Alexa David-Lang, ‘22

Hey guys! I know that summer is over and winter is approaching fast so you’re going to have a lot of time inside to watch TV. In response to this, I’ve reviewed five TV shows that just came out but only in a couple of sentences because who has the time to read anymore? The reviews will be a little different depending on the show: some I watched only the first episode, others I watched more; some are new shows, some are starting new seasons. I’ll let you know upfront so that you have the full story.

1) Woke (on Hulu, premiered Sept. 9. I watched the first two episodes)

Woke is the true story of a black cartoonist whose life is totally changed when he gets mistaken as a robber and jumped by the police. This event causes him to become “woke,” as the name suggests. It stars Lamorne Morris who is Winston in New Girl (which, if you haven’t seen, what have you been doing)? The pilot does a really good job of showing the stark difference in Keef (the main character)before and after his encounter with the police. Objects start talking to him, and he really thinks he’s going crazy. What I liked about it was that it didn’t just show Keef immediately ready to become an activist and take on the world. Instead, he has to grapple with the decision of continuing his life despite his new knowledge of injustice or changing it forever. He has many setbacks and his journey is super realistic. The only bone I have to pick with it is I didn’t get super attached to the characters in the first episode. I couldn’t empathize as much with Keef because he still felt like a stranger to me, even though I had just witnessed a very impactful thing happen to him. Overall, pretty good! Rating: 8.5/10 

2) Pen15 (on Hulu, second season aired Sept. 18. I watched the first episode)

Pen15 is about two best friends starting seventh grade but with a twist. The two main characters are playing their middle school selves although they are both over thirty while the rest of their peers are actual kids. The premise is really funny and you can tell that they’re going to get into all of the drama that middle school brings. Right off the bat we hop onto a cringe train and that seems to never stop. From spontaneous haircuts to skirts with way too many pockets, this show is not for the faint-hearted. Personally, I really can’t handle when shows are just so embarrassing all the way through, so this was hard to sit through. However, it did make me laugh when I wasn’t totally embarrassed for the characters and it was really funny to see all of the things that only occur in middle school resurface. There’s catty gossip, students constantly saying “oh my god,” gym uniforms, and so much more that is a hilarious trip down nostalgia lane. I did enjoy it, but I just can’t see myself watching more of it because it’s really hard to sit and watch somebody come up to the plate for kickball and hit their crush in the face with the ball. Rating: 3.5/10 

3) Julie and The Phantoms (on Netflix, premiered Sept. 10. I watched the first episode).

Julie and The Phantoms is about a high school girl who is a musician dealing with the recent loss of her mother. One day when she’s cleaning out her mom’s studio, she finds three ghosts of a boy band from the ’90s. They wind up forming a band with Julie, where she is the lead singer and the ghosts play the instruments. But you don’t see that in the first episode. It definitely feels like a typical pilot, spending a lot of time setting the scene and telling you who the characters are. Julie spends most of the episode kind of moping around and feeling sad about her mom and because she bombed a music performance at school. But they do show her being a badass when she sees the ghosts and tells them off at first. Also, this is one of those shows that clearly has a very specific age group they’re marketing towards. I would put this in the same category as a Disney channel original movie, but not necessarily in a bad way. Make sure you know what you’re getting into because it can be startling to see something like this when you were expecting something else. The music is great, from what I’ve heard, and I would like to see how the band gets together and how the storyline continues. Rating: 8.5/10 

4) Sing On! (on Netflix, premiered on Sept. 16. I watched the first episode)

Sing On! is a new Netflix reality show where contestants sing karaoke against each other in an attempt to win up to $60,000. The way the competition works is kind of complicated, but essentially after each round, depending on how close someone gets to hitting the original notes from the song as well as votes from the other contestants, one player is eliminated and the rest go on until only one is left. The host is Tituss Burgess (he plays Titus in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, another amazing show). I was excited about this show because I love singing and reality TV, so I was hoping for this to be the next Voice, but I was sorely let down. As much as I love Tituss, he was trying way too hard to be relatable in his comments to the audience and the contestants. The singing was fun because the songs were very well-known, but after about one round I was pretty much ready to be done with the episode. There’s a lot of unnecessary dialogue, which I guess they put there to try to get you to get to know the contestants, but you should only get to know them if it were a show where people stayed on for multiple episodes. Despite these comments, after it finished, I did feel strangely compelled to watch another episode… Rating: 5.5/10 

5) A.P. Bio (on NBC, third season aired Sept. 3. I watched a TON of this)

A.P. Bio is about a Harvard philosophy graduate who was recently passed up for tenure, leading him to grudgingly teach A.P. Bio at a high school, hence the name of the show. But, there’s a twist: he isn’t actually teaching biology. Every day he comes into class and complains about his life, without moving through the material. However, he can get away with it because the principal is happy to have a Harvard graduate teaching at his school. The pilot paints a great picture of the cynical and sadistic main character, Jack Griffin, as he watches his life go down the drain. The show is filled with moments you wouldn’t see in a traditional classroom such as Jack coming in and instantly telling the kids to shut their mouths. It is hilarious, but does come off as a little bit of a try-hard. Jack’s actions and dialogue are very exaggerated, but I personally think that adds to the humor of the show. I would for sure binge this show when the world is bumming you out and you just want to laugh at something stupid. Rating 9.5/10