Too Much TV: Can America Still Be A Hero In The Movies?

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, April 11th, 2025:

PRODUCTION NOTES
It's good to be back to work after a couple of days off, although I am moving slower than Joe Biden on one of his bad days. I'll likely have to take off another day or two towards the end of the month again for medical reasons. And we'll see after that. Thanks to all of you for your patience and my goal is to be back up to normal speed on Monday.

WHEN IT COMES TO MOVIES, TIMING CAN BE EVERYTHING
The production process for films - whether theatrical ones or streaming originals - is drawn out enough that sometimes you end up making a movie that is released at just the wrong time. A textbook example of that problem is the 1986 film Space Camp, which was unfortunately released not long after the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. Things happen that are just out of your control.

I thought about that a lot as I watching G20, the new action film that premiered Thursday on Prime Video. There is a lot to like about the movie. Viola Davis plays US President and Army veteran Danielle Sutton, who is in South Africa at the G20 summit when terrorists take over the event. And she then proceeds to channel Harrison Ford in Air Force One and take on the terrorists while also protecting her family. It's a high-energy action thriller and Davis is fun to watch.

And yet, I found myself struggling to get past what felt to me like a central problem with the film. The premise seems dated in a way that I didn't anticipate and it took me awhile to unpack why I felt that way.

Hollywood has been making movies like this for a hundred years. American exceptionalism on the screen. Strong, honest politicians. Strength that is used to protect the weak, not make them submit to our will. A view that all of the citizens of the world share more in common than we have things that divide us. It's a belief in the black-and-white approach to good vs. evil.

But after the events of the past few weeks, I find it hard to lose myself in that reality. That certainly is the America that I grew up loving. And I am optimistic that we'll get back to those ideals at some point. But it doesn't feel real to me right now, and watching G20 play out mostly just reminded me of how things have changed for America.

It's not the fault of the producers of G20 and if you're looking for a fun action film you should definitely watch it. But honestly, it left me more than a little sad.

FIVE THINGS I LEARNED FROM WATCHING CNBC THIS WEEK
It's been a number of years since I watched CNBC throughout the day. But I decided to wade back in over the past week following the exciting launch of the tariff-based "Liberation Day." Here are five things I learned as a result of the experience:

1) No one wants to mention Donald Trump by name
In the months leading up to November's election, Donald Trump was a frequent topic of discussion and several of the network's longtime anchors such as longtime Squawk Box co-host Joe Kernen were positively giddy about the prospects of a Trump presidency. They lauded his business acumen and repeated their belief he would be good for Wall Street and was certain to cut taxes.

Not surprisingly, their enthusiasm for the presidency of Donald Trump took a beating over the past week and it was fascinating to see Kernen go through the various emotional steps necessary as he processed the ongoing chaos. But even as various CNBC anchors and guests talked about the impact of the tariffs, I realized that no one actually mentioned Donald Trump's name. It was like watching a financial news version of "Beetlejuice." It was "this President," "the administration," "the White House." At times, it was almost hilarious to watch.

Read the rest of the piece here.

SOMETIMES IT'S FINE FOR A TV SHOW NOT TO BE A CLASSIC OF THE GENRE
I admire many of my fellow TV critics, but they often have a tendency to focus only on shows they consider to be "worthy" of their time. And I'd argue that most people watch those classics, but they also spend a lot of their television screen time watching shows that are merely entertaining. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, I'd argue that part of TV critic's job is to highlight all sorts of interesting shows. Including the fun, yet somewhat disposable ones.

I just read this brief piece on Netflix's new Alaska-based series North Of North on Alan Sepinwall's Substack and there is something about this conversation about the show that I find disappointing. And not that helpful for readers:

Last week, a critic pal texted me to ask for advice on what to do with North of North, a Canadian comedy that began streaming on Netflix yesterday (after airing on the CBC earlier this year). On the one hand, they enjoyed the show, about a young Inuk woman living in a remote village in the Nunavut territory. On the other, they were worried that, in an age where there’s still so much more TV than critics have time to watch, let alone write about, the mere existence of a review risked overselling a show that’s cute and likable but not extraordinary, and that’s most notable for where it takes place and what kinds of characters it presents. I said that sometimes, you just have to say that you like a show, while being careful not to heap more praise on it than it can handle.

He mentions that he ended up reviewing the show after all. But the idea that the mere act of reviewing show oversells its importance is a strange one to me.

ODDS AND SODS
* Apple TV+ has cancelled Mystic Quest after four seasons. But according to a statement from executive producers Megan Ganz, David Hornsby, and Rob McElhenney, the final episode is being updated in a way that says goodbye to fans.

* The good news for fans of Phineas & Ferb is that in a recent interview with Andy Cohen, HBO's John Oliver revealed that he was a fan of the show. The bad news is that John Oliver mistakenly said the show aired on PBS, not the Disney Channel. Which prompted the show's producers to offer up a musical correction to Oliver on Instagram, along with the chance to do a voice on an episode.

TWEET OF THE DAY



WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND THIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY, APRIL 11TH:
CheckMate (Tubi)
Got To Get Out Series Premiere (Hulu)
Just A Bit Outside: The Story Of The 1982 Milwaukee Brewers (The Roku Channel)
Meet The Khumalos (Netflix)
Pets (Disney+)
Shadow Of God (Shudder)
Teogonia Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
The Gardener Series Premiere (Netflix)
The Great American Baking Show Season Premiere (The Roku Channel)
There's No Way Out (LMN)
Titanic: The Digital Resurrection (NatGeo)
Your Friends & Neighbors Series Premiere (Apple TV+)

SATURDAY, APRIL 12TH:
Doctor Who (Disney+)
Food For The Soul Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Hearts Around The Table: Kiki's Fourth Ingredient (Hallmark)
Love & Marriage: Detroit Season Premiere (OWN)
Mono Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story (Lifetime)
Resident Playbook Series Premiere (Netflix)
RoboForce: The Animated Series Series Premiere (Tubi)
#Somebody's Son Series Premiere (OWN)

SUNDAY, APRIL 13TH:
Godfather Of Harlem Season Premiere (MGM+)
Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season 1b Premiere (Hulu)
Home Town Takeover Season Finale (HGTV)
Rocky Mountain Wreckers Series Premiere (Weather Channel)
Sins Of The Bride (Lifetime)
The Last Of Us Season Two Premiere (HBO)
The Thorn (UP tv)

MONDAY, APRIL 14TH, 2025:
Florida Heat Season Premiere (A&E)
Holy Marvels With Dennis Quaid Season Premiere (History)
Rock The Block Season Premiere (HGTV)

SEE YOU ON MONDAY!