I consciously support the CBC…

I have been occasionally dipping in to the CBC Streaming app CBC Gem only to find that the number of commercials I am forced to watch is incredibly irritating, as they repeat the same ads over and over again. I had resisted paying $5 per month to watch it commercial free, as my husband is constantly moaning about our Rogers bills, however, I made a decision, at the urging of a friend, to pony up my $5 per month to support our national broadcaster. Voila, I just watched a British cop show without commercials and enjoyed the freedom of that experience. More on Trigger Point later. In the meantime, here are some viewing suggestions for you:

Streaming

The Offer (made for Paramount +, 10 episodes) Oscar-winning producer Albert S. Ruddy’s never-before-revealed experiences of making The Godfather (1972). Stars Miles Teller, Matthew Goode, Burn Gorman, Colin Hanks, Giovanni Ribisi, Juno Temple, etc.) I started off being a bit put-off by the caricatures of the major characters, and then I gave in and just enjoyed it all. Matthew Goode (Mr. Lady Mary from Downton Abbey) will astonish you here as Bob Evans, the Hollywood Producer.

The Orville (Season 3, 10 episodes) an exploratory ship from Earth faces interstellar challenges 400 years in the future. A delightful parody of space based science fiction like Star Trek.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (13 episodes) A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. Stars Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn. Full confession: I have been following Anson Mount since he starred in the magnificent Hell on Wheels. I think he’s great as Captain Pike in this! Not quite as entertaining as The Orville, but still great fun.

Under the Banner of Heaven (7 episodes) a devout detective’s faith is tested as he investigates a brutal murder seemingly connected to an esteemed Utah family’s spiral into LDS fundamentalist and their distrust in the government. Great cast includes Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Wyatt Russell, Gil Birmingham, etc.

Amazon

Chloe (UK, 6 episodes) Still living with her mom and working a temporary job, Becky grapples with Instagram-perfect lives. Stars Erin Doherty (The Crown, Princess Anne),Billy Howle, Jack Farthing. Kind of a Rebecca vibe to this tale of a woman who longs to fit in to a class above her station.

Moonfall (2 h 10 m) A mysterious force knocks the moon from its orbit and sends it hurtling on a c collision course toward earth. Stars Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson. This one is so awful it took my breath away. I forced myself to stop looking about 30 minutes in as all the actors in this one embarrass themselves.

The Boys (Season 3, 8 episodes) A group of vigilantes set out to take down corrupt superheroes who misuse their superpowers. The show goes on! Lots more bad superhero mayhem! A satirical take on the superhero tropes.

Apple

Cha Cha Real Smooth (1 h 47 m) A young man who works as a Bar Mitzvah party host strikes up a friendship with a mother and her autistic daughter. Stars Cooper Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann and Brad Garrett. Such a sweet little film. I loved the lead’s relationship with his little brother.

Loot (11 episodes) After divorcing her husband of 20 years, Molly Novak must figure out what to do with her $87 billion settlement. She decides to reengage with her charitable foundation and reconnect with the real world – finding herself along the way. Great cast includes Maya Rudolph, Olivier Martinez, Adam Scott. Kind of broad and over the top, but I’m willing to hang in for at least a few of the 11 episodes.

CBC Gem

Trigger Point (7 episodes) Drama series following Lana Washington, an experienced bomb disposal officer working for the Metropolitan Police. Stars Vicky McClure, Cal MacAninch, Mark Stanley. At times this series feels like a parody of a typical British cop show and I must admit, I figured out the true villain within a few minutes of watching this, but if you long for a series about terrorist bombings in London, this is your show. I think watching this with commercial interruptions would have been agony, but the fast pace allows you to keep watching.

Crave

I Love that For You (8 episodes) A woman overcomes childhood leukemia to achieve her dream of becoming an on-air host at a home shopping network. A great ensemble cast includes Vanessa Bayer Molly Shannon, Bess Armstrong, Matt Malloy, etc. Blackly funny as the lead is trapped into establishing her stage persona as a woman dealing with cancer. Loving it so far…

Barry (Season 3, 8 episodes) A hitman from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city’s theatre arts scene. It’s a comic masterpiece. Great performances from an ensemble cast that includes Bill Hader and Henry Winkler.

We Own this City (6 episodes) Tells the story of the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force and the corruption surrounding it. Stars Gabrielle Carteris, Tom Bernthal, Josh Charles, etc. Oh, dark, very dark….

The Man who fell to Earth (made for Showtime, 10 episodes) An alien arrives on earth with a mission: to learn to become human and find the one woman who can help save hs species. Together they discover that in order to save his world, they must first save ours. Stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris, Clarke Peters, Bill Nighy, Jimmi Simpson, Kate Mulgrew, Rob Delaney, Martha Plimpton, Juliet Stevenson. Strange and fascinating like the 1976 David Bowie original film.

The Baby (8 episodes) Follows Natasha, who is furious that her closest friends are all having babies. But when she is unexpectedly landed with a baby of her own, her life dramatically implodes and turns her days into a surreal horror show. The blackest comedy ever to feature a homicidal baby.

