Thursday, April 30, 2015

Primetime TV Binge Watching Update - April 2015

Here's a quick description of all of the shows I've watched and completed in April 2015 that weren't part of Watchathon week. Of course, as always, there is a possibility of spoilers for any primetime show I mention.

"Better Call Saul" on AMC completed its short first season of ten episodes.The show is about the life of Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) when he was still "Slick Jimmy McGill". We found out how he became a lawyer and is a prequel to "Breaking Bad". His older brother Chuck played by Michael McKean is an extremely successful attorney, who becomes sick from anything electric. As the series, he becomes better, but Chuck and Jimmy's relationship falters. Jonathan Banks,  a regular on "Breaking Bad", as Mike Ehrmantraut is also featured. We find out more about his past as well and how he ended up in New Mexico and into a life of crime. Kim (Rhea Seehorn) and Howard (Patrick Fabian) work at Chuck's law firm. Kim and Jimmy have a rocky romantic relationship, while Howard is first portrayed as a villain, but later is shown to be a decent guy. Michael Mando aka "Vic the Dick" from "Orphan Black" plays Nacho a drug dealer, and occasionally Raymond Cruz reprises his role of Tuco.

"Broadchurch" on BBCAmerica (though on ITV) in the UK completed its US airing in the month of April. Avoiding spoilers was impossible as it ended its eight episode run in the UK and Canada before it aired in the US. The second series was about the trial of Joe Miller for that murder of pre-teen Daniel Latimer. This was contrasted with what happened in Sandbrook as Hardy ended up in Broadchurch due to the disaster of that investigation. In this series, Ellie was able to figure out who was responsible and prove her worth as a police detective. While some new characters appeared, it is uncertain who will return for the third series other than Olivia Colman as Ellie and David Tennant as Alec.

"Open Heart" aired on TeenNick, but is a Canadian production. I binge watched the 12, 30-minute episode over a few days. Stefan Brogan from the Degrassi franchise was a producer and directed the entire series. The program is about a girl named Dylan, who is dealing with her father's disappearance. By the end of the run, we found out what happened to him, but more questions remain. For a teen show, I was engaged and wonder if there will be another series in the future.

"Street Art Throwdown" was the only reality show I watched and completed in the month of April. The show aired on Oxygen and was about graffiti artists. The cast of this show was extremely diverse and the challenges were interesting. Of all the "art" reality shows, I've seen this has been the one that worked for me the most as the concept was clear and the eliminations weren't completely bizarre. If there is another season, I'd make the time to view it.

"Vikings" on History finished its third season on History. The show about life in Europe during that era in history had a ten episode run, and will return in 2016. Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) is back leading the Viking charge to get more land and strengthen his power base. The Vikings go further than they've gone before as they invade Paris. This season was a bit difficult for me to watch as two original characters died tragically. I'll miss them both and I hope that the fourth series doesn't focus too much on new characters.

So that's what I've watched and finished during April of 2015 that was during the regular part of the season. I think part of the appeal for me of shorter run series is I'm able to watch more diverse programming. Happy Viewing!

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