Top 5 Anticipated Television Shows

5. The Residence

This is supposed to be a whodunnit and I like those. Especially since this one is supposed to be a comedy one and the cast looks great. It is set in the White House too, which is interesting location for something that uses the term screwball to define itself. And the cast is looking great, Uzo Aduba, Giancarlo Esposito, and Randall Park are some of them on the list. And that start to the list is strong. So I hope that is going to be a fun show that is worth checking out on Netflix.

4. IT: Welcome to Derry

I know I won’t watch this this year. It’s on HBO and I am not going to get HBO just to watch this. Yes, HBO does offer more, but I stand by what I say, and I don’t see a ton else I want to get a streaming service for, even for a bit. But this is a great reminder to me that the show is coming out and that it is probably time for some more creepy clowns.

I also need to watch the movies for IT, but I love the book. It is one that I read often. So for that reason, I suspect that it is going to be a show that I’d enjoy, if they can adapt and create a rich history for Pennywise. My big concern is that since I know where it ends, or how it has to end, it’s going to feel like an unneeded growth of the mythos.

3. Alien: Earth

It seems odd that we wouldn’t have had an Alien show before, but there is one coming now. For me, this feels like a good time to dig into the Alien lore and movies that are out there. And it being on FX is probably a good sign for what the budget might be and how safe they will play it. I expect it to be a good horror and suspense film. But, because of the theme, I want to watch it, but we’ll see if that happens or not. It is one that I likely will find out the reviews for before I dive in. The top two spots really are the ones that I know I will watch.

2. Stranger Things

I think this could even rival my top one, but you can probably guess what that is if you saw the movies list. But the final season of Stranger Things is going to be interesting. How do they wrap up the story after the events of the last season? And what is going to happen with Max? I expect that there are going to be more questions asked as well for the show.

So I am just excited to see what they do with it, as while not every season has been my favorite or every element of a the seasons do I love, I want to go back to Hawkins and see what is happening there with the upside down.

1. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Daredevil: Born Again
Ironheart
Eyes of Wakanda
Marvel Zombies
Wonder Man

Of course Marvel is at the top of the list. And I am putting down all the live action and animated shows for it. I’m excited for all of them, including Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man which has looked more fun with the new trailer that is out. And that one is coming out in 26 days, on January 29th, as of when I’m writing this.

But I’m really excited to see what Wonder Man, Ironheart, and Daredevil: Born Again have to offer as the live action shows. How is Daredevil: Born Again going to be continue but be MCU connected from the Netflix show? What is the connection between Riri Williams, The Hood, and Mephisto that is being teased in plot leaks for Ironheart? And what type of story will they tell with Wonder Man? I can’t wait for all of those questions and more to be answered.

Which Show Do You Want to Watch?

I know that I left a lot of people’s top shows off the list. Things like The Last Of Us and Severance would be very high I am sure. But I need to watch the first seasons for those before I can comment. And as I made the comment with IT: Welcome to Derry, do I get another streaming service, even for a bit, just to watch a show. I already have a handful that I use often, so I don’t really want to add in more.

And I also know that there will be shows announced for 2025 that won’t hit television. And I expect that I will find other shows in 2025 that I want to watch. Because, especially when you think about the fall schedule, that is up in the air for a lot of companies. And there are other shows, like Andor, that I do have the streaming service for. So I might get to watching season one before season two comes out as well. But I say that, and I know Marvel is going to keep me very busy watching this year.

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Avatar: The Last Airbender Plot

Let’s just talk quickly about the plot. I won’t spoil much of what happens, only what is in the first episode, and sets the context.

Aang is the Avatar, someone who can learn and master the elements of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. But he’s young, still learning, when the Fire Nation, those who can bend fire, declare war on the rest of the world. He goes off on the run and ends up frozen in ice for 100 years. When he comes out of the ice, war is still happening. But the Fire Nation has a much stronger foothold than before. And he still needs to figure out what it means to be the Avatar and how to stop the war.

Animated versus Live Action

Obviously, this is the main question for most people. How does the live action version hold up against the animated version. And I think, as did my wife, that it holds up well. I know there will be some people who nitpick around it and say that it doesn’t do everything identical to the animated version. In which case, I recommend that they watch the animated version again. But for the most part, it does a great job with it.

If I were to critique the live action version and find a few negatives, I’m not sure that all of the acting is as dynamic as the voice acting was. And there are a couple of times where the bending doesn’t look perfect. It looks really good, but it doesn’t look perfect. That’s mainly around Aang flying, which doesn’t matter what it is, it doesn’t look perfect even in a big budget film, Wonder Woman I’m looking at you.

What It Changes

The big thing that it changes is that it tones down the goofiness. Now, note that I didn’t say that it gets rid of the goofiness. It certainly doesn’t do that. But it does tone it down. And with that it leans into the reality of the war that the Fire Nation has brought upon the Earth, Wind, and Water nations.

This, I think, is an important change. Again, I don’t want it beat for beat. If I wanted it like that, I’d watch the animated show. But also, some of the goofiness wouldn’t translate as well to live action. It’d undercut what the show really ends up getting right about the series. And I’ll touch on that soon. Some of the silly things that Aang does or Momo’s antics, or even Sokka’s ticks wouldn’t translate as well into live action.