Bill Maher  (587 episodes) Returned for its 20th season. Comedian and political satirist Bill Maher discusses topical events with guests from various backgrounds. He is the sneeriest, snarkiest comedian on TV today! You either like him or hate him.

John Oliver (242 episodes, back for Season 9) Along with a series of comic comments on the daily events, Oliver selects a new topic to discuss at length every week. Professorial and profane.

Hacks (Season 2, 8 episodes) This show is fabulous and it is wonderful that it has been renewed The first episode re-establishes the story and characters with the beautiful humorous style we enjoyed in season one. Jean Smart reprises her gloriously larger-than-life character and Ava is desperately trying to neutralise her previous indiscretion before Deborah finds out. 

The Time Traveller’s Wife (6 episodes ) Tells the intricate love story of Clare and Henry, and a marriage with a problem…time travel. Stars Rose Leslie and the delectable Theo James who has no trouble at all with the nudity aspect of his role. So strange and sad. I don’t usually like time travel themes and this is time travel to the max, but I’m intrigued and will stick around for more.

Gentleman Jack (Season 2, 8 episodes) A dramatization of the life of LGBTQ+ trailblazer, voracious learner and cryptic diarist Anne Lister. So British! I record this and watch it when I want to snooze. Suranne Jones heads up an ensemble cast that includes Gemma Whelan, Gemma Jones, Timothy West, Peter Davison, and many more British character actors.

FX

The Old Man (7 episodes) A former CIA officer who’s living off the grid, finds himself on the run from people who want to kill him. Stars Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, Alia Shawkat, Amy Brenneman. Suspenseful and fast paced, I am loving this series.

Breeders (Season 3, 10 episodes) A comedic look at the trials and tribulations of parenthood. So smart and funny. Martin Freeman, Daisy Haggard, Alun Armstrong star. The real star of the show though is George Wakeman as the very neurotic child Luke, who is so needy that he succeeds in getting his father thrown from the family home for making him “anxious”.

ABC

Jeopardy Weeknights (over 8000 episodes) This nightly venerable game show, is now once again hosted by Mayim Bialik, and it continues to amuse, entertain and inform. I am still missing Ken Jennings as host (he returns in July) and there have been a series of champions who have won enough games to enter the tournament of champions. Looking forward to them all converging in the Fall. Still a very entertaining way to spend 20 minutes every evening (fast forward through those commercials).

AMC

Dark Winds (7 episodes) Follows Leaphorn and Chee, two Navajo police officers in the 1970’s Southwest that are forced to challenge their own spiritual beliefs when they search for clues in a double murder case. Stars Zahn McClarnon, Rainn Wilson, Noah Emmerich. Dark and suspenseful.

PBS

Endeavour (Season 8) Set from 1965 to 1971, the show follows Endeavour Morse in his early years as a police constable. Working alongside his senior partner DI Fred Thursday, Morse engages in a number of investigations around Oxford. I must admit, I think I snoozed through a great deal of the first episode of this season, but I love the Oxford settings and murder in academia.

Hotel Portofino (frock opera, 6 episodes)A glamorous period drama, as the characters go about their lives in 1920’s Italy, when Benito Mussolini’s brand of fascism was on the rise. Stars Natascha McElhone, Mark Umbers, Anna Chancellor, Adam James. If you are missing The Durrells in Corfu, this is your show!

Special Mention

I still try to maintain my Sunday morning ritual of watching CBS Sunday Morning, the most enjoyable newsmagazine show on the air which has been airing since 1979. Now hosted by Jane Pauley, this venerable series never ceases to delight, inform and entertain with its stories about current events, celebrities, and human interest. I feel better each Sunday for having watched it. Kind of like 60 Minutes lite (which I also watch). I also regularly record and watch Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah to keep up to date with the news filtered through humour.

Closing Words

The news this past week has been full of all kinds of terrible developments in Ukraine, the earthquake in Afghanistan, the US Supreme Court decisions on abortion and gun rights, etc. I’m enclosing a link to an article by Margaret Atwood in The Atlantic which explains the constitutional and historical origins of the Supreme Court abortion decision:

https://apple.news/AaetyTfapS1Gmk3BuX-ukPg

On the brighter side, an eagle dropped a puppy it was trying to make off with:

The new normal…

For those of you who may not have heard our news, we became grandparents this past week and welcomed our first grandchild, Ethan George Rhodes Mohacsi, who weighed in at 8 lb 3 oz and has beautiful red hair like his dad.

