Tonight: I can't say I agree with the idea of a Blacklist spin-off—frankly, the show without James Spader as Reddington really isn't the show anymore—but, because its predecessor is so good, and because it stars babelicious Ryan Eggold, there's a mild possibility that Blacklist: Redemption will be good. It follows Tom Keen (Eggold) as he goes undercover to hunt down the attacker of his beloved Liz, and in the process, starts uncovering stuff from his own past, which includes learning his mom (played by always lovely Famke Janssen, another strike in the show's favor) heads a covert mercenary organization. (10 pm, NBC) Here's a video clip of the first two minutes:
Friday: So, HBO premiered two shows this past Sunday, one a mini-series with a lot of fanfare, an all-star cast of ladies (Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz), and David E. Kelley at the helm along with director Jean-Marc Vallée (of Dallas Buyers Club fame)—Big Little Lies; and another one rather quietly, with little build-up, created by and starring comedian/writer/actor Pete Holmes, and directed by Judd Apatow—Crashing.
The former is a mystery-drama that starts with a murder, though you don't actually know who was killed or what happened because the story unfolds via a series of police interrogations in the "present," and flashbacks to events that lead up to the death in which you get to know the (mostly) upper-class women of Monterey, one (or a few?) of whom might be behind the murder in question, and all bearing some sort of secret or inner strife. This show is just as good because of the way it is shot and how the each detail is revealed, as it is for the women who carry it so well.
The latter is ostensibly about the comedy industry as told via the origin story of a comedian, the main character Pete (Holmes), who has been in the aspiring stage for a while despite focusing all his efforts on his craft while his wife supports them both. 'Course, he finds out shortly into the first episode that's she's been doing the dirty-dirty (and most nastily and tantrically) with someone else behind his back, which sets the course of his evolution. Artie Lange is his cynical spirit guide in this first episode (and hilarious as fuck), the pro who reluctantly takes Holmes under his wing (letting him crash on the couch, hence the title). As far as I can tell, it's also all about the comedians who make cameos in each episode and who subsequently put him up.
Both shows normally air on HBO on Sundays (at 9 and 10:30 p.m., respectively), but both will be available to stream beginning this Friday on HBO Go. You can also peep the first episodes if you happened to miss them.
Sunday: The much-anticipated 89th Annual Academy Awards has arrived, during which a bunch of over-coiffed celebrities traipse down the red carpet in stunning gowns and fancy tuxes, vie for Best Dressed (and sometimes dive-bombing straight into Worst), and most importantly, wait in stoic-faced, eager-hearted anticipation to find out who's been recognized with top honors in film from the prestigious (stuffy, bourgeois) Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Mudede's pick for most deserving of Big Wins is Moonlight. He's not alone in his love. Barry Jenkins’ groundbreaking drama was a big winner with the Seattle Film Critics Society, turning 10 nominations into six wins at the Seattle Film Awards, including Best Picture. Jenkins was named Best Director and his screenplay, co-written with Tarell Alvin McCraney, took home Best Screenplay honors. The film’s cast scored the Best Ensemble Cast prize, with Mahershala Ali winning Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Juan, a father-figure of sorts to the film’s lead character Chiron, a young African-American male coming to terms with his sexual orientation.
Check out a review of Moonlight here, places to see it here, a breakdown with reviews of Oscar nominees here, and find out where you can see Oscar-nominated films in theaters around Seattle here.
Watch TBS Already: Surprising as it may sound, TBS (which was once THE place to see pro wrestling and old sitcom reruns) has been ramping up its original programming the past few years. The change seemed to begin in 2010 with the launch of Conan O'Brien's talk show, Conan, but really gained traction in 2015 with the amazing weekly commentary of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (love her). You can, and should, check out the show she's co-produced with fellow former Daily Show correspondent and husband Jason Jones, who also stars in said show, The Detour. It's one of those non-traditional absurdist comedies, apparently inspired by their own experiences with family vacations, about a company man who plans a road trip from New York to Florida with his family—wife Robin (Natalie Zea) and their 12-year-old twins, Jared and Delilah (the former rocks-dumb but adorable, the latter rebellious and possessing of all the brain cells her brother seems to lack). But nothing is as it seems, and their 1,300-mile adventure takes some pretty twisted turns. (Jones has likened the show to a comedic Breaking Bad, which should tell you something.)
You can stream the 10-episode first season of The Detour on Hulu, buy it on Amazon for $19.99, and catch the first episode of the second season (which aired this past Tuesday) on TBS.com (if you have a cable service provider). Side note: if you haven't seen People of Earth, another high-quality TBS show, find some way of binging that shit immediately. You can thank me later.
Now, for your enjoyment, here's a few clips from The Detour's first season:
