Which TV shows made Show Snob’s Weekly 10: July 24, 2023

Platonic ended last week so you can put that show on your binge list. Deleted and The Witcher have aged off the list, but The Witcher should return next week because Part 2 of this season should launch on Thursday.

1. Full Circle (MAX)

Starring Claire Danes (Homeland), Timothy Olyphant (Justified), and Dennis Quaid (Goliath), Steven Soderbergh directs all of the episodes of this limited series. This show is a complicated thriller with many different storylines that are looking to converge into a “Wow” ending.

So far we have the mob, a celebrity chef, a mistaken kidnapping, a supernatural curse, illegitimate children, disgraced cops, illegal investments, adultery, and a ruthless hitman. This show has all the makings of a fantastic crime show that we haven’t seen in 2023 yet.

2. The Crowded Room (Apple TV+)

Just when it seemed Danny was gaining control of his different personalities (now called alters), the alters fight back and seep through into reality again. Danny was very disappointed that his mother did not support him when she testified this week.

The show continues to get more interesting as we see things through Danny and the other alters’ eyes in the flashbacks during therapy. The season finale is this week and I hope they can end this as well as the second half of the season has been.

3. The Righteous Gemstones (MAX)

The Montgomerys and their militia kidnap the siblings to ransom them for money. Trying to escape, trying to rescue them, and being tortured by rattle snakes provides another solid, funny episode.

4. Swagger (Apple TV+)

This week the team plays at a teenage correctional facility to show them a, not-so-subtle, lesson in consequences and the systemic issues in the judicial, law enforcement, and prison system. Hopefully the show will get back to the business of basketball and the kids’ college recruiting process.

5. The Horrors of Dolores Roach (Amazon Prime Video)

As Dolores keeps “accidentally” killing people, it is getting harder and harder to hide the secret ingredient in the empanadas. Every time Dolores finds a way out, she kills somebody which makes her getaway more complicated.

The show gets funnier each episode and the jokes seem to last pretty well. It ends abruptly, setting up season 2.

6. Foundation (Apple TV+)

It looks like Apple has upped the production budget on this show from the last season. The sets and special effects look even more impressive this season.

The show starts with the Empire finding out that the Foundation might not be as dead and innocent as they thought. At the same time, Hari, Gaal, and Salvor are trying to escape different types of prisons to restart their lives.

We now have multiple Foundations, telepaths that can see into the future, and a new bad guy called the Mule, who seems to be able to detect telepaths, especially when they are moving through time. This season looks like great science fiction.

7. The Lazarus Project (TNT)

This British sci-fi drama was released in the UK last year and now comes to the US via TNT. The story is about a secret organization that decides if events in the world are too dire to recover (end of the world scenarios).

In the case that the world cannot recover, they have the ability to reset time back to July 1 and try to resolve the issue. The story poses unique ethical questions, good action, good mysteries, and complex execution to save the world over and over again.

Since the members of the team can remember past timelines, they are cursed with reliving portions of their life repeatedly until the problem is resolved. Psychologically, this issue takes a toll on the team members.

The season finale was a wild ride. How many time machines are there?

How many black holes? Where is Janet?

When is Janet? Can Shiv help?

Is Sarah involved? Next season can’t come soon enough.

8. Jack Ryan (Amazon Prime Video)

Jack Ryan ended in explosive and predictive fashion. Ryan (John Krasinski) rescued the detonators, the family of the inside conspirators, saved the world, and admonished the evil and lame senators that were hiding crimes on public television.

All in a day’s work. They are going to spinoff the Michael Pena character (Chavez, who was an important part of the books).

Jack Ryan was an entertaining, quick 6 episodes to end the series.

9. Tacoma FD (TruTV)

Kevin Heffernan (Super Troopers), Steve Lemme (Super Troopers), and the whole cast are back for another goof on the FD, PD, CSI, SVU type of shows. In the inaugural episode, they try to bring back the team after last season’s cliffhanger when they burned down their own station.

If you don’t like this type of humor, it is not going to change, but if you find yourself laughing, you are in for a great season.

10. Miracle Workers (TNT)

The whole cast is back for what is rumored to be their last season. This season, they are spoofing a Road Warrior-type of post-apocalyptic world.

Daniel Radcliffe (The Al Yankovic Story) plays the Mad Max character, Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers) plays the Tina Turner character, Karan Soni (Deadpool) plays a terminator type, and Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire) plays a businessman. The dry jokes and sarcasm run wild as the group tries to control and rule Boomtown.

Each episode raises the bar on how absolutely ridiculous it can get. You don’t have to watch past seasons to watch this one, but season 1 was probably the best.

