Home Featured TV Shows All TV Shows Movie Reviews Book Reviews Articles Frequently Asked Questions About Us

New Shows: July 19-25, 2014

THIS WEEK: The Lottery -- The Newburgh Sting -- Al Capone -- The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail

The New Shows color code: red means don’t bother; blue means maybe; green means good; magenta means great.

SATURDAY, JULY 19
Daryl’s Restoration Over-Hall (DIY)
Expecting Amish (Lifetime)
For Better or For Worse (Hallmark)

SUNDAY, JULY 20
The Lottery (Lifetime)
The year is 2025 and no babies have been born for the past six years. A brilliant, yet obnoxious scientist, manages to create 100 human embryos. The lottery is for the women who will get to carry these embryos. This pilot was simply awful. I spent the hour rolling my eyes at the horrific acting and ridiculous dialogue. For the best portrayal of this fascinating scenario, turn off your television and pick up P.D. James’ Children of Men.

Aliens on the Moon (Syfy)
Flipping the Block (HGTV)
Gunslingers (American Heroes)

MONDAY, JULY 21
The Newburgh Sting (HBO)
A genuinely disturbing account of the four men arrested in upstate New York for attempting to bomb temples and bring down a government plane. Turns out that the FBI probably manipulated the entire event. One gentleman actually admits on camera that the FBI needs to keep the fear alive because that keeps the money rolling in. I came away from this more cynical than ever about how law enforcement works in this country.

Food Fest Nation (Food Network)
Prince George Turns One! (E!)
Sky Jumpers (History)
Way Out West (truTV)

TUESDAY, JULY 22
Al Capone: Icon (PBS)
A run of the mill documentary about Capone. Maybe I’ve just read too much about him already, but I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know. Not bad if you are looking for basic information on the man, but not good if you are looking for something in depth.

Food Fighters (NBC)
A reality competition in which home chefs compete against professionals. Standard fare (pun intended).

Dan Rather Presents: Range War (AXS)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23
The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail (Comedy Central)
Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani host comics in the back of a comic book store in LA. Not only did I not laugh once, I never smiled. Bad.

BAPs (Lifetime)
Best of Running of the Bulls 2014 (Esquire)
Good Grief (Lifetime)
SoundClash (VH1)

THURSDAY, JULY 24
Survive the Tribe (National Geographic)
Undone with @AmandadeCadenet (Lifetime)

FRIDAY, JULY 25
Bride by Design (TLC)
In Search of Aliens (H2)

ChrisB is a freelance writer who spends more time than she ought in front of a television screen or with a book in her hand.

5 comments:

  1. Nothing that grabbed me this week...but that's OK, I watch too much TV as it is already.

    I just wanted to say that I looove these new-shows-reviews ChrisB. It's a wonderful way to keep up of what is going on out there, and what to watch, and what to dismiss.

    So far I've found two new great shows thanks to you Chris.

    - Tyrant. Very good, a bit violent at times, but all in all it's excellent.

    - Dominion. It was not something that you recommended, but I picked it up, and the show itself improved with every episode. The only strange thing is hearing Anthony Head saying "the chosen one", and not meaning Buffy.

    Thanks again Chris, for an excellent TV-guide.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for such a lovely comment, TJ. You made my day.

    I stuck with Tyrant as well, but must admit that the last couple of episodes are sitting on my DVR. I haven't given up on it completely. It's just not a priority right now.

    Thank you again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree with TJ! I don't comment often on this column Chris, but I check it out every week.

    I'm not sure if it's even possible for me to watch The Lottery in Canada, but it seems it was filmed in Montréal? Anyway, I just saw a screen grab showing the Montréal Olympic Stadium (which doesn't really look as anything other than a stadium) as the "Department of Humanity, Washington, D.C" and it gave me a good chuckle.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree that your new show reviews help me find good things-so thanks.
    Stuck with The Divide-and it's great so far.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you, Véro and mazephoenix for your comments. I'm so glad you enjoy the column.

    Agree with your assessment of The Divide. I am really enjoying it.

    ReplyDelete

We love comments! We moderate because of spam and trolls, but don't let that stop you! It’s never too late to comment on an old show, but please don’t spoil future episodes for newbies.