”So, you're a murder cop with no suspect.
You're a neighborhood cop with no neighborhood.
You're an intelligence cop with no intelligence.
And you're in charge of all this, is that right?
”Yes, ma'am.”
”Wonderful.”
”Blue Lights” Assistant Chief Constable, Nicola Robinson
August was a decent month for TV viewing. Not too much, not too little, it felt just about right. One cool thing that happened is that HBO Max has partnered with BritBox and is providing a selection of their programming free for HBO/HBO Max customers throughout August and September. Although the selection is limited to 15 shows - most are police and detective dramas and procedurals - I was determined to check out as many as possible. BritBox has an extensive collection of shows in their catalog and might be worth swapping in a monthly membership a few times a year.
“Blue Lights” Seasons 1 and 2
After perusing the selection of available shows, I landed on this one and I am glad I did. The show follows a Belfast police precinct consisting of a mix of seasoned and probationary officers as they battle corruption, drugs, violence, and the area’s ever-present history in present day Northern Ireland with varying degrees of success. One of the lead actors seemed so familiar, but I couldn’t place him. It was driving me a bit crazy as I waited until Ep. 3 to give up trying to figure it out and look on IMDB. Of course, once I did, it made perfect sense, and I chalked up my frustration to the eyepatch he wore in the role I knew him from. Another couldn’t-quite-put-my-finger-on-it lead role is played by Sian Brooke, who memorably played Queen Aemma Arryn in two episodes of “House of the Dragon”. There are two 6-episode seasons currently out, with the show renewed for S3 and S4. After I finished watching this, I read that it won the 2025 BAFTA Award for Best Drama. I fully enjoyed every aspect of this show and can’t wait for S3, which I also read that they are filming right now in Belfast.
“The Sixth Commandment” Season 1 (and done)
This BAFTA-award winner (2024 Limited Drama and Best Lead Actor for Timothy Spall) is based on the true story that follows the cruel manipulation and untimely deaths of neighbors Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin in the village of Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire, England. Over four 1-hour episodes, we follow “student” Ben Field (played by Éanna Hardwicke who appeared in one of my all-time favorite shows, “Normal People”) as he befriends two lonely seniors and becomes immersed in their lives. Did he target and then kill them for their money? You’ll have to watch to find out. This was fast-moving and attention-keeping, but could have been edited down to three episodes. I found the investigation portion of the show especially compelling. Yes, the Sixth Commandment is Thou Shalt Not Kill.
“Three Little Birds” Season 1 (and done)
It took me a couple of episodes of this 6-episode show, but once I became immersed, I really began to enjoy it and to become invested in the characters. The show chronicles three women’s journey - two sisters and their friend - from Jamaica to find “a better life” for themselves and their families in 1950s England. The series is based on the creator’s mother’s stories of her own travels. I am guessing that there had been a plan for a second season - it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger - but it wasn’t picked up for more episodes, which was unfortunate. This was one of the only BritBox offerings that wasn’t a detective or police drama. I wish they had included a couple of others.
I’ll keep going with the BritBox offerings in September.
“And Just Like That” Season 3 on HBO Max (end of season/end of series wrap-up)
I hadn’t planned on commenting any more about this show, but now that the news is out that this season will be its last, I felt compelled to say just a little something. Like I mentioned in my last post, this was show that I would watch til the bitter end, no matter how head-scratchingly disjointed and absurd it became.
Then there were a few moments in Episode 9, “Present Tense”, where I thought that the show had finally found its way back to the heart of SATC (the final scene of the fab four in the diner after Carrie *thankfully* ended it with passive-aggressive and insufferable Aidan for good) and that the writing had returned to form.
Seema and Sam's inevitable comparison finally melted away and it felt like she was finally cemented as her own character and not a Sam replacement.
Miranda and Joy’s vulnerable conversation felt authentic and led to real life understanding and acceptance of each other and their baggage.
Charlotte simultaneously trying to manage both her and Harry’s overlapping health issues provided typical comic relief (where it was actually intended).
The final shot, its camera tracking and framing felt emotional and Carrie's "V/O-slash-novel text" that closed the episode finally felt like the Carrie we’ve been looking for. Paired with Taylor Swift’s “How Did It End?” the final two minutes ticked the box for what long-time viewers were hoping to see again.