We drove down to TO yesterday in anticipation of having our first home visit with our new grandson. Unfortunately, the fates conspired against us. As we passed by first the Kipling, and then the Islington subway stations, we noticed police tape and hordes of people and buses converging at the entrances. The system was closed down between Islington and Kipling as a random attack resulted in a woman being set on fire. As you can imagine, chaos ensued. When we got home and contacted our son, the fierce winds had knocked a tree down onto a neighbour’s house belonging to a 100-year-old man and the hydro wires had ignited the roof, so the street was full of emergency vehicles and the power was out indefinitely. Our son arrived at our place totally frazzled to sterilize baby bottles necessary for night feedings and then hurried home to take care of his wife and baby. We had ordered a sushi platter which got eaten in stages. It is totally apparent that from now on, we will not all be sitting down at the dinner table at the same time. Today, we have postponed the family brunch we were going to have to celebrate birthdays and Father’s Day and will be dropping off a care package at our son’s home instead. It’s the new normal! Anyhow, here are some viewing suggestions for you:

Streaming

The Offer (made for Paramount +, 10 episodes) Oscar-winning producer Albert S. Ruddy’s never-before-revealed experiences of making The Godfather (1972). Stars Miles Teller, Matthew Goode, Burn Gorman, Colin Hanks, Giovanni Ribisi, Juno Temple, etc.) I started off being a bit put-off by the caricatures of the major characters, and then I gave in and just enjoyed it all. Matthew Goode (Mr. Lady Mary from Downton Abbey) will astonish you here as Bob Evans, the Hollywood Producer.

The Orville (Season 3, 10 episodes) an exploratory ship from Earth faces interstellar challenges 400 years in the future. A delightful parody of space based science fiction like Star Trek.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (13 episodes) A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. Stars Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn. Full confession: I have been following Anson Mount since he starred in the magnificent Hell on Wheels. I think he’s great as Captain Pike in this! Not quite as entertaining as The Orville, but still great fun.

Under the Banner of Heaven (7 episodes) a devout detective’s faith is tested as he investigates a brutal murder seemingly connected to an esteemed Utah family’s spiral into LDS fundamentalist and their distrust in the government. Great cast includes Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Wyatt Russell, Gil Birmingham, etc.

CBC Gem

Manayek (from Israel, Season 1, 10 episodes)  Izzy Bachar, a police internal affairs investigator, discovers just before retirement that his longtime friend Barak, a senior police officer, is accused of being corrupt. Life as he knows it breaks into pieces. Suspenseful and cast entirely with actors who don’t look like movie stars, if you liked Fauda, Stisel, or Tehran, you may love this one.

The Dry (9 episodes) Shiv Sheridan returns to Dublin after years of partying in London and tries to navigate a new phase of her life. Trying to stay sober and being back with her family is not going to be easy. Ciaran Hinds (Belfast) is not quite the dear old grandpa he appears to be at the beginning of this.

House of Maxwell (Documentary, 3 episodes) One family, fifty years of scandal. The rise and fall of a media mogul and the unravelling of his deeply troubled family. A staggering tale of money, sex, privacy and power. Dark, oh so dark…

Crave

Father of the Bride (1 h 57 m, but seems much longer) A father’s coming to grips with his daughter’s upcoming wedding through the prism of multiple relationships within a big, sprawling Cuban-American clan. Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan and Enrique Murciano star. This totally unnecessary romantic comedy is a sequel/remake of the Steve Martin original. Chloe Fineman (SNL) gamely attempts the wedding planner role (Fronk played by Martin Short in the original), but is sadly just as lame as the rest of this derivative offering. If you are dying to watch a family comedy, this may be your cup of tea, but I found it neither romantic nor comedic.

I Love that For You (8 episodes) A woman overcomes childhood leukemia to achieve her dream of becoming an on-air host at a home shopping network. A great ensemble cast includes Vanessa Bayer Molly Shannon, Bess Armstrong, Matt Malloy, etc. Blackly funny as the lead is trapped into establishing her stage persona as a woman dealing with cancer. Loving it so far…

Barry (Season 3, 8 episodes) A hitman from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city’s theatre arts scene. It’s a comic masterpiece. Great performances from an ensemble cast that includes Bill Hader and Henry Winkler.

We Own this City (6 episodes) Tells the story of the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force and the corruption surrounding it. Stars Gabrielle Carteris, Tom Bernthal, Josh Charles, etc. Oh, dark, very dark….

The Man who fell to Earth (made for Showtime, 10 episodes) An alien arrives on earth with a mission: to learn to become human and find the one woman who can help save hs species. Together they discover that in order to save his world, they must first save ours. Stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris, Clarke Peters, Bill Nighy, Jimmi Simpson, Kate Mulgrew, Rob Delaney, Martha Plimpton, Juliet Stevenson. Strange and fascinating like the 1976 David Bowie original film.

The Baby (8 episodes) Follows Natasha, who is furious that her closest friends are all having babies. But when she is unexpectedly landed with a baby of her own, her life dramatically implodes and turns her days into a surreal horror show. The blackest comedy ever to feature a homicidal baby.

Bill Maher  (587 episodes) Returned for its 20th season. Comedian and political satirist Bill Maher discusses topical events with guests from various backgrounds. He is the sneeriest, snarkiest comedian on TV today! You either like him or hate him.

John Oliver (242 episodes, back for Season 9) Along with a series of comic comments on the daily events, Oliver selects a new topic to discuss at length every week. Professorial and profane.

Hacks (Season 2, 8 episodes) This show is fabulous and it is wonderful that it has been renewed The first episode re-establishes the story and characters with the beautiful humorous style we enjoyed in season one. Jean Smart reprises her gloriously larger-than-life character and Ava is desperately trying to neutralise her previous indiscretion before Deborah finds out. 

