While FX Chairman John Landgraf recently told reporters at the Television Critics Association that peak TV may have peaked, that doesn't mean there's nothing out there worth watching. Streamer home screens can still intimidate with the amount of content to choose from, and it can be hard to know where to start. But that's where we come in!
Each week on AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news show, we're joined by television critics who help parse through notable releases and tell us what's worth a binge. This week we were joined by Danette Chavez, editor-in-chief at Primetimer, and Melanie McFarland, TV critic for Salon.
Listen to the full conversation for a rundown of the variety of shows they hit on. I’ll dig into three of them a little further to offer added insights.
This week’s shows/topics include:
Airing on FX & Streaming on Hulu
This piece of historical fiction dating back to the year 1600 starts with Englishman John Blackthorne, who’s left shipwrecked in Japan as the country faces a civil war. Along with him, we also see characters like Lord Yoshii Toranaga and Toda Mariko, who deal with their respective issues like political opposition and familial trauma.
“The production is stunning and it's also meticulously rendered in terms of getting the background together.” – Melanie McFarland, Salon
Overall take: The show has received a significant amount of critical acclaim already and has also been well-received by audiences, clearing most benchmarks for viewers who need as many reasons as possible to jump into an action-packed historical drama.
Fun fact: The show is based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel of the same name. Clavell collaborated with Academy Award-winning screenwriter Robert Bolt (Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago) to write a screenplay, which led to a mini-series that was released in 1980 on NBC.
When and where: Episodes 1 and 2 are now streaming on Hulu; Episode 3 releases March 5 on Hulu, and airs at 10 p.m. on FX.
Streaming on Hulu
In a world where nearly everyone gets a superpower when they turn 18, Jen is among the powerless adults. The show follows her as a 25-year-old going about her life and coping as an outsider.
“What started as this superhero comedy that was centered around Gen-Zers in London has become a broader coming-of-age story” – Danette Chavez, Primetimer
Overall take: Although the show takes a similar tack to movies like Encanto and Sky High in the way it focuses on an outsider protagonist in an environment where everyone else has a special power, it also takes advantage of this century's obsession with superheroes. As a result, it’s able to offer some established critiques of how power leads to greed and uplift the idea that the “powerless” still face hardships, and sprinkles in a healthy dose of humor along the way.
Fun facts: In an interview she did several years ago with the U.K. magazine Stylist, show creator Emma Moran said in the early stages of writing the show she envisioned it more as a flatshare sitcom — a show that follows a large group of people in one environment. But when she realize that the concept itself didn’t have enough to spin into a show of that type, she turned to the surge of superhero popularity to help build out the premise to what it ultimately became.
When and where: All 8 episodes premiere March 6 on Hulu.
Streaming on Netflix
This is a live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon's beloved animated show from the mid-aughts. In a world filled with elemental powers, the show follows Aang, the last of the Airbenders and the only one capable of bending all four elements, as he tries to stop the oppressive Fire Nation’s battle against the rest of the elements and the people who bend them.
“There was [the film adaptation] by M. Night Shyamalan…considered to be one of the worst films of all time. This one is not that bad, little to be desired, but it does say some interesting things about leadership.” – Melanie McFarland, Salon
Overall take: Although the show may not reach the heights of its predecessor, it’s done quite well so far. Forbes reports the show amassed 21.2 million viewers in its opening weekend, beating out Netflix’s adaptation of the popular anime One Piece, which successfully drew 18.5 million views in its opening weekend.
Worth noting: When the live-action show was announced back in 2019, the animated series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko were to be its show runners. A year later, both left the show due to creative differences. DiMartino explained some of his reasons in an open letter he posted on Facebook.
When and where: All 8 episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