On August 1 it was announced that not only would Season 3 end with its 12th episode, but that it would mark the end of the series. A planned ending or not? That was the question being bandied around. Who decided to pull the plug? Did they think they wrapped up the story and had nothing else to show us? Did HBO cancel it due to all the backlash and posts about hate-watching? Did they somehow want to force Carrie out of her sleepwalking performance? I’m not sure we’ll ever know, but with the “two-part” series ending focusing on swirling turds, pies in the face, and raw turkey instead of the lasting friendships between the women, maybe it was the right call.
“The Hunting Wives” Season 1 on Netflix
This show was a trip. I only heard about it because a writer I highly admire and follow on social commented on it a few times, but by now, it may be getting more exposure (or maybe not; we are a fickly species). “The Hunting Wives” follows Sophie, played by Brittany Snow, a Boston native now relocated to Texas with her (very annoying) husband and young son, and thrust into the world of Texas “bigness”, guns, secrets, seduction, debauchery, and of course, murder… With a good cast (Malin Akerman, Katie Lowe, Dermot Mulroney, Chrissy Metz), and juicy, fast-moving storylines, this was a fun watch, even if the last two episodes felt kind of rushed. I could see this being a one-and-done, but if it proves popular, I am sure there is a way to tell more of the story, which is based on the book by May Cobb.
“Say Nothing” on Hulu
A nine-episode historical drama, this show came out late last year, and I had started watching it a while ago, but must have forgotten about it because I don’t think I watched past the first episode. After watching “Blue Lights” and becoming interested in “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland, I decided to go back and revisit this show that chronicles the true story of sisters Dolours and Marian Price and their life in Belfast as children of active IRA supporters and how they became involved with the Gerry Adams, the elusive leader of the movement, the London Bombings, their subsequent imprisonment and hunger strikes, and the murder of local woman, Jean McConville, who was considered one of The Disappeared. Woven into the narrative are interviews from The Belfast Project, and oral history project produced by historians at Boston College back in 2000.
It’s a complicated, true story that had me captivated from the very beginning. I remember some of this as a teenager. The hunger strikes, the car bombs, the Protestants vs. the Catholics, the U2 songs. I didn’t really understand it at the time, but it was one of the things that seemed scary to a teenager along with the threat of nuclear war, thanks to shows like 1983’s “The Day After” which scared me shitless. The performances were fantastic, the writing top-notch, and multiple cast crossovers from “Blue Lights” which I appreciated since I loved that show so much.
“Billy Joel: And So It Goes” on HBO/HBO Max
This 2-part, 5-hour documentary goes deep into the life and music of best-selling, Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist.
I really like the way they structured this doc, although I had to watch it in three separate sittings. It’s long, and there is a lot of deepness to the stories he tells and the history of his music-making and I found it worth the time to sit with a lot of it and let it sink in. I won’t give away spoilers, but I really enjoyed how they focused on his first wife, Elizabeth for the entire first episode. Without her, he may not have become who he is, or may have, but via a very different path. His nuclear family story is also deep and thought-provoking and was all new information to me. Just his family story and struggles alone would have made a great doc.
I don’t want to go on too long here, but I do have to make a shout out to 93.3 WMMR, the famous radio station in Philadelphia, which was the station that introduced me to rock music as a young girl. Turns out, the station was one of the biggest influences in getting Billy radio play when the decided to have him perform “Captain Jack” live on-air in 1972 and it began a wave of exposure that led to him signing his first record deal. Props to DJ Ed Sciaky; I love a good Philly connection!
I enjoyed the entire show and the last ten to fifteen minutes I found really emotional. Maybe it was in part his “comeback” story, maybe it is the love of NY that still lives inside of me, or maybe it’s because he has recently announced that he is suffering from a neurological condition that might prevent him from performing again, or maybe it is just a well-made doc that knew how to hit the heartstrings. Regardless, it’s worth the time to take to dive a bit deeper into an artist that we already think we know - but probably really don’t. And isn’t that what artistry is all about.
Although I was always a big Billy Joel fan (“Glass Houses” was one of the first albums I can remember buying) I’ve only seen him once, but it was at one of the historic two shows he played at (the old) Yankee Stadium in June of 1990. I never made it to one of his MSG Residency shows, but hopefully if his health improves, there may be another chance to see him there. One final thing to mention is that this doc was Executive Produced by Tom Hanks and Sean Hayes.
“Sinners” (2025)
Sometimes when there is a lot of hype about a show or a movie that I feel like I will eventually want to see, I avoid everything about it. That was the case about “Sinners”. I knew one main plot point about it, but really had no idea of what the movie was about other than the fact that it fell within the horror genre. This movie sat in my DVR (yes, I still use one) for months until one Saturday afternoon when I was ready to watch a 2 1/2 hour long movie. Let’s just say I was happy that I avoided all the hype. It took me a half hour to realize that Michael B. Jordan played two roles (tip: Stack is usually in red, Smoke is usually in blue). I was immediately drawn into the world of 1930s Mississippi and the Moore brothers’ musical and supernatural journey to opening a juke joint for their community.
