Fake TV Critic

There's a lot to unpack in news this week, starting with Emilio Estevez setting the record straight (or is he?) on why he's not returning to The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. I'm more confused than before after a strange statement from the actor which clarifies nothing. I'm recapping the finale of American Crime Story: Impeachment and reflecting on wtf the "crime" of the season is actually supposed to be. Is it perjury? Adultery? The makeup they put on Clive Owen? Then it's time to dive into Canada's Drag Race, which no one is talking about (perhaps because it is not very good, idk). Finally, my Countdown to Christmas recommendation for the week is a Back to the Future reunion starring Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson in supporting roles and featuring magic trains, time travel, and a woman who's a surgeon at a prestigious New York hospital who really just wants a boyfriend.

I'm sick. :-( So this is a shorter episode than usual. (I know, you're absolutely heartbroken.) Anyway, there's news this week about a potential new talk show for Jennifer Hudson; a prequel to The 100; and a cast shake-up on The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. Then I'm recapping Amazon's new reality show Tampa Baes, a hot mess of a docusoap about a huge group of lesbian friends in Tampa Bay. And even though I didn't like any of the Countdown to Christmas movies last weekend, my recommendation is for the one that you'll potentially have the most fun watching while drinking wine and binging on leftover Halloween candy.

Twitter: @FakeTVCritic

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This week on the pod: the Disney Plus reboot of National Treasure finds its lead, the People's Choice Awards nominations are out, and Squid Game is encouraging kids to beat the absolute crap out of each other during recess. Plus I'm recapping the season nine premiere of Bravo's Below Deck and the latest episode of HBO's drag docuseries We're Here.

And new for the holiday season (because, yes, it is Christmas now), my recommendation is going to be my favorite Countdown to Christmas movie airing each week on Hallmark. It's the most wonderful time of year! (Opinions about how early is too early to start watching hokey, repetitive Christmas movies not needed, thanks.)

Twitter: @FakeTVCritic

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After getting into the horrifying accidents that have been happening on film and TV sets recently, I'm recapping the season finale of American Horror Story: Double Feature and wondering out loud why the image of male rape is so pervasive in alien fiction. Then it's a speed round of TV I'm watching, with brief discussions of how things are going on The Masked Singer, Hightown, Survivor, and Batwoman. And for the first time, my "recommendation" is for something that I don't actually like! But I need you to watch it, because I don't understand how such a simple idea as remaking a beloved 90s horror film like I Know What You Did Last Summer could get so complicated and confusing.

Twitter: @FakeTVCritic

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I'm starting off with a discussion about Dave Chappelle's transphobic remarks in The Closer and the equally transphobic response from Netflix. Then I'm prepping for Halloween by recapping the premiere of Chucky on USA/SyFy, which is better than I thought a small-screen adaptation of a horror franchise about a killer doll could be, and the third season of You (which, yes, is on Netflix, after I berated them in the intro - there's no easy solution to calling out capitalism while also being part of it). And for my recommendation? It's my all-time favorite series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with a handy episode guide for those wanting to re-watch (or begin with!) the series' highlights.

Twitter: @FakeTVCritic

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It was a bit of a slow week 'round these parts, but I couldn't not talk about the new musical Diana, which is about to restart Broadway performances but was filmed during lockdown for Netflix. It's the most confoundingly awful thing I've seen in a long time, and I need everyone to experience its sheer idiocy with me. I'm also recapping the first episode of Peacock's YA teen soap/murder mystery One of Us Is Lying, a very standard book-to-screen adaptation about pretty people with secrets. 

Twitter: @FakeTVCritic

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This week, I fell into the sinkhole that is NBC's new mystery-sci-fi-fantasy-drama La Brea, a truly bizarre (but ultimately kind of entertaining?) mashup of familiar shows (Lost, Land of the Lost), tropes (shady government, survivalism), and stock characters (military dad, tragically injured child, protective mom). Then I'm dipping back in to RuPaul's Drag Race UK to have an honest conversation about sizeism, fatphobia, and the awful judging we've seen so far in the first two episodes of this season.

Twitter: @FakeTVCritic

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It's a busy week on the pod (and the blog!). We remember actor Willie Garson, who died this week at 57 from pancreatic cancer, and talk about the kerfuffle on The View on Friday. Then it's a whole bunch of recapping and reviewing: the finale of Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers, which couldn't stick the landing; the very welcome return of Survivor (with a brief detour about the "come on in, guys" drama); the season three premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race UK; the finale of "Red Tide" in American Horror Story's current Double Feature season; and Fox's new singing competition series Alter Ego.

And if you're not sick of hearing my opinions after all that, feel free to check out the blog (link below), where I reviewed the pilots of Peacock's The Lost Symbol and CBS's NCIS: Hawai'i and FBI: International.

Twitter: @FakeTVCritic

UPDATE: Sorry, there was an audio glitch so I re-edited and uploaded! If you already listened on Monday, 9/20, this is the same episode!

Happy Premiere Week! The fall TV season officially kicks off tonight, but first, we have to get caught up on the news of the last week, including the untimely death of beloved SNL star Norm Macdonald; the bizarre casting and backlash of CBS's ill-informed series The Activist; and the announcement of a new Harry Potter-themed competition series. Then it's on to a review of Fox's newest dramedy The Big Leap, which premieres on Monday, September 20 and a recap of the first two episodes of Hulu's B.J. Novak anthology series The Premise. Here's to hoping the rest of fall's new shows are better than these. Twitter: @FakeTVCritic Blog: faketvcritic.blogspot.com Outro Music by Box Lunch Beats (IG: @a_maddox_art)

Welcome back! A new TV season is about to kickoff, so I'm easing back into the swing of things by touching on two finales that recently aired: one satisfying (RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 6) and one... not so much (Netflix's Clickbait). Then I'm recapping the first episode of the new Top Chef spin-off that just began on Peacock, Top Chef Family Style. It features kids competing alongside adult relatives and the very confusing choice of Meghan Trainor as host and judge. Finally, my recommendation for the week is a show whose return I've been anxiously awaiting for over two years now: The Other Two on HBO Max.

Twitter: @FakeTVCritic