August 2019 #70 __________________________________________________________________________________________ _____ Some Hidden Gems to Stream in the Era of Peak TV By Steve Sternberg In the era of Peak TV, there are more original scripted series on more platforms than ever before. Ten years ago, there were no streaming services – today, two-thirds of homes in the U.S. have at least one, and over the next year or two more major players are on the way. A few years from now, the majority of TV homes will probably subscribe to three or more streaming services. Some of the higher-profile original series, such as Netflix’s House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things, Narcos, Black Mirror, and The Crown, Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Looming Tower, and Amazon Prime Video’s The Man in the High Castle, Transparent, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, have won awards and received a lot of press coverage. So even though most viewers may not have actually watched them, many have at least heard of them (and might be among the first shows they check out when they subscribe to one of the major streaming services). There are numerous other good-to-great TV shows on these platforms that most people have probably never heard of. I’ve been analyzing television programming for more than 30 years and pride myself on keeping up with the TV/video landscape, and there are many shows I hadn’t been aware of until I started doing research for this report. I’ve already written about some of the best original series to stream and binge, highlighting such excellent shows as Amazon Prime Videos Bosch, Netflix’s Ozark and GLOW, and CBS All Access’s The Good Fight and Star Trek Discovery. I’m including them here, along with several other gems that you may not have yet discovered. I’ll try my best not to provide any spoilers. Advertise here and reach highly engaged media/ad industry decision makers. Contact [email protected]. The Sternberg Report ©2019 __________________________________________________________________________________________ _____ Bosch: This is hands down the best procedural drama on television. Titus Willever is perfect as the brilliant, tough as nails, flawed, and haunted detective Harry Bosch. He’s been brilliant in many supporting roles over the years, and it’s great to see him in the lead. He melts into the role (as he does with virtually everything he does). The ensemble cast of regulars – Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino, Lance Reddick, Madison Lintz, Troy Evans – are spot on as well. The guest stars have been a string of superb character actors who you will immediately recognize (if you’re over 40) and wonder where you’ve seen them. Each season focuses on one main crime that Bosch and crew need to solve, along with one or two secondary crimes. The murder of Bosch’s prostitute mom when he was 12, how it impacted who he is today, and his relentless efforts to solve the crime, is a thread that has sewn its way through the first four 10-episode seasons. Season 5 hasn’t lost a step. It continues to be tight, straightforward, and unhurried as it gradually unravels clues to solve each crime. It remains as addictive as ever. If you haven’t discovered Bosch yet, you’ll have the joy of being able to binge 50 episodes. They are currently filming season 6. 2 __________________________________________________________________________________________ The Sternberg Report ©2019 __________________________________________________________________________________________ _____ Fleabag: The immensely talented Phoebe Waller-Bridge (she created and writes for Killing Eve) stars in this comedy-drama as Fleabag, a depressed, dysfunctional, yet strangely confident single woman with a voracious sexual appetite, navigating the streets of London (surrounded by other depressed and dysfunctional people), and dealing with her equally dysfunctional family. Breaking the fourth wall has never been done this brilliantly with her side-eyed glances and talking directly to the camera, as the show provides insights into the ongoing themes of love, grief, faith, and using sex to fill a void in your life. The sex scenes (of which there are many) are sometimes hilarious and sometimes squirm-inducing, so it’s not for everyone. That said, it should be for everyone else. The supporting cast is excellent. A uniquely inventive gem. Fans had to wait three years between the first two seasons, but it was worth it. There probably won’t be a third season, but it’s not out of the question. It has managed to break through the clutter of a Peak TV world, at least with Emmy voters, being nominated for 11 awards this year. No one deserves it more than Phoebe Waller-Bridge (who is Executive Producer and writer as well). Goliath: Billy McBride (Billy Bob Thornton), once a high-powered lawyer ln Los Angeles, has become a burned out and washed-up ambulance chaser, who spends more time in bars than in a courtroom. But he’s still got the skills. In season 1 he reluctantly agrees to take on a wrongful death lawsuit against the biggest (and extremely dangerous) client of the giant law firm he helped create (William Hurt plays his former partner, now biggest adversary). Maria Bello is his ex-wife, also a partner in his former firm. He puts together a ragtag team that helps him uncover a big and deadly conspiracy. 