Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Friday, June 14th, 2024

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, June 14th, 2024:

PRODUCTION NOTES
My apologies to some of you about this morning's extra email, which offered up a discounted annual rate for the newsletter. It was only supposed to go out to people who had free subscriptions, but it ended up going out to everyone. In my defense, my wife and son were packing to go on a ten-day trip to visit my mother-in-law. So there was a lot going on.

But this is a good time to let you know that if you have paid the full subscription price in the last several months, I've added some time onto your annual subscription, which should provide you with the same discount overall. If you have any other questions, let me know.

Also, I appreciate the response to this morning's pitch. Sometimes writing a newsletter can feel a bit like you're writing into the void. So every show of support is appreciated. And it's especially great to see how much of that support is coming from others in the industry.

SOME THINGS TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND
Here are some ideas for this weekend's viewing. The list could have been two or three times this long, there's a lot to choose from.

Ultraman: Rising (Friday, Netflix)
I posted my review of this earlier in the week, but it officially premieres today and it is just a fabulous film. It has all of the kaiju-fighting you'd expect to see in an Ultraman film, but director and co-writer Shannon Tindle has infused this hero story with the kind of heart you usually just see in the best Spielberg films. Viewer numbers are always hard to predict, but I would expect this to do quite well for Netflix.

Brats (Available now, Hulu)
If you are of a certain age, watching a documentary about the infamous Brat Pack probably sounds like a good time. And the Andrew McCarthy-directed effort isn't terrible. But after watching it, you might be left confused about exactly what he was hoping the documentary would highlight. He clearly didn't like the nickname and is hoping to be able to show his fellow BP's are still as concerned about the unfairness of it as he is. But the ones who would talk with him - and not everyone would - seem to mostly view that period of their careers as fun. Even worse for McCarthy, some of them even see the Brat Pack branding as good for their careers. At least early on. As I said, it's not a terrible documentary, but I'm not sure it says much.

House Of The Dragon Season Two (Sunday, HBO)
I'm not going to waste a lot of space on this. I was lukewarm about the series after the end of season one and there's nothing I've seen in season two that changes my mind. Your mileage might vary on this one, but it's not for me.

Brain Works (Netflix)
I was only able to get a subtitled version of a couple of episodes of the show. But based on what I've seen, this South Korean comedy could be worth checking out. In the series, a neuroscience team has been established in order to deal with the increasing number of crimes related to brain disease. And the team consists of four people with little in common other than a desire to get to the truth. The comedy in this show is pretty broad, so that may or may not be something you'll enjoy. And I haven’t seen enough of it to recommend it one way or the other.

TMZ Investigates: JLo & Ben: Missed Warning Signs (Sunday, Fox)
I realize that Fox owns TMZ and doing a quick drive-by "news" special on the possible re-divorce of JLo & Ben Affleck sounds like a winner on paper. But wow, is this a dumb special. It's not just a bad show, it's poorly written and sounds as if was researched by an 87-year-old Amish man. I can feel brain cells leaving my body just from writing about this special. Did I mention that it is bad?

ODDS AND SODS
* The Michael Keaton movie Knox Goes Away premieres Friday, July 26th on Max. Keaton directs and stars in this "unpredictable thriller as John Knox, a hit man attempting to make amends before his recently discovered dementia takes over. Aided by a trusted friend with his own shady past, Knox races against the police, and his own rapidly deteriorating mind, to save his estranged son from a vengeance-fueled mistake and “cash out” before it’s too late."

* I'm no expert on these things, but I would think that a prestige limited series based on the Universe 25 experiment, but using humans, could be a huge success.

* Discovery's Naked And Afraid: Last One Standing returns on Sunday, July 14th.

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND THIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY, JUNE 14TH:
* Blood Free Series Premiere (Hulu)
* Camp Snoopy (Apple TV+)
* Deb's House Series Premiere (ALLBLK/WEtv)
* Elkhorn Season Premiere (INSP)
* Greatest @Home Videos: Father's Day Edition (CBS)
* Hoffman Family Gold Season Three Premiere (Discovery)
* Joko Anwar's Nightmares And Daydreams Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Mama June: Family Crisis Season Premiere (WE tv)
* NFL Draft: The Pick Is In (The Roku Channel)
* The Big Bakeover Series Premiere (The CW)
* Ultraman: Rising (Netflix) - [review] - [photo gallery]

SATURDAY, JUNE 15TH, 2024:
* A Greek Recipe For Romance (Hallmark)
* Brain Works Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Miss Night And Day (Netflix)
* Yoga Teacher Killer: The Kaitlin Armstrong Story (Lifetime)

SUNDAY, JUNE 16TH, 2024:
* A Match For The Prince (UP tv)
* American Monster Season Premiere (Investigation Discovery)
* Biography: Bret Michaels (A&E)
* Danger In The Dorm (Lifetime)
* Farmhouse Fixer: Camp Revamp (HGTV)
* Grantchester (PBS)
* Hotel Cocaine Series Premiere (MGM+) - [first look video] [photo gallery]
* House Of The Dragon Season Two Premiere (HBO)
* Professor T Season Premiere (PBS)
* 77th Annual Tony Awards (CBS)
* TMZ Investigates: JLo & Ben: Missed Warning Signs (Fox)

MONDAY, JUNE 17TH, 2024:
* Clotilda: The Return Home (NatGeo)
* Cult Massacre: One Day In Jonestown (Hulu)
* Maine Cabin Masters: Building Italy Series Premiere (Magnolia)
* Mission: Yozakura Family Series Premiere (Hulu)
* My Life Is Murder Season Four Premiere (Acorn TV/BBC America)
* The Great American Recipe Season Premiere (PBS)

SEE YOU ON MONDAY!