones serving as newly minted stromtroopers who have to come to grips with the evils of the empire wouldn't be unwelcome. Sure, the same basic story was done in the Battlefront 2 game, but we so rarely get dark side pov.

Andor is a toss-up. A low-morals rebel operative show (with some Rebels/Rogue1 tie-in chars if rumors are to be believed) could be interesting, but I have no doubt that Disney will try to Disnify Cassian and make him an empathetic hero, which will emphatically suck.

I'm not hopeful for the Lando series. They signed on the "Dear White People" writer/director/producer and that show is just pure fucking cringe. Our society's racial issues simply have no place in the Star Wars galaxy. That said, I could definitely get behind the series if it's just about Lando bein smooth, kicking ass, and wearing capes in the Underworld.

 

Lost in all the Disney+ news was the trailer for The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers

 

Damn...I remember enjoying those films as a kid. That'd be a blast from the past to watch that show...

 

A Winx Club tv show is coming out on netflix. -.-

 

So is a Sonic the Hedgehog series in 2022. I wonder if the movie was more successful than expected.

 

Watched the new Grand Tour special “A Massive Hunt” and had a surprisingly good time. After the, in retrospect, rather lacklustre “Seamen” this was a welcome return to form.

Clarkson/Hammond/May works best if you give them three interesting cars, send them to a remote location in search of a crazy objective and just let them get on with it.

 

Oh cool, that's finally out? I actually enjoyed Seamen. Been looking forward to this.

 

Concept Summary for Amazon's LOTR:

"Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone."

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news...ZSvsuMrDkbBLv7tdBJ47cF0X-of3TqO4XGaSUb0CBEKOw

 

Wandavision is cute with a hint of creepiness. Want more

 

I've seen so many articles and words devoted to 'breaking this down' and I'm just like... wut?

There is literally nothing here that we didn't already know, or weren't able to deduce months ago. I saw an article discuss at some length just who 'the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen' is. Could it be Morgoth instead of Sauron?

No, of course it's not fucking Morgoth you daft bastards. It's fucking Sauron.

'Maybe Aragorn will turn up too!' Bitch, what? That's like saying 'And this biopic of Zoroaster's life might even include Freddie Mercury. Always a crowd pleaser!' Only, the difference in years is even fucking bigger in the case of Aragorn turning up in a Second Age story.

Like I've said from the beginning, it'll almost certainly follow the events of Sauron's rise, the creation of the Rings, his surrender to Ar Pharazon and subsequently leading Numenor further into the dark, to finally end the last season with Elendil and co landing in Middle-earth after Numenor is destroyed. It'll probably greatly compress the time-scales, I wouldn't be surprised to see Tar Palantir as the King to start with, with Pharazon and Sauron's rises being set up as fairly simultaneous. What I'm not sure of is how close the story will stick to the big movers and shakers of the setting. This doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know.

In other news, WandaVision was strange and confusing, and I loved it. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what's going on, in general terms at least, but I love the presentation, and I can't wait to see how the specifics turn out.

 

Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen were delightful.

 

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that given the content of this rant, you're not the target audience for that synopsis.

 

WandaVision is really good. Hits my personal sweet spot of hammy sitcom humour and genuine mystery.

The marvelous acting (pun intended) also helps.

 

Definitely not being aimed at LotR nerds, and most likely to disappoint anyone that description applies to. But for more casual fans of LotR...it sounds pretty damn good.

 

Superman and Lois was....not bad surprisingly. Prolly the best thing the CW's put out in a long time.

 

Netflix's Lupin is pretty great - despite how it ends on a ridiculous cliffhanger. Part 2 is 'coming soon' however.

It tickles the same bone BBC's Sherlock did for me. An intelligent character who's always one step ahead - this time on the other side of the law, but still a gentleman.

I think I only had two issues. Diop (the main character) is huge. He dwarfs pretty much everyone in the show. And he can fight. It makes fight scenes where he's not just curb stomping people come off as a little bit ridiculous, especially when they're much smaller than him.

Second was the last episode. A truly baffling sequence of decisions lead to the entire conflict and it's so out of character that it's very frustrating.

Otherwise an enjoyable 5 hour binge. I'm eagerly awaiting part 2.