The Time Traveller’s Wife (6 episodes ) Tells the intricate love story of Clare and Henry, and a marriage with a problem…time travel. Stars Rose Leslie and the delectable Theo James who has no trouble at all with the nudity aspect of his role. So strange and sad. I don’t usually like time travel themes and this is time travel to the max, but I’m intrigued and will stick around for more.

Gentleman Jack (Season 2, 8 episodes) A dramatization of the life of LGBTQ+ trailblazer, voracious learner and cryptic diarist Anne Lister. So British! I record this and watch it when I want to snooze. Suranne Jones heads up an ensemble cast that includes Gemma Whelan, Gemma Jones, Timothy West, Peter Davison, and many more British character actors.

Amazon

Good Luck to you, Leo Grande (1 h 37 m) Nancy Stokes, a 55-year-old widow, is yearning for some adventure, human connection, and some sex — some good sex. Stars Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack. Touching and kind of daring in its treatment of middle-aged sex and nudity, I enjoyed this very sweet coming of age film about a woman who is discovering her sexuality at a relatively advanced age.

The Boys (Season 3, 8 episodes) A group of vigilantes set out to take down corrupt superheroes who misuse their superpowers. The show goes on! Lots more bad superhero mayhem! A satirical take on the superhero tropes.

FX

Mayans MC (Season 4, 10 episodes) The first 5 episodes are total mayhem as war descends on Santo Padre. Brutally violent! I so miss Jax Teller. Also, I keep meaning to adjust the contrast on my screen as there is so much night shooting on this show, that I often find the scenes very hard to see.

Breeders (Season 3, 10 episodes) A comedic look at the trials and tribulations of parenthood. So smart and funny. Martin Freeman, Daisy Haggard, Alun Armstrong star. The real star of the show though is George Wakeman as the very neurotic child Luke, who is so needy that he succeeds in getting his father thrown from the family home for making him “anxious”.

Netflix

Borgen: Power and Glory (2022, 8 episodes) Birgitte Nyborg is taking on a new role as Denmark’s foreign minister while Katrine Fonsmark returns to journalism, landing a managing post at her former TV workplace. A little dense, but almost prescient, given that this would have been filmed before Russia’s Ukraine invasion and the effect on oil supplies to Europe. Watch for yourself, if you are intrigued!

W 

The Girl from Plainville (made for Hulu, 8 episodes) Inspired by the true story of Michelle Carter’s unprecedented “texting suicide” case. Explores Carter’s relationship with Conrad Roy III and the events that led to his death and, later, her conviction of involuntary manslaughter. Stars Elle Fanning, Chloe Sevigny (unrecognizable in dark hair). Oh so dark!

Apple

Tehran (Season 2, 8 episodes) A Mossad agent on a mission as a computer hacker in her home town of Tehran. Glenn Close guest stars this season. Fast moving and incredibly suspenseful!

Disney

Pistol (6 episodes) Based on the memoir of Steve Jones, the legendary Sex Pistols guitarist who helped usher in a punk revolution in Britain. Very entertaining and features music from the era! Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Malcolm McLaren, the band’s manager, steals every scene he’s in.

ABC

Jeopardy Weeknights (over 8000 episodes) This nightly venerable game show, is now once again hosted by Mayim Bialik, and it continues to amuse, entertain and inform. I am still missing Ken Jennings as host (he returns in July) and there have been a series of champions who have won enough games to enter the tournament of champions. Looking forward to them all converging in the Fall. Still a very entertaining way to spend 20 minutes every evening (fast forward through those commercials).

Special Mention

I still try to maintain my Sunday morning ritual of watching CBS Sunday Morning, the most enjoyable newsmagazine show on the air which has been airing since 1979. Now hosted by Jane Pauley, this venerable series never ceases to delight, inform and entertain with its stories about current events, celebrities, and human interest. I feel better each Sunday for having watched it. Kind of like 60 Minutes lite (which I also watch). I also regularly record and watch Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah to keep up to date with the news filtered through humour.

Closing Words

We are headed back to Thornbury today and will be celebrating Father’s Day on the golf course tomorrow. What could be more appropriate!!

Here’s the tree that fell over on our neighbour’s house:

Fire alarm on the 23rd floor…

The building emergency alarm began going off at about 5 am this morning. It told us to follow emergency protocols and await further instructions. We quickly dressed and prepared to walk down 23 flights of stairs. About 20 minutes later we were advised that it was a false alarm. As a result, I am a bit bleary-eyed as I write this, and think I may wander back to bed instead of heading for the golf course when I finish writing this. We returned to TO yesterday to have a final dinner for 5 with our two sons and daughter in law. Candice is being induced on Monday and we await further news!! So excited for the arrival of our first grandchild. In the meantime, here are some viewing suggestions for you:

Streaming

The Offer (made for Paramount +, 10 episodes) Oscar-winning producer Albert S. Ruddy’s never-before-revealed experiences of making The Godfather (1972). Stars Miles Teller, Matthew Goode, Burn Gorman, Colin Hanks, Giovanni Ribisi, Juno Temple, etc.) I started off being a bit put-off by the caricatures of the major characters, and then I gave in and just enjoyed it all. Matthew Goode (Mr. Lady Mary from Downton Abbey) will astonish you here as Bob Evans, the Hollywood Producer.