3 __________________________________________________________________________________________ The Sternberg Report ©2019 __________________________________________________________________________________________ _____ He returns in season 2 to defend his friend’s 16-year-old son who is wrongly accused of a grisly double murder. He and his team uncover another conspiracy, which leads to the highest levels of city politics and corruption. This season has a harder edge than season 1, as it becomes more difficult for David to slay all the Goliaths. Created and written by David E. Kelley and Jonathan Shapiro, Billy Bob Thornton’s naturalistic, laid back style is well suited as a former Goliath, now a David, beaten down but still confident in his ability to take down new Goliaths each season. Randy Quaid, Amy Brenneman, Beau Bridges, Griffin Dunne, and Sherilyn Finn have signed on for season 3 (scheduled for sometime in 2019). Hanna: Based on the 2011 film of the same name, 15-year-old Hanna (Esme Creed-Miles) has been raised in the forest by her ex-spy “father” (Joel Kinnaman) to be a hunter and killer, as they evade the relentless pursuit of off-the-book CIA agents (one of whom is played by Mirielle Enos, who teamed with Kinnaman in AMC’s The Killing). Part thriller, part coming-of-age drama, Creed-Miles and Kinnaman give performances over eight episodes that elevate this beyond just another action series. Season 2 will air sometime in 2020. Jack Ryan: John Krasinski is the fifth actor to portray Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst first introduced in a series of best-selling Tom Clancy novels in the 1980s. This is the character’s first incarnation on the small screen, and one of the best. It covers his early years in the CIA, as he’s just starting to make a name for himself. 4 __________________________________________________________________________________________ The Sternberg Report ©2019 __________________________________________________________________________________________ _____ In the 8-episode first season, Jack is thrust into his first field assignment after he uncovers a suspicious pattern of terrorist communication. The supporting cast is excellent. Part of the character’s appeal is that Jack Ryan is no Jason Bourne-type superspy. He’s a regular guy (although more clever than most) who works in an office, who, as a former marine, can defend himself if he has to. It has been renewed for a second season. Sneaky Pete: Giovanni Ribisi plays a con man who assumes the identity of his prison cell mate, Pete, to escape a vicious mobster. He moves in with Pete’s family (who haven’t seen him for twenty years), including his grandma (Marge Martindale), grampa (Peter Gerety), and cousin (Marin Ireland), who run a bail-bonds business. They have their own secrets and lies (and world of shady characters) that make “Pete’s” new life as dangerous as the one he is trying to escape. He uses his well-honed skills to help them out of one jam after another. His past, however, is never far behind, constantly threatening to expose him to his new extended family. Bryan Cranston is executive producer, and has a role as a gangster who is after Pete in season 1. Intelligent, gritty, and a good mix of drama and humor. Season 3, which premiered this past May, is the last for this fine series. 5 __________________________________________________________________________________________ The Sternberg Report ©2019 __________________________________________________________________________________________ _____ The Good Fight: Christine Baransky stars, along with Cush Jumbo and Rose Leslie in this female-driven legal drama (and spinoff of CBS’s The Good Wife). They make a diverse team that is as much in (or out of) control professionally as they are in their relationships. Audra McDonald and Delroy Lindo also star. Sexual harassment, racism, and income inequality have been dealt with here in a more thought- provoking way than is typically seen on television (or anywhere, for that matter). Having Christine Baransky’s character, Diane Lockhart take a partner position at a majority black-owned and staffed Chicago law firm lends itself to a number of race-related storylines, which the writers have handled well, without getting too heavy-handed. There remains a clear anti-Trump tone, particularly with the over-the-top animated shorts that appear in each episode during the third season. Just the right mix of drama and humor, along with the excellent cast and superb writing, make this great television – although returning to more courtroom drama and less anti-Trump rhetoric would not be a bad thing.