But It Does It Justice

And let’s focus in on this. The Netflix show does the animated series justice. Mainly because it nails getting the heart of the show down. The struggle for Aang, Sokka, Katara, and others is real in the show. And the live action version leans into that as the focus. Mainly, because it can. It’s still a show that kids can watch, just slightly older kids, because of how it handles the story.

I don’t think I can emphasize this enough. Avatar: The Last Airbender is about Aang’s struggle. But it’s not just about that. Everyone desires that the Avatar saves them and ends the war. But everyone is lost and grieving because of the war. And that dynamic of hope, or loss of hope, the scheming and planning. The violence and helping, all of that translates so well throughout the first season of the show.

Final Thoughts on Avatar: The Last Airbender

I really want to express how good this show is. Not just for people who have watched the animated series. I think that Netflix’s adaptation of it is a great opportunity for new fans to be created. And that is important to have a show continue to grow that way. And the numbers of Netflix are proving it out that people are excited for the show.

The changes that they make, and I mentioned toning down the goofiness, are good. I know that there were a lot of complaints about making Sokka less sexist. The point of that is that he changes. But the show demonstrates clearly that you can still have those arcs without making it as blatant. I see him still as sexist in how he treats and protects Katara, but it’s not a blatant way that he handles it. It’s from a protective source and he’s still learning to overcome and change and not feel like his sister can’t handle it.

I want the next season now. And I hope that Netflix can make it quickly and do it justice. There are characters I want to see show up. And there are a lot of arcs that I really want to see develop over time. We start to see the hint at them with Uncle Iroh and others, but I want to see how they can continue to grow the series.

Have you watched it? And did you enjoy it?

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Quick Intro to Percy Jackson

It’s a good spot to start, what do you need to know getting into Percy Jackson. It’s a story of a boy who is in between two worlds. His mother is a human and his father, whoever that might be, is a god. As his powers start to manifest his human life is turned on it’s head. Monsters come after him and strange visions occur that make him feel separate. Until he finds out the truth of who he is.

Initial Impressions

I’m impressed by this show and the storytelling thus far. I won’t say “thus far” all the time, as it is only two episodes in. But the show is off to a great start. The acting is good, the storytelling, like I said, is very good. I think that this will surprise a lot of people.

I know that the original movie around the books was not considered good. That isn’t something something that should worry people if they are thinking about jumping into this show. What is on Disney+ thus far is a lot more fun than that sounded. And while I need to read the books still, my wife who has, says this is much closer to that.

What Hasn’t Worked?

But that isn’t to say that this is a perfect show. I think that it’s very good and I’ll go into a lot of those details down below. A few times I think that the CGI hasn’t been quite where I want it to be. Now, that is very limited. Percy Jackson is a show with a lot of money put into it, and you can tell very quickly that the CGI is going to be solid. Once or twice I feel like I wanted it to shine more. That is a small amount when you think about some Disney+ shows recently which are rougher.

What Works?

But that is it for negative for me, I think that a lot more works than doesn’t work. And a lot of that starts with the actor they got to play Percy. It is very hard to get kid actors who do an amazing job. Walter Scobell is fun to watch in the role and provides the emotion that you want to see. And supporting characters also work really well. Like most pilots, it isn’t perfect at the start, but the actors feel like they grow into their roles even across two episodes.

I also like how this doesn’t try to be something that it’s not. This is not a YA show, this is not a show that is mainly focused on having an adult audience. This is an adventure show for middle grade readers or people who grew up loving the series. Now, that is not to say that Percy Jackson is too dumb of childish. It just means that the show is going to paced in a particular way where it moves quickly. And that a lot of the dialog that you might expect from fantasy show targeted at adults isn’t there. It is more about showing, which is good and works very well.

Speaking of that, the final thing is that I think Percy Jackson really does evoke that sense of adventure. It jumps into the story and doesn’t really stop. There are some moments of humor to it, and some where there is depth. But so much of it just feels like an adventure. If you want more than that, there are plenty of big heavy fantasy shows with dialog or fantasy comedies. But Percy Jackson is not trying to be the next Game of Thrones, nor is it extending itself out like The Hobbit did.

Who Is Percy Jackson For?

First off, I think it’s simple to say, this is for middle grade readers and those who have read Percy Jackson. But I don’t think that is where it stops. This is a show for people who want to have a light fun adventure in the middle of the winter. Percy Jackson is going to deliver that in spades as I keep on driving home.

On the flip side, I don’t know how this has happened, but a lot of reviews seem to be disappointed in that it’s a show that is like that books. If you want the next big epic fantasy series to go along with Game of Thrones and House of Dragons, I don’t know what to tell you. Percy Jackson is not going to be for you. Or if you want something with more character development and depth, probably, again, not the ideal one for you. It is what it is and that’s a good thing. If it tries to be everything for everyone, it would fail.

