Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Friday, April 5th, 2024

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, April 5th, 2024:

WEEKEND WATCH LIST
Here is a rundown of some of this weekend's more interesting viewing choices:

* Star Trek: Discovery (Paramount+)
The first two episodes of the show's fifth and final season premiered yesterday (Thursday) and since Paramount didn't send me screeners, I can only judge the season by what I've seen so far. But the show looks to be headed towards its best season yet and that is pretty much on-brand for this underappreciated series. The show was originally placed in a kind of traditional Star Trek-adjacent storyline that was set ten years before Star Trek: The Original Series. And as much as I enjoyed the characters, the show struggled to find its groove. And to be honest, I wasn't so interested in a series that mined some familiar territory. But the season two finale sent the crew nine hundred years into the future and that really defined what the show has become in the past seasons.

Living in a galaxy where the Federation is a shell of its former self and forced to deal with the loss of warp drive after a cataclysmic event known as the "Burn" opened up the Star Trek universe in some exciting ways. And even though season five's McGuffin seems to be tied to an event from an old episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, I love wading into new mythologies and characters.

This isn't the kind of show you can just dive into midstream. But if you haven't watched before now, you have four seasons to binge watch. You'll be glad you did.



Sugar (Apple TV+)
Plot twists are a double-edged sword. Viewers loved the surprises and extreme plot turns of Lost. Until they didn't. The season one finale twist of The Good Place sent the show in a entirely different direction. Although some fans would argue it was never quite the same. Suddenly throwing a twist into a show that changes everything viewers thought they knew about the series is a risky move, even when done by extremely talented people.

This new series stars Colin Farrell as a send-up of traditional film noir, with the requisite voiceovers, unreliable witnesses and an ever-present sense of danger. It's a slick, really entertaining take on the genre that winks at but doesn't mock the familiar format. And then about halfway through the season, the show throws in a curveball that changes everything. Even if the details weren't embargoed, I wouldn't share them here because the only way to experience it is without any spoilers. 

I'm still not sure if the twist was a move I would have made. Or even appreciate. But I suppose the fact that I still remain so conflicted over the twist shows that it accomplished its goal.  



Parasyte: The Grey (Netflix)
In typical Netflix style, they don't seem to have sent out screeners of this South Korean series to U.S.-based critics. But because I've written a lot about South Korean live action genre shows in recent years, one of the producers sent me screeners. Unfortunately, they were screeners that weren't dubbed or subtitled. So I write this having watched six hours of a show in a language I don't understand.

That being said, the fact the show kept my attention despite the challenges is quite an endorsement. And I'm looking forward to watching a dubbed version on Netflix this weekend.

The series is somewhat loosely based on the Japanese manga Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaake and comes from Yeon Sang-ho (Train To Busan). The story centers around an invasion of alien parasites raining down from the sky and infecting human hosts. Cashier Jung Soo-in (Jeon So-nee, Our Blooming Youth) is infected by a parasite, but it doesn't quite take. So the two must rely on each other to survive both from other humans as well as the increasingly aggressive aliens. Sang-ho has long been interested in the impact religion has on South Korea's society, particularly some of the more cultish examples that have popped up in recent years. He integrates that concern into the story in a way that sadly feels extremely believable.

There are some jarring visual effects and given that much of show seems to take place at night, you might want to leave a light on when you watch. I'll have a better idea of what I ultimately think of the show after a rewatch. But I can see this series really connecting with American Netflix subscribers.

Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV (Investigation Discovery)
Given the success of the original four episodes (they are still the most-popular TV episodes on Max after nearly three weeks), it's not surprising to see the network release a special "bonus" episode. This hour-long episode features Soledad O'Brien interviewing some of the people featured in the original episodes as well as new faces. I've seen the episode, but given that everything about is embargoed until the premiere, all I can is mention it will be premiering Sunday.

I HAVE A SUSPICION DISCOVERY+ HAS A DIFFERENT DEFINITION OF 'TRENDING' THAN I DO
Every Friday, I receive an email from Discovery+ letting me know which shows on the service are "trending." And based on the fact that the list hasn't changed much in recent weeks, I'm not convinced that "trending" means anything more than "shows you should watch because someone has to."



TWEET OF THE DAY



ODDS AND SODS
* Netflix has decided not to pick up a second season of Everything Now.

* NBC has greenlit the reality-bending adventure competition Destination X, which is adapted from a popular Belgian format. In the series, participants guess their location in a blacked-out bus amid numerous misdirects. American and UK versions will be filmed simultaneously with the goal of launching in 2025.

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW

FRIDAY, APRIL 5TH:
* Alex Rider Season Three Premiere (Freevee)
* Astro Note Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Baghead (Shudder)
* Dinosaur Series Premiere (Hulu)
* Festival Of The Living Dead (Roku Channel)
* Girls State (Apple TV+)
* How To Date Billy Walsh (Prime Video)
* Judy Justice Spring Finale (Freevee)
* Mary & George (Starz)
* Monsters At Work Season Two Premiere (Disney Channel)
* Mysteries Of The Abandoned: Hidden America Season Premiere (Discovery)
* Parasyte: The Grey Series Premiere (Netflix) - [first look video]
* Scoop (Netflix)
* Sugar Series Premiere (Apple TV+)
* The Antisocial Network: Memes To Mayhem (Netflix)
* The Irregular At Magic High School (Crunchyroll)
* Yannick (Mubi)

SATURDAY, APRIL 6TH:
* Alex Edelman: Just For Us (HBO)
* Blind Date Book Club (Hallmark)
* Dragon Raja -The Blazing Dawn (Crunchyroll)
* Say Yes To The Dress Season Premiere (TLC)
* Secret Life Of A Sorority Girl (Lifetime)
* The Fable Series Premiere (Hulu)
* The Long Island Liar (Investigation Discovery)
* Tonari no Yokai-san Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Two For One (TCM)

SUNDAY, APRIL 7TH:
* A Model Murder (Lifetime)
* As A Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill To Rise In The World Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Beacon 23 Season Premiere (MGM+)
* Blue Ridge: The Series Series Premiere (The Cowboy Way)
* CMT Music Awards (CBS)
* Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Series Premiere (Hulu) 
* Grandpa And Grandma Turn Young Again Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Mission: Yozakura Family Series Premiere (Hulu)
* Mr. Bates Vs. The Post Office (PBS)
* Quiet On Set Bonus Episode (Investigation Discovery)
* Sound! Euphonium (Crunchyroll)
* Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight (CNN)
* The Duke Of Death And His Maid (Crunchyroll)
* The Real Housewives Of Potomac Season Eight Reunion Part Two (Bravo)
* Vampire Dormitory Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* When Calls The Heart Season Premiere (Hallmark)

MONDAY, APRIL 8TH:
* Chillin' In Another World With Level 2 Super Cheat Powers Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Eclipse Across America (ABC, Hulu, NatGeo, NatGeo Wild)
* Ishura Series Premiere (Hulu)
* NCISVerse: The First 1,000 (CBS)
* Spirit Rangers Season Three Premiere (Netflix)
* Surviving Nova (Vice)
* Tadaima, Okaeri Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* 30 For 30: 26.2 To Life (ESPN)

SEE YOU ON MONDAY!