The 2020-2021 Television I Didn't Watch

In advance of my 2020-2021 television top ten list, it's time to do some housecleaning.  

Below, find eight shows from the 2020-2021 television year that I regret not seeing, but ultimately didn't have the time or the inclination to, with some thoughts about my reasoning.  I reserve the right to eventually come around on them in the future, but I haven't seen anything from last year's list yet.

Bridgerton - I'm so delighted that Shonda Rimes has her first big hit on Netflix, and I happily acknowledge that Regé-Jean Page is a beautiful man.  However, I've never been much for gossipy soap operas, and that's clearly what "Bridgerton" is.  It's an alternate universe, racially integrated Regency era soap opera - which is great! - but this is the sort of thing that I can only take in small doses - a two hour movie, for instance.   If my tastes ever change, however, this will be the first one on the list.  The short episode count is definitely in its favor.     

Shadow and Bone - I'm all for more YA fantasy.  It was actually kind of disappointing that the trend has sputtered out in film.  I've heard very mixed reactions about this one - apparently the worldbuilding is great, but the narrative spends too much time on the requisite love triangle.  I like that the show has a Chinese-English lead, Alice Mei Li, and that the series is based on a finished trilogy of books.  However, Netflix doesn't have the best track record with this kind of thing - see "The Witcher" - so my gut says to wait and see if they stick the ending.

Perry Mason - I mean, it's not even a "Perry Mason" reboot.  It's a Perry Mason prequel, starring Matthew Rhys.  He's a private investigator in this version, not an attorney.  I like the cast, and the ratings were solid enough that this has already been renewed for a second season.  I might have given this a shot if it weren't for the big season-long case involving a murdered baby and passel of religious fanatics.  Tatiana Maslanay plays an evangelical preacher, of all things.  "Elmer Gantry" has put me off that kind of material for a while, thank you.       

The Good Lord Bird - Oh look, a critically well-received period miniseries starring Ethan Hawke as the beloved abolitionist leader John Brown.  This isn't as dire as it sounds, because the project is categorized as a dark comedy as well as a historical drama, and is reportedly punctuated by plenty of subversive humor.  The prospect of Hawke chewing scenery as a nutty zealot certainly has some appeal.  However,  

"Good Lord Bird" is one of the shows on the list that is hardest to access, and I can't think of a good reason to go out of my way to see this.  

Ratched - This one sounded so good on paper.  Let's give one of the greatest screen villainesses of all time, Nurse Ratched from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," her own origin story.  Sarah Paulson is so well cast too.  However, in the hands of Ryan Murphy, the results were apparently less than stellar.  The style is campy and over the top, and there's plenty of melodrama and thrills in the script, but this one premiered back in September and promptly disappeared.  All that generated much interest were the complicated production deals required to get it made.    

Made For Love - Middling and mediocre reviews were responsible for turning me off of this science-fiction bad relationship comedy series, about the wife of a tech mogul who escapes the virtual reality world where she's been living, and tries to rebuild.  Apparently the first episode is great, but it all goes downhill from there.  The cast features Cristin Milioti, Billy Magnussen, and Ray Romano.  If this were a 100 minute film, I'd have given it a shot, but an eight episode series is too much commitment.  Sorry, "Made for Love," it's not you, it's me.    

It's a Sin - I keep passing on Russell T. Davies' miniseries, and feeling bad about it.  Last time around it was "Years and Years," and this time it's an HIV/AIDS drama set during the '80s.  It's a pretty star studded affair too, with Neil Patrick Harris and Stephen Fry making appearances.  But boy, I'm burned out on pandemic media, social justice media, and '80s media in general.  The euphoric reactions to the show have guilted me into keeping this on my "to watch" list for months, but in all likelihood I'm never going to be in the mood for this one.    

We Are Who We Are - I'm avoiding this for the same reason that I avoided "Euphoria," even though it's from Luca Guadagnino, the director of "Call Me By Your Name," among other things.  Angsty bildungsroman stories hold little appeal for me, especially if they're told in this kind of extended format.  The series features LGBT characters and issues, with a transgender teenager front and center.  The reviews were great, but also made it clear that the show is slow and moody and lyrical.  And that's definitely not what I wanted to watch this year.    

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