Final Thoughts

I’m excited to watch more. Percy Jackson definitely caught my attention watching the first two episodes. I think there is room for continued growth and improvement of the show. But for the most part, it is a show that hit the mark for me. And something like a little bit less than idea CGI is not going to bother me.

I also want to know where the story is going. Yes, I expect it to be a simple story and I expect to enjoy that story. Percy Jackson is comfort food, the story is familiar, but it still tastes good. And around winter and around the holidays when things aren’t always the most relaxing, it is nice to sit back and enjoy something like Percy Jackson.

What do you think of the first two episodes of Percy Jackson? What might you want to see more of from the show?

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Top 5 Most Anticipated Television Shows of 2023

5. The Witcher Season 3

It’ll be Henry Cavill’s last season but that’s fine, I still expect to enjoy it a lot. I’ve enjoyed both seasons and while they aren’t the most consistent, I love the lore of the world. Season 2 gave us a good tease of something big at the end and now I’m curious to see how they’ll pay it off.

4. Fallout

I don’t know much about this show. In fact, I’m not 100% certain it’ll come out in 2023. But if it does from Amazon Prime, I’ll be curious about it. The world is interesting and I don’t have that much exposure to it. It’s probably a video game that I should checkout. But I think something like this with a big would could translate well to a television series.

3. Shadow and Bone Season 2

I really loved the first season, so to get a 2^nd, I’m excited to see what is going to happen. The characters are interesting, the world is interesting and generally, I didn’t have any real qualms with the show, the only thing, and this isn’t a bad thing, I might want to rewatch season 1. It’s been just long enough that I’ll want to know what happened and relive it again.

2. Star Wars Shows

We should be getting the Mandalorian Season 3, which I’m so excited for. Plus the Ahsoka show, also really excited for that one. I know I need to catch up on stuff like Andor, Kenobi and finally finish Book of Boba Fett, but none of them really excited me. Mandalorian Season 3 is must watch the week that it comes out for me. And I hope that Ahsoka will be the same. Oh, and I almost forgot Skeleton Crew which sounds like a lot of fun as well and isn’t tied into Star Wars cannon seemingly as much. So I’m more interested in it.

1. Marvel Shows

Obviously, and there might be a number of them with Secret Invasion, Loki Season 2, Echo, Agatha Coven of Chaos, Ironheart, and maybe What If Season 2 as well in the mix. If you want to know my favorites or most anticipated in that and see how they rank against the movies, check out the January 3^rd episode of 10 Minute Marvel.

Honorable Mentions

Of course I have some of those as well.

• But the first one is Anasi Boys an adaptation of a Neil Gaiman book but one that I thought was just alright. It’s certainly one I’d checkout, if it sounds interesting enough once some reviews start coming in.
• Extinction, on TNT not a streaming show, also sounds interesting, a software engineer who gets stuck in a time loop where the world keeps ending in different ways, that sounds entertaining. I believe it’s already been out in the UK, it’s coming to the US in 2023.
• Probably should be on the list already, but The Continental coming to Starz, which means it might be a bit until I see it. But this one I do want to see, a prequel series to the John Wick films about the Continental Hotel from that series, set in the late 1970’s.
• Dune Sisterhood because it is a Dune show, don’t know too much about it, but I’m curious. It’s on HBO Max, and still alive, so it’s lower on the list because who knows when I’d see it.
• And I’m not seeing it for this year, but if Wheel of Time Season 2 comes out, that’ll be towards the top of the list.
• Also, Stranger Things season 5. But that is supposed to start filming this year, so unlikely to come out.

What shows are you looking forward to?

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Top 5 TV Shows from 2022

5. Wheel of Time

I know that there are going to be some people who disagree with this one. It isn’t enough like the books, and I agree with that, but I still had a ton of fun with it. I thought that they got a lot of the characters right. And I want to see what is going to happen next. This was never going to be a 14 season series with teenagers, and I don’t think I’d ever have wanted that. But it gave me a look into Robert Jordan’s world and the magic and the turning of the world just maybe from a slightly different universe than the one that he wrote.

And I keep on coming back to it when I talk about it, the casting is really good. The characters are so much fun, and the experience of watching the show, it was almost much watch TV for me. Which, besides Marvel, it’s hard for a show to do that. I still have stuff like Andor, Book of Boba Fett, and Rings of Power on the too catch-up on list.

4. The Witcher

It’s a shame that Henry Cavill is leaving and that like The Wheel of Time, this isn’t closer to the source material. But I am having fun with this series. Henry Cavill is great as Geralt. And while I didn’t like Yeniffer’s storyline at all or her character at all in the 1^st season, she’s a little bit better. I’m still the least interested in what she is doing, but she’s tolerable now. And with where season 2 ended, I want to know what is going to happen next. Even if this is the last season that I watch, I want to know where it is going to go.

3. Locke & Key

Locke & Key is a rare show that got a chance to wrap up on it’s own terms. But I’m so glad that it did, maybe it could have been longer and more keys could have been found. But they did a really good job of wrapping up the story and creating memorable moments. That family has been through so much, and it just worked so well with how the story ended. It makes me want to find another story in that crazy world or something, but also so satisfied with how everything ended.

