Compliments to Your Show

  Based on: 2003 novel of the same name by Audrey Niffenegger Written & Developed by: Steven Moffat Directed by: David Nutter Executive producers: Steven Moffat, Sue Vertue, Brian Minchin, David Nutter Starring:  Clare Abshire portrayed by: Rose Leslie, Everleigh McDonell (young), Caitlin Shorey (pre-teen)  Henry DeTamble portrayed by: Theo James, Jason David (young), Brian Altemus (teen) I'd seen the 2009 movie, so I had a pretty good idea what I was getting into--but this series was so much better!  It's kind of my own rule of thumb that books always deserve to be made into TV series, not movies. (Not that that's something I can do anything about. At least not yet.) But when I see a series that's based on a book, I'm always excited at the idea, because TV series can do so much more than movies can.  I thought the series did a great job from the get-go, and every episode had me glued to the screen. The first scene started off well, too. ...

   Based on: 1972 TV series of the same name created by Ed Spielman, Jerry Thorpe, and Herman Miller Developed by:  Christina M. Kim Executive producers: David Madden, Martin Gero, Sarah Schechter, Christina M. Kim, Greg Berlanti, Robert Berens, Ed Spielman Starring: Olivia Liang (Nicky), Kheng Hua Tan (Mei-Li), Eddie Liu (Henry), Shannon Dang (Althea), Jon Prasida (Ryan), Gavin Stenhouse (Evan), Vanessa Kai (Pei-Ling), Tony Chung (Dennis), Tzi Ma (Jin), Yvonne Chapman (Zhilan)  I was a little self-aware (read: embarrassed) because my interest in this series was 100% based on interest in Asian culture and mysticism.  When I saw the first trailer, I didn't feel like I had a great grasp on the story, but I saw a predominantly Asian cast and a beautiful Chinese monastery, and I was sold. I felt embarrassed because I wasn't sure whether the CW simply appropriating Asian visuals for surface diversity to attract a...

Based on: novel of the same name by Sarah Perry Written & Developed by: Anna Symon Directed by: Clio Barnard Starring: Claire Danes (Cora), Tom Hiddleston (Will), Frank Dillane (Luke), Clémence Poésy (Stella), Hayley Squires (Martha) This short, six-episode series has an intriguing plot and invigorating characters but, in my opinion, never quite delivered on its titular "serpent" promise.  The period series takes off when Cora's abusive husband dies in the opening scene, allowing Cora to freely explore her own pursuits. She hears reports of a mythical serpent spotted in Essex which locals blame for the recent death of a young girl.  Compelled by a passion for naturalism and science, Cora doesn't hesitate to move her life to Essex for an extended investigation trip. Along the way she meets religious and superstitious locals and a paranoid vicar (which I learned means church elder or leader), both of whom pressure her against her investigat...

  Based on: Young Justice  DC comic series by Todd Dezago, Todd Nauck, and Lary Stucker Developed for TV by: Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman Starring: Jesse McCartney (Nightwing), Khary Payton (Aqualad), Jason Spisak (Kid Flash), Nolan North (Superboy), Danica McKellar (Miss Martian), Stephanie Lemelin (Artemis) This is one of my favorite animated series on air today, but I have to admit, it's not for everyone.  I've come to enjoy DC quite a lot for its deep lore and powerful characters, especially Superman, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman. All three are very powerful and it often takes equally powerful villains to give them a challenge, which makes for spectacular showdowns.  Young Justice  takes the young versions of these characters and puts them on a team. The first season involves them proving themselves equally capable as their superiors and the rest of the series lets them take on sophisticated missions without question. ...

   Created by: Holden Miller and Daniel C. Connolly  Directed by: Juan José Campanella Executive producers: Daniel C. Connolly, Holden Miller, Jimmy Miller, Sam Hansen, Juan José Campanella Starring: Sissy Spacek (Irene), J. K. Simmons (Franklin), Chai Hansen (Jude), Adam Bartley (Byron), Julieta Zylberberg (Stella), Rocío Hernández (Toni), Kiah McKirnan (Denise), Stephen Louis Grush (Nick) As I described this show elsewhere, this was a really  interesting concept with a really  slow execution.  Ironically, it's very comparable to another space-themed sci-fi series that also premiered on Amazon Prime just months ago! ( Outer Range ) Which.... was also slow on the sci-fi, though the drama was a bit more exciting.  Technically, I'd say Night Sky  didn't do anything wrong. It's character driven, purposeful, it sprinkled tidbits of its sci-fi belly into every episode, and all those tidbits served to push plot an...

Based on: Novel of the same name by Jon Krakauer Created by: Dustin Lance Black Starring: Andrew Garfield (Detective Pyre), Sam Worthington (Ron), Daisy Edgar-Jones (Brenda), Denise Gough (Dianna), Wyatt Russell (Dan), Billy Howle (Allen), Adelaide Clemens (Rebecca), Gil Birmingham (Detective Taba) So I pretty much only watched this for Andrew Garfield. He's one of the few actors whose careers I intentionally follow, another being Emma Watson, and both have rarely let me down.  This was another good one. It's not one of my favorites, but it was quality and enjoyable, and I really liked the character he played. The series served as an interesting look for me into Mormon lifestyle, though I bet it was portrayed more negatively than most Mormons would prefer.  The story was also well written and managed to stay entertaining the whole way. I'm not usually a murder mystery type person, but it was cool seeing the tight Mormon family cultu...