📺 Finished watching The Penguin (2024) ★★★★

A rectangular image with a review of the television series The Penguin (Season 1). The show poster is on the left and the review on the right side. Across the bottom is a rating of Poor Okay Good Great with Good selected. The review reads: I thoroughly enjoyed this. Set immediately after the end of the 2022 Batman movie it’s completely stand alone and you don’t need to know anything about Gotham, Batman or any other bit of the DC universe. I described it to people as gritty. A few odd moments in terms of his relationship with his mother were the only parts I thought could’ve been done differently. I definitely didn’t see the ending coming but on reflection it was very much in keeping with the story arc and the development of the character into the Penguin.

📺 Finished watching Agatha All Along (2024) ★★★½

A rectangular image with a review of the television series Agatha All Along (Season 1). The show poster is on the left and the review on the right side. Across the bottom is a rating of Poor Okay Good Great with Good selected. The review reads: The Marvel TV series on Disney+ have generally been better than the Star Wars ones and this lived up to expectations. A good stand alone show with no need for Marvel knowledge or backstory. Kathryn Hahn played Agatha perfectly. The dry humour hits the right note and not played for comedy laughs but to help show the schemer at heart Agatha is. You can watch this and have a fun time. with the song (you'll know which one) stuck in your head for ages after.

📺 Finished watching Only Murders in the Building (Season 4, 2024) on Disney+ ★★★★

A rectangular image with a review of the television series Only Murders in the Building (Season 4). The show poster is on the left and the review on the right side. Across the bottom is a rating of Poor Okay Good Great with Good selected. The review reads: Despite all the guest stars this season, and there were many, it’s the three leads who make this show. They have clearly settled into working together and playing off each other. Some lovely moments with Charles remembering Sazz, interspersed with the quirky madness of Jan reappearing, and then the comedic genius of Oliver holding his iPad up as a light and yelling at it. The season took its familiar path, with all signs pointing towards something then a pivot in episode eight leading towards a different resolution in the final episode and the hook for the next season. Can’t wait for season five!

📺 Finished watching Slow Horses Season 4 (2024) ★★★★½

This show just gets better with each successive season. I’ve deliberately avoided the books so I can enjoy the story unfold and I managed to stay spoiler free to binge this. They might not get on all the time but the Slough House team can come together when needed. Gary Oldman just gets seedier with every outing and Kristin Scott Thomas is the quintessential cold and ruthless agent, with just a touch of humanity showing through.

📺 Finished watching The Ark (Season 2, 2024) ★★½

A rectangular image with a review of the television series The Ark (Season 2). The show poster is on the left and the review on the right side. Across the bottom is a rating of Poor Okay Good Great with Okay selected. The review reads: A light sci-fi show, humanity has doomed the earth and must find a new planet to live on fare. For me, this second season was better than the first. The characters felt more defined, there wasn’t the same type of forced crisis, there was a clearer plot line. The removal of one character to be replaced by another, played by the same actor, was probably the weakest part of the season arc. An easy watch but not something you’d feel like you need to binge.

📺 Finished watching House of the Dragon (Season 2, 2024) ★★

A rectangular image with a review of the television series House of the Dragon (Season 2). The show poster is on the left and the review on the right side. Across the bottom is a rating of Poor Okay Good Great with Poor selected. The review reads: I honestly struggled to finish this season. I was not at all invested in the characters, it just dragged along until the end when it attempted to give a cliffhanger setup for the next season. My time would have been better spent watching a season of Game of Thrones again.

📺 Finished watching The Acolyte (2024) ★½

A rectangular image with a review of the television series The Acolyte (Season 1). The show poster is on the left and the review on the right side. Across the bottom is a rating of Poor Okay Good Great with Poor selected. The review reads: Set well before the time of the movies and other tv series there was a perfect opportunity to do something completely different without the usual Star Wars tropes. Shame it was completely wasted and this fell very flat. One episode was basically a repeat of an earlier episode, but from a different point of view, without adding anything to the overall story. A big red flag the writers didn’t know what to do with the opportunity they had.

📺 Finished watching Sugar (2024) ★★½

A rectangular image with a review of the television series Sugar (Season 1). The show poster is on the left and the review on the right side. Across the bottom is a rating of Poor Okay Good Great with Okay selected. The review reads: The mystery drama tone, the framing of shots, and Colin Farrell leaning into his character like a latter day Humphrey Bogart makes this a classic neo-noir. The private detective caught up in a broader crime creates a slow build in tension across each successive episode. I was quite enjoying this until the surprise reveal at the end of episode six and then my rating dropped from Good to Okay.

📺 Finished watching Loki (Season 2, 2023) ★★★½

A rectangular image with a review of the television series Loki (Season 2). The show poster is on the left and the review on the right side. Across the bottom is a rating of Poor Okay Good Great with Good selected. The review reads: I thoroughly enjoyed both seasons of Loki but would put season one slightly ahead of this second season. The camaraderie between Loki and Mobius seemed better in the first season, with it seeming a little more serious or earnest this time round. Having said that, I think the story arc this season was better than the first. Tom Hiddleston plays Loki as he always has, sarcasm to the fore but in a good way. The different seasons were in different phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but stand-alone enough it didn’t matter.

📺 Finished watching The Great (Season 3, 2023) ★★★½

A rectangular image with a review of the television series The Great (Season 3). The show poster is on the left and the review on the right side. Across the bottom is a rating of Poor Okay Good Great with Good selected. The review reads: I don’t know why it took me so long to get around to watching this final season but I’m glad I eventually did. Set against a very loose interpretation of history the characters are wonderfully absurd and a few who survived the earlier seasons meet their end, in appropriately absurd ways. Some excellent use of music throughout the season adds to the enjoyment.