Downton Abbey: A New Era (2 h 4 m) Follow-up to the 2019 feature film in which the Crawley and Downton staff receive a visit from the King and Queen. In this shameless rip-off of Singing in the Rain, Lady Mary has to dub the voice of a movie star with a horrible speaking voice; Tom the butler meets his soul mate in the film’s leading man; The Dowager inherits a villa in the south of France; etc. Unbelievably ludicrous dialogue and ridiculously contrived plot twists are the hallmark of this entirely unnecessary feel good film. Maggie Smith’s self parody reaches new heights when she shushes her maid’s howls of anguish at her bedside by saying that she “can’t hear myself dying.”

The Orville (Season 3, 10 episodes) an exploratory ship from Earth faces interstellar challenges 400 years in the future. A delightful parody of space based science fiction like Star Trek.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (13 episodes) A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. Stars Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn. Full confession: I have been following Anson Mount since he starred in the magnificent Hell on Wheels. I think he’s great as Captain Pike in this! Not quite as entertaining as The Orville, but still great fun.

Under the Banner of Heaven (7 episodes) a devout detective’s faith is tested as he investigates a brutal murder seemingly connected to an esteemed Utah family’s spiral into LDS fundamentalist and their distrust in the government. Great cast includes Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Wyatt Russell, Gil Birmingham, etc.

Amazon

The Boys (Season 3, 8 episodes) A group of vigilantes set out to take down corrupt superheroes who misuse their superpowers. The show goes on! Lots more bad superhero mayhem! A satirical take on the superhero tropes.

CBC Gem

Manayek (from Israel, Season 1, 10 episodes)  Izzy Bachar, a police internal affairs investigator, discovers just before retirement that his longtime friend Barak, a senior police officer, is accused of being corrupt. Life as he knows it breaks into pieces. Suspenseful and cast entirely with actors who don’t look like movie stars, if you liked Fauda, Stisel, or Tehran, you may love this one.

The Dry (9 episodes) Shiv Sheridan returns to Dublin after years of partying in London and tries to navigate a new phase of her life. Trying to stay sober and being back with her family is not going to be easy. Ciaran Hinds (Belfast) is not quite the dear old grandpa he appears to be at the beginning of this.

House of Maxwell (Documentary, 3 episodes) One family, fifty years of scandal. The rise and fall of a media mogul and the unravelling of his deeply troubled family. A staggering tale of money, sex, privacy and power. Dark, oh so dark…

FX

Mayans MC (Season 4, 10 episodes) The first 5 episodes are total mayhem as war descends on Santo Padre. Brutally violent! I so miss Jax Teller. Also, I keep meaning to adjust the contrast on my screen as there is so much night shooting on this show, that I often find the scenes very hard to see.

Breeders (Season 3, 10 episodes) A comedic look at the trials and tribulations of parenthood. So smart and funny. Martin Freeman, Daisy Haggard, Alun Armstrong star. The real star of the show though is George Wakeman as the very neurotic child Luke, who is so needy that he succeeds in getting his father thrown from the family home for making him “anxious”.

Crave (in Canada it includes shows made for HBO, Hulu, Starz, Showtime, etc.)

I Love that For You (8 episodes) A woman overcomes childhood leukemia to achieve her dream of becoming an on-air host at a home shopping network. A great ensemble cast includes Vanessa Bayer Molly Shannon, Bess Armstrong, Matt Malloy, etc. Blackly funny as the lead is trapped into establishing her stage persona as a woman dealing with cancer. Loving it so far…

Barry (Season 3, 8 episodes) A hitman from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city’s theatre arts scene. It’s a comic masterpiece. Great performances from an ensemble cast that includes Bill Hader and Henry Winkler.

We Own this City (6 episodes) Tells the story of the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force and the corruption surrounding it. Stars Gabrielle Carteris, Tom Bernthal, Josh Charles, etc. Oh, dark, very dark….

The Man who fell to Earth (made for Showtime, 10 episodes) An alien arrives on earth with a mission: to learn to become human and find the one woman who can help save hs species. Together they discover that in order to save his world, they must first save ours. Stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris, Clarke Peters, Bill Nighy, Jimmi Simpson, Kate Mulgrew, Rob Delaney, Martha Plimpton, Juliet Stevenson. Strange and fascinating like the 1976 David Bowie original film.

The Baby (8 episodes) Follows Natasha, who is furious that her closest friends are all having babies. But when she is unexpectedly landed with a baby of her own, her life dramatically implodes and turns her days into a surreal horror show. The blackest comedy ever to feature a homicidal baby.

Bill Maher  (587 episodes) Returned for its 20th season. Comedian and political satirist Bill Maher discusses topical events with guests from various backgrounds. He is the sneeriest, snarkiest comedian on TV today! You either like him or hate him.

John Oliver (242 episodes, back for Season 9) Along with a series of comic comments on the daily events, Oliver selects a new topic to discuss at length every week. Professorial and profane.

