If We Controlled Your Remote… 9/26/19

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Jenny’s Choice #1

My first pick tonight is the series premiere of Evil. If you know me, you know I’m not at all into dramas or even most supernatural shows, but this is different. It’s a bit of a cop drama mixed with the supernatural, and I couldn’t help but watch when they made the screeners available.

From Michelle & Robert King (The Good Wife/The Good Fight & BrainDead), this is a psychological mystery that examines the origins of evil along the dividing line between science and religion. Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers) is a skeptical psychologist basically single mother of four (her husband is off supervising climbing tours of some big mountain overseas, so he’s rarely home). She starts off the show as an expert witness for the District Attorney, but after being pushed to lie on the stand, she quits and a little reluctantly joins forces with David Acosta (Mike Colter), a former adventure-seeking journalist now studying to be a priest and tasked by the Church to assess unexplained phenomena – possessions, miracles, etc. Their job is to figure out if it’s supernatural or if there’s a logical explanation. Along with Kristen and David is Ben Shakir, another skeptic who uses his computer and carpentry skills to figure out/prove that what seems to be supernatural is, in reality, something done by humans or naturally in the environment.

Kristen begins having night terrors, which are SUPER freaky, and one of the more scary characters is Leland Townsend, a man who (CBS’s words but oh so appropriate) “oozes menace” and threatens Kristen and her daughters. David tries to tell Kristen that Townsend is in reality evil, but she doesn’t believe it…until she does. The road to that is spooky and creepy and…everything good that is this show.

I’ve seen the first few episodes already, and it’s scared the pants off me. I loved it way more than I thought I was going to, so I highly recommend at least checking out the first couple of episodes! Also starring are Christine Lahti, Kurt Fuller, Brooklyn Shuck, Dalya Knapp, Maddy Crocco, & Skylar Gray.

On tonight’s episode, “Pilot,” forensic psychologist Kristen Bouchard is hired by the Catholic Church to work with David Acosta, a priest-in-training, and contractor Ben Shakir, to determine whether a serial killer is possessed by a demon or merely a psychopath. Kristen finds that she has a taste for the work and is invited to join the team on a permanent basis.

Don’t miss the premiere tonight on CBS at 10/9c.
 
Jump with us to see else we think you should watch.
 

Kyle’s Choice #1

Tonight, streaming service Shudder kicks off the new horror anthology series Creepshow, from showrunner Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead). The series is a based on the classic 1982 film of the same name, featuring short, eerie, twisted tales from some well-known writers and directors. It’s of the same vein as Tales from the Crypt, except instead of the Cryptkeeper, here the stories are framed by brief moments with the bony Creep, who cackles as the stories come to life via pages of a comic book. Each episode features two 22-minute tales, with the 6-episode first season being released weekly live and on demand Thursdays at 9/8c.

The first tale in tonight’s premiere, “Gray Matter,” features an all-star cast and is based on a short story by Stephen King. In a small town in the 1970s, a category 4 storm is brewing. Longtime best friends Doc (Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul) and Chief (Tobin Bell, Saw) are helping to batten down the local general store for owner Dixie (Adrienne Barbeau, the original Creepshow film). A young boy named Timmy (Christopher Nathan) walks in, looking scared. His father Richie (Jesse C. Boyd, Hap and Leonard) had sent him out to fetch more beer, and Timmy is afraid to go back home. So Doc and Chief decide to go check on Richie, whose drinking has gotten out of control. But what they find is even worse than they could have imagined.

In the second tale, “The House of the Head,” a young girl named Evie (Cailey Fleming, The Walking Dead) loves taking care of the family of three that resides in the giant dollhouse in her bedroom. However, she starts to notice that The Smithsmiths appear to be in different locations whenever she looks away from the dollhouse and comes back. She also discovers a freaky dismembered head in one of the rooms, and the head appears to be terrorizing the family. Believing the dollhouse to be haunted, she tries all sorts of things to help the Smithsmiths, but things just seem to get worse, and even more terrifying for this plastic family. The episode also stars Rachel Hendrix and David Shae (The Haunting of Hill House) as Evie’s parents and Guy Messenger as toy shop owner, Mr. Ogman.

I wasn’t too fond of the first of tonight’s two tales, which is more of a metaphor for alcoholism and how it can quite literally turn people into monsters. Though the episode does have some amazing actors and some cool creature work by the talented Greg Nicotero. I enjoyed the second story a lot more. Who would have thought inanimate characters inside a dollhouse could be so creepy and evoke such concern for their well-being?! The episode does an excellent job of building and ratcheting up the tension, and it had me freaked out and on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen.

At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, I got a chance to talk about the series with the showrunner and some of the amazing cast, including two of the folks in tonight’s first tale. Some of the upcoming episodes sound really cool, and I look forward to checking out more of the series. You can read/listen to my interviews from the press room at NoReruns.net.

Check it out tonight on Shudder tonight at 9/8c.
 

Phoebe’s Choice

Tonight’s the night, folks! The Good Place is back for its fourth and final season tonight, and I for one am anxious to see how it plays out. After several genius seasons of shocking reveals and switchback endings, last year’s finale was one more “reset” of the afterlife neighborhood that Michael originally designed to torment Eleanor, Jason, Chidi, & Tahani. After that core group exposed the dark truth behind the contemporary afterlife – the fact that no one from earth has qualified for the real Good Place since the 1970s – they were made to be part of Michael’s new team. The experiment now was to see if humans can actually improve their moral fiber after they are dead, which would signal it is irrational to target them for torture or reward them with eternal bliss.

