tv reviews | m.davis xoxo

My Top 5 Shows of 2016 So Far …

It’s the golden age of TV, people. And I’m loving it.

We’re halfway through 2016 and we’ve already had some incredible TV shows. And the exciting part is, there’s still so much more to come! I will definitely do another post about upcoming fall premieres I’m excited about, but for now, here are my top shows of 2016 so far.

The Good Wife, Final Season (CBS)

The Good Wife was overall an incredible show, and will definitely go down as an all-time favorite. However, after Will died then Kalinda left, it kind of lost its way. I wasn’t as interested and just kept watching to watch, but they really picked it up in the final season. It had the excitement of the episodic cases again, and the sexy allure with Jeffrey Dean Morgan they’d been missing since Will. While I didn’t love the finale, I still give the season two thumbs up. Cheers to Alicia Florrick and Mr. Big.

The People vs. O.J. Simpson (FX)

I am still surprised by how much I was enthralled in this show. Since I was very young when this happened in RL, I didn’t remember all of the details of the case or the specifics of the trial, so it made it that much more dramatic. But even if I had known everything that happened, this show still would have pulled me in. It’s a classic drama with terrific acting and great storytelling. You won’t be able to stop watching, and will still hold your breath while waiting for the jury’s verdict.

O.J.: Made in America (ESPN)

This is definitely one of the best, if not THE best, documentary I’ve ever seen. Comprised of 5 episodes at an hour and a half each, it goes into tremendous detail, but not once do you feel like it’s dragging on. This is a complex story and this documentary tells it so well. I was truly fascinated hearing about O.J. as a “Football god”, understanding the backdrop of race relations in LA and listening to present day interviews from the lawyers, jurors and journalists. I enjoyed watching the drama first, then watching this to see all the nitty gritty details.

Orphan Black, Season 4 (BBC)

This is a constant favorite of mine and always makes my end of year lists, so if you STILL haven’t watched it, you clearly don’t value my opinion. Its one of the few shows where I can’t take my eyes of the screen because I’m so hooked the entire episode. Tatiana Maslany, playing multiple clones, is truly one of the most gifted actress I’ve ever seen. Next season is the last, and you can feel a deliberate storyline leading to answers, which I appreciate.

The Affair (Showtime)

This one is kind of a cheat, because we haven’t finished this season aired in 2016 yet. We flew through season 1 and just started season 2, but thought I’d add it to my list anyway. This show is thrilling and intense and captivating in such a unique way. The cinematography is beautiful and the storytelling is fascinating as you see extremely different perspectives both sides of the affair. Wonderfully done, and I can’t wait to finish the season.

BONUS: Mr. Robot, Season 2 (USA)

Okay, okay. I haven’t seen this one yet, but it airs TONIGHT and I’m so so excited. Since we finished season 1 we’ve been dying for more. And as husband said, we know it will be incredible, so it needs to be on the list.

Also ….
Currently Bingeing: Veep, The Affair, The O.C. (for the 100th time)
Summer Guilty Pleasure: The Bachelorette (#TeamLuke!)
Next on our Watchlist: Game of Thrones (seasons 3-6), Love (Netflix original), Homeland (season 4-5), The Americans, American Crime

What are you currently watching?
xo xo

July 13, 2016 | Categories: Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews | Tags: mr. robot, oj documentary, oj simpson, the affair, the good wife, the people vs oj, tv reviews, TV shows | 2 Comments

TV Reviews: Fall 2015

Calling all TV show junkies like me, below are my mid-mid-season reviews of my shows too far. If you’re judging me for how many shows I watch, you’re clearly not the target audience for this post, so just stop now and keep your mouth shut. If you’re loving me for how many shows I watch, we should clearly be friends and we have a lot to discuss.

5/5 Stars

The Walking Dead – Oh my gosh, this season has been phenomenal. The best in a while. (Note: This rating is purely under the assumption my boy is alive.)

Jane the Virgin –Binged S1 on Netflix, and I’m so in love with Jane and Rafael and this show. And now Mateo, awwwww! [pictured]

iZombie – This is the most underrated show ever. I feel like no one is watching it, and everyone needs to! I need it to stay on air!

*NEW* Quantico – From the first episode I’ve been totally hooked. It’s so intense and the main girl is so gorgeous you can just stare at her the whole show.

4/5 Stars

Nashville – Good season so far, but so ready for Scarlett and Gunnar to get back together already and for Juliette to stop being ridiculous.

Mindy Project – This show started out so hilarious I couldn’t take it. However, the last few eps have been duds, so hoping it can come back strong. [pictured]

3.5/5 Stars

Scandal – FINALLY Olivia and Fitz are together together. Good season so far, but still not where it used to be. [pictured]

How to Get Away With Murder – They’ve kept me more hooked so far than I thought they could, but I’m still concerned about how sustainable the show really is.

Big Bang Theory – I laugh out loud every time I watch the show, but I hate how they married Penny and Leonard after all they’ve been through, so I guess I’m still a little bitter.