2. The Dragon Prince

This one might be higher because it was more recent, but I really love The Dragon Prince. And it also might be higher because we watched through the whole series again. This newest season, not a ton happens, really in it, but there is enough fun that it just works. And it had been a while, both in the show and in real life, so it was nice to get to enjoy seeing characters that I love on the screen again. And then of course they are going to have their own dramas as well, but that’s part of the show. And again, they handle some difficult topics very well.

1. Stranger Things

Finally, Stranger Things. I don’t think it’s a surprise. Stranger Things Season 4 was amazing. I’d put it neck and neck with Season 1. The new characters introduced were great. And they really upped the stakes in this season. Not so much in people dying, I won’t spoil who does or doesn’t make it, but just in the level of threat. Which, I must say, is impressive, because they had some massive threats before.

And it was interesting how the three different storylines were really so different this season. Previous seasons they exist but are also closer together. Now they were really spread apart and where it ended, I can’t wait to see how they’ll wrap up the series. Plus they are working on more stuff for Netflix, including in the world of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers that is, so I want to know what will happen that way as well.

What was your Favorite Show of 2022?

Let me know that down in the comments. I will finish up Book of Boba Fett sometime and I do want to watch Rings of Power, Andor, 1899, Wednesday, and more. Which would you start with to catch up? And then I also know there are new shows coming out, that list coming soon, that I’m excited for.

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The Dragon Prince – Plot Overview

Warning, if you haven’t watched the show at all, spoilers ahead for the whole series.

Season 1-3 Recap

Let’s recap everything to get to where we are. Rayla and the moon elves come to assassinate the King after he and Viren took down the dragon king and destroyed the Dragon Prince’s egg. However, that egg is found in the castle. And one of the moon elves, Rayla joins with Callum and Ezran to go on the run with the Dragon Prince’s egg to try and get him back to his mother. Things don’t always go smoothly but they work their way over there through the first three seasons.

Viren, meanwhile, is making a play for the throne which Ezran struggles to know what to do with. And he attempts to track down the boys and Rayla to get the egg back. Even sending his own children after them to get the egg and let a mysterious accident happen to them. But that doesn’t work and it culminates with Viren leading troops into Xadia, the elven lands, to get the egg back, all with a mysterious little voice Aaravos whispering in his ear, helping him along the way.

Season 4

We jump forward two years. Ezran has taken the thrown, Viren is back, after being thought to be dead, and now the threat is new. No longer are they trying to get the Dragon Prince, Zym, back to his mother, but now the threat is the return of Aaravos.

Season 4 brings the characters back together after having been apart. As well as gives us more of the history of Xadia and the lands and what Aaravos had done prior to being put into his prison. And without saying much more, that’s the basics of the story to avoid spoilers.

What Doesn’t Work?

The time jump makes sense, to some extent, and there is a story reason for it. But it also adds in some complications for everything. When you do a time jump you need to explain where characters have been and what they’ve been up to. I think it works for some of the characters pretty well, Claudia for example, but not for others as much, Rayla. However, you need Rayla’s story for some of the tension and development of everything.

And I think that a show like The Dragon Prince, with the actual time gap between seasons suffers a little bit. As the characters age up, you kind of expect the show to mature a little bit. And The Dragon Prince has never kept from dealing with tough topics. But some of the characters or situations are basically done for humor in ways where it cuts into heavier or more meaningful moments. Now, it is a kids show, so that is the reason, never let it to get too heavy in any moment, but it could have been handled better.

What Works?

I think the overall story is the right way to go. Aaravos needs to be the next big bad guy. There is not the pressure of getting Zym to his mother anymore. So some new bad guy needs to exist. And Viren could work for that, but it’d feel a lot like a retread. I believe it was smart for them to look to a new main villain.

Viren’s arc for this season I think worked really well. It was almost a passing of a torch early in the season and he returns to his power at the end. No details for you on how that works though as it is a spoiler. But his arc makes a lot of sense and I like that they given characters who are villains depth and arcs for what they are doing.

And finally, I really like the handling of the elf and human dynamic. It is two years later, but things aren’t perfect. In fact, a lot of times, things still struggle. And that is one thing that the Dragon Prince always does well. It tells a story where there are comparisons to the real world. But it shows light on things that are hard to see in real life. Mainly that real change, coming together, it takes time, it takes work, there are going to be differing opinions. But if it truly does matter, then the fight to make those changes happen does matter as well.

Final Thoughts on The Dragon Prince Season 4

Is this my favorite season, I don’t know that it is. There are elements that are great, though. And without getting into spoilers, it is hard to talk about them completely But there are elements that aren’t as fun. And some of that is the time jump and the need to explain it away. I wish they hadn’t done it in some way. But at the same time, it is needed.

One of my likes, how it handles the struggles of the elf and human dynamic is really good. And that is not as strong without that time jump. However, another element, that with Rayla, it feels like it’s tacked onto there for no amazing reason. They needed to explain it, they want more drama. But this show is better when it allows some things to work out just because they do. Overall, still a great show and still a really fun season.

Is this going to be a season that brings in new viewers or makes it worth pushing through? No, I don’t think it is. But if you like the show, it is reason to keep watching. Do you like like The Dragon Prince?

