I took off last week but I’m back for Thursday Movie Picks! This time around it’s a TV edition! I probably watch a lot more TV than I do movies, so I really look forward to the monthly TV edition of the prompt. If you need a little refresher on how this works, ss the name suggests, Thursday Movie Picks is held every Thursday. The rules are simple; base on the theme of the week pick three to five movies (or TV shows) and tell us why you picked them.
1. The Mandalorian (Disney+)
After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. The series depicts a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.
I don’t consider myself a huge fan of Star Wars. I think it’s “fine” but man, this show is amazing. Even if you’ve never seen a Star Wars film, you’d 100% enjoy this show. It’s only 8 episodes which I love. Sometimes I think network television could learn a thing or two from the streaming services. The score, settings, and effects are all top notch. In my opinion, it’s better than any of the movies. Sorry, not sorry. I can’t wait for Season Two! You can read more about my thoughts on the show here.
2. Prodigal Son (Fox)
The series centers on Malcolm Bright, whose father, Martin Whitly, is the infamous serial killer known as “The Surgeon”. As a child, Malcolm was responsible for enabling the police to arrest his father, and has not (of his own volition) seen his father in ten years. Now a profiler, formerly with the FBI (until he was fired) and currently consulting for the New York Police Department, Malcolm is forced to confront his father after a copycat serial killer uses Dr. Whitly’s methods of killing. He now finds himself drawn back into constant contact with his father as he must both use Whitly’s insights to help the police solve particularly horrible crimes and battle his own inner demons.
I’m a sucker for a show about a serial killer. I wasn’t 100% hooked from the start but as the series went on it became a show I really looked forward to each week. It just came back from winter break and the episode was bonkers! I can’t wait to see where the show goes. I hope we learn more about the crimes of Martin Whitly, and about Malcolm’s childhood. The show was picked up for a full season, so hopefully that means a 2nd season is a go. But with Fox you can never be sure.
3. EVIL (CBS)
Skeptical psychologist Kristen Bouchard joins David Acosta, who is training to be a Catholic priest, and a blue collar contractor as they investigate the church’s backlog of unexplained mysteries, including supposed miracles, demonic possessions and other extraordinary occurrences. Their job is to assess if there’s a logical explanation or if something truly supernatural is at work, examining the origins of evil along the dividing line between science and religion.
This is a show I started to watch and really thought I’d like. After about 4 episodes, I dropped it. The show just got a little too weird and confusing, even for me. I guess it just wasn’t what I was expecting. The character, Dr. Leland Townsend, played by Michael Emerson is just too creepy. There’s just something about him that puts me on edge and I don’t like it.
4. The Unicorn (CBS)
A recently widowed father with two daughters is encouraged by his friends to re-enter the dating scene. Surprisingly to both him and his friends, he becomes the most sought after single guy due to his widowed father status
This show slowly grew on me. It’s a bit of a dramedy. I’d say there’s more fun and comedic episodes but because of the topic of the show, there’s a few very heart felt episodes too. The entire cast is great. The main lead is Walton Goggins who you might know from “Justified,” “The Shield,” and “Ant-Man And The Wasp.”
There ya go! Honestly, I’m not someone to always pick up new shows. I’m always worried I’ll really love one and then it’ll get cancelled. Plus I’m pretty loyal to the shows I already watch. If a show comes on against a time slot of a show I love, I’m probably not even going to check it out.
I also have The Unicorn on my list. I’ve been wanting to watch The Mandalorian to see what the hype is about. The Prodigal Son sounds interesting, might give it a go.
I’ve heard about EVIL, but I never got the chance to watch the series! Hopefully I can rectified that this year!
I think it’s worth checking out. It seems like a lot of people like it, just not for me!
I’ve only seen The Mandalorian, which I love. I so rarely watch cable anymore I haven’t heard of the other shows.
That’s how I feel with all the streaming shows out there LOL I haven’t seen many of them or things on HBO and the like.
i haven’t seen any of these shows. I might check out The Unicorn. Evil just doesn’t thrill me nor does the one with the serial killer. I am getting sick of all the darkness on tv
Prodigal Son is so good! I’m so behind in the episodes, I need to catch up on hulu
I look forward to the TV edition too since with streaming, I watch way more TV.
The only one of your picks I’ve seen is Evil. And I’m still liking it. Yes it is sometimes weird. As for confusing, I suppose it can be as it tries to put forth the perspectives of the different characters. For Acosta, a guy training to be a priest, evil can be due to some demonic possession or the devil made them do it. However for Bouchard, an atheist and psychologist, evil can be explained through psychiatry…some peoples’ brains are just wired a certain way. Like in the case of Leland, I think Acosta sees him as Satan’s minion or something…while Bouchard sees him as a sociopath.