Hacks (Season 2, 8 episodes) This show is fabulous and it is wonderful that it has been renewed The first episode re-establishes the story and characters with the beautiful humorous style we enjoyed in season one. Jean Smart reprises her gloriously larger-than-life character and Ava is desperately trying to neutralise her previous indiscretion before Deborah finds out. 

The Time Traveller’s Wife (6 episodes ) Tells the intricate love story of Clare and Henry, and a marriage with a problem…time travel. Stars Rose Leslie and the delectable Theo James who has no trouble at all with the nudity aspect of his role. So strange and sad. I don’t usually like time travel themes and this is time travel to the max, but I’m intrigued and will stick around for more.

Gentleman Jack (Season 2, 8 episodes) A dramatization of the life of LGBTQ+ trailblazer, voracious learner and cryptic diarist Anne Lister. So British! I record this and watch it when I want to snooze. Suranne Jones heads up an ensemble cast that includes Gemma Whelan, Gemma Jones, Timothy West, Peter Davison, and many more British character actors.

Netflix

Borgen: Power and Glory (2022, 8 episodes) Birgitte Nyborg is taking on a new role as Denmark’s foreign minister while Katrine Fonsmark returns to journalism, landing a managing post at her former TV workplace. A little dense, but almost prescient, given that this would have been filmed before Russia’s Ukraine invasion and the effect on oil supplies to Europe. Watch for yourself, if you are intrigued!

W 

The Girl from Plainville (made for Hulu, 8 episodes) Inspired by the true story of Michelle Carter’s unprecedented “texting suicide” case. Explores Carter’s relationship with Conrad Roy III and the events that led to his death and, later, her conviction of involuntary manslaughter. Stars Elle Fanning, Chloe Sevigny (unrecognizable in dark hair). Oh so dark!

Apple

The Essex Serpent (6 episodes) Follows London widow Cora Seaborne who moves to Essex to investigate reports of a mythical serpent. She forms a bond of science and skepticism with the pastor but when tragedy strikes, locals accuse her of attracting the creature. The cast includes Tom Hiddleston, Claire Danes (strangely British in this one, and I mean high Gillian Anderson), Clemence Poesy, Frank Dillane. Did I mention Tom Hiddleston? Sigh… he’s at his most unattractive and windswept in this one. So far I haven’t managed to stay awake through a single episode, so great for snoozing through.

Shining Girls (8 episodes) Years after a brutal attack left her in a constantly shifting realty, Kirby Mazrachi learns that a recent murder is linked to her assault. She teams with a veteran reporter to understand her ever-changing present and confront her past. Elisabeth Moss, Wagner Moura, Phillipa S0o, Amy Brenneman, and Jamie Bell star. Very, very dark…

Tehran (Season 2, 8 episodes) A Mossad agent on a mission as a computer hacker in her home town of Tehran. Glenn Close guest stars this season. Fast moving and incredibly suspenseful!

Disney

Pistol (6 episodes) Based on the memoir of Steve Jones, the legendary Sex Pistols guitarist who helped usher in a punk revolution in Britain. Very entertaining and features music from the era! Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Malcolm McLaren, the band’s manager, steals every scene he’s in.

On TV tonight

The Tony Awards (tonight at 8 pm on CBS) Ariana DeBose will host! Broadway, Broadway, Broadway!!!

Dark Winds (on AMC tonight at 9 p) Follows Leaphorn and Chee, two Navajo police officers in the 1970s Southwest that are forced to challenge their own spiritual beliefs when they search for clues in a double murder case. Adapted from the Tony Hillerman novels.

ABC

Jeopardy Weeknights (over 8000 episodes) This nightly venerable game show, is now once again hosted by Mayim Bialik, and it continues to amuse, entertain and inform. I am still missing Ken Jennings as host (he returns in July) and there have been a series of champions who have won enough games to enter the tournament of champions. Looking forward to them all converging in the Fall. Still a very entertaining way to spend 20 minutes every evening (fast forward through those commercials).

Special Mention

I still try to maintain my Sunday morning ritual of watching CBS Sunday Morning, the most enjoyable newsmagazine show on the air which has been airing since 1979. Now hosted by Jane Pauley, this venerable series never ceases to delight, inform and entertain with its stories about current events, celebrities, and human interest. I feel better each Sunday for having watched it. Kind of like 60 Minutes lite (which I also watch). I also regularly record and watch Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah to keep up to date with the news filtered through humour.

Closing Words

It’s going to be an eventful week for us, waiting for Baby Boy Mohacsi to arrive. Fingers crossed that all goes smoothly for our daughter-in-law who will have a Doula guiding her through labour and delivery in a hospital setting. If you are an enjoyer of TikTok, these two little treasures may make you smile:

Jubilee Tea Party!

I had the great pleasure of hosting a tea party for 8 lovely women yesterday. Fascinators and floral prints were featured. Lovely scones with clotted cream and jam were enjoyed along with an assortment of cookies and squares. We raised a glass of prosecco to her majesty and sang God Save the Queen. Personally, I’d be happy if the only thing the news media covered was news of the Royal Family and omitted coverage of pandemics, mass shootings and war in the Ukraine. What a wonderful world it would be! In the meantime, here are some viewing recommendations for you:

Live on Stage

A Night in Vegas (Simcoe Street Theatre, Theatre Collingwood) Micah Barnes and Billy Newton-Davis (both formerly with The Nylons) entertained with the songs of Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and much more. Delightful cabaret evening! The first offering of our 4-play subscription package to Theatre Collingwood’s summer programming.