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There are going to be spoilers in this. A lot of spoilers, not even going to pretend to do a review without it. If you want the two sentence review if this is good, the answer is yes. It’s not a perfect season but it’s really good.

Spoilers Ahead

The Storylines

This is a bit of a different season. As the boys are growing older, it is like they are closer to the ages of the older generation. So instead of getting that split of the older kids, younger kids, and adults, we have two groups of kids and a group of adults. Plus then Eleven is split off on her own some. I think it is important to talk about all of these different groups and if their stories worked.

Eleven

Eleven is the best spot to start because really this world and overall story revolves around her. Her story, is both one of the more interesting parts and one of the less interesting parts. Her time in California is just fine. It has strong Carrie vibes but doesn’t really pay off. We already know she’s not a normal kid and doesn’t fit in.

And then we go to the new lab with Brenner and Owens. It is a very good vehicles for telling the story of Eleven’s powers, and who Vecna, Henry, the Orderly and One all are. The unraveling of that mystery with Eleven and Nina and Eleven getting her powers back works well. However, her time in this new lab, the fighting between her, Brenner, and Owens, the military showing up, there is too much of that and that part was not interesting.

The Adults

Then we head over to Russia with Joyce, Murray, Yuri, Hopper, and Antonov. And this is a bit of a mixed bag for me again. I really loved Antonov and her and Hopper’s relationship. How they loosely work together to really work together. How they both help out the other. And Murray and Yuri provide some good comedy for this.

Overall, really know knocks on the storyline for the adults. It does feel a bit like it’s less connected to the overall story though. And I get it, they need to get Hopper back to the rest of the group. The fact that they never really were in the same fight, even though they tried to help, is interesting. I’d have loved for there to be something more to get them directly involved.

Hawkins Kids

Easily my favorite part of the story, and I don’t think that’s a surprise. The Hawkins story has most of the bigger cast with Dustin, Lucas, Max, Erica, Nancy, Steve, and Robin and introducing Eddie. All characters that you really start to like.

They also have the best ability to interact with the upside down and it was fun to delve into there more. We’ve gotten these hints throughout the other series. We even spend time there, but this time we really get to spend time in the upside down. There are still mysteries to it but we know more now, some because of them.

And I also think that the Max storyline was interesting. What she is going through, Vecna targeting her, she’s a character I really like. She brings something different to the group. And to have her be a focus and really the whole Hawkins kids side of thing being so relationship drama free, I think it worked well.

California Kids

Finally, the California kids with includes Argyle, a great character, and Mike, since he timed up his spring break amazingly. But their story was intriguing. They got to do the whole road trip thing which is fun and very much a trope from that time period. And getting to meet Suzy’s family was interesting.

I think that their story was stronger once Eleven was gone and them trying to get her. While that intersected with hers at one of the more boring parts, overall, it felt real. And to see the emotion from Will and Mike. And just that relationship and rebuilding between Eleven and Mike, it worked well. Plus Argyle was a great humor character.

Stranger Things Season 4 Overall Story

To me, while there were outliers, mainly the adults, the whole story did work together. And I think you could argue that they lost this fight, Vecna still lives, Max is in a coma, because they split the party at the end of season 3. Now the adults being split off, or at least Hopper, makes sense, really all of them splitting makes sense. But it’s leaning into a D&D trope that way where you never split the party.

I also think that building up the history of the upside down is very good. And for Eleven and her powers. It makes the world that is being more impactful to go back. And they did it in a smart way where the consequences to the real world mattered as she was finding out all of this. It was an information dump, technically, for her stuff, but not one that felt only like explaining. There is a reason behind it.

How It Ended

So, this is a bit more speculation going forward. If you don’t know, season 5 is going to be the final season of Stranger Things. Now there is plans for a show set in the same “world” as Strangers Things. And The Duffer Brothers are the runners for that show as well. It is an idea that they had, not someone that they were asked.

But let’s look at the world as it is now. Vecna is out there. Hawkins is a disaster area, what is going to be happen next? I expect that the finale will again be a face off against Eleven and Vecna, though that might be mid season. If they split it into two, I wouldn’t be shocked if Vecna is defeated by the end of the first half. For Hawkins, the question is, how do you close it up again? And that is where the story gets interesting.

Because I think that is going to be the harder part. Vecna might have an army around him, but he is injured both on the mental level and the physical. But how do you close everything back up again. I think we might see a character lost to doing this. In particular, I think Will might need to sacrifice himself. Not die, but go back to the upside down. Face that fear that he has and go back to close the portal. Eleven working on the outside and him on the inside.

I also think we end with more deaths in the season. Murray, unfortunately, and possibly Joyce or Hopper I could see dying. One of Steve, Jonathan or Nancy might die. And I don’t know if I think one of the kids will die or not. Max seems like a choice, if she never recovers, but she’s had that experience. And Will staying in the upside down could be seen as that. But I don’t know about Lucas, Dustin, or Mike. Mike seems fairly safe, but Lucas or Dustin could be a casualty.