Just as they were about to start the new neighborhood, however, Michael had a panic attack and froze up. Eleanor took charge though and greeted the first new addition to the afterlife, telling him that she was the Architect and Michael was her assistant. The new arrival turned out to be a writer named John, who used to blog on “The Gossip Toilet,” a website that absolutely abused Tahini’s reputation in the public eye during life. Even worse, the second person selected turned out to be Chidi’s ex-girlfriend, Simone. Michael and the gang decided to appeal to the judge about these selections that would clearly muddy the results of the experiment. The judge ruled that while Simone should stay, her memories of meeting the rest of them should be deleted. Chidi decided he wanted his memories wiped too, in the interest of the experiment being free from distractive drama.

Chidi and Eleanor had one last night together, because he would lose his memory of her also. Michael put together a movie for them, which was a supercut of their relationship. Though their goodbye was very sad, they trusted they could get through it somehow. After all, they found each other hundreds of times so far. What’s one more time? “Jeremy Bearimy, baby.” Janet and Elanor had one last heart to heart about the existential challenges of being a human in love, before Elanor had to “Welcome Chidi to the ‘Good Place’.” So excited to see how this unwinds!!!

On tonight’s episode, “A Girl from Arizona,” with Eleanor assuming the role of the architect, the group adapts to the challenges facing them when four test subjects inhabit a new neighborhood under their supervision.

See how the final season begins tonight on NBC at 9/8c.
 

Megan’s Choice

A Million Little Things brought us an intense first season full of adultery, deaths, pregnancies, and secrets from every direction, which kept us mesmerized all season. I really want Delilah and Eddie together in the long run, but I think that’s going to be a lengthy process because he was trying to patch things up with Katherine and Delilah is focusing on the kids. My favorite couple is Gary and Maggie because of the way he has loved her so completely through her cancer treatment – their love is adorable.

On tonight’s premiere, “Coming Home,” when Delilah goes into labor, Eddie feels compelled to tell Katherine the truth about being the baby’s father. Meanwhile, Gary and Maggie struggle with living together post-cancer, and Rome and Regina continue to be at odds about having a baby of their own.

Find out whether or not Eddie comes clean with Katherine tonight on ABC at 9/8c.

I’ll also be watching Grey’s Anatomy, Young Sheldon, Perfect Harmony, The Good Place, The Unicorn, Evil, Law & Order: SVU, and Sunnyside.
 

Jenny’s Choice #2

Walton Goggins is probably best known for his role on Justified, which was as far from a comedy as he could get, but he is starring in the new comedy The Unicorn, and it’s so cute! He plays a relatively new widower, Wade, whose wife passed away a year ago. Along with his small, tight-knit group of friends, Wade has been concentrating on raising his two daughters since his wife died. But his friends decide amongst themselves that it’s time for Wade to start living again, so they begin to start to push him out of the nest and convince him to try a dating app. They explain that he’s a “unicorn,” the perfect single guy: employed, attractive, and with a proven track record of commitment. And as we clearly see in the first couple of episodes, they are correct. LOL

The best part about this show, aside from Goggins’ sometimes adorably befuddled Wade, is the supporting cast. His group of friends is great: Forrest (Rob Corddry, Ballers, Childrens Hospital) and his wife Delia (Michaela Watkins, Trophy Wife, Casual), and Ben (Omar Miller, CSI: Miami & Sex, Love and Secrets) and his wife Michelle (Maya Lynne Robinson, The Conners). They all loved Wade’s wife and miss her as well, but they know it’s time for him and his girls to start living again. Watching them gently (usually… LOL) push him out of the nest is adorable.

Check out the heartwarming comedy tonight on CBS at 8:31/7:31c.

I’ll also be watching Perfect Harmony, the Kids Baking Championship special, Sunnyside, Beat Bobby Flay, & Impractical Jokers.
 

Kyle’s Choice #2

Also premiering tonight is one of my favorites of the season’s new comedies, Perfect Harmony, which is a bit like Pitch Perfect meets Sister Act meets Glee. Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) stars as Arthur Cochran, the former chair of the Princeton Music department, who resigned due to student complaints. He had reluctantly headed back to Kentucky, where his terminally ill wife wanted to spend his final days. Now that she’s gone, he was contemplating ending his own life, looking for a sign, when he happened upon a church choir in desperate need of his assistance. He soon meets the mix of odd-ball choir members, including diner waitress Ginny (Anna Camp, Pitch Perfect), her soon-to-be ex, Wayne (Will Greenberg, Wrecked), immigrant Reverend Jax (Rizwan Manji, The Magicians, Schitt’s Creek), gentle giant Dwayne (Geno Segers, Banshee), and Adams Adams (Tymberlee Hill, Drunk History, Search Party).

I’m not sure where the series will go after the pilot, but tonight’s episode had me laughing quite a bit. I really love these wacky characters, each with his or her own unique quirk. There are also some really fun and interesting dynamics between the members of the choir, as well as Arthur’s hilarious sarcasm toward them. It looks like the series could have a lot of humor and heart, as Arthur helps them be better singers, the choir will also help him be a better, less angry person. There is a lot of humor that can be mined out of this situation and these characters – I see the series more like an ensemble hangout comedy like Community or Mr. Sunshine.

Check it out tonight on NBC at 8:30/7:30c.

I’ll also be watching/recording Grey’s Anatomy, A Million Little Things, Young Sheldon, The Unicorn, Mom, Carol’s Second Act, Evil, Superstore, The Good Place, and Sunnyside.

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