FinnHudsonFromElsewhere Reviews

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021–2024)

Jennifer Corbett has a major future ahead of her.

[8/10 · 4 May 2021]

Despite my enjoyment of their debut episode, I wasn't all that keen on a Bad Batch spin off. But I can honestly say that the first episode of The Bad Batch is one of the best pieces of Star Wars animation since Twilight of the Apprentice.

Courtesy of head writer Jennifer Corbett, The Bad Batch delivers on all the fun, action, and humor we have come to expect from Star Wars, but has a beating heart underneath that makes it a wildly entertaining watch. The Bad Batch themselves are more fleshed out and unique, with Dee Bradley Baker delivering a fantastic vocal performance for each of them. Michelle Ang as newcomer Omega is also a joy. And it's great to hear Stephen Stanton and Andrew Kishino as Grand Moff Tarkin and Saw Gerrera respectively.

A real winner is the series' animation, which is leaps and bounds better than anything animated to come out of the franchise. The dazzling "camera" work complement the direction Steward Lee, Saul Ruiz and Nathaniel Villanueva very well. And the musical score by Kevin Kiner is nothing short of brilliant.

Overall, while I may not be in love with it as much as The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi, The Bad Batch more than holds its place as the best television debut the franchise as ever had. Ignoring the slow pacing growing pains that were present in the debut episodes of The Clone Wars, Rebels, Resistance, and The Mandalorian, The Bad Batch flows as neatly as a feature film and promises a bright future for Star Wars in animation. Also proving that great Star Wars animation is possible without Dave Filoni being in charge. While his contributions are felt and are great, Jessica Corbett has showed that she has a bright future ahead of her with this franchise.

What I expected to just be a passable placeholder before The Book of Boba Fett, I got a rousing and exciting adventure that brought back memories of me sitting down to watch both Clone Wars animated shows on Cartoon Network. This is truly where the fun begins.

Jeopardy! (1984– )

A new era shall begin.

[10/10 · 24 January 2021]

I, like many, grew up with Alex Trebek on Jeopardy. I spent nearly 20 years watching him on TV, so it was heartbreaking to see him pass away. Jeopardy without Alex Trebek will never not be jarring, but the current roll out feels like a comforting old friend. While Ken Jennings may not be the permanent host of the series, he does a great job. He has a energetic and friendly vibe that I hope sticks around for a long time.

Here's to the future, here's to Jeopardy, and here's to Alex Trebek.

Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (2021– )

A fun time on TV

[9/10 · 24 January 2021]

It's Wheel of Fortune, I automatically like it. While it doesn't deviate much from the typical formula, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune doesn't have to. It's a longer version of the OG series, what more can I ask for?

B Positive (2020–2022)

ABC got lucky

[1/10 · 24 January 2021]

Last year, ABC aired a sitcom titled "United We Fall". After 3 episodes, I came to the conclusion that it was the worst sitcom I've ever seen in the last decade. But then comes B Positive.

Annoying, cliche, awkward, and borderline offensive, B Positive is one of the most unfunny and painful sitcoms I have ever seen. Thomas Middleditch deserves much better than this, especially coming off of Silicon Valley. Annaleigh Ashford's Gina is easily the biggest issue with the series. Not a single line of dialogue that comes out of her mouth is funny, and more painful than anything else.

I honestly don't see this series lasting past one season, and honestly, it doesn't hurt one bit.

Call Me Kat (2021–2023)

Every Single Time...

[5/10 · 24 January 2021]

There was a time where Fox had sitcoms and comedies that could rival anything on NBC, CBS, and ABC. But ever since New Girl ended its run, Fox has never been able to compete. Although, it should be said that the current sitcom landscape on network TV is hanging by a thread. ABC and CBS survive with three good shows each, while NBC kinda gave up. Call Me Kat (while slightly better than most modern attempts at sitcoms from Fox) still represents a major problem with the modern sitcom landscape. The show's lack of originality isn't the fault of the directors or the cast. To be honest, the direction and acting are the only things in the show worth a damn imo. But the heavy reliance on cliches, laugh tracks, and stereotypes fail to separate the show from the shows of sitcom's past. Keep in mind, I haven't seen the original UK series this is based om, but I'm willing to bet that Miranda has more originality and soul than Call Me Kat does.

As a simple time killer to put on in the background, Call Me Kat isn't a bad time. But if you want to spend your Thursday nights watching something fully entertaining, watch The Chase on ABC instead.

Can it improve? Hopefully, but Fox seriously needs to get their comedy game together. But considering they're still stretching The Simpsons and Family Guy thin, I sincerely doubt they'll ever get there.