Stranger Things Season 4 Final Thoughts

It is a very good season. I put my rankings of the seasons as 1 followed closely be 4. Then there is a gap down to 3 and a gap down to 2. Two is not bad, I think that it feels like it’s trying to be season 1 again without capturing that same feeling. Season 4 captures that feeling of season one and is darker as well. For me that is really interesting and works really well.

I think they walked that line nicely, though. It is darker, but they kept much of the essence of Stranger Things. And with that it let people who maybe don’t love that slight step darker stay engaged. Because, in the end, we want it to feel like Stranger Things and this season really did.

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5. Firefly

I think that this one could end up a lot of people’s lists. I’m not sure that you could get back the whole cast which made the show so good. But I think there is a chance to come back with a fun series set in that universe, because there are lots of parts of the universe that need to be looked into still. And the aesthetic of that show is strong enough to set a whole lot more than just the stories around the crew of the Firefly.

So I wouldn’t want a straight reboot for this one. Mainly because I’m happy with what we got from it. But I’d like to see another show set in the same universe. A story tied into a group trying to overthrow the Alliance from within the Alliance would probably be the direction that I go. Focus less on those in the rebellion who were fighting, but now those who are trying to subvert and stop what is happening.

4. Ghost Hunt

An anime that I’m not sure if it did everything there were books for or not. But I’d love to see a reboot of this, and a straight up reboot. Something that tells the stories I saw before in Ghost Hunt, but just redone. It’s an older anime coming out in 2006, at least for one that was dubbed. And I’d like to see it redrawn and come out again, tell the same stories and then tell more.

I really like the supernatural stories that it does tell. And where the series ends, it feels like there should be more stories being told. I doubt that this would ever happen though because there are always a plethora of new anime coming out.

3. Grimm

Grimm is a good supernatural show as well about all the crazy creatures living in our world and kind of this hidden away world. I could also put The Lost Girl on the list as well. But The Lost Girl has more iconic performances from side characters and I don’t know what I’d want those changed up. In Grimm, I think you could almost reboot it.

But I would probably go with telling a similar story, just tweak it as you go. Change up the location, story beats, and everything, you could rehash some of it. But it’d easy enough to just add in and build more stories into Grimm. I don’t need the same characters back, but I’d love to dive back into that world.

2. Farscape

Farscape is such a fun show. It is most definitely crazy and creative, but in a very good way for me. I like the puppets as well in it. I think that there is just more story, again, to tell with that show. It’s been too long so I don’t think you could come back and finish off the story that easily, but I’d like to see a straight up reboot for this.

With that reboot, I don’t want it to become all fancy. I love that there is a bit of high quality special effects, but also practical as well. It makes the show more charming. And with the depth of story, it is fairly surface through a lot of it, I think it lends itself well to that more comforting blend versus the highly polished sci-fi shows that can come out now. So I wouldn’t want the aesthetic to change, but I’d love the story to be retold and finished.

1. Stargate

This is one which might actually be happening. Or at least has a better chance of happening because of how successful the franchise was with SG-1 and Atlantis. And I don’t need a reboot. I don’t even need returning actors, though a cameo or two could be fun. Instead I’d want it to just build on the world(s) that it has created.

Stargate is such an amazing show, and with how it is set-up, it’s certainly possible to explore so many more worlds. I know that they have done a ton of different things. And I wouldn’t mind bringing back in some more of the classic bad guys of the show. But also, introducing a whole new threat would be cool as well.

Final Thoughts on Television Shows

There are a lot of shows that I’d be interested in seeing come back. I mentioned Lost Girl, I’d be fine with a reboot on that. I just want some of the actors back, even though they are older. That one also needs that reboot but tweaks to improve the writing. Veronica Mars is another one that could work to have a new version, same premise but all new cases. Or more recently The Librarians, I really loved that show, or Warehouse 13 and Eureka.

But let me know what shows you maybe wanted more of? Or maybe some that are older and you’d love to see them take another stab at it.

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Locke & Key Summary

No spoilers, but let’s talk about the premise and what happened in season one. Locke & Key is a young adult styled horror themed show about the Locke family. After Rendell, the father, is killed in seemingly a random attack by a student he was counseling, Nina takes her kids, Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode back to Massachusetts and the Keyhouse, where Locke, grew up.

There, Bode meets an imaginary friend, or so he thinks, in the well house, Dodge. And he starts to hear strange whispering sounds that lead him to keys. These keys all of magical powers, like a key that opens a door to anywhere. Unfortunately, Dodge is not just an imaginary friend, but an entity from another dimension who bonded to Lucas, one of Rendell’s friends from high school, years ago.

Dodge wants the keys, and in particular wants the Omega key, one that will open the door blocking off the portal. Using the student who attacked and killed Rendell, Dodge tries to get the keys that she needs in order to complete their plan. Meanwhile, Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode are dealing with a new town and that adults don’t know about the keys. Eventually, though, they manage to defeat Dodge and throw her through the portal back to her dimension, or so they think.

Locke & Key Season 2

Season two picks up shortly after the events of season two. Really when the kids next year of school starts. And of course, as viewers, we know, that the issue at hand is Dodge. She is still around, but the kids don’t know that. So what is Dodge’s plan going to be now?

