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
Friday, June 9
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 5)
Friday, June 9
- Marc Maron (GLOW/Maron) - Watch Marc on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Martin Short (Mulaney/The Martin Short Show) - Martin is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Demi Lovato (Sonny with a Chance) - Demi is a musical guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Sandra Bullock (Working Girl) - Sandra appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Zach Braff (Scrubs/Alex, Inc.) - Zach is a guest on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris guest co-hosts a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Jay Ellis (Insecure/The Game) - Jay discusses the motivation behind their new true-crime podcast Freeway Phantom on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Tig Notaro (One Mississippi) - Tig is telling Drew about working with Reese Witherspoon on their new film and the latest season of The Morning Show on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Alfonso Ribeiro (In the House/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/Silver Spoons) - Alfonso will be on a repeat of The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
- Daniel Wu (American Born Chinese) - Daniel talks about his role on the Disney+ series American Born Chinese on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
- Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) and Jason Alexander (Listen Up!/Bob Patterson/Seinfeld/Everything's Relative/ E/R) - Eric and Jason talk about The Cottage on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Reba McEntire (Reba/Malibu Country) - Reba will be on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Geena Davis (The Geena Davis Show/Sara/Buffalo Bill) - NBC's Today catches up with Geena in the 9am hour.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (January-June)
01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/04 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Fifth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/18 - Blondie - The Complete 1957 Television Series (Blu-ray)
04/25 - Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
05/23 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Eleven / The Complete Season Twelve
05/23 - Go On - The Complete Series
05/23 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (Universal)
05/29 - Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/29 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/30 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
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