It was such a different movie. It was beautifully shot, and one musical sequence in the middle of the movie (before it takes its turn into horror) is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. The music was great, the characters were engaging, and Miles Caton’s performances are soulful and show-stopping (he’s only 20!). I’m not such a fan of horror anymore (I watched this during the day), but this was really clever story. Stay for the full credits, you won’t be disappointed.
“The Sunlit Night” (2019)
This is another movie that I’ve had on my DVR for a while. I’m not really sure how to describe this movie, other than it falls into the category of “young-ish NY artist with kooky artist parents struggles to find her groove and decides to go to a foreign country to work on something that may or may not be considered fruitful, but ultimately takes her on a journey of unexpected connections, offbeat experiences, creativity, natural beauty, and healing”. It’s exactly the type of movie that I love and Jenny Slate was perfect in the role of Frances. The Norwegian locations were gorgeous, and the project she was working on (with the requisite cranky old artist) reminded me of The Gates, the iconic art installation project that took over Central Park in 2005.
“90 Day U.K.” Season 4 on TLC/HBO Max Sept 14 12
A slightly less offensive version of TLC’s flagship show “90 Day Fiancé”, “90 Day U.K.” takes us across the pond where a group of people from the U.K. look for love with people from other countries. It’s best as background filler when doing other things, or maybe not at all. I only watch this occasionally, and really only because a few of my TV podcasters cover it and it’s not that bad if you consider it a travel show.
“Match Me Abroad” Season 2 on TLC/HBO Max Aug 24 10
Another TLC banger sprung from the so-called “90 Day Universe”, this show follows unlucky-in-love Americans as they work with matchmakers in other countries to set them up on dates. We follow the trials and tribulations of one heartfelt, yet socially awkward romantic and a very hard to please Texan in Singapore, and one infuriating raging misogynist and a slightly delusional, yet earnest single mom in Brazil. Watch it for the matchmakers, who basically steal every scene they are in.
“Back to the Frontier” Season 1 on HBO Max Aug 28 (8)
Three families have gone back in time and swapped their 21st century lives for an 1880s homestead. That’s how HBO Max describes this weekly, 8-episode, “send modern families back to the past and see if they can not only survive on the 1880s homestead, but successfully complete the requirements of the Homestead Act which provided families with free plots of land in the U.S. if they could prove they properly take care of it, harvest on it, and “improve” it for five years”. Unfortunately, the show makes no mention that in the real 1880s, the land the homesteaders were “given” was land that was forcibly taken from Native American tribes and the show was actually filmed in Canada, so 🤷🏻.
UPDATE: They actually do touch ever so slightly on the land takeover in E7 and it gets a little more engaging as it goes on.
“Below Deck” Season 12 on Bravo/Peacock Sept 22 17
I’ve been an on-an-off “Below Deck” watcher since it premiered in 2013. With the original and its 4 spinoffs, it has become a Monday night staple on Bravo. With new seasons premiering right after the other and marathons that replay old seasons over weekends, it has to be the most prolific franchise in Bravo’s portfolio. The show follows the lives of super-yacht crew members and their always unpredictable charter guest groups throughout their travels through varied (and beautiful) locations like the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Tahiti, Thailand, and Australia. This season they changed up the format a bit and are focusing more on the crew and their hookups, rather than the antics of the guests, to varying degrees of success. But don’t worry, there’s always that one group that makes your jaw drop…
“Real Housewives of Miami” Season 7 on Bravo/Peacock
This is one of the last Housewives franchises I still watch besides Salt Lake City and Atlanta. No more OC, no more BH, no more Jerz or the god-awful NYC reboot. I will probably dip into Rhode Island if that is actually real. While still annoying, it seems that Miami is one of the only groups that aren’t obviously trying to steer the plotlines (dubbed “self-producing” in Bravo-slang) by twisting and turning behind-the-scenes levers. Now, I’m sure it may still be happening, but it’s less obvious. I would call it subtle, but there is nothing subtle about the Miami cast. Not that I am against breaking the fourth wall, which can be fun at times, but the obvious machinations that are evident on some of the other shows has gotten old and tiring. Oh, yeah, I do still watch Potomac. Bravo, Bravo, fucking, Bravo.
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