Shameless: Season 8 — a review

Whenever I talk about the series Shameless with another human being, the question that I logically expect to hear at some point is, “What’s the show about?” This question is easy to answer for some series. Take a look at these answers. “Lucifer is about Satan—Lucifer Morningstar—who has bored of ruling Hell and has chosen […]

Weeds: Season 8 — a review

The series Weeds aired on premium cable channel Showtime between 2005 and 2012. This means that this review is for a series that ended about nine years ago. While it’s not uncommon for me to get around to watching a series long after it went off the air, the truth is I began watching this […]

Shameless: Season 6 — a review

What can I tell you about the U.S. series Shameless that I haven’t already said in my reviews for the previous five seasons? Season 5 was the series low point for me, so far. It was still good, just not as good. Season 6 is better than it’s immediate predecessor. Maybe not up to the […]

Shameless: Season 5 — a review

This season takes place two to three months after the events of Season 4. Take heed: I’m going to spoil the hell out of it, so skip down to the bottom if you haven’t watched the series yet. As always, we deal with the aftermath of the story threads from the previous season. Ian Gallagher […]

Shameless: Season 3 — a review

You don’t need additional reasons to hate the character Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy). You’ll still get more reasons during Season 3, anyway. In most real ways, this Showtime series is about the Gallagher children, not about their father. Frank is more of a force of nature, existing primarily to complicate plots. Seldom are the […]

Shameless: Season 2 — a review

I doubt that I will ever suggest that I’m growing more fond of Frank Gallagher. He remains one of the most reprehensible television characters I’ve ever seen. I am, however, a fan of William H. Macy, the actor who portrays him. He’s conducting an acting clinic every time he appears on the screen. There’s a […]

Shameless: Season 1 — a review

I should probably change my online moniker to “LateToTheParty.” [I checked: it’s already taken—go figure.] I’ve never watched the British comedy Shameless, which this Showtime series was based upon. So, don’t expect much in the way of compare-and-contrast in this review. If you love the original and think the Yank version is utter excrement, then […]

Episodes: Season 5 — a review

It was the Showtime/BBC series Episodes that finally made me a Matt LeBlanc fan. Not Friends. I mean, Joey Tribbiani was okay, in a vacuous meathead himbo sort of way. And his most famous catchphrase—”How you doin’?”—remains a part of my personal repertoire. But, Joey was strictly B-team on Friends, the sidekick, the friend-of-a-friend, never […]

Episodes: Season 4 — a review

During the second act of a story (after crossing the threshold from the ordinary world into the special, if you’re Joseph Campbell savvy), the writer sorely tests his protagonists with all manner of problems and obstacles, the object being to bring the characters down to their lowest point. It’s always darkest before the dawn, and […]

Episodes: Season 3 — a review

Now that we’re two seasons into this series, we know what to expect going forward, don’t we? The stars of Episodes are Sean and Beverly Lincoln (Stephen Mangan, Tamsin Greig), successful British comedy writers transplanted to the USA to make a Hollywood version of their successful British show, and, of course, Matt LeBlanc (a […]

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