In advance of my 2024-2025 television top ten list (I use the Emmy eligibility calendar), I want to talk about some of the shows I didn't watch this year, for various reasons. There are far, far more shows being produced there than anyone can possibly keep up with, so this is not an exhaustive list. The titles discussed below are only the most high profile ones that I want to talk about why I skipped. I reserve the right to revisit these choices in the future, though I still haven't seen anything from last year's list.
English Teacher - Despite lots of good press, I'm sorry to say that it came down to me just not finding the clips of the show I saw very funny or engaging. Brian Jordan Alvarez created and stars in a Hulu comedy where he plays a gay high school English teacher trying to survive workplace tensions, culture clashes, and the generation gap. I have heard nice things about the main character being very fallible and imperfect and having to examine his own privilege regularly. It's just not for me.
Your Friends & Neighbors - The new Jon Hamm Apple TV+ series initially piqued my interest when I heard it being compared to one of my favorite obscure 1960s movies, "The Swimmer." It's about a recent divorcee trying to keep up appearances, who turns to crime, starts breaking into his neighbors' houses, and uncovers a lot of secrets. I'm thrilled that Hamm has a regular TV gig again, but this looks much more focused on the criminal aspect than I hoped. Killer title sequence though.
Dying For Sex - I tend to enjoy Michelle Williams in just about anything, but an FX miniseries about a terminally ill woman who decides to end her marriage so she can go on a journey of sexual discovery? Why does so much media about older women involve this particular life choice lately? Is this a common fantasy? It's not often that I feel that I'm too young or not at the right state of life for a show, but maybe this is one of those times. I'll circle back around in a few years to see if anything has changed.
MobLand - This is the one that I'm the most likely to give in and watch at some point, because I keep paying for Paramount+ every year for the "Star Trek" shows, and there's just not much else on the service. A Guy Ritchie series about Pierce Brosnan heading a crime family that includes Tom Hardy and Helen Mirren sounds great. I liked Ritche's last series,"The Gentlemen." Alas, this one just looks drab and humorless. And it's a prequel to "Ray Donovan"? Do I need to watch that first?
Mid-Century Modern - It's "Golden Girls" with the gays, including Nathan Lane and Matt Bomer, plus Linda Lavin in her last role playing Lane's mother is right up my alley. And the guest star list for the first season is fabulous. However, I have the same problem with this show that I do with a lot of other traditional sitcoms, which is that I keep forgetting they exist. They simply aren't major priorities for me, so I don't carve out time for them. Maybe I'll get to this one after I finish "Brooklyn 99."
Rivals - Why is this British series about angry business people on Disney+? It stars David Tennant and Alex Hassell as media figures who hate each other, so I'm immediately curious, but it also smacks of someone trying to make their own "Succession," which makes me want to keep my distance. I don't find shows about terrible people trying to destroy each other entertaining, which is why I never watched "Succession" in the first place. Excellent reviews though, so kudos to everyone involved.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story - I was tempted, but I stayed away from the Ryan Murphy produced "Dahmer" series," and I ultimately stayed away from the Menendez brothers series for similar reasons. There's way too much salacious content being added to these shows that appears to have no basis in reality. Artists do what artists do, but the media treatment of the Menendez case was exploitative from the start, and everything about this just feels in bad taste.
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