Which TV shows made Show Snob’s Weekly 10: July 10, 2023

The Lincoln Lawyer and The Horrors of Dolores Roach were the top debuts this week. They did not make Show Snob’s Weekly 10 initially, but they definitely have a shot in the next couple of weeks. Silo finished last week and a few binges like Based On a True Story and Black Mirror aged out this week opening spots up for some new shows.

1. The Bear (Hulu)

It is sad that this will be The Bear’s last week in Show Snob’s Weekly 10, but those are the breaks when you release all the episodes at once. Chicagoans keep rewatching the show in order to find hidden Chicago references. The newest ones have been Kasia’s Deli, Potash Markets, Elske, and Superdawg.

2. Platonic (Apple TV+)

Charlie accidentally dirty dances with one of his associates and decides to tell Sylvia, which doesn’t go very well. She punishes him by making him do all the kid things and convincing him to build a guest house on their property. Meanwhile, Will tries to get a piece of the Da Booch business.

Shrinking is still probably the top comedy of the year, but Platonic isn’t that far behind.

3. Righteous Gemstones (MAX)

We get a flashback from 2000 when the church was facing some adversity and the kids are just growing up. Judy is already an absolute disaster and Jesse is at the top of his world. We also see the beginning of the Montgomery/Gemstone feud.

The kid that plays Jesse has the Danny McBride cadence down and is probably the highlight of the episode.

4. The Witcher (Netflix)

If you haven’t finished Part 1 of this season, you still have a couple of weeks until Part 2 is released. Part 1 ends pretty well with Yennefer and Geralt orchestrating activities at the conclave in order to weed out some enemies. Part 2 should finish the fight for Ciri and what her role on the continent will look like moving forward.

5. Swagger (Apple TV+)

Jace’s18th birthday doesn’t quite go as planned as the threat of the truth about the assault on Coach Warrick looms large. The Athletic Director and Ike find some common ground and a newfound respect for one another after playing basketball against each other all night.

When the truth does come out, the Swagger kids need to come up with a plan. We’ll see what they decide next week. I hope they bring a little more basketball into future episodes.

6. Crowded Room (Apple TV+)

This week’s episode was really good as we received a glimpse of what happens inside Danny’s mind and how the different personalities interact and take over Danny’s body. Unfortunately, the personalities decide to betray Amanda Seyfried because they are worried she is going to kill them off.

Danny does not look like he is on board with the strategy. The next few episodes look like a war for Danny’s mind and body. This show is starting to get really good.

7. Jack Ryan (Amazon Prime Video)

While Greer tries to track down who is behind all of the ex-CIA Director’s shell companies, Jack and his friends infiltrate the marketplace to intercept a weapons deal. What is behind the detonators that they found? I say press one of them and find out.

They have been focusing more on the investigation side of things than the action side of things. The story of the drug cartels trying to break into the terrorism business is complicated enough to earn the Jack Ryan name. The last two episodes of the series release next week.

8. Delete (Netflix).

In Thai, Delete is about a strange, phone-like device that makes people disappear when you take their picture. When a couple having an affair is threatened by their partners, they delete them. Where people go and can they come back are worthwhile questions that are answered as Delete moves forward.

9. The Blacklist (NBC).

James Spader only has two more hours left to play Raymond Reddington. Spader’s Reddington has been selling assets and closed down his intelligence network last week. Now he had the Taskforce shut down and faked his death. We are headed toward…something; it is the 2-hour series finale this week.

The Blacklist receives a spot on Show Snob’s Weekly 10 as kind of a lifetime achievement award. Not many shows can produce quality for 10 years and The Blacklist was pretty good for a decade. Like many shows of its ilk, The Blacklist will be remembered for the quality of the finale.

10. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX).

The gang goes to their favorite childhood place, Risk E. Rat, which is a Chuck E. Cheese satire. But they disappointingly find out that times have changed as the theme restaurant has become politically correct.

Sunny jumps back into Show Snob’s Weekly 10 because this week’s show is hysterical.

Great TV shows to watch the week of July 10, 2023

The Horrors of Dolores Roach (Amazon Prime Video). The story is a humorous take on the life of an alleged murderess cannibal, Dolores Roach. She tells her origin story and what really happened to her in an effort to exonerate herself. There are some laughs, but I think the joke is more in the preposterousness of the entire situation. Would people really line up around the block for human meat-stuffed empanadas?

The Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix). Back for season two and starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (6 Underground), Becki Newton (Ugly Betty), and Neve Campbell (Party of Five), Mickey (Rulfo) has his hands full with a bunch of cases. After the attention he received from Season 1, he is now the top defense lawyer in LA. The show has switched to the case of the week type of format. Lincoln Lawyer is an interesting crime drama, with good characters, and some good laughs.

Hijack (Apple TV+). Starring Idris Elba (Luther) and Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife), this is the story of unknown assailants hijacking a plane from Dubai to London. Elba is a corporate negotiator that attempts to prevent the passengers from doing stupid things and the hijackers from killing people. The show is not as suspenseful as they want it to be, but there is interest from the viewer to find out how the hijackers plan to finish this and what they are trying to accomplish. The investigation part on the ground shows how they figure out there is a hijacking is pretty interesting.

Skull Island (Netflix). This animated show starring Benjamin Bratt (Poker Face) is about a couple of ships that wreck on an island that contains King Kong among many other different monsters that want to eat people. Additionally, a violent, teenage woman who has been stranded on the island a while helps them survive while she is being hunted by one of the ship’s crew. Some good jokes, a good story, and great monsters. Kong is King.

Club Hooligan (Amazon Prime Video). As the show moves forward, the brothers continue to lose allies, money, weapons, and opportunities. The fun of the show is how they can maneuver into a better situation.

Cruel Summer (Freeform). While youngest Megan tries to hook up with Luke, Christmas Megan starts hacking or coding or something with the strange, technology guy, and oldest Megan accuses Isabella of killing Luke. Just a typical few days in a small town on the Freeform network. The show is ridiculous in all the good ways.

Secret Invasion (Disney). In this episode, Samuel L. Jackson fought with his best Skrull buddy the whole time about which side they were on and who they were backing. In their downtime from arguing, they helped stop a nuclear launch.

Warrior (MAX). Though this week’s episode was politically interesting, they skimped on the action (just one scene) which slowed the show down. I still like where this is headed with many different factions, gangs, and politicians in the middle of making a play.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+). It seems that this show just keeps recycling mysteries or conflicts from other previous Star Trek series. But, somehow, I still like it. This week, the crew starts to forget who they are while on a mission on a planet that they may have accidentally screwed up (have to be careful of that prime directive thing). How they regain their memories is the mystery of the day.

I’m A Virgo (Amazon Prime Video). If you are looking for something very different, this is the show you want. Some humor, some action, and a whole bunch of weird.

The Rising (CW). Looks like the CW is not going to air the final two episodes, but you can buy them on Amazon Prime Video ($1.99 an episode). We’ll do that this week.

TV shows to wait and see

Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC). This week’s episode was really good, and I think it might be just about to jump ship to the recommended section. Some good violence, lots of zombies and crazy people.

Don’t Watch and Don’t See

The Clearing (Hulu). The Clearing finished up this week and even though there was an unexpected answer to who killed Asha, the final episodes didn’t really complete the season as well as it started. You can skip The Clearing as there are many better shows available right now.

And Just Like That (MAX). I think I can pinpoint the issue with the show now. It is nothing to do with Miranda. But I shouldn’t overly pick on her, there are so many cringy, unbelievable moments, unbelievable characters, and unbelievable conversations that there is plenty of blame to go around.