Amanda's Picks

The Fall TV Season may no longer be such a big event, since new TV series and seasons drop all year long. However, we still see the most new content this time of year. There’s so much in fact that this will be Part One of what Amanda’s watching this fall.

 

 

Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage (CBS) - When Young Sheldon ended its successful run, mega producer Chuck Lorre decided to keep the story going and what Lorre wants, Lorre gets. As Sheldon became more annoying, his older brother Georgie (Montana Jordan) and his wife Mandy (Emily Osment) got more screen time. Now they are living with her parents, George works for Mandy’s dad, and everyone loves Baby CC. I’ve always felt Jordan was the breakout star of Young Sheldon so I’m enjoying this series. Georgie’s mom, grandmother and sister have already dropped in, but happily no sign of Sheldon. 

Nobody Wants This (Netflix)  This comedy series has already been renewed for Season Two. Joanne (Kristen Bell) is a serial-dating podcaster recovering from her latest relationship. She meets Noah (Adam Brody) at a dinner party and sparks fly. He just happens to be a rabbi with a very observant family. Bell and Brody have terrific chemistry and the writing is sharper than you usually find on recent TV comedies. Justine Lupe as Joanne’s sister and Timothy Simons as Noah’s brother bring a lot to the show, but Noah’s mother, played by Tovah Feldshuh who has made a career out of playing Jewish mothers, is a bit much. Ultimately, a talented and funny cast, sharp writing and the core relationship, make Nobody Wants This a very enjoyable watch that will leave you wanting more. 

Disclaimer - (Apple TV+) This entry in the prestige limited series for Fall 2024 is packed with star power, but doesn’t totally hit the mark. Written and directed by Oscar-winner Alfonso Cuarón, Disclaimer stars Cate Blanchett as Catherine Ravenscroft, a successful and respected journalist with a loving husband (Sacha Baron Cohen) and a distant son. When a mysterious novel starts showing up in the hands of everyone she knows, Catherine must confront a “dark secret” from her past. The novel’s source, Stephen Brigstoke (Kevin Kline, adopting a questionable British accent), blames Catherine for his son’s death and his late wife’s unhappiness. Disclaimer, adapted from the novel by Renée Knight, gives us an unreliable narrator as nothing is really what it seems, and an actual narrator, which doesn’t quite work. Ultimately, it’s worth watching for the revelatory final episode with a long, emotional and riveting monologue by Blanchett that should win her an Emmy to go with those Oscars.

St. Denis Medical (NBC)  With just two episodes available, this fast-paced “mockumentary” comedy set in an Oregon hospital has me hooked. Alex (Alison Tolman) is a nurse trying to balance her demanding job and family, working alongside administrator Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey), fresh off The Goldbergs), Dr. Ron, a delightfully deadpan David Allen Grier, and others in a large ensemble cast. Co-creator and writer Justin Spitzer was involved in The Office and the criminally underrated series Superstore, and brings a mix of laughs and emotion to St. Denis.

 

 

High Potential (USA) - Every season I try to pick up one procedural that doesn’t involve Chicago, Fire, Rescue, Law or Order. This season’s entry seems to be High Potential, a character driven whodunnit starring Kaitlin Olsen (Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Hacks) as a super smart single mom turned police consultant with a chaotic personal life. Yes, High Potential is a bit high concept, but Olsen proves she can carry a series, and the show is quirky and fun. 

Landman (Paramount) - I fell off the Yellowstone bandwagon after the second season and haven’t been tempted by any of the many series created by Tyler Sheridan. However, Landman stars two of my favorite actors, Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Hamm. Set in modern-day Texas, Thornton is Tommy, an oil company “fixer” who in the first episode, had a LOT of fixing to do. Thornton continues to be one of the most charismatic and intriguing actors working today and the show is so heavy on testosterone that there is literally a shot of him injecting himself with testosterone. Since many of Sheridan’s other shows feature strong female characters, I’m hoping Demi Moore appears soon. Meanwhile, Thornton is enough to keep me watching.

Matlock (CBS) - I haven’t decided if I’m all in on Matlock, but I can say I never saw the “twist” in the first episode coming. What you think is a fun reboot of the 1980s Andy Griffith vehicle is much more. Feisty Madeline Matlock (Kathy Bates) returns to practice law at a high-stakes firm, proving herself indispensable and giving seniors a reason to cheer. Bates of course is terrific, but the rest of the cast isn’t up to her level and pun-intended, the jury is out.