Amazon

The Boys (Season 3, 8 episodes) A group of vigilantes set out to take down corrupt superheroes who misuse their superpowers. The show goes on! Lots more bad superhero mayhem! A satirical take on the superhero tropes.

Streaming

Under the Banner of Heaven (7 episodes) a devout detective’s faith is tested as he investigates a brutal murder seemingly connected to an esteemed Utah family’s spiral into LDS fundamentalist and their distrust in the government. Great cast includes Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Wyatt Russell, Gil Birmingham, etc.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (13 episodes) A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, the show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike. Stars Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn. Full confession: I have been following Anson Mount since he starred in the magnificent Hell on Wheels. I think he’s great as Captain Pike in this!

CBC Gem

Manayek (from Israel, 20 episodes) Izzy Bachar, a police internal affairs investigator, discovers just before retirement that his longtime friend Barak, a senior police officer, is accused of being corrupt. Life as he knows it breaks into pieces. Suspenseful and cast entirely with actors who don’t look like movie stars, if you liked Fauda, Stisel, or Tehran, you may love this one.

Crave (in Canada it includes shows made for HBO, Hulu, Starz, Showtime, etc.)

I Love that For You (8 episodes) A woman overcomes childhood leukemia to achieve her dream of becoming an on-air host at a home shopping network. A great ensemble cast includes Vanessa Bayer Molly Shannon, Bess Armstrong, Matt Malloy, etc. Blackly funny as the lead is trapped into establishing her stage persona as a woman dealing with cancer. Loving it so far…

Barry (Season 3, 8 episodes) A hitman from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city’s theatre arts scene. It’s a comic masterpiece. Great performances from an ensemble cast that includes Bill Hader and Henry Winkler.

We Own this City (6 episodes) Tells the story of the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force and the corruption surrounding it. Stars Gabrielle Carteris, Tom Bernthal, Josh Charles, etc. Oh, dark, very dark….

The Man who fell to Earth (made for Showtime, 10 episodes) An alien arrives on earth with a mission: to learn to become human and find the one woman who can help save hs species. Together they discover that in order to save his world, they must first save ours. Stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris, Clarke Peters, Bill Nighy, Jimmi Simpson, Kate Mulgrew, Rob Delaney, Martha Plimpton, Juliet Stevenson. Strange and fascinating like the 1976 David Bowie original film.

The Baby (8 episodes) Follows Natasha, who is furious that her closest friends are all having babies. But when she is unexpectedly landed with a baby of her own, her life dramatically implodes and turns her days into a surreal horror show. The blackest comedy ever to feature a homicidal baby.

Bill Maher  (587 episodes) Returned for its 20th season. Comedian and political satirist Bill Maher discusses topical events with guests from various backgrounds. He is the sneeriest, snarkiest comedian on TV today! You either like him or hate him.

John Oliver (242 episodes, back for Season 9) Along with a series of comic comments on the daily events, Oliver selects a new topic to discuss at length every week. Professorial and profane.

Hacks (Season 2, 8 episodes) This show is fabulous and it is wonderful that it has been renewed The first episode re-establishes the story and characters with the beautiful humorous style we enjoyed in season one. Jean Smart reprises her gloriously larger-than-life character and Ava is desperately trying to neutralise her previous indiscretion before Deborah finds out. 

The Time Traveller’s Wife (6 episodes ) Tells the intricate love story of Clare and Henry, and a marriage with a problem…time travel. Stars Rose Leslie and the delectable Theo James who has no trouble at all with the nudity aspect of his role. So strange and sad. I don’t usually like time travel themes and this is time travel to the max, but I’m intrigued and will stick around for more.

Gentleman Jack (Season 2, 8 episodes) A dramatization of the life of LGBTQ+ trailblazer, voracious learner and cryptic diarist Anne Lister. So British! I record this and watch it when I want to snooze. Suranne Jones heads up an ensemble cast that includes Gemma Whelan, Gemma Jones, Timothy West, Peter Davison, and many more British character actors.

FX

Mayans MC (Season 4, 10 episodes) The first 5 episodes are total mayhem as war descends on Santo Padre. Brutally violent! I so miss Jax Teller. Also, I keep meaning to adjust the contrast on my screen as there is so much night shooting on this show, that I often find the scenes very hard to see.

Breeders (Season 3, 10 episodes) A comedic look at the trials and tribulations of parenthood. So smart and funny. Martin Freeman, Daisy Haggard, Alun Armstrong star. The real star of the show though is George Wakeman as the very neurotic child Luke, who is so needy that he succeeds in getting his father thrown from the family home for making him “anxious”.