The style of the show stays very much the same. It is still a young adult show with horror elements to it. For me, the feel of the show leans more into those horror elements, but not too much. But one of the things that this season does, it dig more into the lore of the Keyhouse and the Locke family. It is shown early on, but really delved into towards the end of season two.

What Doesn’t Work?

I think the one knock people might have from season one still remains. If you read the comic by Joe Hill you know how much darker and twisted that is. While Tyler, Kinsey and Bode are all around the same age, the world and how they interact with it is much less fanciful. They struggle with life more, and the actions of the student are grimmer.

For something on Netflix, I think that the changes work. But while season two is a little bit darker, it is not that dark horror. So if season one is not your jam, then season two is not going to be either. Now if season one grew on you, this might feel a bit more like the comics. And I think as someone who read the comics and likes the show, I see more nods to the comics in this one. There are in season one, but more direct references I feel here.

What Works?

I really think that building on the lore works well in this season. We get to find out not about where the portal goes to, but more of the history of it. More of what Dodge wants as well, which is intriguing. The house and lore are so intriguing that it’s hard not to want to know more about it and see more in the world. The portal to another dimension is that element that just feels different and out there from other shows.

I think they also toned down the teen drama a little bit. Watch the first few episodes, and you will disagree. But the further you get into the series, the more you see that drop away. There is still drama, since they aren’t going fully horror, drama needs to exist in some other ways. But it isn’t as much as times in season one. And a lot of that is that Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode feel like a weight has been lifted with Dodge being gone.

I appreciate, as well, that there is more adult involvement and that some of that involvement, while similar to the comics, is handled better. I think that they create a more interesting story that way. And it feels like the adult involvement makes more sense in this case.

Finally, the acting is still very strong. Bode, as a kid actor, is not always the best, nor the new kid actor in there as well. But Gabe is amazing (Dodge’s current form), and the other two kids, Kinsey and Tyler do a very good job as well. I love it when a show does well with the casting. And their mother, Nina, is very good at being confused.

Who Is It For?

I think it is for fans of Stranger Things. Another Netflix property with a similar feel, but more of a kids on bikes focus. This feels like it’s a tad more cleaned up from that and while it blends fantasy and horror, the feel is not quite the same.

As for fans of the comics, I do think that season two is likely to be appreciated more. But it is young adult in tone versus the comics. So if you dislike season one, season two is unlikely to change that. And I can understand that if expectations starts differently that this might seem very off. But if you go into season one knowing it is young adult, you’ll likely be able to appreciate it more.

Locke & Key Season 2 Final Thoughts

I like this show a lot. For me, I do not mind the young adult feel, nor am I sure that I would love to watch something that sticks perfectly to the comics. This helps balance out some of the trauma that they went through by showing off the wonder of the Keyhouse and what it is to be a Locke. The decisions that Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode face still are heavy, but there are more moments in there.

And I know there is going to be one more season. I think, many people, like myself, didn’t watch season two immediately when it dropped. There is just too much time between the seasons. But, thankfully, Netflix is already committed to a season three and they know it will be the last one. I want to see where the series ends, and while it might not be release day binge, I will watch it.

Do you enjoy Locke & Key on Netflix?

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What Is The Wheel of Time?

Like I said, it’s an epic 14 book series. It is heavy fantasy driven with a fairly standard epic fantasy setting, though some good tweaks on things like magic so that it isn’t just the normal setting. The main things that you need to know about the world going in is that time works on a loop, hence a wheel of time. Where heroes are reborn into the world, but because of a breaking of the world, there is a Dark One, and he wants to rule it all.

Rand Al’Thor and the kids of Emond’s Field live a normal quiet farm life. But when Moiraine Sedai shows up, their world starts to change. One of them is going to be the Dragon Reborn. They will either be the one to save the world, or join the Dark One and doom the world. But from Mat, Perrin, Egwene, Nyneave, and Rand, Moiraine and her Warder Lan don’t know who it is going to be.

Thoughts on The Wheel of Time Season One?

I enjoyed the series. I am someone who read 13 of the 15 books. Yes, I said there were 14 books, and there are in the series, then there is a prequel which deals with Moiraine’s backstory. I do want to read that one as well eventually. And I am working my way through the series again now. The television series departs, pretty quickly, from the book series. And for some book readers, that departure, and the number of them might be shocking.

Even for myself, especially the first episode, seemed like a drastic step away from the books in terms of an adaptation. Now, that was closer, in some ways, than the series got as it went along. It ended up being more a pacing issue in the first episode and that they aged up the characters from the books. With that said, they generally always got the tone and feel right. When I look at an adaptation, that is what I want to see. I want it to give me the same feeling as the book. And I want it close enough to my minds picture that it’s easy to jump into the story.

I’d also say that the story is still strong in what they are doing. In some ways, because they had to cut down some fat from 14 books, and they really mainly touched on the first book, it works for television. There are parts that were cut out that I definitely missed, but that’d kind of be a spoiler. And there are other parts that remind me of how the Lord of the Rings trilogy completely cut out Tom Bombadil. Some characters, side quests, or plot points might be interesting, or fun, but less needed.

