Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, August 15th, 2024:
PRODUCTION NOTES
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NO, WHITE GUY TACOS AREN'T A THING
As an older white guy living in Minnesota, it has been interesting watching the national reaction to the Democrat's VP pick Tim Walz. The national political press tends to treat him as more or less the Mayor of Hooterville, some openly bemused by his Midwestern mix of hunting, Dad jokes and barely spiced food.
But as I track the public's reaction to Walz, it reminds me that for all of the parts of American culture that are omnipresent across the country, television still focuses entirely too much on the showing the moral intricacies of what it's like to be a twentysomething in Brooklyn or Santa Monica, you would be hard-pressed to find a TV series set in the Midwest that reflects the people who actually live there.
There are plenty of television shows set in rural Midwestern communities, but they almost always portray a small town filled with quirky characters. And if it's a "prestige" show, the characters are harboring a dark secret, perhaps some murder covered up the intolerant locals. Characters are described as "good-hearted," but that's just code for unsophisticated and naive.
It's not as if people who write TV or even run the networks are unfamiliar with the Midwest. Many of them grew up here. But the people most likely to leave to make their fortunes elsewhere are also the people most likely to have been unhappy with where they're from. And that discontent and mild scorn is reflected in the television they create.
It says something about how we see the Midwest that you're more likely to find a TV show that portrays the day-to-day life of a worker at a secluded colony on Mars than you will a show about the working class in Minneapolis. And that's a problem, because for a lot of Americans - and for viewers across the world - what they think about the Midwest is framed by what they about the Midwest on their TV screen.
PLUTO TV ADDS LOCAL FOX STATIONS
The ad-supported app Pluto TV has just added a slate of local Fox news stations to its news lineup:
- FOX 5 Atlanta
- FOX 7 Austin
- FOX 32 Chicago
- FOX 4 Dallas | Fort Worth
- FOX 2 Detroit
- FOX 26 Houston
- FOX 11 Los Angeles
- FOX 6 Milwaukee
- FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
- FOX 5 New York
- FOX 35 Orlando
- FOX 29 Philadelphia
- FOX 10 Phoenix
- FOX 2 San Francisco
- FOX 13 Seattle
- FOX 13 Tampa Bay
- FOX 5 Washington DC
TWEET OF THE DAY
QUICK REVIEW: JACKPOT!
If there is anyone who is this generation's John Wayne, it is John Cena. Like Wayne, Cena really only plays slight variations of the same character. So if you like his schtick (and I often do), you can go into any of his films pretty much knowing what to expect.
On paper, the new Prime Video movie Jackpot! should be a winner. Directed by the usually surefooted Paul Fieg, the film stars Awkwafina as Katie Kim, a former child actor who is forced to return back to work after her dad ran away with all of her savings. At an audition, she discovers a winning lottery ticket in her pocket, and then the chaos begins.
As it turns out, California has a new billion dollar lottery with a twist. Once the winner is announced, they have to survive the day. Anyone they meet is allowed to kill them (but not with a gun) and if they do, the money becomes theirs to keep.
Enter Cena, who plays a man who protects lottery winners for a share of their winnings. And of course, this gives him plenty of chances to beat people up in increasingly unlikely ways.
There's nothing wrong with Jackpot! Both Awkwafina and Cena are fine and do pretty much what you would expect to see in the film. Even the barebones premise has plots holes big enough to drive a 16-wheeler through with ease. But no one is watching this movie for the plot, anyway. There is a lot of awkward fighting scenes and the expected frantic screaming and unexpected fighting from Awkwafina. But there isn't much else.
Jackpot! is worth watching if you're in the mood for movie that has its moments, but also feels as if it were secretly written for Jackie Chan. Which I realize isn't much of a recommendation, but that's the best I can do with this one.
ODDS AND SODS
* Buried Alive and Survived starring Eva Marcille (The Real Housewives of Atlanta, All the Queen’s Men) and Tyler Lepley (P-Valley, Harlem) will premiere Saturday, September 21st on Lifetime. The movie follows a woman who miraculously survives being buried alive by her ex-husband.
* Hulu's first Spanish-language original drama series La Máquina will premiere on Wednesday, October 9th.
* "Sometime last month, my TV started talking to me. To be specific, it started saying that it hated me." I wasn't initially sure where this story was going, but I did not see "I watched an episode of The Boys a few months ago" as being the plot twist.
* Million Dollar Listing: UAE, the first international version of the Million Dollar Listing franchise, filmed in the United Arab Emirates, is now available to stream for U.S. viewers on the Roku Channel.
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15TH:
* Bel-Air Season Three Premiere (Peacock)
* Emily In Paris Season Four Part One Premiere (Netflix)
* Granite Harbour (Britbox)
* Hop (Max)
* Jackpot! (Prime Video) - [first look video]
* Kengan Ashura Season Two, Part Two Premiere (Netflix) - [first look video]
* Lost Treasures Of Rome (NatGeo)
* My Son's Deception (LMN)
* Rick And Morty: The Anime (Adult Swim)
* Vigilante Series Premiere (Hulu)
* Wisting (Sundance Now)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 16TH:
* Beachfront Bargain Hunt Renovation Season Premiere (Magnolia)
* Bering Sea Gold Season Premiere (Discovery)
* César Millán: Better Human Better Dog Season Premiere (NatGeo)
* Gold Rush: Mine Rescue With Freddy & Juan Season Premiere (Discovery)
* I Can't Live Without You (Netflix)
* RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars Series Premiere (Paramount+)
* Side Hustlers (The Roku Channel)
* The Greatest Show In Sports (Tru TV)
* The Union (Netflix)
* Where We Call Home Season Premiere (Magnolia)
SEE YOU ON FRIDAY!