3/5 Stars

Empire – I think I gave myself too high of expectations. The first season of this show can never be beat, and that’s very clear this season.

*NEW* Blood & Oil – Okay, to be honest, there are only three reasons I’m watching this show:
1. Chace Crawford aka Nate Archibald (Gossip Girl) [pictured]
2. Wilson Bethel aka Wade Kinsella (Hart of Dixie)
3. Scott Michael Foster aka Cappie (Greek)

*NEW* Blindspot – I would have given this even less of a rating if not for the last two episodes. It has potential, but they need to remove the cheese factor a bit.

2/5 Stars – Officially CUT from the watchlist

Scream Queens – I watched the pilot on the plane to Europe and thought it was hilarious. Then, it went downhill so fast. I don’t know if it’s a comedy/horror/both/neither, and I can’t waste my previous TV watching time while they figure it out.

What are your favorite shows this season?
xo xo

November 4, 2015 | Categories: Pop Culture, Television | Tags: fall tv, television, TV, tv reviews, TV shows | Leave a comment

TV Reviews [finale edition]: PLL, Mindy Project + Glee

P R E T T Y L I T T L E L I A R S
{Season 5, Ep. 26}

If I only had one word to describe this episode: disappointment. There was so much build-up to this episode for the #BigAReveal, and what did we get? A name. Charles. That’s it. But who the heck is Charles?? Okay so maybe we know Charles is Jason’s twin brother, but is it a character we already know by another name? Or are we creating an entirely new character? Marlene King said when we found out in this episode who A was, we would be heartbroken. I can’t be heartbroken about someone I don’t even know. All of my thoughts and questions are summed up perfectly in this hilarious (as always) Buzzfeed: http://www.buzzfeed.com/jennaguillaume/whats-a-charles

I also just didn’t understand the Dollhouse. How in the world could they sleep?! Why didn’t they try to grab Charles or hurt him or remove his mask when they had the chance? UGH. But of course, despite it all, I can’t wait for the summer premiere. You got me, A.

T H E M I N D Y P R O J E C T
{Season 3, Ep. 21}

Okay, following the trend, one word to describe the episode: swoon. Oh Danny, I just love you so much, and I love your stubble, no matter when Mindy thinks her parents would think about it. This was a really good episode. Okay first of all, how sad is it that Mindy didn’t get to go to Peter’s wedding?! They’re the cutest best friend duo ever, so why would they do that? (Side note: Peter has GOT to get rid of that haircut.) Secondly, this episode got pretty deep talking about marriage. I wanted to slap Danny across the face when he said he didn’t want to get married. But of course Danny’s mom (who I’ve LOVED this season), pretty much did just that when she told him she and him just hadn’t married the right people previously. As angry as I was at Danny, I knew he would redeem himself, which of course he did – in INDIA. I can’t wait to meet Mindy’s parents next season. Can we also get more of Rishi please? And perhaps a Bollywood episode?

Side note: Mindy quoting Cookie – I DIED.

G L E E
{Season 6, Ep. 12 & 13 – series finale}

One word to describe the series finale: perfect. I could write an entire blog post about Glee and this finale. In fact, I have previously about the season 1 finale – Don’t Stop Believin’. Stop and read that post first to understand how much of an impact just the first season of Glee made on me. The show started my sophomore year of college. It was the show that I would get giddy over while watching every week. I listened to the soundtracks obsessively. I saw the Glee movie in theaters. I was so involved in the characters lives, that when the main actor Corey Monteith committed suicide in real life, I was more upset than I thought I’d be.

Each week, it took me back to my passion – singing, dancing, performing. Something I wasn’t doing during that time. It taught me to go after your dreams and not let anyone stand in the way. It taught me high school love isn’t necessarily just high school love. It taught me we are all misfits and we all need each other. It was such a brilliantly written show that pushed the bounds on some important topics. Sadly, it lost its luster when the main characters graduated high school and they tried to continue with a new group and followed the old group in their various new lives. So I stopped watching at around season 5. However, I knew I had to watch the series finale since I had invested so much of my time watching the show in the beginning. And like I said above, it was perfect.

The finale was 2 parts – the first part going back to 2009, to the very first episode of the series. They showed the scenes we didn’t see about how everyone made it to the Glee club. It made me so nostalgic that I wanted to start the series all over again. They did it perfectly. The second part of the finale showed where everyone was 5 years later. I don’t typically like it when shows do that, but this was so great. They focused on the original characters, and wrapped everything up so perfectly. Rachel wins an Emmy! (Her speech made me bawl.) Mr. Schu and Emma have kids! Kurt and Blaine are adorable! Sue is Vice President of the United States! But it was the last scene that brought the tears. Everyone on stage singing Don’t Stop Believin’ together. Oh my gosh, all.the.feels.

Okay, that’s all. I’ll be in my room crying now and re-starting Glee from Ep. 1.

xo xo

March 29, 2015 | Categories: Pop Culture, Television | Tags: finale edition, glee, glee series finale, pretty little liars, the mindy project, tv reviews | Leave a comment