God I miss New Girl.

The Chase (I) (2021– )

Fun, but still needs to find its groove.

[8/10 · 24 January 2021]

As a major fan of game shows and the chaser themselves, I was pretty excited for this series. While it may falter a bit in terms of pacing and interaction, The Chase still packs a solid hour of trivia and fun.

Always a blast to see Ken Jennings in anything.

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman (2018– )

Intimate, insightful, and very entertaining.

[10/10 · 4 August 2020]

While it doesn't contain a lot of the trademark craziness of Letterman's older talk shows, My Next Guest functions well as an insightful and interesting series. His interviews with Obama, George Clooney, and Howard Stern in particular are among my favorites. Combine that with a great score by Paul Shaffer, My Next Guest is definitely a Netflix original worth checking out.

Conan (2010–2021)

All Hail The King of Late Night

[10/10 · 29 July 2020]

I've been watching Conan O'Brien for a very long time. I've seen his Late Night show on NBC and even seen a bit of his tenure on The Tonight Show. However, it's his show on TBS where the bulk of my fandom comes from. Conan, even after all these years and during quarantine, still continues to bring the laughs, the heart, and the energy that Late Night should have. At first, I was skeptical when the show moved to a half hour, but it really works.

Conan has that special spark that very few Late Night show hosts have. James Cordon isn't really my thing, Jimmy Fallon is fine, Stephen Colbert is entertaining enough, and I adore John Oliver and Seth Meyers. But it's Conan who keeps me entertained for hours on end. Even in small snippets on YouTube, it's always a guaranteed good time. When it comes to famous talk show hosts, Conan sits comfortably next to David Letterman, Jon Stewart, Johnny Carson, and Regis Philbin as one of the all time greats.

If you haven't seen his show, go to the Team Coco YouTube Channel and check it out next time you flip through the channels.

All hail Conan O'Brien, the king of Late Night.

United We Fall (2020)

Unoriginal, uninspired, unfunny.

[1/10 · 26 July 2020]

Despite decent performances from Will Sasso and Christina Vidal, United We Fall is a cliché-ridden, boring, and painfully unfunny sitcom. The plots are tired, the jokes range from bad to borderline uncomfortable, and the fact that a comedic legend like Jane Curtin can't manage to get one chuckle out of me is just sad. Guillermo Díaz isn't given much to do either. Then again, it shouldn't surprise me that another American network has piss-poor Latinx representation.

Of the big 4 networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS have been neck & neck in the sitcom game (Fox really only has The Simpsons sadly). But with the conclusion of Modern Family and the pointless cancellations of Schooled and Single Parents, ABC really only has Black-ish and American Housewife to carry it. ABC comedies need a massive boost of energy. And trust me, United We Fall isn't the answer.

Just watch Black-ish and American Housewife. If not, you'll have a better time watching some Modern Family re-runs on USA.

EDIT: I watched 5 minutes of a newer episode and the show seemingly got worse. Not even Will Sasso and Christina Vidal are good at this point. It's officially gets a 1 star rating. I never thought I'd ever say this, but hope this show gets cancelled, just to spare the country from more unfunny comedy.

Dispatches from Elsewhere (2020)

A promising start to a new AMC series.

[9/10 · 2 March 2020]

Dispatches From Elsewhere, based on the first episode, seems like a great and intriguing new series for AMC. It may be a bit slow, but its interesting premise, great acting, great characters, and wonderful direction that will keep the audience engaged, hopefully, for a long time. Hopefully this will fill the hole that Lodge 49 left behind.

Hopefully this show is a keeper.

Bizaardvark (2016–2019)

Flawed, But Tons of Fun!

[7/10 · 6 July 2017]

I'm almost 20 years old now, so my taste in television has changed over the years. I still enjoy most of the shows I loved as a child (mostly cartoons from Nick and Cartoon Network) and I still enjoy a lot of sitcoms my mom showed me when I was younger (Friends, Fraiser, Seinfeld, etc). But my love for television remains with shows such as Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and Halt & Catch Fire. But I do like to tap in to my inner-child every once and awhile. I saw a promo for this show when I was watching an episodes of Star Wars: Rebels. I had NO idea what to make of it and I didn't care. But I was so bored one day and they were giving an episode of this show. The episode in question was Frankie Has a Hater. My only reaction was surprise, because of how many times I laughed. Here are some of the aspects of the show that work and don't work.

