Primetime TV Update - June 2015

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

On BBCAmerica, I watched two series: "Tatau" and "Inside Men". Tatau was cancelled on television in the US before all the episodes aired, but all of them were posted on demand, so I was able to finish the story. The basic premise was two British guys go to an island paradise outside of New Zealand. For fun they take drugs and everything goes haywire. I understand why it didn't work for US audiences as it wasn't really a good match to "Orphan Black". Inside Men was a four-part show from 2012 that happened to be on demand. I checked it out as Warren Brown from "Luther" was in a large role. The premise of the program was a group of men work at a cash counting business and decide to steal a shipment from the company. It was told in non-linear format, but fun as a caper show.

I only watched two network shows: NBC's "I Can Do That", a reality program that ended its six-episode run on June 30 and CW's "iZombie". I Can Do That, hosted by Marlon Wayans, had six famous people compete as teams each episode to see who the best overall entertainer is. I hope if the program comes back they change the scoring method. I like how the studio audience decides, but I feel that the ordinal method of best gets 3 points worst gets 1 point needs some work. The only people I didn't know on this were Jeff Dye (a comedian) and Alan Ritchson (who has been on some things I know of, but I didn't know him by name), Nicole from Pussycat Dolls (not even trying to spell her name right), Cheryl from Dancing with the Stars, Ciara (from pop music) and Joe Jonas round out the cast. iZombie stars Rose McIver as Liv Moore, whom I'm familiar with from "Masters of Sex". She became a zombie as she was attacked at a boat party. David Anders plays Blaine, who unlike Liv, revels in being a zombie and takes advantage of it. Liv works at the morgue to have access to brains to eat and uses their memories to solve murder mysteries. The show is a combination murder of the week and has a mythology so it is a lot of fun.

On Logo, I watched Russell T. Davies two intertwined series: "Banana" and "Cucumber" from the UK. The first was an anthology series at 30 minutes length, which used minor characters from the approximately 45  minute "Cucumber" as the focus. The main character in Cucumber was a 40-something man named Henry, who was gay and involved with a man named Lance. We see the story of the breakdown of their relationship and how they both move on successfully and unsuccessfully. These are the kind of shows you have to be in the right "mood" to watch as they are very different than anything else as it takes an unflinching look about sex.

I also watched the second seasons of three shows: "Finding Carter" on MTV, "Turn" on AMC, and "When Calls the Heart" on Hallmark. Finding Carter continued on with the lives of the Wilson family, and due to how MTV schedules the season will pick up again in October. The story revolved around how Carter's "mom" was finally going to be tried for abducting her twice. The last episode aired with a cliffhanger as we met a new family member. Turn is about life in the colonies during the war for independence. The universe expanded as more historical characters were given airtime and Philadelphia was a new focus. When Calls the Heart continued as Elizabeth spent much of her time away from Hope Valley. This ended with a cliffhanger with the schoolteacher torn between relationships. And with real life and reel life intersecting General Hospital's Kristina Wagner joined the cast as the former wife of her real life former husband Jack Wagner.

So that's what I've watched and finished during June of 2015. Happy Viewing!