Spoilers For Wheel of Time Ahead

Clearly, we are getting into spoiler territory now. I recommend if the series interests you to stop now. If you have read the books but haven’t watched the show yet, feel free to continue. It might help clarify some choices that were made. Or lessen some surprises on changes that happened.

And if you want to catch up on my episode by episode reviews, you can find the one for the finale here. And links for other reviews in there.

What Didn’t Work?

A few things don’t work for me in the series. Let’s start at the very beginning. The pacing of the first episode and the heavy handedness of the first episode don’t work for me. One detail you need to know is that the characters in the show are older. This is not a bad change. I think it is needed because this is a long series and kids might age up too fast. Also this is an intense series, so I think slightly older works better.

Aged Up Characters

But the pacing was rushed on the first episode. Some of what makes The Wheel of Time a great series is that it has this writing style of slow, big moment, slow, big moment, a consistent rising and falling. The series gets to that, but it takes a little while. But Perrin is married, know that going in. And in order to get Perrin to dislike his axe, he accidentally kills his wife in the Trolloc attack. It is rushed and forced.

Who Is The Dragon?

They also play a guessing game as to who is The Dragon reborn. In the books, we get a fever dream from Tam Al’Thor, Rand’s father, about how he isn’t actually his father in the first quarter of the book. Here this was the second to last episode that we get that. It’s meant to keep the audience guessing, I get that. Bur, unfortunately, they telegraph it. They hint that everyone could be the Dragon except for Rand.

This can work if you are don’t pick up on it. But they generally lay it on pretty heavily. Every time that they were around both Mat and Rand, since they did spend a lot of time together, it always hinted that it was Mat. Every other character from Emond’s Field as well could be the dragon, except for Rand. I get that it creates a sense of mystery, but it is more interesting, when done well, as in the book, for Rand to try and come to terms with being the dragon. And that his father isn’t who he thought he is.

What Did Work?

Generally, I think that they did a good job in making things work for the show. This might be a bit less on the story front of things and more along the line of the aesthetic and acting. But let’s talk about the acting.

The Acting

The casting for this show is as perfect as I’ve seen for any show. Especially for an adaptation it is amazing. They manage to get the feel of every character right. Even an aged up Mat still has that playful side to him or trickster side from the books. Plus they give him more of a reason to lean into the darker side of the character. Perrin also really stands out to me. He has that slow, lumbering element to him. And while they change his story a lot, he still feels right.

I honestly can’t come up with any character that I didn’t think was a great casting. Min, maybe, wasn’t as how I pictured her in my mind. But she was good in it. And Lan might be a bit slighter of frame than I thought, but Daniel Henney does a very good job in the role. Again, he feels like Lan Mandragoran even if he doesn’t look the part perfectly. And in an adaptation, I care more about the feel than my minds picture.

Where They Meet

One of the more drastic changes, or two really, were skipping over Baerlon and Caemlyn. Instead, they took the whole group to Tar Valon, which doesn’t happen that early in the books. However, the whole Caemlyn plot and Baerlon plots, they more flesh out the story. They add in some new characters and new things that are important, but generally can be done anywhere.

This also saves on the story from the second book. Fal Dara storyline is interesting, but they massively tighten it up with going to Tar Valon first. Again, this is an adaptation, there are going to be some losses to story. But there are also going to be some casualties, but also some ways that the story is tightened up a lot. No Padan Fain being arrested, he just shows up. No going to the Eye of the World and coming back with the Horn of Valere.

We can immediately get into the chase for the horn and the Great Hunt. Though, we need to see how that is going to work as there are pieces who aren’t there right now.

What I Missed?

Let’s talk quickly about what I missed from the series. Honestly there is only one thing I truly missed. And that is what we haven’t met Elayne yet. And that means that Rand didn’t climb up the wall and fall into the castle grounds in Caemlyn. Is that scene extremely important, I’m not sure, honestly, no it isn’t. But it is one of the moments of just fun from the series.

The Wheel of Time has a lot of adventure to it. It is generally a pretty dark series. The Caemlyn scene is a lot of fun. And just in general Elayne is one of my favorite characters, both her and Min. So I am curious when she gets into the show how we’ll be. I don’t know much about the actor playing her, so I’ll have to see.

I also missed, as I talked about, the fever “dream” that Tam tells Rand. We get it later, but I would love to instead see the story play around with Rand’s questioning of everything. Maybe that is too internal, but I think seeing that one scene would improve the story for me.

Wheel of Time Final Spoiler Thoughts

I really liked the series. I thought with the characters they did such an amazing job that it stands out as unique and better than most things. There are a few elements that I really need to see what happens with them. How is Elayne introduced? Where is Rand going away to and when will he come back? What is Mat up to? How will the story change now that Moiraine has been stilled?

Those are massive massive changes, but in terms of story I still think that it works. How it will work long term, and how much it’ll diverge I’m very curious about. I still definitely love the series, though, will all the changes. It reminds me of Lord of the Rings where most of the changes have been done for the good. And I am really curious to see what is coming forward.

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