W 

The Girl from Plainville (made for Hulu, 8 episodes) Inspired by the true story of Michelle Carter’s unprecedented “texting suicide” case. Explores Carter’s relationship with Conrad Roy III and the events that led to his death and, later, her conviction of involuntary manslaughter. Stars Elle Fanning, Chloe Sevigny (unrecognizable in dark hair). Oh so dark!

Apple

The Essex Serpent (6 episodes) Follows London widow Cora Seaborne who moves to Essex to investigate reports of a mythical serpent. She forms a bond of science and skepticism with the pastor but when tragedy strikes, locals accuse her of attracting the creature. The cast includes Tom Hiddleston, Claire Danes (strangely British in this one, and I mean high Gillian Anderson), Clemence Poesy, Frank Dillane. Did I mention Tom Hiddleston? Sigh… he’s at his most unattractive and windswept in this one. So far I haven’t managed to stay awake through a single episode, so great for snoozing through.

Shining Girls (8 episodes) Years after a brutal attack left her in a constantly shifting realty, Kirby Mazrachi learns that a recent murder is linked to her assault. She teams with a veteran reporter to understand her ever-changing present and confront her past. Elisabeth Moss, Wagner Moura, Phillipa S0o, Amy Brenneman, and Jamie Bell star. Very, very dark…

Tehran (Season 2, 8 episodes) A Mossad agent on a mission as a computer hacker in her home town of Tehran. Glenn Close guest stars this season. Fast moving and incredibly suspenseful!

Netflix

Ricky Gervais Supernature (stand up special, 1 h 4 m) This is the special for which he has received much criticism of his take on transsexuals. Judge for yourself! Me, I started watching this way too late and snoozed through much of it.

Disney

Pistol (6 episodes) Based on the memoir of Steve Jones, the legendary Sex Pistols guitarist who helped usher in a punk revolution in Britain. Very entertaining and features music from the era! Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Malcolm McLaren, the band’s manager, steals every scene he’s in.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (6 episodes) Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi watches over young Luke Skywalker and evades the Empire’s elite Jedi hunters during his exile on the desert planet Tatooine. Oh my, all the usual tropes are here, but no Baby Yoda. My boys will love this, but I think it’s just way too classic Star Wars for me. The amazing cast includes Ewan McGregor, Rupert Friend, Kumail Nanjiani, Joel Edgerton, Hayden Christensen, etc.

NBC

Law & Order  (Season 21) It’s back! True confession: I have never watched a single complete episode of the original, which I found prosaic and predictable. I know that this show has always been hugely enjoyable for its many fans, so I gave this one a chance. In Episode 1, newly acquainted partners Det. Kevin Bernard (Anthony Anderson) and Det. Frank Cosgrove (Jeffrey Donovan) investigate the murder of a notorious entertainer (torn from the headlines about Bill Cosby). A dispute over throwing out a confession creates a rift in the District Attorney’s office. Hugh Dancy is now the lead lawyer for the prosecution, with Camryn Manheim supervising the detectives, and Sam Waterston as the DA presiding over the office. Again, I am finding this show kind of corny with its 1 hour format which neatly wraps up every case. If you love your mysteries tied up in a tidy bow at the end of every episode, this is your show.

New Amsterdam (77 episodes) I keep telling myself that this show is dead to me and then I find myself lured back by Ryan Eggold’s impossibly blue eyes. This show is absolute disease of the week, medical melodrama dreck, but I can’t look away. I have no excuse.

CBS

FBI, FBI International, FBI Most Wanted These Dick Wolff dramas are formulaic and predictable, but they comfort me. I am so ashamed.

ABC

The Good Doctor (95 episodes) Who knew you could be fascinated by an autistic doctor? These plots get more ridiculous and convoluted every week, but still they draw me in. There are no words.

Jeopardy Weeknights (over 8000 episodes) This nightly venerable game show, is now once again hosted by Mayim Bialik, and it continues to amuse, entertain and inform. We still miss Mattea Roach (Canadian!), who lost her last game and the whole country has gone into mourning for her. She and her tiny hands, expressive wrists, tattoos and piercings, incredible recall and wide base of knowledge will be truly missed. Until the Tournament of Champions where she goes up against Matt Amodio and Amy Schneider. The most invigorating half hour of television and it’s on 5 nights a week!

Special Mention

I still try to maintain my Sunday morning ritual of watching CBS Sunday Morning, the most enjoyable newsmagazine show on the air which has been airing since 1979. Now hosted by Jane Pauley, this venerable series never ceases to delight, inform and entertain with its stories about current events, celebrities, and human interest. I feel better each Sunday for having watched it. Kind of like 60 Minutes lite (which I also watch). I also regularly record and watch Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah to keep up to date with the news filtered by humour.

Closing Words

Have a wonderful week wherever you are! We are eagerly anticipating the birth of our first grandchild who should be arriving sometime after June 14! We await the phone call to head to the hospital and have our first visit. Here is a moment from the Queen’s Jubilee Concert featuring Queen with Adam Lambert singing We Will Rock You/ Don’t Stop Me Now/ We Are the Champions. Watch for Queen Elizabeth’s delightful Paddington moment at the beginning:

Oh no! You have to watch it on YouTube! Go to Queen and Adam Lambert opening set/ Platinum Party at

It is so worth watching!!!