Other Great TV Shows to Watch the Week July 24

Special Ops: Lioness (Paramount+): Another Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone) series. This time it is a CIA, anti-terrorism play. Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy) plays a CIA operations leader training a new undercover operative, Laysla De Oliveira (Locke and Key), who is befriending a terrorist’s daughter.

The goal is to find her father and kill him. Nicole Kidman (Nine Perfect Strangers) also stars. The show has some decent action, but the jury is still out if this show is interesting enough. The bar is high with shows like Tehran, Fauda, and Jack Ryan.

The Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix): Part 1 ends with Mickey fairly stressed, too many cases pending, and no idea how to get Lisa out of her murder charge. Lisa is clearly lying about something; we just don’t know what yet. Last season, Mickey got an innocent man freed, is he going to do it again?

Quarterback (Netflix): Peyton Manning teams with Netflix in the next sports docuseries. If you like the pace and the way Drive to Survive or Break Point were filmed, you will like Quarterback equally. The show follows Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariota through the 2022 football season.

Unlike the golf or tennis shows, most viewers will know the outcomes of these players’ season. Consequently, the fun of the show is the interviewers of what was going through the players’ and coaches’ minds as the seasons ups and downs unfold. If you wanted in-depth explanations of the football side of things — why plays were called, decisions that were made, options that were considered — you might be disappointed as they do place a huge focus on family and other aspects of the players’ lives.

Nonetheless, football and non-football fans should enjoy a well-produced show with insight and stories that you haven’t heard before about last season.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX): This week we take a mental health day that is fraught with technological issues.

Warrior (MAX): They found a new client for their counterfeiting, but unfortunately had to kill everyone due to anti-Chinese sentiment. That was a great fight scene. Warrior continues to generate good political, period drama, albeit with some over melodrama, with a little kung fu thrown in each episode.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+): Last week, Spock lost his Vulcaness which apparently means you get a new haircut. The next episode we have invisible aliens that cause hallucinations. These episodes were very cool in that they meet new species but ruined the episode by not focusing on that.

Instead, focusing on the issue with Vulcan in-laws and old traumas. Cool to bring Jim Kirk back again. By the way, they did a cross over with Star Trek: Lower Decks on Sunday night for a bonus episode this week.

Justified: City Primeval (FX): After 15 years, Timothy Olyphant is back as a US Marshal trying to have a vacation with his daughter but gets dragged into the murder of a judge in Detroit. The first couple of episodes were not as gritty, dark, and violent as I remember it from 2008, but I’ll keep watching.

Command Z (Extension765.com): Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Command Z is only available from his website for $8. It is a Quibi style series where each of the 8 episodes are less than 10 minutes. The story is meant to be a humorous look at a group of Quantum Leap type of time travelers that are trying to influence businesses men and politicians in 2023 to curb climate change.

The show promotes a moral about doing tiny things now to save the future. All proceeds go to charity and it is a quick, funny, wild ride.

TV Shows To Wait and See

The Afterparty (Apple TV+): Tiffany Haddish (Night School), Sam Richardson (Veep), and Zach Woods (Silicon Valley), and many, many more are back for season 2. You don’t have to watch season 1 to see season 2. Sam Richardson does his standard awkward, sarcastic, nice guy act as Zach Woods is murdered at a wedding.

On a phone call with Haddish, he describes the situation in flashbacks so she can help solve the case. The constant period pieces get a little bit annoying. The Afterparty is pretty funny and, in some cases, a little too much. Which is why you should not run out and start watching just yet.

The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC): This show seems to be on cruise control already. We are still fighting The Croat after several unsuccessful attempts. Standard Walking Dead redundancy which starts to feel like a time loop. At least, this week we figured out Maggie’s real intentions. We’ll see if Negan takes the new job, but it is hard to care.

Cruel Summer (Freeform): This show has lasted about two episodes too long. It is starting to turn into a whinny, young adult crime melodrama. In some ways, the audience has stopped caring about the actual murder itself.

Don’t Wait and Don’t See

Hijack (Apple TV+): The last couple of episodes have felt manipulative and cliche. Whether it was the blank gun being fired at the same time as the real bullets/gun, the aborted landing, or the military jets pulling away seconds from destroying the plane, these episodes felt unworthy of its audience.

Though we find out this isn’t necessarily a terrorist situation, it is interesting to know what the hijackers want. However, the audience needs better than the contrived scenarios on the plane the last couple of weeks. Hijack gets demoted to Don’t See.

And Just Like That (MAX): I laughed out loud a couple of times this week. Carrie is getting funnier each week, definitely the best part of the show. However, they still can’t put together a complete episode.

Which TV shows will you watch or pass? Let us know in the comments below!