Friday, July 06, 2018
Fri-Yay: GLOW Remains Delightful in Its 2nd Season; Ricky Gervais Gets After Life on Netflix
by Vincent
GLOW was one of the biggest delights of last summer, arriving in the doldrums of June to become one of the best and funniest shows of the year. With a stacked cast, an intriguing premise, excellent writing and lovable characters, it was the type of show I binged through immediately, wanting more. Now, a year later, I've finally gotten more - and it doesn't disappoint. Season 2 of GLOW is just as entertaining, fun to watch and genuinely great as the first season, and deepens its characters and world in excellent ways.
GLOW comes from the creator of Orange is the New Black, Jenji Kohan. That was obvious from the very first episode, as the show has a diverse group of female characters from very different backgrounds. But I felt the Orange connection even more strongly in Season 2, as the show delves into the backstory and personal lives of its characters even more than it did in Season 1. We really see these women for who they are beyond their stereotypical G.L.O.W characters, and it makes the show's world all the more rich and inviting. Add that to the fact that the show has largely figured out its comic rhythm, and you have an excellent, consistently strong season of television.
There are a couple of faults I found with the second season of the show - the first season was tightly structured around the filming of the G.L.O.W pilot and length everyone goes to in order to make sure it works. The second season loses a little bit of that structure by shifting to covering the show week-to-week, although in a way, that loose structure is what allows it to delve more deeply into its characters. The other major criticism I had of the season was that it focused a bit too much on Marc Maron's Sam and not enough on the ladies of GLOW, who are all incredibly interesting and deserve to be more of the center of attention. Maron is great as Sam, but his character is kind of prickly and not super likable, and not someone I've found myself sympathizing with very often. On the other hand, the women of GLOW, even when they're being unlikable, still find a way to work their way into your hearts. If GLOW gets a third season (and it seems to be do well for Netflix at least judging by the buzz around it that I've seen), I'd like to see the focus dialed even more on the cast and less on the male producers. But that's a minor gripe with an overall excellent season of television, and a great choice for summer TV marathoning.
Casting is confirmed on After Life, the new Netflix original comedy series from Ricky Gervais. Production is also underway on After Life, a Netflix original series from Creator, Executive Producer and Director, Ricky Gervais. The series stars Ricky Gervais alongside Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey, Doctor Who), David Bradley (The Harry Potter series, Game of Thrones), Ashley Jensen (Extras), Tom Basden (Plebs, David Brent: Life On The Road), Tony Way (Edge of Tomorrow), David Earl (Cemetery Junction, Derek), Joe Wilkinson (Him and Her), Kerry Godliman (Derek), Mandeep Dhillon, Jo Hartley, Roisin Conaty and Diane Morgan (David Brent: Life On The Road). In the series, Tony (Ricky Gervais) had a perfect life. But after his wife Lisa suddenly dies, Tony changes. After contemplating taking his own life, he decides instead to live long enough to punish the world by saying and doing whatever he likes from now on. He thinks it's like a Super Power - not caring about himself or anyone else - but it turns out to be tricky when everyone is trying to save the nice guy they used to know. 6 episodes have been ordered, but no premiere date just yet. Stay tuned.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, July 24
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Baby Fight" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie and Mandy worry they’re not on the same page when they disagree about having another kid, and Mary, Jim and Audrey struggle to stay out of it.
Ghosts - "Halloween 4: The Witch" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The ghosts, seeking some excitement during a low-key Halloween, join Patience (Mary Holland) in putting Sam on a witch trial.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 21)
Thursday, July 24
- Fortune Feimster (FUBAR/Kenan/Bless the Harts/Champions) - Fortune guest hosts on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) -
- Caroline Rhea (Sydney to the Max/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/Pride & Joy) - Caroline is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Christopher McDonald (Hacks/Mr. Iglesias/Good Advice/Walter & Emily) - Christopher appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear/Girls) - Ebon talks about The Fantastic Four: First Steps on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Mark Consuelos (Alpha House/Hope & Faith) - Mark chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Leanne Morgan (Leanne) - Leanne talks about Netflix's Leanne on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 10am hour.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive
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