Work: 1. Madison Hu as Frankie Wong: Madison Hu (at least in my eyes) as a future in Hollywood. She's cute, talented, and incredibly funny. A large portion of the show's success and enjoyment comes from Hu's performance. The perfect cross between subtle, stoic nuances and a crazy and incredibly relatable outbursts, Madison Hu's Frankie Wong is one of the most memorable characters in recent Disney Channel history.

2. Paige & Amelia: While Madison Hu is the show's brightest show, the series' 2 other main actresses are also enjoyable. Oliva Rodrigo as Paige Olvera and DeVore Ledridge as Amelia Duckworth can best be described as teenage girl versions of Jason Bateman's Michael Bluth and Portia De Rossi's Lindsay Bluth from Arrested Development. One is more sarcastic and relies on her interactions with her environment and other characters. While the other is more self-involved, concerned with her looks, kinda mean, but never gets on your nerves. I also love that Amelia isn't your stereotypical dumb hot blond.

3. The Chemistry Between the Actors: All the actors (while not all great) all work very well together. Hu and Rodrigo especially.

4. No Over-Reliance on Social Media trends: The series could have easily just have been "LOOK, SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS! LOOK HOW HIP WE ARE!!!!". Instead they use SM as a way to show you how all the characters are different.

5. It's Just Plain Fun: The show isn't smart, original, or even great. But I'm glad that this show isn't just mindless or annoying. The show isn't concerned with teaching the audience a lesson (watch Girl Meets World and Andi Mack for that) but it is concerned with making you laugh. And if that was the show's sole goal, well they accomplished it.

Don't Work: 1. Jake Paul as Dirk Mann: This show would be EONS better if Jake Paul wasn't on this show. The difference between him and the 4 other series regulars is that Jake Paul sticks out like a sore thumb. Hu, Rodrigo, Ledridge, and Wacker are all ACTORS. Jake Paul was a viner, not an actor, and there are not the same thing. Paul only works when he doesn't talk. He gets on your nerves, he over does it, and sinks the show's quality very very very low. He should have stayed with Vine. Oh wait...

2. Ethan Wacker as Bernie Schotz: Wacker is not bad in the show, in fact he's actually quite funny. It's just that I hate the treatment of the character.

3. The Treatment of Male Characters: In traditional Disney Channel tradition (even from shows of my youth) the male characters are treated as idiots and jerks. Surprise surprise.

4. The Music: The Bizaardvark songs take up too much time and most of them aren't even funny. Some are, but most of them aren't.

5. A Severe Lack of Memorable (Or Good) Recurring Characters: When it comes to ANY sitcom (or even all kinds of TV shows) you need a memorable cast of characters. Not only series regulars, but recurring characters as well. This show has a few (Belissa, Liam, and others) but the problem is that NONE of them are memorable or even that good. They come and go without any sort of impact on the viewer. Hopefully this changes in Season 2 or in Season 3.

CONCLUSION: The show isn't perfect and has a lot of problems, but it has a lot of problems that can be easily fixed. With great lead actresses, interesting humor, and a relatable cast of characters, Bizaardvark is some of the most fun I've had on TV in a long time. B

Halt and Catch Fire (2014–2017)

Love At First Sight

[10/10 · 5 July 2017]

I watched the series premiere back in 2014. And since then, I've been in love with this show. Each episode, each scene, and each season week after week after week just got better and better for me. AMC's line up past, present, and hopefully future has been pure gold, and this series is no exception. I love the show's themes of revolution, self-worth, love, family, betrayal, and deception. Lee Pace as Joe MacMillan more than deserves his Emmy by now and deserves to stand alongside other AMC protagonist such as Don Draper, Walter White, Saul Goodman, etc. Scott McNairy as Gordon Clark reminds me why he deserves more praise and recognition. Mackenzie Davis as Cameron Howe is the perfect example of a strong female character without sacrificing femininity or strength. Kerry Bishe as Donna is an interesting journey to watch, seeing her go from the concerned housewife to a power hungry antagonist. Toby Huss as John Bozworth is also amazing, working as the show's moral compass and comic relief. Paul Haslinger's musical score ranges from really catchy pop music to memorable character themes and motifs. The writing thankfully doesn't spend to much time on business and technological jargon(which is good for someone like me who knows nothing about computers) and spends more time on character development, drama, and sometimes humor, all of which always works. The characters just seem so real to me. The stories are highly engaging. And above all, the show is intense without having to rely on constant nudity, sex, and rape. Halt and Catch Fire proves once again why AMC still tells the best original stories on television. As sad as it may be, I'm ready for the 4th and final season. All Hail Joe MacMillan.