Show Snob’s Premiere Review: Watch, Pass, Wait and See (November 6, 2023)

Even with the Writer’s Strike, most of the key streamers have been able to churn out a steady stream of debuts. That said, Show Snob’s Premiere Review will help you evaluate if you should start watching a new show, pass on that show, or maybe wait a couple of weeks to see if it gets better.

For now that the strike is over, the viewing world can expect to see an increase in new shows. We’re here to help you decide what to watch as the number of new shows can be overwhelming.

Black Cake: Hulu

Produced by Oprah, Black Cake is the story of a woman (Eleanor), who dies of cancer and leaves voice recordings to her children of her life’s story that she has kept from them. Eleanor grew up in the West Indies and was married off to the head of organized crime in her town to pay off her father’s debts.

To avoid the marriage, she runs away to London and Scotland where she faces misogamy, racism, sexual assault and the worst that the 1960’s have to offer. Hulu released the first three episodes of Black Cake last week.

Presumably, the rest of the episodes will chronicle Eleanor’s life, trials, tribulations, and celebrations. The first few episodes were intriguing and interesting.

This isn’t necessarily a fun or funny show, as it addresses some pretty serious topics. But it will definitely keep your attention.

Each episode usually ends with some sort of shock or cliffhanger that never turns out to be a really big deal.

Black Cake – Wait and See: At this point we’re going to find out if the show can increase the intensity a bit.

All the Light We Cannot See: Netflix

Starring Hugh Laurie (House) and Mark Ruffalo (I Know This Much Is True), All The Light We Can Not See is a World War II period drama addressing the German occupation of France and the days of the American intervention in Europe. The story revolves around a museum curator (Ruffalo) who flees Paris with his blind daughter when Germany invades, to live with his uncle (Laurie).

The show flips between 1940, when Germany invades France, and 1944, when America frees France. All the Light We Cannot See is part WWII French resistance fighting (though Laurie and Ruffalo speak in English and American accents), part love story between Ruffalo’s daughter and a German soldier who share a passion for radios, and part thriller where Nazis (also speaking with mostly American accents) are hunting Ruffalo’s family, because they think he squirreled away a famous diamond from his museum.

All the Light We Cannot See is exciting, intense, well written and well-acted. The Nazis are really angry, awful Nazis and the explosion scenes where America is bombing the German outposts in France are really high-end action.

At four episodes released by Netflix last week, All the Light We Cannot See is a whirlwind where it seems you are holding your breath the whole episode, the whole series.

All the Light We Cannot See – Watch

Invincible: Amazon Prime Video

Amazon released one episode of season 2 of the animated show Invincible. You don’t have to watch season 1 to understand season 2, but season 1 was pretty good, and worth watching to provide the background.

Invincible is voiced by Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead), J.K. Simmons (Night Sky), Walton Goggins (Unicorn), and Sandra Oh (Killing Eve). Yeun plays Mark Grayson (no relation to DC’s Robin), who is the son of a Superman like hero (Omni-Man).

In season 1, Mark gets his own Superman-like powers and takes on the persona of Invincible. In season 2, he joins a new superhero group after Omni-Man leaves Earth, fights a multi-dimensional bad guy, juggles a girlfriend, and tries to get good grades in college.

Invincible has a bit of a tongue in cheek aspect to it, but includes vicious, bloody cartoon violence as well as a great superhero story.

Invincible – Watch

Lawmen: Bass Reeves: Paramount+

Bass Reeves is the newest creation by Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone and all of its permutations). Each season talks about a different sheriff or marshal.

In the first season, Bass Reeves is about the first black marshal in the United States. Paramount released the first two episodes on Sunday.

The show chronicles Reeves rise from Confederate soldier, his release from slavery, his integration into Native American society, and then his offer to become a marshal. Civil War period dramas are always tough due to the nasty violence, the slavery society, and the language and treatment of Black people.

Bass Reeves is even tougher because the show is just not that interesting. There are parts of a love story, parts of a freedom fighter, and parts of a journey for a new marshal.

None of it really resonated in the first couple of episodes.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves – Don’t Watch 

Which of the following shows that we mentioned have you watched? Let us know in the comments below!