TOKYO VICE, s2 (2024)

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If the narrative and temporal catch-up to Jake and Katagiri's meeting with Tozawa's right hand from the (MIchael Mann-directed) pilot in one of the last episodes of this season is any indication, I'll be more surprised if there's a third season than if there isn't – but what a fantastic ending to a great, underrated show and/or season: more amped up than the first, a steady, pulpier unfolding with great characters (this season belonged to Show Kasamatu's Sato and Rinko Kincuchi's – still one of my favorite actors, her role in Rian Johnson's THE BROTHERS BLOOM being a favorite – Emi and, to a slightly lesser extent, Rachel Keller's Samantha) whom I'll miss – yes, even Engelgort's Jake, whom, like nearly every other character at one point in the show, I wanted to punch (Engelgort's still the weak point of the show; I wish they had kept Daniel Radcliffe in the role from the unproduced film version) – dearly. Great show: if you didn't watch it, give it a binge. (**** / *****)

THE IRRATIONAL, s1 (2023-24)

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(***+ / *****) :: Loved the characters, the stories, Ariely's source material, and the central idea, but: the "Professor Mercer factoid" dialogue – which I'm guessing was intended as a fun character quirk and a way to showcase Ariely's research – came across not only as lazy writing that yanked me out of the narrative for unnecessary exposition, but made an otherwise great character grate. Were it anyone other than Jesse L. Martin delivering the dialogue, I probably wouldn't have given the show a full episode, nevermind a (truncated) season.

That being said, those Professor Mercer factoid moments are essential to the show: they’re what makes it unique – but I have to believe that someone would've conjured a less intrusive way of handling it, like an annotated extra on Peacock. Have Ariely do commentary on each episode? A podcast where he discusses each of the irrationalities used in the show? Something, anything: hope they figure it out for season two because the expository clunk was more than a bit onerous – even from the mouth of Jesse L. Martin.

TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY (2024)

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(****+ / *****) :: Brilliant return to form (though I'm not among the legion that loathed season two, I can't remember much of anything about season three, other than Mahershala Ali being, unsurprisingly, excellent) courtesy of a director whose work I now need to devour. Should the series continue, would love to see it take the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE pre-McQuarrie route, a different writer/director taking a swing at a season/series (Barry Jenkins, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Lynne Ramsay, Jordan Peele, and Werner Herzog (see: BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL – NEW ORLEANS, great underrated film) being the first that spring to mind; would've included Jane Campion but she did it with TOP OF THE LAKE and Nicolas Winding-Refn but same with TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG and COPENHAGEN COWBOY). Will miss seeing the Ennisians on our Sunday night visit – I would've gladly spent the remainder of the long night with them (hanging with Rose would be brilliant) – but I'll especially miss Danvers's latest weekly variation on "fuck." Corpsicle FTW.

MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS, s1 (2023)

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A rare feat: a show that managed to bore me (in spite of having an excellent cast and characters that I, for the most part, enjoyed having in my life) for at least half of the far-too-long episode count and then excite me for a second season over the last few episodes, especially the last few seconds of episode ten (again: it didn't need to be that long; I forgot most of the first half of the show). But hey, Godzilla! And I love Godzilla – though my favorite part was seeing the mad Swede from HELL ON WHEELS as a straightlaced American general. Heyerdahl forever.