The Act - I'm glad Joey King and Patricia Arquette are enjoying some time in the spotlight. However, this is one of those gruesome true life tales that I have no interest in seeing dramatized. If it were a feature film, I could make myself get through it to see the performances. Eight episodes, however, is too much for me to get my head around. Child abuse and medical trauma are areas I'm simply not going to tread without a lot of reluctance.
Escape at Dannemora - Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette, and Paul Dano starring in a prison break mystery miniseries directed by Ben Stiller sounds pretty promising. However, this is roughly eight hours long and described as slow paced. Also, despite some awards attention, including a Golden Globe for Arquette, there's been very little buzz. Again, if it were a movie I could probably make time for it. A miniseries is just too much commitment.
When They See Us - This is the one I feel bad about, because it's about an important, terrible miscarriage of justice that needs more attention. And it's only four hours! However, I've seen the excellent Central Park Five documentary that Ken Burns put out a few years ago, and Netflix's released metrics suggest that the show has been a hit and garnered plenty of buzz. So I don't feel that guilty about turning my attention the glut of other prestige shows.
Succession - A show about a family of horrible, rich, privileged degenerates, that happens to star some actors I adore. And I don't want to touch this one with a ten foot pole. No matter how funny I've heard this is, I just can't take cringe humor in large amounts. It's the same reason I couldn't get anywhere with "Veep" or "Fleabag." I just get no entertainment value out of watching people being terrible and being humiliated over and over again.
Strange Angel - I like Jack Reynor, and I like the subject matter. Jack Parsons is a fascinating figure from recent American history, surrounded by conspiracy and mystery. However, the show is reportedly pretty slow paced and low key. I was surprised it got a second season since it's been so low profile. I've enjoyed media from the key creatives - Mark Heyman and David Lowery - but they don't exactly inspire the greatest amount of confidence.
Who is America? - I'm glad that Sascha Baron Cohen is still running around and doing his brand of public shaming disguised as comedy. However, it's become clear to me over the years that I'm just not the audience for this. So sure, I'll watch some clips and follow the outrage as it plays out after the show airs. But there's no way I'm devoting any effort to watching the actual show, especially when I'm constantly behind on Oliver, Noah, and Colbert.
Castle Rock - There's one brilliant episode of "Castle Rock" that everyone talks about, one featuring Sissy Spacek's character coping with dementia. I may seek out that one specific episode in the future, but I haven't heard anything that makes me interested in the rest of the show, with its overcomplicated meta approach to portraying Steven King's universe. If I need a King fix, there are plenty of other options, and certainly much more straightforward ones.
Doom Patrol - Perhaps unfairly, I decided that it came down to a choice between watching "Doom Patrol" and Netflix's "Umbrella Academy," and I suspect that I chose the wrong show. However, none of the previews sold me on the characters or the worldbuilding, and I've already seen two other takes on Cyborg's origins pretty recently. There's plenty of superhero media on my plate at the moment, and I don't feel too guilty about ignoring this one.
Gentleman Jack - BBC Period drama! Strong female lead! This sounds promising. And it's about a cross-dresser carrying on secret lesbian relationships? Er, okay. And the romantic relationships and melodrama take up the vast majority of the show? Er, a coal mining subplot? Well, maybe this one isn't really for me. I mean, "queer Bronte" sounds fun, but I'm not a fan of soaps on a good day. I'll check it out for Gillian Anderson, but - wait, that's not Gillian Anderson?
Catch 22 - George Clooney, despite his best efforts, is not much of a director. So while the cast is great (Kyle Chandler! Hugh Laurie! Giancarlo Giannini!) and the material is legendary, I am not especially interested in this one. I've read the book and and seen the '70s movie with Alan Arkin, and I'm sure that a great modern version could be done. I'm just not convinced that this format and this group of creatives are the way we're going to get one.
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